~~~
Kira and Fuyumi sit there, smiling warmly at one another, the time ticking by, before the sliding door opens again. The dishes have been cleared up, the table spotless, as Kira's friends sit themselves down, bringing a few cups of water with them. Bakugou brings her cup, placing it down on the table in front of her before choosing to sit beside her. Midoriya sits at the end, while Todoroki rests beside Fuyumi.
Kira stares at her cup, deep in thought. "Forgive me for intruding," she speaks up, muttering slightly. "But, I can't help but notice how much your brother... hates your father." She looks up at Todoroki and Fuyumi, but doesn't really expect either of them to answer her curiosity. "Is there something I'm missing? I know that it's been... difficult for you... since you were kids, but" - she looks to Bakugou beside her, in case he's warning her to keep her mouth shut, but his eyes hold the same level of interest that she's feeling inside - "how come Natsuo doesn't share your forgiveness?"
Fuyumi turns to Todoroki, tilting her head slightly. "You didn't tell them?" She wonders. Todoroki keeps quiet, so Fuyumi simply sighs heavily, before addressing the students. "It's been harder for Natsuo to forgive father for what he's done because-" she falters, looking like she's holding back tears. Kira's already kicking herself for opening her mouth in the first place. "Because, we had another brother."
"Another brother?" Midoriya repeats, beating Kira to the punch.
"I thought you four were close," Fuyumi adds, looking around at the students and then to Todoroki. "So, I figured you would have told them all about Touya."
"It's not exactly an easy subject to broach," Todoroki replies.
Fuyumi looks away from her brother thoughtfully, before facing Kira and the others. "Natsu and Touya were incredibly close when we were growing up," she tells them. "They spent their days playing together." She pauses, regaining her rattled composure. "It happened soon after our mother was hospitalised. Somehow... her condition got even worse when she was committed, to the point that Shoto couldn't even go to see her. But, things have gotten much better. Especially since Shoto started visiting. Our family's been making progress," she adds with a proud smile, before it slowly drops again. "Except Natsu. He can't let go of his anger towards our dad. In his mind, our father basically killed Touya."
"That's why..." Kira whispers, scoffing slightly, looking up to meet Fuyumi's sad expression. "That explains why he's been acting the way he has. Why he looks so... distressed."
"I'm sorry," Fuyumi says. "I didn't mean to drop all of this on you."
The door slides open, interrupting their discussion - it's Endeavour, telling Kira and the others that it's time to head back to UA. Fuyumi agrees to accompany them all to the front door, apologising again for the thousandth time for the bombshell she dropped on them.
Endeavour and Fuyumi lead the students to the front door, where Kira shoves her feet inside her shoes and picks up her bag, hoisting it over her shoulder, before throwing her scarf around her neck. Fuyumi grabs her white coat, as they make their way to the same car that dropped them off in the first place. The driver is the same man as before too, waiting patiently for the young heroes to bid their goodbyes.
"Thank you for the meal!" Midoriya exclaims, showing his gratitude with a brisk bow. "It was super delicious, I mean it!"
"Glad you liked it," Fuyumi replies, the cold air chilling her breath.
Kira steps towards the older girl, placing her hand on her upper arm, just under the shoulder. "Remember what I said," she whispers, offering her a kind, optimistic smile. "Don't give up on your family."
"Hey!" Bakugou yells from the car, already sitting inside, impatient to get going. "Don't forget you said you'd give me that tofu recipe."
"Don't worry," Todoroki interjects. "I'll remind her to text it to me."
Kira sends Fuyumi one final glance, before approaching the vehicle, where Bakugou scoots over to the far side. Endeavour's posture causes her to hesitate, her hand on the roof of the car, as she judges the pro hero.
"Fuyumi," Endeavour's solemn tone speaks up. "Thank you."
Kira doesn't know what to make of Endeavour anymore. She always knew that he's a man of few words, his personality dismissive and fierce. At least, he used to be defined that way. He isn't that person anymore. His past is enough to cripple his entire family and his decisive change may not be enough to fix it. Especially now that Kira knows some of the deeper secrets about the Todoroki family's pain that they were forced to endure as children.
