Ember Sunblaze: Yay! Part 2 is here! I hope you all enjoy the chapter and all it's craziness! Seriously, it's quite a lot of stuff going on so I apologize in advance :)
Chapter 25: The Party (Part 2)
"EHHHHHHHH?!" All the guys cried out at the same time, rushing up to Sero.
"Dude?! What do you mean live performance!"
"No one informed us of this!"
"What are we even going to do?"
"This is not manly at all!"
"WHICH WOULD RATHER ME DO? FLAME BROIL OR GRILL YOU ALIVE?!"
Sero held up his hands defensively. "Now, now, come on guys! This is just something fun Aoyama and I came up with that we thought the girls would like! You have to admit, it would be entertaining." He turned over his shoulder, loudly asking. "RIGHT GIRLS?!"
"Woohoo! Do it! Do it!" Mina chanted as Hagakure clapped her hands and cheered. Kirishima groaned, looking torn between wanting to flee and wanting to please his crush.
Kaminari looked down at Jiro with pleading, puppy dog eyes. "Umm, Jiro? You and the girls know we're sorry, right?!" He said, pulling at his shirt collar nervously. "So there's reeeeallly no need for us to make a fool of ourselves up here, right? RIGHT!?"
Jiro took a slow, contemplating sip of her mango juice. Finally she smiled, answering brightly, "Nah, it's cool. You don't have to…Oh! Ouch!" She suddenly exclaimed, dramatically bending forward as if she was in dire pain. "Ow! My back! Oh, it really hurts! I wonder why?"
"Owiee! My arms! They hurt soooo bad!" Ashido added, passionately clutching her arm.
"Oh, my throat!" Hagakure moaned, swaying on the spot. "The agony!"
She gave Uraraka a quick jab with her elbow, forcing her to jump on to the bandwagon. "Ouch! Oh, I mean, my arm! It's sooo sore!"
"My shoulder…I'm dying." Asui added, leaning against Uraraka for emphasis.
They all shot Yaoyorozu a glare, who reluctantly joined. "Oh dear…my head… the pain…it is quite unbearable."
The guys on stage listened to their obviously fake complaints with gloomy resignation.
"Is it just me…." Kaminari tiredly mumbled.
"Or are girls…." Kirishima continued, one eye involuntary twitching.
"...really, really scary." Tokoyami finished, as Dark Shadow excitedly appeared out of him.
"Are we doing karaoke!?" He eagerly asked.
"I guess….we have no choice." Midoriya resignedly answered. The others tearfully nodded, mentally waving good-bye to their dignity.
"Those conniving little vixens." Bakugo seethed, completely furious but also knowing that walking away was not an option. They had been forced into this journey together and now they had to finish it together. For better or worse.
"Awesome!" Sero exclaimed,clapping his palms together. "Now let's see what song you have to perform!" He casually tossed the remote down to the girls. "Okay girls, it's your present. So pick the song."
"WHAAAAAT!" The boys on stage yelled in unison.
"Wait! We don't even get to pick what we sing!?" Kirishima exclaimed.
"Yippee!" Ashido, who had caught the remote, squealed. The girls all huddled together, going through the song list. The boys waited with bated breaths, feeling as if they were waiting for the chopping block. The sound of excited giggles and squeals only made the wait feel so much worse. Finally the girls lifted their heads, coming to a decision.
"Okay! We found one!" Ashido declared, showing Sero the screen. He gave a booming laugh, clutching his sides.
"Hahahah! Aoyama, you good with this song?" Sero asked, showing the title to the sparkling blonde. He gave a delighted chortle, clapping his hands together.
"Oui! Oui! I know that one!" He turned to the group of nervous boys, giving them a reassuring thumbs up. "Never fear my dear classmates! I will be up there assisting you! You can count on moi!"
"Great…" Bakugo growled through clenched teeth, looking less than pleased.
Ashido's arm shot up. "And I'll be helping with the dance steps!" She declared, moving to stand in front of the dais, so the boys had a clear view of her down below. "I'll dance down here and you all mirror what I do!" She explained, sending Kirishima a thumbs up. "Just keep your eyes on me!" He blushed, nodding.
"I'm starting the music now!" Sero announced, "Hope everyone has their phones ready!"
"Ready!" Hagakure and Midnight both answered, holding up their phones.
"Smile boys!" Midnight ordered, "This one's going in the year books!"
"Wait! We don't even know what song it is yet!" Midoriya called out, panicking.
"It should be up on the screen now." Sero called, pushing the start button. They all glanced down, reading the title of their song with collective groans of misery as the music began playing.
Aoyoma nudged Kaminari forward, "Go ahead, swoon those mademoiselles!"
Almost tripping over himself, Kaminari hesitantly started the song, "Smooth like butter, like criminal undercover! Gonna pop like trouble breaking into your heart like that, oooh!"
