Chapter Twenty-Two

"You're lucky none of those wounds killed you while you slept" Recovery Girl admonishes after a night of rest. She wasn't able to use her quirk to heal me when I first arrived since I expended all of my energy during my fight yesterday, but now, as my wounds stitch themselves together and the burning vanishes, I flex my limbs with a smile.

"Thanks, again" I say, earning a look.

"You're shaping up to be one of my regulars already" she complains with a sigh. I laugh sheepishly, scratching the back of my head.

"Sorry about that" I tell her. For a moment she just looks at me, a grave look on her face.

"Kaida... you have to know that you can't continue to push yourself to your absolute limit every time you fight. You're strong, that's true... but without the energy to heal, I may not be able to save you the next time you hurt yourself. The level of injuries this time..." she trails off, but I know what she's trying to say already. Even after regaining my energy overnight, her healing this morning already has me feeling like I can't keep my eyes open. I knew my injuries were bad but...

"The three of you had similar wounds when you came in here... but yours were far worse. That repeated trauma to your body and refusal to know when to quit is a dangerous habit, little girl" she adds. I don't say anything to the little girl comment, mostly because I know she's right. Yesterday, I didn't stop fighting, even for a second. I knew I was running out of time... I knew that I didn't have a whole lot left in me, but I needed to save my friends. I couldn't have stopped regardless of the effect it had on me. Maybe that mindset is dangerous for a hero... but it isn't something I can let go of that easily.

"I understand" I reply calmly, hoping she's not planning on trying to convince me. Recovery Girl sighs, eyeing me for only a moment longer.

"You're free to go then" she says and I nod, standing up and feeling a wave of dizziness. Whoa. I laugh nervously at Recovery Girl's quick glance and wave.

"See you next time" I chime, starting for the door. On my way out, I can't help but feel relieved to finally be going home and as I shut the infirmary door, I run into Shiori.

"Oh..." I say when she stops in front of me, eyes wide.

"Hi" she says suddenly, staring at me. I swallow.

"Hey" I reply, awkward silence falling between us. Tell her you miss her, idiot!

"You get hurt again?" she blurts. I let out a guilty laugh, face flushing.

"Yeah... but it's fine now. What about you? Why are you here?" I wonder. Her face burns an impressive red at the question and she looks away.

"I uh... I got injured... during training" she mumbles. I raise my eyebrows, trying to quell the worry that sparks within me.

"Oh, damn... um... you okay?" I wonder, but it doesn't look like she's hurt too seriously anywhere. She doesn't say anything and for a moment I think maybe I overstepped. I clear my throat.

"Right, sorry. I'll see you..." I start, pretty sure she just wants me out of her hair.

"I'm fine!" she blurts. I stare at her in surprise, not really sure what to do now. Things used to be so easy between us, but now... it feels like I'm talking to a stranger. I nod.

"I'm glad" I say, offering her as polite a smile as I can before taking my leave. Maybe Shiori's okay with all of this distance, but the more I talk to her like this, the worse I feel about it. I'd rather just leave her alone like she wants, so I do. I don't look back as I make my way out and head back to my dorm to change into my school uniform. If Shiori's happy this way, then that's what I'll do for her. I'll keep my distance and let her be for as long as she needs, even if it kills me. She told me back then that I was using her for my own gain and the words have haunted me ever since. It's part of why I push myself so hard, even with her gone. Maybe if she sees that I can go on without her there to push me, she won't feel so taken advantage of.

Back at the dorms, I shower and change quickly, cursing the tiny uniforms I have to force myself into all the time. Doesn't matter how much training I do, I'm just built curvier than most. Especially where the skirt's concerned. The top I can pass with but every time I walk into school, I look like a porn star. I sigh... maybe today I'll try the tights. I'm already late anyway, so I paw through my drawers for the stupid green stockings. When I find them though, I'm shocked to realize that the only pair I have is a pair of knee highs. Are you kidding me? I try them on anyway, turning this way and that in the mirror. Well... they don't look... awful. Actually... I think they're kinda cute. I slip my feet into a pair of white low top sneakers and grab my bag. Okay, so these stockings defeat the purpose by literally not covering anything, but I decide I can use a little something new to make me feel a little better about myself lately. On the way out, I tie up my curls and make my way back to UA.

Class is well in session by the time I get there and when I open the enormous door, I'm met with stares from all of my classmates. I smile awkwardly.

