Katsuki arrived at the beach, his hands in his pockets and nonchalant. The sun was setting and the clouds were pink and orange. The waves washed over the beach in a steady rhythm, the waves sparkling like diamonds.
It was a beautiful sight, but she was even more beautiful. While she didn't hear him arrive, he remained silent for a few more moments, imprinting the image of her golden-haloed silhouette in his mind.
- You wanted to see me ?
Ochaco Uraraka turned to him, her gaze unreadable.
- Ah, Bakugo. I had begun to lose patience.
She smiled at him.
He watched her for a few seconds, then looked away, his face neutral.
She watched him curiously as he walked to her, looking out over the ocean, but didn't got too close.
The wind blew through her hair and rattled her pants, drops of water splashing on her feet.
- It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
He turned his head to her. She looked at him. He looked away again.
- Hmm.
A pleasant silence settled between them. The sound of the waves crashing on the shore were only background music for Katsuki who could only think about what to do next.
- What did you want to say to me?
- What did you want to say?
Ochaco half opened her mouth in surprise.
Katsuki didn't like to repeat himself, but he did anyway:
- Sparkling boy said that you wanted to see me.
This time, she frowned and stared at the horizon for a few seconds. The sun was nothing more than a thin golden line.
- ... Aoyama said you wanted to see me. That you wanted to tell me something.
It was Katsuki's turn to frown.
- He told me that I'd find you on the beach and that you had something urgent to tell me.
The teenager's lips turned into a thin white line. He clenched his fists, angered.
- He said you had something-
There was an explosion.
Their faces turned in unison toward the camp.
A plume of black smoke rose from behind the dormitories.
- Bakugo-
Katsuki had started running without realizing it, his instincts taking over. Ochaco followed him at a fast pace, but he was already outrunning her.
They passed the extinguished campfire and approached the wooden building.
- Wait !
The dormitory exploded.
Planks of wood flew in all directions, hurled with great force. The surrounding trees bent as if they were about to be uprooted. The earth shook as if the ground was about to split open and swallow them all. A burning, dusty blast swept everything in its path, forcing Katsuki to stop to avoid being swept away. He covered his eyes with his forearm to protect himself.
There was a creaking sound and the frame collapsed.
Katsuki forced himself to ignore the burning smell of his hair and his stinging eyes to see the extent of the damage.
His eyes widened.
The building had been pulverized from the inside, a huge crater replacing what had once been. A frail wooden beam stood alone in the left corner, miraculously still standing. Acrid smoke billowed from the burning ground, obscuring the view of the surrounding area. The ground still rumbled.
Flaming ash and wood shavings rained down from the sky.
Katsuki froze, unable to look away. He had never seen such destruction.
- -kugo! Bakugo!
His red eyes snapped out of contemplation and turned to Ochaco. White ash was already staining her hair.
- We have to find the others.
Katsuki looked back at the crater and what was left of it.
- There's nothing more we can do for them," she told him. If someone was in the building...
He didn't answer. She gritted her teeth and grabbed his hand, forcing him to come with her.
- The girls told me they were going to the woods earlier. We have to join them.
Katsuki blinked and pulled herself together, unconsciously squeezing Ochaco's hand before letting go.
He did not say anything, but his face spoke for itself: if someone had really been in the dormitories and the villain in charge had the misfortune to cross his path...
*
- I was beginning to lose my patience.
The four girls froze.
A man was blocking their path, leaning casually against a tree. His long black cardigan fluttered in the wind behind him as he studied them with his intense blue eyes. He looked at them as if he pitied them.
Momo, her legs shaking, forced herself to stand in front of the girls to protect them.
- What are you doing out here ? This is private land !
Dabi laughed contemptuously.
- Aren't you supposed to be smart, going to a school for heroes ?
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The villain's smile widened as he saw the horror of realization on their faces.
- You heard the explosions, you know why I'm here.
- Momo!
Without thinking, the brunette jumped aside, as did Toru and Tsuyu.
Jiro's jacks sank into the soft earth and shook the ground all the way to Dabi.
