Notes: So here a few days after my normal saturday release. Just with remodeling your home... yeah, priorities.
But here a few days early for christmas, so here's a present for you all. Now, I want to clarify a few things: Some people still keep saying how she forgot Aang since they were a couple... well, no. this story took place directly after sozin's comet, meaning they never had time to actually settle down after the war and understand their feelings for one another. and don't worry, i will show the avatar world eventually. But for now... enjoy!
"Focus!"
WHACK!
"OW!" Katara yelped out as the hard leg of Ectoplasm cracked her over the head. Dropping whatever water she was bending as she clutched her head, she glared up at the teacher. "What was that for?!"
"I should be asking you that…" Ectoplasm grunted and lowered his leg back down. "I've asked two questions now without getting a response. Obviously your head is somewhere else."
Katara's mouth fell open to his words, frowning and looking away from the teacher. She had barely been able to keep her thoughts on her training now, far too many things taking over mind. After the revelation she found last night involving Tensei and her powers, she had never expected to learn that Kyoshi had somehow manifested herself inside of her now. A part of the avatar itself had found a way to become a part of her now, which could have made her so excited… but part of her still felt the sadness that came with it as well. Even if she had accepted the fact she was here to stay, it didn't mean it made her sleep any better.
After she finally dried her eyes and brought Tenya and Shoto back into her room, she explained to them the revelation that had come to her, the visions that had been plaguing her mind… and the answer to if she would ever get home. To say they were stunned in silence was an understatement, neither of them knowing what to respond with before she let several more tears free. The only thing they could do was give her the comfort she needed, Tenya embracing her tight bringing a smile to her face. Even Tenya couldn't say anything as Shoto took Katara in his arms as well, knowing it was certainly not the time for his personal feelings to get in her way.
And now, all of those thoughts were swirling in her mind. Sighing out, Katara rubbed her head and nodded. "Sorry. It's just… I had a lot going on last night and couldn't sleep well."
While Ectoplasm was not aware of her visions, he was fully aware of what had happened at the hospital, letting out a small hum and stepping forward. "I understand. It was quite shocking when we got the call, and from what Cementoss and Aizawa told us, it is understandable you're thoughts are troubled now. Both you and Iida are obviously shocked by the good news of his brother."
Hearing his name, Katara glanced towards Tenya at his training session, noticing he was stumbling to keep his balance from exhaustion. He himself barely slept at all, his emotions to high knowing his brother was getting better. "I know. It's just… a lot to take in." she mumbled out and looked back up to Ectoplasm.
"A hero needs to learn even when personal matters occur, they have to keep their focus strong so they can be ready at anytime. But for today… I'll let this one slide." He sighed and nodded her way. "Take it easy and get your costume upgrades for now, but keep thinking about what else can be done for moves. I'll ask Iida if he needs a day as well."
Taking a breath, Katara nodded back and stepped down from her platform, waving her arms and pulling the water back into her storage compartments. She walked through the training arena past her other friends as they continued training, exiting the facility and leaning back against the outside wall. She huffed out as she rubbed her head, working out the tension building up in her mind. After a few moments, she couldn't help but let out a small chuckle to her situation, looking up to the sky as she stared at the drifting clouds above. "Is this what you felt back then, Aang? A new place and all these new faces?" She whispered to herself.
She had hoped to ask Kyoshi more questions, but after Tenya and Shoto left her later last night, she tried once more to meditate and reach her. Unfortunately, it seemed she couldn't find her this time, not able to pick up the connection like she did before. While she was upset, she was told it wasn't time yet, so she assumed she had to somehow build her strength inside her mind to reach her once more, so she would somehow have to be patient and deal with her situation now… in a world she would have to be calling home from now on.
With everything that had happened, it was still shocking to know she was not going home, to not be able to see everyone in her life. But crying over what couldn't be changed would only dampen herself, already doing plenty of that last night and knowing she had a life here as well to focus on. She was certainly not going to lose the new people she had grown close with now, clenching her fist and pushing herself off the wall, smiling to herself and walking towards the main building of the school. As she entered the building, she noticed Jiro coming out of the nearby bathroom, the earphone girl smiling as she approached.
"Oh hey Katara, what's up?" Jiro asked.
"Hey Jiro. I was heading to the development studio." Katara responded, earning a nod from Jiro.
"Ah, you too, huh?" Stretching her arms, Jiro grunted when she heard a pop. "I was hoping they can make me something to help my quirk be a little more focused. How about you?"
"I just need to see what they can do about this." Katara motioned to her canteen on her side, making Jiro raise her eyebrow.
"You looking for a new look?"
"No," Katara rolled her eyes and smiled. "I was hoping they could make a way to hold more water but won't take up a lot of space."
"Huh, well good luck with that." Jiro said with a shrug. "They can create some crazy stuff, so that shouldn't be too hard."
"Yeah, that is true." Katara said as they saw the room ahead. "They were able to-
BOOM!
Both of them yelped out as the doors to the room blew off in a bright blast, backing up as smoke billowed out of the open doorway. "The hell was that?!" Jiro shouted in shock.
"GOD DAMN IT! THE HELL YOU DOING, YOU CRAZY BIMBO?!"
"Wow! That sucker had kick! I love it!"
Katara coughed out thr through the smoke billowing out, recognizing the first angry voice she heard. Glaring, she walked through the smoke as she caught sight of her classmate. "What are you doing Bakugo? You get mad and blow up this room, too?" she scolded out.
Waving away the smoke in his face, Bakugo gritted his teeth at the waterbender. "Shut up, hair loops! I didn't do that shit just now!"
Raising her eyebrow in confusion, Katara noticed more movement through the smoke behind the explosion teen. Before she could see who it was, she gasped out as a wrench flew through the air towards her head, ducking underneath as it struck the wall. "What the heck?!" Katara snapped out and turned back in anger.
"Hey, can you be a doll and get that for me?" the voice in the clearing smoke asked, revealing itself to be a smoke covered girl grinning their way. Katara noticed she had pink dreadlocks hanging beneath the large steampunk goggles, the girl brushing off the gunk from her black tank top before she whistled out. "That little guy got away from me just now."