Kira slides into the car, shuffling over so she's beside Bakugou. The car is large, considering it belongs to the number one hero, but it's still a tight squeeze for all four of them in the back. Kira cranes her neck to gaze out the open door, watching Midoriya and Todoroki utter their final goodbyes to Fuyumi, before they enter the car too.
The driver and Endeavour finally climb into the car and it pulls away from the Todoroki house. Kira leans past Midoriya, spotting Fuyumi waving them away with a gleeful smile. As upset as she is in her situation, Kira likes to think that her meeting them and sharing some darkness in her past has offered her a kind of relief. A weight off her shoulders.
Kira looks down at her intertwined fingers, fiddling with the ends of her school blazer. To her left, Midoriya and Todoroki are discussing the fast approaching finals, asking one another for help on specific subjects, while Bakugou to her right sulks against the window. She can tell how annoyed he is just from the way he's slouched against the car door, but whether that has anything to do with what he just learnt about the Todoroki's, or his failure to meet Endeavour's standards over the course of the last week, she isn't quite sure.
The car starts to pick up speed, joining a series of fast lanes, other cars flying past the windows in the dark city scene. Kira allows her own past to cloud her mind, the mistakes she's made, the choices she clings to, the relationships she's built. Her own family has escaped her clutches, so she created a new one. She looks to Bakugou's left hand, his fingers clenched into a fist on his knee and contemplates reaching out, feeling his warmth race up her arm and to her heart. But, she doesn't. Not here.
She slowly looks up, allowing her eyes to scan Bakugou's shoulder, brushing against her own with every other bump or crack in the road. Her gaze lingers there before admiring the beauty across his features. Even from a mere sideways glance, she can spot the delicate frown on his brow as he relives his progress in his mind, the gentleness of his jaw, as he grits his teeth in irritation and the piercing redness in his eyes, as he glares out at the dark road soaring by.
He deserves more from her.
When he blurted out his apology on the beach, she shouldn't have run away from such a modest and mature revelation. She should have returned the sentiment, poured her heart out to him there and then when she had the chance. Hopefully, it's not too late to do so.
"What?" Bakugou grumbles, still staring out the tinted window.
Kira blinks a few times, too lost in her own thoughts and feelings to register that he even spoke. That is indeed the question - what can she say? What can she do? What does he expect from her?
Bakugou fidgets in his seat, his thigh lightly pressing against her own, waiting for a response he'll probably never get. With Midoriya and Todoroki beside her, Endeavour and the driver in front, she isn't sure how to voice her concerns in such a crowded space. She wants to use as little words as possible to ensure that what they share with each other isn't spoilt by attentive ears.
Kira opens her mouth to speak, but falters, deciding to lower her tone before she confesses her regret. "I should have said it back."
Bakugou leans his head away from the window, looking over her head to her classmates, but they're not paying them any mind, too lost in their own conversation to be concerned with theirs. It's not like he should be worried about their opinions anyway - it's unlike Bakugou to be afflicted by others' judgement.
Only when it regards her.
Bakugou doesn't look like he's about to grant her the satisfaction of a reply, but her assumptions are cut off abruptly by the car swerving madly. Kira's head snaps around at the disruption, noticing a figure bound in what looks to be thick, white tape soaring over the car. She spins in her seat, craning her neck to stare through the back window.
"Wait a minute..." Kira frowns up at the figure. "Is that-"
"Natsuo," Todoroki concludes, following her gaze with a fierce glint in his eyes.
"Look!" Midoriya points awkwardly down at the road. "The lines on the road!"
Kira looks back up at Natsuo, his face barely peeking out from behind his bonds. It's not tape, but the paint from the roads. It must be the result of someone's Quirk. The white paint peels off the road, leaving it bare and black, whipping in the air like tendrils before chasing after the car. The driver slams his foot down and the car rockets off, dodging the advancing road markings with hasty precision. Kira decides to regain her seating position, staring out the front windshield with wide eyes. The last thing she's expecting is a villain attack.