"Hey" I wave, shutting the door behind me.

"Hey, has she always had those?" Kaminari asks, sitting up a little taller to look at my socks. I give him a look.

"So what? Everyone has them!" I snap, flushing.

"No, those are definitely new" Kirishima agrees, rubbing his chin and nodding like he's really discovered something.

"They're glorious" Mineta breathes.

"Keep your eyes to yourselves, idiots!" Bakugo scolds, knocking both Kirishima and Kaminari on their heads.

"Ow, I was just stating a fact" Kirishima complains, a pouty look on his face. Jesus, now I feel even more lewd than usual and all I did was put on a stupid pair of stockings. Embarrassment blooms brightly on my face as I find my way to my seat, ignoring the bickering of my male classmates. It's not my fault that every other girl in here isn't built like me.

"Hey, Kaida" Mineta starts as I pass. I glower down at him, seething disgust.

"Do you wanna die, shrimp?" I snarl. He yelps, immediately turning his attention to the front of the room where Ms. Kayama is waiting in irritated silence to continue her art history lesson. I sit down quickly, tossing my bag at my feet and cursing myself internally. I should've left the stupid tights at home but I can't change them now. That gives them power over me. Damn it.

"They look fine" Shoto tells me quietly, not looking at me. I flush, but I feel a bit relieved.

"Thanks" I murmur back, taking out my notebook. So far, I've been good enough at my notes that even Shiori would be impressed. Even if some of them are in English, she can't begrudge me that. They're still getting done. I smile a little thinking about her now, even though it's mostly still painful. Yeah... she'd be proud of that.

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At lunch, I actually manage to eat in the lunchroom today, sitting with Iida, Shoto, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro. Bakugo pulled his usual disappearing act, but I wasn't keen on finding myself alone with him again today, plus, I'm sure Kirishima is probably with him anyway.

"...ready for the Sports Festival? It's coming up soon" I tune in right in time to hear Iida talking excitedly about UA's famous televised competition. I raise my eyebrows.

"They're still doing that?" I interject and he gives me an odd look.

"Why wouldn't they? Is there something wrong?" he asks me, genuinely curious. Most of the work study agencies have their students doing a lot of the same work I am, but... I offer him a smile, choosing not to say anything. After all, the heroes association hasn't even reached out to me about yesterday yet and the last attack was pretty much kept under wraps too. I'm not sure what the school is doing keeping this information away from the students, but I do know it's not my job to stir up a panic. At least not yet.

"Nothing, sorry... I'm sure you're excited though" I amend. Iida stands up suddenly, an intensely determined look on his face.

"This year I am ready to show the world what the Iida family is made of! We are third year students now, so there's no room for holding back!" he shouts, voice projecting incredibly far. I raise both of my eyebrows, still not used to his enthusiasm.

"What do you think this year's competitions will be like?" Yaoyorozu wonders, absently feeding a rice ball to Jiro. Jiro takes a bite, tapping the butt of her pen against her chin in thought.

"It's hard to tell, but I'm sure they'll up the ante for us since we're about to graduate. They've gotta do something to impress this year" she replies, going right back to writing in her notebook. Yaoyorozu nods, lost in thought.

"We'll have to be prepared for anything... of course, it'll feel more like showing off at this point. All of us pretty much know what our classmates are capable of now... I don't imagine it'll be too impressive to watch all over again" she muses. I shrug.

"I don't have a handle on everyone's quirks" I interject. Everyone at the table pauses to look at me for a moment, all of them silent. I blink, covering my full mouth. Shit, did I say something before swallowing?

"What?" I demand, forcing the food down and making a face when it nearly gets stuck.

"That's right... you and your sister are kind of like wild cards in this year's festival..." Jiro says, mind seeming to race a mile a minute. I stare between everyone.

"That means there will be twice as many eyes watching this year! We'll need to work hard to impress them all! You'll especially have to work hard, Ito, to hone your craft" Iida says firmly, making my stomach knot. Me... especially?

"Don't worry, Kaida. It will likely be enough that the two of you throw two brand new quirks into the mix. No one's ever seen what the two of you are truly capable of... so I think it'll draw plenty of attention. However, the two of you will have to work hard to receive nominations from any pro heroes. Most of us have had our nominations in the bag since we were first years. It'll be a bit more difficult for you two to garner any attention when you're surrounded by heroes that people already know" Shoto interjects. At first, it makes me feel better, then I feel worse. That's right... everyone here already has nominations and ideas of where they're headed after high school. They've got sponsors and people cheering them on against us. If we can't make a statement during this year's festival... we may not get into any agencies.

