Mineta ruins the night. But at least the full moon is up.
The night had been amazing, up until it wasn't. Which was saying something because right now Suri had an amazing view and the heat from the hot spring felt just as spectacular. She should have been able to just rest comfortably in the soothing warmth as she knelt inside the pool. Should have enjoyed the feel and press of Tooru's naked body against hers as the invisible girl laid her head on Suri's shoulder. Both of them should have been enjoying the view of their girlfriend, Mina, in all her glory, happily sitting on the edge of the pool with her legs in the water. The sight of long toned legs and ample thighs, a swell of hips leading upwards to two large, perfectly round mounds. And those black and amber eyes looking back at them knowing exactly the effect she was having on the two girls. Gods, the view was amazing. They should have been able to enjoy the hot springs all together with Momo, Jirou, Ochako, and Tsu.
And they were...
Then Mineta happened.
Suri began to grumble when the conversation got interrupted by hearing Iida scold Mineta for wanting to do what he was planning. Then came the sound of Mineta laughing and screaming like a madman as he scaled the wall between the boy's bath and the girl's side. It was delusional spatter saying that the entire reason he was given the Quirk he had was for this exact reason. The reason was asinine.
"Mineta," Suri yelled with a full throat filled with growl to her voice. "I swear to the gods, if you get to the top of that wall!"
"A hero? Really," came a voice from the top of the wall that seemed just as disgruntled as Suri. "Why don't you try being a decent person first!"
Then came the scream of Mineta falling from the top of that twenty foot wall.
"Mineta's really the worst, huh?" Tsu croaked out in a sigh.
"Thanks, Kota babe!" Mina shouted, leaning back and giving the boy not only a thumbs up for his efforts but a full view of what all of the other girls had been staring at. Mina didn't realize the effect she could have on other people that weren't sleeping with her and that was an oversight on her part.
It was… a little much for the boy.
Mina giggled and then saw the boy teetering against the edge. Her eyes went wide and she instantly filled with regret and shame as he got even more wobbly. Then he went over the wall backwards. Atiena took full control in that half a second of realization and became a blur of speed and power as she rushed up the wall, vaulted over the other side and caught Kota at the same time as another certain someone.
Suri stared at Izuku, her eyes already rolled over to beast as she watched the green lightning that surrounded him trickle into nothing. Between them, they held an unconscious Kota which was for the better because it dawned on Suri that she was now stark naked on the boy's side of the baths. Fuck it, they could look for all she cared. She stared at Izuku and then down to the boy before turning and glaring absolute death and disgust at Mineta.
Suri growled and stood up before storming towards the boy. He was practically drooling at the sight of Suri coming towards him in all of her glory, he was in heaven, right up until he got a hard sting on his cheek. Suri slapped him. Hard. And left a giant, red handprint on his face as she stood over him.
"Here! You happy now," she snarled and glared down at him. "You got to see a naked woman, now knock it the fuck off and start using your brain to think and not your dick. You keep this bullshit up and you'll never get laid. Got it?"
He was in so much shock that he said nothing. As Suri berated Mineta, Izuku stood up with Kota in his arms then followed Suri as she marched out of the baths. She had the sense of mind to idly grab a towel and wrap it around her as they walked through the facility with at least some decency but that was all. She had ended up calming down by the time they got Kota to Mandalay. The anger at Mineta had turned to worry over the boy held in Izuku's arms.
"He must've passed out during the fall," she sighed as she laid him onto a couch and then watched him sadly. "We put him up there because Eraser said one of the boys was 'the embodiment of lust.' Girls develop pretty quickly these days, don't they?"
She was looking at Suri when she had finished that last part and she couldn't decide whether to be flattered or offended by the comment. It's not like she had been given a choice since the women on both sides of her family were all well endowed. It had just been family genetics that they had all been pushing D cups or larger by the time middle school was over. The comment as a whole made her head spin so she tried her best to push it off.
"Still," she smiled then, "you two acted incredibly fast. Thank you."
Izuku stared at the boy for a moment longer and then furrowed his brows.
"Kota… seems really against superheroes," he said quietly. "All my life, I've been surrounded by people who wanted to be heroes. So I did too. Isn't it a bit odd for a kid his age?"
"True," Suri spoke up, folding her arms across her chest as she stared down at the boy as well. "Most kids I know never thought of anything but being heroes until they got their Quirk. He's still got a few years before he gets any kind of discouragement about being a pro."
"Right. Honestly, there's quite a few people in our society who don't think much of heroes. And he probably would look up to heroes too if he was raised normally."
"Raised normally," Suri and Izuku said quietly and looked at each other.
"Kota's parents," Pixie-Bob spoke solemnly as she entered the room. "Mandalay's cousins. They were heroes who were killed in the line of duty."
"Two years ago, they were killed by a villain while they were protecting civilians," Mandalay sighed pitifully.
"Dad would say that it's a good and honorable death," Suri said, looking from both pro heroes back down to the boy. "But for a kid his age? What does he care about honor or duty."
"Exactly. A boy who's just learning about the world couldn't, doesn't, understand that. To him, his parents were his entire world. To him, it was like they left him all alone and then society kept praising them like their deaths were a good thing, that they were great and noble. Honestly, I don't think he likes us much either but since he doesn't have any other relatives that are reliable or could take care of him… he cooperates. To him, heroes are just selfish people he can't understand."
"Can't say I blame the kid cause I… have my own hang ups with my dad. I know how it feels when you're not able to rely on your parents because one of them's a pro hero. There's a lot from my childhood that could have been a lot different if I wasn't the daughter of Alpha. So… in a way… I get it. I get why he's so pissed off about it," Suri confessed.
Pixie-Bob and Mandalay nodded in unison before Mandalay took another look at Suri and Izuku.
"Anyway, why don't you two go get some clothes on."
"Right," Suri and Izuku said in unison and turned back towards the bath locker rooms.
Izuku was lost deep in thought the entire way back and it left Suri wanting to talk to him but not being able to get a word in. In the end she sighed, wished him good night and disappeared into the girl's side of the bath changing rooms. When she came through the door she found the other girls already almost dressed again, which made her grumble from not being able to enjoy the bath as long. She quickly got dressed and was about to return to the girl's cabin with the others when Aizawa stopped them.
There would be no rest for her or Mina.
In fact, the two of them, along with Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero ended up in a classroom with Aizawa and Vlad until two in the morning. Four hours of remedial classes and lectures that dragged on into the middle of the night. Some of which, granted, were sort of needed given that Suri was more in the middle of the pack as it were when it came to grades. Some of the subjects were not kind to someone like Suri who still struggled with reading and writing some kanji and katakana. Luckily she had Tooru and Izuku to help her when she needed it. And right now, she had Mina to help keep her entertained and awake for the lectures - for the most part - and they were looking forward to going back to the cabin to snuggle up with their invisible girl.
The real problem with the late night classes was that she was losing at least three hours of sleep. Three hours of sleep the night before the full moon's peak; the night that she'd go full beast and spend the entire night in animal form roaming and hunting in the mountains. She needed that precious sleep or else she risked being even more dog ass tired on day three than she was when Aizawa came calling not even three hours after her and Mina went to sleep.
Yeah.
Definitely no rest for the wicked.
Then again, she'd wake up at 5:30 in the morning on most mornings anyway to get up and begin her morning workouts before officially starting the day. So with that, even with a little more than two hours worth of sleep, Suri was one of the ones that found it easier to be awake. She did have to peel herself from between Mina and Tooru, who had, at some point, wandered from their sleeping bags on either side of her and wound up huddled into her sides.
