Chapter Twenty-Five

The night before the sports festival, I find myself miraculously studying, sitting at my desk under the lamp and furiously taking notes. Between all of the extra intensive training and actual hero work, I haven't had a ton of time for regular school work, but as of late, I've been making up for day time study hours with late night study sessions and it's landed my grades in much higher places. They're not perfect... but it's above a passing grade. I groan, hand cramping, and I flex it, dropping the pen. Damn... studying sucks. Still, I'm about to get back to it when a knock sounds at my door. I get up and open it curiously, surprised to see Bakugo leaning against the door frame, a purposely dismissive look in his eyes.

"Hey" he says in his usual obnoxious tone. I narrow my eyes.

"What?" I ask flatly, earning a glare.

"What are you doing?" he demands, letting himself in my room, hands in his pockets. I gawk after him. Just who does he think he is?

"Yeah, sure, Bakugo. Come on in!" I chime sarcastically. He gives me a look over his shoulder but doesn't bother leaving. I sigh, watching him walk around my room and staring at my things.

"So?" he prods and I roll my eyes.

"I'm doing homework" I reply, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Still?" he demands. It's a wound to my pride, eliciting a dejected pout.

"What do you mean, still? I've been breaking my back training! This is all I can do to keep my head above water" I complain, suddenly feeling less impressed with myself. Bakugo looks back at me, gazing at me for a few moments before grumbling irritably.

"Fine. I'll help you" he growls, brows knit together angrily. I blink at him.

"Help me?" I wonder, earning another groan of impatience.

"I'll help you study, dumbass! I can't have you screwing up just because of your training. If I have to leave you behind because of your damn study habits, it'll really piss me off" he fumes. My cheeks heat in surprise, but I don't say anything for fear of losing the opportunity. Bakugo may be one of our school's strongest, but he's one of the smartest too. His grades even give Shiori a run for her money.

"You'll really help?" I ask, attempting a meek expression. Bakugo's glare only worsens.

"Sit" he commands, pointing at my desk chair. I do as he says immediately, ignoring the fluttering in my chest when he sits at the edge of my bed and watches me open up my notebooks.

"What are you struggling with?" he asks, a bit more serious. I sigh, staring at my carefully written kanji and mixed English notes. I frown hopelessly.

"All of it?" I laugh nervously, looking back at him sheepishly. He glares again.

"Pick a subject!" he snaps, but his cheeks are a little red too. I turn away quickly, forcing myself to maintain a platonic air. I don't want to lose myself in stupid emotions, especially not the night before the festival, and I'm glad he doesn't want to either. It makes avoiding it a lot easier.

"Math..." I mumble, cursing the subject. I've never been good with numbers, most likely due to an unfortunate case of dyscalculia, but that was never a good enough excuse where my teachers were concerned. At that, Bakugo gets started on his mini tutoring session. While he's just as abrasive and easily angered as always, the underlying patience and ease of explaining difficult topics surprises me. For a few hours, Bakugo sits with me, changing his position every so often on top of my bed until he's eventually laying down, head on my pillows as he absently tosses one of my sand stress balls into the air towards the ceiling. Every time I have a question, he explains it over again, occasionally scoffing or grumbling his irritation. Still, his help is more appreciated than I can confidently express.

"...okay wait. What about this one? Do you remember the equation?" I ask, expecting a snarky reply back, but all I hear is silence. I raise an eyebrow.

"Bakugo?" I ask again, lifting my head to see him still lying on his back in my bed, but now his eyes have slipped closed and his chest rises and falls slowly. He's... asleep. I bite my lip, a warmth I can't accurately acknowledge filling up my chest. When Bakugo's sleeping like this, his face looks so relaxed and sweet... it's a sight so unbelievably pure that it hurts. I get up then, leaving my notebooks behind and smiling a little. Of course most people don't get as little sleep as I do these days, but I don't envy Bakugo in this moment. Not when I get to see him this way. I sit down gingerly on the edge of the bed and gently trace my thumb over his cheek. He wakes almost instantly, eyes opening slowly and groggily before they finally focus on me.

"Wh..." he makes a confused face and I laugh a little, shaking my head.

"Sorry I kept you up. Thanks for helping me" I smile. Bakugo sits up, looking too tired to maintain his usual aggression.

"What time is it?" he demands, rubbing his head. I look over my shoulder at my clock and sigh, giving him a guilty smile. After all, both of us are gonna need plenty of rest for tomorrow.

"Late... you should really..." I hesitate over my words when I turn back to him and realize how close we are. I take a breath and swallow, face flushing.

"I should get back" he murmurs. I just nod, hardly able to hear him over the sound of my heart beating in my ears.

"Um... yeah" I agree breathlessly. Bakugo lingers for only another moment, eyes searching my face before he gets up and walks towards the door. My heart stalls, a strange feeling pouring out of me when he grabs the doorknob.

"Kaida..." he says and my heart stutters.

"Yeah?" I ask, disappointed in the way my voice wavers ever so slightly. Bakugo looks back at me and tugs on the door, raising his eyebrows.

