❝ 水能载舟 ❞

RAIN FALLS IN CRAZY, chaotic drops, the gusting wind carrying them in wild vortices one moment and in diagonal sheets the next. It runs down on the window as a thin layer, not as cold as it will be when November comes, but without the warmth of summer showers.

There Yue sits, watching the rainfall on her bed.

An exhale leaves the crook of her throat. She pulls her legs toward her upper body, hugging her cold form to create some warmth.

It is another one of those rainy days. Yet it seems like the drops are turning colder, and the clouds encourage the days to turn darker.

Though she tries to deny it, she knows what all of this is about. And she fears nothing more.

Many of 1-A's classmates were not present for the past few days, which left the others wondering and in a surging perplexity. As nighttime falls down to the land, though, they're met with their faces after they open the door of the dorms.

Whilst the others run toward the four missing students in an instant, Yue observes the scene from a bit further back, eyes narrowed.

"With Kamino and this, you guys keep getting involved with some crazy stuff!" Kaminari says in worrisome with widened sights. "It's scary, you know!"

Midoriya smiles in embarrassment. "S-Sorry..."

"I'm just glad they're okay," one of Shoji's atms speak out. Jiro weighs the issue, stating, "Are they okay? Okay? I guess they are...?"

They throw questions at them and show their signs of affection, having missed their four beloved classmates.

"Everyone!" Iida suddenly yells. "I know that you were worried, but calm down! You saw it on the news, didn't you? A lot has happened to them. If you are their classmates, you should console them and let them rest quietly."

"Iida-kun." Midoriya holds his hand up to stop the class representative's ranting. "It's fine."

At that, a slight scoff emits out of Yue's body. She silently walks away with her hands in her pockets, yet it catches the others' attention.

"Shiro! What's with the long face?" Kaminari approaches her. He puts his hand on her shoulder, but she smacks it away with her cold hand.

Their mouths gape open at the rude action, unfamiliar with that side of her. All of them are confused as to why she hasn't talked to any of her friends about it yet—not even Kirishima. As they call out her name for many times and question her antics, she halts in her tracks while forming her hands into fists.

"How can none of you see anything wrong with it?"

The class can't deliver an answer to her question, because they don't even know what she's talking about in the first place.

It irks her, jaw clenching. Whilst her back is facing them, she tries to hide her face by locating it on the floor. "There are so many Heroes in Japan, but they really thought that bringing students to such a huge and dangerous mission would be okay. Didn't anyone say anything against the idea of letting kids join Yakuza?"

"W-Well, Rock Lock was against it, but then—"

Her dry chuckle cuts Midoriya's nervous saying off. "Splendid. Except for one Hero, no one else thought about the fact how stupid and ignorant it is to leave kids to danger and worry their entire families."

"Shiro, it wasn't like that," Kirishima intervenes, completely puzzled about her way of thinking.

Similar to him, the other classmates are shocked as well to say the least. They can't even say anything, just standing there with agape mouths.

"No, Kirishima, that's exactly how it was." Slowly, she turns around to gaze at them, her eyes hardened and cold. "Are any of you or the Hero society aware of how much mental and emotional baggage and damage shit like that leaves behind? I get that you guys want to save and rescue people, but wait until it's your time. The way all of you acted was selfish towards the people who love and care about you."

As she walks away, she adds quietly, "And the fact that none of the police nor Heroes decided against the idea of leaving kids to such danger shows how fucked-up the society actually is..."

Just as usual, the trio makes their way to the bus to drive to the building where the provisional license course will be held.

"Walk behind me!" Bakugou states loudly.

Todoroki changes the subject, meanwhile Yue stays quiet and looks at the ground; absentminded. "I feel bad for making Aizawa-sensei take us after yesterday..."

"I'm not here to make smalltalk with you!" responds the blond.

Before Todoroki could say something, he stops himself at the sight of two of their infamous teachers. "You're late, bad guys!" shouts Present Mic, his fingers pointing at them.

