Chapter 14
Catch
.:+:.
... I'm a fool...
.:+:.
"... Animal Spirit and her UA Intern- Anima- were hot on the scene for a five car crash in Heiku today! Following one of the cars making an illegal right turn into oncoming traffic, two cars collided head on and slid into the adjacent lane- hitting three other cars and causing several of them to roll. There were no pedestrian injuries reported- though one car did roll into the sidewalk parallel to the street, and nearly rolled out into a street perpendicular."
"Animal Spirit stopped the car from entering the next street, and kept the overturned vehicle steady while her Intern worked to pull the driver from the wreckage. The driver of that car sustained minimal injuries, and most of other passengers managed to get away with only minor and mild injuries. The driver of the vehicle that caused the crash is in serious condition- reportedly she was in a frantic state and lost a lot of blood. Pro Hero Killjoy arrived on scene and was able to calm her down, and allow rescue personnel to safely remove her from the vehicle without causing further harm."
"The street in question has been opened up again, and regular traffic has resumed. It is fortunate there were so few injuries. And thank you to all those who helped in rescue and cleanup efforts."
.:+:.
"... I'm home." Koda mumbled quietly, sliding the door to his house open and stepping inside delicately. He paused and started to pull his boots off, his hand leaning against the wall for support and letting out a small sigh.
It was dark outside already, and he felt exhausted from the day. Walking around as much as he and Animal Spirit did on Patrol was tiring in itself, but with the added on stress and work with the wreckage he felt a little dead on his feet. And his emotions were a little fried too...
... It was... Cool though... Being able to help out.
And Animal Spirit was amazing... I still can't believe how fast she acted with the car, and how calm she was... She's good at everything...!
He bit the inside of his cheek, pulling his last boot off and blushing a little when his thoughts flashed to her praises and assurances.
... She's so nice... I'm not sure I deserve all of it...
... though given tomorrow he was set to meet her at Bakanei Park (instead of meeting up directly at the Train Station as he had the last two days...), and the entirety of their day was set to be spent on Battle and Combat training- maybe he'd find her a little less nice... oh he really hoped she was going to go easy on him...!
"Koda!"
He jumped, head snapping up and his heart racing at the very loud voice shouting his name. His mother popped up around the corner at full speed, her arms open wide and dashing up to him too quickly for him to even react. He was wrapped tightly up in her arms the next second, his arms pinned at his sides and unable to move as she rocked him back and forth in her grasp. She snuggled her cheek up against his, fervently so, and he blinked several times in surprise and uncertainty- and also embarrassment.
"Oh Koda sweetie! You were on the news today!" She said loudly, and he blushed a little at it, his stomach fluttering. "I saw the street camera footage on the news! Oh my baby, that car almost crushed you!"
He stiffened a little, biting the inside of his cheek at the thought. He shook his head at himself and gently forced his mom to release him a little, putting some distance between them as he looked up at her. His eyes glittered as he saw the small tears pecking at the corners of his mother's eyes.
"I-i'm fine, mom...!" He assured her quickly, "R-really! I didn't get hurt or anything... S-Spirit-Sensei made sure the car couldn't run into us...!" His mom took in a deep breath and nodded a little, offering up a small smile in return.
"I'm so glad you're okay...!" She hummed, "I am very grateful that Animal Spirit was so quick to protect you...! She must really be doing her best for this Internship..!"
"S-Spirit-Sensei is a great Pro Hero... She'd do her best to protect anybody, regardless if they were her Intern or not...!" He said quickly, and his mother nodded again, smiling a bit more.
"I know, I'm just very happy you seem to be having a good time with her." She replied with ease, and Koda blinked in surprise. His mother's hands moved up as she cuddled his cheeks, smiling wider and hummed. "You were so excited when you came home yesterday! I know you were so nervous about meeting one of your favorite Heroes! But you had a good day!" Koda blushed and little and glanced away, his mother smiled more at the reaction. "Did you have a good day today too? You were so brave and confident, helping with all those poor people!" She hummed, her hands leaving his cheeks as she dug in the pocket of the apron she was wearing and quickly produced a photo- his face went red.
"You are such a handsome boy! I was so proud to see you on the TV, saving people and looking after them!"
He went stiff as a board, scarlet in the face and his heart pounding as he lay eyes on the picture- him in his Hero Costume and standing beside Animal Spirit, the Pro smiling lightly as she waved a hand at the camera and her other hand resting on his shoulder. He was staring at the camera itself, nearly as stiff as he was now, and noticeably nervous and flushed.
He knew immediately what the photo was; after the last of the people from the crash site had been seen by the paramedics and the cleanup was starting, some of the media and press had already set up and were immediately looking for something to shoot... and more than anything they wanted a little time with that Pro Hero who had gone head to head with Stain, and who was now out and about with a UA Intern.
Animal Spirit had allotted a few minutes for dealing with all of that, and she'd answered a few questions, all polite and formal like he was used to seeing from her whenever she was on TV or whatever (which was rare...). He'd not actually said anything himself, he'd mostly done his best to stay behind Spirit and out of total view and focus (which was hard, given he was bigger than she was). When he was pressed for something he'd just nodded and averted his eyes, much too nervous and embarrassed with the attention to act like he probably should have.
He'd been doing his best to be inconspicuous as possible when suddenly Animal Spirit stepped back a pace to get herself level with him. He hadn't been sure why she did so, and he was reeling even more when she patted his shoulder gently with a hand, their eyes matched for half a second, before she looked ahead and her other hand raised in a wave. His eyes followed where she was looking and immediately found a camera- and he froze, his face feeling like it was on fire.
He knew the photo his mother was holding was from that same camera, and his face flushed further- it couldn't have been up on the internet for more than an hour, and she'd already found and had it printed!
"M-mom...!" He stammered, she smiled even more.
"It's such a good picture! You and one of your favorite Heroes- oh it's just perfect!" She bummed brightly, holding the photo up and looking it over for what must have been the millionth time.
"I'm going to frame this one!"
Kids held his face in his hands and nearly steaming from the head. He scrunched his eyes closed, all frantic nervousness and energy and sheer and utter embarrassment.
...a...ah...!
"Anima! My little boy is becoming a Hero!"
.:+:.
She grimaced, her red eyes narrowed at the pill bottle in hand and swallowing slightly as she just sat there and stared at it. Her feet hung off the edge of the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of black pants and a bra, her button-up shirt on the bed beside her, vest and tie too. Her auburn hair fell around her shoulders loosely, damp from the shower she had taken not a few minutes before- and the one that had not dulled down the throbbing in her her head nor her side, like she had hoped.
Since the whole deal with the crashes, and wrestling with a car, her body had hurt from the impact- her head especially- but her side felt like it was on fire.
She'd agitated the stab wound she'd gotten from Stain, and enough so the skin was swollen and red and the stitches were tugging quite painfully... Though lucky her, they hadn't actually pulled even through all the mess from earlier.
But she had hoped time would make the hot throbbing pain radiating from it go away- but no.
So then she hoped a shower would lessen it, and help with her headache and aching neck... But again, no.
