' blood will out'

━━━━━

Nothing is wrong. Nothing is amiss. Like the perfect punctuation in a sentence, the perfect shoes to the perfect dress and an extra paycheck after exhausting days in the job. Perfect. She even passed the written examination. It's over. So why are her hands still trembling with excitement?

Even the clouds are expecting something. The calm before the storm, the rising of heartbeats before the battle and the trickle of sweat before a test.

Everything is perfect so she smiles, pearly white teeth and that easy to miss missing tooth.

"Stop the beaming, dumbass," Katsuki tells her as she approaches them (Katsuki and Kirishima). "You look like a disco ball."

"Not cool, bro," Kirishima tells him and nods at Yuko in acknowledgment. She nods back of course.

Katsuki clicks his tongue in displease and turns to her with that same uncaring look- as if he can fool her with indifference. "So," he says. "What do you fucking want?"

Yuko beams at them. "I self-checked my answers. I think I got more than a half correct so that's for the written portion."

She turns to Kirishima. "I'm not sure about the practical test, but after that, I can treat you guys to food. As compensation."

Katsuki raises an eyebrow at that. "I thought you didn't have money?"

"That was a joke," she admits, scratching the back of her head. "I received my paycheck last week. So, up for it? I'm going with"- she begins raising fingers to denote a person "-Shouto, Izuku, Iida and Uraraka."

"That seems fun," Kirishima says and grins with those sharp teeth of his. "But I have training. Have to be fit for the summer. Thanks though, Yuko. Good luck on your exam too."

"How about you Katsuki?" she asks, wistful.

"I'm not going with damn Deku and that half and half bastard," he merely says and Yuko has to pout in response. This was so petty. Kirishima had an acceptable response but Bakugou, my God, Bakugou.

"Really?" she asks. "They're really nice people you know. Especially Izuku, he's-"

Kirishima begins shaking his head and mouthing don't. But Yuko is Yuko so she persists.

"He's nice, unlike you. And I bet that he's stronger. He'll surely become a better hero than you."

One might have expected that she would have gotten her head blown off, but Yuko was as furtive as she was mischievous so the moment the last syllables are uttered, she spun on her heel and made a run for it.

And what better place to hide than behind Todoroki Shouto.

"What's wrong, Yuko-san?" Izuku asks.

"Katsuki's out to kill me," she says, both hands on Shouto's shoulders.

"W-What?! Kacchan?" Izuku asks, wide-eyed. "W-What did you do?"

Yuko grins at him and was about to answer that question when a murderous dandelion asshole passes through the hallways, chasing something and wreaking havoc. Yuko ducks and pulls Izuku closer so the Stain Trio looked like some wall and she was hidden properly.

"Don't sell me out guys," she says, forehead leaning on Shouto's back, eyes closed and hands clutching the fabric of his shirt tightly. "I want to be a hero before I die."

"Bakugou-kun!" it was Iida and Yuko tries to fight the shudder that was threatening to travel across her spine. Murmurs of please please please escaped her mouth and she only stopped when she felt a hand on hers- warm and familiar.

And she relaxes when Iida follows up with a, "No running in the hallways!"

"Shut up, Four Eyes!" Murderous Asshole shouts and follows up with a, "Die Deku!" before readying to leave.

"Have you seen that damn woman?" he asks and Yuko gulped, Shouto's hands still holding unto hers and she feels a bout of reassurance.

"Who are you looking for Kacchan?" Izuku asks and from her peripheral vision she can see him glaring daggers at the kind greenette.

"Yuko!" he answers and adds, "Die scum!"

Yuko almost laughs at that, but she buries her face on Shouto's back so it's successfully suppressed.

"She went that way," Shouto says and points farther into the hallway with his free hand, the other one was still clutching Yuko's.

"Die half and half bastard!" Katsuki's last words before he sped off into the hallway and she heard Shouto mutter, "Can't you say thank you?"

"I'm saved!" Yuko says and peeks over Shouto's shoulders, their hands now apart. "Thank you, you guys!"

"Like I said before," Shouto says with that icy look. "Think before you do something. Bakugou would have blown your face off."

She loops her arms over her chest and puts a palm underneath her chin as if contemplating. "It seemed fun when I did it."

"Have second doubts then," the boy said.

"What did you do anyway?" Izuku asks. "To get Kacchan that riled up?"

Yuko laughs. "It doesn't matter now," she says. "I just told him you were a better person."

"You're hopeless," Shouto tells her. "He's not going to let that go for days."

"It's okay," she says and slings an arm over his shoulder, grinning. "You'll protect me, won't you?"

"Idiot."

But he's smiling.

━ × ━

"Oh, Yuko-san~" Disgust covers her normally cheerful visage and she attempts to back away from her perverted classmate, wincing all the while. She was normally alright with verbal stuff, having means of revenge, but seeing those palms twitch as if he was planning to hold her body, she was afraid.

Yuko believed in the purity and sanctity of the body. It wasn't meant to be trampled and used just for comedic purposes or satisfying puberty urges without consent.

( Why did it even have to be the stupid pervert with no redeeming qualities anyway? There was Kirishima, Izuku and most importantly, darling Uraraka who literally would multiply the happines in her entire entity by a thousandfold. Why Mineta? Why? )

Yuko would have struck his head with an air arrow but she decided that it was better to use it to pass the practical exam. They were going to battle a teacher for God's sake. Bless the one who had to go up against All Might, she thought.

Midnight was a nice woman, her quirk was dangerous though so she had to keep her guard up. They had a slight advantage in numbers too since there were three of them so Yuko racked her brain for something she could use.