She yawned and rolled her neck as she finally managed to sit up, groaning as the muscles in her neck sang from the tension. When her eyes focused she found Momo staring at her, cheeks flushed and a small smile curling the corner of her lips.
"Mornin' Yaomomo," Suri said softly.
"Good morning, Kuroyashi. Did you rest well?"
"Honestly, yeah," Suri admitted. "You?"
"Truthfully, not as much as I would have hoped. I'm… not used to being away from home and sleeping outside of my bed. That said, it… wasn't horrible," she said, as elegant as ever, even if her hair was completely disheveled from sleep.
Suri smirked softly as he eyes trailed downward on Momo's form and found something that piqued her interest.
"I can see why it wasn't too shabby," Suri giggled softly and nodded her head towards Jirou who was grumbling with an especially frustrated tone as she slowly awoke. The rocker girl instinctively snuggled herself against Momo's arm, nestling the back of the taller girl's wrist against her stomach.
Momo blushed brightly at the ordeal but didn't retract her arm and instead gave the shorter girl a soft look of care and adoration before turning back to Suri and letting her own smirk cross her lips. The tall raven haired girl nodded towards Suri and let her eyes roll at the class rep in a playful manner.
"As you would say, hello pot, meet my friend, kettle," Momo teased.
Suri didn't have to even look at what the other girl had been referring to. And yes, it was very much a pot calling the kettle black situation because who was she to tease Momo and Jirou when she had both Mina and Tooru clinging to her. She wouldn't ever complain about it though.
"Five more minutes," Mina grumbled and whined, trying to pull Suri back down.
"Babe, we can't," Tooru sighed disappointedly as she sat up and then slumped into Suri's side.
"She's right, kero," Tsu croaked as she pulled herself from her sleeping bag and pushed against Ochako's shoulder to help wake the brunette. "Aizawa will make our training harder if we don't get up."
"Yeah," Suri scoffed and then sighed. "He'll probably make the next lecture run even longer if we don't get out there before Kaminari."
The threat of the lecture was enough. Mina shot upwards and scrambled out of bed towards her suitcase and began throwing several changes of clothes before finding the UA PE uniform all of them had packed. She was hopping on one leg as she pulled on the pants, already making a beeline for the door, when she almost tripped and fell face first.
"Babe!" Suri called out as she made her way to her own bag, "you might wanna wear a bra."
"Oh! Yeah… that would probably be a good thing," Mina paused, looking down as if she had just noticed her breasts. Which, in fact, she had.
Tooru, was the hero as she handed Mina one of the black bras the pinkette had packed before retrieving her own uniform. And just like that both Tooru and Suri let out a sigh, partially because they had just saved their dork of a girlfriend, partially because they were sad to see that supple, pink perfection get covered up. Admittedly, one of the things that annoyed Suri the most about what had transpired because of Mineta's antics was that it cut down the amount of time she was able to just sit and revel at her girlfriend's beauty. She prayed to the gods she'd have just a little bit more time tonight before the full moon.
With that prayer said, Suri and the girl's joined Mina outside and followed the boys to where Aizawa was waiting for them. It always frustrated Suri because she couldn't tell if their teacher was as tired as they were or if this was just business as usual. She couldn't shake the urge to see their teacher, just once, be lively, maybe smile even, something to break up the monotonous. Could he smile? And not the creepy smile he did, like a genuine one. Did he like jokes? Someone out there had to know how to make him smile and laugh, right?
"Listen up. Today, the real training camp begins," he said, finally breaking the silence that had built for a minute or so. "There's a hostile force growing out there. The purpose of this training camp is to get you prepared to face it. So work hard and stay sharp."
"Yes, sir," they all parroted in tired voices.
"To start, here Bakugou," Aizawa said, pulling something out of his pocket and tossing it toward the explosion user. Everyone eyed the object as Bakugou held it up and looked it over.
"The ball thing from the assessment test?" he queried.
"When school started, your record was 705.2 meters. Let's see how much stronger you've gotten," Aizawa answered in a roundabout way.
"Ohh! Testing to see how much we've improved?" Mina called out with realization.
"We've been through a ton since school started! I bet he can throw that thing over a kilometer now," Sero grinned wide. "Throw it, Bakugou! Let's see it!"
Bakugou grinned even wider, happy as ever to get to show off and prove himself.
"Hell yeah!" he growled with delight. "Here we fucking go!"
He wound up and threw the ball forward into the sky, letting off a massive explosion to give it an extra boost.
"Go to hell!"
Everyone, including Suri, grinned and cheered. They were all eager to see how much they had grown because if Bakugou was any indication, then everyone had to have grown in leaps and bounds. Had to have become stronger. Had to-
"709.6 meters."
Wait. What?
"Huh? He really didn't throw it much farther than the first time?" Suri queried, her head tilted as she watched the smoke dispersing in the air from Bakugou's explosions. "That can't be right."
"Yes, you've been through a lot these past three months. Undoubtedly, you've all grown but it's only been your minds and your techniques that have matured. Well, and your bodies a bit. But as you've all just seen, your Quirks haven't kept up with the pace."
That…. made sense but it also didn't.
Suri continued staring at Bakugou with a questioning glance. How hadn't their Quirks kept up with the improvements they had all made as far as body and mind went? Between Quirks and lycanthropy, mental and physical development went hand in hand with how your abilities improved. If you didn't grow body and mind, none of the really strong wereanimals would be as powerful as they were. It was like being a thousand year old vampire and never achieving the level and abilities of a master vamp.
Though… that was possible. Suri had met at least one vamp that fell into that description. He just had never wanted or needed that level of power.
But her and her classmates? They had wanted it. They had wanted to get stronger and more powerful. So why hadn't they really?
"Starting today you'll improve on your Quirks," and then came that evil grin. The grin that was never a good sign. "This'll be so harsh, you'll wish you were dead. So do your best to stay alive."
With that rousing speech that put oh so much confidence into everyone… training began.
Everyone ended up having something catered to them, something that would train their Quirks more specifically than any of the training they had done up to this point. For Tooru, Aizawa was having her train with Shoji. She would have to perfect her stealth and use her invisibility to her advantage to try and get the drop on their multi limbed classmate. It was perfect. He was by far one of the best reconnaissance types that Suri had ever come across and she was sure that he had overheard basically every secret whispered in their classroom. So how do you get the drop on someone that has a monster amount of strength and can hear you coming from a hundred yards or more away? By being as quiet as your sometimes clumsy self can be. Tooru's training would be complete once she successfully snuck up on him.
It was going to be a long day for her.
"All right, so what are we gonna have to do?" Mina asked Aizawa as the final students needing to be assigned a training program.
"For you, we're going to have you training with Jirou over there," Pixie-Bob spoke up as she walked up beside Mr. Aizawa. "Eraser here wants that wall I created with my Earthflow gone by the end of the day."
"I want you to intermittently increase the acidic properties of your acid. I've noticed you can only use a certain level of acidity before you have to weaken what you produce. By producing a higher quantity of acid at your peak caustic strength, I believe it will help toughen your skin's durability and allow you to produce more, highly powerful acid than you've done before."
"Y-You want me and Jirou to get through that!" Mina whined, staring at the giant rock formation that Jirou was standing in front of, apparently just as daunted by the task.
"He's got a point," Izuku said, staring down with his chin cupped into his hand. "If you-"
"Midoriya, you'll be working with Tiger," Aizawa said quickly, cutting the boy off before he could get into his zone of rambling about Quirk training.
"Tiger?" Suri and Izuku said in unison before their eyes traveled upwards to the next guest. The tall mountain of a man just stared down at them and then a grin curled across his lips.
"That'd be me," he chuckled and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm gonna be sure to whip you into shape so I better not catch you slacking during my boot camp. Got it?"
