Chapter 8: the last straw

Over the next few weeks, Akane got by just fine in most of her classes. Hero training, on the other hand, was becoming another story.

With her classmates all working on improving their quirks, there was only so far Akane could get relying on her combat skills alone. Sure, with enough effort and strategising, she could take down most of her peers, but they were getting too familiar with her tricks. Pretty soon, it was getting hard for her to stay ahead.

Training after school a couple times a week with Todorki had been helpful, at least. The more time she had to practice against someone with such a powerful quirk, all the while avoiding using her own, was valuable time indeed. He tried to prioritize non-quirk combat training, but something about that just pissed her off.

"What?" Akane asked, slightly out of breath in the middle of one of their after-school spars. "Don't think I can take you?"

Todoroki considered. "I think you have a decent chance. But, considering the destructive capacity of my quirk, I'm hesitant to take the risk."

"Worried about hurting me?"

"Worried more about pissing off Mr Aizawa."

They continued fighting, both parties holding back, but slowly improving over time.

Halfway through the semester, confident with the tricks she'd collected in her arsenal, Akane finally felt ready to approach Bakugou with a proposition. Having been the first person in 1A to defeat her with his quirk in their very first training session, she wanted to see how she measured up with her extra practice. She needed to know if she could take someone down with a quirk as strong as Bakugou's when he was going all-out. If Todoroki wouldn't meet those needs, she knew Bakugou would.

Before training started, Akane found Bakugou outside the locker rooms. He seemed surprised — or maybe even a little nervous — to see her, but quickly covered it with a scowl.

"What do you want, newbie?"

"It's been weeks. Quit calling me that."

"Whatever. What do you want?"

She folded her arms. "We're doing one-on-ones today."

"Yeah." His tone grew increasingly uncertain. "And?"

"And I want to partner up with you."

He frowned. "Uh, okay?"

"So you have to go all out."

At that, Bakugou finally reacted. He leaned back an inch, waiting for the catch. Go all out, without my quirk? Go all out, but don't hurt me?

She said, "I mean it. Use your quirk on me, all out, or don't bother fighting at all. Got it?"

He bared his teeth. "Hey, don't tell me what to do!"

"You got it or not?"

"Hell no!" He threw his hands up. "Are you nuts? You're a good fighter, sure, but there's no way you can take me all-out."

"Won't know until we try."

"Dammit, newbie, just shut it already!"

"You seem nervous."

"Of course I'm nervous! I don't want you to get hurt, you damn idiot!"

Akane stopped. She blinked.

Bakugou stopped. He blinked.

"Uh —" Bakugou stuttered. "I mean—I don't care or anything, but if Mr Aizawa finds out I torched you, I'll be on detention until I'm dead."

"Bakugou." Akane narrowed her gaze on him, the faintest hint of desperation shining through. "Please."

The underlying message was clear: I need this. Bakugou heard it and understood well, but it didn't stop the sick feeling in his stomach at the thought of throwing his explosions full-force at his favourite person in 1A (not that he'd ever say that aloud). He groaned, rubbing the back of his neck, and finally conceded defeat.

"Fine. But I swear to God, you better kick my ass."

Come fight time, All Might begrudgingly accepted Akane's request to work with Bakugou. The number one hero gave Bakugou a very stern look, letting him know to watch himself. Anything happened to Akane and the both of them would have to answer to Aizawa.

With that silent warning in mind, Bakugou faced Akane in the ring. As ever, she creamed him in the first round, where quirks were off the table. The second round…was not quite so easy.

Akane held her own without much trouble for the first five minutes, even landing a couple ineffectual blows. Just as he'd hoped, Bakugou was impressed — she'd gotten better. She'd figured out the exact moment to strike, right in that split second he'd run out of juice and had to recharge before he could fire again. Unfortunately, it still ended up being a battle of attrition, and with Akane doing at least twice the amount of work just avoiding his attacks, she was at a severe disadvantage.

