A/N: Been a while since I wrote one of these... eh, I'll take what I can get. Review Time!
Maniacalharp747: Precisely! Be it positive or negative, I toy with these characters' emotions all the time, hah!
Enjoy.
Chapter 104 - Re: Perfecting Performance
If Kairi could describe her life in one word, she'd be stuck between 'chaos' and 'distressing'. Though, that was long before people in her life came along for more than her status. Her home was, for lack of a better term, hollow. The estate was lovely, the gardens were tended to with care, the pavements spotless.
Inside her home, it was much the same, the hallways were like a labyrinth, the same, bland paneling with a lamented floor, the odd decoration, plant, or painting. It was warm but it certainly could use some color, much more color though Kairi supposed the blue tapestries in some of the rooms, her own included, were a step in the right direction.
Heading into the living room to grab her bag, she felt that uneasiness wash over her. Without even looking she felt eyes tracking her every move. Kairi was used to it, just keep composed, her tail swaying only when she turned, a stoic, aloof expression to ward off suspicion. It worked... for the most part.
"Kairi," The girl paused, silently sighing as she turned to meet her mother's gaze. She was a thin woman with an irritating face that screamed 'upper class' and 'I'm important'. Her raven hair tied into a bun, the bangs pinned by a flower hairpin to reveal her sharp, deep-sea eyes. She wore a formal navy suit, business as usual, Kairi thought.
"Yes, mother?" Her responses were short but firm.
"Today, you will be representing our family in UA's Examinations, I do expect nothing but perfection, is that clear?" She asked the impossible, but when was anything Kairi did acceptable if not perfect? This had been a running issue since... well, since someone opened up Kairi's ice-cold heart that is. "I do not understand why those imbeciles declined our request for the Recommendation Exams but this will have to do."
Kairi passed a side-glance at the nearby window. "Maybe, because your own daughter has connections you don't," It was one of the more selfish things Kairi hated to abuse from her girlfriend's status at UA but it did come in handy to have direct contact with UA staff about her concerns of her mother's influence. "I will perform to my best."
"No," Her mother stated firmly, that chilling glare put her body on edge. "Excel, nothing less, you're to be graded alongside common rabble, do be sure not to embarrass yourself." No, she meant their image.
"Of course, mother," Kairi bowed, trying to take her leave as her mother went to speak once more.
"And what of this... girl? The one from your middle school?" Kairi bit her cheek to suppress her panic. "She hasn't been a distraction, has she?"
Kairi actually snorted lofty, giving her mother's a smile that stung with venom. "Who, Azuru?" As if someone as good as the dirt under my boot could be of any potential concern," Kairi rolled her eyes. "If not for the regulations, seeing her have an 'accident' would be doing the school a favor."
That answer did award Kairi with a small smile of interest, her mother sipping her tea. "Very good, now, off you go." With one last bow, Kairi shut the sliding door and made a b-line for the exit, releasing a heavy breath as her heart raced.
One thought crossed her mind, a vulgar line Nana had used to describe Kairi's 'lovely' mother. "Bitch."
"Did I ever mention how awesome you are, because you are awesome," Nana awarded Kairi with a warm hug that dissolved all the sickly emotions of her morning in a single embrace. The silverette happily returned it tightly, standing at the entrance to UA. "You ready for this?"
"Are you?" Kairi asked as Nana's face twitched nervously.
"If I said 'no' would you hug me?" Nana murmured slightly, and instead, found her left hand interlocked with Kairi's.
"Yes, because if you lied I'd have punched you by now," Kairi stated as students from across the nation crept through the entrance toward the school that no longer felt so immeasurable to Kairi. Although, today had her heart running a few ticks faster for many reasons. "Let's stop wasting trying to hold off the inevitable."
"But I like procrastinating!" Nana whined, dragged back into the school grounds. Nana wore the same uniform as Kairi's middle school. A black blazer with a light grey jumper and white shirt, complete with a purple tie with white and grey stripes at certain points. A wine-colored skirt, black thigh-high socks, and black flats.