She didn't find anything so they had to rely on Mineta's wits. Even the thought made Yuko vomit. Wielding an air arrow in her palm, at the first sight of Midnight, she hit a tree and let it collapse over the hero.

"Run!" she yelled and her teammates didn't argue. They each entered buildings and watched the streets where the pro hero strutted as if the earlier attack didn't happen.

Mineta, across the street was swimming on his fantasies yet again so Yuko had to rely on her other teammate- Sero.

Sero was on the other building, the one next to Yuko's so she pointed up to signal go up. Mineta seemed to get it too so he nodded and they each made their way to their respective rooftops.

Sero used his tapes to swing across the building and Yuko followed suit, using a half gust to propel her forward.

"Midnight won't let her guard down," Sero said. "We have to find a way to defeat her since it looks like she won't be leaving that exit for now."

Yuko nodded, but she still couldn't help but ask, "How?"

Mineta was crouching too, a thumb on his chin and he said, "I have a plan."

They lent their ears to him and when it was decided that there had to be a distraction, Yuko was up to the task. Just long enough for Mineta and to prepare so with a nod, they begun.

Gratitude was spilling on her face as she jumped from the fifty feet rooftop, gratitude towards the Support Course who had painstakingly adjusted her uniform. The fabric had been replaced by a stronger, but lighter alloy and the gas tank with a white gadget that could provide the same services but lesser in size. Just the width of her palm and the length of her pointer finger.

Releasing half gusts from both palms, she jumped from the building. Managing to land on both feet, she didn't hesitate to lunge at Midnight with her fists. She started off with a kick, overwhelming her with attacks so she could not retaliate with her quirk.

She had to rely on her fists now since she could only create two or three more gusts with her quirk. And she was going to run out of breath. Yuko is willing. She won't fail like last time.

With another punch, Midnight bent back and used her legs to kick- an attack Yuko was prepared for. Instead of hitting her gut, Yuko jumped up and elbowed her on the ribs causing her to stagger backwards.

The albino did not stop there. Half expecting that Midnight would use her quirk, she created an air arrow and urged it to hit the woman's chest to which Midnight barely managed to evade.

"As expected of a pro, right?" Yuko asked in an attempt to catch her breath. One hand furtively moved to her waist to grab the inhaler but when Midnight used her whip, she jumped backwards and postponed the action. In midair, she used the inhaler and on landing, she was hit by a simultaneous of whips and a kick to the gut.

By this point, it was obvious that Midnight's movements were being restricted so she hadn't lost consciousness yet. The capacity to use her quirk though, now that was different. It felt like strength was leaving her as she continued to stagger backwards and evade the onslaught of attacks.

Balance was a fragile thing and Yuko lost it in her struggle to escape. She fell on her butt, the woman looming over her as she toyed with the whip on her hand. Yuko was half grateful the pro hadn't used her quirk. Maybe she was aware that Yuko could mess with air and by relation, her quirk.

Whimpering, Yuko attempted to wriggle from her grasp only for it to end up as futile. She used the inhaler again as she took cover on one of the buildings.

"No," she whispered as her breath leveled. "No, no, no, no!"

Mineta and Sero had to prepare. She mustn't let Midnight out of her sight. She took inventory as she stepped forward and readied herself. Two gusts left for attack, her fists, and the ability to desolate oxygen for only thirty seconds.

The last one was only useful in putting out fires and sabotaging chemical solutions that required the use of oxygen. So three weapons, no!

Katsuki had told her to expand the range of her mind. Think outside the box, wield everything so that it can become a proper weapon. The ability to desolate oxygen. She could-

"What's wrong, kid?" Midnight asks. "You look frightening."

Swallowing bile, Yuko began moving her palms. She could remove oxygen from Midnight's body.

The feasibility was not in a very good position and in doing so, Midnight might die. But Yuko wanted to win. She can use the inhaler! And Recovery Girl would tend to her wounds. She had to manage, she had to do it. She wanted to do it.

She wanted to hurt the pro hero.

Things were different now. She was stronger and braver and smarter and a whole lot better now. She was growing tired of defeat and she will win now.

Taking in a deep breath just like she always did whenever she began anl significant action, Yuko pulled. She gather the oxygen molecules surrounding Midnight towards her, the leaves began wilting, the ground trembled and she pulled.

The pro hero was retching in an instant, clawing on her throat, feeling the oxygen leaving her body, mirroring the image of Yuko at her worst. When she was experiencing the backlash of her quirk.

Twenty seconds have passed and Yuko is trying, trying to stand up but her knees have fallen to the ground. She wouldn't lose. Not now, not ever.

She holds unto it tightly. She continues to pull, pull! Until Midnight is clawing for air. Thirty seconds have passed and her vision is becoming blurry but she continues. The air around them has thinned and the leaves have rustled and withered and she sees Midnight's eyes and Yuko-

Yuko smiles.

"Yuko-san!" Sero called and she continues to hold unto it tightly. The boy swings himself forward and unfortunately falls asleep because of the pro heroine's quirk.

It's over in a flash. Yuko has fallen and everything blurs. The attack has fled Midnight and she's escaped, carrying Sero and Yuko with him.

Later that day, she would learn that they passed because Midnight was attacked by a barrage of black balls from Mineta and she falls to the ground as the background blazes with flames.

The exit has been rid of the guard and Mineta runs. Runs far and wide, dragging Yuko and Sero behind him.

And they pass. They win.

Yuko just didn't notice the fear on Midnight's face.

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E N D O F C H A P T E R
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