The ground cracked and the trees began to sway under the force of her quirk.
The villain arched an eyebrow without moving, having no trouble staying where he was.
- Is that all you can do, little girl ?
He raised his hand to her.
- Jiro !
The villain's mouth twisted into an amused smile.
- Let me show you what a real Quirk can do
Jiro's eyes widened as a wave of blue flame exploded from the villain's hand, sweeping away everything in its path. Leaves on branches shriveled to ashes, trees turned into matchsticks in a matter of seconds. Grass burned like hay, spreading the fire even faster and stronger than the villain's wave of fire.
Tsuyu stuck out her tongue and grabbed Jiro for cover, burning it in the process.
- Tsuyu, are you okay? panicked Jiro.
Black smoke poured out of the frog's mouth. She nodded weakly, one hand on her throat.
- Run!
The girls sprinted towards the sea, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the villain as possible.
Jiro stopped here and there to use her Quirk to knock down trees behind them, hoping to slow the villain.
- Faster !, Momo shouted, in the middle of making water bottles to keep Tsuyu hydrated.
- We'll never get out of here at this rate, Toru shouted. We have to do something!
- Such as ?
Momo pressed her lips together as she continued to run.
She could stop him, but if word got out that she'd used her Quirk for something like this...
- You could create a distraction, Toru continued. And I'll attack him from behind.
Jiro shook his head.
- Impossible, how will you get past his fire curtain? You'll be charred in a split second.
Tsuyu tapped Momo's shoulder and whispered in her ear.
The brunette paused for a moment to listen.
- Tsuyu is right, I could create a combination for you. If we can distract him long enough...
- I don't like that idea, Jiro replied. If he realizes that you're there...
The invisible girl also shivered with fear, but she had no choice.
- He's leading us away from the camp. If we don't do something, we'll all be killed.
This sudden remark silenced Jiro's last protests.
They continued to run, the shore taking shape at the edge of the forest.
Jiro asked with a voice that was meant to be calm:
- Momo, have you finished it ?
The brunette nodded.
- Yes, help her put it on!
She threw it to the other two girls as they all came to a halt.
Bending over Tsuyu, Momo made a wet compress and placed it on her forehead.
It was a miracle that she hadn't passed out from the pain and was lucid enough to run.
- How are you holding up?
Tsuyu blinked but made no sound. Then she collapsed against the trunk of a tree, panting and her eyes half closed.
Momo felt the worry gnawing at her as she made water bottle after water bottle.
Toru would need a distraction to sneak up behind the villain, and if she couldn't...
The brunette glanced discreetly at the other girls.
Toru had already put on the legs and arms of the white jumpsuit: all that was missing was Jiro zipping up the integrated hood.
Momo looked down at her chest and created another object that she didn't tell the other girls about. If the worst came to the worst and Toru couldn't make it... someone would have to take the lead, for everyone's sake.
*
Kenta stopped when the floor shook.
Hanging kitchen utensils clattered against the tiled wall. A stack of precariously balanced plates crashed to the floor in a spray of debris.
The light bulbs on the ceiling exploded in response.
Keichiro and Kana jumped to their feet, their senses alert. Kenta watched their anxious faces curiously, swinging his legs back and forth carelessly. The boy made a small squeaking noise when the gun rubbed against his pants.
- Honey, did you hear that?
Keichiro spoke in a low voice as if he was afraid someone would hear him.
- An explosion sound, she replied. Like a bomb.
They exchanged worried looks.
- Do you think the children...?
Another explosion rocked the building.
In one move, Keichiro and Kana lifted Kenta from his chair and moved away from the overcrowded shelves. Dishes rained down around them, pots and pans clattered on mounds of broken glass.
- We've got to go, Keichiro breathed, his eyes darting back and forth.
- But where?
Kenta interjected:
- I know, I know! We have to go to the school!
The couple lowered their dark eyes to their son. The child's joyful expression faded when he saw his parents' gloomy face.
Kana turned to her husband first.
- The school could be a good idea, Keichi. It's the only concrete building there and I'm sure I saw some kids going there earlier.