"Look out!" She blurts, pointing ahead, though she's certain the driver has already spotted the madman in the centre of the road.
As the supposed criminal awaits the incoming car, the lines on the road twirl viciously around him, ready for his ambush. The villain doesn't plan to dodge the speeding vehicle, using his Quirk to direct several angry white painted lines towards them. The driver spins the wheel around rapidly, only just avoiding a direct hit. However, the car spins out of control, the front smacking into the metal barrier that protects the pavement, causing Kira to cry out as her whole body judders with the impact. Her palm slams against the drivers headrest and Bakugou seems to share her instincts, his skin on hers as his hand wraps around her own. He doesn't remove his warmth, even after the driver manages to regain some kind of control over the car. Endeavour wastes no time, acting on his heroic impulses, blasting open his door and soaring after this villain who somehow has Natsuo in his clutches.
Endeavour manages to escape the car before it becomes encased in the lines from the road, covering the entire vehicle in white paint. Bakugou tries to open the door, barging his shoulder against it repeatedly, but it doesn't budge. Kira peers through the front windshield, the glass cracked and on the verge of shattering completely.
"What the hell is going on!?" She bellows in disbelief, narrowing at her eyes at the scene on the road. The villain is using Natsuo as a shield, using him to keep Endeavour at bay. "Is that villain... crying?" She knows that they're not tears of sadness, but instead, insanity.
"Who the hell cares?" Bakugou responds and she tears her eyes from away the road. He's holding his palm out to the taped up window, returning her gaze with his own determined readiness. "I've been dying to murder someone."
Kira shakes her head slightly, but can't seem to shy away from a smile on her lips. Bakugou scoffs at her reaction, a slither of a smirk appearing, before it's blasted away by an explosion erupting from his palm. The glass shatters and the road paint melts away. Bakugou kicks the door open, leaping out of the vehicle and straight into action. Kira follows after, soaking in his confidence.
She hears Todoroki break down the other door, granting both him and Midoriya access to the road, springing into combat. Kira's light erupts in her palms, white hot and ready for vengeance. However, Midoriya calls out to her, using her hero name and she spins around quickly, as he tosses her hero case to her. She catches it swiftly, her already heated skin reacting to the metal and so she quickly tears into it, snatching her gauntlets and slapping them on over her school uniform. She hasn't stopped moving, her feet still carrying her towards the villain and Endeavour, the adrenaline in command of her rationality now.
With such a desperate situation suddenly appearing, Kira doesn't even think - she just pounces out of the car after Bakugou and activates her Quirk, like her limitations mean nothing. The moon isn't visible, hidden behind the nearby buildings perhaps. Her source is fleeting, though her power feels strong, overwhelming.
The four of them dash towards Endeavour, each of them using their Quirks to increase their speed. Kira's light bursts out from her palms, as she propels herself onwards, leaving a mess behind her, no doubt. But, this is no time to worry about unnecessary limitations when someone's life is on the line. It's Natsuo - he still has relationships to mend and a family to bond with, whether that includes Endeavour or not.
The villain spots the four angered students coming, using the lines hovering by his head, sending them zipping towards Kira and the others before she can even register. Down here, on the ground, there isn't much she can do to avoid the incoming attack. The paint collides with her shoulder and legs, causing her to stumble, driving her back a few paces.
"If you're suggesting whether my Quirk uses technological light, then no. My Quirk has always been drawn to natural light. Whether it's from the sun, the stars or the moon." Kira looks down below at the beeping cars, her stomach flipping over. "However, my Quirk is weaker during the evening."
"Even so, there's always a constant source for you."
"I guess so."
"So, the next step for you is to focus on that," Endeavour explains. "The source of your Quirk's strength is constant. It's everywhere. The sun reaches the ground at your feet or at the end of your outstretched fingertips."
Kira doesn't need to search for the moon, or the stars, or the sun. Her Quirk shouldn't have to rely on whether or not her source of light has decided to reveal itself for the day. She can feel the light in her bones, in her blood, keeping her alive. Her Quirk has tested her again and again and vice versa, throwing herself into precarious situations where she believes she might just break apart. But, she can still feel it.