"Y-Yes sir!" Izuku squeaked out before following Tiger into a shallow clearing at the edge of the forest. He immediately made Izuku start with push ups and crunches, all while yelling at the greenette to go beyond and be plus ultra.
Suri just watched for a long moment, flabbergasted and taken back by the sight and then it dawned on her; she was the last one. What could Aizawa possibly be planning for her?
"Now then, Kuroyashi," Mr. Aizawa said dryly, making Suri turn slowly to face him. She was half expecting that sinister smile of his and instead found him staring blankly at her. It was a little unsettling. "Your training has been bothersome to say the least."
"Sir?" she questioned in a small voice.
"Answer me something," he said, looking dead straight into Suri's eyes. "How do we come up with a curriculum to work and train a Quirk for someone who doesn't actually have a Quirk?"
Suri froze.
Her eyes betrayed whatever reaction she would have thought to have because they went wide, showing way too much white, and she felt her heart begin to pound at a rapid pace. A knot twisted in her stomach and began pulling downwards, taking the feeling in her skin along with it. She was about to go lightheaded and stumble when she caught herself and forced the lump that swelled in her throat down.
"And don't try and be cute with us, we already know," Pixie-Bob gave her an equally serious glare and folded her arms tight.
"You didn't actually think a lycanthrope would be allowed into UA without all of the teachers and staff knowing, did you?" Mr. Aizawa scoffed and let a devious smirk cross his lips. "In fact, your registration form came with an extra forewarning of what you were so we could have all precautions set up just in case."
"In case of what?" Suri questioned.
"You know what kind of image UA would have if one of our students went on a killing spree? What kind of storm the media would stir up if it was revealed that Quirks weren't the only way people could have powers and that all of their childhood fairytales were real?"
"It's bad enough finding out when you're an adult that everything you believed was fantasy was real," Pixie-Bob added.
"So do I say sorry for existing?" Suri asked, trying her best to stifle the sarcasm in the statement. She basically failed.
"No. But you don't have to think we're all a bunch of gullible idiots either. I know Nezu seems to have high hopes for you and you've got All Might in your corner thanks to his ties with your family but don't think that everyone is entirely okay with it either. Especially after that scare at the training grounds two weeks ago."
Suri flinched and looked away with shame.
"I apologize for that inconvenience, Mr. Aizawa. It… was never my intention to scare or harm any of my friends or classmates. Please know that," Atiena spoke up through Suri, making her presence and the apparent regret known.
"Just do better, got it?" he scolded.
"Yes, sir," Suri and Atiena answered in unison.
"Now that that's out of the way," Pixie-Bob grinned and licked her lips. The gesture made Suri flinch from the shock of it. "You're going to have an absolute helluva day today."
"We actually had to ask our old boss what she thought was the best way to train you," came another voice and Suri's eyes went wide again as she saw a spastic greenette appear from behind Pixie-Bob.
Now Suri remembered why the group name Wild, Wild Pussycats sounded familiar. Because now instead of a poster hanging on her wall, one of her pro hero crushes was standing right in front of her. And not just any crush but her first female crush. Ragdoll. The woman who made a younger Suri realize that while yes, boys were nice and cute, there were girls. And girls were a really really nice option.
"Oh my gods, you're- wait… old boss?" Suri went from starstruck with a hint of blush, because of the woman who just appeared, to confused in a blistering second.
"Eraser's not the only person we're paying back for training you runts. The old woman's the reason we're a team in the first place," Pixie-Bob winked.
And then it all clicked.
"Wait. You mean-"
"Yup," Ragdoll laughed. "Our collective abilities aren't just good enough to school forty kids, they're good enough to school forty kids including a lycanthrope. With my Search I can keep an eye on all of you kids, know your strengths, weaknesses, and what you need to work on, but I can also sense lycanthropic energy. And for you, Granny said we need to really push you to your limits. So I'm here to make sure you don't lose control."
"What happens if I do," Suri asked cautiously.
"We've got silver nitrate capsules and darts," Aizawa stated matter of factly. "I've also added fibers of silver to my scarf"
"Oh… well okay then," Suri half laughed, staring at the adults and then turning to look at her girlfriend and classmates that she could see. "So… what am I going to be doing then? I'm already falling behind right?"
"Oh that's gonna be the fun part," Pixie-Bob grinned wide. "Granny told us what kind of training you went through during your intern week. That gave me an idea."
Uh oh. This couldn't be good.
"You'll be training in the Beast's Forest again. This time it's just you versus an army of my beasts. You need to work on being able to keep up your stamina in near beast form. We were told you can stay in that form for almost an entire day if you're not fighting but as soon as you start exerting more energy into fighting you have a massive drop off. We're gonna fix that!"
Suri shivered as she felt the roll of earthly power flow from Pixie-Bob into the forest behind her and soon the trees began groaning and growling. The forest came alive as the blonde gave rise to countless numbers of creatures hiding in the dark depths. It both terrified Suri and excited her. She turned slowly and faced the dark treeline and stared into its depths. She could hear, smell, and sense the dozens of creatures already roaming the forest, waiting for her, anticipating her arrival. She shivered again with anticipation and let that surge of pleasurable desire for rage, anger, and destruction course through her entire body, leaving a wide, fang filled grin curled across her lips.
"How many are in there already?" she grinned, looking over her shoulder at Pixie-Bob, Ragdoll, and Mr. Aizawa with eyes that were bleeding to black and golden green.
"Three dozen," the blonde answered confidently.
"Make more," Suri growled and walked into the trees, disappearing into them as she sought out her earthly opponents.
Yeah, it was going to be a hellish day but gods forbid she was gonna have some fun in that hell.
Suri let out one last scream.
Her fists were balled tight together in an axe hammer position high above her head as she glared viciously at the giant rock beast below her. That scream was the hundredth war cry of the day as she came down on the creature. She drove the remaining lycanthropic strength she had into its head, crushing and imploding it from the force of the blow. Instead of a spray of blood, the creature let out a weak cry as it began crumbling into dust and debris. Suri was forced to ride it down to the ground below and with the level of exhaustion she was carrying her knees met with hard smacks against the forest floor.
The pain made her whine and grit her teeth as she barely kept herself from being laid out against the ground. She crawled slowly forward from the remains of the last beast the forest held, head hanging near the ground where it began peppering the soil with countless beads of sweat that rolled off her skin and hair. Her arms were shaking as they tried to hold her up and so she did the prideful thing and forced herself to her feet. The act of pride and determination put even more weight and strain on her already tired legs and she walked out of the forest unstable, slow, and in a mass amount of pain and exhaustion.
"That last one took a lot more than it should have," Atiena groaned weakly from inside her. The beast side of her had already retreated into the mind forest and was panting heavily on her stone bed.
"H-How many was that?" Suri swallowed the saliva she could muster for any sort of form of rehydration, her eyes sore and heavy as she limped and lumbered back towards the camp.
"Ninety four," Atiena sighed in an exhausted tone.
Ninety four of Pixie-Bob's creatures. The smallest of them had stood teen feet tall while the rest had been quite literal giants to contend with. It had taken everything Suri and Atiena had together to get through all of them. But they'd done it. They had milked their combined stamina into a one woman army that withstood wave after wave of monsters that had gone on for hours.
Suri looked up at the sky and found it beginning to turn into those gorgeous reds, yellows, and purples that decorated an evening sky. The sun was already beginning to set which meant it was closing in on sixteen maybe even seventeen hundred hours - somewhere between five and six P.M. back in the States. If she was right, she had another five hours until she had to be back in the forest for the full moon.
