Blood-Letting - mha

26

Mizuki's heart was furiously racing. When she heard she had a total of 8 offers, she was disappointed; however, now, she was ecstatic. Bakugo was right when he'd said that the weaker heroes wouldn't see her potential past her violence, but that wasn't the case for the stronger. Those who did request her for an internship were the strongest of strong, or incredibly stupid.

Yet 3 names stuck out most out of all the others. Best Jeanist. Ryukyu. And best of all Miruko. Best Jeanist may have been statistically the best pro, but Mizuki's choice was clear. She was going to intern with her favourite hero of all time - the rabbit hero Miruko.

Not only was she totally badass, but her fighting style was similar to her own, meaning the vampire could learn a great deal from her. It was the ideal option and hence the top of Mizuki's list.

After she'd completed her form and confirmed her hero name - Dhampir - she went to lunch with a smile on her face. But instead of joyfully sitting beside Kirishima and Bakugo like she had previously done for the past few weeks, she manoeuvred round the cafeteria and towards Midoriya and Uraraka.

"Do you mind if I sit with you guys?" She wondered, despite not enjoying her original lunch meeting with the group.

"Take a seat." Uraraka motioned to the chair beside her, welcoming Mizuki.

"Is everything alright Akaguro? You usually sit beside Kirishima." Midoriya questioned."

"Kirishima's fine. But that prick sat next to him is my problem." The girl scoffed, not bothering to look in Bakugo's direction.

"Kacchan?"

"Bingo." Mizuki confirmed.

"Yeah, I can see why you'd be annoyed with him." Uraraka agreed, looking over to Iida in sympathy. "After you left, she had Bakugo had a fight. Sure, it was their match but he made her drink his blood and then Mizuki walked out of bounds." She briefly explained to him.

Rolling her eyes, Mizuki could already predict the response coming from her class rep. Surely, he'd tell her to get over a petty rivalry and display 1A as a capable and mature class. She hated the way he did that, his rants about UA's responsibilities and aims were endless.

However, the predicted lecture never came. Iida simply nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Not to jump the gun, but is everything alright?" Mizuki questioned. "You left the festival early and haven't been acting the same since. It's no wonder I had a decent morning, you weren't shouting as usual." She explained her assumption, watching the others look over to the victim in worry.

"My brother." Iida began. "He had a run in with the Hero Killer."

Mizuki's playful gaze dropped; she knew the implications a sighting of him had on pro heroes. He was the hero killer for a reason. The only thing that confused her was his ideology. How could someone so focused on bettering society turn into a killer?

"Oh..." The vampire muttered. "Is he... alright?" She wondered, knowing her question would likely be in vain.

"He's paralysed. But alive." Iida revealed and the vampire released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"For what it's worth, I know how you feel. I lost my brother a while ago, you can talk to me if you ever want to get anything of your chest." She offered. "I promise I'm a better listener than a talker." She smiled warmly, trying to lighten a mood she brought down.

"There's no need." Iida shut down. "I'm doing just fine as it is."

The silence was deafening. Nobody wanted to tell Iida that he wasn't doing fine at all, nobody wanted to be that person. So instead, it was Midoriya who changed the topic.

"So, who's everyone interning with?" He questioned, mainly towards the newcomer who hadn't told many people about hers. "Akaguro, you didn't get many offers, but surely you've got a good selection?"

"Wow Midoriya, you're putting that brain of yours to good use." Mizuki replied, still uneasy with her minimal offers. "Besides, I think this list speaks for itself." She slid her internship options over to him, her options already labelled with backups. "3 offers from top ten heroes. How's that for a good selection?" She smirked.

"Top ten!" Izuku stood from his seat, drawing some attention from other classes. "Who!" He spawned his notebook.

"Ryukyu, Best Jeanist and Miruko. I'm going to intern with Miruko though, regardless of the ranking."

"I take it you're not going with Jeanist because of Kacchan." Midoriya assumed, watching as the vampires brows knitted together.

"He's going with Jeanist?" Mizuki scowled, quietly thanking Miruko for saving her. "Doesn't matter. Miruko's my favourite hero, I wouldn't give away this opportunity for a hero who beats her in the charts. But, what about you guys? Who are you interning with?"

When she heard the others pro hero choices, Mizuki had to feign recognition. She didn't know most of them, only hearing a few mentions of the name Gunhead rather than the other heroes who she was ignorant of. Though it was confusing how Iida scored 3rd, just like her, and he'd gone for an option that was likely the least relevant on his offers list. Surely heroes wouldn't be scared of him like they were her.

"Who's manual?" She wondered aloud, tilting her head much like Uraraka.

"A new agency based in Hosu." Midoriya informed timidly, as though he knew something that the others didn't.

Then it clicked.

"Hosu? Isn't that where the hero killer was last spotted?" The vampire asked in worry, seeing why Midoriya was so shaken about Iida's decision. "Look, I don't think this is the best way to deal with your grief. When my brother went missing, I got into exercising a lot. Figured I'd aim my anger elsewhere. Maybe you could give that a try instead?" She offered, but it was clear the boy wasn't listening.

"With all due respects, this isn't the same. My brother is paralysed, he can never be a hero again, and the culprit is still out there." He argued. "Your brother wasn't hurt, he ran away. There's no one to aim your anger at other than yourself and him. We don't have anything in common, so refrain from getting involved."

With that, he left, leaving Mizuki dumbfounded. She'd tried to help him, but he'd shut her down, almost insulting her and her efforts to help.

She knew Chizome ran away, she knew she couldn't do anything about it. However, the shocking reality check left her in anger. Iida didn't have any right to say that to her- not when it indirectly insulted Chizome.

"Fuck this."