...Damn it...
She had to be at the Club soon, and she didn't want to go. Grant you she usually didn't want to be there, and certainly not during busy hours- but even less so now, the thought of working and moving around fulfilling orders while she felt like her torso was burning...
... But I don't have a choice, I have to go.
It just sucks
Of course she had to go, and she couldn't act like she was in pain or that anything was wrong while she was there. That would cause too much interest, and the girls would question it, and she couldn't very well explain 'oh, I just jostled this stab wound I got from the Hero Killer a little too much today when I decided to wrestle with a car. No big deal.'.
And barring the truth, she didn't think she could manage a good enough lie- so she had to fake it, and fake it good.
Pretend like always... you'd think I was a Pro at that by now...
And so she was here, dreading going to work at the club and the attention of all the people and the girls. And worst of all, she dreaded what intensity her headache was going to reach in that smoke-filled and sweat-stinking building.
Honestly she just wanted to stay in bed and go to sleep... But again, I can't.
So that lead to this- the pain pills she got from the Hospital a week back, and the ones she had only taken maybe twice.
She hated pills, and medicine of any sort. They always made her feel off, drowsy or unfocused or even just irritable- and she was usually irritable enough on her own without bumping it up with drugs... And then of course there was also that other thing they did- fucking with her already shitty sleep-schedule and habits.
But she hadn't a choice. If she was gonna work all night without letting slip any sign of pain or whatever, she couldn't be feeling it as badly as she was right now. She needed it to dull down to something manageable, and this was the only way that was gonna work.
She popped the cap off and shook two tablets into her palm, sighing.
Hopefully by tomorrow I'll feel better... I'll need to, if Training with Koda is gonna actually go well.
... So hey, whatever you are that decided a pileup was the best way to end patrol... Maybe let my shift at the bar be easy today?
... Please...?
.:+:.
"Ah?! Kage what happened to your face?!"
Spirit let out an exasperated sigh, her head slowly turning from watching Hana up on the stage. She was leaning against the wall of the hallway that lead to the dressing rooms with her shoulder, arms crossed over her chest and quiet as she remained there. Her tired 'blue' eyes having a hard time really staying focused on Hana and her dance around the pole at all.
At current she was on a small ten minute break, one of the few she was allowed and could utilize in all the bustle and business... And yes, it was busy as hell.
The last four hours had been a terrible blur, her attention never quite able to settle nor focus, and exhaustion and weariness weighing her down all the heavier as time ticked by. As she anticipated, the pain pills had made her feel awful and drowsy to an extreme... But hey, the pain was a dull throb now, and entirely bearable. So that was a plus, yeah..?
Either way, working and feeling like she was had been hell, and she felt her strength and will to keep going fading fast. And worse still, her movements were getting sloppy too- which didn't really mix well when working with tons of glasses and liqueur bottles. She'd a few times already spilled things, and even dropped a glass about an hour ago, which she then had to clean up and grumbled all the while doing it.
Thankfully though she was so tired she hadn't the energy to be very irritable, and so she wasn't as agitated as she had been yesterday.
Though another downside to that was she couldn't stay focused on Okita very well through all of this, and she had been trying to. The poor girl seemed just as nervous today as she had the day before, and Spirit saw no indication that would change anytime soon.
Oh, and the headache. It was a million times worse...
... Redirecting though- my face.
Spirit turned her head a little and caught sight of the owner of that voice and the very loud question she had asked. Jishi was approaching her and the hallway, a bag on her shoulder and not yet dressed for work- naturally, as her shift wasn't due to start for another twenty minutes or so. And of course Jishi asked about it- that cut on her forehead she'd earned from the car.
Why they were all so hyper-aware of that one single, tiny little cut, she had no idea. Especially since it was hardly it could hardly even be seen under her bangs... But they had all noticed it near the instant she arrived, both the girls and the bouncers and the customers. But it was the girls who were so persistent on asking about it, and making much too big a deal over it.
I should have tried to cover it up with makeup or something... But I didn't even think about it
She let out another, silent sigh as Jishi stopped right in front of her, hands on her hips and leaning in a bit as her orange eyes locked to said cut. "So? What happened to you?" Jishi pressed, Spirit grumbled under her breath.
"You act like it's huge or something." She muttered and Jishi huffed,
"No, but I do wanna know what happened." She replied with ease, "I have to make sure you aren't going out and getting in trouble or anything, you know." Spirit quirked a brow at that,
"Getting into trouble?" she echoed, Jishi nodded quite curtly.
"Yes! Last thing we need is you getting into a fight with someone- worst of all one of the customers! Even on off hours!" She said quickly and Spirit blinked.
... Does she really think I'd start a fight with one of the men in here...?
... Well... I might if they keep being all handsy- but not the point!
"... I don't go picking fights ya know." Spirit muttered flatly, Jishi simply waved her hand as is she was waving the comment off.
"Pick them or not, I can definitely see you getting in a scuffle with someone." Jishi commented, "And I just wanna make sure you're not going up against people who'll really hurt you! I know you're tough Kage, but you do need to know your limits! As tough as you are, you can't risk going against just anybody! You aren't a fighting specialist or anything, and a lot of these guys are really bigger than you! You probably wouldn't stand a chance!" Spirit bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes narrowing to slits and a large portion of her exhaustion suddenly replaced by agitation.
I'm sorry, what?
She thinks I'm some sort of weakling!
I'm plenty capable of holding my own, damn it! And against all sorts of people! I fucking went head to head with the bloody fucking Hero Killer for fuck's sake!
I'm a Pro Hero, of course I can fucking fight! And hell if some run of the mill asshole hanging around a strip club is gonna take me on and win! I could beat the ass of anyone here if I wanted to! Even if they are bigger than me, they wouldn't stand a chance!
Of course Jishi and everyone else here didn't know she was in fact Animal Spirit, or a Pro Hero at all- and usually the girls assuming she was... Was a civilian or something didn't bother her at all. But right then it hit a nerve, and her teeth ground together a bit.
Don't be pissy, she doesn't know- she can't know either, so just let it go...
She forced herself a hot, quiet breath and offered up a smile that was a little too sickly-sweet, not that Jishi noticed.
"I wouldn't pick a fight I couldn't handle." Spirit replied lightly, though her tone had an edge to it she couldn't help- and again, Jishi seemed as oblivious as ever to Spirit's bubbling agitation. "Not that I'm going around picking fights mind you... This is me accidentally bumping into the corner of the top of my dresser when I was putting clothes away." Spirit explained with a small gesture toward her forehead, the same lie and story she had told earlier on, rolling off her tongue like it was nothing. Jishi's eyes widened, wincing slightly at the thought.
"Ooh, oww." she mumbled, "Well, I'm glad it was nothing serious after all- though you should be more careful, Kage!" Spirit smiled still, though more agitation flared at the scolding tone that worked it's way into Jishi's voice.
What, am I someone who needs to be looked after like a child now? Like I can't take care of myself?