"The door?" he asks. My face burns a bright red when I realize that the strange feeling is my energy seeping out of me, pressing the door closed. I turn away immediately, releasing the hold of my quirk and cursing myself internally.

"Goodnight!" I blurt, embarrassment making my whole body shiver. Ugh. How could I do something so ridiculous? And unintentionally to boot?

"Night, Kaida" I hear Bakugo say and I could swear he's laughing. I turn back to look at him, but he's already shutting the door behind him, leaving me alone with my mortification. Great. Now he gets to go to bed laughing at me and I get to go to bed embarrassed, frustrated, and worst of all... restless, thinking about the way his eyes look when he's sleepy and the way his lips parted when he stared at mine. Jerk. Making me think about him like this... it's unfair. It still doesn't make sense to me, even after realizing that I wanted to be around him all the time, the idea of having those kinds of feelings for anyone... it's enough to terrify me. I wish I could control it, take the feelings I have regardless of what they really are, and stuff them down or lock them away or... I lay back in my bed again, unable to get it out of my head. What do I really want from him, huh? What do I really think is happening here? To rely on anyone that way is a weakness I can't afford and even though I desperately want him closer even at all of the most inopportune moments, I can't shake the voice in my head. The one voice that's louder than all the others. The one that tells me... nothing is ever enough. People will always leave.

____________

The Sports Festival arena is enormous and the stadium surrounding it is somehow still full to the brim. Festival events are separated into classes and each of those classes is given a set of three different tasks, games, or courses to run. All of it is pretty much up to chance when it comes to particular strengths and weaknesses, but the crowd is expecting a different level from the third years. I swallow as we walk out onto the field, the deafening cheers of spectators making my heart race. Here we go.

I virtually tune out of the introduction speeches and explanations. I've been doing so much research on the festival itself that I could probably be up there spouting the stuff myself, so I don't start listening until they announce the first game.

"In this game of hide and seek, it's every man for themselves! Stay hidden, gain points. Find your opponents? Gain even more! Each level of the game will start you off with a base amount of points and it's up to you where you land! Start seeking when the timer runs out!" Midnight exclaims, her raven hair whipping around her as she takes a proud stance on the stage. As far as I know, she's been the lead MC for the Sports Festival the past three years and it's easy to see why. Her charisma is unmatched.

The layout for the first game is a multi-terrain field with plenty of hiding spots and empty spaces alike. It's a terrain designed to suit both hider and seeker, but I already know which one I'll be. I clench my fist, excitement racing through me. I put on the electronic vest I'm given and strap it into place along with the tagging glove we each receive for our dominant hands and grin. I've got this. When Midnight shouts for us all to begin, we take to the field, racing to find hiding spots before the time's up. I find a space just the right size for me, enfolded by trees, and wait.

3... 2... 1

I don't stay in my hiding place long, only long enough to lay my first trap. Using the new skills that Endeavor has been working with me on, I lie my hands down flat to the earth, pushing my heart rate to speed up. Faster and faster, I can feel it climbing and my breath quickens. My pulse obeys me easily now, sending threads of clear energy out over the ground like a map. My pulse thrums through it, so quickly that the strands become almost tangible. I close my eyes, focusing on the way it winds through the grass and over objects. When it finally stops, I wait, paying close attention to my heart. It beats rapidly, but steadily. A reliable pulse that I can almost drown in. There.

I can feel the exact moment that someone stumbles onto my web of energy and the vibrations of their entrance make a sort of shivering motion off to my left. I draw my energy back and stand up, racing to the spot I felt the disturbance. In a matter of seconds, I find two students from another class. They don't seem to have tagged each other yet, but I don't waste time trying to figure out why. I swing around the trunk of another tree and smack the sensor on the back of one of the girls' vests. She yelps, turning around furiously to catch me, but I've trained for this. I'm faster than I've ever been and stronger too. I leap over her lunge and thrust my right hand into the chest of the other girl. Two sensors so far. Yes!

I disappear just as fast as I arrived, keeping low to the ground and close to the surrounding trees. When I hear someone coming, rather than feel them, I duck out at a moment's notice, heart thundering. So far, so good. Speed... stamina... it's a game that's practically designed for me and I can almost see the points racking up. At this rate, I'll be the top of my class. I keep finding other students, almost effortlessly, and the high of it starts to get to my head when I suddenly find myself thrust forward, a heavy hand slamming into the sensor on my back. My eyes widen as I stumble forward, a pit opening up in my stomach. I stumble and turn around slowly to see Kirishima grinning at me.

"You..."

"Found you!" he laughs. Shock burns through me but all I can do is nod. Damn it. My perfect streak. My points go down at that one but it only makes me want to try harder. I escape from Kirishima without too much more effort and thrust myself into a more focused state of mind. I can still win this!

Hide and seek goes on for longer than I'd usually expect, but towards the end of each round, I find myself amassing more and more points than expected too. By the end of the fourth and final round, I'm in the top seven students when it comes to points and while I would've killed for the top three, it's an impressive feat. I even see that Shiori made the cut, bringing a proud smile to my face. Of course she'll be going on to the next stage. We weren't the duo to mess with before and now? I wouldn't expect any less of her. With me by her side or not.