"I will be taking you today, too," All Might says.

In a sudden, Present Mic begins poking his pointer finger into Bakugou's forehead naggingly. "It seems that Eraser will be out a lot because of yesterday's incident. Apparently, they need his power to help with the girl they rescued. So, I'll be coming as a bodyguard!"

"It's a measure we're taking after considering the League's actions, too," the Symbol of Peace adds. "Now, let's go. Yesterday was just an easy classroom lecture, but I heard that today's training will be tough."

Without uttering a single word out, the blue-haired girl takes a seat at the end of the bus, the side of her head laying against the window. Her mind is still elsewhere, contemplating issues inside of her head.

"Young Shirohono."

Yet that pulls her out of her own universe, gazing at the Hero with furrowed brows. She's confused as to why he has decided to sit beside her to talk, considering that both of them have never really spoken in the first place.

So as he asks, "Is everything all right?" the frown on her forehead expands.

"Everything all right, All Might," she mumbles out without any hints of humor behind, folding her arms while continuing to gaze out of the window.

All Might scratches the back of his head, not knowing on how to start a meaningful conversation with his closed-off student. He has noticed her silent and absentminded behavior this morning, and has also had a long conversation with Eraserhead.

"So, um..." The blond man clears his throat, growing more nervous with every passing second of the unnerving silence.

But as his eyes land on her expressionless face, in which splinters of affliction and dilemma lie behind the facade, his lips curl downward.

"I..." His eyes drop to the floor, shoulders slouched in defeat. "I sincerely apologize for not being able to save you. Not only because of the happenings at Kamino, but also because of the Ankoku incident."

The mentioning makes her swallow a huge lump in her throat, jaw clenching.

"I can't even imagine what you've been through during those two years..." There's genuine sorrow dripping off of his tongue, and she can sense it in an instant. "And even after Edgeshot rescued you, I just... I'm so sorry."

Never would she have imagined to receive a heartbreaking apology from the Symbol of Peace himself.

Regardless of her aching heart, she refuses to seem too vulnerable in front of so many people. Her breath comes out shaky as she tries to control her tears. Putting her tongue on top of her mouth, and pinching the skin in between her thumb and pointer finger, the tears stop.

"I know that your view on us Heroes isn't like the ones of your classmates, and you have all the rights to think this way..." Throughout every single word, his authenticity stays present. "I just hope to be worthy enough to show and change your opinion in the very end."

To say that she's embarrassed would be an understatement. There she sits, hearing an apology from the most impactful man she's ever known. Her head falls.

"Why didn't anyone check up on me?"

Her voice is light and monotonous, but the words hit like sharp darts. "After the police was done with the interrogation, they scrubbed the incident under the rug like it meant nothing. Like my feelings meant nothing. No one checked up on me."

Looking up, she locks her expressionless eyes with his. "Not one single Hero."

"And now there are Heroes and police officers offering their help left and right." She drops her gaze again, voice remaining tedious. "Do you have any idea of how stupid and angry I feel by that?"

"I really appreciate your help, and I've never held any grudge nor dislike against you, All Might. You're the biggest Hero I've ever known."

A weak smile is on her lips as she looks up at him again. But All Might can see the callous hatred behind those dark azure sights. He can see how those years of betrayal from the well-loved society have manifested a feeling of deep, dark mistrust.

She shrugs weakly, smiling sadly. "Just not mine."

Nonetheless, she attempts to downplay the issue, locating her gaze at the window. "I don't think I can forgive and forget about everything that has happened. Considering that I was lied to about my parents' existence as well, it seems rather unbelievable. That's fine, though."

"I'll bring change." There's a hard, unreadable, almost terrifying look in her eyes as she gazes over at the Hero again. "Don't worry."

Though her voice has stayed apathetic and carefree about the issue, her words cut deep. Deeper than any blade.

And he's afraid that that blade might cut him, eventually.