"Got away? It almost hit me just now!" Katara shouted back, which didn't even seem to be noticed by this girl.
"Huh, fancy that." the pink haired girl lifted her goggles up, revealing her yellow eyes which had cross hairs in the center instead of pupils. "This sweaty guy's stuff really packs a punch."
"Hey grease monkey! You blew my shit up again!" Bakugo barked in annoyance and picked his shattered gauntlet off the table. "I asked you to make grenades I could use, not break the stuff I already had!"
"That's what happens when you take a hammer to it," The girl laughed and wiped her nose. "But now I see what's inside those suckers, and now I can get to work on my own thing!"
"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU HIT MY GAUNTLET WITH A HAMMER?!" Bakugo screamed out in rage as the girl snatched the gauntlet back from him, leaving Katara and Jiro staring in confusion to the scene before them.
A few moments later, the teacher Power loader ran in past the pair of newcomers, his eyes bulging out from his tractor head piece. "What the hell?! Hatsume, what did you do?! I was only gone two minutes!"
Mei Hatsume didn't even seem to notice as she was busy tinkering with the opened grenades on the side of the room, her tools going to work on her next gadget. Grunting in annoyance, the teacher rubbed his head piece before turning to the two girls behind him. "Sorry about that. She gets a little too into her work sometimes."
"A little?" Jiro asked sarcastically as the teacher grunted and looked back.
"Hatsume, I warned you already about getting to crazy with your gadgets. Do I need to call the principle again?"
Hatsume froze to that statement, not wanting to be restricted from her favorite room on campus. Turning around, she gave a big thumbs up to her teacher. "Gotcha! I'll keep it cool for ya!"
Rolling his eyes, Power Loader turned his attention back to the two girls behind him. "Don't mind my assistant. She's high strung, but the girl certainly can build. I assume you both are looking for upgrades for your costumes, yes?"
Before they could even answer, Hatsume's ears perked up to the question in excitement as she burst across the room and almost shoved her face into theirs. "Oh, two more coming in?! Let's see what we can make for these gals!"
Katara gasped as the girls big eyes were only inches from her, obvious this Hatsume didn't care about personal space. "Uh, I was just- what the?! Hey!"
"Ooooh!" Mei beamed in excitement as she yanked Katara's arm towards her, admiring the blue gauntlets. "So you are the water girl I made these for? So tell me, how have my babies been holding up?!"
"Babies?!" Katara shouted in confusion before she put together the first part of Mei's statement, pulling her arm free. "Wait, you made these?"
"Yep! Those were some of my first babies I made here!" Mei seemed in her own world as she rubbed her hands over the gauntlets. "Thought the extra storage was a neat little touch, but they are such an early design and could be so much better!"
"Hey goggles! You were doing my stuff first!" Bakugo barked out in annoyance as Mei left his stuff sitting there to focus on her previous work.
"Don't worry, Bakugo. Your new equipment will be made. It will take about a day for it since we have so many requests now." Power Loader said before looking to his assistant. "Let's get their requests in so we can get to work on the others." Grunting in annoyance, Bakugo stomped out of the room past the others and headed back to the training grounds. Now that he was gone, Power Loader turned his attention to the other teen standing there. "So, Miss Jiro, how about you come over with me and we can discuss your upgrades. It seems Katara here is being taken care of by Hatsume."
While Jiro sighed in relief she got to deal with the calm teacher, Katara frowned internally as she was stuck with this hyperactive girl. Not getting a second to breathe, Katara yelped as she was yanked to the other side of the room, Mei's eyes sparkling as she whipped out a notepad and got right in the waterbenders face. "So whatcha looking to do? Need something flashier to shoot out water? How about a helmet that can be an ice crown?! We can-
"I… I just was hoping you could make a way for me to hold more water." Katara cut her off, the statement leaving Mei staring blankly at her.
"So boring!"
"What?!" Katara glared at the girls blunt statement, taking a breath and rubbing her head. "I don't need anything flashy. I just need a way to carry more water that doesn't take up so much space."
Hatsume looked almost disappointed by the request, before her normal smile came back to her as she thought of something else. "Something so easy, I can make in an hour! Give me those gauntlets and I'll make those babies as good as they can be!"
"What?" Katara titled her head in confusion as Hatsume eyed her gauntlets with excitement. "These?"
"Oh yes. I'll make those do exactly what you want and more!" Hatsume nodded as she giggled to herself. "Let me work my stuff and get them back to you!"
While she was slightly surprised by the request, Katara gave a small shrug and slipped them off. "Alright then. I guess it's not a problem." Handing them over, she noticed Hatsume eyeing the burn on her arm. Frowning, Katara rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it. It-
"Damn that looks pretty cool! I can make these babies smaller so it shows more of that if you want! Any scar makes you look tough!" Hatsume exclaimed out.
"Huh?" Katara mumbled in surprise.
"Told ya." Jiro said, chuckling as she overheard them talking.
"Uh…" Katara couldn't help but let out a small chuckle before rubbing her head. "No, they are fine the way they are. Thank you. And thanks for designing my new costume and-
Katara's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered the letter she was given with her new costume, looking over and running to the teacher talking to Jiro. "Sir! Do… do you still have my original costume?!"
"Huh?" Power Loader looked at her in confusion. "Your old costume?"
"You left me a letter in my new costume box that you were saving my old one here." Katara took a deep breath as she couldn't believe she had never come to get her original robes. "You… you still have them, right?"
Raising his eyebrow, Power Loader then noticed the concerned look on the girls face. He was also aware with the other teachers who she really was, and realized those clothes must have been really important to her. "I mean… I'm not sure. I can go and check storage real quick."
As the teacher left to the back door of the room, Jiro looked back in surprise as Katara's demeanor suddenly changed as soon as she asked about the costume. She stared at the waterbender curiously, noticing she was rubbing her arm anxiously as she was waiting. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good…" Katara put on a fake smile as she nodded. "...Just forgot I left my old robes here when they replaced them."
"Why do you want your old ones if they were messed up?"
