Finished - October 8, 2022

Word Count - 2996

Music - Land of Wild - Tartalo Music

********************************

With a heavy sigh, Bakugo rubbed his eyes and stretched his sore arms from the stillness of his sleep. He pushed the sheets off his legs and forced himself to rise. His eyes lazily scanned his room as he sat upright. Everything was dark, not even the sun was awake yet, but of course he was. Once again, he had woken up early. Early.

Bakugo found it impossible to sleep past 4:00am, or 5:00am if he was lucky. His mind was constantly running and forced himself awake. His subconscious drive hardly allowed him to relax; he always pushed his body beyond the limit, and challenged himself to push his boundaries. Constantly driving himself forwards, to be better.

Because of this, he would not let himself sit still, he had to always be doing something. Or else his brain would tell him that he was lazy. Rest was nonexistent in his routine. If he wasn't active, he wasn't productive.

Knowing he wouldn't get anymore sleep, he pushed himself up to get ready. He threw on his favorite set of exercising clothes and grabbed his gym bag. He still had several hours before school even opened, but this wouldn't stop him from working out. Besides, he had a date.

Well...not a date. He had an arrangement with Takari. They were scheduled to meet up before class and start their sparring session. Bakugo knew that Takari wouldn't wake up willingly, especially so early. Therefore it was his job to make sure she was awake, or rather, drag her out of bed.

With his things packed, he headed out the door and climbed the stairs to the girls' level. As quietly as possible he creeped across the long hallway to Takari's door in the very corner. Of course she had to be the furthest room from the stairs!

Not wanting to wake up any of the other females, he knocked softly on the door, hoping that she wasn't still sleeping. Which would have been a miracle. As expected, there was no answer.

Now he was frustrated.

************

A loud noise echoed through Allira's brain, pulling her out of her slumber. Annoyed, she turned over and pushed her pillow into her ears. Just as her mind relaxed again, the banging noise started again, only this time it was accompanied by a voice.

After a moment, she realized the voice was calling her name and the banging was someone knocking at her door.

Allira patted her bedside table in search of her glasses, but the rowdy person at her door got louder and more aggressive.

She gave up on her spectacles and stumbled to the door, wanting to end the terrible noise pounding against her tired ears.

"Okay. Okay." She tripped over several things on her short journey across the room. It took her a moment to fiddle with the handle.

Finally she opened the door to a black and blonde fuzzy blob. Without her glasses she was absolutely useless, but she squeezed her eyes and leaned forwards in attempts to see the early visitor.

"Come on Squintz, let's go."

Allira recognized Bakugo's voice immediately and stopped trying to recognize his blurry face. He was easy to identify, with his light hair, grumpy voice and use of nicknames.

"What time is it?" Allira croaked, her voice obviously not awake yet.

The cloudy outline of Bakugo lifted his wrist up, probably to look at his watch.

"4:15." He stated plainly.

Allira blinked a few times as she processed this information. It took a moment for it to truly sink in, that Bakugo had the audacity to wake her up at freekin 4:15 on a school morning. She didn't flinch, didn't make a sound and closed the door in his face.

Without hesitation, she turned and crashed straight back into bed. Landing face first into her pillow, her limbs sprawed out widely. She had no intention of getting up and decided to go right back to sleep.

"Oh no you don't!" Bakugo had somehow shoved his foot in the door before she could close it completely. He followed right behind her and watched her flop on the bed.

Bakugo grabbed her foot and attempted to drag her off the comfort of her mattress. However, Allira wasn't giving up without a fight. She gripped into the bed frame and willed herself to stay.

This caused Bakugo to change his tactic, if she was to stay on the bed, then everything else was coming off. He reached for every pillow, every stuffed animal, every blanket and ripped them away.

"Why do you have so many freakin stuffies?!" He yelled as more and more small fluffy creatures appeared from every corner of her bed.

Allira ignored him as much as she could, trying to keep her comforter ontop of her person, the last thing remaining from Bakugo's reign of terror.

"Fine." Bakugo huffed. "I'll give you ten minutes to get dressed, you better be awake when I come back."

A loud slam followed his words as he left the room. Allira turned herself onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

As much as Allira wanted to continue sleeping, she knew he would be back and he would be even angrier if he had to wake her up again.

With a toddler-like pout, she wiggled herself around and threw a silent tantrum. Tossing her arms and legs in circles as she raged quietly at the thought of being up so early. No matter how cranky she was, the movement did help wake up her muscles. And the possibility of punching Bakugo in the face sounded promising.

With a groan, she stood up and found her glasses. Which were on her bedside table, just as she thought. Now that she could see clearly, she observed the tornado that was currently her room. Every single item from her bed had been literally thrown across the room. Pillows, blankets and stuffed animals littered every inch of her dorm.

