Characters:
Yukimo (OC)
Izuku Midoriya
Katsuki Bakugo
Eijiro Kirishima
XXXXXXXXXX
"H-hey, are you okay?" the boy asked worriedly. Just before Yukimo could move to attack them, her bracelet started to shine and sent an electric shock to her arm.
"Gah!" Yukimo gasped, the jolt surging through her body, and in an instant, the chaos swirling in her mind came crashing down, allowing her to regain clarity as she stood in front of the bewildered duo.
"Hey!" he yelled and ran up to Yukimo to check on her. She blinked rapidly, focusing on the boy who had intervened and the girl still cowering behind her.
"I...I'm okay," she stammered, though it felt anything but authentic. The mixture of adrenaline and fear had sent her body into overdrive, tightening her muscles and sending sweat trickling down her back. Glancing down, she saw the bracelet shattered into several pieces at her feet, the remnants of the device that had been given to her for when her powers threatened to spiral out of control. She had never before thought that it would malfunction during such a critical moment.
'It was a one-time use, huh...' she thought.
She approached the person who was still pinned down with all the rubble on top of her. Yukimo took a deep breath before raising one of her hands toward the rubble and lifted it off the person. As the rubble slowly rose into the air and shattered into light particles, Yukimo's heart raced. The boy who had leapt atop the robot turned to her, eyes wide, while the girl gradually came into view.
"Thank you," the person said, and after checking to see if she was injured, she ran back to find some robots before time ran out.
After watching the person leave, Yukimo sank to the ground, completely exhausted, her body trembling as the adrenaline began to wear off and her headache grew worse. The panic from losing control of her abilities had left her shaken, and she held her shaking hands against her legs, trying to regain her composure.
"Hey, are you sure you're alright?" the boy pressed, kneeling beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "That was awesome back there. I'm Eijiro Kirishima."
"Yeah, I just need to catch my breath for now, "she replied. "I'm Yukimo. Nice to meet you."
Before either of them could say anything else, the ground began to shake tremendously, and a massive blue robot emerged from the ground, causing it to rumble violently and sending debris flying in all directions. Yukimo's eyes widened as she saw a giant green machine heading toward them, knocking down buildings with its massive hand.
"Is this the 0 Point Robot Present Mic talked about? Isn't it a little too big?!" she exclaimed.
Yukimo looked around and noticed everyone was running away. Some froze in fear and stared at the giant robot. She glanced at the previous robot she had destroyed with the sharp metal she had found. It had been obliterated when the robot exploded, and even if it hadn't, that metal wouldn't be sharp enough to scratch that giant.
As she looked back at the giant robot, Yukimo stood slowly, wincing a little as her muscles protested from overexertion. She could hear the frantic thoughts of the other students: fear, anxiety, and doubt swirling around like bees in a hive. Time was running out, and she knew it wasn't the moment to search for more points. She had three options: either run, save some students, or option three—destroy the robot.
'Huh, yeah right, there's no way I can destroy that thing,' Yukimo thought.
She chose option two and started to raise one of her hands toward a person. He flinched when he noticed he was up in the air and jerked backward.
"What the hell are you doing?!"Yukimo yelled. "Run instead of just standing there waiting to get crushed!"
With a nod, the person ran away. Eijiro noticed what she was doing and began to help other students escape from the giant robot. Yukimo noticed another person starting to help; it was the girl with a frog-like appearance. The girl used her tongue to pull students away.
"Time's up!" Present Mic called out to the students as the siren wailed. The giant robot immediately stopped functioning. Yukimo felt a wave of relief wash over her as she slowly sank to the ground.
'What an exam,' she thought, noticing Eijiro giving her a thumbs-up. She responded with a smile, but it didn't last long as her mind turned to Izuku. Had he managed to score any points?
