lucilucinha

[lucilucinha]

Chapter 2 - Hunter?

Slowly Katsuki felt consciousness return. He blinked, his body tense. That no It was his room. It was nothing like any other place he had ever known. The air was thick, heavy, almost... surreal. There was a woman there. Sitting. Watching. Heavy clothes, tattoos on display. Her posture was impeccable. She looked like she had stepped out of a period piece, or a big-budget nightmare.

"Ah, you're finally awake!" She said, as if she had been waiting for him there. "Good thing, I thought you were dead, kid!" Katsuki recognized this woman, she... she was the one who saved him. She was the one who killed that monster.

Katsuki didn't respond. His eyes automatically scanned the surroundings, then returned to her.

The walls were made of wood, as was the floor, and the doors were also of an older Japanese style. The whole place reminded me of an old Japanese house, actually. And Katsuki didn't know why, but he felt as if the gravity of that place was... different? It seemed like everything was lighter there.

What the hell is that?

"Where... where am I?" Katsuki asked as he sat down on the bed – also made of wood – he was on. His head hurt, and so did his collarbone. Though much less than he expected, considering the depth of those... bites. Katsuki felt his body trembling slightly as he remembered this, how had he not died?

"Hey! Hey kid!" The woman said as she sat down next to him, not touching him, but keeping her comforting presence there. "No need to worry, you're safe here." She patted his back lightly. "That monster is gone now, it's okay..."

Katsuki stood up abruptly at the pats on his back, he hated touches, even those. "The monster... did you kill it?" He asked bluntly, needed know what happened.

"One thing at a time, kid. First... names! My name is Aurora Hashimoto." She says as she reaches out for a handshake. "And you? What's your name?"

Aurora? That name isn't Japanese... the surname is, but the name is definitely foreign. Katsuki thought as he saw the woman's hand in front of him, was she being friendly with him?

She doesn't even know me.

—If she had known, she wouldn't have helped.

Katsuki looked around. That voice... he knew it. But there was only the woman who had saved him. Nothing else. No one else.

I must have imagined it... what crazy shit.

I'm going crazy.

—...

He looked the woman up and down. Aurora had light black skin, brown eyes, and was tall, very high, almost two full meters. Her body looked muscular and well-trained, her hair relatively short and very dark red. She looked young. Maybe Aizawa's age... twenty-six, twenty-eight? Something like that. She has a strange ring on one of her hands too.

She wore a tight black kimono with a high collar, as well as loose hakama-style pants – a traditional Japanese style of pants – and a white sash around her waist. Her boots were traditional, traditional sandals actually, with white leggings wrapped in sashes. Aurora wore a white cape with red, orange, and yellow flame designs on the bottom hem. It also had accents of... blue? But the most notable things were definitely two.

Aurora carried a katana in its sheath, visibly red. The hand guard was shaped like a flame, and was all stylized. But, even more than the katana, what really caught the eye was the mark. Katsuki thought it was actually a tattoo. It had marks that looked like flames all over his arm, hand, part of his neck, and even a little on his face. You see, Katsuki had no problem with people getting tattoos, he didn't care. But no matter how many years had passed, Japan was still the Japan. And people there didn't accept tattoos very well, especially those that are visible and impossible to hide.

Bakugou sighed a little at that. He won't judge her, he just... doesn't understand, doesn't comprehend her choices.

"Katsuki Bakugou. That's my name." He squeezes Aurora's hand briefly, this woman was still the one responsible for saving him, at the very least he would shake her hand. "Now, can you tell me what fuck happened and where are we?!" Katsuki growled soon after, crossing his arms, returning to his usual irritated tone. He was still reeling over what had happened, and he wanted answers.

Aurora was silent for a few seconds after the question. "Look, kid, it's... complicated, you'd better sit down. We have very to talk."

Katsuki didn't answer that well.

Huh?! "Just show me where we are, damn it! It's not hard, just open this damn door." Ignoring Aurora's confused look at the unexpected insult, he walked over to the door. "For example..." Katsuki put his hand on the door, and opened it without hesitation.

"Wait, don't open that yet!" Aurora tried to stop him, but he had already opened it, and was walking out the door.

"What would be so impressive to see-" Katsuki stopped in mid-sentence, his eyes immediately widening. "But... WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" He was high on drugs, that's the only possible conclusion Bakugou's mind could come up with.

Looking around every corner, Katsuki saw the impossible. There is infinite wooden rooms, halls and corridors. Looking up, to the sides, forward, down, it seemed to stretch on forever. Gravity is another crazy thing, the laws of physics seem to have completely broken. There were people walking upside down, on the 'walls', on the 'ceilings', in every place that shouldn't be possible.

Entire halls and corridors also seemed to move. There were also dozens, no, hundreds of people walking around, training with katanas, spears, kunais, and various other weapons. What's more, many of the people there were moving around madly with leaps that would have been impossible without quirks. Katsuki attributed this to the gravity of the place. Some people also seemed to be leaving or entering the place through... magical doors that appeared out of nowhere? That's what it looked like from afar.

There were also hundreds of crows flying all over the place, he could hear their sounds in everything. The structure and layout of the place seemed to be very Japanese, although there were people of different nationalities there, he could tell by seeing a few faces, even from a distance.

"W-what... what is this?" Katsuki could no longer contain his surprise.

What the hell is all this?!

"This?" Aurora walked behind him, looking around. "This is the Infinity Castle, kid!" A big smile was on her face, and she looked around.

"Infinite... castle?" Katsuki muttered, his eyes still wide as he watched all this.

"Yeah, it's a pretty literal name. I don't think I need to explain why the infinity is in the name, do I?" She laughed a little. "You seem like a smart kid, so I guess you get the idea... unless you're dumber than you look." Aurora's face fell slightly at that, a bit comical.

"Hey!" Katsuki growled, turning to Aurora. "I'm not stupid, damn it!" He uncrossed his arms at that. "But... what exactly and this place?" Bakugou looks around a bit more at that, focusing especially on the people walking on the walls. "And why are there so many people walking on the walls?!"

"That's what I was about to explain, kid! But you ran out the door before I could even start..." She gestures with her hands as she speaks, as if she were a child pointing out that someone left early. "Well, at least this guarantees that you'll believe what I'm saying! Hehe..." Aurora tries to laugh a little, to ease the tension of the situation. But Katsuki barely reacts, crossing his arms again. "Huh... you don't have much of a sense of humor, do you?" She raises her hands as if surrendering to the sarcasm of her own joke, feigning a theatrical offense.

"You didn't even say anything funny to make me laugh!" He feels his fists clench almost involuntarily. "Why would I laugh at that?!" Katsuki was about to say more. But...

"Você tem certeza disso?"

"¿Dijo la verdad?"

"Te amo mucho, lo sabes, ¿verdad?"

"Twój wiatr stał się zbyt słaby"

"Le souffle de l'explosion est bien meilleur que celui des étoiles!"

"A-ah! Mag-ingat ka..."

"Caithfimid a bheith níos láidre, níos mó agus níos mó!"

"Опусти его, идиот."

Dozens of different voices invaded his mind. Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and other languages ​​he couldn't identify. All at once.

"SHING!"

"CLANG!" "CLING!" "CLANK!"

"SWOOSH!" "WHOOSH!"

"THUNK!"

Metallic sounds cut through the air and hammered his mind without mercy. Everything exploded inside his skull – dozens, hundreds – multiple times. He pressed his ears tightly, but the sound never stopped.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?!" Katsuki immediately regretted yelling. He can hear your own voice screaming even inside your head, and it's something infernal so loud. His body began to shake with discomfort and pain. "Why... is everything so loud?!" Bakugou pleads a little too quietly, making a mental note to try not to scream for now. "I can't... think!"

"Shit... has it started yet?" Aurora muttered under her breath as she turned to the room they had just left. "Let's go back, it'll be quieter inside!" She led the way, entering the room and holding the door open for Katsuki. She gestured for the boy to come in, figuring that due to the excessive noise, he probably didn't even notice her talking.

Without much choice, and wanting to do everything he could to make the noise stop, Bakugou follows her. Running. His eyes were almost teary, and his legs were slightly wobbly, so much so that he almost fell trying to enter the room.

Bakugou runs into the room – or, trying to – and Aurora closes the door at the same moment. Suddenly, the noise stops completely, as if everything is back to normal. His body also stops shaking, returning to its usual 'normal', that is, pure tension.

He slowly takes his hands off his ears, extremely confused, although relieved that the noise has now stopped. "...Did it stop?" He asks in a low voice, looking around and back at Aurora repeatedly, as if he didn't believe any of it. Something like that shouldn't exist, otherwise it would already be something publicly known by the people... right?

"The rooms and halls here are... quiet, as if they were soundproofed." Her voice came out calm, peaceful, as if she wanted to calm Bakugou's confusion. Although it seemed pointless at this point. "Now... can we sit down, like I said? You must have a lot of questions, and I'll answer them all." Aurora picked up two pillows that were nearby and placed them on the floor, one in front of another, and sat on his knees in one of them. Patting the one in front of him, indicating for the younger one to sit down.

But... wha-

—Well, well! You survived, congratulations. Shall we celebrate with more metallic noises in your head?

Katsuki rubbed his temples hard, his eyes squinting. His legs were stiff, ready to run or attack. What he felt had no name. It was fear, anger, confusion, tiredness, all at the same time. He was completely lost. This woman wasn't making any sense, and the whole 'infinite castle' thing even less so. And what about his hearing? Totally incomprehensible. Not to mention... that voice in his head, it's the second time he's heard it.

But, Bakugou assumed he didn't have much of a choice at this point, and he really wanted explanations, now. With that in mind, he also sat down on his knees on the free cushion in front of Aurora. Tense. Slowly. His eyes alert for any unusual movement.