Keichiro hesitated. The lives of his wife and son were at stake: he couldn't afford to make the slightest mistake, or else the tragedy of that day would be repeated.
- What if we went through the woods? The headmaster had told us there was a hero's lair on the other side of the coast…
- Thirty minutes by car, his wife hissed. How long do you think it'll take us to get there on foot? And if we meet an intruder on the way...
Kana squeezed her husband's shoulder and tried to look as confident as possible.
- Keichiro, we have no choice. We have to protect Kenta no matter what.
They exchanged another meaningful look, their faces closed.
Kenta had lost his smile and watched his parents with furrowed brows, not quite sure how to react. Sho-sho had told him that it was a game and that they only had to go to school to win. Didn't his parents knew that ?
Kenta opened his mouth to explain.
- Mom-
- What do we have here?
Keichiro's head turned to the voice so quickly that his neck snapped audibly. He grabbed his son and threw him into his wife's arms before pushing her behind him and grabbing the nearest knife at his disposal.
- No need to get all worked up, folks. All I need is some information and I'll be gone in no time.
Keichiro's hand shook, but his look was determined.
- Who the hell are you? Show yourself at once!
A dark figure rose from the open window.
The moonlight was pale, barely illuminating the villain. His scaly skin cast shifting reflections on the walls as he advanced.
Keichiro waved his knife menacingly.
Behind his parents, Kenta's eyes opened wide, frightened by the thing whose face he couldn't see.
- Don't come any closer!
The villain stopped in front of the central island. Slowly, he raised his hands.
- Like I said, I just need some information for my boss. Then I'll be on my way.
Keichiro gritted his teeth.
- If we tell you what you want to know, will you promise to let us go?
Kana inhaled sharply.
They both knew that the word of a villain was worthless, but what else could they do? They were cornered in the back of the kitchen, the only place where there were no doors or windows.
- ... I promise I'll make this quick and painless.
Keichiro felt a drop of sweat roll down his brow.
He had to think of a solution and to do that, he had to make him talk.
- Who's your boss?
The scaly man shrugged, revealing the scabbard strapped to his back.
- Hard to say. I've only seen him twice, and the second time was today.
- Why are you here?
Keichiro heard the smile in the villain's voice:
- For the classic, slaughtering innocents and kidnapping some children.
At the last words, he straightened up.
- Kidnapping children? Is that why you're here? You want to kidnap Yuei's students?
The villain snapped:
- I was willing to answer your questions to keep your child from screaming, but I'm not at your disposal, human. Now will you kindly shut up and tell me where I can find-
The villain turned his head to the side, eyes wide.
His fingers barely had time to graze the hilt of his sword before he was kicked in the temple. He crumpled to the ground with a thud.
- Phew, another second and he would have realized I was there!
A figure stood up beside the unconscious body, the moonlight illuminating his face in profile.
Kana sighed in relief as she recognized him and released the grip she had unconsciously placed on her son.
- Are you all right?
- Yo-Yoarashi-san, how did you know...?
Inaza scratched his neck, suddenly embarrassed.
- Actually, I was a bit hungry, and since I know that you sometimes allow Todoroki to come and eat outside of the refectory's opening hours, I thought you wouldn't mind if I stopped by for a little nibble (He shook his hands at her expression) But it was just a bowl of cereal, I swear was going to clean up after myself!
Kana set her son down and walked across the distance to the teenager. She took his hands in hers.
- Thank you, thank you so much!
Inaza blushed, not quite used to being the object of so much gratitude.
Keichiro fumbled in a drawer and pulled out two strips of brown tape.
He tossed one to his wife and then approached the villain.
- Let's take away his weapon and tie him up.
- What's next ?
Inaza raised his hand.
- I suggest we go to the school if it's not the building who blew up. I saw Aizawa-sensei there earlier: he'll be able to tell us what to do.
Kenta stood back and watched silently as his parents disarmed the villain before tying him up like a roast, hand and foot bound. As a precaution, they even removed his shoes in case he managed to escape.
The gun weighed heavily in his hand: he hid it under his shirt without a word.
*
Author's note :
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