Turbulence
Estelle made her way back to the main grounds. She could feel that her emotions were haywire from the talk she had with Todoroki and Midoriya. She found it challenging to collect herself internally.
Estelle unexpectedly saw the females of her class in cheerleader outfits for the world to see. She had never been more grateful that she was a loner since this was just a new low for her class. The embarrassment showed on their faces as the boys eyed them. To spare them from further despair, Estelle raised four earth walls with a flat roof to quickly change themselves back with the help of Yaoyorozu.
Finding the two culprits, she grumbled that Mineta was involved again alongside another classmate, Kaminari. She walked up to the males as her aura turned dark. The two moved backwards whilst they watched the female plot their murder in front of them. The furious girl used her earth bending to cave the ground underneath them, which caused the perverted duo to sink.
Shouting out in embarrassment and fear, the students and the audience watch the girl practically bury the two alive with a nonchalant expression. They Sweat dropped when she muttered, "Beg."
Crying at this point, the two boys wailed out their apologies as they slowly sank further into the ground. Estelle forced them to sweat a little more by making them sink up to their nose. She eventually let them go with a pout at the fact she couldn't torture them more. By the looks of the bystanders, what she did was more than enough.
Those who watched the scene couldn't help but awe slightly at the cute but irritating pout that lay on her face. Some turned a little sad when it disappeared and was replaced by her typical void expression.
The block of cement who helped All Might at the USJ called Cementoss raised his hand in a thumbs up to confirm that the arena was ready. Midnight nodded back in response before cracking her whip once again to gain everyone's attention.
The commentators roared in the background. "The finals that you all have been waiting for is finally starting! One on One battles! Read the board to find out your opponent and get ready to prove yourselves!"
Estelle found that she would be battling Ojiro for the first round. She headed back to the benches with her classmates, and they all settled in to watch the first match.
The first match consisted of Midoriya and Shinsou. Estelle couldn't help but feel a little conflicted whilst she watched the two stroll out onto the pitch and wait for the battle to start. Realising her conflict was due to attachment, she killed her emotions to the fight since it wouldn't help anyone. This was what they signed up for.
Estelle was impressed by both boys and their abilities. Midoriya's willpower broke out of Shinsou's brainwashing, causing him to leap forward to attack. She watched the purple-haired male voice his frustrations at those with flashy quirks and their easy road to heroism.
Estelle saw Midoriya struggle internally at the likeness he held with his foe; he won the fight leaving Shinsou with a loss. Estelle stood from the bench and walked through the exit to visit the downtrodden male. She winced slightly at a throbbing feeling appearing in her head but ignored it.
Bakugo, Todoroki and Kirishima watched the girl leave, fully aware of where she was going and felt a pit in their gut. 'Why is she closer to him than anyone else?' they pondered.
When Estelle reached the final corridor, she bumped right into the individual she was looking for. The male held an irritated expression on his face and snapped, "Watch where you're go- oh? Looks like we meet again; what are you doing here?" He asked, his anger fading once he realised who he was talking to.
"I came to see a raven, but instead, I ran into a snapping lion", she muttered in amusement before stating the real reason after he chuckled. "I came to see you; you did great", She finished.
Shinsou looked down; his frustration placed back onto his face. "I can't believe I failed again. My quirk is useless in a physical fight. You have it so easy. I refuse to give up, though."
"I'm glad to hear it. I meant what I said in my speech. Those who never give up will always achieve. Honestly, if it was anybody else, I think you could have won. You're strong."
Shinsou looked at the girl with wide eyes. His heart warmed that a girl who was unfriendly to others would come down to comfort him. He showed his admiration in his slight smile as she continued talking.
"It may seem like those with physical quirks have it easy. I can assure you that the path I took to get here was nothing but difficult. Perseverance is key. I can help you achieve that goal; seeing your determination has convinced me. If you want?" She asked, screaming internally at herself. What the hell she was doing? She knew she had a soft spot for kicked puppies, and he sure looked like one right now.
Shinsou stood stock still in disbelief at Estelle's words. "Really? You'd help me train and get into the hero course?"
"Hmm, as long as you push through everything that I throw at you, then sure. I will train you."
Estelle moved back in shock when arms wrapped around her shoulders in a tight embrace. Once she had processed that Shinsou was, in fact, hugging her, she sighed out loud in slight embarrassment before returning the embrace awkwardly. "Thank you", he muttered into her shoulder. Estelle just patted his back with a faint blush on her face.
"I'm getting a phone in the next few days anyway, I'll text you, and we'll get started. You enjoy the rest of the day. Don't let it get you down. It's not over yet."
Shinsou looked at Estelle thoughtfully; he couldn't fathom why she was doing this. "Why are you helping me?"