"Okay... where do you want me to start?" Aurora offers a gentle smile to Katsuki, who still has a tense and alert posture.

"How about you start by telling me..." He takes a deep breath, as if deciding what to say. "What the hell is this place?!" His voice is explosive this time, fast, and full of demand. "And why was my hearing turned up to two hundred and twenty just now?!" Katsuki tried to keep his volume down, but his voice wasn't helping. He wasn't used to speaking softly, so his body shook slightly when he heard his own voice.

Ah! Fuck!

Damn voice...

"Um... no! Let's start from the beginning, it's better!" Aurora says with a smile, completely ignoring Katsuki.

If you were going to start from the beginning, why did you ask me then?!

—I already liked her.

Katsuki hates being made a fool of, but Aurora seems to love it, apparently. Since he could see a slight smile on her face when he saw her look. Shitty smile.

"Anyway, let's start from the beginning... the monster that attacked you." Aurora's face turns serious as she says this. Katsuki frowns, his body becoming even more tense, like a rope.

"That thing..." He muttered, his jaw clenched. "That thing was real, right?"

"It was. An Oni." Aurora looked directly at him. There was no sarcasm this time, no room for any doubt. "Demon, creature, monster... pick your favorite name, and call it whatever you want."

Bakugou let out a short, humorless laugh. "Are you kidding me?" The laughter died quickly. "That doesn't make sense... hell? Are you saying there's a fuck of an entire species of human-eating monsters living in hiding out there?"

Aurora just stared at him silently, her expression never changing once.

Katsuki's laugh turned into a choke. He remembered the sound of bones cracking, the bite on his collarbone, the pain sinking through his entire body. That shit happened... I saw him regenerate an entire arm.

Shit... I don't really believe this kid story, do I?!

"If..." He hesitated, knowing that asking about it would be like admitting that she might be right. "If these oni really exist... why doesn't anyone know about it?!" His voice came out louder than intended again. As it did, his body trembled slightly once more.

Damn! Speaking softly is harder than it seems...

Damn ear...

Aurora sighed, settling back into the cushion. "Because the public wouldn't be able to bear to know. Can you imagine the chaos that would be caused if the common people knew about this? We even tried in the past... and guess what? They burned their bodies along with the oni's." She was serious, no jokes now, no laughter.

"So... what are you?" Katsuki's voice shook involuntarily. "You cut off the oni's head without difficulty... and I'm going to assume that the people I saw outside do the same." He thought about all the people he saw training with weapons when he was outside the room... There were hundreds, at least.

"That's the good part!" Now, a smile forms on her face again, but it's simpler and not sarcastic. "We're an organization hidden from the government. And, our main job is to hunt the oni! We're the..." Aurora pauses. "Demon Hunter Corps!" She says it like it's the most amazing thing in the world.

Katsuki feels a bead of sweat on his forehead. "How long? How long... has all this existed?"

Aurora hesitates a bit at this, this question always ends up being very sensitive for most people. "It's been... centuries, many centuries. Countless. Long before individualities existed."

"That... that doesn't make sense. Onis? Hunters? Before Quirks? I saw the fire on your katana!" He points to Aurora's katana, which was in its sheath next to it. "If that's true... how do you kill them?"

The eldest sighed slightly at this. She was used to giving such explanations, but even most of the others had stopped doubting her at this point. "Oni only die when they come into direct contact with the sun." She raised her hand. "That's what the legends say, but... there is another way to kill them." The mark on her arm glowed a fiery red. And then... FOOOSH! A flame rose from her palm, alive, vibrant, hot enough to make sweat break out on Katsuki's forehead. He instinctively recoiled, eyes wide.

"This is the Hunter's Mark." The flame died. "With it, we use breathing techniques. And with it, we can fight oni on equal terms. And, more importantly... with it, we can kill them." She pulled the katana from its sheath. "But only with this, imbued with the mark."

Bakugou stared at the sword, blankly, barely blinking. His eyes were wide, and he could see his reflection staring back at him. None of this made sense inside his head. "So what you're telling me is... this." He gestured weakly at her sword. "It's not a quirk? Not even... the fire?"

"Exactly!" She puts the katana back in its sheath, and becomes more excited. Finally! Does he believe it now? "They say a child was born with it, but no one knows for sure. All we know is that the marks have been spreading from hunter to hunter ever since the beginning of time. And with them, we can do things you can't even imagine."

Katsuki's mind was racing with all of this. Part of him felt like it was all nonsense and a bedtime story. But the other part... was too into it all to deny it. Less than ten minutes ago, he saw a seemingly endless castle, people walking on the walls, doing impossible jumps, and his hearing was exploding with sensitivity. Plus... that voice.

—You remembered me, huh? How cute, should I be flattered by that?

He choked it out. He needed to ignore it, not pay attention to it.

Damn... I'm really going crazy.

—...It was you who said it, not me.

Katsuki began to slowly breathe more shallowly, very more than usual. His chest rose and fell, over and over again. He needed to calm down. Fast.

Calm down... calm the fuck down!

You are not an animal...

—Really... not even an animal would be muzzled to receive a medal.

Shut up!

His heart began to beat faster and faster. Tum-tum-tum. He could hear it, feel it explode inside his head. That sound was filling everything inside him, as if it was going to explode right there in front of Aurora.

—Oh! Is this really happening? Is Katsuki Bakugou having an anxiety attack in front of someone?

Bakugou began to clutch his chest where his heart was, as if he could stop it from falling. His gaze fell to the ground, unable to look into the eyes of the woman in front of him now. He was breathing through his mouth now, unable to hold himself back. His vision began to blur at the edges. He felt his throat dry, the saliva hard to swallow.

One, two, three, four...

This had worked many times in the past, counting the numbers slowly in his mind one by one. It helped his head stay in order, and keep him from completely freaking out in moments of instability, which were more frequent than he would admit.

—Who did you learn that from? A psychologist?

five, six, seven...

—Wimp.

Eight, nine, ten...

—Funny... I wonder if Deku did that too when you cursed at him?

...

—I hit where it hurts now, didn't I?

Katsuki could feel his heart racing now. It was accelerating too quickly, as was his breathing. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey, kid, look at me." Bakugou ignores him. Aurora doesn't give up easily. She approaches him, and puts her finger on his chin, lifting it slightly. This makes their eyes meet again. Katsuki's gaze is shrunken, wide. His body is tense, his chest rising and falling, his breathing uneven, and both of them dangerously fast. Aurora recognizes it, anxiety. "It's hard, huh? That voice inside you... saying such bad things..."

—Hum?! How does she know...?

Aurora reached out her hand, slowly. Katsuki cringed reflexively, but she didn't pull away. When she finally took his hand – warm, firm, but not forcible – he couldn't let go. "Breathe with me, boy." She began to breathe in and out, slowly, and looked directly at Katsuki, as if to support him.

Initially, it doesn't make any difference, and they stay for a good few minutes. But soon Bakugou finds himself able to keep up with her. His breathing becomes more and more constant, slowly. And after ten minutes like this, Katsuki finally becomes more stable.

What... did she do to me?

This... wasn't supposed to work this easily.

So why was it?

Katsuki is no professional, but he is absolutely certain that it is not that easy to help someone who is having an attack. The way she breathed... it was as if her body was unconsciously calming down, and with that her mind was calming down too. It was as if through her breathing, Aurora was managing to make him calm down.

They stood there, silent. Not a peep. Bakugou didn't want to talk about what just happened. He didn't want to, and he wasn't going to. They had more important things to talk about right now. Bakugou refused to give this attack any importance today. He quickly removed his hand from Aurora's grip, and she seemed to get the message. She backed away a little, returning to her cushion.

"How...?" Katsuki asks, his eyes fixed on Aurora's again. "How did I not die? If the monster-" He shifts on the cushion. "If the... oni devoured my collarbone?" Bakugou touches the collarbone lightly with his fingers, feeling it whole. "It's whole, without any injuries... how?"

Aurora hesitated before answering. "Look, kid, I'm going to be very honest... after I killed the oni, I went to check on you. And the wound was bad, very ugly."

He held back a sigh at that. "How ugly?" Bakugou clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white with force. He didn't want to admit it, but... he had come very close to death. Dangerously close.

"I could even take you to a hospital, but there wasn't one nearby. And there would be a risk of you dying on the way if I took you..."

Katsuki gritted his teeth hearing this. Now that he and his mother were in a poorest part of the city, there was no hospital nearby. Shit, the closest hospital to their house was a few kilometers away... and that wasn't a small distance.

Crap...

"So... how did you manage to save me?"

"I..." Aurora clenched her fists in her pants, thinking about what she had done. She had messed up again. "One of the passive effects of the mark is that it gives a small regeneration to whoever has it. It's not much, and it's not even close to what any oni can do. But it's enough to heal small wounds and make wounds that would be fatal healable normally. It also increases one – or more – of the senses of whoever has it, such as sight, smell, hearing..."

Heal wounds? Heighten the senses?

Wait... does that mean...?

As if reading his mind, Aurora replies. "And there are only two ways to get a mark. Being a blood descendant of someone who already had one, or... a marked can make the mark awaken in someone else by giving your blood to him. And I was feeling guilty for you. If I had come sooner, you wouldn't be going through any of this, so... I'm sorry!" Aurora lowers her head towards Katsuki, asking for his forgiveness, and apologizing for what she did. "I did it without your consent, without asking if you I wanted such responsibility and power. It was an impulsive act."

