Saito was sinking into a lake of black tar, being pulled under with no resistance— her fuchsia eyes dimmed with no will to fight.
Katsuki kneeled on the shore next to her, and thoughtlessly grabbed onto her right hand. He opened his mouth to snap at her to do something, but no sound came out, and a chillingly familiar bitter taste burned his tongue.
The tar was up to Saito's shoulders now, and she still made no move to escape. Sinking deeper, and deeper still.
But Katsuki held on, even as he was pulled closer— standing in the tar now, and quickly sinking up to his knees.
And soon, her head went under. Katsuki shouted himself hoarse, trying to force his voice loud enough to break the spell of silence over it, but nothing worked. Her right arm pulled down, and her hand suddenly slipped from his, claws cutting four gouges in his left palm. With that, she sank under completely.
The black lake was silent and unmoving. Leaving no trace of the girl behind.
Katsuki stared down at the surface, face pale and eyes wide, left with nothing but blood pooling in his hand.
A ragged gasp bursted through his lips.
Katsuki now stared up at his ceiling, face pale and eyes wide, left with nothing but chilled blood in his veins.
…
A fist collided with her left cheek, sending her head snapping to the right.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" Izuku panicked, hands waving uselessly in the air.
Hitomi brushed it off, licking the inside of her cheek, tasting traces of blood. "Don't be."
Before he could say anything, she charged at him. Her right hand grabbed the mask hanging around his neck, jerking it towards her, while sweeping her right leg, catching her foot behind his. As Izuku fell, she turned to face his back, kneeling on it and pinning his wrists.
"O-ow." Izuku yelped into the ground.
"You keep your stance too narrow." For once, Hitomi's face and tone were completely serious. "You're not mindful of your legs."
She stood, giving him a hand up. Honestly, the single reason she kept winning against him was because Ectoplasm instructed them to fight Quirkless. If Izuku used even a crumb of his strength, she would be in trouble.
"Again." The clone of the Hero ordered.
Izuku sighed, taking up a defensive position.
Hitomi cocked her head, inspecting his form closely— and making him uncomfortable in the process.
"Here." She gently made some adjustments, lightly kicking his legs apart, and raising his fists to hover in front of his face.
She gave him another second to catch his breath, before running at him. For his sake she kept her movements slower, giving him time to dodge and block. Experience was the best teacher, and if he trained his muscles to remember how to do these things, he would eventually get better, and faster with them. And he was already doing well, despite his fighting style being more brutish, and less refined.
Hitomi was sure he wouldn't land another hit on her, until Katsuki set off a booming explosion over where he was training. The sudden noise caused her to jump, and stumble, just long enough for Izuku to sweep her feet out from under her, the same way she had done to him a few times now.
"Like that?" Izuku panted, having learned his lesson to not get overly concerned about hurting her.
Hitomi stared off towards Katsuki, mind whirring slowly as she pieced something together.
Oh. Oh!
"Katsuki!" Hitomi beamed, hopping to her feet. "You're a genius!"
Katsuki turned and blinked, then rolled his shoulders and looked away, accepting the judgement without question— his ears turning red for some reason.
Izuku's brows furrowed. "Uh, what—"
"Alright, let's go again." Hitomi grinned, again taking up a fighting stance.
Izuku squared up, adequately redoing the pose she had put him in. He charged, fist pulling back to snap out and strike her.
Hitomi took a long stride forward, instead of ducking back to dodge. With a grin only inches away from Izuku's now shocked face, she took a quick breath, and barked.
He gave a start, tripping over himself as he reared back from the unexpected and painfully loud noise. It was sharp, and piercing, coming out of nowhere and leaving his ears feeling assaulted.
Izuku grunted as his legs went out from under him once again.
She beamed, rounding on the Ectoplasm clone overseeing them.
"How was that?"
"Tricks like that are effective, but only so many times."
"Yes!"
As compliments go, she'd take it. But her positive mood didn't last long.
Hitomi slumped dramatically. "But I'm still stumped on creating an ultimate move."
Izuku frowned thoughtfully. "But Sa— Hitomi, you already are."
Hitomi's head shot up.
"Your fighting style, you said you developed it with the help of Miruko, and since it's uniquely tailored to you, you can technically claim it as an ultimate move."
She blinked slowly, then tackled Izuku in a crushing hug— lifting his feet off the ground.
"You're a genius too!"
He awkwardly patted her back, coughing when she finally dropped him. "N-now you've just gotta give it a name."