XXXXXXXXXX
Right after that, Yukimo walked home having the energy to talk to Izuku, she left the building as soon as possible. After the intense and exhausting day she had just experienced at the U.A. entrance exam, Yukimo was grateful for the solitude that enveloped her as she walked , the feeling of guilt kept bugging her. She wanted to check up on her friend and see how he was doing. If he did his best, they would celebrate; if he had done poorly, she could cheer him up.
That's what she always did, but this time it felt different. All she wanted was to reach home and lay down on her bed. She wasn't as okay as she had pressed her fingers against her temples, willing the throbbing headache subsiding into mere echoes of pain. Each step felt heavy, pain shooting through her entire body, reaching up to her head.
Her headache was killing her, and her left arm, which had received the electric shock, wouldn't stop shaking. Both of her arms were in pain. During her ten months' preparation for this exam, she had been using her telekinesis more than she ever had since acquiring it, and she noticed her hands would start to hurt for some reason after using it too many times. Nurse Hatsumi had assured her that she just had to get used to using telekinesis so often, and the pain would fade away after that.
"Crap, this isn't good!" she cursed when she noticed black spots starting to appear in her she stumbled, Yukimo's body swayed dangerously, battling against the debilitating fatigue that had taken hold of her. Leaning her shoulder against the nearby wall, she took a moment to breathe deeply, allowing the cool air to fill her lungs.
"Hey, Yuki!" she heard Katsuki calling from behind. "How dare you leave the exam so quickly without giving me a damn explanation?"
"Bakugo, please, not so loud," she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut as the noise from his voice intensified the throbbing in her head. With a sigh she placed one of her hands on her head. He was loud as ever, which was not good for her headache, and she didn't have the energy to bicker with him.
He didn't hear her reply and thought she was ignoring him, which made him angrier. He stormed up to her and stood in front of her, ready to confront her, but before he could begin to yell at her, she leaned forward and landed against his chest.
Katsuki's eyes widened in shock, his usual bravado momentarily replaced with a hint of concern. "Oi, what's wrong with you?" he asked, his voice dropping as he steadied her from slipping down. He could feel the heat radiating from her, the exhaustion clinging tightly to her like a second skin, "You're burning up with fever!"
'This stupid idiot!' he thought, feeling a mix of frustration and concern.
XXXXXXXXXX
Once again, upon waking up, Yukimo felt a similar searing headache as before and the unfamiliar sensation of a strange bed. She must have ended up in the hospital again. However, after her eyes adjusted to the bright light, she noticed that she was in an unfamiliar room that looked nothing like a hospital. Slowly, she sat up and felt a wet cloth fall from her forehead. She looked down at the cloth that had landed in her hand and noticed she was wearing a big black shirt.
Yukimo took a moment to gather her thoughts amidst the disarray in her mind. The last thing she remembered was leaning against Katsuki and feeling the overwhelming burden of her exhaustion. Now, here she was, in a room that felt both foreign and oddly comforting.
Looking around the room, she found her clothes neatly folded on a chair, with her bag from the exam tucked underneath. With unsteady feet, she stood up and headed toward the door. Just then, the door creaked open, and in walked Katsuki, surprise expression written all over his face; surprised to see her awake and standing before him, he was initially startled but quickly composed himself.
"Look who has decided to finally wake up," Katsuki began. "You shouldn't be up. You had a fever."
"You still do," he continued after placing his hand on her forehead.
Yukimo felt her cheeks flush at his sudden action and couldn't quite figure out if it was because of her fever or his touch. Before she could say anything back, Katsuki guided her back to bed.
Katsuki stepped aside, gesturing for her to sit back down. "Sit. You need rest." He sounded so commanding, and Yukimo couldn't help but obey. She returned to the bed and flopped back onto the pillows, feeling grateful but also a little dazed.
"Where am I?" Yukimo asked as she rubbed her forehead, the headache still pulsing stubbornly.
"My room," Katsuki replied, crossing his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. "You fainted after the exam."
"I'm going to tell that old hag that you are awake." He walked back through the door, but paused for a moment,"Stand up again and I'll tie you up."