Bakugou was... confused. On one hand, he was 'angry' at the woman, she did this without his consent him, not knowing what he would like, and he hated it. On the other hand, would he really deny it if he had been told beforehand? No, he knows he wouldn't. But that's not the point. This is a responsibility he didn't plan on having, but now he has it. He supposes that this is just life, no one asked for these responsibilities that come out of nowhere, but everyone has them. He's been through this before, he's never had to worry about money in the past, and now he's been feeling responsible for it for the past year, for part of it at least. Essentially, for what he spent.

But... even with these conflicting feelings inside him. He also felt... happiness? Maybe he could use this to be a hero? To continue at U.A? Maybe.

Katsuki breathed heavily, as if to push the thoughts away, and express some level of discontent with it all. "You did this to save my life... didn't you?"

"Yes!" Aurora immediately raises her head, locking eyes with Bakugou.

"In that case, that's fine. I don't like not having been warned before. But, if it was life or death, I don't have much to complain about. I'd rather be alive than not." Katsuki says as he starts looking at his right arm, but sees nothing. "Where's the mark?"

"Um... normally, it's on your right wrist. It's pretty small in this initial state, so you won't need to worry about hiding it."

Bakugou looks down at his right wrist, and there it is. It's about three or four inches long and three or four inches tall. Its appearance is an ornamental, flowing style, composed of thin lines and soft curves that resemble a light wind – or a light summer breeze – carrying small leaves and petals along with it. The design of the mark starts at a more concentrated and detailed point just above the wrist – with larger spirals and leaves – and moves extends along the wrist, towards the arm, with a movement that suggests lightness, freedom and fluidity, as if it were spreading across the skin naturally.

This is much bigger than he expected. "Will this... grow bigger...?" Katsuki asks softly this time, he was almost mesmerized by the mark, it's much prettier than he expected, and... it suits him? In a strange and beautiful way, simultaneously.

"Eventually! As time passes, and you use the mark more, it will evolve... grow, become stronger." Aurora says as she raises her arm slightly towards Katsuki, leaving her mark in plain sight for him. She makes the symbol glow slightly, which ends up resonating with Bakugou's mark, making it glow as well. "More powerful!" While Aurora's glowed a bright and strong red and orange, Bakugou's glowed faintly in white, almost imperceptible.

"Wow..." Katsuki can't help but shine his eyes as he sees this. It's just... amazing.

How? How... no one knew about this? It's... fucked up, really. This was something completely new to him, but he was already worshiping.

—Oh, screw it, now he's all excited...

Katsuki paused for a moment when he heard this. The voice... he had forgotten about it. Aurora knew how to deal with this thing. Could it be...?

"That voice..." He squeezes Aurora's hand a little, who was in front of him now. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" Katsuki muttered.

Aurora remained silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Yes. It's a side effect of the mark. A part of you... that was perhaps buried before – or that has always existed – awakens. The side that resists the most, that fears the most, that doubts the most. The mark brings out everything you hide from yourself, including that voice."

"Great." Katsuki said to himself as he loosened his grip on Aurora's hand. "I gained a new power, and also a shitty inner demon."

—Hey! Don't call me a demon, you little shit!

—In a sense, you're the one who's my demon here!

"It's more common than you think. Most people learn to ignore them over time. Others... learn to live with them. But no one faces onis only out there, kid. Sometimes the worst demon is the one we create inside." She touches Katsuki's chest with this, wanting to emphasize her heart in all of this.

"Humph!" He takes Aurora's hand off his chest, who just pouts at that, and mutters a 'boring'.

"That's too poetic for someone like me..." Katsuki responds sarcastically, but his gaze doesn't detract from the weight of those words. He would deal with it one day... but not today, definitely not today.

—You'll have to get used to me, Katsuki. I am you.

The worst part of me.

—In other words, equal!

Tsk...

—Haha!

Aurora lowers her arm immediately, causing the marks to stop glowing. "But anyway, now that you have the mark, I need to ask." Aurora's gaze returns to an almost formal seriousness, speaking in a slightly colder tone now. "Would you like to become a hunter?"

The glow in Katsuki's eyes doesn't waver, but he quickly widens at this. "Wait, what?!"

"You heard. Would you like to become a hunter?" Aurora asks again, unfazed by the younger man's gaze for even a moment. "You have the mark, so now that's an option...!" Aurora tries to sound a little more cheerful now, though she fails miserably at it, due to her face still serious, and her voice relatively tense. She's definitely not used to offering this.

"No." His eyes were no longer wide, and they were slightly downcast, as if he said this with regret in his voice.

Don't get me wrong, Katsuki was happy to have survived, and apparently gained a new 'power'. But, he never agreed to be a hunter, and even if wanted, he has a more important commitment at U.A in two weeks, and he has to use that time to train, not for... this.

"I'm... th-thankful." Shit. I really hate saying that word. Any variation of 'thank you' is considered poison to Katsuki, since he never seems to say anything like that, and even now it was still... difficult. "But, I don't have time for that. Especially in these next two weeks. I have hero training."

Aurora blinks once, twice, three times. "Hero... training?" She asks as she moves her head slightly to the side, as if she doesn't understand what he means.

"I'm from U.A. I'm a first-year hero student." He says, as if it were something super obvious. But Aurora still doesn't understand anything, and her expression of confusion remains the same. "You... haven't heard about me on TV?" What?! I'm sure they reported my kidnapping! That's what they told me at least. "Do you even know about All Might's retirement?!"

"Huh... I'm not a person who watches a lot of news, so I'm kind of lost in all this stuff you're talking about..." Aurora says as if whole world wasn't announcing the retirement of Japan's strongest hero.

Bakugou was even more stunned now, perhaps even more than when Aurora told him about the oni and the marks.

HOW DOES SOMEONE STILL NOT KNOW THIS??!!!

—I feel obliged to agree.

This was simply incomprehensible to him, how could anyone in the world still not be aware of this news? Is it possible to understand that she didn't know about the kidnapping, but about All Might??? That's impossible, it's impossible to understand. "Do you even know U.A?!"

"I think so, it's like the most renowned hero school in Japan, right?" She says without much certainty either, it's obvious that she really doesn't even keep an eye on the newspapers.

Katsuki sighed at that, after all, explaining this is a pain. "Yeah, it's like this..." He shifted slightly on the cushion, trying to find a less uncomfortable position. "Basically, I was captured by a group of villains, All Might and other heroes came to save me, All For One – the strongest villain in existence, and enemy of number one – stole my power." Bakugou clenched his fist at the memory, but, now in a more controlled state, he managed to keep the anger from taking over this time.

"And then, All Might defeated him, but ended up using all his power to do so, which means: retirement for him. As a hero at least, but I think he'll still continue to be a teacher at U.A, or something like that..." Katsuki stopped for a moment, to catch his breath, and look up at Aurora, he hated keeping his gaze down for so long. "Without my powers, U.A gave me two weeks starting tomorrow, to prepare myself and prove that I can still be a hero even so. So... I don't have time to do anything else."

They are silent for a while after Katsuki stops talking. The air is heavy, and they both look tense. But Aurora... she was different, it seemed like she was less tense as she listened to the boy's story. "Kid... I think you're going to want to very become a hunter now."

"Huh?! Why?"

"I'll explain more to you later, but two of the most important things about this infinite castle we're in are these." She held up a finger, as if explaining something complex to a child. "First. Our bodies don't grow while we're here, and most of our muscles don't get bigger, no matter how much we train them. But our bodies can still get used to certain things. For example, our arms don't grow while we're in here, but we can still hone our body's reflexes and senses." Aurora held up another finger now, to the second point. "Second, and most importantly. Time passes differently here. One hour in the real world is about fifty-two hours in here."

Now, Aurora lowers her fingers, and her smile returns to her face as she speaks, lightening the mood of the room just by doing so. "In other words, this is the perfect place for hunters who are still in the early stages of learning, like you!" She points to Katsuki, who had his eyes almost wide open literally shining at this moment, a little more and it would be identical to Aoyama. "Train and become strong enough to kill common onis! The amount we can evolve in the body – reflexes and senses – decreases over time. So the longer you stay here, the less your body will be able to truly evolve. That's why it's perfect for beginners like you." Aurora points to herself now. "But horrible for people like me."

Was Katsuki confused? Yes. Surprised that something of this magnitude existed? Very. Extremely excited and happy that he could still have a power and be a hero? Even more so. "So... if I accept your proposal, and become a hunter... will I be able to train here?" He asks half-dazed, his eyes still fixed on Aurora's, with an almost extreme focus now.

"Yes!" Aurora replies with a smile. But a comical bead of sweat appears on her forehead now, as there is always abut. "Although... I have some reservations about that."

Bakugou knew it was all too good to be true, Always there was a 'but'. That's why people should read a contract until the end before signing it. There's always a catch to these things. "Huh... what's the but?" He asks, already expecting to have to sell his soul at this point.

"The point here is that you, before a hero, before a citizen, before any thing. You will be a hunter, and you must act like one. You will go on missions, kill onis, and protect people from evil that they think does not exist. That is your main mission as an oni hunter. So, with one day you are between fulfilling the duty of the U.A or that of a hunter, you must always give priority to the hunter." As Aurora speaks, her voice becomes more serious, wanting to emphasize how important this is.

Just... that?

"Tsk!" Katsuki says dismissively, as if he's underestimating the whole thing. "That doesn't seem that different from being a hero. Defeating villains, winning fights, stuff like that. I was already being trained to do tha-" Before he could continue, Aurora raised her voice, which surprised Katsuki, and made him flinch slightly.

"That no It's a joke, boy!" Aurora stands up as she says this, standing now in front of Katsuki, who seemed absurdly smaller in front of this woman, like an ant. "You know what happens when you don't kill an oni?! You know?!"

Katsuki didn't know how to answer that. He had an idea, but the way Aurora spoke, maybe it was a rhetorical question, and she didn't really want an answer from him. Still, it wouldn't hurt to take a chance. "Do they devour more people...?"