"They are special…" Katara muttered out, her eyes widening when she saw Power Loader coming back up front carrying a small box.
"Seems like it was tucked away in the back. Here you go. And just come by tomorrow for your new gear." He said as he handed her the box, receiving a bright smile from the waterbender.
"Thank you. Sorry I didn't grab them earlier, I just got caught up with other stuff and I forgot." Giving a small bow, Katara turned and saw Hatsume was already busy tinkering with her gauntlets. Sighing out, she nodded over to Jiro. "Alright, I guess I'll come back later for my stuff then. See ya."
As soon as she walked out of the room, Katara rounded the corner and took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm as she realized what she was holding. She stopped when she was alone, her eyes locked onto the box in her hands as she pulled the lid back, her heart jumping slightly when she saw the familiar robes she had when she first arrived here. Now though, they were more important to her than they could ever be. Smiling to herself, Katara pulled part of the fabric up and pressed it to her cheek, realizing this and her necklace truly were the last things she had of her home. She didn't care if they were ripped up or damaged sitting in her room, she would keep these for the rest of her life no matter what.
Later that evening, Katara and Kendo were busy scrubbing out the main campus girls bathroom, grimacing at the strong smell coming from the bleach they were using. Glaring at the situation, Kendo huffed out and stood up for a moment, taking a breath to clear her head. "Day two… only five to go."
"Yeah… getting closer." Katara sarcastically responded as she waved her hands, bending the dirty water off the floor and flowing it into the toilet. "We will be done with it soon, though, and then we have that test."
"That's true," Kendo sighed and went back to scrubbing the toilet, brushing the inside for a few more seconds before it was finished. "I'm just curious if this test will be as crazy as what we already went through."
Laughing, Katara finished cleaning off the floor and exhaled. "I don't think anything will be as crazy as what we went through for a while."
The door behind them opened, assuming it was Momo coming back from the other bathroom they were working on. Before she could turn around though, Katara gasped out as the bucket of soapy water was pushed over and rushed towards her feet. "Hey! What the…" she turned to see what happened, surprised when there were a pair of girls she had never seen before.
"Oops, sorry about that." the front blonde snickered as she pulled her foot away from the tipped over bucket, smiling as her black haired friend laughed behind her. "I didn't notice it there."
Katara glared as she stepped over the water towards the pair. "Hey, what's your problem? I just cleaned all that up."
"Well, it looks like you will have to clean it again. It's just what you deserve anyway."
"What?" Katara gritted her teeth in anger to the statement, clenching her fists at her side. "Wanna say that again?"
Kendo stood up from her spot as she saw the girls, glaring as well and dropping the gloves she was wearing. "You gotta problem? Who the hell are you two?"
"Oh, just some people from class D, not like you special hero kids would know anything about that," the black hair girl sneered and crossed her arms. "Since all you do care is about yourselves anyway."
"Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?" Katara shot back angrily.
"Like you don't know?" the blonde growled out, "How we are in this stupid mess because of you class 1-A kids. All your little stunts you pulled and now we are forced all to live like this now."
Katara couldn't believe what she was hearing; these kids were actually blaming them for the attacks, causing the waterbenders blood to boil. "You think we asked to be attacked? How stupid are you?"
"Uh huh, and your little stunt last week you class A people did? You couldn't just be a good little girl and listen to your teachers. They are making us live here not just to keep villains out, but to keep you rule breakers in from doing other shit." the black haired girl hissed out. "I heard a few kids in support were pulled from class, their parents not comfortable with this situation you got us in."
Both Katara and Kendo felt their fists clenching in anger to the accusations, Kendo stepped forward and got in front of the pair. "We didn't ask for anything like this to happen. If you two don't have anything better to say, I'd say get out now." Her warning only made the blonde smirk wider.
"I'd be careful if I were you. You might get kicked out of another class." her taunt made Kendo's eyes widen slightly, making herself snicker. "Oh we heard about you. Apparently your own teacher thought you were nothing but trouble, so he stuck you with the other class so he could rid himself of the trash. Makes sense you are all cleaning the bathrooms. How about you come clean our dorms next?"
Kendo's fists were two seconds away from expanding and smashing these two girls into the wall, clenching so hard her knuckles cracked. Katara was having trouble keeping her hands from swiping out, bending the water around her and freezing the pair to the ceiling. Before either of them could act, the door behind the pair opened up once more, the blonde glaring and turning around. "I said stay outside and keep an eye out for-
The blondes eyes went wide as her friend keeping lookout outside came floating through the doorway, her body and mouth bound in thick vines. Stepping in view was Shiozake, her eyes half lidded as she stare right at the two class D girls. "It is shameful to harass those who didn't do anything wrong. I hope you can repent for those sins."
"What the… Ibara?" Kendo said in surprise to seeing her former classmate standing there, just as another green haired girl walked in as well.
"Hmm, what do we have here?" Setsuna chuckled as she crossed her arms across her chest, staring at the shocked teens in the bathroom. "You wouldn't be messing with our friends now, would you?"
The blonde standing there glared and pointed a finger at the newcomer. "Why don't you mind your own business and get out of here."
"Oh, you see though, it is my business if you say anything to them," Setsuna flashed her toothy grin and stepped forward. "I was actually coming to screw around with my buddy here cleaning, but I overheard you three planning to get them in more trouble by antagonizing them to hit you. That's something I'm not gonna sit by and let happen."
The black haired girl's eyes widened as she realized their idea was found out, looking over to see the furious gaze of Katara and Kendo locked on her. Before she could move, more of Shiozake's vines shot out and pinned her in her spot. As the blonde saw her other friend was caught now, she felt herself sweating as Setsuna suddenly threw an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close, the green haired girls smirk only inches from her face.
"Now me? I'll take a weeks worth of toilet scrubbing if it means I get to shove your head into that toilet right there. But I'll take an apology as payment instead, sound good?" Setsuna offered, laughing as she saw a bead of sweat fall down the girls face.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, the girl huffed out before she still cast a small glare. "Aren't you upset with what's happening now? We didn't have a choice but to move here and-
"And we weren't given the choice when those villains attacked me and my class at camp, right?" Setsuna grunted in annoyance at this girls attitude, poking her finger in her chest. "So, how about this; you keep yourself and your little bitches away from my friends here, or I'm going to break my foot off in your ass. We good?"