"Oh! Hey!" The extraordinarily tall and loud boy exclaims while waving ecstatically. "U.A.!"

Another feminine voice calls out, "Oh, what's this? This guy's super hot."

The trio halt in their steps, facing the other two students from Shiketsu. A blonde girl smiles while gazing at Todoroki. "That's, like, totally crazy. I'm totally psyched to train with a hot guy."

"Camie, that's beneath you!" A purple-haired boy with a stiffened figure states noisily. "As a student of Shiketsu, you should throw away things like that!"

"What? You mean attraction?" Yue stares him up and down with furrowed brows.

Bakugou seems to know the uptight student, his expression turning sour. "Meat! You failed in the first test, didn't you?"

"I received permission to observe! I'm just watching!" He retorts swiftly, mirroring the blond's displeasure.

"Go home, Meat!"

"My name is Shishikura Seiji!"

Shirohono's headaches have gotten worse over the past couple days, and the petty fight of the two are only worsening it. So, while rolling her eyes, she massages her throbbing head and leaves.

"Hey, you are Shirohono Yue, aren't you?" Camie follows the said girl's swift steps. "You are, like, really cool and pretty. And your friend is, like, totally hot, too. I really dig your tattoos."

Both girls enter the changing rooms. Yue quietly thanks the girl, a soft hue of pink on her ears. As she peels the clothing off of her, Camie's plush lips part ajar.

"So, you, like, really always wear those bandages everywhere?" Her finger is in front of her lips, thinking. "That looks really cool. But isn't that, like, hard to deal with?"

Shaking her head, the blue-haired girl mumbles out, "Nah, it's fine. It's like a part of my body now." She opens the buttons of her blouse and undressed herself from it.

"Woah, your body is, like, really toned, too!" The attention and compliments cause her to grow embarrassment, turning away from the sweet-talking girl. "I love your abs! So muscular yet feminine!"

Many people would describe Camie as loquacious and maybe even a bit loose-tongued, and Yue is aware of that. She can read the talkative girl in an instant. There are no ill intentions behind her curious and laidback personality.

Above it all, Yue grows fond of the bubbly girl.

They talk about loose subjects while exiting the changing room, their clothes fully changed now. The others are already waiting for the duo as they enter the big arena.

Mera starts explaining the program in his usual tired voice. Suddenly, there's an abrasive and elongated scream of the name: "SHOOOTO!"

All eyes turn toward Endeavor, the number one Hero. Except for Todoroki himself. "You're not someone who should be suffering a setback in a place like this!" The man yells. "Show them why you're in a different league than them!"

"Um, everyone, please calm down," Mera tries to locate the attention back on himself as the students beam toward All Might. "She'll be joining us from now on."

Camie goes in front and takes her hat off. "I'm a second year at Shiketsu High School." There's a small smile on her lips. "Please call me Camie."

"They said ok-ok to, like, making an exception, and it's, like, sooo generous." She throws a piece sign. "I totally owe them tons, but, like, 'sup!"

A light chuckle is stifled by Yue.

Soon on, Gang Orca's intimidating figure steps foot into the place. "You all came today, too, without being discouraged, huh? You failures who were called out by that easy exam."

His presence alone causes the failed students to straighten their posture. "Far from being Heroes, you lot are lower than the ocean bottom dwellers! You're goby fish turds!"

Dude, tell me about it. She releases a sigh.

"Especially you!" He shouts at Bakugou and. "Do you even want to be a Hero?"

Her eyes widen. But Bakugou doesn't back down from answering the scary-looking man, "First of all, I'm not a turd."

And that's how he's thrown away. "Disciplinary action!"

"How can turds save the mighty humans?" He asks Todoroki in a loud tone now.

"Indirectly through fertilizer and—" That's how Todoroki got thrown away, too.

Then, he turns toward Yue, who blinks up at the man. "How can you become a Hero without any knowledge of communication about compassion and empathy?"