"You're so dramatic," Yukimo rolled her eyes as she murmured under her breath, a small smile escaping her lips, but didn't stand up afterward. In the meantime, while waiting for his return, she observed her body a bit. She clenched her hands into fists and she loosened them again. She wasn't feeling the pain from the time after the exam. That was at least a good sign, aside from the headache and fever she was still experiencing.
Looking around the room, she finally came to realize that she was in Katsuki's room for the first time. She had known him for two years, and this was the first time she had ever been in his space. She hadn't even met his parents and only knew Izuku's mother. Over the past two years, she had become really close with Izuku's mother and had often had dinner at their place.
After hearing the door open once more, she looked to see a middle-aged man entering the room with a bowl in his hands. He had a similar hairstyle to Katsuki's, but this man's hair was short and brown, with a short mustache and glasses. Once more, out of reflex, she quickly placed her long bangs to cover her right eye.
"Excuse me, I came here to check up on you," he began, "Knowing both my wife and son, iI was the best choice to see how you are doing. Miss Hatsumi warned us you might have a headache when you wake up. How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling a bit better, and my headache isn't so bad either, Mr. Bakugo..." Yukimo answered.
"Oh, please call me Masaru. And you are Yukimo," he replied, placing the bowl on a nightstand and sitting in a chair right next to the bed.
'So, this is the girl Katsuki has been talking about...' she heard his thoughts and couldn't help but frown at it.
'Bakugo has been talking about me? Why?' she thought to herself.
Yukimo was surprised by his father. He seemed to be calmer compared to his hot-headed son. Mr. Masaru explained to her what happened after she fainted from her fever. Katsuki brought her to his house because he knew she lived alone and couldn't leave her there. Katsuki had Nurse Hatsumi's number and called her to inform her about Yukimo's fever, but Nurse Hatsumi had an impossible shifts and couldn't leave the hospital.
Katsuki told his parents about Yukimo's living situation, so they decided to take care of her. Both parents looked after her when her fever was really high. After it settled down, Katsuki stayed with her to keep an eye on her in case her fever increased again. Her fever had kept her down for two days.
After explaining everything, he left the room to give her some time before dinner was the door clicked shut, Yukimo's heart felt like it was pounding in her chest. She couldn't shake off the feeling of being in an unfamiliar and intimate space, the space belonging to someone she wasn't really that close. The quiet of the room wrapped around her like a warm blanket, and she allowed herself to sink into the pillows, contemplating all that had happened.
'Two days, huh... Oh crap, I have to contact Mrs. Inko!' she thought and got out of bed to search for her phone in her backpack.
Yukimo rummaged through her bag, feeling a rush of panic as she searched for her phone. What if Mrs. Inko had been worried? Just then, she heard the door creaked open again, revealing Katsuki. She looked to the side and opened one eye to see Katsuki standing there, staring at her with a frowning face.
"I told you not to stand up." Katsuki's voice was stern, but beneath it, she could sense a flicker of concern. His brows knitted together as he stepped closer, arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Yukimo sighed after hearing this and continued going through her bag, "I was just searching for my phone."
"It's on my desk," said Katsuki, grabbing her phone from his desk before standing in front of her."I answered the call after it kept going annoyingly off. That loser's mother kept calling and was worried about you. I explained what happened to you."
"T-thanks," Yukimo stuttered after he gave it back to her, noticing he was staring at her. The last thing she had expected from him was, just like before, him moving her long bangs behind her ears.
Katsuki's touch sent an unexpected jolt through her, a warmth that was oddly comforting despite her ongoing fever. It was a gentle gesture, a stark contrast to his usual brash demeanor. Yukimo could feel her cheeks heated up, but she quickly shook off the feeling, and put her bangs back in place.
"Seriously, why do you hide it?!"he questioned angrily, raising his voice a bit.
"Ach, whatever," he continued after seeing Yukimo wouldn't answer his question. He walked past her and made his way toward his desk.