The tone from the green haired girl sent a chill down the blondes back, shivering and giving a quick nod. Setsuna smirked and patted her shoulder. "Good. Now take your little gang and get the hell out my face."
Seeing they were done, Shiozaki released the grip she had on the other two girls, letting their terrified forms back on the ground before the three of them took off. Sighing, the vine haired girl put a hand to chest and closed her eyes. "People today, they lack the compassion for forgiveness we all need to do."
"Meh, some just need a little push." Setsuna happily shrugged as she turned back to the two remaining girls in the bathroom. "You two good?"
"Yeah, we are now…" Katara sighed and took a breath. "Thanks."
"Yeah, thanks," Kendo huffed out letting her knuckles relax. "I was this close to just crushing her face right then."
"Oh I bet. It looks like both of you were ready to kick their asses right there, but I figured I'd keep you two from getting into any more trouble." Setsuna exhaled and glared to the door. "I can't believe them. I heard them laughing to themselves how they wanted to get you mad so you'd hit them, so maybe you'd get punished even more."
"I was pretty close to doing it, too." Katara grunted out and looked to the spilled water all over the floor, taking a breath to keep calm. Waving her arms, she began bending all of the water off the ground, luckily getting the soap as well and guiding it to the toilets to be rid of it. "Just when we were almost done here."
Letting out a small chuckle, Kendo smiled at her friends there. "Well I appreciate the aid. Didn't want to get another week of this put on."
"Of course. It's horrible they would try to do something to you girls like that." Shiozaki said with a small frown. "Most of the others though are really proud of you all. They actually have been talking very positively about you all. Only some are still angry about what's happening now."
"Hey, you think we'd leave the two class reps hanging all alone without backup?" Setsuna chuckled, which only made Kendo frown.
"I'm not the class rep anymore, remember?" She sighed out, only making Setsuna laugh out.
"I know I know. It's not like we still don't look up to you, though. We had to choose our new rep yesterday actually."
"Really?" Kendo's ears picked up in curiosity to the statement. "But Shoda was the vice rep. He didn't become the new one?"
Setsuna shook her head. "Nah, he said he didn't feel like he deserved it, so we had to do another vote. And…" her mouth spread in a cocky grin. "Looks like I got the new VP role, and mister steel took your spot."
"Tetsutetsu?" Kendo said in surprise, happy to see the results. "Both of you got chosen?"
"Uh huh. Looks like I am head of the class now." Setsuna laughed out in pride, grinning towards the waterbender. "Better watch it girl, I'm on equal footing now."
"Okay, now it's getting to your head." Katara chuckled out and sighed out. "Anyway, we only have thirty minutes left before we are done."
"Oh before you leave, you mind waiting until I use the bathroom too?" Setsuna asked as she clutched her stomach, acting as she was in pain all of the sudden. "I have to go soooo bad, and it may need some clean up after I'm through with it."
"Ugh, you're disgusting." Kendo grumbled out as Set laughed out and stood back up.
"Alright. We'll leave you to your… duty here." Setsuna gave a peace sign and turned around. "See ya."
Shiozaki gave a quick bow as her classmate walked by. "Take care. If you need anything else, let us know."
Smiling, Kendo nodded to both of them. "Likewise. Thanks."
"Yeah, thank you." Katara added as the pair exited, sighing and rubbing her head. "They definitely helped us right there."
"Yeah, I don't even wanna think about what would've happened if they didn't stop us there." Kendo chuckled out, grabbing her cleaning supplies and walking towards the door. Both her and Katara exited the finished bathroom, looking over to see Momo walking towards them. "Well you certainly missed some fun stuff."
"Huh?" Momo tilted her head in confusion. "Was it messier than you expected?"
Stifling a laugh, Katara gave a small shrug. "I guess you can call it that. Anyway, we are done there so we can see how the others are doing."
The trio of girls ended up running into Izuku and Kirishima, the pair almost finished with their bathroom as well. They were also the only ones here, making Katara's eyebrow raise. "Where are Shoto and Tenya?" She asked.
Kirishima grunted as he finished wiping the front of the door down. "They took the trash outside just now. I thought they would be back already so we can finish this one too."
While the other girls offered to help real quick, Katara couldn't help but feel something odd about the situation.
"Tell me."
"Shut up."
"Tell me."
"Stop."
"Tell me."
Shoto groaned as he threw the last bag of trash into the dumpster, furrowing his brow at Tenya standing there staring at him. "What do you want me to say?" he grumbled out.
Tenya tapped his foot impatiently at the fire and ice user. "I want to hear you say it. We all know it, but admitting it is the strongest sense of acceptance."
Running his hand through his hair, Shoto grunted and looked away. "Alright. I like her. I truly like Katara."
While he felt himself grimace at hearing that, Tenya closed his eyes and took a breath. "Alright, that is what I needed to hear."
"Is that all you want?" Shoto sighed and lowered his hand. For the last ten minutes, Tenya had been bugging him no stop asking him the same question and to admit his feelings. Now that he had, he hoped it would be done. For Tenya however, he wasn't.
"I am making sure what is best for her. Katara is… she's special to me." Tenya leaned back against the nearby wall, frowning. "She really has become like family to me, and I want to make sure she is okay, especially with everything recently."
Shoto's frown softened hearing that, seeing the troubled look on Tenya's face. After they both heard from Katara what happened after the hospital, they were both stunned to learn so much about the girl they knew. But while the news to learn she was not going home meant they weren't going to lose her, it also meant she was losing the people she used to know. Even though by the time they left she seemed fine, they both knew she would be hurting on the inside, something neither of them wanted to happen. Walking over and leaning on the wall next to Tenya, Shoto stared up at the clouds for a few moments. "I understand. It must be so much for her right now."
"I know. And that's why I need to be there for her." Tenya sighed as he turned to the teen next to him. "I know she cares for you, but I need to know if you will be there when she needs it. To keep her safe and make her feel happy."