Hitomi rocked on her heels, tapping her bottom lip with the knuckle of her index finger.
She snapped her fingers. "Dog-Pound."
Izuku sweat-dropped. (So she could come up with names on the spot, just not the moves…)
This was good. Great, even. A weight lifted from her shoulders. The teachers wanted them to each have a couple ultimate moves, but one was far better than nothing. And soon she'd be able to integrate her twin batons into the style as well.
Those and her new costume were supposed to be done on the same day, and Hitomi couldn't wait to test them out.
…
Eating was getting easier.
After her abrupt absence the day before, her friends were now being overly cautious with her. Even Izuku seemed hesitant to spar, until she sent him to the floor the first time. The only ones treating her normally were Momo, Katsuki, Tenya, Mezou, and Shouto. Everyone else was trying their best to be upbeat around her, and avoided certain topics, such as her new scars.
So when lunch rolled around, and her group started to chatter about random things that had nothing to do with her, Hitomi was relieved.
She watched the ensuing argument between Kaminari and Mina (about some show they both watched) while slowly working through her bento. Now that Nori wasn't making her lunches, she'd taken to indulging herself with lots of meat in her meals.
Nori would surely chastise her for her lack of diversity and greens. The thought made her smile.
"So who all's getting costume upgrades?" Sero asked everyone at the table, carefully setting aside the broccoli in his bento.
"Not me. Mine's perfect as is!" Mina boasted exaggeratedly.
"I only tweaked some minor things. I'm pretty happy with my current one." Kyoka— who was sitting with them today —was strangely also portioning off some of her vegetables.
"I am!" Kaminari eagerly said, grinning widely. "It's gonna be so sick!"
"Me too." Eijirou added, more calm. "Me and Kaminari went down to the support lab earlier."
Hitomi twirled a lock of her hair. "I'm getting a completely new costume, with some support items. I had some help designing it from an expert, so I have high hopes.
When she looked back down at her lunch, she blinked at the sudden appearance of broccoli, tomatoes, and carrots. She pretended not to notice that they very obviously hadn't been there before, and started eating them with a tender smile.
She had such amazing friends.
(A certain blonde's subtle actions went unnoticed by her, much to his relief. Though Kirishima was giving him a way too irritating look.)
…
After a few days of intense training, it finally arrived.
"Oh, is that the new one?" Ochako smiled, pointing at the case labeled '16' in Hitomi's hands.
The pinkette nodded, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. With a click, the case opened, and she saw her new suit for the first time.
Unlike with her original one, the sight made her beam.
While her friends got ready, putting on their own costumes, Hitomi was quickly reading through the instructions for her twin batons, and specialized boots. It seemed simple enough, the batons started as twelve inch long cylinders, that extended from both ends, becoming four feet long. And her boots didn't require her to do anything for the most part, self-sufficiently accommodating her Quirk as she grew. But there was also an extra function that was activated when she clicked her heels together.
The bulk of the costume was in a dark salmon pink, like Yu had suggested, with gold and silver accents.
Where the pointless window for her chest once was, was now a diamond of gold, the top point connecting to the golden hem wrapping around her neck. Like her last one, her stomach was still visible, her top ending below her breasts, a decision made out of necessity, so it wasn't too tight and constricting when she shifted. It had long sleeves, with diamond shaped windows on her shoulders. On her hands were golden fingerless gloves, that flared out around her wrists. Her shorts had two golden diamond shaped pockets on the sides, with silver linings at the opening, and hooks for her batons on the waistband. The hems of the leg holes were cuffed, and gold as well.
Then came the hardest to design; the boots. Thankfully with Yu's help, they were able to make something that would work with her Quirk in mind. The boots were tall, stopping shortly before her knees, the same color as her suit. They both had two gold seams running down the front, that would split apart when she transformed. Magnets sewn into them would pull the seams back together once she changed back. The soles were gold high heel wedges, that could collapse down. The cuffs around the top of the boots were metal and silver, made to be retractable, opening to allow space to grow. Going from the top of her feet to her shins, were thick silver plates, to lessen the risk of hurting herself when kicking something, or someone. They were attached to dark brown straps, which would loosen and expand.
It was everything she wanted, and more. Just wearing the costume made her feel better.
"You look great!" Mina gave her thumbs-up as the girls all walked into the TDL. "It's so much cooler than the last one!"
Hitomi smiled, fidgeting with her new gloves. "It's gonna take some getting used to, I think. But I already love it."
