I sat on my bed, leaning against the wall. A notebook propped up against my knees. I doodled the processes for enzyme production and images of plasma construction.
"Have you thought of any more ultimate moves to work on?" Katsuki laid across my bed, his hands folded behind his head. Tomorrow was our last day of training before the provisional licensing exam. Everyone had already created at least one ultimate move – while Katsuki had created a few including his new AP shot.
"Sirius had an ultimate defence – I'm still trying to figure that one out." I sighed, scribbling the basic atomic structure for carbon on the side of my paper.
Katsuki propped himself up on his elbows. "Ultimate defence?"
"Yeah, I don't know if he had a name for it or not. But," I looked up from my paper and tapped the end of my pencil against the paper, "I think he vibrated his atoms to a point that any attack would just pass right through his body. I'm not even close to figuring it out."
"Better hurry up then. When you do figure it out," Katsuki smirked, "I won't have to worry about you getting hurt as much."
I gave him a small smile, "I wish I had something more to go off. Redemption doesn't even know how it worked."
Katsuki yawned, sitting up. "You'll get it. I'm going to bed – we have to be up early tomorrow." He squeezed my knee before excusing himself and leaving my room. I turned to look at the clock – it was just nine. I had time to study for a few more hours. I straightened my legs and inched to the side of my bed. I let my feet touch the moon carpet before rising and walking to my desk. I set the notebook down and pulled out my physics textbook – turning to the chapter about molecular motion. I began to copy down the formulas and created diagrams for each kind of energy. I looked up from my notebook in time to see a streak of light across my window. Akari? We used to go past each other's windows just like that when we were kids and wanted to play. But, we had stopped doing that when we entered middle school. I broke myself down, moving through the wall, and followed her light well past the dorms. She weaved through the forest outside of campus. Her streak of light made a turn and hit me in an instant. We solidified my bare body under hers against the cold forest floor. The twigs and roots poked at my back. Her hand wrapped around my throat. I could still manage strained breaths. Akari glared down at me, her teeth bared. Her blonde hair fell around us. "What the hell Makoto?"
My voice came out pained and rasped. "What do you mean?" Her knees lay on top of my thighs, pinning me below herself.
"How are you doing better than me?!" She spat, saliva hitting my face. Her fingers tightened and her eyes became far wilder – pupils dilated and shook as they searched my face. This was not my sister. "Vlad is kicking me out of the hero course. Why do you get to stay?" What? Why was Vlad kicking Akari out?
"You haven't been acting like yourself," I wheezed out.
She glared down at me, snarling, "not acting like myself? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"
"We haven't trained together since we started UA. You're failing everything. You got kicked off your work study."
"I reassigned myself."
"To who?"
"Mom." I dissipated my body from under Akari and reformed a few meters in front of her. Akari rose to her feet.
"W-what?" I stammered, raising my shaking head. Something was wrong. Why did Akari think that our mother was alive? There was video evidence of our parent's death. There was no way either of them had survived when hundreds had died in their explosion. "Mom is dead."
Akari broke herself down and slammed into me, reforming on impact. I hit the rough trunk of the tree behind us. Her forearm pressed hard into my collarbone as she leaned into me, teeth gritted. "Of course, you believe that bullshit. What a good 'hero' you'll be."
"What do you mean?" My jaw was tight as my palms pressed against Akari's wrist and elbow, trying to relieve any pressure. She rolled her eyes with a dry laugh, pressing down harder. I dissipated myself and reformed my upper half behind her. "Akari?" My voice came out demanding more than questioning.
Akari snorted as if she were talking to a naïve child. "You and Dad are part of the problem!" What did Sirius have to do with this? She broke her legs down, creating a bow. She pulled the string back, an arrow of light particles forming, knocked in place. She let the string go, instantly forming another arrow to fire. This was new – and amazing.
I used my free atoms to form my nebula. Unlike Sirius' – I restructured the nebula from a dome into a stiff wall in front of me. I pressed my palms into the wall to help strengthen it from her impacts. I cringed as each arrow hit. She was strong. Akari was always stronger than I was. "We can talk to Vlad tomorrow – together!"
"Too late," Akari spat. "I've made other plans."
"What – with Mom?"
Akari lowered her bow, dissipating it, "finally learning."
"What's gotten into you? Mom's dead!" I lowered my nebular wall. Why was she so adamant that Mom was alive?
Akari dissipated the rest of her body - any semblance of moonlight disappeared with her, leaving me in complete darkness. "I call this Black Hole." I swallowed, turning slightly to look over my shoulder just on the off chance I could see something. Anything. Akari had found a way to draw the surrounding light waves into her body and cause complete darkness.