"Okay, but, what if we all just collectively normalized rescuing humans without talking, considering that many traumatized people aren't able to speak freely after things—"

"Disciplinary action!" Unsurprisingly, he throws her away, too.

What causes her to groan loudly is Inasa's big-boned body landing right on top of her only a few seconds later.

"I am so sorry!" He yells loudly, triggering her migraine. "Wait, aren't you Shirohono? You were recommended as well, right? But I didn't see you at the recommendations!"

With one swift movement, he jolts her body up by grabbing hold of her cold hand. Yoarashi is about to collide his head onto the concrete to apologize, but she prevents him from doing so.

"It's fine." Yue clutches her aching head. "And, yeah, I wasn't at the recommendations test. I got in without them..."

That sentence alone unlocks another memory that is stored at the back of her head.

"You can always come to my company for the internship. You know that, right?"

Edgeshot said as he leaned his body against the doorway with crossed arms.

Although she appreciated it, she still declined her head at the offer. "I know that, but I don't want to take other people's chances for having you as a connection. I already got into U.A. with your recommendation, and didn't even have to do anything to gain it in the first place."

A frown was on her forehead, playing with her fingers that sat on her lap. "And, honestly, I regret it. I feel so entitled and spoiled about it. Everything I achieved so far is because of you, and I want to do something myself for once in order evolve without me being dependent on someone."

"But, Yue, you didn't entirely get into U.A. because of me." He was saddened about the fact that she felt this way. "Of course I recommended you, but that isn't exactly how you got in."

Kamihara laid his hand on her warm shoulder. "I sent them plenty of videos of our training lessons together. They know how well you use your Quirk. That's how you got in. Not because I just told them to."

"Quit talking!" yells Gang Orca. "I know that the four of you have enough combat ability. But that's all you have."

Did he lie? No, he didn't. She nods her low-hanging head at that.

"Foolish behavior, like being disrespectful to those in need of rescue, and ignoring the situation around you while competing stubbornly..." His stance is tall and commanding, yet somehow inspiring. "Today, we will put you through a special trial."

"What you lot are missing..." He raises his voice. "...In other words, 'heart'!"

A what now? Her confusion is visible, to which he continues stating, "Will anyone take hold of the hand you put out? No! Even if they bare their fangs at you, if there is a life present, you must save it!"

I like this man!

In a sudden, the grand doors open, and many kids run into the arena loudly.

Never-mind.

"This is a very scary sight..." mumbles Yue with widened eyes, backing away. "Let's run off before they'll notice it—"

Too late. A bunch of kids are surrounding the azure-eyed girl and touch onto her without permission. "Blue is a stupid color! Stupid, stupid!" One of them yell while pointing at her.

Annoying her seems like a hobby for these kids. They throw millions of questions at Yue like they're bombs, but she tries to stay calm and breathe thoroughly. It's easier said than done.

"What are these? What are these? What are these?" A small boy exclaims, while poking into the skin where her black tattoo is prominent.

Hands on her hips, Yue's dark eyes meet the ones of the boy, as she stares down at him scarily. "That's a mark I got for killing off stupid, annoying, little children, who keep on poking into my damn skin!"

Safe to say that he starts crying.

While the little boy runs away, the others tackle her down. "You're a Hero! You're supposed to be nice!"

"And you damn kids are supposed to be respectful! But we don't see that, do we—"

Some of them start hitting her with their tiny fists. It doesn't leave any damage, but it sure as hell irks her.

"What do you hide behind them? This looks weird!" Her last ounce of patience fades into oblivion as they start peeling onto her bandages, wanting to take them off of her.

By doing a sweeping kick, all of the kids fall down with groans. "Annoying-ass kids," mutters Yue while walking away.

"Hey, do you think you're better than us, you jerk?!" They're swift to stand back up and run after her. "You're a weakling! Weakling!"

Shirohono runs away from the kids like there's monsters chasing her, which, in this case, there are.