"Whoa, lookin' good Saito!" Sero was the first to spot her among the others.
"It looks like a real Hero costume!" Izuku grinned, then floundered. "I mean— not that the last one didn't! It just—"
"Man, why'd she have to get rid of the boob window?!" Mineta howled.
For some reason, Hitomi found herself looking to Katsuki, to gauge his reaction to the changed design.
As expected, he didn't seem all that invested, going right back to his training.
…She felt strangely disappointed.
After that, the training session was business as usual. While Izuku was working with Tenya, practicing with his own new gear, Hitomi was sparring with Ojirou, someone much harder to fight. While Ojirou used his tail in his martial arts, Hitomi kept up with her legs. The metal plates on her boots were proving to be useful already.
But then Katsuki performed a new move, up on the miniature mountain-like terrain. The blast cracked the stone, and a large chunk split off, falling from a high distance. Right in its trajectory, standing on the ground, was All Might.
It all looked as if in slow motion. Hitomi ran, knowing she would get there faster and maybe even be able to take care of the stone, if only she could just transform, but…
"Hey, watch out!" Katsuki yelled down to him, with guttural panic.
She had to do what she could for now.
Clicking her heels, four wheels on each sole popped out, transforming the boots into roller-skates. She wasn't looking at the giant piece of stone, or the green blur that shot toward it, too busy racing at her teacher.
Something hit the stone, breaking it into pieces with a resounding crack, and Hitomi let herself skid to a stop, panting and turning to stare at Izuku where he landed.
All Might cracked a soft smile at him. "You did it, kid." He spoke lowly, as if to himself.
Hitomi blinked, smelling the strong protective, and even paternal scent coming off of her teacher, thanks to such close proximity.
And it seemed All Might only then realized the position he was in. He looked down, then scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Uh, Young Saito, could you put me down?"
"Huh? Oh!" Hitomi carefully set All Might down from the bridal-carry she had scooped him up in. Picking him up and dashing away had been the only thing she could think of at the time.
"Thank you." He smiled wryly, coughing faintly into his hand.
She could smell blood, and fought back a frown of concern.
"Yeah, of course." It really wasn't a problem, and he wasn't that hard to carry. Even Nori was heavier than him. The reminder of how severely the number-one Hero had changed, made the frown harder to keep off of her face.
"You okay, All Might?!" Izuku came running over. "That was close."
"Yeah." All Might nodded, then put a hand on Izuku and Hitomi's heads, making them flush. "Thanks to you both, I'm alright."
"I really didn't do anything." Hitomi mumbled, head ducking sheepishly.
"Dude, Midoriya, what was that?" Kaminari approached with Eijirou, both in their slightly altered costumes. "You swooped in and wasted that rock!"
"That was so manly how you carried All Might out of the way like that!" Eijirou clenched his fist. "You made it look easy!"
Hitomi glided to stand behind Mr. Aizawa, hoping to avoid any more praise. For some reason it made her stomach churn.
"And hey, what's with your new style? Aren't you, like, a punch guy?" Kaminari turned to Izuku.
"I am. Or— I was. It's these new soles." Izuku leaned forward and bent his left leg, taking hold of one of the black metal soles covering his red shoes. "Hatsume suggested them and I think they'll really up my game. Plus, Iida and Saito have been showing me how to use my body better so my fighting style has changed."
Hitomi twitched, squirming uncomfortably. She really didn't want to take credit for anything, especially when she hadn't even realized Izuku was adapting his style on her instructions. Who knew if what she was teaching him was actually useful, or helpful at all.
"I've only just figured out what direction to go in. I still have a lot of work to do. Nothing I'd call an ultimate move yet." Izuku finished.
"I dunno." All Might chimed in. "Based on the kick, I'd say you're further along than you think. So, you should be ready for this test."
Mr. Aizawa gave Hitomi a start by lightly patting her shoulder, before he stepped away to talk to his fellow teacher.
"Hey, All Might. It's dangerous in here, you should be careful."
"Yeah, I know." He looked up toward where Katsuki was still atop the rocky training grounds. "Sorry for the scare, Young Bakugou!"
After a beat, Katsuki set off a blast in his palm. "You watch yourself, All Might!"
Hitomi cracked a smile. His tone sounded furious, but the words came from a place of concern.
And… just maybe…
Hitomi looked at All Might, taking in the still unfamiliar form he was rendered to. Her stomach churned again.
…Maybe he was feeling guilty, too.