"It's not just that, brat!" Aurora raises her voice even more at this, she was already getting a little impatient with Bakugou. "Every oni you fail to kill means tens of people who will be devoured and killed. Dozens of families who will never see their loved ones again. Mothers who will never see their children again, and children who will never see their mothers again." With that last sentence, Katsuki suddenly feels his shoulders tense, and his gaze sharpens, as if he has realized what he had said before.

"Unlike the so-called heroes you seem to like so much, we hunters have a duty really protect people. And from much greater dangers that they don't even know they're in." Now, Bakugou was surprised... this felt oddly personal. "And unlike them, our job isn't to arrest people. Our job is to kill demons, just like I did with the one who was going to kill and devour you. So, don't think this is easy, it's a hard job, with no recognition of the people we risk – in truth – our life to save. So don't think that this will be easy, or that you're going to do this here just to be a hero. Because if that's the case, you might fall to good away from here!" She lowers herself to stand just above Katsuki, and look directly into his eyes, wanting to see the truth from him. "So... knowing this, tell me. Katsuki Bakugou, why? Why do you want to be a hero? I know you were interested in being a hunter just to gain the power to be a hero. So why do you want to be a hero? Because precisely that is that important to you?"

...Fuck.

Katsuki wasn't expecting a question like that right now. But he had to answer. He had to answer this. He opened his mouth to say the same old "it's always been my dream." But just as he was about to answer, it hit him. And it was as if he could see the movie of his life playing out.

It was always my dream...

Is that what a hero would say?

No. A real hero wouldn't say that.

But what would a hero say then...?

Katsuki... doesn't know. He just... doesn't know. Because he's not a hero. He's just a kid who's been told since he was little that he should be a hero because he had a can perfect for this. But, powers aside, would anyone really tell him that he was that what should he do? No. Of course not.

So... why do I keep wanting to be a hero?

I know I don't have the mind of a hero, I don't have the actions of a hero, and now I don't even have the powers of a hero.

So... why?

Is there really a why? There are infinite different reasons why someone would enter this world. Whether the reason is valid or not? It depends and changes from person to person. But probably everyone would agree on this fact: Katsuki Bakugou is not a hero, and never was. Heck, he never even was close from that.

Abruptly, Katsuki's expression changes from surprise to silent understanding, and a bit... melancholy? He breaks his gaze with Aurora, and fixes his eyes on the ground below him.

That's it then... right?

I'm a proud little shit who was just pretending to be a hero.

That never deserved to be there, that never should have been there...

—I didn't even need to say anything this time. Magnificent!

Maybe that would be true, of course it would be. Why wouldn't it be?

In the end, everyone was right about that, he didn't deserve everything he got, he never did. But, did here ally there was nothing else for what fight? There's always something... And in Katsuki's case. There's one person, a few people actually.

Slowly, Katsuki's eyes rose to Aurora's again. His expression was still melancholic, but he could look into the woman's eyes now. Because he realized that he had no reason to be a hero, not a real reason. Not anymore. But, he did have a reason to still fight.

Those... idiots, they really care, right? His classmates, his... friends. His group. Kirishima, Mina, Kaminari, Jiro, and Sero. Katsuki can remember all the times they went out. He lied and said he only went because he had to make sure they didn't end up dying, or something. Since he knows that oni really exist now, that means... they're in danger too, right? And fighting those creatures might be a way to protect them in the end... to help them.

And most importantly, his mother. Fighting these monsters also means protecting her, fighting for her. He promised that he would help her in any way he could, even if he had to start working, go out on the streets, or, in this case, fight monsters. All of this to protect her, to make her proud. To help her, even if it means of that way.

"For... for my mother." Katsuki finally managed to answer, his voice low and strained.

"Your... mother?" Aurora's expression is one of confusion now, but a little lighter, she notices the seriousness in the boy's voice.

"Yes." Katsuki prepares himself for what he's going to say next, trying to gather as much courage as he can at that moment. "I used to say that being a hero was my biggest dream, and that's why I did all that. That's why I was in U.A. On account of that I trained. But..." Bakugou took his eyes off Aurora slightly, but forced himself to look again, fixing his gaze on her brown eyes. "But recently, after losing my power, I've been asking myself that question again. For a long time actually, ever since the financial situation at home got drastically worse. From then on, I started to consider that I was also doing it to earn money to help my mother, and that conflicted with many of my thoughts, so I just let it go, ignored it. Now, there's no way to ignore it."

Bakugou takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, which doesn't do much good. "So I've come to the conclusion that I'm not a hero." That realization, those words... they might be sad, but they were true, and even though it was contradictory in his mind, saying it was like lifting a stone off his own back. "I don't care about most of the extras I find out there, and I can only... I can only respect strength above all else. And I honestly don't know if I'll ever change. But even with all of that, I do have a reason to fight. And that reason is my mother."

He clenches his fists, as if he wanted to affirm this to himself as well. "I may not be a hero, I may not be a good person, and I may also be a shitty friend. But... I want to be a good son. What if that means having to kill every oni in existence, so that none of them attack my mother or some of the idiots I care about?" Katsuki stops clenching his fists, and gives a determined look to Aurora, who was listening silently. "Then so be it. I will become a hunter, if it means protecting my mother and those idiots who care about me. And... I will become a hero too, to help my mother in some way. I won't pretend to care about most people, but my mother I know does, so if it makes her proud in the end, I'll do it too."

Then, as if his pride was slowly returning, he clenches his fists again, gives an almost smug smile, and speaks in a more confident and loud tone of voice. "I will kill every shitty oni I encounter, and become a hero in the meantime! To make proud the one who trusted me from the beginning. I swear."

Aurora looks deep into Katsuki's eyes as he says all this. She searches any there's no trace of anything resembling lies, doubt, or fear. But all she finds is truth and determination. Katsuki really is telling the truth, and he's determined to protect his mother and his friends no matter what. And if he really believes that his motives don't make him a hero... well, maybe he really is walking the hero's path now. For real this time.

Seeing this, a simple smile grows on Aurora's face, she stands up again, to stand right above Katsuki. "I liked your answer, boy. I see truth in you, I see a determination that I haven't seen in a long time." She raises her arm slightly towards the boy, as if she were offering her hand in the middle of a storm, help in the midst of danger. A support to get up. "So, tell me, what do you think about becoming a hunter? A unique chance and a definitive answer now."

Katsuki doesn't take long to answer this time, he takes Aurora's hand and leans on it to get up. "Yes. I want to be a hunter."

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Final Notes:

Well, as you may have noticed, I tried to make some paragraphs shorter in this chapter. Although, I failed a few times at that...

And yes, I made the infinite castle here a hunters' base instead of the onis, hehehehheh. I love doing these things!

Did you like Aurora? Writing her has actually been a lot of fun. I'm terrible at descriptions, but I tried my best, I hope you were able to visualize the character well. Just like Katsuki's mark and stuff-

I hope you liked the cap! Have a good week, everyone, and a good day :D.

Edit(July 8th): Yep, another translated chapter! I tried my best here, and I think I did a good job.

Well, what did you think? I think you'll enjoy the next chapter, we'll finally have the beginning of the training!

As you've seen, I'm going to be changing and adding a LOT of things to Kimetsu's power system. I want to try to keep everything level here and gradually deepen it throughout the chapters.

I REALLY appreciate the comments you've been leaving! Thank you so much for that, seriously! I hope you're enjoying this universe I'm creating here!

[lucilucinha]

New Bnha fanfic with Kimetsu, focusing on Katsuki!

I'm new here on Tumblr, I was recommended here to post my fics! I have accounts in several places. Wattpad, Ao3, and several others!

Comments, ratings, hearts and reactions are very welcome!

Chapter 1 - Fourteen days

The air in Principal Nezu's office felt thin, heavy. The only sound that broke the tense silence was the almost incessant scratching of Nezu's pen as he signed papers, which seemed to multiply more with each signature. Then, the stillness was broken by knocking on the door, impatient, irregular, unmistakably explosive.

Nezu lifted his small head from the documents, a cunning glint in his animal eyes. He didn't need to ask who it was. "Mister Bakugou! Come in!" His voice was gentle, almost cheerful, a sharp contrast to the storm outside.

The door burst open, revealing Katsuki Bakugou. His fists were wrapped in thick bandages, stained dark red in several spots – dried blood – a witness to either a recent fight or desperate training. His gaze swept the room, settling on Nezu with barely concealed contempt. "Tsk... Where should I sit, rat?"

Great, I already hate being here. Stuck in this room with this weird rat and that damn Aizawa staring at me.

Leaning against the wall of the office, looking tired and almost dead as always, was Aizawa Shouta. He didn't say anything at first, just inclined his head slightly towards the empty chair in front of the principal's desk. Bakugou snorted, but walked over and slumped into the chair, stiffly, deliberately avoiding meeting his teacher's exhausted but piercing gaze. I don't need his pity. I don't need anyone's pity... Katsuki repeated this constantly, hoping that somehow it would stick in his mind.

Nezu let out a barely audible sigh. Under normal circumstances, Bakugou's rudeness would have warranted an immediate reprimand. But the conditions were far from normal. The principal decided to overlook it for now. "Mister Bakugou, I assume you are aware of what you are doing here? Is that correct?"

Katsuki merely grunted, a low, raspy sound in his throat, but nodded stiffly. Nezu interpreted it as a 'yes.' "Excellent... Then I will be direct. The head teachers and I, after a long consideration of recent events and your... current condition... have decided that you should be expelled, Katsuki Bakugou."