"The early elementary school years are an important time for building character..." The poor teacher of this mess of kids begins, tears peaking through her eyes. "Because the difference between Quirks has a big effect, we offer counseling in order to support healthy emotional development, but counseling is not a cure-all. The children of this class have closed their hearts to us. I understand that this is my responsibility... But, if interacting with you all, working so hard to achieve your dreams, will help them remember their honest feelings..."

Those words spark something within her. Yue sighs, walking to stand behind the other four.

"Because the teacher didn't fulfill her role as a 'leader' and was looked down on, the brats ended up taking over," Bakugou states while pointing at them. "This isn't something that just happens without you realizing it. There's definitely a 'boss' who's creating this atmosphere."

"So you mean a mini Bakugou?" Yue nods along.

But that causes his once calmer demeanor to crumble. "I'm not a boss who creates a bad atmosphere!" He shouts at her.

"Of course. Your yelling is nothing but pleasant," Yue smiles at him impurely, attempting to ruffle his hair. But Bakugou holds her wrist in his burning hand before she could get any further.

Swift to cut their little argument off, Todoroki asks, "If we find that kid, what do we do?"

Inasa and Bakugou voice out their own opinions, yet both don't work. Fighting or making friends are out of the options by that.

"Don't you think these kids are more, like, twisted than expected?" asks Camie.

"That's why I said that violence is sometimes necessary!" The blond exclaims.

At that, Yue nods slowly, gaining the other's attention. "Sometimes, violence is needed. This is a sometimes."

"Shirohono, Bakugou, that's not true," Todoroki interferes, sort of shocked because of their choice.

"Huh?! That's how I was raised!" The said boy defends himself.

Nodding, her arms cross themselves in a closed-off manner. "These stupid kids show no respect, whatsoever. If I didn't bow to my master when seeing him, I'd face the consequences. Respect has to be earned."

"No." Todoroki shakes his head.

It's his turn to show on how to get these children under control. As he steps closer to the girls, they're already a blushing mess. Yue watches her friend closely, observing what he wants to do.

There are countless of ways to tame them, but the way he tries it makes her facepalm herself. "My name is not Five Weenies," he begins in a serious tone. "My name is Shoto from U.A., and I want to be a Hero. My father, Endeavor, is currently the number one Hero, but, to be frank, I've always hated him and want to forge my own path in the world of Pros. My childhood was next to nothing, you see, so I felt like—"

"Boring," mutter the kids.

Defeated, Todoroki comes back with slouched shoulders. "Sorry..."

"It's fine." Yue pats his shoulder. "If your story was in a manga, they'd read it, don't worry."

All gazes fall on her, which make her exhale loudly. "Guess it's my turn..."

Present Mic announces, "Now is Shirohono Yue from U.A., who will hopefully win the kids' hearts with either her grace or cunningness!"

"What if you guys just shut up and listened to your damn teachers for once?" asks Yue blandly as she stands in front of the pack of kids. "If y'all were my students, all you'd see is hell with me playing the role as Satan. You guys are the reason why people don't wanna have kids anymore—"

Before the children could attack her, Camie drags the tired girl away. "You four have been doing things normally this whole time, but wouldn't it be faster if we, like, showed them our Quirks?"

"I was just about to say that!" Bakugou states. "The gap between us is still deep. And there are still some who are having fun with giving us trouble. To attack, we can't just try to fill the gap. Our only choice is to jump with a practical demonstration!"

Like a light bulb quirking up above her head, Yue's whole expression changes. She exclaims loudly, turning excited, "Ah, now I know!" The other four turn toward her. "Step closer. It's time for a strategy."

Whilst the older students discuss the issues, the kids turn into almost demon-like creatures. "Why does a kid have a cannon coming out of its mouth?" she deadpans, blinking.

"We'll show you that we're better than you guys!" A blond boy screams out, sending his Binging Balls at Bakugou's threat.

It causes the mask around his eyes to rip apart. Yue's eyes widen, but not at what everyone else thinks.