"This is pretty serious, huh?" I laugh, but the nerves are getting to me.

"Oh, don't worry, Kaida. Your quirk is so powerful, I can't imagine you'll have a lot of trouble" Yaoyorozu says, smiling at me reassuringly. I nod, plastering my own smile on, but I can't get behind the expression. At this rate, I'm still second rate. Compared to Shoto? Bakugo? Hell, compared to Deku? The kid who basically took down one of the masked villains by himself? He came back pretty busted up too, but he still went home from the infirmary before I did. It's not enough. What I have now isn't enough.

"Hey guys, I'll catch you later, okay? I've got some things to catch up on" I say suddenly, earning surprised glances all around.

"You want some company?" Jiro asks. I shake my head, smiling as I pack my stuff up and stand.

"That's okay. I'll see you around" I tell her, waving before rushing out of the cafeteria. How can I sit here eating when I should be spending every spare moment training? It was serious before, that's true, but I'm about to go head to head with all of my classmates. I don't have time to waste. I don't have long left for lunch but I decide that my best bet would be to get some control practice in. I start for outside, fairly confident that the PE grounds will be empty for at least the next twenty minutes, but as I reach the door, I pause. Just a little ways down the hall, I catch a glimpse of my sister again, face red and eyes wide. I don't know what the guy is saying to her, but it's the same purple headed kid as before, leaning forward and brushing her crimson hair behind one of her ears. It's a struggle to keep myself from interrupting, but I manage to keep to myself, disappearing outside before she can see me staring at them. So... it's that kid, huh? I hope... he makes her truly happy.

Today feels like run into Shiori day all of a sudden, but I can't focus on that now. There's still a future to be had, whether she decides to be a part of it or not, I have to focus on giving myself my best chance now. So, I jog to the PE grounds and drop my stuff. If I wanna kick anyone's ass at the festival, my quirk better get a lot stronger a lot faster than ever before.

I only have fifteen minutes for now, but I spend it focusing on my heart rate, speeding it up and slowing it down at will. Heart rate control is the key to this quirk after all, right? When my heart beat is slow and steady, I can create bigger waves of my pulse like walls or shockwaves to knock out an enemy. These attacks are best for slowing down my opponents, moving objects or people, and dealing with larger crowds of villains. However, the faster my heart races, the more solid and directed my attacks become. Acting like bullets, or individual blows, if my heart is fast enough I can emit powerful and targeted attacks on my enemies, sending out larger quantities of pulses to more effectively subdue them. I practice both of these attacks, testing how quickly I can switch between the two. Right now, my turnaround time is pretty laughable, but I'm sure that the more I push myself, the more ready I'll be by the time the Sports Festival comes around.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" Bakugo demands, walking out onto the field with Kirishima at his flank. I look back at them, a little out of breath and wipe my forehead. Even though the air has been getting colder out here, it's easy to sweat when I'm training.

"What are you, my babysitter?" I demand. Kirishima makes a face, clenching his teeth in worry. Obviously not aware that Bakugo doesn't scare me.

"Do you need one, dumbass?" he retorts, raising an eyebrow at me. I roll my eyes, taking a moment to slow my heart beat. I take a breath, focusing on its steady rhythm, then let out a pulse, shoving him backwards only about a foot.

"No thanks" I chime, waving sarcastically. Bakugo glares at me, but even I can see the playful glint in his eyes. I wonder if he's finding it as hard to be angry at me as I am at him. The thought makes me want to smack myself.

"That's it!" he fumes, hands smoking. I smirk at him, wishing he would.

"Come on, Bakugo. Let's fight" I tease, arching a challenging eyebrow. He falters a moment, staring at my confident smile. Kirishima laughs nervously, grabbing him by the jacket.

"See you later, Kaida!" he calls, yanking Bakugo after him. Bakugo doesn't fight him though, instead, he seems kind of confused by my response. In fact, I'm kind of confused too. I haven't been exactly the easiest going person lately, especially with him, so my sudden fondness for him seems to have both of us acting a bit strangely. Once they disappear around the corner, I grab my stuff up and head back to class, wondering how I ever managed to get into such a mess.