"She has done more for me than you can imagine," Shoto sternly stated, his gaze focused as he turned back to Tenya. "I would do anything to make sure she is safe."
Taking a deep breath, Tenya nodded and stood back up. "Good. Now, you shall need to make sure you properly ask her to a date if you want this to be official! Dinner and a movie is a general good choice!"
"Huh?" Shoto's eyes widened at the sudden request, "What are you-
"You should ask her out to a wonderful dinner! You should open the door for her when you enter the premises, and pull her chair out for her to sit!" Tenya demanded with chops. "You should show the utmost respect for her, and by doing that shows you have the class worthy of dating her!"
Shoto's mouth hung open in confusion to the demands, frowning as Tenya continued giving demands. "I can manage it."
"You better. Katara deserves the best from anyone, and I implore you to give everything!"Tenya ordered before stomping away towards the main campus once more, leaving Shoto standing there on his own.
"I Know how to treat her the best…" Shoto grumbled to himself as he stood alone, before he glanced towards the walking speedster. He sat for a few moments before he pulled his phone out and opened his notepad, before typing in a small sentence.
Open door for dinner.
The next day before their class training, Katara, Shoto and Jiro were walking to the development studio to get their new upgraded equipment. "They should all be done now, I hope," Katara sighed out.
"They are usually quick with this stuff, so I'd be surprised if they weren't." Shoto commented. "They built our dorms in three days."
"Yeah, if they can do that, I'd be surprised at what they can't make." Jiro laughed out, opening the door to their destination.
As they came into the room, Power Loader chuckled at the arrivals. "Ah, first of the day. Perfect timing actually, we just brought in the first batch of things."
Hearing her que, Hatsume's eyes sparkled in excitement as she turned away from her next gadgets she was working on, bolting over towards the trio. "Oh, look! New comers to try out our fresh stuff! I'll get the water girl!"
"Water girl?" Katara said as gave a questioning look at the name, but didn't get a response as Hatsume sprinted to the back room storage area. Shaking his head, Power Loader grabbed the two steel plated gloves next to him and walked towards them.
"She will get the est of your stuff. For now, Todoroki," He paused as he held the gloves out. "I just finished these this morning. See how they feel."
Katara watched curiously as Shoto slipped the gloves on his hands, the top of them reaching halfway up his forearms. "What are those for?" She asked him.
"I had asked for some equipment that could help regulate my bodies temperature better," Shoto answered as he took a breath and activated his right side, allowing some ice to grow out of his arm. Almost immediately, he felt the right glove warm slightly, keeping his arm at a steady temperature. "I can already feel it." He said in surprise, earning a nod from the teacher.
"We've installed a heating mechanism in the right glove, while the left is filled with controlled liquid nitrogen. As your fire will come out, it will slowly release it onto the metal to keep your arm cooler. Just don't expect them to help too much if you decide to unleash your quirk to the max. Nothing we could make would help with that. This is a stabilizing aid, not a replacement."
Nodding, Shoto deactivated his ice. "Then that means I'll need more practice. Thank you."
"That's a neat addition," Katara smiled as she eyed the gloves. "That should hopefully help your body handle the training better."
"We will have to test it out then." He said with a small smile, making her chuckle out.
"Fine, we can spar later this week once we are done with clean up duty." Katara retorted as she heard a cart rolling in, turning to see Mei happily pushing in what looked like the rest of their things. Of the two piles of things, Katara immediately noticed her blue gauntlets sitting there, surprised to see they didn't look any different than before. "Huh? I thought they were upgraded?" She questioned, earning an eager laugh from Mei.
"Well you gotta test these babies out if you wanna see the difference!" Mei beamed out in excitement almost leaping over the cart. "Come on, try this sucker out!"
"Oookay." Katara muttered out to the girls excitement, reaching down to pick up one of the gauntlets… only for her eyes to go wide in shock as she had to struggle to pick it up. "What the heck?! This thing is heavy!"
"Well duh, it's filled with water!" Mei's eyes were wide in glee as her smile spread across her face. "Did you think it was gonna be the same weight after?"
Katara's mouth fell open in shock. "How much can these hold now?!" She looked back down to the gauntlet on the table, focusing her mind as she now sensed the water inside. To her disbelief, it felt like there was an entire buckets worth in each one. Realizing there was so much now, she stepped back and waved her hands, lifting the water inside and making the gauntlets float up into the air now, guiding them over and onto her hands now. Now that they were on her, she kept her subconscious bending active, the same way she did when she walked around with the water whips on her arms. Eyeing the switch by her right thumb, she took a breath and clicked it open, shocked as she bended out an unreal amount of water that seemed to keep flowing out until it was a solid ball over a meter across. "How did you…?"
"These were fun ones to build," Power Loader chuckled at her shocked expression. "We installed high grade carbon to replace the internal steel to add strength yet lower the weight, and implanted a water compression system, allowing it to pack much more than any natural container that size. Originally, they could hold about half a liter each. Now, those can hold up to ten liters per arm."
"Ten?!" Jiro gasped in disbelief as she stared at the gauntlets size. "How the hell can you even carry all that and expect to not drop in exhaustion?!"
"The only reason we were able to do that was because you can actually carry the water itself with your quirk since it seems the weight itself wasn't the issue." Power Loader explained. "As you guide the water back in, the compression system will automatically activate for storage."
Katara stared in amazement at the amount of water, this being even more than both of her gloves and her canteens together from before. And now she had another glove as well. Testing what he said, she guided the water back in, her eyes locked open in utter shock as all of it flowed back inside, a small hiss from the pressure all there being left in the end. "This is amazing. Thank you."
"Oh we aren't done yet!" Hatsume giggled in excitement as she spun the cart around and opened the back door, revealing her other project. "I saw that little pouch on your side, and figured that needed something special too!"
Katara's eyes widened when she saw what looked like a perfect replica of her canteen sitting there, except for the brown leather was a darker tone, obvious to being brand new. "You made that for me too?"
"Those gloves were too basic. You always need a little extra firepower!" Hatsume exclaimed out and nearly jumped over into Katara's face making her yelp. "With this baby you can hold an additional sixteen liters as well!"