"You still have your instincts," Bakugou whispers, looking down at the dish in his hands.
All she can do is frown at him, tilting her head ever so slightly. "Huh?"
"I'm trying to help you out, you idiot," he retorts, raising his voice.
The students sudden brisk ambush shocks the villain and he tries to create some distance. Endeavour steals this opportunity, his body a fiery blaze as he rushes forwards. However, the criminal places Natsuo in front of him again, stunning the number one hero so completely that he stops dead in his tracks, his fire flickering meekly around his body.
Kira and the others don't share this same hesitancy, breaking free from their bonds and racing past the shocked pro hero to put a stop to this madness. The villain panics, spittle flying from his mouth as he rambles and raves about his sad, pitiful life. Kira blocks out his ranting - she doesn't want to know what twisted reasoning he has for taking Natsuo hostage.
However, he sends a barrage of twisting and jagged painted lines over their heads and Kira cranes her head back, her hair blocking her vision. The road paint isn't aiming for them, but for a collection of cars still driving nearby, unaware civilians who have yet to notice the chaos occurring ahead. Before she can make a decision, Midoriya skids on his heel, turning his back on the villain and prioritising the safety of these innocent bystanders. He must trust them to put a stop to this criminal's tyranny without him.
In that case, she'll trust Midoriya too, turning back to the villain and increasing her pace. She ignores the sounds of metal groaning and crunching and her determination only grows, her sights locked on this madman.
Kira scoffs lightly, before facing the sink again. "What the hell are we talking about all of a sudden, Bakugou? What are you trying to tell me?"
He turns his body away from her too, placing the dry plate aside. "You're overthinking it," he says, ignoring her persistence. "Don't rely on it. Just use it."
Kira can sense how rapid she's moving, her light exploding from her skin in a rage of purposefulness and realisation. Why is she remembering these words from Bakugou now? Why does he even offer her advice when he too is struggling to make ends meet?
"I won't," she mutters to herself, feeling the cold, night air rushing down the back of her blazer. "I won't overthink it."
With three students still advancing on him, the villain decides to try another tactic. Some civilians on the pathway beside the road still haven't acted accordingly, ogling at the fantastical scene like any human being would. The criminal sends more spiked road lines towards these bystanders and they start to scream and cry out when they realise their fates.
"Todoroki!" Kira yells to him.
He actually looks torn. But, Kira doesn't blame him. After all, this is his brother. He's already lost one family member and his anger is clear across his face as his Quirks carry him onwards, both his fire and ice active and contrasting with one another. However, Todoroki is closer to the civilians, leaving him no choice.
"Don't let him get away!" Todoroki calls out to her and she merely nods.
There's no way she's letting him escape, but like she deducted earlier, she won't be able to get near him like this. She hears Todoroki's ice fade away as he changes direction, aiming to save the nearby civilians, leaving her with Bakugou on her left.
Somewhere, a train hollers, sending a chill down Kira's spine. The villain notices too, yelling incoherently some more, before dragging Natsuo's body through the air above their heads and into the train tracks. The incoming train hoots in a panic and Kira's eyes widen.
"I've got it!" Bakugou bellows, making an abrupt turn in the air to save Natsuo. "You get that bastard!"
Kira sighs in relief, but now it's up to her. This criminal seems to have calmed his insane ravings, realising that he's one-on-one again. However, Kira doesn't plan on being as mundane as he probably believes. She may only be a first year student, just a girl wrapping up her work study week, her bones weary, her mind rattling with knowledge.
This villain doesn't know the first thing about her.
Kira ducks and dodges under and over his attacks, avoiding each white painted line that dares to strike her. Her sights are locked on this villain, her vision tunnelling this madman, aiming to end everything he intends to accomplish here today.
Her opponent shrieks in supposed frustration, his Quirk exploding out from his body and her eyes widen, aiming one palm out to burn some of the incoming obstructions. However, that's dramatically slowed her advances. She needs to take him down now.
A white line shaped like a sharp arrow brushes past her school uniform, tearing through the fabric but missing her skin - just. It's enough to dislodge her focus, force her body to twist and stumble. This isn't going to work.