Yukimo watched him intently, a mix of surprise and intrigue washing over her. Katsuki was undeniably fierce, but in moments like this, glimpses of a softer side peeked through his harder exterior. She couldn't help but be captivated by the complexity of his character; he was the epitome of a thorny rose—unwelcoming at first glance, but harboring unexpected beauty.
"You know," she said, filling the awkward silence that had crept in, "I've never seen your room before. It's really… you."
Katsuki glanced over his shoulder, his expression hardening, but Yukimo could see a flicker of pride. "What's that supposed to mean? That I'm a messy jerk?" He scoffed, trying to maintain his brusque persona.
"Not at all! I mean, I didn't picture you being this organized," she replied, a teasing smile on her lips. "I half-expected to see explosions and chaos all over the place."
He turned fully to face her, eyebrows shooting up in mock surprise. "Tch! You think I wouldn't keep my space in check?"
"I mean..." Yukimo stopped herself from continuing this conversation. She knew he would explode if she would comment further about his room and made her way back to his bed. Seeing he wouldn't say anything to her, she called Izuku's mother.
On the other line, Yukimo could clearly hear Izuku's mother was extremely worried, not only about Yukimo but also about her son, who had been acting strange ever since the exam. Yukimo apologized for not being able to come for dinner and hung up the phone after Izuku's mother asked her to take care of herself.
Guilt had been eating her up a bit. Yukimo had used her fever as an excuse not to show up for dinner. The fever thing was true, but she didn't want to go in the first place. Ever since the exam, or even before that, when she and Izuku had been preparing for the exam, they hadn't really talked to each other.
Yukimo didn't want to be there because she felt like she couldn't really say anything to him—neither about her decision nor could she ask him about his training and how he had performed during the exam. She felt like waiting until the results came out to see whether they both got accepted or not.
"You should stop worrying about that quirkless loser!" he yelled over his shoulder, knowing full well what she had been thinking, as if he had the telepathic quirk.
Not having the energy yet to argue with Katsuki, she ignored his comment. She laid down again while Katsuki played some music not too loudly because of her headache. They didn't say anything to each other, and neither of them minded that.
It was almost time for dinner. Yukimo woke up after noticing Katsuki had turned off the music completely. She hadn't realized that she dozed off while listening to music. Rubbing her eyes, she stretched and glanced around the room.
"Dinner is almost ready," Katsuki said as he approached his bed and stretched out his arm to help her down the stairs. For a few seconds, she stared at his hand, making him think she wouldn't accept his offer and made him wonder why he was doing it in the first place. It was making him uncomfortable.
"All Might told me that I can become a hero," Yukimo confessed, looking him in the eyes.
"You wanted to know why I suddenly decided to try for the UA exam," she continued after seeing his puzzled expression regarding why she was suddenly saying that. "If you're going to threaten me to drop out, the answer is no. For the first time, an adult, a Pro Hero, told me that I can become a hero."
Katsuki clenched his hand into a fist as soon as placed them inside his pocket and frowned. He knew Yukimo would be stubborn the moment she set her mind on something.
"The teacher doesn't count, and you know it, "Yukimo said after hearing his thoughts about how their teacher had told her the same thing many times. She accepted his hand and got out of bed.
"Whatever," he mumbled and guided her down the stairs. "Stay out of my damn head."
Downstairs, she met his mother, who told her to call her Ms. Mitsuki. Finally, Yukimo learned where Katsuki's short temper came from. Once more, Yukimo picked up on the thought that Katsuki was talking about her to his parents. Why? What was he telling them?
Dinner was laid out on the table and filled the room with a delicious aroma. Katsuki's mother, Mitsuki, had prepared a feast of rice, grilled chicken, and a colorful assortment of vegetables. Yukimo couldn't help but smile at the sight. It reminded her of the dinners she often shared with Izuku and his mother, a comforting resemblance in the midst of her turmoil.
Yukimo watched in silence as the mother and son bickered with each other loudly. She noticed Mr. Masaru motioning her to join him at the table. The other two later joined the table after their argument, and everyone started to eat.