Kirishima came next, squinting at the screen. "Uhh…. Cool shade, stunner, yeah, I owe it all to my mother. Hot like summer! Making you sweat like that!"
"Break it down!" Dark Shadow added, pushing a trembling Midoriya up front.
With a quivering voice, he stuttered out the next line. "Oooooh, wh–when I look in the mirror I melt your heart in two!" He turned bright crimson, completely mortified as he belted out the last part several pitches too high. "I got that superstar glow, so Oooohhh!"
"Move those legs, guys!" Ashido called out, gleefully glancing over shoulder. Together the boys attempted to do the chorus in unison, while also trying to follow Ashido's complex dance moves. The result was pure hilarity.
"A side step, right-left to my beat!" Kaminari moved right while Kirishima moved left, causing the two to painfully knock into each other. High like the moon, rock me, baby! Know that I got that heat!" Midoriya floundered, accidentally elbowing Tokoyami, who got shoved into Bakugo. "Let me show you cause talk is cheap! Side step, right-left, to my beat!" They all tried to spin, but wound up almost spilling over themselves. "Get it, let it roll!"
Aoyoma and Dark Shadow took over as the group tried to get their bearings. Both singing back to back with one another. "Smooth like butter, pull you in like no other!"
"Don't need no usher…" Aoyoma sang in a pose. "...To remind me you got it bad!"
"Ain't no other…" Dark Shadow chimed, posing next to him. "…that can sweep you up like a robber!"
Bakugo, stubbornly stepped forward, yelling rather than singing the next lines. "STRAIGHT UP! I GOT YOU! MAKING YOU FALL LIKE THAT!"
"He does know…that's not singing?" Hagakure whispered.
" Well you know…it's Bakugo." Jiro replied, brow twitching amusingly as Kaminari came next. Looking more confident as he bounced next to Dark Shadow.
"Break it down!" Dark Shadow called.
Kaminari jumped forward, starting to get into the rhythm. "Ooh, who I look into the mirror, I'll melt your heart in two!" He said, teasingly winking down at Jiro. "I got that superstar glow!
Dark Shadow and him sang together. "So…Ooooh!"
Aoyoma and Dark Shadow both pushed an unwilling Tokoyami up. His dark voice sang in a monotone. "Side step, right-left, to my beat."
Kirishima came up next, also getting bolder. "High like the moon, rock with me, baby!"
"KNOW THAT I GOT THAT HEAT!" Bakugo yelled, small pops sizzling in his open palm.
"Let me show you cause talk is cheap!" Kirishima sang, playfully nudging Bakugo, who roughly pushed Midoriya forward.
"Uuuuhhh A…side step, right-left, to my beat" He made a clumsy attempt at copying Ashido's spin, almost tripping over his own feet. His frantic eyes found Uraraka in the front row, a smile lighting her face at the performance. He grinned, raising his voice. "Get it, let it roll!"
A relieving break in the song came in, where the boys took a moment to watch Ashido show off her dance moves to the crowd. Kaminari wiped off sweat from his forehead, complaining, "Dude! She's like a billion times better than us up here!"
"Get it, let it roll!" Aoyama trilled as Dark Shadow gave him a twirl.
"Yeah…" Kirishima murmured, unable to draw his gaze away. Her back muscles glistened with sweat, her arms and legs flowing naturally to the beat of the song. "She's amazing." He thought, determined to give her an answer tonight, maybe even after this song. So enthralled he was in her, that he failed to notice Kaminari sliding too close to him as he attempted to sing the last line.
"Get it, let it roll! AHHHH!" Kaminari yelped as he knocked into Kirishima, who then tumbled into Tokoyami. The three fell into a tangle of limbs, leaving Bakugo and Midoriya to take up the reins.
"Kacchan…a little help here!' Midoriya whispered, even more unnerved with just them two being center stage as Aoyama and Dark Shadow moved to help untangle the other boys.
"Move it!" Bakugo growled, pushing him aside. He narrowed his eyes, bringing the microphone to his lips as he declared. "I'm about to MURDER this song!"
"Fire on my fist, here to kill crime!" Bakugo rapped, ignoring the screen and making up his own lyrics. "Karaoke sucks and a waste of time! Charging all in and yelling DIE! Blowing up things for a fun ride!"
"Those aren't the lyrics!" Midoriya protested.
"Screw the lyrics! This song sucks!" Bakugo barked back. "Extras move it, you're too slow! Villains start running when I'm on the go! Got my bombs all ready for my say so…LET'S GO!" He yelled, popping up a small explosion from his palm and into the air.
The class cheered at the firework effect, just as the other boys stood up, ready to finish the song together. "Side step, right-left, to my beat!" They sang in unison, trying and failing to dance in time. "High like the moon, rock with me, baby! Know that I got that heat, Let me show you cause talk is cheap! A side step, right-left, to my beat! Get it, let it roll!"