"You don't need to use your hands to traverse," Endeavour adds. "You can simply walk on air."
Kira lowers her hand uncertainly. "On air?"
No - she doesn't need to search for the moon. Or the stars. Or the sun. Light is constant, so her power should be too. Her Quirk has revealed so much to her in just the short space of a year that it's almost ridiculous. Her ability to see what others can't, her ability to create other versions of herself, her ability to transform her body into a twinkling mirage, her ability to explode from within. It's scared her and amazed her all in one go, opening her eyes to her endless possibilities.
So, yes, she can still feel it.
Kira's body is tingling with anticipation and before she knows it, her feet are no longer on solid ground. She's actually running on air, just like Endeavour said she would. She doesn't understand the logic behind this new skill, but she feels weightless, her doubts rushing away from her in a wave of what she can only describe as nausea.
The particles around her must be reacting to her convictions, carrying her towards this villain. He looks speechless at her ascension, waving his arms about to send more white lines her way. However, now she has space on her side as she leaps and dives, easily avoiding his attacks now. The lines on the road are taking longer to reach her, so she quickly advances, feeling like her whole body is aglow, but not as a result of her Atomic Power. Nothing good has come of that skill.
As she nears, Kira deflects a few stray jagged lines, the one's he kept close to defend himself and lunges at the villain, grabbing onto his clothes. Her scalding skin melts the collar of his clothes and the force of her body weight sends him flying onto his back. She crouches on top of him, furious at this criminal for his evil ways. She punches him across his masked features, just enough to dazzle him, but not knock him out and creates a shield, keeping him entrapped in the middle of the road under a cocoon of shimmering green light.
Kira whirls around, her eyes wide as she searches for her friends down the dark, vacant road. She spots Midoriya helping people out of their cars, people he saved. She watches Todoroki assist some frightened civilians to their feet, civilians who were hiding behind his ice. Bakugou's in the middle of the road, knelt beside Natsuo, keeping him safe and stable. She can see his lips moving, but she can't hear what he's saying from this distance. No one's hurt though, no injuries and barely any damage to the environment.
Endeavour finally wills his legs to move, sprinting down the road and wrapping his large body around both Natsuo and Bakugou. Kira's limbs relax at the sight, as Bakugou frees himself from the embrace, practically shaking off the remnants of touch.
He then points down the road in her direction. "Where's the White-Line moron!?"
Kira steps out of the way so he can see the villain trapped in her cocoon, gesturing to it with a lazy arm. "Right here!" She tells him. "He's not going anywhere!"
Bakugou acknowledges her response, before turning to Midoriya way down the other side of the road from her. Kira looks down at the villain, his mask torn, revealing his desperate, insane eyes. Tears soak his disguise and Kira's face wrinkles in disgust at this blubbering mess trapped under her light. She doesn't know what his goal even was, but he failed.
Kira turns away from the villain, ignoring his pleads, staring down at her hands, at her body. Her skin still feels alive, tingling with energy and untapped potential. She's taken her first steps at mastering her new traversal style, where the light carried her in the air. She wasn't even looking at her feet, as her sights were locked on the villain, unflinching. She just trusted her Quirk to keep her airborne. She's curious to know if those clouds made an appearance again, if she was standing on them, or merely nothing at all.
Endeavour's teachings ring true in her mind, but he's not the only one to have made an impact on her.
"Don't fight it, Akira. Embrace it."
"But- but, how?" Her heart aches for knowledge, for a solution. "I can't do this on my own. I need someone to tell me what to do."
"It's your Quirks," he responds. "The only assistance I can offer is a focus."
"A focus?" She repeats.
"When your Quirks... acted out, was their a specific denominator, a repeating factor?"
Bakugou always sneaks into her mind, being her anchor when she's searching for answers, for stability. Again, just before her feet left the asphalt, he's the one she remembers, the one she clings to for support. His words seep into her memory stronger than Endeavour's and that tells her all she needs to know.
Kira practically flew because of Katsuki Bakugou.
~~~