She forced herself onward, eventually catching up with several of the other members of her class and 1-B. Two of which made a small grin curl onto her lips because as she walked behind them they were trying oh so hard to not make it obvious that they were holding hands. Not wanting to break up the tender little moment she caught Kirishima and Shiozaki having, she latched herself onto her other former cavalry battle teammates.
"How'd you two end up," Suri said as she wrapped an arm around Pony and Kamakiri's necks.
"Suri!" Pony squeaked from surprise before quickly settling and giving her fellow exchange student a gleeful smile.
"Wow," Kamakiri chuckled as he looked Suri over. "You look like shit."
"Aww, love you too, bug boy," Suri teased. "How's the leg been?"
"It's good, bit sore right now though," the mantis headed teen admitted.
"What did you guys do for your training?" Suri asked, looking the two of them over again and seeing the countless scrapes and scratches that covered both of them.
"I had to keep a steady flow of horns as best as I could. They were having me shoot them at a giant wall that that Pixie-Bob lady made as fast as I could reproduce them."
"They had me trying to up how many blades I could produce. I was chipping at a wall as fast as I could. Produce the blades, strike, discard, repeat, for as long and as fast as I could go."
"The walls don't sound too bad. I had to fight Ojiro the entire day. That tail of his fuckin hurts," Kirishima piped in with a tone that was somewhere between grumbling with exhaustion but excited from being able to fight and go all out and show off how manly he was. The swearing at the end earned him a quick flick on the back of the head from Shiozaki.
"Language, Eijiro," Shiozaki scolded softly.
"Heh, sorry," he chuckled and grinned.
"So what about you, what did they have you do, Shiozaki," Suri smirked, turning her attention to the vine haired girl.
"I was tasked with testing the reaches of my vines. I was instructed to send as many of my vines as far as they would reach," she replied before sighing softly. "Unfortunately, because of the amount of vines I produced in such a short amount of time, I will have to trim some of the ones I have now. Lest they taint the healthy vines like sinners among the Lord's flock."
"Speaking of sin," Suri grinned at Shiozaki as she spotted Tooru, Mina, and Izuku standing near a long cafeteria table next to a series of small cooking stations.
Kirishima tilted his head and gave Suri a questioning glance as he looked from Suri to the small group. Two of which he knew for sure she was dating. The other though…
"Wait, you're with Midoriya too? When did that happen?"
The three 1-B students looked from Kirishima, to Suri, and then to the greenette in question who was happily chatting with the two girls. They saw how Mina and Izuku stared at each other, and how he gave that same caring look towards the invisible girl. Then they saw that very same look of affection in Suri's eyes as she looked at those same three.
"It's happening right now," Suri snickered and gave Kirishima a sly smirk. "I could ask you the same thing, Kiri."
Kirishima gave Suri another confused glance. He had zero idea that Suri had seen him holding Shiozaki's hand. Hell, Kiri probably didn't even realize that he had gone back to holding her hand either. Shiozaki was trying her best not to bring anyone's attention to it. Good on her. But Suri had noticed and honestly… it was an adorable sight.
"Anyway, I'll get out your hair, love birds," Suri laughed and began limping herself towards her own loves.
When she got to them she all but threw herself on the three of them, sighing happily as she finally got to touch Tooru, Mina, and Izuku after almost twelve hours. She buried her face into Izuku's hair, taking in a deep breath of his scent as she laid her body against his back. He nearly jumped from the sudden feeling but was quick to relax and let the taller girl happily lay herself into him. Her arms went around his shoulders in a loose hug and her hands found their way to each of her girlfriends clinging to them.
"Gods, I missed seeing you guys. How was your training?" Suri sighed happily.
"It sucked," whined Mina and Tooru in unison.
"Shoji was impossible… I spent hours trying to sneak up on him but I just couldn't," Tooru said, sighing pitifully at the end.
"My hands and arms were burning like crazy," Mina groaned. "I feel like my skin is all gross and shriveled up. I'm pretty sure I have at least first degrees up to my elbows."
"I had to go up against Tiger all day," Izuku said. "I know I didn't do too bad but I feel like I could have done better. I only landed one or two smashes on him all day cause he's a lot faster than he seems. But I was at least able to keep my power output stable the entire time so there was some progress."
"What about you, babe? You look like you've been through a warzone," Tooru asked, changing the attention to Suri.
"I spent all day fighting Pixie-Bob's creatures that she can create with her Quirk. She started me first thing this morning with almost fifty of them. Getting through all of them took a couple hours and then she hit me with another forty and that took me the rest of the day. I barely had the energy to walk at the end," Suri recounted.
Mina and Tooru just stared at Suri with astonishment.
"What?" she said, quirking one of her eyebrows with an amused smile.
"You fought, like, a hundred of those things from yesterday by yourself?"
"And you explain it like it's no big deal!"
"It is though," Suri whined back, trying to assure the two of them. "I'm totally drained!"
"I'm surprised you didn't end up with Tiger like I did," Izuku piped in. "It seems like everyone who has a close combat type of Quirk like you and I do is getting paired up to train with him. I had guessed that your focus would be on stamina but he's got a ton of it and you would have benefited from training with him"
"It's cause they know," Suri shrugged and came around the table. "They wanted me to go all out and not hold back because I was trying not to infect anyone with lycanthropy."
The three of them stared wide eyed and scared as Suri simply shrugged off the fact that her secret wasn't so secret. Of course they had been told what Suri had in that during their third year or even their first year on the job outside of high school they would have found out about the preternatural community. It was going to happen either way but it still shocked them nonetheless. Suri appreciated the fact that these three were completely set on the fact that her secret would remain a secret on her terms and not anyone else's.
That's one of the things she loved about them.
She was about to say something else when Mandalay and Ragdoll came out with a plentiful amount of bowls of raw food, cooking utensils, and eating utensils. They reminded everyone that last night was the only night that the Pussycats would cook for them and that tonight they were on their own. Suri grinned as she looked at the plates that had simple cuts of meat and saw some of the herbs and spices in the neighboring bowls. She mentally cheered at the fact that she was going to have a chance to cook for and with her lovers. Between this and another trip to the baths before going furry was going to cap off a great day.
That mental cheering came to a halt when it was Ragdoll who came to the foursome's table and handed them their meal prep for the night. It came to a stop because Suri couldn't help but stare at the veteran pro hero. She could have admired the pro's body of work and the countless number of successful rescues the team had accomplished. She could have admired the fact that she was looking at one of her grandmother's former sidekicks and seeing the potential her and her classmates had after their own stints as sidekicks. But no. It was Suri's hormones that controlled the gawking and staring at the pro heroine and her brain instantly reminded her of the poster that was hanging on her wall back in Salt Lake.
"Have a good meal!" Ragdoll happily cheered as she gave them a warm, joyous smile and then turned to walk away.
Suri had to force herself to stop looking and making the assumption that the adult woman was purposefully putting more bounce and sway into her step as she walked away. There was no way she was trying to seduce the teen. That was just her overly vivid imagination. Right?
The stare was not lost on Suri's lovers who all gave a questioning glance towards the beast girl. There was a small air of awkwardness before both Mina and Tooru let out a long sigh or cleared their throat to break it. Suri was distracted enough that she didn't know who had done which action. It was Mina who leaned in and looked Suri dead in the eyes with a look of accusation, though accusation was a bit strong of a word for it.
"Girl, are you okay?"
"You looked… like you've known her for a long time," Izuku added.
"A really long time~" Tooru added with a tease to try and break the tension.
Suri shook her head and cleared the cobwebs out of her brain as she quickly turned and tried busying herself with other tasks. She was about to play it off as nothing and tell everyone to get to work so they could eat when she met their gazes again. The intent to dodge the questions and glances was pushed away, especially seeing a very faint hint of pain in Mina's eyes that maybe she didn't even realize was there. Suri wouldn't purposefully make her lovers jealous or doubtful of her so she sighed deeply, dropped her head and then looked back at the three waiting teens. And all of a sudden... she was embarrassed.