…
Putting her suit and gear back in the case was harder than Hitomi thought it would be. It was almost like trying to put a tent back in the duffle— it just doesn't work. She told the other girls not to bother waiting for her, leaving her to walk back to the dorms alone by the time she managed to squish the lid down enough to clasp it shut.
Or, she thought she was going to be walking alone, until she stepped outside, and spotted a spiky head.
Catching him alone like this, might be a good time to bring something up.
"Katsuki!"
The blonde didn't slow down, or show any sign of hearing her.
Pouting, she ran ahead.
"Hey," Hitomi started once matching his stride, blurting out the question that had been nagging her recently. "Do you think All Might's training Izuku to be his replacement?"
Katsuki hesitated for a step.
Hitomi looked ahead, brows furrowed seriously. "I mean, it just seems like All Might favors him in a lot of ways. And the two even have lunch together regularly. I can smell it on them sometimes. It would make sense, I guess, with how similar Izuku's Quirk is to his. I dunno— There's just a lot of weird stuff going on, like during the first training exercise we did, All Might wouldn't stop your fight, even though he should've. And—"
"Saito."
Hitomi stopped, turning her head and looking at Katsuki.
He kept his gaze forward, but his expression was hard. Not in the usual way, either.
"Drop it."
Hitomi blinked, hands tightening on her backpack straps.
"Okay."
After a stretch of tense silence, Katsuki rolled his jaw, and turned his head away slightly, just enough that she couldn't see his face.
"…It's practical."
Her ear twitched. "Hm?"
Katsuki's shoulders noticeably stiffened, and he turned his head away further. His next words came out clipped and tense, and his ear darkened with a flush.
"Your new suit. It's practical."
Hitomi's gait faltered, as her chest squirmed strangely.
She ducked her head, mouth pursed in a trembling smile, and her cheeks flared with intense heat.
She didn't understand why, but Katsuki's small amount of praise felt better than everyone else's combined.
I feel so warm… I wonder why.
…
"Ugh! Does it have to be this hard?!" Mina whined, flopping her head on the back of the couch.
Hitomi sipped on her strawberry milk, slouching on the couch with her legs kicked up on the coffee table. She couldn't even be bothered to worry about her friends seeing the starburst scar on her shin, too tired.
"How're your moves coming, Mo?" She asked around the straw.
Momo sighed. "There's something I really wanna do, but my body just isn't ready yet. I need time to develop my Quirk and general endurance."
"You know, I haven't really seen you using your Quirk— well, at all, actually." Tsuyu pointed out, blinking at Hitomi.
Hitomi flinched, desperately thinking up an excuse, then resorted to a diversion. "Uh— Ochako! What about you?"
Ochako didn't react, staring into space.
"Ochako?" Tsuyu tapped her on the arm.
The brunette yelped, cheeks flushing as she snapped out of it.
"You seem a little tense." Tsuyu commented with worry.
"No, it's nothing! Everything is going awesome! I'm just getting started!" She sagged slightly. "At least, that's how I'd usually be. The thing is, recently my heart's been all stirred up about something."
"It's love!" Mina cheered.
While Ochako freaked out, Hitomi looked up at the ceiling, absently chewing on her straw. Love. She wondered what it must feel like. She'd had a couple crushes before, but nothing she could confidently declare as love. One day, after becoming a Hero her parents would be proud of, Hitomi hoped to get married, and maybe have kids. Two, at most. Love was definitely something she wanted to experience, one day, when she was ready.
"You can't really help when you fall in love, or who it's with. It's something that happens naturally." Tsuyu's comment from the slumber party came to mind.
Well then, Hitomi would rather love come out of nowhere, without warning, and at the worst time, then not happen at all. Who knew when that could be, though. It wasn't like anyone she knew could fall for her, or anything. Everyone was too focused on becoming Heroes to even entertain the concept. The idea was laughable, actually.
(Three different boys, in three different places, all gave simultaneous sneezes. One groaned and rubbed his tired eyes. Another just sniffled and continued watching his horror movie. And the last swore explosively, and kept on training.)
…(Omake: Eijirou misses nothing)…
"I've never seen someone move that fast in my life!"
"Don't fuckin—"
"I mean, are you sure your Quirk isn't in teleporting carrots?"
"Shitty Hair—"
"You're goin' soft, Baku—"
Kirishima yelped and ran from the human bomb launching itself at him.
Katsuki "I don't care about anyone" Bakugou: Eat your vegetables.