That's what she's making it sound like... You know, watching me to make sure I don't start fights, warning me to be careful, telling me to watch my limits-
... Tch... I'm not a child, damn it. I can take care of myself just fine... Grahh...!
Be nice, Spirit.
"... Right, I'll try, Jishi."
.:+:.
Pitch
It looked like tar splattered against the floor... Sticky and warm and so, terribly, utterly pitch black.
But it didn't smell like tar, or oil, or pitch or anything... It didn't smell... It smelled like rot, decomposition... Death
Death and metal... Decay and blood
Dark, sticky, rotted, black blood
The world was being consumed by an unending ebony wave, contorted, twisted hands and fingers made of shadow reaching out toward her, hungry, cruel.
They were screaming, their voices disjointed, anguished... terrified.
Everything was getting swallowed up
.:+:.
She jerked up off the bed, heart racing painfully in her chest and her body sticky from the sheen of sweat over her skin. She sucked in several short, shuddering gasps of air, her red eyes glittering in the dim of the room and body immediately tense and on high alert... Panicked.
She glanced every which way in quick succession, scanning the confines of the small corner of the apartment allocated for her 'room' and what little she could see beyond the divider ahead. But everything was so dark in her little underground home that she could scarcely see a few inches passed that divider, but her eyes didn't stop searching even when it was futile.
Her head snapped up, her neck craning and a cold drop of sweat falling down her spine as her red eyes locked with the roof overhead. Holding her breath against the lurking fear that it wouldn't be-
... it... it was just the roof, dark, smooth, empty. Nothing there that... shouldn't be...
The breath she was holding came out ragged and shuddering, a bit of sweat falling down her cheek and trailing along her jaw as she kept her head tilted back a few minutes more, before slowly letting it drop, her eyes falling to her hands... Her shaking hands, pale and thin in the dim of the room and hovering above her lap as her body hunched in on itself just a little, every inch of her, shaking, trembling, panting.
She swallowed, hard, her quivering fingers balling into fists as she frowned, her lips curling and letting out a low growl.
I haven't... Not in so long... I... Buried it... But... Now...
... Damn it... This is what happens when I take drugs or pills or anything... They... The dreams come back
Her crimson eyes shone in the dark, glittering, angry and nearly glowing... But also so very, very haunted.
"... Fuck..."
.:+:.
"Spirit-Sensei...!"
Spirit looked up, her immediate attention caught by the soft voice somewhere behind her and diverted from having been staring at a flock of birds in a nearby tree (and internally suppressing the urge to hunt them...).
She turned slightly, her arms crossed over her chest and expressionless, and standing in the center of a grassy clearing surrounded by a small grove of trees. This was a far corner in the vastness of what Bakanei Park was- about 150 acres of parkland set on the edge of Heiku, and filled with a large number of groves, paths, flower gardens, sitting areas, a few skateparks and small recreational buildings. And even a small man-made lake in the eastern corner to which was fed a stream that stretched out in several directions along the whole of the area, and in one place dumped out into the ocean where Heiku bordered the coast. Oh, and one sand garden on the southern side placed in a large dome made entirely of glass... and to which were a few memorials for some of the most famous (and long since dead) Pro Heroes and whatever from the early days... aaand a small rock-structure and habitat that had been built up for the local bat population.
Yeah, long story short- this park was massive, and filled with a massive amount of things. One almost forgot it was in the middle of the cities of Heiku and Hosu. It was like a whole other world. Spirit had been here several times, since assigning herself Heiku for her Pro Hero duties, and she had taken time to explore the whole park. And she had seen a lot of it, but she was also sure she hadn't discovered every nook and cranny there was... she sort of doubted anyone actually had.
But anyway, this was one of the most isolated parts of the whole park, and it was hidden in the middle of a rather thick grove. So she'd picked it for their training for the day, so they were out of the way of anyone in the actual park, and they didn't have draw a crowd or any looky-loos.
She'd actually been there since 6 something this morning, following having woken up at around 4ish because of that damned dream-
Tch... don't think about it
- she hadn't been able to just... settle, after that, and she'd been a bit antsy. So, she left home and came here and walked around, scouted her area of choice, and poured her focus into what she planned to do with the training and whatnot. She felt the exhaustion from the lack of sleep and the lingering drowsiness from the pain pills still lurking, but she forced all of it away. She had to be focused and on top of things, and she had to keep a clear head if any of this training was gonna go well, or even be some semblance of useful for Anima.
... small mercy the throbbing in her side had dulled again, and had yet to flare again, even after jolting awake-
-Fucking hell, again. Stop.
Upon turning she spotted Anima in full Hero garb quickly walking out of the trees and across the clearing toward her, at his side two squirrels and a pink box wrapped in a bow(?) in his hands.
She offered up a small smile as she caught his eyes and waved a hand at him, turning all the way around as she waited for him to reach her.
"Good morning." She hummed lightly, and he returned her smile with one of his own as he stopped in front of her, the squirrels quickly climbing up his clothes and settling on either shoulder. And the young boy didn't even blink at it, and neither did Spirit... at this point she was getting used to him just having random animals all over him at all times of the day.
"Good morning..!" He replied quietly, forgoing sign language for the moment and relenting to using his voice, given his hands were full with the box.
"You didn't have any problem finding this spot I hope?" Spirit hummed and he shook his head,
"No..! The directions you gave me yesterday were really helpful...! Plus these two were happy to bring me to you when I arrived..!" He replied with ease, smiling still as he tilted his head either way to the creatures on his shoulders. Spirit nodded slightly,
"Good." She murmured, "You ready for today?"
"Y-yes..! I am excited to learn all I can from you..!" Anima replied quickly, a small bit of nervousness trickling into his voice, but he looked determined none-the-less. She smiled a bit more, her eyes flashing.
"Great." She chuckled, her head tilting though as she gestured toward the box in hand, and then her hands fell on her hips lightly. "Though I am wondering what you have there?" She commented and he blinked, looking a little surprised, before jumping and his face flushed quite a bit, suddenly looking very... embarrassed?
He looked away from her, face red and fidgety as he stumbled for his voice for a few seconds.
"O-oh, uhm... well my... my mother, she... she saw the news yesterday, about the crash..." Anima started nervously, and Spirit blinked. "... a..and how you stopped that car, and she... she was really happy that you stopped it... a-and that you took me as an Intern, and you're being so nice to me... And helping me with learning to be a Pro Hero...!" He flushed further and closed his eyes, moving his hands forward toward her with the box in them, and her eyes dropped to it. "S-She wanted to thank you for what you've been doing...! B-but since she can't do it in person, she made these for you, as a thank you... a.. and a gift...!" He announced quickly, and Spirit stiffened in surprise, her eyes widening slightly as her eyes locked with the pink box, and subsequently froze.
... a... what...?
Her hands lift off her hips in uncertainty, her shoulders sagging and her posture wilting too as her mind stalled. She just stared, her mind having a hard time coming to terms with the explanation and... Well, what it meant.
... Did he say gift...? Like thank you gift...? From his mother... For me...?