All of the students who didn't make the cut face elimination before the second round and those of us left line up for our next test. The first thing Midnight does is divide us up into teams, splitting us up pretty much in half and explaining the parameters of the new game. I look around me at the people on my team. They're all pretty strong fighters and I've got a pretty even mix of long and short range on my side plus a few students I've never met before. Depending on the game, my team could honestly go either way on winning, but the other team has my sister on it and if there's anyone who knows her strengths, it's me. We meet eyes from either side of where Midnight stands, and for a moment, nothing else in the world exists. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I can read her thoughts and feel her presence beside me. Good luck. I smile, feeling suddenly hopeful.

"Okay, students! Next up is a game of ultimate Frisbee! Forget everything you knew about the game before because what you're in for today is a battle to the last one standing! Your goals are impossible feats and your opponents are encouraged to take things to the next level in this no holds barred match! If you lose the Frisbee for your team, you lose points. If you get taken down, you lose points. If you successfully tackle your opponent, you earn points and if you score a goal for your team, you earn double!" she announces excitedly. This ought to be good.

Our teams line up on either side of the new field and the goals on either side are a couple stories high. That's what we're aiming for and looking at the other team, I'm worried about their success, mostly because they've got Bakugo and Bakugo is looking at the rest of us like we're prey. I swallow. I have the added bonus of having a significant amount of my own classmates on my team, but Bakugo is no easy opponent.

"Begin!" Midnight shouts and the Frisbee is immediately put into play. The other team gets it first, quickly making their way through our side of the field. I start towards some of the open opponents, expecting that they're waiting for the chance to catch the Frisbee and when it makes its way here, I spin on my heel, heartbeat thrumming. I stomp my right foot, sending a rapid energy wave into the ground behind me. As it shivers and breaks apart, the students behind me fumble for their footing, too focused on staying upright to see me catch the Frisbee instead. In seconds I have my target, aiming for the throw before a wicked force barrels into me. I gasp, managing to toss the Frisbee at the last second before my body is drilled into the ground by a furious Bakugo.

No points. He wasn't able to stop me from making the pass and I didn't lose any points for my team. I grin at him, earning a fiery glare before I blast him off of me. He really came at me with all he had, but instead of being disturbed by it, the thought makes me grin uncontrollably. As I get back up and run for the other side of the field, I can already see my team's first success. Racing across the field, Shoto skates over several students, stopping only once the Frisbee is in hand and blasting it towards Deku. Deku leaps, launching himself towards the goal and catching the Frisbee as soon as he lands. I throw my hands up, my team cheering.

"DAMN IT!" I hear Bakugo raging behind me and my face flushes a bit, feeling guilty for finding his frustration kind of... cute. I turn around and wink at him, earning the most withering glare I've ever seen in my life. The other team gets the Frisbee again and the frenzy starts over. I remember seeing something similar to this played without quirks a long time ago but this? The students here are ruthless, their powers increasing the stakes of the game tenfold and the sight of it is almost as terrifying as it is amazing. Racing back, I keep my eyes on the Frisbee, watching it sail from person to person in a succession so fast that it's almost hard to keep up, but when it gets to my sister, I pause, heart stalling. This is the first time I've been in an exercise purposefully against her since our fight, the first time I'm gonna be expected to either take her down or watch someone else do it. Watching her now is different though and she carries herself with confidence and purpose. She catches the Frisbee and immediately takes aim, her movements quick and practiced. Pride swims through me as she passes the Frisbee off but it's immediately crushed by startled worry when she's taken down to the ground by an unforgiving Tokoyami, Dark Shadow making quick work of her.

Shiori! I almost yell, my instincts driving me to help her, but I force myself to follow the Frisbee, allowing her to get up on her own. It's not my place anymore. I race across the field, shaking my head to clear it of the cloudy thoughts.

"You okay?" Shoto calls over the commotion, coming up to run beside me. I nod, looking up as the other team scores and cursing under my breath.

"Can you get me the Frisbee?" I shout back as our team reclaims the disc. Shoto nods and hangs back to follow the target as I thunder back across the field. The Frisbee is coming quickly, my team passing it between each other like a rocket and all I need to do, is get it in the goal. I kick my heart into overdrive, sprinting to the goal and sending rapid pulses out of my palms to cast away the students trying to protect it. I can do this. I practiced it a million times. The energy inside me thrums, my heart slamming against my ribs, and I slam my foot down, propelling me upwards and each time another foot goes down, energy blasts through it, sending me flying up the side of the cracked rock foundation that the goal sits on top of. At the last minute, I twist around, bracing myself for landing when Shoto shoots the Frisbee in my direction. Backed by intense flames, the Frisbee almost knocks me over the over side of the goal but when I catch it, the crowd roars. I leap up, pure elation washing over me. Hell yes! That's how you play Frisbee! I jump down from the goal, my landing sending a shockwave through the field as I absorb the impact with my energy. Shoto raises his hand and I high five him eagerly, laughing loud. It's been a while since I've been this happy, but I'm glad he shares the moment with me, grinning from ear to ear.

"Come on. Let's win this" I beam and the two of us start for the field again, ready to kick ass.