Kaminari twisted out of line, trying to act cool as he sang, "Smooth like.."
"Butter!" Dark Shadow chimed.
"Cool shade!" Kirishima sang.
"Stunner!" Aoyama added.
Kirishima and Kaminari leaned in together, singing, "And you know we don't stop!"
"HOT LIKE…" Bakugo yelled.
"Summer!" Aoyama purred, winking at Bakugo before spinning away.
"Ain't no…" Midoriya sang.
"Bummer." Tokoyami chanted next to him.
"You'll be like…" Midoriya continued.
"OH MY GOD!" Tokoyami and Dark Shadow both sang, with the apparition's voice completely overshadowing Tokoyami's.
"We gonna make you rock, and you say…" Kaminari sang, pointing to the crowd.
"Yeah!" The class cheered back.
"We gonna make you bounce, and say…"
"YEAH!" The class cheered again, even louder.
"HOTTER!" Bakugo yelled, igniting his palm.
"Sweeter!" Kirishima sang.
"Cooler!" Midoriya chimed.
"Butter." Tokoyami muttered.
Get it! Let it roll!" Aoyama and Dark Shadow finished, twirling their way into the front center stage. Behind them, the boys all collapsed to their knees, completely spent. Their performance was met with a mix of applause and laughter from the class. Aoyama and Dark Shadow bowed together.
"Merci! Merci!" Aoyama thanked, blowing out kisses. "We were magnifique weren't we?! Dark and Light performing together, who could ask for a better show?"
"We were awesome!" Dark Shadow heartily agreed, hovering over the girls. "What did you all think?!"
"That was marvelous!" Yaoyorozu said, wiping tears from her eyes from laughing so much. "Truly an entertaining performance."
"Yeah!" Hagakure agreed. "Like, I would TOTALLY go through being kidnapped by Siren and Kai all over again, JUST to see that!"
"Really fun to watch." Asui added.
"I especially loved the part when you tripped all over each other!" Jiro called onto the stage, grinning. "Truly made the performance!"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!" Bakugo snapped, leering at her as Kaminari and Midoriya let out exhausted sighs.
"But Mina was definitely the star of the show!" Hagakure exclaimed, popping up next to Ashido, who was bent over trying to catch her breath. "Don't worry! I got their whole performance recorded! Along with your killer dance moves!"
Mina grinned, wiping her face. "Thanks!"
The two girls glanced up as Kirishima suddenly pushed his way past Bakugo, stealing the microphone from Aoyama and Dark Shadow. He clutched it tightly, his voice tense and nervous as he called down to Ashido. "Ashido! I wanted to ask you this earlier, but since I'm already up here and embarrassing myself…I thought I might as well do it now in front of everyone!"
The class, who had all been chatting about the outrageous performance, all immediately turned to watch the exchange with rapt attentiveness. Uraraka and Asui grasped hands, hoping Mina would get her wish. Hagakure slowly and quietly held up her phone, clicking the record button.
Despite all the attention now focused on him, the blushing boy managed to keep his voice from shaking as he asked, "Ashido…if it's okay with you….WOULD YOU SPEND YOUR FREE DAY WITH ME TOMORROW….you know…" His voice growing quieter as his courage began to drain. "As my…. date?"
The whole courtyard grew silent. Even the inn attendants, who were passing by the party, stopped and covered their mouths in awe. To all those who had been present during Ashido's confession, they knew it would have only been a matter of time before the hardening-quirked hero would string up the courage to make his move. But to the rest of the class, this request came as an unexpected shock. Almost everyone held their breaths in anticipation. Finally, after several intense heartbeats, Ashido's lips parted with her answer.
"Sure!"
"OHHHHHHHH!" The class gasped in unison, gawking at the now newly established couple as if they were a new alien race. Luckily the two were too focused on each other to even notice their newfound fame.
Kirishima blinked in disbelief, a wide grin stretching across his face. "Really?!"
She smiled, and despite her simple answer, it was her eyes that sparkled with undeniably delight that made him realize this was truly happening. "Really." She answered, shooting him a smile that sent a rush down his spine. Pure happiness seized him and he suddenly felt like he could take on anything.
"Awesome!" He exclaimed, beside himself with glee. With his renewed energy and fresh new positive outlook on life that only comes after a successful conquest of a date, he looked over his shoulder at his pals, eagerly asking, "Did you hear that guys!? She said yes! WHO'S UP FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF SINGING!?"
"NOOOOOO!" They answered in unison, with Bakugo even throwing his mike at the red head. They each scattered, rushing to get as far away from the dreaded karaoke machine as possible.
Midoriya dropped down from dais, joining up with Uraraka, Iida, and Asui. "Sorry about all that…" He apologized, still blushing from the embarrassing ordeal. "I'm sure we sounded pretty ridiculous up there."