She goes beside Bakugou, wiping the area beneath his unmasked eye. "That's a really nice eyeliner you have there. How did you make it look so even—"

"That's not what's important right now, Fireball!" He yells at her, clutching her wrist, yet again, to put it away from his face.

Within seconds, the students see how evolved and complex the Quirks of the children are. It's almost shocking. Diverse types of strength and Quirks is shown by these annoying kids.

By creating a small wall of fire, she protects herself by the enormous attacks of the kids.

"They're pretty crazy to attack people without any hesitation," mutters Bakugou, to which Shirohono responds mercilessly, "Aren't they kind of like you?"

Yet the crimson-eyed boy doesn't get to shout at her in denial because of Todoroki cutting right through it. "It seems like they think they can do whatever they want against aspiring Heroes."

"Cockiness blossoms when soiled in ignorance." Shirohono's eyes turn darker within seconds, staring at the kids who are instantly intimidating. "Maybe we just really have to show them our Quirks."

Suddenly, Yue's eyes capture a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Oi, oi..." The absolute difference of tone the Todoroki emits causes her head to jerk at the direction wide-eyed. "I want to see your cute face. Don't spoil it with wrinkles."

Awestruck, Yue stares. He's so beautiful, she almost tears up.

Meanwhile, Bakugou suppresses his laughter by his hand, just to show the same sweet move. "I want to see your cute face."

"Wow. Didn't know it did that," she mutters while staring at her laughing friend.

Both Shirohono and Bakugou begin laughing later on, though. "I thought it was good! Glamouroki!"

"You do it!" Bakugou suddenly hits Yue's shoulder.

As she sends him a questioning glare, he yells, "You know what I mean, dumb-ass."

Catching onto his intentions, she's swift to shake her head and wave her hands around vigorously. "No, no, no, no—"

Todoroki nudges her side, a small grin on his lips.

Still, she's stubborn onto her morals. "I won't. I have pride, honor, priorities, and—"

"Do it!"

In a sudden, her entire appearance changes from an expressionless and mysterious one to a giddy, lovable exterior. She extends her hand to the kids, a bright smile showing her pearly teeth. "Your beautiful smile makes my heart melt into puddles, love."

That erupts even more laughter from Bakugou, who's still covering his mouth to contain himself. Even Todoroki is grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Enough of that! Let's do the thing Shirohono and we planned out earlier!" Inasa exclaims with a wide beam.

And they do. Through Yoarashi's whirlwind, the kids fly in the air, while Camie blows a majestic view of colorful hues out of her lips. Todoroki builds up a slide by his ice, and Yue adds a few circles made of blue flames around it to make it look more appealing.

Bakugou grabs onto the kids' leader. "Hey, you get in there, too." Although the kid protests, he doesn't let go off his grip. "If you keep looking down at everyone, then you won't notice your own weaknesses."

To say that Yue is impressed would be an understatement. She just stands there, blinking, mouth agape.

As he strides beside her, though, all she says is, "You have to show me how you do your eyeliner one day."

"Shut up." He rolls his eyes, spreading his hand on her whole face.

Some of the kids suddenly tug on her pants. With a frown, she gazes down at them after slapping away Bakugou's stinky hand.

"What else can you do with your Quirk?" One of the girls ask shyly, cheeks tinted a bright pink. "It's so pretty!"

Smiling lightly, Yue squats down to meet their eye-level.

The tips of her two pointer fingers meet, before she moves them to shape a heart form made of thin strings. She blows the heart into the girl's direction, who giggles in return of being surrounded by it.

Sudden warmth builds up in Yue's chest because of the endearing sight right in front of her eyes.

She was always sure that fire ought to bring nothing but destruction. But the way the those destructive flames bring a wide smile to the girl's face ignite a foreign but beautiful feeling she's never known before.

Yue frowns as she extends her warm hands to stare down at them.

After they're finished with today's course, they change back into their school's uniform.

Inasa exclaims loudly whilst they walk out of the building, "After thinking about it, I totally like you now, Todoroki! Our Quirks are good together, too!"