"Hey… Izuku," she started nervously. "I know you collect a ton of hero magazines and articles and stuff but have you ever… ya know… collected any umm centerfolds?"
"Sure," he answered honestly. "I've got a few magazine exclusive posters of All Might at home."
"No, you dork, not those kinds of posters," Suri smiled softly. "I'm meaning… ones that would umm… make Mineta jealous."
The last few words were overly quiet because for some gods forsaken reason, this was not a conversation she had expected. Then again, the three of these people knew how hormonal and wild Suri could be. Hell, she was frequently having sex with two of them and the three of them were eyeing to add the greenette into that equation. This should not have been as weird or awkward as Suri was making it out to be. Especially when it clicked in Izuku's head what Suri was asking and he got more embarrassed than she had been.
"Sheesh, Izu," Mina sighed and shook her head. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Right? I mean have you seen what Mina's got on her phone?" Tooru shrugged.
"Hey!" Mina whined offendedly. "My phone is nothing compared to your phone, your computer, and what you've got stashed in your closet!"
"Mina!" Tooru cried out in a shocked tone.
"Guys, calm down. Just lemme finish okay?" Suri waved her hands and sighed before looking at them with calmness. "Sooo… when we pulled up and met Mandalay and Pixie-Bob, I knew I had recognized the name Wild Wild Pusscats from somewhere. Then it hit me when I saw her this morning… and… I umm… fuck… let's just say I kinda sorta have a poster on my wall… of her… that I kinda sorta stole from Mathias a few years ago and.. I umm… mhmm… she's um…"
"Girl, just spit it out already," Mina said with her eyes curled up and on the verge of laughing.
"Ugh! Fine! Ragdoll was my first pro hero crush and what made me realize I like girls!" Suri half yelled, half grumbled as she forced out the truth and then instantly turned and busied herself with preparing food for the evening. It may or may not have also drawn the attention of the neighboring tables to Suri, which she groaned at.
There was an awkward pause from Suri's three lovers before Tooru began snickering and giggling up a storm. Suri tried her best to ignore it but after getting asked about it and whispering something to Mina and Izuku, Suri had to know what made the pinkette begin laughing hysterically and what made Izuku a blubbering stuttering mess. She turned and glared at the invisible girl with a grumble in her throat.
She gave Tooru a glare that made the invisible girl giggle again as she nonchalantly came to help Suri with the food, pouring water into the pot to cook the rice. Suri knew Tooru was purposefully bratting it up, something that would have been settled later at night in bed but here… not so much. Tooru was relishing in this little act of turning on Suri for her own amusement. It would have been adorable if Suri wasn't so embarrassed by herself.
It was when Suri was about to yell the question at Tooru when the invisible girl finally gave in and sent Suri on her own blubbering mess.
"She's also, apparently, where you got your fetish for green hair too~"
"Tooru!"
"So, what's wrong with her? Ribbit."
"She actually got embarrassed today," Tooru laughed, sinking into the hot water of the baths and trying to slip up against Suri's side.
Suri grumbled, deepening the scowl on her brow as she sunk deeper into the water, letting the line of heat bury her just under her eyes. She was still pouting from earlier, to the point that not even the feeling of Mina running her finger along her braids was able to ease the tension she still felt. How long had it been since Suri had been this embarrassed? It had to have been years at least. It wasn't like her.
"Suri... embarrassed?" the rest of the girl asked in careful unison. They were just as shocked.
"I know! I know… It's not like me," Suri said as she pushed herself out of the water enough so that she could speak. "I just… never thought I'd actually… run into… her."
"Her?" Ochako asked and then a thought crossed her mind as she leaned forward, covering her mouth with her hands to hide the shocked face. "Was it someone from 1-B?"
"No! Just… an old crush… sort of..."
"She's embarrassed cause back home she has a lewd poster of Miss Ragdoll hanging on her wall. One that she spent oh so many lonely nights with," Mina laid into teasing even more as she finished with a dramatic tone and a feigned woesome lay of fingers against her heart. She added to that by fluttering her lashes and looking off into the distance to up the dramatics.
Suri groaned loudly as she sunk a little lower into the heat of the water.
"Oh thank goodness, I'm not the only one."
The voice was quiet. Supposed to have been said under their breath but as soon as everyone turned and looked at her, Momo knew. She had said something that was supposed to be her own little secret a little louder than she had anticipated. Everyone was giving her widely incredulous looks, Jirou was even more so as her look plainly said without words the heiress was full of shit.
"Momo, we've all been to your house for studying," Jirou said with suspicion. "I've been in your room and I didn't see any posters at all. The only thing hanging on the wall is that giant family portrait in the foyer that I said was kinda creepy. So wh-"
"In my closet," Momo said quietly, interrupting the smaller girl and looking away just as embarrassed as Suri was.
"No… I've... been in your closet," Jirous answered with an even more confused expression. She then gave the raven haired girl an incredulous smirk as she looked up at her. "It's like the size of my room and there's definitely no wall space in there."
"I umm have two closets?" Momo said, trying to hide the look that said she was dying on the inside from spilling secrets and admitting to something she didn't think she'd admit to in front of her friends.
"You know, ribbit, if we're being completely honest I'm pretty sure we all have those kinds of posters or images somewhere in our rooms."
Suri looked from Momo to Tsu and she sat up a little. Tsu was right, it didn't matter that Suri had a poster of Ragdoll, and it certainly was a shock to hear Momo had something similar in a supposedly secret closet. But at the same time, it wasn't. There was nothing to be embarrassed by. At all. Not even…
"Tsu's right," she said and then gave a wicked grin to Tooru. "I know someone who has a collection that would make Mineta jealous."
"Suri!" Tooru screamed in shock and betrayal before she leaned back towards the center of the hot springs and swung her arm forward along the surface of the water. The motion brought with it a large wave as she splashed Suri in retaliation.
Suri laughed as water dripped down her face and she grinned as she splashed back. She wasn't remorseful when the splashing managed to spray the other girls and soon all seven of them were actively laughing and splashing each other. They had turned the relaxing bath into a fun, excited water fight that left all of their spirits happy and replenished with ease and joy.
Joy that lasted the next half hour that they were in the springs. Joy that lasted as they all gave witness to Kirishima sneaking out of the boys' side early to catch Shiozaki's lips. They had been about to profusely apologize for their supposed indecency when the girls all gave the couple a big thumbs up while Suri and Mina made the zipped lips motion. It made them all smile and giggle even more as the pair quickly disappeared into the night off to go do something Shiozaki surely would have to repent for. And finally joy until the girls settled into their cabin and all of them fell asleep.
Well… most of them.
Suri was wide awake. Her skin was alive as the press of magic from the moon and the forest danced across it. She could feel it coursing over her like a warm wind that made every ounce of anticipation and excitement boil to the surface of her mind. It was the same powerful magic that had left her riding a small orgasm the night before and threatened to do so again tonight. Her lips had a steady grin curled into them because of the residual joy and happiness she had had that evening. Now it was mixed with Atiena's eagerness to be out in her true form and running wild and free through the thick forested mountainside.
Mina and Tooru trailed quietly behind her as they padded into the edge of the forest and towards the mountain. They stayed quiet until they were a hundred or more yards away from the camp when Tooru and Mina began chattering about what was about to happen. Of course Tooru had seen the process, or a version of it, and was telling Mina what to expect. Suri didn't have the heart to tell either of them at that moment that because of Grandma Kuroyashi's level of power she brought on a change that wasn't as messy as the real thing. The real thing wasn't as quick and graceful as her power could make it. She'd warn them of what they were in for when they met up with the remainder of their party.