"Do not fret. I was carefully observing the crowd and everyone seemed quite taken with the performance!" Iida reassured him.
He was surprised when Uraraka moved closer to him, her cheeks still flushed from laughing. "Iida's right! Everyone thought it was great!" She flashed him a bright smile, adding. "And I thought you all looked really cool up there!"
Midoriya's ears perk up, spirits rising at her praise. "She thought I was cool?"
"But your dancing was pretty off." Asui pointed out.
But Midoriya wasn't listening, his focus keenly set on Uraraka, who was laughing with Iida over Bakugo's improvised rap. He was happy to see her that way, looking relaxed and enjoying herself. It was a far cry from how she had seemed when she had first arrived. "I guess performing in front of everyone wasn't too bad…if it made her smile….BUT I'M NOT DOING IT AGAIN!" He furiously declared, breaking out into cold sweat at the mere thought.
"Deku?"
Midoriya snapped away from his thoughts, blinking to find Uraraka staring right at him. "Y-Yes?!"
"We were just talking about going to grab some more food." Uraraka explained cheerfully. "Do you want to join us?"
"Yeah, that sounds great!" Midoriya happily replied, falling in step between Iida and Uraraka.
"I need a hero!" Aoyama's silky voice rang out across the garden. "I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night!" He struck several different model poses as his musical notes vibrated passionately with each line. "He's gotta be strong, and he's gotta be fast!" He lowered his sunglasses, winking at his audience. "And he's gotta be fresh from the fight!"
"I NEED A HERO!" He belted out the final note, bow majestically. The few class members who were listening clapped politely at his odd rendering of the song.
"You know he really is pretty good." Jiro commented.
"The dude's got skill." Kaminari admitted, shoulders slumping at the remembrance of his own embarrassing performance. "By the way, how's that bad back of yours?" He questioned, eying Jiro suspiciously as he took a large bite of one of Sato's homemade fruit tarts.
The two stood on the wooden porch that encircled the courtyard, dining on deserts and observing the party's progress. Jiro shot him a smug look, casually leaning against the wood wall and nibbling on a chirunko cake. (See Author's Notes)
"I'm afraid the pain comes and goes."
"Right." Kaminari responded, brow giving a skeptical twitch.
Jiro sniggered, taking out her phone and replaying the video of their performance that Hagakure had ever so kindly sent to everyone in the class. "I do have to admit, this was just the right amount of medicine to fix me up!"
" Haha. Very funny." Kaminari grumbled, stuffing the rest of the tart into his mouth. "You're just lucky I'm already pretty slick at karaoke."
"Your voice is definitely good." Jiro agreed, studying the video and missing the shocked look that crossed Kaminari at her comment. " But you're going to need to work on your footwork, Twinkle Toes."
"I thought my moves were pretty smooth up there." Kaminari bragged, smugly rubbing his chin.
"You literally danced right into Kirishima."
"That's because the dude was too busy ogling Ashido!" Kaminari defended himself. He crossed his arms, poutingly adding, "Lucky guy…."
Jiro leaned in, her ear jacks teasingly poking his grouchy, puffed cheeks. "Looks like someone's a little jealous."
"Well, yeah!" He grumbled, blushing slightly at her teasing. "What guy wouldn't want a girl to confess to him?" He sighed, lips curving into a rueful grin. "But even though I'm super jealous, I'm also super happy for Kirishima. The guy's been totally beating himself up over what happened today, so it's good to see him all fired up again, you know?"
Jiro frowned, pulling down at her earjack in a thoughtful manner. "I guess you guys have had it pretty rough, huh?"
"Well you can't really blame us." Kaminari replied with a shrug. "What we did was pretty uncool. It's the whole reason why we're trying so hard. You know, with the apology, the party…"
"That ridiculous performance?"
"THAT WAS NOT PLANNED!"
Jiro laughed, lightly nudging him. "I get it. But you guys really didn't need to. Just having you guys back to normal….is enough." She finished quietly and Kaminari felt his chest tighten at the sincerity behind her words.
He scratched the back of his neck, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Well, even so, we still gave you girls a hard time. Speaking of which," He added, Mineta's prank coming to mind. "I heard about what Mineta did. That was really—" Kaminari froze, horrified by the dark aura starting to radiate from Jiro. Before he could react, her hand shot forward covering his mouth before he could utter another sound.
"Inside. Now." She seethed, eyes glowing red.
He nodded, too frightened to do anything otherwise. She slid open the nearest door, dragging him into the empty guest room. There she removed her hand, forcefully poking at his chest as she demanded, "Spill it! What did Mineta say!? Don't tell me he told you…"
"No! No! No!" Kaminari said, frantically waving his hands in front of him. "You've got it all wrong! It was Aizawa Sensei that told us Mineta did some sort of prank on you girls at the beach. But he didn't tell us any the details! That's all we know! Honest! Mineta's been too scared to even talk to us!"