His first successful blast seared her shoulder — she dodged slower than before. And yet, she didn't react. If it hurt, she either didn't feel it or didn't care. Maybe it was Akane's stoic resilience that kept Bakugou from backing down, but before long, he'd landed his second successful hit: this one was her thigh. Almost immediately, her movements gave way to a limp.

Bakugou faltered. She's hurt. But the exact second he hesitated was the exact moment she struck, landing a solid blow across his face.

Grunting, Bakugou stumbled back a couple steps. Message received: no holding back.

And so, he charged up and kept fighting. Explosion after explosion, he went after her, and, despite her injuries, she persisted; timing her counter attacks perfectly. The whole class watched with bated breath — could Akane really win an all-out battle against Bakugou?

That was when it happened. In the half second it took for her to catch her breath, slowed down by her injuries, Bakugou's instincts took over and he fired his biggest explosion yet. It struck Akane square in the chest and blew her across the room until she slammed against the cement wall and slid, unconscious, to the floor.

For a moment, everything froze, the whole class hanging on a gasp of air. And then, finally—

"Akane!" Midoriya screamed.

All at once, 1A rushed in on Akane's limp body. The commotion woke her up, barely, and her eyelids fluttered groggily.

Meanwhile, in the ring, Bakugou stood, still unable to breathe. He watched the class crowd the girl he'd defeated so brutally and he could not move a muscle.

Akane, seeing the mass of terrified faces hovering above her, felt instantly nauseous. She struggled, her movements severely compromised, to distance herself. Too many people. I'm…too weak. I can't take them on. I'm in trouble.

In her injured, concussed state, Akane's panic was blatantly obvious. Midoriya, Iida, Todoroki and All Might felt her fear in their own hearts; this was a crappy situation for anyone to be in, but for someone who'd been through what she had? A nightmare.

"Back up!" All Might commanded. "Everyone, back!"

"You heard our teacher!" Iida said, waving his arms around.

"But, Akane —" Kirishima, whose admiration for the girl's incredible fighting power had imbued him with a soft spot for her, stepped forward. Todoroki stopped him.

"Give her space," he said.

Carefully, All Might lifted Akane into his arms. Midoriya and Iida saw the mistake instantly.

Midoriya held out his arm.

"All Might, wait!"

But All Might's touch, unexpected and terrifying in her vulnerable state, sent Akane over the edge. Injuries be damned, she thrashed against his hold with an unbelievable urgency, seeing her whole miserable life flash before her eyes.

All Might couldn't help but panic himself. "Y-young Akane?"

Iida, desperate to help somehow, stepped up. "I'll get Mr Aizawa." He sped off.

Akane wasn't even close to calming down, prompting Todoroki into action as well. He turned to his classmates.

"Everyone, to the locker rooms. Let All Might take care of this."

Forcefully urging them to disperse, Todoroki returned to the training gym, ready for the next task. Much to his distress, Akane continued to struggle. He looked between All Might and Midoriya, hoping someone would have a solution. At their blank, helpless looks, Todoroki snapped.

"Put her down, All Might! Can't you see she needs space?"

All Might jumped. "Oh. Yes! Absolutely!" Gently, he laid Akane back on the ground, leaning her against the wall. She didn't calm down, but at least she had started to breathe again. Todoroki saw his chance.

"Akane." He knelt down before her. "It's okay. They're all gone. You're safe."

She managed to meet his look, blood from a head wound dripping into her eye. Through strained breath, she responded, "Tell Bakugou…thanks."

Todoroki smiled. "Tell him yourself."

Sadly, Bakugou couldn't find it in himself to approach her and the beaten body he'd left her with. Not that it mattered, as in the next moment, Akane leaned over and threw up the contents of her stomach. Damn concussion had really done a number on her.

This was when Aizawa happened to enter the scene. Instantly, his sharp glare landed on Akane, surrounded by her worried friends and a very flustered All Might, currently wiping blood and spittle off her lips. His heart practically sunk to the floor, but — ever calm in an emergency — he smothered his panic and rushed to his adopted daughter's side.

Before her hair could get any blood or spit on it, he tied it back, murmuring calming words.

"I'm here, it's okay."