A deathly silence descended upon the office. The word 'expulsion' hung in the air like a death sentence, heavy, cold, irrevocable. Aizawa and Nezu exchanged a fleeting glance, both braced for the inevitable explosion – screaming, threats – maybe even an overturned table.

But Bakugou surprised them. No explosion came. Instead, after a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, a hoarse sound emerged from his throat. It wasn't a scream, but a low growl, almost... hesitant? Broken? "A month." His voice was rough, forced. "That's all I ask."

Shit. Kicked out?

No... they can't do that.

They can't.

I need time, just a little time.

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, curiosity replacing the anticipation of confrontation on his normally apathetic countenance. "A month? A month for what, Bakugou? You understand there is no going back. After what he did... his quirk is gone. There's nothing we can do about it. After All For O-"

"SHUT UP!" The name was the trigger. Bakugou stood up abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. He slammed his bandaged fist down on Nezu's desk hard enough to make the principal's teacup clink dangerously. His face was flushed, his eyes wide and bright, anger, yes, an incandescent fury, but there was something else there, a suspicious wetness, a raw vulnerability he was fighting desperately to hide.

That name... That damn name!

Don't you dare say his name in front of me!

It was him... he took everything from me!

All I cared about...

—Everything that mattered to the people around him.

Nezu, unmoved, picked up his cup and took a calm sip of tea. "Mr. Bakugou... I admire your tenacity. Your willpower is undeniable. But I have serious doubts about your ability to succeed in this career, at the level you aspire to, without your Quirk." He set the cup down gently on the table. "What do you think, Aizawa? You are the teacher in charge of his class. I will leave this final decision in your hands."

Aizawa pushed himself off the wall, his gaze fixed on Bakugou. He studied him for a long moment, searching for any sign of doubt, any wavering beneath the fury and pain. He searched for the usual empty arrogance, but found something different. A desperate, almost feral determination. He saw no hesitation in those red eyes, only a stubborn refusal to give up. He is broken, but not defeated. He has lost his quirk, but not his fighting spirit. But that alone is not enough... or enough? "Two weeks, Bakugou." Aizawa's voice was firm, with no room for negotiation. "You have exactly fourteen days to prove that even without a Quirk, you still belong here. That you can still be a hero."

A sigh escaped Bakugou's lips, a sound almost of strained relief. Two weeks? Shit, I asked for a month... but it's better than nothing. It's a chance, I'll take it. He forced his lips into a copy of his usual arrogant smile, though it looked more like a grimace. "Humph, great! I knew you wouldn't have the courage to expel one of your best students just because of a little detail."

Aizawa suppressed a sigh of his own. Problem child to the end. "Bakugou, this isn't a joke. You've lost your individuality. Do you understand the gravity of this? The power that defined your fighting style, your very identity as a hero in training... it's gone. You can't just do the same things as before, no matter how much you want to." He needs to understand that this changes everything. It's not just a 'little detail'.

"I'LL FIND A WAY!" Bakugou retorted, his voice rising in volume again, the arrogant facade returning in full force.

I have to find a way.

There is no other option.

—Ah! There is another option, yes.

—You know what it is.

Aizawa stepped forward, closing the distance between them until he was standing right in front of the boy, invading his personal space, forcing Bakugou to meet his gaze. The height difference was clear. "How? How are you going to do this, Bakugou? Tell me." His voice was low, but filled with intensity. "Explain."

Katsuki was taken aback by the teacher's proximity and intensity. He opened his mouth to respond, to spew some bravado, some empty promise... but the words wouldn't come. He tried, but his throat felt closed. The truth was, he had no idea.

Shit, what do I say...?

I don't know how I'm going to do this!

How? With what? Grenades? Knives?

What a shitty joke...

"Come on Bakugou, tell me," Aizawa insisted, his voice rising a little, more incisive, breaking the tense silence. "What are you going to do?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" The scream burst from him, raw, desperate, without the usual arrogance. His patience was exhausted, the mask completely slipped. His breathing was fast and shallow, the control he had prized so much unraveling in real time. "I... I don't know what I'm going to do." he repeated, his voice shaking now, lower. "But I'll find a way! I always do... I always have." The last sentence was a barely audible whisper, sounding more like a fragile prayer than his usual confident statement. The arrogance shattered, revealing the fear and uncertainty that Bakugou never showed to anyone.

I've never said anything like that, not even to Shitty Hair or Raccoon Eyes... those... idiots. He had those two, Kirishima and Mina, who he considered... close. As close as Katsuki Bakugou would allow anyone to get, which wasn't very. His nature was to keep to himself. But not even to them would he admit something like that, so directly and in such a vulnerable way.

How pathetic...

Aizawa let out a long, tired sigh. This conversation was going to be as difficult as he had anticipated. But then again, this was Bakugou. Nothing with him was easy.

"Well, it seems we have a decision..." Nezu interjected, his soft voice cutting through the tension. It was time to end this before tempers flared again. "You have exactly fourteen days from tomorrow, Mister Bakugou, to prove to us that you can continue being a hero in training without your quirk. At the end of that time, you will undergo a practical test."

Before Bakugou could even ask the question, Nezu continued. "And before you ask, the test will be a simulated combat. You against Aizawa. One on one. We don't expect you to defeat a seasoned pro hero like him, especially in your condition. However, we do expect to see significant progress, adaptation, and most of all, proof that you still have the potential and determination necessary to walk this path. The least we expect is impressive results if you want to remain at U.A."

Katsuki just nodded, his jaw clenched. Arguing would be stupid right now. He was arrogant, not stupid. Silence and acceptance were his only bargaining chips at the moment. Fourteen days... just fourteen days. Against Aizawa. Shit. But I can do it... I have to. The phrase repeated itself in his mind, a desperate mantra to convince himself.

"Great, Mr. Bakugou." Nezu said, exchanging a quick, meaningful look with Aizawa. He got the subliminal message, I hope. "Aizawa will come to your residence tomorrow to deliver a document formalizing this... provisional agreement." He gestured toward the door. "For now, you are dismissed, Mr. Bakugou. Good luck."

Bakugou nodded again, feeling strangely drained. The adrenaline rush of anger and fear was leaving him empty. Taking in the reality of it all... it was overwhelming. As he turned and walked stiffly toward the door, he felt a hand rest briefly on his shoulder. It was Aizawa.

Surprised, Katsuki stopped and looked back. His eyes met Aizawa's for a few intense seconds. And for an instant, Bakugou almost swore he saw the corners of his teacher's lips curve into a tiny, almost imperceptible smile. A silent acknowledgement, perhaps? A 'Good luck' said in the Aizawa way? The surprise genuinely hit him. Before walking out the door, almost without thinking, he muttered something so low that only Aizawa could hear. "Thank you..." Katsuki walked out the door and began walking quickly after, intending to get out of his teacher's field of vision as soon as possible.

Why did I say that?

—Because you're an idiot.

I'm Katsuki Bakugou, damn it! I don't thank anyone...

So why did I feel the need to say this?

Why would I... Oh, fuck that shit.

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The walk to the U.A exit felt longer than usual. The afternoon sun was shining on Bakugou's face, but he barely felt the heat. He felt lost. No. He was lost. Completely lost.

Fourteen days. What the hell can I do in fourteen days to make up for a fucking quirk I've used my entire life? Hand-to-hand combat training? Sure, he could step that up. Learn how to use weapons? Maybe support equipment? But what for? Even if I impress Aizawa and the mouse... I'll still be a useless powerless person. Forever. The thought was a black hole in his mind.

As soon as he passed through the imposing gates of U.A, he headed straight for the nearest subway station. Bakugou wanted to get home as quickly as possible. He needed silence, he needed to organize the chaotic avalanche of thoughts in his head. He needed a plan, as impossible as it seemed to have one at the moment. Fortunately, the subway was relatively empty, outside of rush hour. He plopped down on the first empty seat he found, leaning his head against the cold window.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket out of habit and frowned when he saw the screen light up with notifications.

Seriously? Who the hell...?

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

You have 16 new notifications

Bakusquad (Members: You, Shitty Hair, Pink Alien, Pikachu, Duct Tape, Headphone Head) - 13 new notifications

Shitty nerd - 3 new notifications

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Hmm? What does that shitty Deku want now? He could even understand the other idiots – Kirishima, Mina, Sero, Kaminari, and Jirou – who, for some bizarre reason, insisted on hanging around with him. But Deku? That damn nerd is a fucking masochist. I'll beat him up, curse, to humble, I try to push him away with all my might, and he always comes crawling back, five times worse.

Anyway, he was going to ignore Deku, as usual. Katsuki opened the "Bakusquad" group chat.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Bakusquad - Unseen Messages

Shitty Hair: Hey Kats, how was it with Director Nezu?

Duct Tape: He must still be in the middle of this "meeting" man, let's leave him alone for now, you know how Bakugou is, he's definitely not in the best mood after... That.

Pink Alien: Sero! We agreed on this before, no talking about it for now, it's still too recent. We have to support Blasty now, not keep reminiscing about it.

Duct Tape: Sorry D:

Pikachu: Hahhahaha, first time I wasn't the one getting the lecture!

Headphone Head: You don't have much moral authority to say that, Kaminari... How many times has your brain fried this week? Seven?

Pikachu: Hey! It wasn't that many times... It was 5 at most!

Shitty Hair: Guys, let's get back to the topic at hand here? Kats need our support today...

Pink Alien: YES! I don't know when you'll see this, Blasty, but we're here for you!

Duct Tape: Yeah man, you can count on us!

Headphone Head: Just call and we'll show up.

Pikachu: If you need anything, just ask, we're here to help!