"I can't believe we're only a month away from UA..." Kairi wasn't usually an optimist about such an important exam but with the training she received over the course of the coming weeks, she was more than prepared to face this head-on. Her grip around Nana's hand tightened in particular, face screwed up slightly. "I won't let this slip from me, I can finally make my own life."
"Hey," Nana tugged her back from the entrance steps, smiling gently to shatter that serious state of mind written on the shark girl's face. "You'll be fine, your quirk is spectacular."
"I-I know, I just..." She trailed off as both hands were caught in the bluette's, the girl stepping closer to her flustered face. Never once did Nana lose her confident glow or that child-like wonder in her eyes. "...I don't want to lose you..."
"I don't want to lose you either," Nana admitted, scratching her head with her tail before booping Kairi's nose with the black tip. "Which is why I will give it my all so you won't have to worry about me, we're gonna be a hero duo, remember?"
"I-I do," Kairi smiled fondly, but she kept the affection minimal since there were a lot of people around, so, with a quick pivot, her lips caught Nana's cheek, surprising her as her face lit up slightly, a stupid smile on her face as Kairi giggled, leading the love-struck musician inside. "Come on, let's go sign in."
"Uh-huh," Nana blurted out, trailed away by the high-class angel.
Kairi went to notify the staff of their arrival while Nana stood off to one side, leaning against a column in the entryway. She had an alternative goal, inspecting quirks. She had quite the odd request from Izuku prior to today since his class would be busy with training while most of the teaching staff were present for the examinations. Even days off, a hero cannot rest it seems.
"I see I'm not alone in taking into account the strengths of others," A voice snapped her from her train of thought, and she nearly fell forward had a hand not yanked her blazer until she stood rigid upright. "Or not."
Nana spun around to see a guy a head taller than her. Despite his similar uniform, he rolled his sleeves up to reveal his muscles, the shirt unbuttoned slightly. He had lightly-tanned skin and black hair. His hair is of an uneven length, the longest strands reaching his shoulders, and is styled with three more notable, shorter clumps arching up to fall as bangs between his cyan eyes and on either side of his face. If Nana was honest, he was very attractive, judging by a few other examinees watching him.
"Uh, um, t-thank you," She squeaked, looking around bashfully. "I-I was scouting quirks out for a friend, he's obsessed with quirk analysis, almost scary, hehe."
"I see," He blinked once, looking... lost? His eyes kept scanning the halls on either side of the entry, a bead of sweat rolling down his face. "Now, tell me, you know where room 1-A is? My schedule is... different than what I imagined."
Taking his letter of entry, Nana focused and realized... it was the same as her own. Quirking a brow, she smiled slightly at the man. "Um, it's the same as all entry papers..." Okay, so he was drop-dead gorgeous but lacked directional awareness, figures.
"What's going on here?" To startle Nana was Kairi's solid glare, she had noticed Nana speaking with the student, but mostly how Nana became flustered easily. Kairi was very much aware of how her girlfriend saw people. "Who are you?"
"Hah, those eyes of yours are quite scolding!" He grinned, pointing a thumb at himself as stars seemed to dazzle his appearance, pointing down at the two girls shorter than him. "I'm the flamboyant Sho Tomoya!"
Nana's brow furrowed with a humorous twitch in her smile, Kairi looked even less impressed, grabbing Nana's hand to drag her away. "Okay, we're leaving."
"Hey, what about directions!?" He barked. "I was in the middle of speaking with this beautiful girl until you shoved your nose in!"
"I only shoved my nose in because you're clearly a poser, who just calls themselves 'flamboyant'?" Kairi stated sharply, huffing once with her head turned the other way.
"You little brat, don't you know who you're talking to!?"
"Not really," She rolled her eyes until Nana pulled back with a sheepish smile, noting that many were watching them now, some with clear venom for what Kairi had to say about the amaz - okay, Nana's needed to rein that part of her brain in.
"Look, he just wanted to know where 1-A was for the written exam, we're going there anyway so it's fine," Nana put a hand on her hip, smiling. "I know this place like the back of my hand, trust me."
Kairi sighed, "It's not that I'm worried about..." But ultimately, Nana was unshakable in regards to helping others so what more could the silverette say? Taking her girlfriend's hand, the two led the 'flamboyant' Tomoya to his destination.