Akane nodded. With Aizawa at her side and finally been given some breathing room from All Might and the others, she was starting to see clearly again. She looked past the blood and sweat in her eyes to get All Might's attention.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Didn't mean to freak out on you."

He flailed his hands around. "N-not at all, young Akane. I apologize if I startled you!"

"What happened?" Aizawa demanded. "You're a mess. I sent Iida to get Recovery Girl, but now I'm thinking you need a hospital."

"It's my fault, sir!"

Everyone turned around, astonished at the sight of Bakugou, still frozen in the ring, glaring down at the floor. His fists shook by his sides and his voice was strained, like he was trying to hold back tears.

Glowering furiously, Aizawa rose to his feet. "What did you do?"

"Stop," Akane said. "I made him do it. I wanted to test myself against his quirk." She set her jaw. "Now I know."

"Don't sell yourself short, Akane," Midoriya said. "You really held your own."

"You almost had him," Todoroki agreed.

"Enough!" Aizawa snapped. Leaving Bakugou, temporarily, with a menacing scowl, he knelt back down before Akane. Cupping her face, he examined her head injury, before scanning the rest of her beaten body. Scorch marks, blood and bruises everywhere. It was all he could do to not rip Bakugou's head off there and now.

Instead, he held up a finger in front of Akane's face. "Don't move your head," he instructed. "Follow it with your eyes."

She did her best to do as she was told, but before long, Aizawa's finger fluttered in and out of her vision, and she was overtaken by another bout of nausea. She curled over once again, retching.

Aizawa sighed, rubbing her back until she was finished. Definitely time for a hospital.

Upon entering the scene with Iida, Recovery Girl came to the same conclusion. She kissed Akane's flesh wounds, which started to heal up instantly, but didn't dare to do any more. The girl was exhausted enough as it was, and with that concussion, they didn't want her falling asleep just yet.

Aizawa helped her to her feet. She resisted being carried, so he grudgingly helped support her weight as she walked, still limping slightly.

"Can we help?" Midoriya asked.

"Please," Iida added.

All Might stepped in. "I think it would be best if you lot returned to class. Bakugou, have Recovery Girl see to your injuries first."

Bakugou hardly heard him, watching Akane and Mr Aizawa approach him as they walked across the room. Finally, he forced himself to move, and looked into Akane's eyes with a ferocious, desperate shame.

"I'm…sorry."

Akane struggled to lock onto his face, her vision blurry. "I already told you. Don't be."

He grit his teeth. "You dumb newbie. Why'd you make me do it? I told you I didn't-didn't want to….to hurt you."

Seeing Akane struggle just to stay standing, Aizawa cut in. "We're leaving."

But Akane held her gloved hand out and grabbed Bakugou's wrist, forcing him, to the best of her current ability, to keep looking at her.

"You respected me enough to go all-out. That's all I care about."

Bakugou's eyes widened. So taken aback by her declaration of thanks, and by her touch, he almost didn't react fast enough when her eyes finally rolled into the back of her head and she went limp. Thankfully, right before Aizawa had to intervene, he caught her, never letting her hit the floor. As expected, she weighed next to nothing, and Bakugou had no problem swooping her up in his arms.

Doing his best not to blush — crap, she's never been this close to me before — he looked to Aizawa.

"Uh…where did you want this?"

Aizawa folded his arms. His glare said it all — no funny business, kid. But then he gestured his head and made for the door, followed closely by Bakugou and an unconscious Akane.

Behind them, All Might, Midoriya, Iida and Todoroki watched them leave with fly-catching gapes. The way Bakugou carried Akane — so careful, constantly looking down to make sure she was okay, adjusting his hold to make her more comfortable — was unbelievable to anyone who knew him. What was that softness in his gaze? What was that determination to help someone in need? Even stranger, Aizawa, who had clearly made Akane's safety his top priority, trusted Bakugou to help. He must've seen it, too.

Once they were gone, Iida was the first to speak. "Is it just me….or has Bakugou's change in heart got anyone else rattled?"

Midoriya swallowed. "It's not just you."

