𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 ᵏ. ᵇᵃᵏᵘᵍᵒ

.36.

THERE WERE HANDS AROUND HER NECK. Fingers dig into the skin, her scar burning white-hot and she clawed at the calloused palms, eyes blurred and no sound escaping her lips.

"Your eyes, your eyes, your eyes," chanted a man with dirty red shoes, eyes bloodshot and frenzied behind the hand covering his face. It had a ring on its third finger. Blood dripped from the metal onto her temple and her mind began to drift away and let go let go let go --

A flash of blue and a terrible squelching, tearing sound filled her ears, louder than the ringing and cotton in her head but all she could think was let go and the spiked shield piercing his lungs turned the same color red as his eyes.

Except it wasn't the hand-man anymore.

Hot tears ran down her cheeks, a silent scream trapped in her decaying throat as her uncle stared back down at her, a face of blood and splintered bone split into an eerie smile. "It was an accident," he said, blood bubbling at his lips and running down the folds of his capture weapon. "It was --"

" -- an accident," Bakugo mumbled, hands wrapped around the red shield and his eyes were dull, no longer fireworks and autumn leaves no no nonono stop as he looked at something over her shoulder stay awake don't leave please please please and he held out something small and black with a carved yellow flower on it. Her chest ached, choking on iron as she reached for his hand.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder.

"Didn't I raise you to be stronger than this?"

A sharp gasp broke the silence of the room. She stared at the ceiling, ragged breaths tearing through her. She couldn't keep any air in her lungs, I can't I can't and tears gathered in her eyes. The darkness of the room twisted around her, curling in front of her eyes and taking on the hazy shape of a silhouette. Something, someone pressed against her arm, her cheek, and it burned.

The voice still rang in her mind, louder and louder until she choked back a cry. No no no. She had to be imagining it, she had to be. Because the feeling, the dread, came tumbling back over her in waves, carrying the image of a stranger on the sidewalk, one with a brown leather jacket and blonde hair and they looked so much like --

---

He awoke to the sound of a coffee machine gurgling.

The living room of Aizawa's house was dark, the sleeping forms of his classmates spread across the couch. He had a crick in his neck and Kaminari's heel dug into his knee, but otherwise he didn't feel too groggy.

It took him a moment to realize there was a person missing from the group.

Grumbling, he shoved Kaminari's foot out of the way and rose from the couch, stretching as he stood until he felt his back pop. Clingy spark head. As his eyes adjusted, he could make out the dim glow off to the side.

Katsuki found her in the kitchen, cradling a mug in the light of a dying cell phone.

Neither of them said a word as they stood by the counter, listening to the deep breaths of the others.

She had one of her bracelets clasped in her hand, he noticed. The one from the mall, the one he'd carried around for days like some idiot who was too scared to talk to a girl, he was just being cautious, screw you. Her thumb ran over the flower like a good luck charm. Today's the Sports Festival.

He glanced at the cell phone, gleaming in its last bit of battery life. A news article peered up at him, written in English. COP DISAPPEARS IN MIDST OF GATHERING CASE INFORMATION. The name of the town listed further down looked a lot like the one Smith had said she came from. She stared at the wall with unseeing eyes, face pale as a ghost in the phone light.

Yeah. With the way this year was going, their class needed all the luck they could get.

---

"If you had to date someone at this table, who would it be?"

She glanced up from the scratches in the waiting room table. Mina smirked at her her, half slumped over the table in an effort to reach her. "C'mon, Ken, honest answers only!"

Kendria looked at the other girls. Ochaco and Momo blushed furiously at the question, while the others rolled their eyes -- she assumed Toru did as well, though there was really no way to be sure -- and grinned. She thought about it for a moment. "Momo," she finally decided, ignoring the other girl's stutters. "Then you, then maybe Ochaco." It felt weird, calling them by their given names. But everyone had agreed to it on their day out, as a way to be close and know each other better. Especially since the boy-to-girl ratio in their class was pretty noticeable.

Ochaco waved her hands frantically, red from her neck to the tips of her ears. "I'm flattered, but I already have a girlfriend!" Squeals erupted around the table, loud enough to make Kendria lean back as they squeezed answers out of the gravity girl. With the attention away from her, she observed the rest of the waiting room.

Her classmates were all stuck in various stages of nerves. She could hear Midoriya's muttering from across the room. Tokoyami had his head down, as if he was trying to conserve his calmness, but he gave her a nod when he glanced her way. The mood in the room hung at a balance of nervous and impatient, and it wasn't long before someone decided to burst the bubble.

She watched as Todoroki stalked up to Midoriya and delivered a speech about being stronger and winning and such. It was almost comical, the utter confusion plastered on Midoriya's face, and she snorted a little when Kyoka rolled her eyes and muttered, "Testosterone." Kendria crossed her arms and tucked her chin in, leaning back in the chair. Maybe I can catch a few minutes of sleep. God knows I need it. A yawn built up in her throat.

"Smith." She looked up at Bakugo, who loomed over her with his gremlin-rage snarl. "You'd better not hold back. I'm gonna crush you at full strength, got it?" There was irritation in his voice, probably from Todoroki and Midoriya, but also fervor and anticipation.

She held out her hand, letting the offer hang in the air. "Wouldn't have it any other way." He stared at her, fists curling tighter, before a wicked grin spread across his face.

They shook on it.

I shouldn't have shook on it, she thought, jeers and cries of outrage rising around her. Bakugo stood on a stage, cameras pointed at him from every angle, deadpan despite his declaration of victory.

"I'm so not feeling the vibes right now," Kaminari whispered, huddling closer to her. Piercing glares and growls, someone is actually growling at us oh god, seemed to converge on her and the rest of her class. She surveyed the field; there were a lot more people angry at them than there were allies. She spotted Silver, Aka? in the crowd, waving beside Lilac. Kendria waved back. She said his name was Shinso, right? Himura and Saitou were on the other side of the field, clustered with the rest of 1-B.

She patted the lightning boy on the shoulder, brushing dust off his gym uniform. "Yeah, it sucks." Ignoring his complaints of how she was supposed to be inspirational, Kendria tuned back in to the big wheel Midnight was spinning on the stage. The tabs tick, tick, ticked and finally it puttered to a stop.

"Obstacle course!"

Kill me now.

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hi apologies for taking so long to upload this

this has been written for a while i just got busy with work and school and art and trying to convince myself to relax for once in my life

also im a senior now so thats terrifying

no because how has it been almost two years since i last updated dfoweirowejsdk

anyway nice to see yall, hope you are safe and sound, happy holidays and such

- fash