Once at said classroom, no one else had arrived yet since they were ten minutes early but Nana had a good reason to be. Sliding the door, the trio was greeted with the sleep-deprived hero, Eraserhead, sorting documents at the stand as he passed them a slow stare. "Guy looks like he's never slept a day in his life." Tomoya had to say it so bluntly.
"Well, you're half right," Aizawa stated, looking down at Nana. "Early, good, I expect that trend to continue with you two at least."
"Hello again, Mr Aizawa," Kairi bowed her head while Nana wave a sweet wave.
"Hi, Aizawa Sir, I thought you were teaching my sister's class?" Obviously, seeing how casually the pair spoke to the teacher left Tomoya speechless, then he smirked. It seems these two are far more interesting than looks alone.
"That was the idea, but Nezu had a change of plans, so Akame will be substituting in my place since she was in the area," Aizawa explained. "Go and take a seat, use this time to prepare whatever you need for the exam."
"Right," The girls chimed as one with Tomoya shadowing them, taking his place at a front desk while the girls sat next to one another.
"They're close, the shark girl is protective of the blue-haired one too," Tomoya didn't think much on it, the answer was painfully obvious so he wouldn't bite too much, well, seeing how high-strung the white-haired girl got did amuse him so perhaps he'll take a few jabs to humor himself.
Not long after, the rest of the examinees made their way inside, a few minutes to spare, much to Aizawa's expectations.
The written exam went well... for Kairi and Tomoya at least. "Wah, I totally blew it~!" Nana sunk into her seat within the massive lecture hall as students from across Japan filled the seats. Nana's whole aura drowned in a purple sea of darkness. "Why does anyone need algebra!? Who uses it anymore!?"
"Don't use logic on me, you had ample time to study," Kairi berated, lowering Nana's confidence as her body shriveled into her chair. Tomoya sat beside them since he had no other reason not to.
"I think you're making it worse," He noted, catching the shark girl's ire.
"Why are you even sitting here?"
"I have no reason to sit elsewhere, not with such good company," He smiled as it infuriated the girl further. "You clearly aren't helping her, look at her, she's already spiraling through the stages of depression at record speed."
"It's true...~!" Nana sobbed, hiding her face with her blazer. "I need to basically score perfectly in the practical if I want to pass! How can I do that, my quirk's useless compared to everyone else!"
"That's not true," Kairi tried to reinforce but Nana scoffed, glaring straight ahead.
"I saw a guy literally morphing a ball of glass into shapes then back into sand, what the hell!?" She gawked. It was impressive but considering the exams take place in a city scenario they were surrounded by glass.
"Huh, that's something," Tomoya murmured, earning a slap from Kairi's tail as she slipped her hand around Nana's, giving her a gentle squeeze.
"You are not going to fail, and stop thinking you need to be perfect," Her words drew two sky-blue eyes to her deeper shade. "Honestly, don't you know who you're talking to? 'Perfection', so what? With your quirk you can excel in whatever you want to be, no question there."
"You sure?" Nana was still frowning, glancing at Tomoya who put his hands behind his head, "What about you? What's your quirk?"
"Not much in the grand scheme of things," He grinned, winking at her. "I can create vibrations, not as flashy as I'd have liked it to be but I make it work, sharky's right, you gotta make it stand out."
For once, Kairi agreed with him, "If the guy who's all looks no brains says you can do this, then what else is there to doubt?"
"I... guess you're both right," Her smile appeared again, leaning against Kairi for support. "You're amazing."
"You know you'll run out of words to compliment me at this rate, right?" Kairi murmured but still accepted the closure.
"Never."
With the summary of the exam out of the way, the two girls parted ways, leaving Nana to stand before a large gateway into the Beta Ground. Many were present, all mentally preparing themselves while Nana adjusted her blue hoodie nervously. She kept her tail tucked behind her belt again, not wanting a robot to catch it.
Any second now, her training would be tested full-throttle. Closing her eyes she tried to focus. "Thanks, Shoji Sir, Kyoka, Izuku, Sis..." She glared straight ahead as her ears picked up on the intercom's faint static. This was it. "...I'll do my best!"
~LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED! GOOOO!~
Without a second to waste on the doors parting completely, Nana tuned out the people around her, shoveling as much dirt atop her embarrassment as she focused on her own words. Thanks to the Culture Festival, Nana was okay to sing publicly, maybe not entirely but her confidence in herself had risen since then. And with so many wishing for her success, she couldn't let herself be held back by something so minor!
"A flower slowly bloomed right here. Glowing with red and spreading love around. And with the moon shining high up above, they melt the harrowing colors away~" Her song was directed only at herself, while it did distract a few in the crowd, none would suffer the effects of her quirk. It was all a mind game that took weeks to perfect and control.
A shimmer of blue light gathered around Nana, and with a single breath, she leapt over every head in her way, the agility and speed that pumped through her veins left her feeling weightless, happy, free. And an abundance of strength coursed through her arms to the tips of her fingers. "Rolling with the wind, stumbling again. But each time I fall, I grow stronger and then I will embrace all the light and the pain, the anger deep inside. Because if I won't be the chosen one, I'll choose myself...~"
~SEEMS A FEW HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA, THERE'S NO WAITING FOR HEROISM, THE CLOCKS TICKING!~
The first swarm of robots came into view, Nana's lead gave her first dibs as her strength increased with the tempo of the song that left her smiling. "I will shout and let my voice roar throughout the darkest of nights. I'll wipe my tears to find the light. Letting the sound ring and reverberate past everything in sight~!"
She dove over a One-Pointer's arm, decapitating it with a single roundhouse kick. Using that forward momentum, she landed atop the second One-Pointer, grabbing the head while upside down, twisting once to tear it from the wires and gears, kicking it against a Two-Pointer that slammed the ground, missing the blue blur that zipped forward with her elbow shattering the red optic, leaving it to spasm and collapse from the feedback.
"Even if I'm not sure quite yet what every sound really means, or who I want to hear me sing. No matter if I am scared or in pain. No matter how long the struggle will take I'll let my song ring out loud~!" Nana sang loudly, leaving behind two more One-Pointers to collapse behind her, holding her song in place as the energy remained steady inside her.
"Nana Azuru"
"Quirk: Siren"
Depending on the song she sings, her words can enhance the physical capabilities of those she wants it to affect. From strength, endurance, even speed and reaction time, even other effects based on genre and mood!
Nana didn't let her singing waver, even if she gasped for breath at times, she could take breaks in between songs, all that mattered was passing, she had to stay ahead, keep the lead for as long as her voice can provide.
At Ground Alpha...
A pair of Three-Pointers trashed a nearby street corner, tossing debris in the way of the examinees who attempted to steal from their opponents. Unlike the One and Two-Pointers, these ones were much larger and bulkier so those without proper strength quirks would need to be creative with their attacks.
"What the?" "Where'd all this water come from?"
A few stumbled back at a stream of water rushed between them like a blade, dividing the first Three-Pointer down the middle. As it fell into two halves, a silver trident suddenly found itself lodged into the second one's forearm, blocking the weapon's aim for its eye. Kairi didn't so much as flinch, sliding under a left hook as she jumped, curling her fingers around her weapon to vault over the forearm into view of the robot's face.
She spun, directing a current around her trident, "Surface Slash!" Kairi had to admit, those names were helpful for visualizing her movements, even if the anime-inspired names from her nerd of a partner were a little embarrassing.
A single, horizontal blade of water tore the top half of the Three-Pointers head off, leaving behind two sparking wrecks that were inches from injuring the people left stumped behind her. Adjusting her purple tank top, Kairi sped off in the direction of the chaos.
"Kairi Takumi"
"Quirk: Great White"
Her Quirk allows her to do anything a great white shark can, and with the trident, she's able to control and manipulate water although too much can lead to various health problems!
Kairi had to take a moment to hide within a gap between two buildings, holding her right hand over her respective eye, panting as something... primal swelled in her chest. "Shove it down, shove it down..." It was costing her precious seconds but she needed to control her breathing. Once the wave of nausea passed, she spun her trident and threw herself back into the fray.