"Hm." Todoroki considered. "Kind of saw it coming."

xxx

At the hospital, Bakugou stayed with Akane while Aizawa left to fill out some paperwork. He sat in a chair across the patient room while a nurse finished bandaging her up. The doctor had already given her the all-clear. Brain scan was good. Her concussion would disappear on its own with enough time and rest. All that was left was to clean the remaining burns and scrapes — anything Recovery Girl missed.

The nurse smiled. "All done. You should be good to go as soon as Eraserhead gets back."

"Hang on." Bakugou stood up. "Shouldn't you give her something for the pain? Like…drugs?"

Akane said, "No drugs."

The nurse looked between the two of them and smirked. "Alrighty then. Let me know if you need anything else. I'll be in the hall."

With that, she left, leaving Bakugou and Akane alone for the first time since this whole thing went down. He didn't sit down, but couldn't bring himself to get any closer to her, either. He shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You good?"

Akane nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." A couple moments of silence later, he added, "You really pissed me off, you know that?"

She smirked. "I figured."

"Thought I told you to kick my ass."

"Don't worry." Her expression hardened. "Next time, I will."

He dared to wander a little closer, never taking his hands out of his pockets. "You know the stupidest part of this whole thing?"

Akane frowned. "Puking on Todoroki's shoes?"

At that, he had to grin, and even found the courage to sit next to her on the hospital bed. "Nah, I wouldn't miss that dumb look on icy-hot's face for the world."

"Then what?"

He shook his head, serious again. "Your quirk. It's….I mean, if you really wanted, you could win a fight against someone ten time stronger than me. One touch and you're —"

"A murderer."

Bakugou's face dropped. Seeing the sombre expression on her still-healing face, he sighed. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to…"

"Yeah. I know."

"It just got me thinking. What if, you know, there was something else you could do with your quirk? What if you could find another way to use it — to win with it?"

Akane adjusted her gloves, just the topic of her quirk making her paranoid that they weren't on properly. "There isn't."

"What if there is?"

"I said no."

"Just shut up for a second, would you?"

Akane flinched. She shrunk away from him a couple centimetres, and suddenly he felt like the biggest jerk there ever was. He rubbed the back of his neck, wishing for once that his voice wasn't so rough and loud all the time.

"It's just an idea, okay? Not like I'm gonna force you to do something you don't wanna do."

Akane was silent. She didn't trust herself to discuss the matter of her quirk any more than she already had. A little more prompting and she was worried she'd fall apart, lost in a fog of trauma — beatings, killings, villains, an entire childhood ripped away from her. She struggled just to keep her breath in check, hoping Bakugou wouldn't notice but hoping at the same time that he'd figure out to drop the subject.

Thankfully, he only had one last thing to say. In the softest voice he could muster, he told her, "That said, you get yourself beaten to hell in another fight, I'm gonna lose my shit."

She gave a single laugh, but it was enough to make Bakugou's heart flutter.

"Right. Because that'd be such a big deviation from the norm."

"What the hell did you say to me, you dumb newbie?!"

"Bakugou."

In the doorway, Aizawa stood, a very unimpressed expression on his already-stern face. He arched an eyebrow.

Bakugou blanched. Grumbling, he stood up. "Yeah, yeah."

Under Aizawa's orders to hurry back and make it to his last class of the day, Bakugou left Akane in his teacher's care. He couldn't help but glance over his shoulder, just once, before he left. Upon Akane's expectant look, he turned away just as fast, burning red at the ears.

Aizawa sighed, approaching Akane's bed. "Not sure I like how taken he is with you."

Akane didn't really hear him, frowning, deep in thought. "Mm."

Aizawa stopped. "What is it?"

Beat. Mostly muttering, Akane responded, "Just something he said."

Instantly, a protective spark flared up in Aizawa's chest. He snarled. "God, don't tell me he's been a pervert this whole time."

"What?" Finally, Akane snapped out of it. "No."

At least somewhat assured, Aizawa waited patiently for Akane to proceed. Finally, she looked up at him.

"I think….I think it's time I explore my quirk."