She would remember this. The thought of punching Bakugo slowly sounded sweeter.

However, now was not the time to think about it. Instead, she dressed herself into leggings and one of her fathers baggy shirts. This early in the morning called for comfort over fashion. It was still dark and cold outside, so she grabbed a jacket as well. Though, she might not need it once they started moving.

Once she was ready, she slowly hobbled down the stairs, looking much like a zombie.

Her crystals jingled softly with every step, which announced her presence to Bakugo. The sound of her jewelry clinking together quickly became familiar to him.

"Finally you're up." Bakugo met her at the stairs, his hands full. Over his shoulder held his gym bag, while two cups occupied his hands. One looked like a shaker, probably some kind of pre-workout shake. The other was a travel mug, which Bakugo held out for her to take.

"What's this?" She asked, almost scared of what it might be.

"Just take it." Bakugo shoved the container into her hands.

Allira popped the top open to see what was inside, one sniff was enough to know exactly what it was.

It was tea! Not just any tea, the exact tea she loved! Shocked, she took a small sip and tasted the beverage. Allira was bewildered, he had made it exactly the way she liked.

"Thank you." Allira thanked him for his kindness.

"Shut up." Bakugo buried his face in his scarf and walked towards the door.

Allira was more than impressed. Not only did he know about her tea obsession, he knew how to make it and he took the time to make it for her! The notion was incredibly sweet, especially for someone like Bakugo.

Together the two students ventured out into the darkness of the early morning. Allira followed Bakugo's lead, mostly because she had no idea where they were going. They walked along the sidewalk and exited the campus grounds through the main gate. This made sense, because Aizawa specifically told them to keep their fights off the main campus.

Allira's eyes traced the scenery as they passed by, lit lamp posts, a quaint children's park and even a large library. However, they did not stop for any of these places. Instead Bakugo led her beyond the town limits and into a forest.

She couldn't help but stare in awe at the magnificent colors of the fauna. Even without the light of the sun, she could still make out the hues of orange, red and yellow. At the base of each tree a thick layer of fog floated, which made it difficult to see past a certain point. But the ethereal mist simply added to the autumn atmosphere.

By the time they stooped, they were deep into the forest. Surrounded by trees and the peace it provided. A small clearing of the brush opened up to the sky, which allowed her to observe the clouds above. The sun still hadn't risen, but the early signs of morning had started to show.

"This place is beautiful." Allira stared in awe.

"It's not that great." Bakugo dropped his bag from his shoulder, causing the leaves below to fluff up a bit.

"Are you kidding?" Allira held her arms out to the scenery. "This is spectacular."

Bakugo looked up momentarily from rummaging through his bag and shrugged. "I've been coming here for years, it's not all it's cracked up to be."

"Well, its beauty is not lost on me. I like it."

He did his best not to show it, but Takari's words warmed something inside of him. A similar feeling he experienced with his pride. When he felt good about his accomplishments, his mind somehow felt lighter. This had the same effect. As if Takari was affirming her approval of his location.

This was a special place to Bakugo, he had been training here for years. The damp mist was a perfect match for his explosions, he never had to worry about catching everything on fire if it was covered in dew.

"I'm tired of waiting, let's start this already." Bakugo centered himself in the small clearing, his hand up and ready.

Takari took a visibly deep breath and joined him in the ring. "Right."

************

The dark woods burst with color, flashes of fire and bursts of purple lit up the area. Bakugo and Takari used their quirks to light their way through their battle. They moved with incredible speed and precision, each closely observing their movements.

Bakugo charged forward with passion, always moving, his feet never touching the floor. His drive was a force to be reckoned with, his stubborn attitude proved for amazing stamina. He fought with the same fervor as his explosions; wild, aggressive and powerful.

Takari's motions were just as precise, every action had a purpose. She was sharp and exact. However, she was much less belligerent. Instead her body was fluid, moving as water. She danced around Bakugo's harsh assaults, somehow able to dodge every blow. Her graceful manuviours evaded every attempt Bakugo made to land his attacks.

As expected, this infuriated the boy. He was at the top of his game, more powerful than he had ever been. Yet he couldn't even seem to touch her. What made matters worse, was the fact that Takari hadn't even attempted a single offensive attack yet. She was playing with him, letting him wear himself out while she simply dodged.

"Knock it off!" Bakugo paused for a moment. His lungs cold against the crisp autumn air as he breathed heavily. Though when Takari joined in, he noticed that was not out of breath at all. In fact she looked as though they hadn't been running around for an hour.

"What?!" She asked innocently, as if she had no idea what she was doing to him.

"Stop toying with me and attack!" He bellowed with anger.

Takari looked down for a moment, almost as if she was shamed. "I-I don't know how."