Jiro lowered her head, worriedly tapping her ear jacks together. "You swear that's all you know?"
"I promise!" He said, setting his hands on her shoulder reassuringly. "I swear on my quirk!" Jiro nodded, too embarrassed to meet his gaze. Kaminari felt himself heat up, not quite used to this vulnerable side of Jiro. He quickly withdrew his arms, giving a nervous chuckle. "Boy, you really had me scared for a moment. Whatever he did must have been pretty bad to get you that riled up. What did you do, steal your bathing suits or something?" He joked with a laugh. But the sound fell on his lips as he noticed Jiro's tense, crimson expression.
"Uh…Jiro…what's wro–" It clicked almost immediately. He looked down at her, flabbergasted. "Dude! Don't tell me I was right! Did he really…"
"Sheesh! Too loud!" She hissed, once again placing her hands over his mouth. "Look you're not supposed to know any of this, so don't you dare breathe a word to anyone! Got it?!" He nodded fearfully. She sighed heavily, releasing him. "Mineta used his quirk to rip our tops off while we were swimming and then took a picture. " She briskly explained, as if saying it fast would make it less worse. She crossed her arms sullenly over her chest. "That's pretty much the jiff of it."
"Wait…so Mineta saw…." Kaminari asked, looking slightly pale and wobbly. "...everything?"
"Well, yeah, at least for a second." Jiro answered with one brow raised as Kaminari seemed to sway where he stood. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yep, totally okay." Kaminari answered, staggering towards the door like a drunk man. He put one hand on the handle and turned back to her with a pleasant smile. "I'm just going to kill Mineta."
"Oi! No you don't!" Jiro growled, grabbing the back of shirt before he could dash off. "Weren't you listening to me, you dummy?! You're not supposed to even know about this!
"Who cares! What that little punk did was totally wrong!" Kaminari furiously replied, straining against her hold. "AND NOT TO MENTION TOTALLY UNFAIR!" Kaminari internally wailed, tears pricking at his eyes.
"Look, you! The girls are already totally embarrassed about this!" Jiro said, wrapping her arm around his neck in an effort to halt him. "You causing a ruckus with Mineta will only make things worse! Not to mention make them totally mad at me!" With her body weighing him down, both the teens began to tilt backwards.
"Oi!" Kaminari yelped, bringing his arms down to catch himself. His golden eyes widened as he found himself staring down at an equally shocked Jiro who he unintentionally pinned under him during the fall. The world suddenly went silent, with even the noise of the party disappearing. Nothing but the beating of their own accelerating hearts filling that void.
Kaminari felt like a million volts of electricity had just been shot to his brain, rendering him paralyzed. Moonlight crept in through the glass window, fully illuminating her thin, petite frame beneath him. Her silky dark hair that fell across the floor, tickling his fingers and making his muscles clench. He wet his lips, his mouth starting to feel unnaturally dry.
He wanted to move, but his limbs felt frozen in place, unwilling to shift away. He found himself memorized by the slow rise and fall of her chest beneath the soft, white fabric of her ruffled tee. A stray black bra strap teasingly revealed itself against her bare shoulder, causing him to visibly gulp at the stimulation of it all. He unconsciously leaned downward, his mind growing fuzzy and the air around him feeling unbearably warm.
"Kaminari?" Jiro's small voice hit him like a brick, breaking him from the spell that had been cast over him.
"M-my bad!" Kaminari stammered, quickly moving off of her. She got to her knees and he could feel her intentionally avoiding his gaze. The space around them all at once became heavy, almost suffocating. Trying to ease the mood, he quietly remarked. "Sorry about the Mineta thing. I promise to keep it just between us." He gave her a hopeful glance. "Is…that okay?"
"Yeah." Jiro replied, sounding distracted. "Sounds good." She stood up, immediately heading to the door. "We better head back. Don't want to miss too much of the party."
"Right…" Kaminari agreed, following her out.
But as they joined the rest of the class, it was clear that something felt off between the two. Of course, it wouldn't be quite clear to them until they each laid alone in their rooms that night. Both their minds replaying the scene in their heads. With both wondering just what would have happened if they had stayed like that for just a moment longer.
"This sushi is really good!" Midoriya exclaimed, munching on another grouper roll.
"Indeed!" Iida agreed, picking up a red tuna sashimi. "Not to brag, but I think we did a splendid job at prepping the specimens! And of course you did a fine job with catching the fish, Todoroki!" He added, turning to his friend
"HmmMmm." Todoroki murmured, too busy chewing to reply.
The three friends sat on the wooden porch surrounding the gardens, plates set in their laps. Uraraka and Asui sat on the steps below them, also enjoying the different assortments of seafood. At the comment, both girls glanced up at them curiously.
"Oh, did you both really help with the dishes?" Uraraka asked.