Her eyes trailed up from the box and toward Anima, the poor boy's eyes still shut tight and red-faced and nearly sweating up a storm in embarrassment. Her hands stalled at her sides, simply looking up at him and just as lost for words as he seemed to have been just a few moments before.
... For... Stopping the car...? And taking him as an Intern...? And being... Nice...?
... But... The first bit was just... My job... And the Intern thing was just... A whim, really...
She blinked a few more times, her posture wilting a a little bit more.
... This... his mother thanking me for anything is just... Unnecessary... I don't...
Her eyes flashed as she bit the inside of her cheek.
... I'm not sure... I get it...?
And to make it clear, she had been thanked before. Of course, she was a Pro Hero and she had helped people, kept them safe, the whole works... Lots of people said thank you and thanked her for her work, actions, and whatever when she was out and about on duty. That was normal and totally expected in the line of a Pro- and she knew that, and understood all that... But this was... Huh
... This is a thank you from someone I've never even met before... And for things that... I don't really need to be thanked for...?
... And it's not just a thank you, it's a gift.
... But I'm just... Doing my job...?
She bit the inside of both cheeks now and let out a small breath, quickly deciding she just needed to move on- because no matter how hard her mind ground away at the situation, she still felt like she just didn't get it.
So she wouldn't get it, but letting the silence drag on wasn't gonna help anything.
"... Alright, but what is it..?" Spirit asked softly, breaking the bit of silence and raising her hands up to take the box from him at last. He handed it over gratefully and tapped his fingers together once his hands were free, while Spirit dipped her head a bit to the box and sniffed at it.
... Huh... smells sweet
"T-they're melonpan..." Koda explained quickly and Spirit's eyes widened in surprise and intrigue.
That's that sweet bread shaped to look like melon, right?
She smiled slightly, glancing back up at him and humming.
"Well, tell your mother thank you for me." Spirit murmured brightly, "These smell good, and I'm sure they'll taste just as well. Ah, and thank you for delivering them." She told him brightly and he blinked, flushing a slight bit more as he quickly nodded.
"Y-yeah, o-of course..!" He replied, she smiled.
"I can take your stuff and set it over here with everything else." She murmured, shifting the box of melonpan into one hand and her other extending toward him. He hurriedly handed off his bag with a quick 'thank you'.
Spirit hummed a little bit and turned on her heel, walking back toward that tree with the birds she had been staring at. She slowed up at the base of the tree, setting the box and his bag down in the grass at it's roots and beside her own bag- which she had set there about an hour beforehand.
She dug around in her bag for a few seconds as her hand closed around a long leather strap, she pulled it out with little a word and rolled it up into a small ball before she straightened up and turned toward him. Anima hadn't moved from his original spot and seemed a little stuck in place, waiting for some direction of what they would be doing... And all the while those two squirrels on his shoulders stayed where they were, utterly content. His eyes found the strap she held on to a little warily,
He still looks nervous... he's not a confrontational person, so fighting anyone directly really wouldn't appeal I suppose.
But he's gotta learn how to fight effectively. It's important, and especially since being able to fight may very well save his life or someone else's someday.
Spirit sighed, her hands falling on her hips and her red eyes flashing.
Though I've never actually taught anyone how to fight before... And I really don't think taking a lot of notes from how I was taught is gonna go very well either... So can't just copy all that... It's too harsh.
... back then it was almost too harsh for me, really... And definitely-
She bit the inside of her cheek hard, letting the small stab of pain distract her and keep her thoughts from going any further.
She'd been debating with herself how the actual combat training was gonna go since the early hours of the morning, and she was still doing so even right now. Because as much as she knew he had to learn this and learn it well, she couldn't go too hard on him. He wasn't someone you could just push and push until they broke... And she didn't want to break him, or even get close to it- even if she might have been underestimating how much pushing he could actually take. Last thing she wanted to do was push too hard and too far and put him in a place where he was too hurt, scared, or unable to keep going at all- whether physically, or mentally.
And worst of all she didn't want to push him to the point where he started to think all this work to be a Pro Hero just wasn't worth it, or wasn't something he wanted to be anymore.
So really- how far could she go? How hard could she push him?
I'm not sure I know... So I'll just have to... Tread lightly...
Though tread too lightly and it could turn out none of this training really counted for much. She had to push hard enough for him to actually learn, and to not feel to safe with her here and misjudge things when he was in a real fight with someone else.
She didn't know where to draw the line, and she couldn't figure it out even all these hours spent thinking about it.
... I guess I don't really get this either, huh...?
... I just... Don't want to be as hard on him as everyone was on me... But I want to be an effective teacher still.
... I don't want this to be hell... and I won't make it that way... I just want to actually help him learn in a good way.
... Being a teacher is hard, huh...?
She shook her head at herself, imperceptibly so as her expression fell flat and utterly neutral. She shifted a bit, her feet squaring as she faced him,and quickly tossed the bundled up strap toward him. Anima fumbled slightly, quickly moving to catch it in his hands and looking confused as well as a little uneasy, his eyes darting from it and toward the Pro again in little time at all.
Spirit matched his eyes, her hand raising, beckoning Anima toward her with a wave of her hand and eyes glittering as he stiffened at the gesture.
"We're gonna start with something simple." Spirit murmured coolly, "You said you haven't had a lot of actual combat training, but I want to see where you are myself. The best way of gauging what you know and how you fight naturally is to just start right in, and let you have at it." His eyes flashed, his hands around the strap tightening unconsciously as he swallowed, and still Animal Spirit remained calm and postured and so utterly serious in front of him. "Do your best to tie that around me." She murmured, "Around my hand, leg, arm, whatever... in essence, do your best to fight me, and apprehend me, in whatever way you can or see fit." Her free hand fell behind her back, the other still held out in front of her after having waved for him to approach. And he didn't, he stood still in his spot looking increasingly more nervous with the instructions she was giving him. "The point of this is to work on your hand-to-hand combat skills, but if you want to use your Quirk in order to capture me, you can do so." Spirit murmured, "I won't use mine though, I'm going to stay in this Form and do what I can to avoid you, and block whatever attacks you send my way." He stiffened a little more, and she let out a silent breath.
... I don't know if this is the right way-
"Don't hold back. Give me everything you have and don't be afraid of hurting me." Spirit went on, and his hands wrung around the strap almost pensively at that. "Treat this as a real battle. As if I am not Animal Spirit, but a Villain you need to capture in order to keep other people safe." Spirit murmured lowly, and he swallowed again, his worried expression slowly twisting into something else.
- but this is something that needs to be done... I need to see what he can do just on his own, and he needs to get into the mindset of all of this.
Her eyes locked with his, level and steady as she watched his uneasiness fade slowly, his rigid posture gaining a bit of steadiness that was mirrored in his expression. Slowly, bit by bit, and second by second as they kept their eyes locked- she could see that familiar nervousness in the boy turning into what she was hoping for.
Determination
"You are the Hero and I am your enemy. Capture me in order to save the lives of innocent people."
Anima nodded stiffly, his feet squaring slightly as he shifted the strap into one hand, both hands balling into fists as he settled her with a look that was nothing but slowly burning brighter resolve.