"You guys are early," Suri said smiling as she and her girlfriends made their way into a clearing that she and Izuku had discussed about meeting at just after dinner.
He had broken from the group during dinner to take a bowl of curry they had made to the Kota kid. Along his trek up to Kota's hiding place he had seen an open spot not far from it. He told Suri that he had felt a pull to it and the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like the ideal spot. And it was. She had to take a massive breath as soon as she stepped into the short grass that carpeted the area and instantly her body filled with a swell of power and energy.
"Ho-ho-holy shit," Suri laughed and sighed with joyous pleasure. She extended her arms and fanned her fingers, feeling like she could physically touch the magic on the air.
"Suri?" Mina and Izuku asked quietly as they watched her.
"I'm okay," Suri replied. "There's just... so much, like, wow."
"Is that what it is?" Tooru asked curiously.
Suri turned to look at the invisible girl and watched the apparition of the girl doing the same movements that the beast girl had been doing a second before. It had been brought up quite a few times that Tooru had been sensitive to the supernatural but now it was perfectly on display.
"Yeah, baby girl," Suri smirked. "You're feeling literal magic. You feel it too," Suri let her eyes trace back to their guest and gave him a soft smile. "Right, Koda?"
The beast girl watched the tall, shy boy as he went from letting his fingers play along the air to quickly bundling himself up. He tightly grasped his hands in front of him, tightened his shoulders, and stood as stiff as the old trees around him. He looked at Suri nervously, and then back and forth between her, Izuku, Mina, and Tooru. It made Suri put up her hands defensively and smile at him again, showing him that she meant no harm.
"Easy, big guy," she said calmly before she turned back and spread her arms. She basked in the moonlight and settled into that happy feeling again. "I have to ask, do you know why I've called everyone here?"
He shook his head profusely.
"Okay. So… you heard about what happened at the final exams, right? During your match with Jirou against Present Mic?"
Koda paused and tilted his head and thought about the question. He then shook his head and finally gave a quiet answer.
"I heard you had to go Recovery Girl's. I didn't know you had been hurt during your match."
"I wasn't. Not during me and Kirishima's match anyway. It was during yours."
That made his eyes go wide with confusion.
"Koda, on our second day of class during the mock battles, I asked you about your Quirk. Do you remember?"
He nodded slowly, still confused by the meeting entirely.
"I want to ask again, now that we've trained our Quirks and gotten stronger. And think about my question carefully, okay?"
He nodded again.
"Koda, can you sense animals around you? As in, which animals you could call to your aid?" Suri asked softly and carefully, giving Koda the full gaze of her eyes.
Koda looked into Suri's eyes and this time gave the question a little more thought than he had the first time they had met. More thought than he would have just a second ago. He then took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a few moments before opening them again.
"I guess I sort of can," he said hesitantly.
Suri nodded and walked towards him. She had to look up at him from so close and the proximity made him nervous. The look in Suri's eyes though made him calm down because it was the look of a friend. She was the one who had always believed in him and supported him from day one, he trusted her.
"Try sensing again now," Suri said calmly.
Koda nodded and closed his eyes, going into that meditative state he had been in a moment ago before his eyes shot open. They were wide as he looked down at Suri and took a step backwards from her.
"I'll ask again; can you control all animals?"
Koda froze and stared with frightened eyes at Suri as she walked back towards the center of the clearing. She then extended her arms a little ahead of her to feel the air again, letting her fingers dance along the thick streams of magic that radiated through the night. Her eyes closed and she leaned her consciousness backward, laying the back of her head into the thick scruff of Atiena's chest and took in a deep breath of that earthy, wild musk of her bestial side. The forest, the full moon, the people surrounding her, it all felt like home.
"Koda, do you trust me?" Suri turned back and asked the still wavering boy.
He looked at Suri, then to the others, and then back to Suri at the center of the clearing. He was slowly becoming more scared with each passing second and then he met Suri's eyes. He had that same reflection once again; that she was his friend. Something was going on, something that she was hiding, not for nefarious reasons, but something only people she absolutely trusted could know. He had figured that much by who was present. He was very aware of the relationship the three girls had, and knew they were very close with Midoriya. The realization that only the people she trusted most were here and he was among them made him come to a simple conclusion.
"Yes. You're my friend," he acknowledged.
"Okay. Because I need you to know something about me so that we don't have a repeat of what happened at the finals. You're far more powerful and gifted than I think you even realize and that can be dangerous for a lot of people. People like me."
"I… don't understand," Koda replied cautiously.
"Just now, when you tried to see if you could tell what animals were around you. What did your Quirk tell you?"
"Are you saying my Quirk works on you?"
"Exactly," Atiena answered this time as her presence stepped forward and suddenly the air danced on everyone's skin.
The power influx thanks to the forest's apparent natural level of magic made the electric wind caress everyone. It made Koda gasp the most because he hadn't experienced this level of energy rise, not like Tooru and Mina had. They had all but expected the energy to dance across their bodies and welcomed it like it was an intimate touch from their girlfriend. In a way, for them, it was. It was Atiena's presence that met Koda's eyes this time and he looked as if he wasn't sure if he recognized the person in front of him anymore.
And in truth, he really didn't.
"You may have heard my name invoked but I don't believe we've officially met. Have we, Koda?" Atiena spoke, her voice completely separate from Suri's but still holding some form of familiarity.
He shook his head in response.
"I am Atiena," the creature answered with a smile. "I am Suri's beast and we choose to meet you now because tonight is my night. Tell me, Koda, what animal exists that hides in the shadows of its host except for one night a month. A night like tonight," she quizzically alluded before pointing to the full moon, high and massive in the night sky.
Koda stared at her for a long moment. A very long moment and it took him using sign language to finally break the silence because his words escaped him. Words were terrified to slip from his mouth and instead he cautiously signed werewolf towards the group. His nervousness wavered, flaring even more because he watched as Mina and Izuku smiled and nodded.
"It's okay, Koda. Our kind, people like myself, have no intention of hurting humans," Atiena gave Koda another comforting smile and that seemed to ease a little bit of the tension in him. The beast girl sighed and decided to continue. "Truthfully, you're half correct about me. My dad, two of my brothers, and their moms are werewolves. My mom's side of the family, the Kuroyashi's, they're wereleopards."
"S-So… a-are they?" Koda asked nervously, pointing to the other three teens.
"No," Atiena laughed and waved off the accusation. "I'm the only scary monster here. They just know the secret and have known everything there is to know about me. Except for one thing," she looked at the four teens each and then finished nervously. "The real scary part about what happens on the full moon."
"Scary part?" all of them asked curiously.
"We have about twenty minutes before high moon. When that happens I come out for real. Before that, we need to teach Koda how not to call my kind with his Quirk."
"I… called you?" Koda asked softly.
"Yes," Atiena answered back truthfully with a smirk. "And you damn near had me, three leopards, and a fox coming to kick the shit out of Present Mic for you."
That bit of information made everyone freeze.
"Guess we forgot to mention that part. But Koda, that wasn't the first time I've reacted to your voice so I'd like to nip this in the bud if we could, okay?"
Koda nodded furiously and whined with anxiousness to add to it.
"Good. Now, I want you to sit here in the middle and act like you're going to meditate, okay?" the beast girl instructed. She breathed deep and let it out as she tried to shake out the nerves. She was about to teach something she didn't know if it could be taught or not. If it didn't work, they'd just have to be careful and hope for the best. If it did work, a lot of people would be thankful for the efforts.