By the time Kairi caught up, the ground started to rumble. Her mind recalled what Present Mic explained prior to the exam. Eventually, the fourth type of robot would be introduced as a 'hazard' that is to be avoided. What she wasn't expecting was for the buildings ahead to fold off to the sides to allow said robot to pass into view.
Glass showered the street as many examinees froze in horror at the city-tall dark-green robot glowering down at them with a massive, rectangular head. The rumbling of its tracks made Kairi's head spin from the results of her overusing her quirk's water abilities to pull ahead of the competition, she had gotten cocky.
People ran past her, completely objecting from confronting the 'hazard' that made Kairi question if the school would actually kill people. "Hey, why the green face, sharky?" Her day just got worse.
Behind her, Tomoya smirked as he approached in a half black and white vest shirt with blue fingerless gloves. His trousers were baggy and black with two chains looped on the right side. "What now?"
"We gonna clear this obnoxious roadblock or not?" He hummed, seeing her brow raised, baffled. Tomoya chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "Can't ya hear it? The people trapped inside the buildings from the initial impact? They gotta have a clear way out, we'll be the flamboyant pair to offer that, ready?"
Kairi blinked up at the rude, cocky, and overly egotistical teen who looked determined, focused, and completely calm. Stomaching her sickness, Kairi leveled her trident in both hands. "Lead the way."
"Hahaha, perfect answer!" He grinned ear to ear, rushing forward at blinding speeds, vibrations echoing beneath his soles. "I've read it all, the cogs of this thing's crappy design!"
As the towering machine pushed through into the street, Tomoya raised his right foot, stomping once to send out a chorus of vibrations that shattered the tarmac, the chunks lodged between the tracks of the Zero-Pointer, halting its movements temporarily. Kairi stared at a fire hydrant to her left, fear gripped her, staring at the bountiful source of water.
Her darker thoughts were quickly dashed aside, she could do this, a single blow was all that she needed. Slashing the top of the hydrant off, water pooled and drenched her body. The cool liquid was refreshing, and it felt natural to her as she swept her trident above her head, swinging in slow, wide circles to gather a ring of water above her head.
"Hah... I... will... control this...!" Taking a deep breath, she grasped her staff and swung the halo toward the great machine's right arm as it lowered down to scare off any that were still nearby. "Water Wheel!" The jagged ring sawed through the road and tore a wide gash through the hull of the Zero-Pointer, the recoil leaving a wide enough space for a few people to retreat.
As the water splashed, Tomoya dashed through with that smug grin, running up the torn arm, using the vibrations at his feet to increase his jump height, hearing the sounds bounce off the machine's internal hardware, creating an echo chamber around him.
"Sho Tomoya"
"Quirk: Echo Chamber"
Tomoya can manipulate vibrations and sounds through his body to create powerful blasts, often the more noise he can create the stronger his attacks. Talk about a real headache!
He dove up the shoulder, seeing a spiral of water fly by his face, piercing one of the Zero-Pointer's eyes. Kairi had tossed her trident in an attempt to disrupt the robot's movements, falling to her knees in exhaustion. "Hmph, not a bad attempt! But in the future, you've got to be flashier!"
"Shut... Up...!" She coughed, watching him dive toward her trident, spinning himself up and over the Zero-Pointer's head, weapon in hand. "That's my move!"
"Hah, let me show you!" He grinned, raising the weapon above his head, the prongs blurry as he focused the vibrations he had made into the tips of the weapon. "Howl!" Slamming the trident forward in a vertical chop, a massive blast rang out across the battleground, shattering hundreds of windows with a clap of thunder.
The head of the Zero-Pointer caved under the pressure, exploding from within, leaving Tomoya to bite his cheek, seeing his hands were a little purple, fracturing both wrists from the force he needed to apply to the weapon. As he tumbled down the Zero-Pointer's chest, a bubble of water caught him, leaving him drenched but unharmed on the ground next to Kairi, herself wiping her bleeding nose, her vision was becoming blurry.
Did she earn enough points? What about the people still in the danger zone? Would she fail and have her whole life devoid of her own choices? She couldn't muster the strength to move anymore, her vision was failing her.
