Hoku sat quietly in the back of the bus that was going to take him to battle center C, looking out the window and trying to calm down.
Apparently the person next to him had a very different idea. "Hey!" Hoku jumped and tensed up at the sudden and excited interaction. "My name's Kirishima, yours?"
Hoku hesitantly turned towards the redhead boy who had sharp teeth, speaking his answer quietly, "Kosiru."
Kirishima barely heard the shy boy but grinned widely anyway. "Cool! What's your quirk? Mine's hardening," The redhead showed off, his hand turning into a rock of sorts while the rest of his arm remained normal. Hoku opened his mouth to answer but it was drowned out in the hustle of getting out of the bus. Hoku gladly took that chance to escape. He ended up taking out his bandages as he stepped out. He quickly wrapped up his hands, managing even with the shaking.
Hoku shook out his hands and feet, trying to get rid of nerves. Exhaling a quick puff of air the boy started to feel his heart going, the nerves and adrenaline kicking in. "Hey," Hoku turned his head back to the shark toothed redhead with a tilt. "Good luck."
Hoku gave a shy grin and a thumbs up. "You too, Kirishima."
That was somehow amazing timing as (via plot convince) the announcer's voice echoed across the area, "GO!"
Hoku jumped, shooting forward from pure shock and fear. He darted past the other examinees, making a break for it down the main road.
"WELL?! THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN BATTLE!!! GO GO GO!!!"
The moment the word 'battle' processed in Hoku's mind all nerves and anxiety left his system, only leaving adrenaline behind. A crazy grin broke apart his shy expression, the only witness being an one-pointer who appeared from a side alley. It went for a left hook, nearing Hoku's face at a bone crushing rate. A mere centimeter before it connected something blew it back, leaving the robot wide open. Hoku grabbed one of the larger wires on the beast's neck, ripping it out as he continued running. Dropping the wire and ducking under the machine's arm Hoku left the thing in the dust before there was a sudden explosion.
Looking back and seeing the charred remains Hoku's grin turned near blood thirsty. Time to get down to business.
Hoku jolted his head up from his panting position on a three-pointer, blanching when he saw the giant robot causing the sudden noise.
He looked it over in a split second, his wide eyes landing on a giant zero. "The zero pointer," The brunette gasped, his adrenaline switching from exciting to fearful. Hoku scrambled away, his fear making him forget completely about his quirk.
"AHHH!"
His body froze, his head inching around to see a certain someone on the ground. Hoku couldn't go back, he would get crushed. But if the other stayed there his quirk could give out before the teachers ended the test. But Hoku couldn't save anyone, he was pitiful. His quirk was barely usable at this point, Hoku wasn't strong enough to face the drawbacks. But that kid talked to him... was nice...
"Dude! What're doing?!"
Hoku's sprint was undeterred by the other examinees, the ones who left one of their own in the dust. Bile climbed up Hoku's throat as he neared the one he wished to save. The other's ankle was completely cover in a giant purple bruise, probably sprained or maybe even broken. Hoku felt tears of desperation spring to his eyes as he stopped for just a moment by the hurt boy.
"Kosiru?!" Kirishima yelped, not expecting to be picked up by the shy green-eyed boy bridal style. Hoku didn't respond, instead taking a step back and away from the destructive machine. "Kosiru get out of here!"
"No way," Hoku whispered, his voice barely making it past his mouth.
"Huh?" Kirishima looked at the boy in confusion.
"No way!" Hoku shouted, startling the wounded boy. He took another step back and by some miracle the test was over, everything was fine. Absolutely completely and utterly--
You didn't think that would actually happen did you? That's not how Hoku's life rolls.
Instead he trips over literal air, falling back with a certain redhead coming with him. Having a moment of actual intelligence and strategy Hoku quickly made a plan. "Hang on tight," The brunette told the redhead, the other having to disregard the fact that Hoku's voice was distorting. The red eyed boy felt vibrations coming from Hoku himself, not at all expecting when the two were launched into the awaiting fist of the robot.
Kirishima yelped and held onto Hoku's shirt tightly. Over his shock he could barely hear the shy boy's voice over the wind, "It'll explode upon contact, it'll explode upon contact, it'll explode upon contact," Hoku himself barely knew if he was reassuring himself or the injured redhead. Hoku's word was apparently law for a moment seeing as a big old bright explosion was caused by some minor implosion. Kirishima felt that weird vibrating again, a breathy yelp escaping him once again as they shot through the fire. Hoku was flying about the height of the buildings now, taking a deep breath as he turned his back to one of them. The two suddenly shot towards the building, forcing Hoku to roll.
Hoku suddenly dropped Kirishima, making the redhead groan while the brunette walked towards the edge. "Wait!" Hoku did, pausing when he put his foot on the edge. "What are you doing?!" Hoku turned his head, smiling as he jumped up on the edge and faced the other. Kirishima's crimson eyes widened from the other's arms spreading wide in a T pose like fashion. "Kosiru!" Hoku fell back, closing his eyes as he dropped.