"Well not exactly." Midoriya answered with a laugh. "We mostly just descaled and gutted the fish. The kitchen staff did most of the work."
"That sounds…." Uraraka began, lips twitching amusingly.
"Really bloody, kero." Asui finished.
"I was going to say messy!"
"It was both." Midoriya and Iida said together, making the girls laugh.
Their conversation suddenly fell muted as excited voices reached their ears. From their positions, they could see Ashido entertaining members of the class with an epic retelling of their undersea adventure. Yaoyorozu stood near, making corrections when needed. Jiro sat next to them, but seemed reserved, almost like her mind was elsewhere.
"And then Toru rammed Mineta into the group!" Mina exclaimed, throwing an imaginary Mineta down like a football to the ground. "WHAM! Like that! Totally gluing the guys together so we could make our grand escape!"
"That's amazing Hagakure came up with the plan right on the spot!" Ojiro exclaimed, clearly impressed. Ashido, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro shot each other uncomfortable glances.
"Y-yeeeeah! She's our little tactician alright! " Ashido agreed, chuckling uneasily. "There's no way in hell I'm telling them she got the idea from Mineta!"
"Where is Toru?" Uraraka asked, their group joining with the rest of the class.
"That's a good question." Yaoyorozu replied, glancing around. "She was here a few minutes ago. Perhaps she went to the restroom?"
"Bakugo isn't here either." Midoriya noticed, scanning the class. "I wonder if he started feeling sick again?"
"Anyway!" Ashido said, quickly moving on. "It was after that Asui escaped and battled a giant shark and its ravenous pack of minions!"
"It was a sharked-quirked side-kick that Siren had control over." Yaoyorozu corrected, eying her friend sternly.
"Though he did have a pack of sharks." Asui added. Impressed exclamations from the class followed this statement.
"Yeah, so while she kicked major shark-butt, we laid low and strategized on how to get past these guys!" Ashido said, giving Kirishima an affectionate nudge. The boy wore a permanent blush, still struck dumb with the fact he actually had a girlfriend now.
"How did you go about it?" Shoji asked, shooting a glance at Kaminari and Kirishima. "Obviously, you didn't go with the direct approach since none of the men came back with serious injuries."
"The Trap and Conquer Method!" Ashido exclaimed with a fist raised posed. She received only blank looks from her classmates. Yaoyorozu sighed, stepping up to explain.
"The basic gist of our strategy was to eradicate Siren as quickly as possible to eliminate her control on our classmates. To accomplish this in a way that left our classmates unharmed, we devised methods to lure in and trap our classmates one-by-one using resources from my creation quirk." She nodded to the girls present. "Kyoka, was our look-out and guide, being able to notify us which boy was approaching so we could quickly prepare. While Mina and Ochako were our fighters, engaging in the combat portion."
Ashido ran up high-fiving Uraraka. "We were a good team, weren't we!?"
"Yep." Uraraka shyly agreed. She didn't notice Midoriya's green gaze studying her from the side.
"It's still hard to believe they all had to go through all that. Even with the extra tools and resources, they must have known that they would still have a disadvantage by merely staying on the defensive." Midoriya mused with silent admiration for Uraraka. "I imagine she must have been pretty apprehensive knowing she had to fight her friends."
"That was some very high stakes maneuvers you all had to work through." Iida complimented, quite impressed. "I applaud your excellent use of teamwork!"
Yaoyorozu smiled, modestly replying. "The plan may have worked in theory, but there were a few factors we didn't really consider that made it fall apart."
"Like what?" Sero asked curiously.
"Like the villain having octopus spies all over the cavern for one." Jiro piped up grouchily.
"Oh…." Sero replied, grinning fading.
"Yeaaaaahh." Ashido pointedly admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "That sort of took us by surprise. So we did wind up getting captured again and taken back to Siren. The bitch was so mad, she ordered us to do one on one battles against the guys so we couldn't help each other out."
"Ohhhh! Who went first?!" Sero asked, leaning in excitedly.
"Oh Mid—" Yaoyorozu covered Ashido's mouth, smiling politely as she addressed the class. "Actually, the boys woke up and then we were saved. The end."
Sato scratched his head, with him and the rest of the class, looking completely confused. "That…doesn't seem right. During the debrief, Midoriya mentioned fighting against Uraraka."
"Eep!" Uraraka squeaked, suddenly finding the class' eyes falling on her. Beside her, Midoriya paled.
"That's right!" Sero continued, pointing to Midoriya. "You even said you woke up from Siren's quirk after fighting against Uraraka but you wouldn't tell us how!"
"Crap, not this again!" Midoriya internally grumbled, feeling his cheeks warm up. He quickly glanced sideways at Uraraka, finding her trembling, her face completely red. "Great! Now Uraraka is getting embarrassed! What do I do!?"