Estelle bit her lip in thought, "I see some of myself in you, so why wouldn't I? But still, this doesn't make us friends."
Shinsou smirked at the stubborn girl; they were totally friends. Even from the short time he had known her, he knew that she would never admit it. He nodded anyway, waved his hand in goodbye and headed to his class's bleachers.
Estelle decided to go to a waiting room to relax before her match. She didn't notice the extra pair of ears listening in.
Estelle calmly drank her tea while she drowned in her thoughts, the throbbing in her head still present. She was thinking of the potential outcomes of revealing her identity to others, but they weren't looking too good. Her mind couldn't help but trail back to Todoroki and his words.
She still could not fathom why she had mentioned her previous guardian to the two boys. There was an uncanny resemblance between his father and the bastard who raised her. It made her furious inside because she was in a completely different world, and the same thing was occurring.
She winced due to the memories plaguing her mind, dragging herself into her past as if they were the present.
The room was dark as a figure stood in front of her. A dark gravelly voice rang out in the room while a hand dug into her shoulder. "The time will come for you to raze this place to the ground. For now, we keep training Multum magna occisio machina."
The view changed whilst Estelle endlessly drowned in her memories, desperately trying to bring herself back.
Laughter rang out in the air from a girl with little pigtails and a pink bowtie while she ran through the trees. The giggles of joy tinkled throughout the woods and through the rustling trees. Estelle was following behind slowly, with an annoyed frown, her eyes betraying her genuine emotion, which was her love for the little girl.
"Come on, follow me, big sis! We are so close to the Dragons Den!"
"Slow down, piglet, I'm comi-"
Estelle whipped her head back in pain, the stinging on her cheek beginning to throb. This was the wrong time to be dwelling, and her match was about to begin. She walked out of the waiting room and headed towards the entrance for the arena. On her way, Estelle saw Bakugo walking back since his match with Ochako had finished. She noticed he was yelling in her direction, but Estelle ignored him and kept walking; the seething words of the hot-headed male followed behind her and onto deaf ears.
Hearing the announcers speak, Estelle readied herself for the fight. Her head was more straightforward now that she had shocked herself out of it.
"Here comes Ojiro's opponent! The mysterious and aloof bird from Class 1A, please welcome, Estelle!"
Estelle was greeted with wild cheering, and Ojiro stood on the opposite end, walking out of the tunnel. He nodded to her in greeting, to which she reciprocated and dived into the fight when the buzzer rang.
Ojiro's quirk was his extra limb that was a tail. He was able to use it in various ways and was also immensely good at martial arts. To give the boy a fighting chance, she allowed a plethora of punches and kicks to take place. A brutal back and forth as they exchanged and dodged blows.
Estelle leapt back in a backflip when Ojiro used his tail to land a low hit which caused him to miss. Using her leg, she spun herself and landed a kick on his shoulder, forcing him to step back. Ojiro growled in frustration as the two continued the fight.
Everyone was fascinated with the brawl; without Ojiro's quirk, it could technically be called a quirkless fight. The girl had power in her blows. Her movement looked violent and kept the crowd entertained.
Those watching the tussle did so with their full attention. The class were impressed by Estelle's fighting skills, but they couldn't help but be slightly concerned for the girl. She fought like she was pissed, but at what?
Todoroki and Shinsou narrowed their eyes at the glowing red mark on her cheek, knowing full well that it wasn't due to the match. Shinsou was aggravated that the girl didn't talk to him. He was literally in her presence earlier.
Bakugo was pissed. The girl came out of the waiting room like someone spat in her drink. She had wholly ignored Bakugo's attempt to speak to her. It was like he wasn't there! He scoffed at the thought, silently concerned at her blatant shut down to his presence.
Ojiro looked at the girl with a grimace. "Why the hell aren't you using your quirk?" He asked with annoyance as they continued fighting.
Estelle growled and threw another punch. "Do I have to use it to beat you? No."
"I want to win with you using your full power", He responded. Estelle chuckled darkly and kicked him again, making Ojiro take another few steps back.
Raising her hand, she used a gust of air to wallop the male out of bounds while stating, "That's boring; I would always win then." She immediately strolled back into the tunnels, ignoring the crowd's cheers and made her way back to the bleachers.
When the girl reached her destination, she took her seat and watched as the next opponents were announced. Ojiro walked into the area, the peeved expression from earlier still on his face. He stopped in front of Estelle.
"Yes?" She asked, trying to clear her foggy thoughts that was slowly returning.
"I still don't understand why you fought me like that?" He probed again. Their classmates sat quietly to listen to the interaction since they had wondered the same.