Shitty Hair: You have friends Kats, don't forget that :D

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Katsuki stared at the messages, a strange feeling forming in his stomach.Friends? What the fuck is this? He always had followers, people who admired and feared him, no... friends. Why were these idiots sending this? They would gain nothing from it. The most logical thing was to assume he would be kicked out and move forward with that in mind, maybe they would finally change the name of this group to "Kirisquad" or "Minasquad". It was the most realistic. There was no reason for them to continue with this charade, pretending that they cared... about him.

Who in their right mind would want to be my friend?

I'm Katsuki Bakugou, damn it.

The rabid animal of the class.

The guy who needed a muzzle to receive a fucking gold medal.

An involuntary tremor ran through his arms as he remembered that day. The Sports Festival. He hated every second of that ceremony. That medal was trash. Half-and-Half didn't fight hard, he held back shamelessly.

It's an insult that he fought while holding on like that!

Was I the villain for not wanting that damn medal?

And the muzzle... that damn muzzle.

As if I were a dangerous dog that needed to be restrained....

He wasn't an animal. He just didn't want a prize for an empty, humiliating, undeserved victory.

Bakugou shook his head hard, trying to push away the bitter memories. He had to answer those idiots.They... looked like sincere. For some reason incomprehensible to him.

Maybe... maybe they really do care?

—There are stupid people for everything, right?

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Bakusquad - New posts

You: I'm on the subway going home now.

You: And the rat gave me 14 days to prove that I can still stay at U.A even without my powers. At the end, I'll have to take a fighting test against Aizawa-sensei, and if I can impress him, I'll stay in that shitty U.A. If I don't impress him... well, you guys have a brain, so use it to find out what happens to me if I fail.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

As soon as the last message was sent, "typing" indicators appeared under the names of almost everyone in the group.

Shitty Hair is typing...

AlienRosa is typing...

Duct Tape is typing...

Headphone Head is typing...

Pikachu is typing...

Oh, shit. No.

Katsuki definitely didn't have the energy or patience for an interrogation or a group pity session right now. He needed silence. Peace.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

You: I need to think, I'm going to turn off my phone for a while. Don't ask me stupid questions, I won't answer.

You: And yes Pikachu, this last line is exclusive to you.

Pikachu: D:

Pikachu: Hey! I'm not that stupid! You guys only say that because you're all some kind of super genius with your powers or something...

Shitty Hair: Sorry man, but it's not exactly that difficult to be better than you academically speaking.

Headphone Head: Exactly, didn't you come in 20th place in the semester test?

Pink Alien: Yeah! You're not very bright, Pikachu!

Pikachu: You can't talk too much about me Mina! You also ranked very low!

Pink Alien: ...Huh! Touche!

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Bakugou turned off his phone's screen before more messages arrived, putting it in his pocket. He leaned his head against the window again, closing his eyes.So much to think about...The main thing was: what the hell was he going to do? He didn't have a plan. He had no idea how to start.

I need to get stronger.

Faster.

Smarter in the fight.

Maybe... equipment?

Aizawa fights without depending so much on his quirk... he wears those bands.

—Did you really compare yourself to the depressed Aizawa?

Bakugou's mind began to race, searching for fragments of ideas and remote possibilities.

Fighting techniques... maybe something ancient, not relying on raw power?

Shit, where do I start?

Fourteen days. The clock was ticking. And Bakugou had no idea what to do.

A lot was going through Bakugou's head at that moment, he needed time to think, plan, to train. But that was all he didn't have at that moment, he was limited to two measly weeks. Fourteen days. Katsuki had his whole life to train and fight with his power... His old power. And now, Aizawa wants him to prove that he can fight without them? In such a short time? That's impossible!

Damn Aizawa...

After what seemed like an eternity, Bakugou felt the subway finally stop. On purpose, he took a subway line that stopped a little far from his house. Walking helped him think. And he needed this time walking alone. His mind needed it.

As soon as the subway door opened, Katsuki stood up and walked through it. He began walking along the same old path. He saw people walking, going about their lives – salespeople, office workers, construction workers, teachers – ordinary workers, people who theoretically he should become responsible for protecting, for looking out for. Normally, he would see all these people as extras, people who didn't know, who didn't have the ability to defend themselves, and who needed heroes to do the hard work. Now, walking among them, it's like... he's in that middle now.

Damn... this is not my place!

I am a hero.

I should be in U.A. We new dorms with those little shits.

No... here, in this environment.

Katsuki repeated this like a mantra.

—Do you really believe these words?

—Tsk... pathetic.

Bakugou felt naked – exposed, vulnerable – in the middle of all those people. Walking among them, among the... extras. With every step he took through the streets, he felt the eyes on him, some recognized his U.A. uniform. Others recognized him because of his performance at the Sports Festival. No one spoke to him, there were only curious looks and whispers. Damn you... What are you looking at? Mind your own business, you idiots! He gave a stern look to all those who looked at him. At least he still had that, because those who saw this stopped looking immediately.

As he left the shopping area, the number of people quickly decreased, along with the noise and all the accumulated stimuli of the mercantile environment. This helped his mind to calm down, and prepare for the inevitable conversation that would come... with his parents. His mother, in fact. Since she separated from Masaru, things had been even more stable between the two of them – Katsuki and Mitsuki – as much as possible with the Bakugou, obviously. But, she was still the same old hag as always, so the conversation would be as easy as expected.

Arriving at the door of his residence, he sighs before entering. He opens the door without thinking much more about it. And he can already hear the old witch screaming from the room. "Katsuki? I heard the door opening. IS THAT YOU, BRAT?!" Mitsuki screamed – especially the last sentence – from the other side of the house, from his room possibly.

"IT'S ME, OLD WITCH! WHO ELSE COULD IT BE?!" Katsuki shouted from the living room, closing the door behind him. He sat down on the couch soon after, finally breathing a little. Looking at the television in front of him, turned off, he could see his reflection in it, he looked... The same as always, but those who knew him, those who lived with him frequently, would be able to see the small differences. His eyes were redder than usual, he was more unstable, more volatile, talking less.

Katsuki sat there, staring at his own reflection. Thoughts and thoughts invaded his mind. What would he do? He had what to do? I've been wondering about this shit all day, and I can't find a single solution...

Is there really anything to be done?

A few minutes after he sat down, Mitsuki arrived and saw him there. She didn't say anything, just stared at her son, her eyes blank as she stared at her own reflection on the television. Katsuki saw her coming, but didn't say anything, didn't even react. He was too caught up in his own mind to pay attention to anything else. Mitsuki sat down next to his son, also staring at the reflection – now of the two of them – on the television.

They really are very similar, Mitsuki can see that more easily now. She always saw it, but now it was much more... obvious. She can imagine herself in that situation, lost, finished... Dead. She is the mother of this proud boy, she knows that if it were up to him, they would never talk about this situation. And honestly? She would prefer it that way. Talking about it would be like admitting that this is real, that it is not a dream, a nightmare. It is real.

But, it's not a question of wanting to. It will be uncomfortable for both of them, but they need to talk about it, whether they like it or not. And Mitsuki is aware of this, so she takes the first step. "So... what did they say?"

One, two, three, four, five... seconds passed, and nothing. No response. Katsuki barely blinked as he stared at his own reflection, and after ten minutes of this silence, Mitsuki was considering going back up to his room, and letting his son have some peace he must need after the recent events. But as that thought came to his mind, Katsuki finally said something, without taking his eyes off his reflection.

"Two weeks... they gave me miserable two weeks." Katsuki spoke bluntly, his voice much lower than usual now. It was almost... melancholic?

Mitsuki was also surprised by this. She never saw Katsuki in front of her was always the proud, victorious Katsuki, the one who wasn't afraid of anything and solved everything with an explosion. But this one in front of her... this Katsuki was different. He was trapped in his own world, his hands tightly clutching his shorts as he stared straight ahead. And that was all she could make out for now. "For what? Two weeks for what?"

"To... to prove that I can still be a hero, that I'm still worthy of being at U.A." Katsuki speaks as his foot taps against the floor in an irregular rhythm, too low to be annoying, but loud enough to hear the misfortune in his mind. "From what I understand, Aizawa, my old teacher, is coming here tomorrow. To... make it official everything, something like that. They're going to bring a document or some shit like that."

Mitsuki was ready to curse that school as much as possible, but one word in what Katsuki said made her freeze for a moment... Old. Did that kid say 'old teacher'? Don't tell me... No. "Kid... YOU'RE NOT THINKING OF QUITTING, ARE YOU?!" She says as she abruptly stands up from the couch, her eyes fixed on her son.

Katsuki paused for a second, his eyes wide. "Huh?!" He said as he also began to stare at his mother – turning his head for the first time in the conversation – but without standing up. Yet. "Give up? OF COURSE NOT, OLD WITCH! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT?!" He spoke, trying to convince himself more than anything by saying that he would not give up.

"I know you better than you know yourself, I know when you're in doubt." Mitsuki speaks as he crosses his arms, his gaze sharper than ever now.

Katsuki wanted to defend himself and say that the old witch was seeing things where nothing existed, but... he couldn't do that. He is many things, a liar is not one of them. So... he stays silent, without saying anything. Also, he had what to say? How could someone like him talk about this? He was made for fighting, action, beatings and explosions! Not for feelings. He knows how to deal with villains, fights, training, and everything involving physical things. But feelings? Katsuki didn't deal with feelings, he exploded them. It turns out that exploding is no longer an option for him.

"Come on! Tell me! Are you really going to give up-" Before Mitsuki could continue, Katsuki stood up. Quickly. One step and he was already face to face with his mother.

"And what should I do?!" The voice came out in a scream, his throat burning. He gritted his teeth. Katsuki could feel his jaw trembling with... Anger? Confusion? Fear? He couldn't identify it, maybe it was all three at the same time. "Is that what you wanted to hear? Huh?! I don't know what to do, old hag. I. Don't. Know." Katsuki shouted as he looked directly into his mother's eyes, he had been holding this in for a long time, he needed to say it out loud, at least once.