Both Shoto and Jiro sat in utter disbelief at the statement they just heard, but Katara only felt a wave of excitement herself. She waved her hand, lifting the water within the container out from the cart and carried it over to herself. While carrying this much physically would have been impossible, the fact she could use her bending to lift it meant it was as light as a feather, hooking it onto her waist and smiling. She could already sense the massive amount of water sitting inside of the new canteen, the pressure inside ready to burst out and be used, and she was ready for it. "I think this is exactly what I needed." She answered happily, feeling a big smile on her face.
Shoto was surprised as well, but couldn't help but allow a small smile seeing her in a better mood than before. "Now it seems you won't have as much trouble in areas without a water source."
"Yeah, this is going to make a huge difference now." She responded, earning a chuckle from Power Loader as he was helping Jiro install her new amplifiers to her gloves.
"Funny thing is these weren't the only things Hatsume tried making. There is one more design, but that unfortunately is not practical." he said, which only made Hatsume laugh.
"Failure just means I am one step closer to completion! I'll get it so you can fit a Jacuzzi's worth of water into something small!" She exclaimed out and jumped onto her side table, immediately pulling out her plans and working on the next set of designs she had.
"Alright, it seems you three are good to go now." Power Loader said as he stood back, eyeing the new devices one last time before nodding. "Give them a test in the field and see how they feel. If you need some tinkering with it let me know."
"Thank you, sir." Katara and the others said as they left the room, heading back towards the training grounds once more. As they walked, Katara couldn't help but look down to the gauntlets on her arms, still so shocked how she could sense the immense amount of water floating around her wrists. "The things they can make are amazing. How could they make this hold so much?" She asked out.
"I should just give up questioning it, too." Jiro chuckled out as she messed with her new amplifiers, tapping the top of them in amusement. "Hope these are as good as I was hoping."
"What are those by the way?" Katara asked.
"They are amplifiers for my quirk," Jiro explained as her earphone jacks slithered down from her ear and plugged into each one. "They are supposed to give a more direct focus for my sound waves. Gonna test these… "Babies"" out right now."
As the girls laughed at quoting Hatsume, Shoto tilted his head in confusion. "So who is the one with a baby? Was it Hatsume?"
…
…
Shoto's face only grew red as both of them burst out in hard laughter, Jiro almost falling over herself. "Ho-Holy shit, that's good!" Jiro stuttered out before laughing and walking ahead, leaving the giggling waterbender and the flustered fire and ice user."
Katara laughed for a few more seconds before opening her eyes, grinning as she saw Shoto's embarrassed face. She was still so surprised he was so oblivious to certain things, but it actually made him seem that much more innocent to her. She laughed a few more times before taking a breath and rubbing his shoulder. "I think you know now there wasn't an actual baby, Shoto."
Grunting in annoyance, Shoto looked away as his cheeks heated up in embarrassment. "Alright, then…" he mumbled out, before his eyes widened slightly as Katara gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and walked on.
"Don't worry about it. Just remember to laugh at yourself more." She told him as she exited the building, both of them making their way back to the training facility as the glanced at each other one more time. "I'll see you during our break."
"Alright. Good luck with your training." he responded with a small smile, the pair breaking off and heading to their spots.
As she walked through the grounds, Katara glanced around at everyone going to work. She watched in surprise as Tokoyami lowered Dark Shadow over his body, the dark creature overlapping his body from behind and creating what looked like a suit of armor over himself. She then watched as Mina focused her hands to small points, her acid shooting out almost like a hose instead of oozing out slow like it normally would. "They already have improved their attacks. That's amazing." She said to herself in happiness seeing her friends get stronger, looking around as everyone else was doing the same. Just since before camp, she was amazed to see everyone improving so much in that time, watching as Ojiro's tail was now cracking the concrete with every strike he threw now.
And now she was ready to do the same for herself.
Walking to her spot in the training ground, Katara was surprisingly in a good mood as she stood in front of Ectoplasm, adjusting her gauntlets on her wrists as she smiled up to the tall man. He noticed the change in her demeanor as well, giving a small grunt her way. "It seems the day off has helped clear your head. Are your ready to continue?" He asked her, earning a nod from the waterbender.
"I am, sir." She said, getting ready to open her right glove when she noticed footsteps from behind, turning around and gasping at who it was. "A-All Might?"
The deflated teacher was smiling her way, his right arm still in a cast as he approached them. "Hey there Katara. How're you feeling today?"
Katara swallowed the lump in her throat, still surprised the once massive teacher she knew was now this frail and small man. His sunken in cheeks were so different from the bright smile that once grazed this powerful man, and yet she could still feel the warm energy coming from him that she knew from before. "I'm… I'm feeling good, actually. How are your injuries?"
"Don't mind me," All Might chuckled and waved his hand, "Nothing too bad to keep me from seeing my students train hard. I just wanted to check on you since everything happened so fast, we haven't been able to speak yet since then."
Taking a breath, Katara gave a small smile to him. "I'm doing good. It's been crazy but I am alright. And I heard Tensei is awake now, so hoping for more good news soon."
Smiling, All Might still couldn't believe the news he heard about her guardians recovery, a true blessing coming out of this. "Let's all hope he does alright soon. I already spoke with Young Iida and he can barely contain his excitement for his brother possibly healing up."
Katara herself couldn't keep her smile from growing, knowing she felt the same way in this situation. "I know. Hopefully he hear something great soon. And… I never got to say thank you for what you did that night." Katara gave a small bow to the retired pro. "You saved us that night."
All Might simply sighed in relief knowing she and the others were all safe still. "I'd do anything to keep you kids safe. But try and keep yourselves out of trouble next time." He then turned his attention to the teacher standing there. "Alright, so what do we have on her progress?"
"Well, we were about to get a glimpse of her new equipment today," Ectoplasm stated as he stepped back. "And see if she has come up with anything on her day off yesterday. Katara, if you may?"