There we are
Spirit let out a quiet breath, her red eyes glittering as she watched him adjust slowly, his eyes quickly darting from her to the area around her. She could practically see the gears grinding in his head, turning as he quickly tried to piece together a sort of plan or even just where to begin. And she stayed there, quiet as she watched him, expectant.
A large part of being a Pro Hero (and a good one) was just being able to work on the fly, and to face new enemies every day and work up a feasible plan to combat them and what new Quirks and powers that came with them. Not every Villain was the same and the Quirks were never the same either, that meant the battles were always different and new, at least in some way.
You had to be able to contend with people and Quirks you knew nothing about, and find a way to apprehend those people and stop them from hurting others. You had to be able to fight your enemies in an effective way, and effective enough you minimize as much damage and harm as you possibly can. All while making sure you don't get too hurt or killed in the midst of it.
Be able to fight well on the part of others, but also well enough to keep yourself alive too.
Fight or- damn it Spirit, no
"I understand, Spirit-Sensei." Anima told her steadily, his gaze level and firm as he nodded at her just once.
"To protect others... I will do my best to beat you!"
.:+:.
EbonyAnimalSpirit
...(Yesterday)...
Good afternoon Sunshine, how are you~? Anything exciting happen with your Internship yet~?
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Your Internship did get a little exciting huh? Saw ya on the news about the car crashes, did your Intern do okay~?
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...(3h Ago)...
Good morning Sunshine~! Hope you slept well after working so hard with that car yesterday~!
Got anything fun planned for your Internship today~?
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...(2h Ago)...
Hope you're having fun, Sunshine~! And good luck with whatever you're doing today~!
... Not that I think you'll need it~!
Hawks sighed quietly as he drew his thumb up on the screen in vain hope that he wasn't actually at the bottom of the conversation... But yeah, it definitely ended there.
And seeing as how each set of messages (his messages) all had a small little stamp of 'Seen' underneath them- it was very clear that Animal Spirit had read his messages, and utterly ignored them.
For two days straight.
He sighed again, letting his phone and his hand fall as he crossed his arms over his knees and bent over a bit. He was crouched on the edge of a building, perched on the balls of his feet and the wind weaving around his form on a constant loop.
He smiled wearily to himself, his eyes falling on the slow buzz of people and traffic far, far below but not really paying much attention to it.
"Mmmm... A little rude of you, Spirit... But hey, maybe you're just too busy to really spend much time on your phone, huh..?" He mumbled to himself, "... I mean you are in the middle of an Internship, so can't blame ya if you're focusing on that... But still, would be nice to reply with just a little something... I'm Interning someone too, but I'd still find time to reply to you if the roles were reversed, ya know..." He smiled a little more, chuckling dryly but not very much amused.
"... And I am talking to you as if you were actually here... Which means I am talking to myself... Man, since I met you that's become a bad habit of mine, Spirit."
He moved a hand up to hold his cheek as he let his elbow rest atop his knee, his eyes trailing up from the city and instead settling on the horizon behind the tops of the tallest buildings ahead of him.
He'd be lying if he said he hadn't started to feel a bit... Well, fidgety. A sort of fidget and itch that has settled into his core, and one that had him absolutely itching to find her again- hang out, chat, whatever. As long as they could be face to face and in the same fifty feet of one another.
But even though he felt that, rationally he knew he couldn't very well act on it. First being she had been royally pissed off when she thought he might have been spying on her, or following her. So if he were to just send out a few of his feathers and look for her, and then pop up- she'd totally know that's what had happened, and he couldn't risk her dropping him over it.
Secondly- and because he couldn't track her down himself- he couldn't find her any other way either. Usually if he was stuck without using his Quirk to look for someone, he would turn to more traditional methods. And in this case with Spirit being a fairly popular Pro Hero, his best way of tracking her down without falling into his sort-of-spying was to just check the news and media for her. Most sites and whatnot kept tabs on where Pro's were when they were out and about, and generally those were accurate enough to hone in on a specific Hero within a few blocks or so... But he'd already been checking every web outlet on that end, and there had not been any mention of Animal Spirit or her Intern at all today. So, he couldn't track her down at all... Even though he really wanted to.
And thirdly, he figured he should at least try not to act obsessed obsessed... At least not too outwardly.
He hummed under his breath and adjusted his headphones, tucking his phone away in his coat pocket as he slowly straightened up.
"... Well, oughtta keep busy then, huh? To keep my mind off her~!" He said to himself, before pausing, his head turning as he glanced in the direction behind him and the city that way.
He slowly turned all the way, walking along the edge of the building with the utmost ease and calm and he ran his hand through his bangs slowly, before his hand fell to find a familiar place grasping the collar of his jacket. He came to another pause, his eyes tracing the city and the small, almost imperceptible way in which it slowly changed the further that way you went... He tugged at the collar, pulling it over his mouth as his eyes narrowed at the far horizon, before he cast a quick glance back behind and below him, and then back ahead again.
"... Weeell... So far Hosu has been kinda slow..."
.:+:.
She sidestepped left, spinning on her heel as she passed him by and then easily turned to face him again. She cast a cautious glance behind her, aware of her own space and her own feet, whilst simultaneously aware of where Anima was at all times.
She looked ahead again as the young boy turned, regaining himself rather fast from trying to grab on to her just then. He caught his balance again and their eyes matched, but she had already backed off a few paces and put room between them again before he ever turned around all the way.
For someone so bulky it was expected he wouldn't be very fast, and nowhere near as fast as she was- but that was fine, he just had to find a way to make his size and lack of speed work for him.
... Which he is still trying to piece together... But at least he's persistent
Though given this little game of 'Catch Spirit' had been going on for the last half hour, and he hadn't made much headway in terms of capturing her, she was starting to wonder if she should call a pause... Maybe give some pointers...
... But still, he needs to be able to come up with a viable plan all on his own. It won't do much in the way of progress if I just give him an answer.
And despite what determination had ignited in him to do this little exercise- and her own instructions not to hold back- she could still tell that he was holding back. Every hit he sent her way was lacking all manner of strength and force behind it, like he was afraid of hurting her or taking it too far. Or maybe he really couldn't just work himself up to being that confrontational with another person at all.
So even if he could get passed his lack of speed against her own, he wasn't using his full strength, and so his attempts at detaining her just weren't up to par enough.
Because honestly, that kid was so big and bulky he was bound to have her beat in terms of physical strength (at least in her Human Form). So if he could get ahold of her or land a good enough hit, he could wind her pretty well, and probably easily overpower her if he got a firm enough grip.
But none of that mattered for much unless he was willing to go that far.
... I'm starting to think this capture exercise just isn't gonna work out
Maybe if he used his Quirk he'd have a bit more of an edge, but I haven't seen him try to order any animals around... Maybe he's trying to prove he can do this with just himself?
She came to a pause about a dozen feet from him and he paused too, panting slightly and seeming to take a pause and just think. And she left him at it, her posture still slightly defensive- but just that, slightly.
It had been very easy so far to dodge and deflect everything he did, honestly... Maybe she was just overestimating how well he should be doing against her?