For a moment time seemed to slow, leaving only Hoku, the wind, and the power residing inside him. His green eyes opened, half lidded against the roaring wind. He twisted like a cat, the incoming fist just barely touching his foot before it too imploded. The brunette shot up into the sky, his entire body seeming to vibrate as he fell back nearby the explosion. The wind roared once more, leaving him a moment of the same odd tranquility. Not even a moment later his entire body shot forward, all left moving like normal except for his leg. Hoku let out a small war cry as his leg connected with the robot's neck, breaking through the millions of wires in a moment. At least a quarter of the wires were cut, left dangling in the wind while Hoku hurtled towards the pavement. Suddenly he seemed to bounce right back, his body twisting so the newly vibrating arm could cut through another quarter of the wires. Hoku's body rebounded one last time, allowing him to land right next to an open mouthed and bug eyed Kirishima.
"How in the--?!" Before the redhead could finish his question Hoku picked him up again. The brunette jumped off the building once more, this time holding a yelping boy that was most certainly taller than him. The two landed at least three to four buildings away by ping ponging between the buildings' sky line and the pavement before the entire robot exploded. Hoku put Kirishima down with a hesitant grin, becoming the other's crutch while he processed.
"The exam is over!!!" The announcer broadcasted, leaving Kirishima to gawk at his newfound savior.
Luckily before he could ask a rather short woman with a large syringe came walking through the mock street. "Is anybody injured? Oh wait here have a gummy," The old lady continued to hand out gummies randomly before coming up to the two who just had a close encounter with the robot. "Ah, here you go," Kirishima jolted when the lady suddenly kissed his ankle. Before he could question it his body felt just a little bit heavier, his ankle just as functional as at the beginning of the exam. Kirishima turned to praise and talk to Hoku only to find that the brunette had slipped out at some point. Kirishima frowned but ended up shrugging it off, heading back to the bus with everyone else.
Hoku sat in the back again, flinching when the bus filled with chatter from the other examinees. He winced after a moment, looking at his bandaged hands with a grimace as he saw the small amount of purpling bruise he could. Before he could take off his bandages to check his hands a certain someone slid in next to him again. "Hey, Kosiru!" Hoku flinched at the sudden and loud noise that came from his new neighbor. "Thanks for saving me! It was super manly!"
"It wasn't much," The brunette spoke quietly, forcing Kirishima to strain his ears past his own excitement.
"Are you kidding me?! Your quirk is amazing! You were so fast I couldn't even see you sometimes!" Kirishima cheered. Good, Hoku internally mumbled, I don't want to be seen for the weak person I am. "What's your quirk any--?"
Before Kirishima could finish his question all the way a pink blur bumped into him. "Oh! I'm so so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was-- Kirishima is that you?!" The pink blur ended up being a girl with yellow horns and black/yellow eyes.
"Mina?!" Kirishima gave the girl a wide eyed look, clearly not expecting to see her.
"Son of a gun, it is you!" 'Mina' grinned, plopping down right next to the redhead in the other window seat. "I didn't think you were gonna take the exam! What a pleasant surprise!"
Kirishima nodded along with a bright and blinding sharky grin, "Same here! How've you been doing?"
Mina returned it as best she could, "I've been doing well, how about you?"
"Good, I got a bit hurt during the exam but that nurse lady healed me," Kirishima answered easily. Hoku relaxed just a little, maybe they wouldn't talk to him for the rest of the drive!
Hah, jokes.
"Oh yeah! I saw somebody dive back in to save you! He was so cool!" Mina gushed, not at all expecting to overload a certain brunette with compliments. "He was so fast and strong too! Though he did scare me half to death when he suddenly dived off that building he put you on. Besides that, making the robot explode in three different parts? So cool!!! I guess you would say manly though."
Don't you do it! Hoku internally screamed at the redhead. You sure as hell better not do what I think you're gonna do!
Kirishima blushed just a little and scratched his neck in embarrassment, "Well not my fault he was. Besides, you better pay your compliments to the guy himself," The taller of the three pointed at Hoku who immediately became as tight as a coiled spring. Crap.
"Seriously?" Mina looked around Kirishima to see the brunette who looked awfully tense. "Cool! What's your name?"
Hoku tried to curl up into a little ball when the new stranger talked to him. Luckily Kirishima seemed to be a little perceptive and saved Hoku from his personal doom. "Mina, meet Kosiru Hoku. Kosiru, Ashido Mina."
"Nice t-to m-m-meet you," Hoku mumbled, forcing Mina to strain her ears and lean a bit closer.
Mina quickly grinned at the boy who shyly met her mutated eyes, "Nice to meet you too! I really was serious, you looked so cool pulling off those stunts!"
"I know right?!" Kirishima quickly joined in on praising the flushing boy. "When I said thanks he said it was nothing!"
"Seriously?! That takes a lot of power to do though!" Mina insisted.
"Exactly!" Kirishima turned to the boy and saw his flushed face. The redhead let out a fake gasp, "Are you blushing?!"
"N-No," Hoku weakly tried, his flustered face getting worse as Mina leaned in to see.
"Awww," Mina gushed, teasing the brunette while Kirishima chuckled off to the side.
This is gonna be a long day, Hoku internally groaned as he buried his face in his hands.
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Rip Hoku 2.0
Also long weekend so expect an update or two!
Anyways, that's enough from me! Thanks for reading! This loving cool cat's out! :3 <3
Word count: 2027