Mitsuki looked at her son with wide eyes. She had seen Katsuki in many situations, in all of them actually. She is his mother, after all! But...That? She had never seen this before. Never in such a free and honest way at least. He had always been proud, and would rather suffer than release his feelings and express them in a minimally healthy way. His way of expressing himself was to train, fight, strive to be the best, to be in first place in the future. Mitsuki couldn't say anything seeing this, she just remained silent. She could feel in her heart that Katsuki still had more to say.Very more.

"I-I... I lo-" Katsuki tried to say the word, but he couldn't get it out properly. He never admitted defeat. Never, never, never.

Screw this.

I'm gonna say this shit right now.

"I-I... I lost my powers. Everything that made me strong. Special." Katsuki tried to stop himself from saying all this, but he couldn't anymore. He started this, and now he needed to finish it.

"Can you understand this shit, you old hag?! I don'tI am more special. I am... just another one." His voice wavers at the end. Low. Like he's falling apart from the inside out. He no longer has the strength to hold it all in. "Everything I was... everything... was built around my powers." He breathes heavily. "How am I supposed to live without this...? How am I supposed to look in the mirror and still recognize myself...?"

Mitsuki didn't have an answer for that. Not an answer that would make her son happy. For a moment, she could see... tears in his eyes? Was he holding back tears? Her Katsuki? This is... new, very new. She never thought she would see him cry after... of that. But that was a long time ago, years in fact. Things may have changed... things definitely have changed. Mitsuki can see the sparkle in his son's eyes better now. Small. That sparkle that comes before the fall.

"Without my explosions... what's left of me? Tell me, old woman. Tell me... who am I without my powers?" He squeezes his eyes shut, as if that will stop the water pooling there. A shaky breath escapes. Shit... I won't cry, I refuse to do that. "That's what I am now... a nothing. A useless person. A... De-" He swallows the word, but it's already been thought. It's already been felt. Deku. He was about to call himself Deku.

The comparison hits him harder than a punch in the gut. Thinking about it now, Katsuki realizes that thingsreallyinvented themselves. Before, he was at the top, he had the best power, he had a guaranteed future, his life made, he had everything. And Deku was down there, he was the useless little shit who had nothing, he was the one who had no individuality, who had no usefulness to the world. Now, everything has turned upside down. And the worst part... he can't hate this. Not really. Katsuki can't say he doesn't deserve this. He does.

Katsuki is not an idiot. He knows that what he did was wrong, he always knew that. To be completely honest, he didn't care much for Deku, at least at first. He had a lot of anger bottled up, and a lot of others issues to resolve. And Deku was the unfortunate one who had the misfortune to awaken all his insecurities, he just appeared in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that was enough for Katsuki to do what he did. Over and over again.

Deku...

He is everything I never was.

—I'm glad you know that.

Deku had a heart of gold, he would jump into danger to save whoever it was, he didn't care about people's pasts, he focused on save them, and nothing else. Katsuki knew that no matter who was trapped in the slime villain, Deku would help anyway, he would run even without powers regardless of who was there. He was a real hero, he may – still – not have the posture of a hero, he may not speak like a hero, but he has the actions of a hero. And that's already much more than Katsuki could ever dream of being.

Before Katsuki could get into dangerous thoughts and sink completely, he felt it. What? He opens his eyes, and sees something he never thought he would see. One arm, then the other. Hugging his body tightly. His mother was hugging him.

"Never again!" Mother's voice trembles, repressed, suffocated. "Don't ever say that again, you stupid brat..." Mitsuki says as tears begin to fall from her eyes, which were now closed. Her hug is too tight, desperate. As if her son would disappear if she let go.

Katsuki was inches away from crying. This was unexpected, much more than anything he could have expected for this particular conversation. But, he was holding it together, and he will continue to do so, he will not cry, no matter what. He will not let these damn tears win, not yesterday, not today, and not in the futu-

—?!

"You're Katsuki Bakugou. You... you're my son! And that... that's more than enough for you to be the most special person in the world to me. No matter what path you choose, whether you stay at this damn U.A or not, it doesn't matter. You Always will be my son! And that is all you need to be... don't forget that... kid."

The last sentence was a key turning inside him. He closes his eyes. One, two tears. Then many, and finally... he gives in. Katsuki hugs his mother back, weakly at first, then tightly, the same strength as hers... as his mother's. He cries, for the first time in many years. It's not just because of his powers, it's because of everything. For the past, for the guilt, for the anger... for still being loved even after... all of this. Without thinking much now, he buries his face in his mother's shoulder, squeezing his eyes even tighter. "I... I don't deserve all this love." He says between sobs, unable to hold it in anymore. "I don't deserve..."

Mitsuki places her hand on the back of her son's head, in his hair, pressing it against her shoulder lightly. "I'm your mother, you don't need to deserve my love, you'll always have it, accept it... son. Regardless of what happened or will happen, I will always love you, Always"

This seems to break Katsuki even more, because he tightens his hold on her. The sobs become louder, longer, and the tears flow more freely. And so they stay, together. Embraced, more united than ever. The last time they had a moment like this was... so many years ago. Katsuki was still a child back then.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"Mom..." Little Katsuki, still a child, spoke as large, voluminous tears fell from his eyes and wet the floor. "Am I really a... monster?" He asked as he held a small letter in his hands. A letter that he never managed to deliver to the person who was supposed to receive it.

Mitsuki ran to hug him, kneeling on the floor to be at his height. "No! You're not a monster, my son." She hugged him tightly, leaving no room for questions. "Don't worry..." Mitsuki looked at the open door behind Katsuki, and in front of her. She had things to solve. Many. "I'll solve this, my son. You're not a monster because of this... you never would be."

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Mitsuki shook her head a little, she can't think about the past right now. She has to focus on the now, the present. She has a scared son in front of her, and she needs to devote all her attention to that now, not to old memories.

A few minutes passed, and they didn't move or say anything. They just stood there, together, still and holding each other. The sobbing had slowed down considerably by this point. They had both cried more than they ever had before. They had never been the kind of mother and son who were super close before, even though they were so similar, so this was something very recent. But, it was definitely a good thing.

Then, breaking the comfortable silence, Katsuki says something softly and with a slightly hoarse voice. "Thank you..." Soon, before Mitsuki could realize, she feels her son's body resting on top of hers. She was surprised by the extra weight on top of herself, but she didn't scold him for it, she just sat down slowly on the couch, with Katsuki now on top of her. He lay down on the couch completely, with his head now comfortably on his mother's lap.

Mitsuki relaxes a little at this, and murmurs something to her son, who was almost falling asleep now. "Sleep, son. You'll need it..." She begins to smooth his hair with her hand, very lightly, as if trying to give him a feeling of comfort through her touch. With his eyes already closed and drowsy, Katsuki quickly falls asleep.

Now, Mitsuki could see her son's chest rising and falling, inflating and deflating in a calm, steady rhythm. His heavy but calm breathing told her that Katsuki had finally fallen asleep. She stood there for a moment, just watching him in silence. It had been years since she had seen him like this, so vulnerable, so calm. Even when he was little, Katsuki had always been so he was restless, full of energy, always wanting to prove something to the world... or to himself.

Mitsuki ran her eyes over his face. His eyelids swollen with tears, his eyelashes still damp, his expression serene, almost childish. Katsuki, lying on her lap. He seemed so far from the explosive boy everyone knew, or thought they knew. She lightly touched his cheek with the back of her fingers, as if trying to confirm that it was real. It was... strange, trying to reconcile this Katsuki who had always been so strong and closed off, now allowing himself to rest in her arms.

But while it was weird, it was also... good, very good. Mitsuki felt like she had re-established a connection with her son. A connection they had long since lost. Mother and son, getting closer again. She missed that, actually, much more than she would be willing to admit.

A small sigh escaped her lips. She didn't know if it was relief or pain, maybe both. Mitsuki felt her eyes sting again, but she held back the tears. She didn't want to cry anymore. At least not now. All she wanted at that moment was to keep that image in her memory. Katsuki asleep, safe, welcomed.

She leaned down a little, lowering her face to his hair and placing a light kiss there. "My boy..." She murmured, her voice restrained. Her heart ached seeing her boy in that state, but there was something comforting about that scene. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she could actually protect her son, not from the battles outside, after all Mitsuki is not a fighter in the physical sense of the word. But, she could protect her son from the misfortunes of his own mind, help him overcome... everything.

Mitsuki was also minutes away from falling asleep right there, but suddenly.Ding dong.The doorbell rings. Seriously...? Who could be here at this time?! It's practically night... I hope this noise doesn't wake Katsuki up. Mitsuki thinks as she carefully lifts her son's head with her hand. She stands up, grabbing a pillow that was nearby and carefully placing it just below her son's head, leaving him supported by it. Katsuki sleeps there on the couch.

Once off the couch, Mitsuki goes to the door, but doesn't open it. She first wants to know who was there. "Who is it?" She asks, her voice loud enough for whoever was there get hear, but quietly enough not to wake your child.

"It is from U.A, my name is Shouta Aizawa. I'm Katsuki Bakugou's main teacher. I came to talk to his guardian." Mitsuki's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this. U.A? But Katsuki told me they would only come tomorrow... What is he doing here? Her gaze immediately turned harder, suspicious. Wanting answers, and with a frown on her face now visible, she opens the door, revealing the hero behind it.

Aizawa was dressed as usual – the dark uniform, the sash loosely wrapped around his neck – and his tired look was also present. At first glance, he seemed the same as always. But something there... was different. His eyes, even half covered by his unkempt hair, betrayed a greater tiredness than usual. A type of exhaustion that was not only physical.