"You've got to be joking." Bakugo almost laughed.

"I'm serious!" Takari's face reddened as she yelled back at him. "I'm a healer, not really a fighter."

"How do you expect to be a Hero without any offensive moves?"

"I never expected to be a Hero." Takari's fingers twirled her necklace around.

After seeing her do this many times before, Bakugo started to see a pattern in her actions. She used her amethyst to calm herself down when she felt nervous, why was she feeling anxious now?

"Wasn't your mom a Hero?" He asked, almost gently.

The topic of her mother brought a small smile to Takari's face. "Yeah. She was an amazing Hero."

"Then why?"

"My mother was taken from us when I was seven years old. She taught me everything I know, how to use my crystals and how dangerous they could be." Takari activated her quirk on her necklace, which sent sparkles of purple to fall from her fingers. This calmed her breathing and rapid heart, she looked more serene now.

Bakugo came here to fight, not to hear her life story. But if this conversation would help her snap out of her trance and actually fight properly, he would listen. Plus, Takari was a very secretive person. Hardly anyone knew her background. Bakugo took this as a compliment that she felt comfortable enough around her to share her story.

"After she died, Father and I left. He was forced to work overtime at the hospital in order to compensate for losing mother's Hero income. He accepted every job offer he could find, even if it was far away. We moved over a dozen times, to every city, every town. He told me, in order to fit in with the small town locals; I should never use my quirk."

"Thats stupid! You should never have to suppress your quirk!" Bakugo couldn't imagine hiding his quirk, it was a part of him.

He was lucky enough to grow up in a household that supported his Hero dream, parents that helped him learn to use his powers carefully. His quirk was dangerous and as a destructive child, it was difficult. But he always had the opportunity to blow off some steam where it was safe. Takari didn't have that luxury.

"That's why I never learned how to attack. My whole life I was taught to avoid fighting, I learned how to flee and not get hurt. But I never learned how to protect others. Seems selfish at this point." Takari finished her story with a heavy sigh.

"Sorry." She apologized, a sad smile forced its way to her features. "Forget I said any of that."

"Give me your arm." Bakugo stated plainly.

"What?" Takari looked at him perplexed.

"Give me your arm." He repeated.

Takari hesitantly held out her dominant left arm, which Bakugo grasped tightly with both hands. He then turned his back to her and in one fluid motion lifted her body over his shoulder. Which slammed her back onto the ground below his feet with a loud crash.

Takari laid in the leaves and stared up at the canopy in utter disbelief. Had he really just done that?

"That is called a shoulder throw." Bakugo stood tall above her head. "It's a mix of both defensive and offensive maneuvers."

Takari caught her breath, her eyes glued to his. He looked so serious.

"We've got all week to get you up to speed." Bakugo smirked, with evil intent.

"You mean you'll teach me?" Takari still hadn't moved from her arrival upon the ground.

"Ain't no one better than me. And you've got a lot to learn." Bakugo held out his hand.

A true smile brightened Takari's lips and she took his hand. He pulled her up off the ground and she stood taller than before. This time ready to start fresh.

"You ready?" Bakugo squeezed her hand in encouragement.

"Ready." Takari clutched his hand with equal strength.

One again the forest filled with motion as Bakugo demonstrated his moves, using trees and loose branches at his targets. Takari repeated the steps, with trial and error learned quickly. She even put her own spin on some of Bakugo's favorite attacks, which of course impressed him beyond words. After a while, Takari felt comfortable enough to show Baugo a few of her own tricks. How to dodge effectively and conserve energy when moving.

The two students lost track of time and spent hours training and teaching each other what they know. By the time the sun started to rise, both heroes were resting. Their backs against the dirt, leaves in their hair. Both breathing heavily from the amount of action they had faced.

Since they had stopped moving, the cold started seeping back into their bones. But they were both too tired to grab their coats and simply laid there, staring up at the brightening sky.

The sunrise was exquisite. Takari was never awake to see how glorious that sky could look in the morning.

"It's beautiful." She couldn't tear her eyes from the colors in the sky.

The moment was unique and special. Takari would hold this memory close to her heart, even if she had to move away. She would never forget this.

Bakugo turned his head to look at Takari and observed her observing the clouds. Even as battered and dirty as Takari looked, he could help but marvel at her appearance. Her short white hair, messy with leaves and muck. Dirt on her cheeks, wide eyes peared upwards. Her eyes.

Bakugo noticed the odd color of her eyes the moment he saw her. The lightest shade of purple, just slightly covered in a cloudy film. As if a soft mist floated over the surface, which added to her mysterious personality.

By the time the sunset subsided, birds started their songs and both students knew they had to head home. They both desperately needed showers before the school day started. But they were grateful for their shared time together and were excited to start the new day, together.