"Woah there," An arm caught her before she could face plant the ground, Tomoya watched her reactions, seeing how unfocused her eyes were. Soon, the exam would be over, but judging by how the last few minutes panned out, he was certain they'd be fine. "Hmph, not quite what I had in mind, but..." He stared up at the giant robot as it collapsed behind them. "Definitely a splash."
"What the hell!?" Nana dove through a broken window, avoiding the massive robot that basically blocked off the whole street. Right now, her momentum was cut short as the Zero-Pointer threw that in the mud. Slapping her cheeks, Nana felt her eyes focus on the sideways building she stood in, a few students were hiding inside. "Focus, Nana, what would Yuki do...?"
The answer was simple. Running to the opposite side of the building she picked up a chunk of concrete and threw it against the window, shattering the glass. "Everyone, this way! The street ahead is safe!" Waving them over, she helped the frazzled people escape the lopsided building. "Is there anyone else?"
"J-just one, I think, near where the robot is," One girl nervously admitted, running through the open space. Nana spun on her heel, using the left wall to balance herself due to the constant quaking around her.
Spotting the same way she entered, she quickly ran out and along the street, passing the massive machine as it pushed itself forward with both hands atop the buildings. Ahead of her, many other examinees fled or stood at a safe distance, trying to find a weakness. That's when Nana's ear twitched, a sound just to her left that she almost missed.
It was a girl with apple-red hair tied into a messy ponytail that bobbed by her nape. Her crimson eyes snapped up to Nana who knelt beside her. By the looks of things, her right leg was trapped under the rubble. "Don't worry, we can do this," She assured the girl, and now that Nana looked closely, her eyes were a lot like hers, that sharp pupil, not to mention the prominent fangs. "Hey, you're like me."
"H-huh?" She winced as Nana wedged a piece of metal from the flattened guard rail between the concrete slab and a piece beside the girl. "I-I guess so, but..." The redhead flexed her back a little, revealing a pair of leathery wings. "I d-don't think we're related."
"Heh, I guess so," With a heave, Nana pressed her weight down and freed the girl's leg as she wiggled out with a gasp. Blood dripped from a long gash across her shin, but it wasn't deep.
"F-fuck, that definitely looks as b-bad as it feels," She breathed heavily, Nana wrapping her arm over her shoulders. "W-why help me? W-what about p-points?"
"Who cares," Nana smiled dumbly as the Zero-Pointer paused before the students, it wouldn't move forward until they were a good distance away, they could use that. "What's the point of it if someone gets hurt, ya know?"
The girl stared at Nana with wide eyes, why was the bluette's actions so similar to that night in Hosu? That woman who saved her and her sister. She smiled weakly, "Thank you,"
"Anytime, now!" She set the girl down, ignoring the rumbling from the machine behind her. "This won't really solve the fractured leg but it will help, ahem..." Closing her eyes, Nana directed her thoughts to the girl before her, only for her. It was a childish song, even after all these years, it was the one Nana could recall the feeling of most, despite the drawbacks.
"Flower, gleam and glow. Let your power shine. Make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine...~" Nana's gentle voice caught the attention of many wrapped with fear. The blue glow surrounding the girl turned the injured redhead's aura scarlet in turn.
The wound on her leg remained but the bleeding had stopped of its own accord, and the pain flaring through her muscles was little more than a throb. "Heal what has been hurt. Change the Fates' design. Save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine...~" Nana breathed, offering a weak grin. "There... nailed it..." She wiped the sweat from her brow, staring back at the towering Zero-Pointer. "Will someone shut that thing up already?"
~TIIIIMES UP!~
"Oh, never mind," Nana chuckled, the girl beside her giggling too. The robot simply whirled to a silent stance, eyes powering off. "Sucks I couldn't use my quirk to empower everyone, that would've been quite the comeback."
"You look exhausted," The girl pointed out but Nana flexed her right arm, patting the muscle.
"No pain no gain, right?" In actuality, Nana was flat-out exhausted, the sweet call of slumber was an effort to fight. "Um, sorry, I never got your name," Nana smiled sheepishly.
"O-oh, sorry, I'm Rikka Mitsuki," She bowed her head swiftly. "Thank you so much for helping me, I got carried away with my stealth I was caught off guard when they released that thing, seriously, who designed this exam?"