"Yeah, and, Bakugou, you're not actually that bad if you don't talk. Try shutting up!" Camie states.

Without any remorse, Yue lets out a loud, hearty laugh.

"You shut up!" He's quick to retort. "Shirohono, stop laughing at everything I do, damn it!"

They're surprised to say the least as they see All Might, Endeavor, and a few others discussing Camie's incident.

Everyone has someone to talk to, so Yue just stands there awkwardly—alone.

"Shoto," Endeavor begins.

Shirohono gasps suddenly, scared that she'll accidentally pry into her friend's business without his consent. So, she puts her hands on her ears to not catch any parts of the conversation.

But, no matter how desperately she tries to not overheat anything, Endeavor's voice is loud and clear, and there's nowhere Shirohono can run off to. "Long time no see. You've changed a lot."

Endeavor intends on placing his hand on Todoroki's head, but the boy is swift to smack it away. "I don't want to hear it."

"Shoto..." The number one Hero says in a much more defeated tone now. "I'm proud of you, son."

Yue's eyes widen the more she overhears everything. She squints her eyes closed and looks down, clutching her ears in a harder manner.

"Fireball," Bakugou asks in a judging, tired tone. "What the hell are you doing?"

That catches her attention. With widened eyes, she releases her grip and looks at the blond. "Oh, you know, the usual."

Bakugou blinks, and then clicks his tongue. "The usual Dumbo."

"Exactly." She nods.

"So I'll become..." Now, both Bakugou and Shirohono look at Endeavor. "A Hero you can be proud of, too. Proud that your father is the number one Hero... The most powerful man..."

Embarrassed, Todoroki puts his hand on the back of his neck. "Do whatever you want."

Inasa runs up to the Hero after hitting himself hardly. "I'm cheering you on, Endeavor!"

Finally, they can go home. In a silent manner, they walk toward the bus, meanwhile Yue contemplates some issues in her head while glancing at her friend every now and then.

There's a content smile on his lips, and she's absolutely glad to see it. It warms her heart.

"You know what?" says Yue, slicing the silence with her light voice. Todoroki's gaze lands on her. "Let's eat dinner at the place you told me about a few days ago."

At first, he blinks to comprehend her words, but then it hits him. So, with an even wider smile now, he nods curtly while humming. "All right."

Yue is watching the trees from her window, how they sway in a warming breeze. The sky blazes blue, and the sun is a celebration of yellow, free, and bright. It is that time when summer begins to blossom into something the body feels as much as the brain, when the emotions catch their thermal updrafts.

Somehow, it's like the rays of sunlight keep away the darkness of the rainy days.

Each of her focuses are directed at the serene atmosphere that is created from outside of her window. That is until Mei suddenly jumps on top of her owner, barking joyfully.

Simultaneously, Shirohono's fingers find its way to her and scratch her favorite spot, smiling.

Although she does note how there is no food left for Mei to eat. Yue jolts up immediately, not wanting to leave her husky in any types of hunger. With Mei following her, they exit the dorms and walk toward the nearest grocery store.

Under the sun that accompanies them, Yue feels the warmth of those brilliant rays of light granting the world new, vibrant colours, softly brushing smiles upon faces and hearts.

There is a small grocery store only a few miles away, standing out with its bright lights that illuminate between the other plain-colored buildings. "You wanna have pumpkin or carrot flavor?" asks Yue while glancing down at her dog's big eyes.

Mei barks in response.

"That's my girl." She grabs both.

Both of them leave the store after Yue pays for the meals. As she looks inside of her purse, she notices how there is no money left anymore. A sigh leaves her. But as Mei barks to gain her attention, she smiles lightly - already forgetting about such unimportant things.

Then, they just talk. Well, more or less, considering that Mei can only bark or whimper as a reply. They have achieved that telepathic connection that connects the two of them, even if it's through random conversations.