Behind the class, the forgotten Ashido, Jiro, and Yaoyorozu stood back, panicking over what they had just set off. They lean inwards, putting their heads together to quickly come up with a plan.
"Great job bringing that up." Jiro grumbled, earjacks harshly poking Ashido's cheeks.
"Wah! I'm sorry! I got caught up in the moment!" She whimpered, tears blossoming.
"Girls, please! We need to think of a plan and fast!" Yaoyorozu hissed, keeping a cautious eye on Midoriya and Uraraka. "We will not let Uraraka's sacrifice become the butt of a joke for our class!"
"Yeah, but how?" Jiro asked. Beside her Ashido's eyes suddenly lid up excitedly.
"I've got it!"
"So what was the fight like with Midoriya?" Aoyama asked, leaning in close to Uraraka, while the rest of the class looked just as interested.
"Yeah, Midoriya is a pretty tough cookie." Sato added, "I can't imagine it to be an easy fight."
"Guys, come on..." Midoriya started, growing irritated. "Cut it out—"
"It was…." Uraraka's small voice rang out, silencing Midoriya. "...really terrifying."
Midoriya's chest tightened, anxiety ripping through him as he listened to Uraraka speak. She kept her eyes cast downward, her hands twisting together nervously. "It wasn't like a regular battle. When someone is under Siren's quirk, there's no control, no boundaries of what they will do to those deemed an enemy."
Memories of an enraged Midoriya flashed through her mind, his eyes red and seething as they looked upon her. The feel of his dark whip burning against her flesh. The agony of her body being slammed into the cold hard ground and blinding pain of your bone breaking afterwards. She closed her eyes, blocking out the memories as she continued. "They attack with no mercy, only aiming to kill."
"Words…" She sadly recalled pleading with him in vain.
"Attacks…" A flashback of her falling from above, punching Deku in anger, filled her vision.
"Nothing gets through to them." She finished, her dark words giving the class an involuntary chill.
"Ochako?" Asui whispered, urging her friend to quit.
On Uraraka's other side, Midoriya felt cold sweat glide his neck, his insides churning with displeasure. It felt odd, hearing her speak of the battle against him. It was like hearing her speak of someone else. Someone completely different. But Midoriya knew the truth. Even if he had absolutely no recognition of the fight, he knew he was the one who had caused her pain. Who had completely terrified her. "Uraraka…I'm really sorry."
"But you got through it!" Sero said, heartedly clapping Uraraka on the shoulder. "We just gotta know your secret!"
"Yes!" Ojiro agreed, truly curious. "Please, tell us how you were able to break Midoriya from Siren's quirk!" The class nodded, their interests increased after hearing her dark description of the battle.
On the side lines, Midnight and Aizawa were also listening in from the far side of the garden. This time, Midnight moved to intervene, but Aizawa halted her with a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Let them be." He said, nodding to the group. "They're not kids." The female teacher sighed, not disagreeing with him.
Uraraka faltered, her blush returning. "Uh…well….I…"
Her blushed intensified ten-fold when Midoriya suddenly put his hand on her shoulder, stepping in and firmly saying, "Guys, that's—"
"HEY, EVERYONE! LOOK OVER HERE!"
The class turned away from the two. Instead, diverting attention back to the karaoke stage, where Ashido, flanked by Yaoyorozu and Jiro, was jumping up and down with the microphone in hand. She waved at the class, excitedly announcing, "Enough with the serious talk everyone! Time to enjoy yourselves with us girls treating you all to a very special performance!"
"WHHHAAAAT!?"
"WOOHOO!"
"FOR REALS?!"
"MAKE SURE IT'S G-RATED!" Aizawa's call sounded from the back.
"It will be!" Ashido promised, waving to him. As she did so, Jiro and Yaoyorozu quickly scooted next closer, leaning in to whisper.
"Mina! We don't even know what we are performing!" Yaoyorozu hissed, covering the microphone with her palm.
"Yeah, you literally just dragged us up here!" Jiro heatedly added.
Ashido grinned, waving away their concerns. "No worries! I've got us covered! We can just do a repeat routine of car karaoke!"
At this news, Yaoyorozu visibly paled, clinging to Ashido's arm as she cried, "Are you joking!? That song is purely for entertainment purposes between trusted female peers. Not to sing IN FRONT OF OUR CLASS!"
"I'm siding with Momo on this one." Jiro agreed, stubbornly crossing her arms.
Ashido frowned, tapping the mike impatiently. "Now isn't the time to chicken out! Ochako needs us!" The two girls sighed in defeat.
"You're right…" Yaoyorozu tearfully moaned.
"Fine." Jiro grumbled, lifting her mike.
"That's the spirit!" Ashido cheered, turning back to the crowd. "Okay Class 1-A, are you ready!?"
"Go Ashido! Whoohoo!" Kirishima called out, causing the pink girl to grin broadly.