"I know, right!? I heard they even have a golem! A freakin' golem!" Nana exclaimed, the two girls laughing at their misfortune.
Later that afternoon, Kairi stirred from her slumber to find herself staring up at a white ceiling, and in a hospital bed. The reaction was to immediately sit upright, fearing something terrible had happened. Thankfully, it appeared to be a school nurse's office, and it was late in the afternoon, the sun turning the sky orange. She didn't appear injured so the fatigue of her quirk took a greater toll on her than she was expecting.
To her right, she was surprised to see Nana sleeping against the side of the bed, holding onto Kairi's right hand tightly. She didn't appear injured either, snoring softly as Kairi smiled, stroking her hair as it stuck out at odd ends. Not once had a comb been effective against her hair's chaotic style.
"Ah, you're awake now, good," A short old woman with a cane and doctor's coat appeared from a neighbouring room, shaking her head at Nana. "That girl is as stubborn as her sister, I couldn't move her if I tried, hmph, kids today..."
"S-sorry, she worries a lot," Kairi explained but Recovery Girl didn't pay it much mind, it was expected. "Is she okay?"
"Yes, dearie, just tired, overusing her quirk like yourself, and aside from a few bumps and scratches the two of you will be fine," She explained, sitting down at her desk. "When she wakes up, you can leave for the day, and try not to worry so much about your results." Kairi went to ask what the woman meant by that, but she had a feeling it would be useless.
It certainly didn't take Nana long to wake up, groaning as her eyes focused in on Kairi's eyes first. Like a spell, the girl sprung upright with glee. "Kairi, you're okay!" She beamed, seeing her wince as she held her forehead. "Ah, s-sorry..." She spoke quietly.
"It's okay, just a headache," She felt a shiver run up her spine at that thought before smiling back at Nana. "So, I guess we're both reckless, it seems you're rubbing off on me."
"I consider that a good thing," Nana wiggled her brows, loving Kairi's giggle as she playfully shoved the musician back.
"Oh, I'm sure you do. I just wish you adopted my maturity," She prodded, pushing herself to stand again with a slight wobble, falling into Nana's arms with a timid blush. "U-um, sorry."
"It's fine," She helped Kairi stand, using her side as a crutch while giving Recovery Girl a wave. "Thank you, Miss Shuzenji,"
"Have a good afternoon, dearie," The heroine offered as the two walked wo the quiet halls of UA together.
Alone again, Kairi leaned her head against Nana's shoulder, hugging her side tightly. Nana perked up, glancing at the little blue locks dotted across Kairi's snow-white hair, admiring the unique texture. "...it'll be okay," Nana whispered, feeling the grip on her waist tighten. "She won't take you away from this, I'll protect you..."
"How..." Kairi sniffed, only to raise her head when a pair of lips pressed to her cheek, followed by Nana's nose nuzzling her face, cause her face to shift red in colour.
"Because I'll find a way, I dunno how, but I would," Nana wouldn't let Kairi fall victim to control ever again, she would sooner die than let that happen. "The 'pride of the Takumi name' be damned." Was that too much? It was hard to think of the right things to say when Kairi was often the one cheering Nana up.
Instead, both of Kairi's arms wrapped around her waist, the shark tail curled at her legs. Kairi must've been so worried about today, more than Nana ever was. Resting her back against the wall, she pulled Kairi closer, securing her in her arms as she hummed. No glow appeared, not even a twitch of her quirk, she hummed quietly at the orange sky, burying her face against Kairi's shoulder.
Two weeks passed by so quickly...
"-ake up, wakey-wakey~" Kairi groaned into her bed, shoving the person beside her bed with her tail. "Y'know, you're making being nice really difficult."
"Shut up..." She moaned, peeking from under the covers to the older boy and girl with raven hair and deep-blue eyes. The boy's hair was short and would normally be combed to one side, now, it looked unkempt with a cowl lick. The girl's hair was longer, tied up into braids with a green ribbon. "What is it? It's Saturday..."