Throughout the whole dinner, Katsuki and Mrs. Mitsuki argued about another thing. Yukimo found the dinner lively and fun and couldn't help but smile as she looked back and forth between Katsuki and Ms. Mitsuki.
After dinner, she borrowed another shirt and shorts from Katsuki and took a shower. She stayed under the shower a bit longer as she thought back on the dinner. She really had fun and had never experienced that before. Even before her family had abandoned her, they never really had a lovely dinner. They never talked, smiled, or even looked at each other.
After dressing in the borrowed clothes, Yukimo wandered back into Katsuki's room. He was busy preparing his mattress right next to the bed.
"Are you really going to sleep on the floor?" Yukimo asked, genuinely surprised. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, watching Katsuki work.
"Tch. Don't get the wrong idea!" he snapped, but there was a hint of frustration in his tone, looking up momentarily from his task. "I'm just doing this because you need to rest. I'm not letting you sleep on the floor like some charity case."
Yukimo couldn't help but chuckle; it was so typical of Katsuki to insist on being tough while secretly showing concern. "Thanks, I appreciate it," she said, her tone softer than before.
"Whatever," he grumbled, finishing arranging the mattress. "Just don't get too comfortable. It's not like I'm doing this for you."
She decided to let that slide; instead, she took a seat on the edge of his bed, quietly observing him as he finished. It was a strange feeling, being in the same space as Katsuki in such an ordinary way. The tension they often shared felt diminished, though she could sense hints of his usual bravado peeking through.
Once he finished setting up the mattress, Katsuki stood up and dusted his hands off. "You really should get some rest." He frowned lightly, revealing concern she seldom saw in him.
"Yeah, I know." Yukimo admitted. They both lay down, with Katsuki staring at the ceiling and Yukimo staring at the wall with her back toward him. Even though she was wearing his big shirt and they were sleeping in the same room, she didn't feel awkward about it. There was a comforting silence between them. Should she feel awkward about it? Would she feel the same with Izuku?
They had never been that close with each other, and today was the first time she ate dinner with him and his parents, slept over and worn his shirt. They all happened in a day. Yet, she didn't feel awkward at all.
'Get well soon, so I can have my damn bed back,' she heard his thoughts and couldn't help but smile.
'Tomorrow you can have your bed back,' she said mentally to him.
'Whatever, and stay out of my damn head.'
"You have a nice family," she whispered. "I'm kind of jealous of your bond with your mom..."
"Hey!" he yelled and sat up, but she was already fast asleep.
XXXXXXXXXX
The next day, Yukimo went home when Nurse Hatsumi picked her up with the deadliest smile Yukimo had ever seen. She knew what was coming and heard an earful from Nurse Hatsumi when they reached Yukimo's home.
After that, a week went by really fast. Yukimo was forced to stay at home and rest. Nurse Hatsumi stayed with her for the rest of the week and took some days off just for this.
Once in a while, Yukimo practiced her telekinesis on some puzzles she had received from Izuku's mother. She had also told Nurse Hatsumi everything that had happened during the exam. It was really nice to talk to someone about her quirk, someone who was willing to help her improve. It was strange, but nice.
Today, Nurse Hatsumi had gone back to work, and Yukimo was binge-watching Hunter x Hunter. She had seen it like a thousand times and could still watch it over and over again without getting tired of it. She was also busy trying to keep her mind occupied while waiting for the results of the exam. She hadn't heard anything from school yet, nor from Katsuki after leaving his house.
Suddenly, someone knocked on her door. She got up and opened it but saw no one standing there. There was only an envelope on the ground. After noticing the U.A. seal on it, she grabbed it and ran back inside to open it.
Back in the living room, she sat down on the ground in front of the coffee table and ripped open the envelope. She noticed a letter was inside it along with a small disk that fell onto the table. The moment it hit the table, All Might appeared in front of her as a hologram.
"I am here as a projection!" he shouted. Yukimo laughed at his entrance; he always had to announce his appearance out loud.