"Let's do this!" Ashido said, pushing the play button on the karaoke remote.
"Todoroki, please don't judge me too harshly for this." Yaoyorozu nervously prayed, quickly putting on a bright showgirl smile as the familiar background music began to play.
"I know a place, where the grass is really greener." Ashido began, winking at the crowd. "Warm, wet and wild! There must be something in the water."
"Sippin' yuzu juice..." Jiro harmonized, "Laying underneath the palm trees"
"The boys break their necks!" Yaoyorozu sang, pointing to the crowd, "Trying to creep a little sneak peek." Her eyes widened, as she saw Uraraka in the back sneaking off, with Midoriya quickly following her. "Oh, dear."
"You could travel the world," Ashido shifted forward, twirling. "But nothing comes close to the Asian coast!"
The girls leaned into each other, chanting together, "Once you party with us, you'll be falling in love!" They shook their fingers teasingly towards the crowd, chiming in unison. "Ooh oh ooh oh oh ooh!"
"Okinawa girl! We're unforgettable!" They sang, their waists swinging from side to side. "Daisy dukes!" They pointed down at their shorts and then up to their chests. "Bikinis on top! Sun-kissed skin" Like idols, they pointed to their lips, winking "So hot we'll melt your popsicle!"
Together they formed a triangle formation, with Ashido in front. All of them belting out at the same time. "Ooh oh ooh oh oh ooh!"
Down in the crowd, the boys watched with flushed cheeks, completely memorized by the girl's performance which drove everything else from their minds. Kaminari and Kirishima stood in the front, closest to the dais. While Kirishima refused to look away from Ashido's dazzling display, Kaminari watched with an almost defeated air about him.
"Is it just me…" Kaminari said, the tip of his mouth twitching as they sang and danced in almost perfect harmony "Or are the girl's like a hundred times better at this than we were?"
"Who cares!" Kirishima replied, not looking away. "Doesn't Ashido sound awesome up there?"
"I'm with Kirishima." Sero added, chuckling as he threw his arms around both boys. "But you've also got a point, Kaminari! You guys totally sucked compared to them! Like no competition!"
Kaminari grimaced, slumping in defeat. "I mean…I don't disagree…"
Sero glanced past Kaminari, to where quietly Todoroki stood next.. "Yo, Todoroki! You enjoying the show!?"
The stoic teen didn't answer, merely continuing to intensely study the performance. Kaminari, Sero, and even Kirishima followed his blue gaze and saw it was on the lovely Yaoyorozu, which from this angle, looked even more angelic in the spotlight. The three boys smirked, each coming to the same conclusion.
"He's definitely enjoying the show!"
"HEY, EVERYONE! LOOK OVER HERE!"
Both Uraraka and Midoriya stood confused as the class shifted their focus to the karaoke machine, where Ashido, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro were smiling and waving them over. Iida pushed past them, wondering aloud what the girls could possibly be up to. Todoroki trailed behind him, following the rest of the class. Soon Midoriya, Uraraka and Asui were the only ones left.
Midoriya gave a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness that's over with—" He froze, realizing Uraraka was no longer by his side. He turned quickly and saw her disappearing toward the garden exit.
"Uraraka? Is she upset? Should I go after her?"
In answer, he received a gentle shove from Asui. "Go after her. Quickly, before anyone notices, kero." Her tone was calm, but Midoriya could feel the force behind her request. He nodded, quickly rushing after Uraraka.
"Ochako…" Asui murmured, watching Midoriya go with a sinking heart.
Midoriya caught up with her just as Uraraka stood on the pathway leading to the other gardens. "Uraraka wait!" He called out. She halted with her back towards him. He hesitated, suddenly feeling unsure of himself. He swallowed, clenching his fists determinedly. "I'm sorry about—
"It's fine!" Uraraka cut him off, still not looking at him. Though her words were cheerful, Midoriya could sense the strain in her tone. "You should probably go back to the party." She started to walk away.
"Uraraka, please!" Midoriya pleaded, reaching out, hoping to stop her. "Can we just talk?!"
Without even realizing, he grabbed her scarred arm. She let out a cry of pain and he instantly let go, guilt flooding him.
"Uraraka! I'm so so–" He quickly apologized, reaching out to comfort her.
"Deku!" She snapped, shoulders shaking as she clutched her arm against her. He froze, his hand still reached out towards her. With her back facing him, she quietly said. "I"m sorry…I just can't talk to you right now."
She then ran off, leaving a shattered Midoriya alone on the path.
Author's Notes: Chirunko is a steamed sponge cake, a traditional Okinawan dessert made with a lot of eggs. In the past, it was a treat reserved strictly for the nobility.
Ember Sunblaze: As you can see karaoke was a big theme during this chapter. Hope you enjoyed all the performances! The songs used were "Butter" by BTS, "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler, and "California Girls" by Katie Perry.