Beneath the talk is the intimacy, the gentle gaze of their eyes, the relaxed nature of their faces. Whatever they talk of has never mattered, only that they are talking, connecting. And, in that way, their talk is a salve to one another.

"Yeah, and then I just told him to fuck off." Yue rolls her eyes while looking forward. "He was annoying, anyway. Hitting on a girl by 'accidentally' bumping into her on the sidewalk is just stupid—Oh, and I learned that word from a friend! You know, the one that looks like Pikachu—"

What cuts her off is Mei being out of her sight. Panic instantly rises within her, desperately glancing around the areas to detect her.

"Hajimekura!"

Turning around straight away, Yue's widened eyes are met with a kid hugging her dog tight into his arms.

Her eyebrows furrow, about to step in, but two more voices slice through that action.

"Oh, my God!" A middle-aged woman exclaims in relief, gleeful eyes staring at Mei, and then back at Yue. She approaches the girl, taking her cold hands into her own. "Thank you so, so much!"

Still confused, she stands there.

"We thought that we lost our little Hajimekura forever! Thank you so much for taking care of her after she ran away!" Happy tears build in the eyes of the woman, who's most probably the mother of the little kid. "I really just—"

"Honey, isn't that the girl from U.A.'s Sports Festival?" Her husband mingles in, smiling. "You're Shirohono Yue of Class 1-A, right? The one with the fire Quirk?"

Gulping, she inclines her head slowly.

"Man, you were impressive there! When you..."

All voices turn inaudible. Yue looks down at Mei, who licks the little boy's face with absolute joy. It's all she can focus on.

But as the husband's hand lands on her shoulder, she's pulled out of her daze. "Thank you a lot for taking Hajimekura in your home for the while. How can we repay you?"

"It's... fine."

Yue's gaze lands on the floor, still not having comprehended everything; absolutely overwhelmed.

"Aw, come on, there's gotta be something you want!"

At that, she shakes her head. "There's nothing I can want."

As the small kid starts tugging on her pants, Shirohono's gaze falls onto him. He has Hajimekura in his arms. Nothing seems to bother the husky; being used to all the love and attention from its actual owner.

"Thanks." The boy smiles widely while looking up at her. "You're my Hero."

There is so much joy and relief in the boy's heart. It is obvious by the way his lips are turned up, his eyes crinkling, and tears leaking through. Hajimekura seems to be the light of his life.

But when you light a candle, you also cast a shadow.

Shirohono never believed that fire could carry a shadow with it. It's scientifically impossible.

But that's when she understood. That's when the penny dropped.

Mustering out a response has never been this hard. All she can do is nod curtly, a lump building in her throat that prevents her from speaking.

Soon on, they leave.

Suddenly, there's a drop of water landing on top of her head, which causes her to look up at the now cloudy sky.

It's raining.

Yue gulps. She knows what this is about.

It's a sign, a warning. And she fears nothing more.

Those drops are bigger than prairie hailstones and coming down just as hard. She stands there for a moment under the gloomy clouds.

Water sprinkles down her face, cold and wet on her skin. More drops of water trickle down her body as she stands there frozen, her gaze fixed on the horizon, watching how the last ounce of light is being sucked away by the winning darkness.

Waves of rain hit her, splattering across the pavement. She tilts her head up, face turning toward the dark sky. The water streams through her hair, down her neck, soaking her clothes.

Chilly and cold, the addition of wind cuts through like a knife.

"But..." Her voice comes out croaked, simply blinking while still being in the process of comprehension. "I couldn't even bring her to the beach..."

As the clouds continue crying, Yue turns around and walks away, the rain mingling with her own silent stream of tears.

The time her face is spattered with raindrops, almost drenching her hair, is when she realizes how the water clenching to her skin for it knows what she had been and is still going through.

Fun-Fact: Mei was a form of symbolism.

HAJIMEKURA / 暗初め
Hajimekura is a self-created morphing of the two
names Hajime (Beginning) and Kurasa (Darkness)