I'm With You | Katsuki Bakugou x OC [Book Two Of Three]

Prologue

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Inei, that's the name he chose for himself. It's better than his given name, the name his parents granted him at birth. He thought it's a fitting name, one created from darkness and certainty.

However, today he has to go by a different name, stolen from some nobody who tried to go the route of a hero. Inei took that choice from him. To steal someone else's identity, it's an easy accomplishment really. All he had to do was wait for the perfect moment to reach out and grasp this poor, unsuspecting soul.

Inei glares down at the small, rectangular card in between his fingers, detailing his name, number and school, none of which is true. This name doesn't apply to him, the number has no meaning and the school... Well, that's just another failed attempt at heroism. It's no UA, though.

The pro hero known as Present Mic has been babbling on for so long, that most of the students in this wide, circular hall have taken to other means to entertain themselves, whether it be chatting amongst their friends, or gazing down at their phones under their desks. As Inei's glazed eyes scan the hall packed with students with foolish aspirations, he perks up a little at two in the middle of an argument. One of them, with green hair and an overjoyed expression is muttering under his breath, something to do with the upcoming course, while another student beside him is gripping his card so tightly, that it looks like it might turn to dust.

Wouldn't that be ironic.

They seem to know each other, but Inei wouldn't exactly call them friends. At least he's getting some kind of entertainment right now. Present Mic's voice is starting to get on his nerves, just like every hero he's ever known. He has to keep his cool though. There'd be no point in ruining everything now just to vent out a bit of unnecessary frustration.

But, eventually it's time for the students to leave the grand hall and get dressed out of their school uniform and into more suitable clothes. Finally - this school uniform is so unknown to him that it's starting to itch. The student he stole it from won't mind though. That unfortunate wannabe hero had no idea of Inei's incoming ambush when he plucked him off the streets with nary a witness to gawk their way.

Inei keeps quiet as he follows the other boys into the changing area and readies himself into his preferred gear. He's tempted to bring more accessories with him, to give him an added boost during this exam, but he can't cheat, not when there are so many eyes watching him. He's not even certain he can pass this test with such a weak Quirk, but he doesn't have a choice if he wants to be close to her again.

As he follows the excitable students to their battle location, he allows his Quirk to activate, a pitiful, light blue glow, roughly the size of a tennis ball illuminating in the centre of his palm. He's never even been able to cause harm with it, let alone take down some gigantic robots.

He squeezes his eyes shut, before opening them, arriving at the gate that beckons to the awaiting students. Inei can see the skyscrapers poking out from the top of the gate, towering over them all.

Ever since he rid this world of his parents, he's been taken under someone else's wing, allowed this madman - who claims to know all - to guide him through the last four or so years of his life. He hasn't been alone either - someone a little older than him has also been granted a second chance. A crazy bastard, with a sadistically powerful Quirk, capable of destroying all he touches - he's even more unhinged than the man who took him in.

After he's finished reminiscing, using his new estranged family to sink into his thoughts, he opens his eyes and that's when he sees her. She's dressed in simple joggers and a shirt, laughing at something a boy has said beside her. He has black hair and red eyes, with dimples under the eyes.

His jaw drops at her likeness, at her ability to draw people towards her, at her strength radiating off her like a beacon. Inei takes a step in her direction, his Quirk dissipating in his palm, but before he can make contact with her, an alarm rings out, loud and unexpected, causing him to freeze. At first, he believes to be caught, but then the massive gates before him open with a squeak and the students rush off into battle.

Inei tries to stick close to Kira, in case she needs saving, but he can't get close to her. The robots are quick and nimble, but... so is she. He keeps losing her, as she zips about, using her Quirk to boost her speed. Inei is already aware of her uniqueness, having been keeping tabs on her ever since he left home. That was four years ago now and he hasn't really seen her power in action, other than continuous training with Light Bringer up until the day he kidnapped her.

Inei avoids a robot, ducking back out of sight as another student obliterates it to a beaten wreck. When he composes himself, he spots Kira chatting to that dark-haired student again. She watches them connect in a way that makes his blood boil, as she assists him in taking down a few robots. He has hardened skin that can easily slice through their opponents - he doesn't need Kira's help. He's just using her.

Inei glares at this boy, ready to storm over and do something he's been itching to do since the beginning, but he's suddenly cornered, ambushed by two robots, both of them being worth three points. He had his sights solely set on Kira's wellbeing, that he forgot about his surroundings. The man who took him in when he left home has been drilling the rules of life into his brain, but one look at Kira and that all comes crumbling down.

That's the effect Kira has on him and he relishes in it.

Inei activates his Quirk, his palms glowing meekly with his light and he slams his hands on the robots mechanical faces. His power is barely strong enough to leave a small indent, a pathetic attempt to save his own skin. These two robots overpower him in an instant, forcing him back onto his behind and then straight onto his back. He curses at his opponents, trying to keep them at bay, when suddenly, they're both obliterated in an instant, two green beams of light flashing before his eyes.

The weight from the robots vanishes and he feels like he can breathe again, his arms falling down to his sides, his Quirk fluttering away, as if it too wanted to escape.

"Are you okay?" Her voice rings out in his ear.

Inei turns his head in Kira's direction and he loses all form of speaking coherently. She looks down at him, the sun forming around her perfectly. Her hair is messy, her cheeks covered in dirt and hard work, but she still looks amazing. She hasn't changed a bit since they last spoke, back when they were just innocent kids.

Inei realises he's been staring up at Kira in awe, so he forces himself to nod dumbly in response. She smiles at that assurance and rushes off without looking back in his direction. Is that all she has to say to him? She... doesn't remember him, does she? Why? Did their connection from when they were kids mean nothing to her?

No - that's not it. Inei gets to his feet, rubbing the grime from his clothes, dusting his palms together and watches Kira steal a 'kill' from the angry blonde student he noticed in the hall earlier.

Kira may look the same as when they were young, but she doesn't feel the same. Not that that dissuades his admiration of her in the slightest. With Light Bringer now in his clutches, he plans to get some answers for Kira's lack of recognition. Not only that - he looks down at his palms, at his weakness - it's time to finally do something about this useless Quirk of his.

~~~

author's note:

Hey, all!
Welcome to my second book: I'm With You. I'm sooo excited to share what comes next for Akira and I hope you are too!

So, I have a few ideas that I'd like to experiment with and one of those includes switching POV's. I won't be doing it a lot, but when I do, I'll try to make it as clear as possible without putting an obvious title. It'll be interesting to see where the story goes from someone else's POV...

As always, feel free to comment and vote and ask me any questions you may have about this book!

P.S. I have a playlist made for this book on Spotify if you want some listening material. Some songs may give hints or foreshadow what's to come as well... ;)

Playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5pRWT2dev1B0VfnJJlK8P6?si=r8CYnGsTSQejF8a-O93bXw

(Link has been posted in public conversations to access aswell ^^)

Much love x