"Let me explain it this way. If I walked out and used my air aspect to get you out of bounds. It would have been boring correct? You would have been annoyed you never even got a chance," She started. Ojiro nodded for her to continue.
"That's not helping anybody. I don't have to use my quirk to show my strength. I gave you a chance to show yourself to pro heroes with your best asset, and you held your own. I challenged myself to fight you without my quirk because I'm here to improve. Not win."
The class took in her words with confusion. The girl was definitely strange to them and seemed to work in a completely different way. Though it was beginning to get a little easier to see where her ideals lie. She was still fucking impossible.
Ojiro begrudgingly accepted the answer, and Estelle leaned back, relieved since she was given back her personal bubble. She liked her bubbles.
"Hey, you shouldn't be he-" someone yelled.
Growling slightly, she turned to face the intruder only to find Shinsou looking down at her with an unimpressed expression. "Oh, it's you; what are you doing here?" She asked, intentionally repeating his question from earlier.
"Oh, nothing. I was looking for a winner, but I found a whack a mole instead," he muttered. Estelle smirked as she understood the meaning of his words.
"Hmm, my apologies."
Shinsou shrugged in response. "It's fine. I'll just keep an eye out instead." Estelle narrowed her eyes at him and scoffed.
"I'm not a child", she muttered. Shinsou shrugged again, and the air turned quiet. Class 1A sat with them, eyeing the two whilst they made their own theories on their odd relationship. Bakugo sat at the side in a fury from his frequent attention to the dark-haired female. He shouldn't be annoyed that she ignored him. He shouldn't be bothered that she was sitting with someone else.
But he was, dammit.
Estelle was perturbed. Her mind was back to total disarray since she struggled to keep herself grounded. She got up and silently made her way to the waiting room. She didn't realise that Shinsou had followed her.
Hissing slightly as she took a seat in the waiting room, she dropped her head into her hands in pain. The throbbing had increased tenfold from earlier, and she resigned herself to the fact that today was not going to be a good day.
"Get up multum magna occisio machina", a harsh voice rung out. The little girl stood up in the centre of the fallen opponents that surrounded her and waited for her next order.
Her mind flashed again as the scene changed rapidly.
Estelle stared wide-eyed at the dead body; the boy's cold dead eyes stared back at her in frozen horror. She was suspended in distress at the sight. His limbs were gone, leaving his torso and head scattered on the grass. The same beast who had killed him crawled back next to him, chewing on the remains.
A hand patted her shoulder, causing the girl to wince as a man's head leaned down to whisper into her ear. The same passionless voice monotoned, "This is what happens when you make friends. You are multum magna occisio machina. Remember this. Now, kill the beast and make your way back home yourself."
The man walked off as Estelle brought up her katana with trembling hands.
Shinsou stood in panic whilst he watched his new friend become practically unresponsive. He had no idea what to do, and it was nearly time for her next match. After taking a few breaths to calm himself down, he watched the girl struggle to snap out of it as her fingers twitched in an attempt to move them.
"It's okay, Estelle, I'm here. You just need to bring yourself back," Shinsou whispered, hoping that his assumption was correct. The girl responded in a gasp, and he figured that it was working. "That's right, take your time. Deep breaths and come back."
His eyes widened in realisation when he stopped the girl from hitting herself. Gripping her arm in reflex, he held it down and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Hey hey hey, there's no need for that right now. There's no rush; take some deep breaths. I'm here."
The room was silent after that. The only thing that could be heard was Estelle's breathing in an attempt to collect herself. Shinsou soothingly rubbed his fingers on the girls back as he clutched onto her with her head on his shoulder.
When she moved back, he looked into her eyes and sighed in relief at the fact she was lucid. He never thought he would be so happy to see her usual expression plastered on her face; he would prefer a smile but will take the blank look over unresponsiveness any day.
"You feel better?" He asked with concern.
Estelle nodded her head, muttering, "yeah, though it keeps coming back today. It's not normally this bad."
Shinsou cocked his head in question. "What was that anyway?"
Estelle shrugged. "I don't know, I get lost in my head a lot, and it's hard to bring myself back. It can be thoughts or memories I fall into; I don't know what it is."
He hummed in acknowledgement. "Maybe you should talk to someone about it. I'll be there whenever you need me as well. You can't rely on pain to bring you back."
She shrugged and stood up, fully aware that it was time to fight. "It's worked so far. Anyway, thank you. You didn't have to do that."
Shinsou grunted, stood up and walked beside the girl as they made their way to the tunnel. "It's the least I could do."
Shinsou stood at the far end of the tunnel and watched the girl walk out in front of the crowd with the announcer's introductory words.
Multum magna occisio machina
My little killing machine