The skittish teen simply nodded and followed her lead, sitting himself into the center of the clearing. He closed his eyes and laid the bottoms of his palms on his knees as he situated himself cross legged. Then he focused his breathing, taking in calm and easy breaths, reserving himself into the serenity the night and nature had to offer. Suri meanwhile laid her head back and took in deep breaths of night air for herself. She savored that wonderful night air out in the forest, adding to the feeling of home and peace she felt. Secondly, she scented the air, taking in the creatures that surrounded them.
"Okay, let your mind and soul wander, set them free, like you're letting your spirit walk through the forest around you. What do you see around you in your mind?"
"A-A lot actually," he said quietly. "T-There's a-a lot of friends here."
"Okay. Can you tell what's out there?" Suri asked softly as she stood in front of Koda, arms crossed tight under her breasts.
His eyes fluttered, still closed, as he began extending his Quirk, not just his voice, but his entire being within the Quirk.
"B-Bugs… um… s-small animals… a-a few different kinds."
Suri's beastial side scented the air closely and smiled.
"Picture the animal your spirit senses in your mind and then use your Quirk. If you can sense it, picture it, and call just it to you, just think of what your Quirk could do," Suri smiled and encouraged her friend.
"C-come little one. Join me," Koda said softly.
There was a long moment of silence that lasted more than a minute before finally some sort of noise was heard. The result was a series of small, minute squeaks of a mouse as it poked its head up from the grass not far from Koda's knee. The forest mouse looked around quickly, ears and whiskers twitching wildly before it made a few more quick advances toward Koda and then laid down into the grass beside him.
"Aww, that's so cute~" Mina cood softly as she watched the proceedings next to Tooru and Izuku.
"How do you feel Koda? Do you notice anything?" Izuku asked from beside her.
"I-I didn't know I could do that," he answered.
"Wanna try calling a bigger animal?" Suri asked.
Koda went silent again, his eyes fluttering again as he searched with his mind around him.
"W-Would you like to be friends too?"
Suri wasn't sure what his voice had called to because she didn't feel a wave of need over her like before. She wasn't compelled to go to him. Not even a flicker of it. That was a good sign. One that became even better as the silence was cut short as the sounds of moving brush and grass caught Suri's attention. The attention resulted in a wide grin as she watched a fox curiously stride towards Koda and then sit patiently beside the mouse.
"Suri," Izuku asked carefully. "How did you know he could do this?"
"I didn't," she half laughed. "If this didn't work, I would have to teach him the spark in the stars method that I don't even have a complete grasp on."
"Spark… in the stars?" Tooru, Mina, and Izuku questioned with puzzled tones.
"It's something that came up when I was meditating and me and Atiena were trying to get back into sync. After she had gone berserk trying to rip her way out of my body to go to Koda's side she disappeared. So while I was meditating, Grandma hit with a Wave of Dominance and flooded me with a mass amount of lycanthropic energy."
"She did what?" Tooru exclaimed, not sounding happy at all about it.
"I hit back with my own wave, or what I could cook up with no Atiena to back me, and… I saw… it was like looking at a night sky that was close enough you could touch the stars. And.. I sorta kinda did."
"That's… wow, I don't even know what to say," Mina said, her brain probably hurting trying to comprehend the even minute logistics of it all.
"Grandma said that it's a sort of metaphysical gift. So if you're sensitive to magic and energy like us wereanimals, witches, or psychics are, you could, in theory, have the possibility to do it. For me, I touched a few different stars that ended up being other wereanimals I knew, a couple real wild animals, and then I found Atiena again. But at the same time, it's not the first time I've been able to physically visualize energy."
"I-I… how would I do it, even if I could?" Koda asked softly.
"From what I'm gathering it's a matter of being able to manipulate energy and bend it to whatever you envision it to be. I wonder if it's a combination of a metaphysical gift like you say and a full on Quirk. I-"
"Izuku, baby, you're a genius!" Suri gasped as she had an idea, cutting him off before he could go any further down the rabbit hole that was his ramblings.
"Okay, Koda," Suri grinned as she started rubbing her hands together excitedly. "I'm gonna hit you with a wave of my power and I want you to tell me what you see or sense. Focus on sensing yourself, me, our friends, and then the animals in the forest. Okay?"
"I-I dunno about this," he began to protest.
Before he could protest anymore and before Tooru, Mina, and Izuku could raise their concerns, Suri let her power boil to the surface and wash over her skin. She wasn't shifting but she got to that level of energy just before she'd change because even that was more than enough. She let the electric wind of heat radiate off of her body and flow on a shallow torrent around her. Then Suri pushed outward, rolling that wave of lycanthropic power towards Koda and letting it crash into him, making him gasp from the sudden jolt of energy.
He staggered but kept himself sitting upright before his eyes went wide and he started looking every which way along the trees and the ground. It was like watching a blind person trying to see what they had never seen before. They had to see everything around them as soon and as much as possible. He was scared but smiling as he let out a soft laugh and a wow.
"What do you see, Koda?"
"All of the animals," he chuckled softly. "I can see all of… them"
He froze and his excitement stopped instantly as he laid eyes on Suri again and whatever he had seen in that flash of power had scared him. He blinked rapidly and then the look on his face turned to confusion as he looked up at Suri again.
"I… there was something really big… but now…"
"That, Koda, is what I need you to know how to sense and recognize. There's thousands of us in and around Musutafu. What you saw is what's inside me, that's Atiena, she's my other half. She's what you called to your aid last week and it could have been extremely dangerous if she had gotten out. And not only that, four more, that same size would have had your back."
"I… I-I did that?" Koda said, fear and pain now heavy in his eyes. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.
"You didn't mean to and you couldn't have known," Suri said, shaking her head with a smile as she tried comforting him. "Not yet anyway. You would have found out about what I truly am and my kind, among other things, in a couple years. I just recently found out that most pro heroes know in some way or another that we exist. Not all of them are happy about it… or like us. I just hope you don't take it as me lying to you. But because of last week, you had to know the truth sooner than later."
"I-I see…"
"So what now?" Tooru asked, trying to break up the awkwardness.
"Well… we've got less than ten minutes now so while I'm still in human form we gotta try and get him to recognize how Atiena reads. Maybe decide on a vocal tone not to use… like ever, or something like that."
"How are you going to do that?" Mina asked incredulously. And her disbelief of the task was fully warranted because that was a massive task to accomplish in so short of time.
"I… honestly have no idea," Suri sighed and hung her head. "I know that I've been triggered by Koda's voice when it has high levels of stress, fear, and anxiety. The way you were screaming at the bugs made Atiena go absolutely apeshit. That first mock battle, I got a shiver from it probably cause of how scared and nervous you were. So… fear is definitely a trigger but I can't really tell you not to be scared ever because that's not realistic. And kind of a shitty thing to say."
"You said for him to recognize Atiena," Tooru spoke up. "I think I've gotten accustomed to being able to tell a human from a wereanimal. Just with how often I'm around you, Granny, Ryo, and some of the others."
"I guess we could feed him some of our energy to recognize the brush or feel of it. That could work, I think," Suri added, thinking about what Tooru had said. She then looked up at the moon and suddenly that short amount of time didn't have the same excitement it did. She was going to shift during this ordeal and they had to try and get the work done quickly before that happened.
Fuck.
Suri grumbled and cleared her throat.
"Okay Koda, don't freak out but… I don't want my pajamas shredded when I go furry and we're running on a really short fuse right now. Just… look away if you need to," Suri said, trying to be gentle about what was about to happen.