I am a fairly experienced Pro... He's just a first year... Maybe I'm not giving him enough slack? Rationally it isn't fair to think someone with so little experience can take me on and really get that far... Should I slow up a bit? Give him more of a chance?
She sighed silently to herself, her eyes flashing as she bit the inside of her cheek a little.
... Honestly I feel like I am going easy already... But maybe I need to hold back even more... Given the nature of his Quirk he's pretty much set to be a long to mid-distance type fighter, and I am the complete opposite of that... That's a disadvantage in itself, even discounting his lack of experience and speed compared to my own, I suppose...
With another internal sigh she let her eyes drop closed, and her hands fell lightly on her hips as she momentarily lost every scrap of her defensive posture.
"... You are holding back." She called quietly, and though she wasn't looking at him, she could practically feel the nervousness spark from him at the words. "I understand this is new, and not something you're used to, but in order to gauge your skills effectively, you have to give me everything you can." Her eyes opened again as she matched gazes with him, though he met her eyes rather uneasily. "... You don't have to hurt me, in order to capture me." she added softly, and he blinked in surprise. "Usually you do everything you can not to hurt anyone, even your enemies. A good quality in any Pro is to be able to subdue a threat without having to resort to causing harm, and having the skill to come up with a plan that avoids just using sheer force."
She paused slightly, her eyes moving away from him and to the line of trees to her right, biting the inside of her cheek.
... That was a bit hypocritical of her to say though, since in general terms she never really tried not to hurt anyone when she fought with them. Sure she wasn't looking to seriously injure them, but if she had to rough them up to finish the job quickly, and get the conflict over quickly enough to avoid any craziness- so be it.
That being said, she was sure she could keep from hurting someone at all if she was really trying.
She glanced back toward him, her eyes flashing. "If you're worried about causing harm, then find a way to subdue me without hurting me." she murmured, and he nodded a little, his eyes falling from her and toward the strap he still held on to. Spirit's eyes dropped closed as silence fell between them again, both of them still in their places and unmoving. A breeze wove through the trees, rustling the leaves overhead and bringing with it the event of dew, animals and greenery of all kinds.
She took in a deep breath, the scent of grass, bark and birds dancing on the air mixed with the recognizable tang of rain... she hummed a bit under her breath, shaking her head slightly at herself.
... smells like it's gonna rain... maybe it will pass us by entirely...?
She tilted her head back, scanning the bit of blue sky she could see passed the tree branches. Here and there were thin wisps of white cloud, and every once in awhile a bird fluttered overhead and out of sight... but that was it, despite the smell on the air.
...mmmm... or at least hold off long enough to get a good bit of training in... but even then we probably shouldn't quit too early...
She let her eyes drop closed again, her head still titled back and taking in a deeper breath of air.
... it would suck to get caught in the rain and still have to work... It's just not fun... but it's not like I ever have much a choice...
She sighed and let her head drop back down, her eyes opening again to settle on Anima and seeing that some of his nervousness from a bit before seemed to have given way to quiet contemplation and cool. She blinked, quiet in place as she watched his eyes move this way and that along the boundaries of the clearing.
... he looks like he's trying to plan out his steps...
She tilted her head a bit, her eyes narrowing as she watched him. Every slight, nearly imperceptible movement... everywhere his eyes went and how frequently, or how long- before she stopped herself and looked away entirely.
... damn it I said I needed to go easier on him... can't watch his every move, gotta give him some chance at an element of surprise, right..?
But of course in a usual fight there wouldn't be any lengthy pauses like the one they were in now. Real conflict was too fast paced, and you didn't have time to just stand still and really get a good look at your surroundings- there was always someone coming at you, attacking, throwing things... or maybe you were just too busy trying to juggle all the chaos, you had to learn to just do things seconds at a time.
Needless to say, in a real situation he wouldn't have the luxury of sitting there and sifting through his every move, step, whatever. If an actual Pro were to just stand there and try and hash out every detail, they'd be a sitting duck. You can't be still, you can't hesitate, and you can't be slow- you have to keep moving, keep thinking, keep doing.
But that'll be a lesson for later though, for now I'll just let him have time to think it over.
She glanced up at the sky, her eyes catching sight of a small band of birds fluttering passed overhead, before disappearing from sight again.
... I wonder what the thoughts were going through their heads... When I did this...?
... None of them ever took their eyes off me... There was no going easy...
She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to draw blood, the prick of pain a reminder to herself to stop thinking about that.
Damn me, why does my head always go back to all that shit? I need to think of something else- anything else...
-uuuh, maybe... Sing a song...? No, that's weird to do right not... But what else am I supposed to think about...?
... Damn I don't know...
Another few birds moved overhead and she blinked, her attention finding the small, grey downy feather that started to fall down toward her soon after.
... Come to think of it... Feathers has messaged me a few times, huh...? And I haven't... Replied...
She bit the inside of her cheek, grumbling internally as the little piece of down gently fell through the air in front of her.
... Grant you he is supposed to be focused on his own Internship right now, so he really shouldn't be wasting time trying to get my attention... That's why I've ignored his dumbass.
Her eyes trailed downward slowly as the piece of fluff drew nearer the grass, and she sighed internally.
... That and I've been pretty focused on making this Internship thing turn out well, and trying to keep up with work at the same time... Plus last night just sucked, between the club and the pain and the drugs and the nig-
Her shoulders hunched slightly, her teeth gritting.
-tch, always right back around to everything I don't want to think about.
She blinked though, her thoughts derailing for a minute when she realized she'd actually been paying absolutely no attention to Anima at all... And he wasn't where he'd been standing...?
She glanced around quickly, her ears immediately locking on the sound of his footfalls on the grass a bit to her left. She hissed under her breath, her heel digging into the ground and ready to turn quickly to face him.
Damn it... I mean, I was trying to give him an upper hand, but I totally spaced-
She never got a look at the kid though, her world and her senses got washed out in a drone of dozens (if not hundreds) wings flapping and birds cawing at the top of their little lungs. They circled in around her, batting against her body with their wings, clustered together with no room for her to move much at all, and relentless. Her ears rung with the sound of feathers on air and the shrill caws going off, her eyes narrowed to slits against her world being consumed in the noise and the muddy-grey color of all of them spinning around her.
Shit, where did all these birds come from anyway? I didn't hear him call any... And this is like a lot of birds!
She grit her teeth harder, growling in agitation. She couldn't even begin to try and pick up on the sound of Anima's footsteps in all this racket, it would just be a waste of her time. And she couldn't see anything either, the birds kept battering against her no matter how much she tried to shoo them off, it was like they made up a big, frothing, moving cloud. She huffed and closed her eyes, her arms up to shield her face from the birds. She sucked in a deep breath of air, forgetting her ears and her vision and turning toward the only thing left- her sense of smell.