"Why are you fighting me?" I shouted into her void. Akari's foot collided with my back, and I went tumbling forward.
Akari screamed. "You weren't supposed to be here!" Akari's fist landed a blow on my stomach. "How can a weakling like you be better than me?"
"What's gotten into you?" I shouted back as I stood. Akari slapped me across the face. Her hits stung. This was it. I needed to ask her now or I may never have an answer. "Were you in Kamino?"
Akari kicked my legs out from under me. I hit the ground on my right hip, hard. "You should've said hi to Mom." Her leg hit my stomach. I grabbed onto her calf and pulled her to the ground. Why was she so adamant about making me believe it was not her?
I twisted so I was on top of Akari. "Stop lying! I'm your sister, just tell me the truth." I gripped her upper arms. "Was that you in Kamino?"
The moonlight returned to the forest. Akari lay below me, a wide and crazed smile on her face. "You really want to know the truth? I was the one that told Tomura when to go to USJ. I was the one that told him about the training camp. They couldn't do the one thing they needed to do – kill you and Bakugo!"
My heart fell into my stomach. "N-no. That was you?" I stared into her sparkling eyes. Her smile widened. "Why?" Why did she corroborate with the League of Villains? Why did she want Katsuki dead? What was it worth to her if we were dead?
"Akari." A sly voice spoke from our right. I turned my head – my heart stopping. Kurogiri's swirling portal stood between two trees. Mom stood just in front of the portal, one hand grasping her elbow the other flexed as she examined her nails. She had definitely aged significantly from her hero portraits – but it was Milky Way. She wore a white leather jacket with a red shirt and black pants. "Leave the trash for someone else to pick up." Mom was alive. How was she alive? Akari used my shock to slip her legs into her chest and slammed them into my stomach. I went flying back, retching.
"Coming!" Akari cooed, skipping to the portal. Mom smirked before slipping into the portal.
"Wait," I called out between coughs, "take me with you!"
"You're just sad." Akari scoffed, rolled her eyes, and continued through the portal. I cried out for her to stop – but she never even looked back. I felt my heart crumble away as the portal closed. My legs gave way below me. I started to sob, hands digging into the grass. It began to rain. Just my luck. I sat there for a moment before pulling myself to my feet. I ran my hands over my face before heading out of the forest. I stayed within the tree line toward UA, my arms wrapped around my torso while my legs were becoming caked in mud. I could not feel the cold of the rain or the chill from the mud. How could Akari just join the League of Villains? When had she joined? Why did Akari leak the information that led to the USJ attack and the boot camp? What did she get out of that?
"Makoto!" I stopped in my tracks. That sounded like Katsuki. "Makoto!" It was Katsuki. I quickly started off in the direction of his voice. Each time he screamed my name it was more and more pained. I stopped in the middle of the trail through the forest. My oil-slick hair was soaked through and clung to my body. Katsuki stood on the other end of the trail, his hoodie, shirt, and hair clung to his body from the rain.
"K-Katsuki," I choked out as I fell to my knees. He rushed towards me, unzipping his hoodie and wrapping it around my shoulders. "Akari's gone, she left." He pulled me into his chest, arms holding me tight to his body while his chin rested on the top of my head. I continued to sob as the rain pounded down around us. Why was Mom with the League? She was a hero – not a villain. Nothing made sense anymore.
"You're freezing," Katsuki spoke after a few moments. "Let's get you inside." I nodded, pulling out of his embrace. I stood, zipping his hoodie up. We walked along in silence back through the forest to campus. I stared at the pavement, watching the droplets hit before bouncing back and settling. We walked up the steps to Heights Alliance, Katsuki opened the door for the two of us. I stepped inside, my mud-caked feet leaving my footprints in the common space.
A few of our classmates were crowded around the television. I walked behind the sofa, reading the flowing captions. It was a news story of a large estate burning. It was our home. It burned with violent blue flames and took a matter of moments for it all to turn to ash. No survivors were reported. I held Katsuki's hoodie closer to my chest. If Grandmother was in there – then that meant that I had no one left. We had been abandoned by our parents. Both our grandparents died. My own sister left. I had no one left. I rushed out of the living room and into the elevator that led to the girl's dorms. The elevator began to rise, and my lungs convulsed. I began to hyperventilate. I pounded on the doors to the elevator until they opened. It felt agonizingly slow for one floor. I rushed down the hall and into my dorm, unzipping Katsuki's hoodie. I quickly pulled it off, not wanting anything on me as my chest heaved.