The gentleness went out the window as she strode towards Tooru, Mina, and Izuku, her hands already gripping the bottom of her grey camie and beginning to lift. Izuku froze and went beet red as she came to them already topless, handing the pinkette the thinly strapped tank top. He quickly tore his eyes away from her as her hands clasped the hem of her white short shorts and peeled them down her thighs. She dropped them into Mina's waiting arms, gave the two girls a seductive smile and a wink, and then turned back to Koda in the center of the clearing. He was as beet red as Izuku was and shaking like a leaf as she strode towards him nude.
"Don't worry, Koda," Suri sighed with a smile. "Your innocence is safe."
To save him some grace, Suri went around to Koda's back and sat cross legged behind him. She took in a deep breath and let her energy radiate around her and Koda as she took position, coming to meditate with him back to back. She let the line of her back lay against his and the subtle touch made the power spike and whip around the clearing like a flash of electricity. The nervous energy that poured off of Koda began to read like food and it was making Suri feel hungry. And eating Koda was not a hunger she wanted to sate.
"Koda, calm down, buddy. Try not to be scared. I know that's easier said than done when you're sitting with someone butt naked next to you but we need you to be calm for this to even remotely work."
"O-Okay," he gulped nervously and began trying to reel in his nerves and breathing.
"Try and relax and let your mind read me. Let your subconscious recognize and understand the energy of a nonhuman person, what that feels like, smells like, tastes like, sounds like, everything. That part of your mind that tells you you're looking at a potential villain needs to be able to look at me and see a friend. A friend that will fight if you force them to but you should never let fight your battles."
"P-Predator. Like a predatory animal," he said nervously but concisely.
"Is that what you sense?" Suri asked for confirmation.
There was another long moment of silence as Koda tried to focus and meditate. He owed Suri for everything that just happened, he had been able to expand his Quirk if only a little bit into being able to realize and sense what animals were around him to be at his disposal. He wanted to make sure that that didn't go to waste, wanted to make sure he could understand this new part of his Quirk and how to use it.
"Y-Yes. I… um… I think… I-Is my Quirk affecting you at all right now?"
Suri thought about that quickly, letting herself really hear Koda's voice and a grin curled on her lips. She shook her head happily in response.
"No! I don't feel any compulsion at all!"
"T-That's good right?" Koda asked with a little relief in his voice. "Now wh-"
"Suri, it's time," Attiena whispered into Suri's mind and a shiver of power roared through her entire body. So much energy and electric fire coursed through the beast girl that it floored her with a breathless gasp.
"Suri!" everyone called out in fear.
"It's okay!" Suri grunted out more loudly than she had initially meant to. "I'm okay. Time's up."
Koda watched Suri begin to writhe on the ground, groaning in pain and discomfort. He was about to reach for Suri and touch her to try and comfort her when he watched the flesh of her back ripple, pushing outwards like a shark's fin skimming the surface of the water. It made him scramble backwards, letting out a shriek as he scurried on hands and knees toward the three other teens. All of them were watching with fear in their eyes as well.
The first wave of the moon's magic pulsed through the clearing, filling it with a heavy air that was weighed down with an immense amount of energy and power. It made Suri's heartbeat thud like a chorus of war drums, the thudding filling her ears with the sound of static and rushing blood. Her fingers, already turned to claws, slammed into the ground, gripping grass and earth tight and letting the soil meld between them. Her eyes rolled to beast and the glow of chartreuse fire radiated from them, appearing like golden green balls of fire in the night and joining the stars in the sky as Suri bowed her back let out a silent scream.
The muscles and bones in Suri's body rippled as they began to change and reshape themselves, turning the girl into a liquid mass of skin and muscle. Fur began to flow to hide some of the gruesome sight, letting the distraction of glossy dark fur shimmering in the moonlight add some hint of beauty in the change. A rumbling growl rose from Suri's body, masking some of the unsettling sounds of her body reshaping itself, a thick wolven snarl that took the place of what was once Suri's pained human grunting and groaning.
When Suri slammed her fists into the ground again they were giant paws. Paws that lifted her off the ground and she triumphantly stood up, bowing her back as her head rose to give that mix of a leopard's scream and a wolf's howl. That animalistic call filled the clearing as the beast shouted towards the moon and then shook itself as it finally stood from where Suri was once a crumpled heap. It stood there for a long moment to bask in the moonlight and the forest air before turning towards the four teens on the edge of the clearing.
Atiena strode softly and quietly towards them, her movements easy and unthreatening as she came first to her and Suri's mates. She knew Tooru had seen the process, or part of it at least once, but Mina hadn't. Mina was still a little shocky from the experience so Atiena dipped her head low and let her pantheric face rub and nuzzle into the pinkette's cheek and shoulder. The motion was like a cat headbutting and rubbing against its owner in a display of affection and eased the girl from her shock and fear.
Soon Atiena, the massive beast that was a mix of leopard and wolf, was enjoying the soft feeling of Mina and Tooru's hands caressing her fur. The caressing turned into embraces as both Mina and Tooru wrapped their arms around Atiena's neck and squeezed. When the beast was released she moved back to see both girls, the fear and anxiety in them gone as they looked up at her with looks that were filled with amazement and wonder. It made the beast curl her animalistic lips into a small careful smile before she turned to face Izuku. He had never radiated fear throughout the process, his air, his scent was always one that was wildly intrigued and amazed. Even if lycanthropy wasn't technically a Quirk, he saw it as one. Right now, he was looking at Atiena the same way he looked at everyone with what he considered an amazing Quirk. He was seconds away from busting out his notebook, she figured. It made her smile again as she nuzzled into him, scent marking him like a cat as well as she batted and pushed at him with her forehead.
These three. These were the ones she never had to worry about. No matter how many times her anxiety flared, fearing that she'd be abandoned once again, these three always seemed to show up and push that thought away. Grandma had and would always be right. True friends won't run from the scary shit. True friends will go to bat with you and help you through thick and thin, even in the worst of it all.
There was still one more test though.
Atiena turned to Koda then, letting her green gold, wolven eyes fall onto the tall, overly shy teen. She had half expected him to scream and run into the night with panic. Instead, he simply just stared with wide, shocked eyes. There was an air of panic to him, like he could bolt at any second. That sense of panic is why she slowly and carefully dipped herself, laying herself in a long line in front of Koda. It was a submissive gesture which Atiena herself had never thought she'd ever take but it was necessary for him. For her friend.
It was a long painful unsure moment until she felt the boy's big hand on her, petting carefully and ever so gently. When her eyes rolled up to the sight she found the shape of Tooru leaning over to him, she had taken his forearm in both of her hands and gently laid it on Atiena's head. It was Tooru that got him to touch the giant beast, but it was the boy's love of animals that made him continue the gesture. The more his fingers played along her thick glossy fur, the more of his panic left until he was like anyone else petting a giant cat or dog. Or both. Technically both.
With that ease in mind, she finally stood up and turned to trot towards the edge of the forest. Her massive paws padded gracefully through the grass as she reached the edge and then turned back. She looked at the four, bowed her head and spoke, her voice still Suri's and Atiena's with a trickle of rasp and growl to it.
"Good night, my friends. Sweet dreams."
And with that she turned back to the forest, scented the air and bolted. She'd leave the four in the clearing while her instincts took her somewhere else.
Somewhere that was nervous, small, and covered in fur. Fur that covered something wonderful that she wanted, craved, and needed right then and there. She wanted the taste of blood and meat, and the feel of the deer she had her senses on dying beneath her. And she was sure that, even though those four didn't fear her at that moment. The story would change if they saw her feed. And so off into the forest she ran, basking in the feel of the wind on her back, the slap of trees against her fur and skin, and the feel of earth beneath her feet. She basked in that joy of running. And basked in the joy that would always make her a monster in some people's eyes.
The joy of the hunt.