Instinct would have made her think Anima was coming her way from where she last heard his footsteps, but she knew better (or at least hoped the kid knew better than to be that obvious...). Her nose twitched, the scent of bird and dust hitting her full on, the air and the scents with it absolutely whirling as their pounding wings stirred up a current... But another scent hit her nose too, and for a moment she faltered when she smelled something that she was utterly sure was rabbit. And it was coming from somewhere upwind of her, which in this case was behind her.
... Ah.. Weird-
She didn't dwell on it though, she stiffened, dropping down into a crouch and her fingers pressing against the grass. The swarm of birds faltered for a moment at her sudden adjustment, and she felt cooler air hit her back from the break in the avian curtain now that she had gotten closer to the ground (and subsequently made flying without hitting the ground all that much harder). In the brief two seconds the cooler air washed over her back, it quickly changed again and she tensed, easily able to sense something behind her- much, much bigger than the birds.
Well Anima, I'm glad you circled around once the birds started to distract me, instead of just charging me head on- the cutting off my sight and my ears was a nice touch too.
She rolled right, lightning fast and red eyes narrowed as she instantly brought herself away from the cloud of noisy-as-hell birds and completely out of Anima's path as he tried to come up behind her.
... But sorry, my nose is harder to get passed.
He was quick to redirect though, even despite her evading his first attempt. He turned on his heel and started toward her again, grim-faced and clutching tightly to the strap she had given him, he was three steps toward her before she got to her feet again- and the birds redirected too, disbanding the spinning cloud they had been in, and instead rushing out toward her in a stream.
Damn these birds are persistent-
His hand jerked out, jumping forward as he quickly tried to tie her up in the strap, but she easily sidestepped out of his way and backed up again- hissing as the birds swept up and started pulling at her suit and her hair as they flew passed.
-and getting quickly annoying!
She backed up again, drawing closer to the edge of the clearing and trees with it. Her feet hit the roots of a tree and she growled, quickly turning her back on Anima and the birds as she circled the tree, stepping back out into the clearing and behind Anima in the course of four seconds. The birds redirected easily, circling the tree in a mass wave and starting out toward her again, though the young boy looked a little stunned at how quickly she avoided him still even with the constant distraction.
Her fists clenched at her sides, glaring at the cloud of birds quickly getting closer and actively fighting the urge to let her Quirk flare and give herself claws, so she could swipe at them and hopefully deter their pecking. But she said she wouldn't use her Quirk, and she meant it, even if the birds were aggravating as hell.
She sucked in a sharp breath of air and felt her heart skip a beat, the overwhelming scent of bird and vegetation washed across by something different this time- and no, not the same thing she had caught earlier- this smelled like...
She hissed, the birds fluttering by at breakneck speed and making it hard to see anything, let alone what belonged to that scent she only caught wisps of from over her shoulder. She dropped down onto the balls of her feet again, her hands pressing against the ground, crouched in an almost catlike position and eyes narrowed as she cast a glance over her shoulder and found the owner of the scent- well, owners.
Those two squirrels that had brought Anima to this clearing were darting across the ground toward her, their teeth clamped down on either end of the strap she had given to the young boy to capture her with, and keeping it aloft between them as they ran in level with each other. She blinked, the birds quickly dropping to fly level with her again and keep her line of sight blocked, but it was too late.
Not a bad plan though, I'll give him that.
She turned, still crouched down and red eyes narrowed to slits as she faced the little rodents, ignoring the birds and their constant pulling and prodding. They faltered in their running as she faced them, startled she had turned to face them at all, and she lowered herself a bit more, almost poised and ready to strike as her eyes flashed with an eerie red glow- and she let out a low, rumbling, menacing hiss.
I might be cheating a little... eh, but not that much.
The squirrels skid to a halt, fur fluffing up and fear igniting in their eyes as they struggled to draw up instead of run at her- even the birds squawked in surprise and backed off a little. Spirit smirked, rocking on her feet and hands a little and head twitching, the feeling of Anima's footsteps vibrating through the earth and up through her hands.
She waited until he was about a few steps from her, before she pushed herself backward, spinning delicately on her heel and her arm sweeping out to easily knock his hands aside as he tried to reach out for her, and completing her turn as she backed off from him again.
She stiffened though, her steps faltering when she finished her turn only to come face to face with another wave of birds- and they rammed into her full force, knocking her backward instead of just playing a nuisance. She hissed, losing her footing a little but still managing to stay on her feet... only her shoulder bumped into Anima's back.
She grit her teeth, ready to push off of him and put some distance between the both of them again, but in the few seconds her shoulder made contact with him, she felt tiny claws digging into her arm, snaking around it and then back off again- and she felt herself tugged backward.
One of the squirrels had jumped from Anima's shoulder on to hers in the short time they were close enough to do so, and the creature wriggled itself over and under her arm just as quickly- pulling the strap with it. It's teeth remained clamped to the one end of the strap as it jumped back to Anima's shoulder again, before the boy's hand clamped down on the strap and the squirrel let go. Now both ends of the leather gripped tightly in the boy's hands, keeping tension on the portion that had been wrapped around the upper part of her arm. His eyes snapped shut as he grabbed the other end, pulling tightly on it and at a very odd angle. His back was facing hers still, and he held to one end of the strap over his shoulder, and the other underneath the arm of that same shoulder... made all the more awkward a position, given he was a fair deal taller than she was.
Damn, he actually-
But he didn't stop tugging, he was still moving and her eyes widened, realizing instantly that he had gotten wrapped up in the fast-paced action and the adrenaline a bit too much to immediately realize that the exercise was over. He pulled on her roughly, easily overpowering her with his sheer size and her feet slid on the grass, her body twisting as she lost her footing and she felt herself get pulled backward, and then promptly hit the grass flat on her back. Her arm jerked upward a bit painfully where he was still holding on to the leather strap, but her full weight suddenly pulling on the strap in his hands caused him to stumble too. He let out a surprised yelp and struggled not to tilt over all the way, and in his rush not to fall he let go of the strap and took a few rushed, unsteady steps to his left to regain his balance.
Spirit blinked, staring up at the sky and her arm jerking one last time as he started to stumble off, before he let go, but she just let it fall to the ground. She was more focused on biting down on her tongue so she wouldn't let slip a small hiss of pain when she hit the grass, and dull stab of pain ran up from the wound in her side, but little else thankfully.
She just let herself stay there for a moment, staring at the sky, quiet and reeling from the sudden change in events, and the fact he'd sort of... well, thrown her to the ground.
... he got... really into the whole thing, huh...?
She smiled to herself, her eyes dropping closed as she chuckled a bit under her breath.
... though I guess that's what I wanted, huh? Can't nag at him for doing what I said.
"O-Oh, Spirit-Sensei are you okay..?!" Anima's slightly panicked voice sounded next, the poor boy finally steadying himself enough and realizing (in no small amount of mortification) that he'd made her crash into the ground, and she had yet to get back up again. He darted quickly back over to her, fidgeting and sweating up a storm as he hovered over her, his hands clasped together tightly in front of him and not quite sure what to do. Spirit cracked an eye open to look up at him, smiling still as she let out an amused breath.