"Yeah, we know, and early in the morning too," The girl grinned as Kairi whined, wanting her beauty sleep, and just the general notion of not being bothered. The girl sighed, fanning herself with a letter. "I suppose I'll just have to hand this to mother, when-"
"It's here!?" Kairi sat up from her bed, wide awake as her siblings grinned in response. She blushed but held her hand out. "...can I please have the letter?"
The two sat down on either side of Kairi, tearing the seal as their younger sister became squeamish. She stared at the opened letter, the decisive choice on how her life would pan out from this point forward. She was terrified.
"Hey, why won't you look at it?" Her sister asked, cocking her head.
"...what if I failed...?" She murmured as her brother cocked his head the same way.
"How will you know if you don't see it firsthand?" He added, feeling Kairi's tail curl up behind him.
"...I'm scared I let everyone down..." It wasn't often the two could see Kairi act so defenseless. She had a quirk the two didn't, and a mutation at that, so they were more than aware of how their lovely mother treated her compared to the two older siblings.
Kairi's brother patted her head, while her sister hugged her tightly from the left. "It'll be okay, just have faith," She murmured, holding Kairi's left hand to keep the letter upright. "And if need be, we'll just say you were kidnapped or something."
"But we already used that one," Her brother earned a smack around the head. "Eh, we'll figure something out."
Silently, Kairi took their confidence and quickly tipped out what appeared to be a holographic disk. The device triggered momentarily, revealing a stage where the ex-pro hero, All Might, stood in a formal suit with a smile on his skeletal face.
~Greetings, Young Takumi. Allow me to congratulate you on the written portion of the exam, not often UA receive a near-perfect score for such a rigorous test, so hold your head high!~ He proclaimed, moving along with the message as the siblings watched it carefully. ~Now, as for the practical portion, the objective was simple, score points by defeating faux villains, and by your count, you earned thirty-five, an impressive score on its own, however-~
This was it, she had failed, hadn't she?
~-villain points were not the only criteria~ His comment shot Kairi's head upright again, staring bug-eyed at the hologram. ~A school dedicated to heroism must look at more than simple villain takedowns, so we had a second point system, Rescue Points, dedicated to those with selfless acts of courage to save those they're against~
The screen quickly displayed her actions against the Zero-Pointer alongside the cocky Tomoya who finished the robot off. Then, All Might's face appeared again, his hand outstretched to the camera. ~With an additional fifty rescue points, your total is that of eighty-five rescue points, coming in at second place!~
~Congradualtions, Young Takumi, welcome to the Hero Academia~ With that, the message ended, leaving the three in stunned silence.
"Huh, didn't think All Might would be the one to make the announcements," Her brother smirked, "Well, ain't that someth - hm?" He felt Kairi trembling.
"Kiri?" Her sister used that awful nickname, but right now, Kairi didn't care. She stared at the note in her hands, an acceptance letter. She... passed?
Warm tears fell down her cheeks, it had to be a trick, right? Her mother was always good at pulling the rug out from anyone, be it under her quirk's influence or just by sheer strategy. "I passed..." She croaked, tears of relief flooding down her face as she clutch the letter like her life depended on it.
Seeing as there was no cause for alarm, the two older siblings pulled Kairi close to them, letting their little sister finally sob tears of joy for the first time in years.
To Be Continued...
Yeah, so Kairi's mother is a bitch, her children are basically tools to her, Kairi in particular due to her powerful quirk. Writing more on hers and Nana's story is fun, but, we still have some more fluff ahead. So yeah, the two of them are gonna be First-Years when all hell is closing in. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, heroes!
Next Chapter Intermission: Renegades and Perfectors
"Author's really trying with these names, huh?" Akio blinked up at the neon sign as an invisible hand smacked his head. "Ow!"
Shut it, I've been at my wit's end since Season Two.
"Ouch, touchy much?" Akio deadpanned, rubbing his nape. "Well, I thought the War Arc was next?"
Don't test me.
He smiled. "I won't... yet," He gave a side glance, pulling a whiteboard down, scribbling down something in marker. "Our turn, up next - Renegades and Perfectors!" He sat back with an innocent smile, the title written up with a symbol of a skull, music note, SIVA logo, and a symbol akin to Izuku's mask. "Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!"