Nodding, Katara stepped back to give herself some space from the two of them, taking a breath as she readied herself. Raising her arms to the side, she opened up both gauntlets, the water rushing out from each one like a fire hose. Both All Might and Ectoplasm stared in amazement to how much kept coming, the water whipping around herself forming a thick stream that circled her on the ground. Her hands raised up, followed by eight water tendrils lifting up from the stream and ready to strike.
"Impressive, a massive increase in your carrying capacity without compromising your mobility. And you already have a move ready to use," Ectoplasm watched as she seemingly danced inside the circle of tentacles, her arms controlling the whipping arms all around herself. It was obvious this wasn't a recent move she had developed. "Both offense and defense in a single technique. Very impressive."
"You always seem to have a new move to surprise us," All Might chuckled out at the sight. "What do you call this one?"
Katara stopped her movements for a moment, remembering people seemed to name their attacks here. While she never imagined doing that herself, she thought for a second before she lowered her arms, letting the tentacles reform to the thick stream. "That was my octopus form, so I can fight off multiple people around me."
Ectoplasm nodded in approval to the move, although he could already tell she wasn't done. "So, you obviously already have several moves to be considered special techniques, but how about what we discussed before trying?"
While All Might looked at the clone teacher curiously, Katara took a breath as she remembered what they tried the first day on training. Wanting to do what she started, she closed her eyes and raised her open hands once more, the stream of water following her movements and coming off the ground. Popping her canteen open, she pulled out the enormous stream of water from the pouch, still truly shocked as the water seemed to keep coming and coming out, emptying her canteen until her water was now nearly double than with her gloves, smiling internally having so much to carry at one time now. Taking a breath, she was ready to try once more.
Arching her knuckles as she spun her arms around, the massive stream of water began whipping around herself, the top of the flowing stream growing what looked like ice spikes running down the center. The lead portion of the water began shifting outward, widening out to take shape of a serpents head. Two water tendrils extended out from the back of the head, angling up and solidifying forming two horns angling backwards. She gritted her teeth and pushed her right hand forward, shifting the shape of the head and making it longer, squeezing her fingers and compressing the water and making it more dense. After a few moments, she took another breath as she opened her eyes, her heart jumping in surprise seeing her work complete.
The long serpent like creature danced in the air following her flowing hand, its row of spines down its back shining in the light. The tall horns raised up behind the head, which were sharp and defined angling up in the air. The sleek and narrow head of the beast aimed forward as it dove through the air, it's open mouth ready to strike anything in it's way. While she had imagined it, Katara was still amazed to see it formed like this. She looked glanced over to the two teachers watching her, feeling a small bit of pride as they stared at her work in what looked like excitement.
She smiled as she turned back to her new ability, excited to test out her new water dragon technique.
Six days later
On the outskirts of Fujiyoshida, the faint moonlight barely illuminated the poorer district of the city. Further from the bright and friendly tourist section, a small, rundown bar was quiet that late evening, the lone bartender wiping down the counter as he looked around in annoyance. The grungy bar was in desperate need for a face lift, the stained paint ready to peel off at the lightest touch. The faint lights barely cast a glow in the place, giving it even that more of a broken down feeling. The only reason he even had this job was he was in desperate need of funds, taking whatever crappy place he could. The customers certainly didn't help his mood either, most of them lowlifes or criminals laughing to themselves.
All except for one.
The barkeep had noticed the single figure at the end of his counter sitting there, slowly sipping at his beer for the last hour. He couldn't tell who he was because the hoodie, but he didn't recognize him from before. Curious, he walked over to his spot and tapped the counter. "Hey buddy, need anything else?" he asked, his eyes noticing the charred sections of purple skin on the mans wrists.
"Did I ask for anything else?" Dabi muttered in annoyance, flipping the hood back and revealing his face to the man. "Did I?"
"N-No." the bartender stuttered as he backed off, the cold stare from the man making him shiver. "I'll leave you to it, then."
Grunting out, Dabi took a swig of the beer and slammed it back down, smacking his lips and stared at the mirror in front at his burnt face. "Such a handsome thing, aren't I?" he fake chuckled before sitting up. "What the hell…"
For the past week he had been taking his time, walking around the city clearing his head after the what happened in Kamino. He was also on the lookout for those he was hoping to find for his next plan, those who would supposedly do any job with the right amount of money. There was only two problems with that, however. He didn't know if he was supposed to bring a briefcase of money now or what, since he didn't even know their fee. That would be something he would figure out in the future, for an even bigger problem was in front of him.
He had no idea where to find these… Hunters.
It seemed the local gangs in the city he came across did know of them, the last group he met two nights earlier acting as if they had seen a ghost when they heard the name. Unfortunately for Dabi, they had no idea about where they were or how to find them, only muttering the same thing he heard the other gang say before he torched them in annoyance.
"You cannot find them. You will not see them, unless they want to be seen."
Hissing to himself, he finished the rest of his beer and slammed it back down several times. "Hey, now I want another." he glared up to the bartender, snickering internally at the scared look on his face as he nodded and brought over another bottle. Dabi snatched the drink from the man and went to take another swig… but stopped when he noticed the mans sharp fingernails. They weren't long and sharp like a humans… but of some kind of animal.
Smirking, Dabi set his drink down and sat up. "Hey, buddy. You have a quirk there?"
"Huh?" the bartender looked in surprise to the question, noticing Dabi stare at his nails. "O-oh. Y-yeah. It's nothing special, just shrew claws."
Dabi raised his eyebrow curiously to the answer. It was nothing more than the claws of a mouse. He really doubted something so pathetic would be affiliated with this organization, but let his imagination run. Hell, one of the top heroes in the country was nothing more than a rabbit power, and yet how powers are used is what mattered. And he had no other options at the moment, so was worth a gamble.
"Doesn't seem that bad. I mean could rip up some people with those things," Dabi Joked and smirked. "You do any damage with those things?"
The bartender stared at him in surprise to the odd question, forcing a chuckle and waving his hands. "No no, th-they don't do much. I mean, they may scratch a little, but that's it really."
Frowning inside, Dabi stared the man for a moment, immediately sensing no killer instinct from this guy in any form. Either he was the best at hiding something, or he was some pathetic guy with a useless quirk. "Hmm, that's too bad. I figured the hunters would have some decent people in there groups."