"Yep." She replied with ease, before pulling herself up into a sitting position and sitting cross-legged in the grass, the strap around her arm loosening as she shifted and falling into her lap. He let out an audible sigh of relief, she just chuckled a little more. "Good job on catching me. It took you awhile to get there, but in the end you did well, so A+ for this exercise." She added, and he flushed faintly in embarrassment.
"O-Oh, but you dodged me so well the whole time... it was like nothing I did made any difference..." He mumbled quietly, holding his cheeks in his hands self-consciously. "... and you're so fast, I could hardly keep up..." Spirit shook her head,
"Don't forget that I'm a fully trained Pro, though." She told him lightly, "I don't expect you to be as agile nor as experienced as I am, and it's only natural that it be hard to gain the upper hand against me." She smiled a bit more, "But you did manage to catch me, and you caught me off guard a few times- even if I was quick to recover. And you were using your Quirk in some really effective ways, most of the things you did try out weren't all that bad. Especially handing the strap off to the other animals, to keep me on my toes. That was a nice touch." He flushed more, looking away in embarrassment and shutting his eyes against it. "All in all, for someone with so little combat experience, you did quite well."
"T..Thank you..." He stammered, she hummed, her hand lifting as she patted the grass.
"Go ahead and sit down, we'll take a bit of a break before starting into something new." She told him, and he paused, before quickly nodding and settling down to sit on his heels about three feet to her left. The squirrels moved up to him as he did so, passing her by slowly and looking wary, before darting quickly to the safety of Anima's shoulders. The flock of birds settled in the trees around them, cooing and fluffing up their wings as they tried to settle too, and Spirit gave him a minute or two to just sit in quiet and calm down a bit.
"... so, what made you decide to go with the birds?" She asked after a moment, and he blinked, looking a little unsure of the question, before his eyes fell again and he tapped his fingers together a bit nervously.
"Uhm... well I figured I needed a way to distract you... since you seem really good at keeping track of where I am... at all times..." He murmured slowly, "... I know I'm not as fast as you, Spirit-Sensei... and I don't think I can be fast enough against you, no matter how hard I might try... so I was hoping if you were busy with all of them, I might be able to sneak in and get ahold of you... and if you couldn't see me, it might be easier to get closer too..." He trailed off, his shoulders hunching slightly. "... but you still managed to know where I was and these two as well, even if you really couldn't see us... you kept dodging everything... even though the birds were blocking your view..." He added softly with a gesture to the squirrels.
"It was a good idea." She told him lightly, "And it worked better than you realized. I couldn't see you, or hear you, so keeping track of you was all the harder. Using a flock of birds like that will be an effective way of distracting Villains and making detaining them easier. Since sight and sound will be muffled pretty drastically, in most situations it'll really come in handy."
"... but you... how did you still know where we were, and how to dodge, Spirit-Sensei..?" He asked, his head tilting in confusion, and she smiled slightly.
"My nose." She replied simply, and his eyes flashed. "Even if I couldn't hear or see you, I could still pick up your scent, and guess where you were and how close based on that."
"... your senses are really heightened then, even without using your Quirk to Transform...?" He mumbled in near awe, and she nodded.
"Yep." She hummed, and he smiled, his eyes gleaming as he clapped his hands together softly.
"Ah, Spirit-Sensei you're really amazing..!" He breathed, and she smiled still, though she felt her face heat up despite herself. "I-I didn't realize your Quirk heightened your senses like that...! Even when you aren't in animal form... that's incredible...!"
"Hmm, thank you." She replied softly, and he nodded. "Though I do have a question for you, curiosity mostly, if that's okay?" She told him, and he looked surprised, his head tilted, before nodding a little.
".. ah... sure, ask me anything, Spirit-Sensei.." He mumbled, she smiled a bit more.
"Do you have a rabbit at home, by chance?" She asked, and his eyes went wide, looking a little stunned, before nodding quickly.
"Y-yes, I do..!" He breathed, "H-How did you..?" He started, before his eyes went wider and he seemed to answer the question himself. "C-Can you really smell Yuwai-chan on me...?" He asked quickly, and she blinked at the name.
... Yuwai-chan... is that the rabbit's name...?
Ah... that's kinda cute..!
"Hehe, yeah." She replied brightly, "I thought it was kinda weird at first, I didn't realize what I was smelling was you right away... but I figured it was probably because you were around a rabbit pretty often, or had one living with you at home." She explained, and he looked all the more awed with the explanation.
".. w..wow..!" He breathed, "Do you... are you familiar with all sorts of smells then...? And can you differentiate between them easily...? H-How do you know what's what...?" He asked quickly, before cutting himself off when he realized he was asking a lot at once, and he wasn't sure if he should be. His face went red in embarrassment as he covered his mouth with his hands, "S-sorry, Spirit-Sensei... I didn't meant to ask so much..." He apologized softly, "... It's just... well no one really knows a lot about your Quirk, o-or how it works... and don't really either, even though I'm a fan... sorry, I don't mean to be rude...!"
Spirit paused, her eyes flashing as her smiled softened, just a little.
People didn't know much about her Quirk because she wanted it that way... and she really wasn't looking to delve into the finer details with anybody. She was too guarded for that, she kept things- personal things- to herself out of caution, and habit, and maybe even paranoia, and she didn't change course from that... or at least not lightly.
And she knew the poor kid asked only out of simple curiosity, and she didn't blame him for it. He'd started this whole Internship making it clear to her that he was a fan of hers, and it was natural for him to wonder about how her Quirk worked- especially now that he was able to spend time with her, and not be forced back at a distance like the rest of the world was.
The questions did set that persistent feeling of unease alight in her core, questions always did... but the unease wasn't paired with a sharp sense of suspicion or distrust, like it normally would be. Because all in all, she knew there was little to no way talking to Anima about any of it would land her in trouble, or screw her over some day. And she really doubted that he'd take anything she told him and go post it somewhere on the internet for all the world to see, or blab about it with other people- he wasn't that sort of person.
He's just a kid... a kind, nervous, quiet kid.
"It's alright." She told him softly, "I don't mind answering a few things, so don't worry about it." He blinked at her in surprise, before smiling gratefully. "And in answer, yes- I am quite familiar with a lot of smells, and I can categorize them pretty well into different objects, people, animals, and other things, without really having to think about it... though in terms of how I know what's what, it's mostly from memory of things I've smelled before, or smelled something like." She explained, before shrugging at the end. "In terms of different animal scents, I'd say I know a rabbit from a bird or a mouse out of simple... instinct." She murmured, "... mostly predatory instinct... but regular instinct all around." He seemed to pause on the last bit, instinct, like he wasn't sure he understood... or maybe he had more to ask, but he never did.
He just nodded and smiled at her, "... that's incredible." He hummed, "Thank you for explaining some of it to me, Spirit-Sensei..!"
"Hmm, you're welcome." She replied, "You ready to start on to the next bit of the day?"
"Y-yes! I will do my best..!"
"Great, then let's start on some hand-to-hand combat lessons."
"A-Alright...!"
This is a double chapter update, since I had to break this chapter into two parts cause it got too long!
I hope you enjoy it!
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