"I am here to announce your results, and I must add that you have improved a lot! I saw you rescuing someone once more, and you lost control, didn't you?"
Yukimo felt the tension in her shoulders. She had hoped no one would notice that and had a bad feeling it would affect her acceptance.
"But you also managed to bring your senses back with that bracelet of yours. I am honestly impressed. You made the choice to shock yourself if you ever lost control. That's how I know you would never hurt anyone, and you should know it too. You have to start believing in yourself."
Her tension began to slowly ease as she listened to the projection. These were his opinions, but what about the other teachers? Surely, All Might wasn't the only one judging the students.
"You scored a total of 37 points; however, the entrance exam the other day was not graded solely on villain points!" he continued explaining.
"We also give rescue points! Your rescue points are 33 points! Your total score is 70 points!"
The projection showed her the examination results, and it indicated she was No. 4. She noticed that Katsuki was No. 1 and Eijiro Kirishima was No. 2, along with someone named Ochaco Uraraka, who was No. 3. Below her, she only saw Ibara Shiozaki as No. 5.
Yukimo remembered that guy's name and was happy to see him in the results. She was also pleased to see Katsuki's name and impressed that he was number 1. Too bad she couldn't see the rest of the results because she wanted to know which place Izuku had gotten.
"Congratulations! You passed!" All Might happily announced. "I welcome you to U.A. Academy! This is your first step toward becoming a hero!"
Yukimo felt herself smile as she tried to ignore the tears in her eyes. She made it. Without thinking for a second, she quickly grabbed her shoes and ran out of the house.
Outside, she felt raindrops falling onto her face but didn't bother to run back for an umbrella. She didn't even check the weather before leaving the house. She continued on her way as it started to rain harder than before, and it became slightly difficult to run faster in her now soaked clothing. Arriving at her destination, she banged on the door until someone finally opened it.
"Izuku?" Inko Midoriya opened the door. "Oh, Yukimo-chan! You're completely drenched!"
"Hi, Ms. Inko," she greeted between breaths, "I-is Izuku-kun home?"
"No, dear. He just left," she answered. "Why don't you come inside?"
"N-n-no, it's okay... thank you very much!" Yukimo replied and started to run again. She felt somewhat disappointed that she couldn't meet Izuku and wondered where he went. Without paying attention, she accidentally bumped into someone.
"Watch it!" a very familiar voice reached her ears, causing her to stop midway before breaking into another sprint.
"B-Bakugo?" she stuttered, turning to see the ash-blond glaring at her.
"What the hell are you doing here in the rain?!" he yelled. "Are you trying to get your fever back?!"
Yukimo looked up at Katsuki, she was too happy to argue back, and he was somewhat right. She had just gotten better from her fever, and now she was running in the rain, but that didn't stop her. She was too excited.
"I passed the exam! I got accepted into U.A. Academy!" she announced happily. Before giving him a chance to reply, she started to run again.
"And congratulations on your passing!" she yelled over her shoulder.
"W-wait! Damn it!" he cursed and watched her run away.
As Yukimo continued to sprint through the pouring rain, her heart raced with excitement. After she reached the hospital, she completely ignored every nurse's warning against running inside and the risk of slipping and continuing her sprint until she finally saw Nurse Hatsumi.
"Ms. Hatsumi!" she yelled excitedly.
"Yukimo-chan?" Hatsumi looked startled to see Yukimo completely drenched. "What are you doing here? Why are you completely drenched?"
"I got accepted!" Yukimo announced, ignoring all the other questions.
"W-what?" Hatsumi stared at her for a few seconds. Clearly, seeing her eyes glowing with happiness and excitement, Hatsumi knew this was real.
"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" she yelled and hugged Yukimo.
*-*To Be Continued *-*
Next chapter: December 21, 2024.
Sorry for such a huge gap, but my nephew's birthday, my birthday, and also my son's birthday are coming up. So I won't be able to work on my next chapter as much during those weeks.