The moment the name was mentioned, Dabi noticed right away the mans eyes widen for a split second before he regained his composure, his breath quickening to try and hide his nerves. "Th-the hunters? What are-
The man had no time to react as Dabi's hand shot across the counter top and grabbed his shirt, yelping out as he was slammed into the wood. His mouth shook in fear as Dabi's bright eyes beamed down towards him, a cold smirk on his face. "What- what are you doing?!" the man gasped in fear.
"I can tell you are some pathetic loser with an even more useless quirk, but it's obvious you know something," Dabi whispered as his other hand pushed down on the mans head. "It seems that name is known in this part of town, but I've had a little trouble finding them. How about you help me out?"
"I… I don't know what you're talking about!" he pleaded out, wincing as Dabi grabbed a handful of his hair and squeezed. "Let me go!"
"I'll let you go when I feel like I've got something," Dabi hissed out, "I've been in this place for a week now, and my patience is growing thin. Give me an answer I like and I won't fry your head on this bar top.
The other patrons in the bar stood up in surprise to the sudden scene, some of them growling in annoyance their night being disturbed. "The hell's your problem, bub?" one of the larger men asked out, his knuckles growing spikes as he walked over. Dabi didn't even give them a second glance as he focused on the man beneath him, squeezing harder as the man cried out.
"Give me something, buddy…" Dabi grunted and ignited a few embers in his palm, the heat singing the mans hair making his eyes go wide in horror.
"I don't know them! I swear!" He cried in fear, his eyes locked onto Dabi's in terror. "They… they are in this city! B-But they can't be found! They never show themselves unless they come to you!"
"Huh? How the hell does that work?" Dabi growled in anger, "How are they supposed to even know you want to hire them if you can't find them?"
The man swallowed in fear and closed his eyes. "I… I heard a while back from someone celebrating after they hired them. He… he said they have members across the city, watching and listening. They know when you want them, and… and they will come to you when they want to."
"And you expect me to believe that?" Dabi questioned him, thinking this sounded too good to be true.
"They… they know. They always watch and listen." the bartender cried, "Please, that's all I know!"
"Hey!"
Dabi grunted in annoyance and let go of the trembling bartender, turning to see several of the rough looking patrons standing around him now. "The hell do you want?" he shot out.
"You're causing a ruckus, that's what," the large man spat on the ground, "You think you can do what you want here, newbie? This is our spot and we don't want-
Every person in bar went silent as Dabi's hands ignited in bright blue flames, his scowl sending a cold chill over the intense flames. "Shut the fuck up…"
The entire bar became engulfed in scorching flames, all the occupants screaming in agony for several seconds before they collapsed from the powerful flames. The windows burst out as the fire rushed into the vacant street, blowing the door off the hinges as the last of the screams died out. After a few seconds, Dabi emerged from the flames, throwing the burnt hoodie he had over his outfit into the inferno. He looked back to the burning building in irritation, shifting his hands and letting the flames on them dissipate. "Well, that went well…" he muttered out and turned back forward, walking away from the fire.
"These damn hunters better be as good as those god damn rumors… if those bastards are actually real." he scoffed out, almost laughing to the statement that man told him. He shoved his hands into his pockets, taking a breath in annoyance seeing he was in the same position we was before he went into that bar. As he disappeared around the corner, he never noticed the figure standing on the nearby roof hidden in the shadows, waiting for him to walk away before stepping into the light.
The mans bright yellow eyes shined underneath the gray hoodie he was wearing, his round pupils contracting into slits as he turned to the bright blue fire below. Smiling, his wide tongue flicked across his sharp teeth, chuckling as the flames cracked below. "What a shame. I always liked that places happy hour." he cackled to himself and flipped back his hood, revealing his short yellow hair covered in black spots, his cat ears flicking out in relief to being free. "No mistake now, that's him."
His ears flicked again as his phone began vibrating in his pocket, his clawed hand pulling it out and flipping it open. "Yeah?"
"You haven't reported in today, Haraka," the voice through the phone, her voice filled with annoyance. "Did you get distracted again?"
Chuckling to himself, Haraka leaned against the chimney stack and looked towards the direction of his target. "I did actually. Been keeping an eye on this guy in the city since yesterday."
"Oh? And what makes him so special for us?"
"Well, If you think one of those league of villain members isn't good enough, then I'll head in right now."
The phone was silent for a moment before a light laugh could be heard. "That is interesting. Which one of them is here?"
"It was that blue fire guy that was on the news, Dabi. Seems like a head trip, but he is pretty determined to find us." Haraka's eyes dilated, his pupils widening as he caught sight of Dabi in the distance. "What do you think?"
"Hmm, this is not what I expected," the cold voice whispered to herself, "I assumed those fools would stay in hiding after All for One was brought down. Stupid bastard. I'm glad I never got involved with that man."
"So you want me to ditch this one, then?" Haraka asked.
"… No. Keep an eye on him. We've been slow on business this last few months. Perhaps he may have something worth while for us."
Smirking, Haraka nodded in approval. "Sounds good, boss. I'll keep you updated. Out." closing his phone, he slipped it back into his pocket as his cheetah tail flicked behind in excitement. "Alright, let's see how long his patience lasts before he burns another bar."
In the blink of an eye, he kicked off the roof and vanished, his body gone from sight before the dust he kicked up fell back to the rooftop.
Notes: Aand there we go. while i will try for one more, this may be the last chapter of 2021. what a crazy year it's been so far. To be honest i was hoping to be done with Season 3 timeline by the end of 2021, but my schedule several months back was too crazy, leaving me at least five chapters short of my goal. But do not worry, coming next time is the license exam! (this will be much faster than the show took. and will certainly not drag this arc out. Don't worry, we will be to that arc very soon)
Ohh, first glimpse of the hunters! lets see where this goes! Katara's been upgraded, and she has another move in her arsenal!
Fun fact: Haraka means "Fast" in Swahili. figured an african style name for a cheetah user.
Hope to see your thoughts on this chapter. Till next time!