I could not catch my breath. I began to feel lightheaded. I closed my eyes and focused on holding my breath. I held it for a second before gasping for air. I clamped a hand over my mouth and pinched my nose shut. I needed to stop. I counted to ten before allowing air to re-enter my lungs. I took in a few quick, deep breaths – expanding my diaphragm. Did I just have a panic attack? I stared at my bed, wanting so much to just jump under the sheets and wallow in myself. But, I was covered in mud. I frowned, moving towards the bathroom instead. The main baths were in the common area – but each dorm room had its own toilet, sink, and small shower. I entered my bathroom, stepping under the shower head before turning it on. I stood in my shower, letting the tears fall freely. I cranked the temperature – but I could not feel the heat. I could feel the sting on my skin as it turned red, but any feeling of temperature was gone. I crumbled to the floor as the water continued to bat down on me. I kept my face downturned as sobs began to rack my body. Everything that I had known was a lie. My family never wanted me. Mom had chosen Akari. To her, I was nothing more than trash. I was truly alone now.
The door to my bathroom opened after a long while. Feet padded across the tile and turned the water off. "The water's way too hot," Katsuki frowned, picking up a towel and draping it over my shoulders. I continued to sob. Katsuki did not say another word as he picked up a smaller towel and knelt behind me, gently drying my curls. I grasped at the edges of the towel around me, pulling it tightly against myself. When he was done, Katsuki helped me stand, walking with me out of my bathroom and to my bed. I sat down on the edge, eyes stuck to the floor. Katsuki went into my closet and pulled out an oversized black shirt and grey shorts. He knelt in front of me, making sure his face was in my line of sight.
"Akari left. She left to be with our mom." I reached out and took the shirt from him, pulling it on over the towel before letting it drop. Katsuki remained kneeling on the floor in front of me, waiting patiently despite the shock on his face. I continued after a moment, "she said that Mom was alive. What if… What if it was her in Kamino that I saw in the warehouse? What if it was my Mom that attacked me after we got you to safety then? What if it was her that prevented me from going through that portal after you?" That made more sense. I exhaled; my breath shook as more tears fell. I picked up the collar of my shirt and hid my face as I began to sob again.
Katsuki reached up and placed his hands on my knees. He did not speak, just knelt in front of me as I cried.
After a long while, Katsuki stood and started towards the door. I reached out for him, grasping his wrist. "Please," I choked out meekly, "don't leave me." I was doing what I had always done to Akari – to him. I swallowed, trying to command my fingers to let go of Katsuki. He turned and squatted in front of me, using his hands to hold my face while he wiped away my tears with his thumbs. I let go of his wrist.
"I won't ever leave you." He whispered with a small smile. "I do want to make you some tea though." I let out a shaky breath as his fingers left my face. Katsuki turned and went to the small microwave and mini fridge set up. He pulled out the kettle from the storage above the microwave and went into my bathroom to fill it with water. Katsuki returned and put the kettle on its stand, plugging it in, and flipping the switch. He took a mug out of the cupboard with the tea, placing a chamomile teabag in the cup. I bit my lip, picking up the shorts from beside myself. I slipped them on carefully before slipping my comforter over my shoulders. I just wanted to be surrounded by the soft pillowy-ness of the blanket.
The moment the kettle began to whistle, Katsuki lifted it and poured the steaming water into the mug. He placed the kettle back onto its base before picking up the mug. Katsuki stood at the edge of the bed, placed the mug down on the headboard, and took the blanket off my shoulders. He scooted onto the bed and set himself behind me, wrapping the blanket around both of us. I held onto the edge of the blanket as Katsuki grabbed my waist and pulled me onto his lap. My breath caught in my throat – we were so close. Katsuki reached out of the blanket and picked up the mug before handing it to me. I gingerly took it, breathing into the cup. "Thank you." Katsuki kept one arm wrapped around my waist while the other rested on my thigh.
We remained like that in silence as I drank the tea. My sobs had subsided completely, and my tears finally ran dry. "How long were you in that hot water," Katsuki asked, rubbing his fingers over my reddened skin.
"I couldn't feel it." I frowned.
"Since the boot camp, I can't feel temperature after using my quirk - sometimes. I didn't even know I had burnt my hand until Kirishima pointed it out after. The feeling comes back eventually." I took a sip of the tea. "I can't feel the temperature of the tea either."
"Shit. Stop drinking it then – you'll burn your mouth." Katsuki picked up the mug by the rim and set it back on the headboard. "Why didn't you tell me?"
I shrugged, feeling his chest constrict behind me. "I don't know." I bit my lip. "I guess, if I said it out loud it was real. I-I don't know if I'll lose my sense of temperate completely – or if it'll be my entire sense of touch."
Katsuki's free arm wrapped across my chest and upper arms, pulling me against himself. I could feel each and every breath enter and exit his body. I could feel the muscles in his arms and legs flex. "Can you feel me?" I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.
We sat in silence.