"What are you doing here? My son told me you wouldn't be back until tomorrow with the paperwork." Mitsuki's voice was firm, full of suspicion. She crossed her arms and tried to give him her usual sharp look, which usually made a lot of people uncomfortable. Aizawa didn't seem to react much, but he noticed. Her eyes were red, visibly red, from the recent tears. Aizawa noticed this, and chose not to comment.

"Given the situation, we... have sped things up." Aizawa held up a black folder in his hand in a calm gesture. "Here are the documents formalizing the agreement we made with your son earlier. May I come in to discuss it?"

Mitsuki looked the man up and down with her eyes. From head to toe, without hiding it. There was something in his manner that made her uneasy. That look, that tired posture, that lack of reaction... Mitsuki didn't trust him. And Aizawa knew it.

And how could Aizawa blame her? U.A. had failed her son. They had let the League kidnap him, they had failed to protect him. And in the end, it had resulted in her son coming home broken and powerless. How could she ever trust him again? How could she look at Aizawa – at anyone at U.A. – without feeling angry? Aizawa held her gaze. He didn't defend himself. Because, in part, she was right about that. She is judging me. She has that right.

"Humph. Come in and follow me." Mitsuki replied, making room in the doorway. Her tone was harsh but controlled. She wasn't shouting – yet – but there was tension in every word. Aizawa entered with a barely perceptible nod and closed the door behind him. "Let's go to the kitchen, the living room is occupied at the moment." Mitsuki said, waving him to follow.

Without waiting for an answer, Mitsuki began walking through the house, and Aizawa followed her silently. Her feet touched the floor firmly. Her shoulders, which had been low after crying with her son, were now raised and tense. She was on guard, completely alert. And Aizawa felt it. Every step he took behind her seemed to be entering hostile territory. There were no shouts, no accusations... but the judgment was there. Alive, pulsing, and silent.

As soon as they arrived in the classroom, the first thing Aizawa focused his gaze on was Katsuki. His angry, irritated, and explosive student... who was apparently sleeping peacefully. He noticed the dried tears on his face, the almost childish expression in his sleep, and all of this combined with Mitsuki's red eyes. They were... crying? The Bakugou...? Crying? Aizawa's eyes widened at this, he wasn't expecting this. His mother crying? Yeah, that was understandable. But Katsuki? The Katsuki who he did you know? No. Not that.

"Is he... okay?" Aizawa asks hesitantly, turning his head slightly towards Mitsuki, who was also looking at Katsuki as soon as he entered the room.

"My son was captured by villains, nearly lost his life, lost his powers, and now he has accepted an impossible deal to continue in his so 'renowned' college" Mitsuki emphasized the imaginary quotation marks around the word renowned, gesturing with her hands. She had truly lost faith in U.A. "How do you think he is? Sir?" Mitsuki's voice came out harsh, rough, and scratchy.

"...Sorry for asking that." Aizawa really doesn't want to try to defend himself against this. If he were completely honest, he thinks Nezu deserves to hear those words too. But right now, the one representing U.A is him, so he has to put up with it, he has to deal with it.

Mitsuki sighs hearing this, she wants to scream, to curse, to completely destroy the spirit of this tired man in front of her. But no, she can't, for her son's sake she has to remain peaceful in this conversation... as much as possible for a Bakugou, of course. She gestures for Aizawa to follow, the kitchen was just ahead. The difference in space between the living room and the kitchen was not both, but, it should ensure that they can sit down and have a conversation without the risk of waking Katsuki.

A few seconds later, they are in the kitchen. Mitsuki goes to the refrigerator and takes out a bottle of water, pouring herself a glass of water. She doesn't get anything for Aizawa, and sits in the chair at the end of the dining table. Aizawa decides to sit at the other end, keeping the respectful distance – on his part – between them.

Mitsuki doesn't allow this to become silence, and immediately asks: "Show me and explain the document, I won't sign anything without reading it first."

"Here it is." Aizawa tosses the folder onto the table, leaving it next to Mitsuki. As she opens the folder and takes the pages, he decides to explain everything verbally as well. "The deal is as follows. Fourteen days from now – starting tomorrow – your son and I will have a test battle, me against him. We will have the other top teachers – and heroes – of U.A as our audience." As he speaks, Mitsuki reads the document in her hands, occasionally taking a sip or two from her glass of water. "The outcome will depend on how well he does in this fight. If he manages to impress the others and me, he will remain at U.A. If not, he will be officially expelled."

After he finished speaking, Mitsuki continued reading the document, wanting to know every single detail. Aizawa could see her scanning every inch of the paper, every possible corner. "I assume that the use of equipment will be allowed, correct? To compensate for the lack of individuality." She had already read the part of the document that spoke about this, but she wanted to know directly from him.

"Yes, the use of any extra equipment will be permitted."

Mitsuki sighs at this. Well, at least that. She still found this whole test impossible to pass. But at least they weren't completely insane, and they would let Katsuki use extra equipment and gadgets.

"As long as the equipment is not lethal to me or your son. Anything that is not lethal will be allowed." Aizawa finishes the sentence, wanting to make clear the limits of what will be allowed to be brought into battle.

Lethality?! And what would be more lethal than a quirk? It doesn't make sense that they would allow other students' quirks in these tests, but block lethal equipment. With that in mind, Mitsuki's hands tightened a little on the paper in her hands. She was holding herself back from crumpling that paper. She wanted to externalize those thoughts, those feelings. She wanted to be able to scream, curse and say how extremely unfair all of this was to her son.

Mitsuki remains silent as she listens to this, and decides to continue reading the document, taking another sip of water. Finally, she reaches the last part, seeing the line where her signature would go. She stays there for a while, just observing and thinking about everything. She thought a lot about whether she should sign it or not, she didn't think U.A deserved her son after all this, but... Mitsuki knew that this was what Katsuki wanted, he wanted to stay at this school, he wanted to be a hero and be like All Might, that's what he always wanted. And she won't be the one to end that dream, she promised to support her son, and that's what she'll do.

Without thinking much more, she picks up a pen that was nearby and signs the document. The way she picks up the pen is heavy, impatient, signing quickly and without a hint of delicacy or formality. Then she takes the paper, puts it in the folder, and throws it again to the side of the table where Aizawa is.

"There you go, you can go now." Mitsuki says bluntly, as he stands up to leave his now empty glass of water in the sink.

Aizawa takes one of the papers he had in his briefcase and leaves it on the table before standing up. Mitsuki recognizes that specific paper. It was the paper that told the rules of the agreement, and what Katsuki could or could not take into battle. "You can keep this paper, we just need to get the signature."

"Good, now, feel free to leave." Mitsuki spoke without even looking the man in the eye. She was washing the glass, and giving more importance to the object than to Aizawa now.

Aizawa lets out a sigh at this. There hasn't been any screaming or physical violence since he entered this house, so in a way everything was resolved peacefully, without anyone getting hurt. And normally he would consider this a victory. But, all this hostility in the environment, the harshness in Mitsuki's voice, all this... tension. This situation is managing to go from bad to worse at an impressive speed.

"U.A, we – I – are very sorry for what happened.We hope that-" Before Aizawa could continue speaking, a crack could be heard from where Mitsuki was. The glass cup. Mitsuki broke the cup she was washing with her hands, and when she turned to face Aizawa, he could see the veins almost popping out on her face. Whatever it was, it left her very more irritated than before.

Mitsuki walked with heavy steps towards Aizawa, closing the distance between them considerably, invading his much-prized personal space. "Listen here, you miserable third-rate hero." Mitsuki's voice came out like venom, sharp and full of hatred stuck in her throat. But at the same time, it was low and somewhat restrained. She wasn't shouting, but her voice was still firm and resolute. "Stop pretending to care about me.my son."

Mitsuki's gaze sharpens more than ever at this. Her eyes lock onto Aizawa's, unblinking for a second. Her jaw trembles slightly and her fists clench with impressive force, turning her fingertips white from how tightly she's clenching them. "You don't care about my son, let's make that very clear. You're not here because you care about him, and you're not here to apologize to him for U.A's failure to protect him. You're here because of a document, because of a piece of paper." With that, Mitsuki moves even closer to Aizawa, to speak directly into his ear now. "That's why, I repeat. No pretend you care about myboy."

Aizawa is an experienced hero, he has faced many villains in his life, and has come face to face with many that would make most heroes run away in fear. Therefore, he does not scare easily, he no was startled by what his student's mother said. He held her gaze, also without blinking once, absorbing each word. It was clear that he didn't let it affect him. But anyone who knew him would know. His gaze fell a little more as he listened to all that, and his general posture seemed more tense now. I care, ma'am. Very much, about all my students, including your son. Aizawa wished he could say that, but he knew when he had to back down, and the mother in front of him didn't look like she would accept what he had to say.

"Get out. Get out of my house now!" Mitsuki emphasized the last word, taking advantage of the fact that he was speaking just a few centimeters from the man's ear to raise his already naturally loud voice a little.

Aizawa didn't try to fight it, he just turned and started walking towards the door. Mitsuki follows him closely, wanting to ensure his exit. Once at the door, Aizawa turns to whisper something before leaving. "Tell him thatI wished goo-" Mitsuki doesn't give him time to say anything else, and just slams the door in the poor guy's face.

With that, Mitsuki lets out a loud sigh, finally managing to relax a little. His shoulders drop and become less tense, as if a giant stone had been lifted out from her back. She returns to the living room, and sees her son there, sleeping peacefully. Pleased with the sight she is seeing, Mitsuki takes a blanket and covers her son. Slightly approaching him, she speaks softly to him. "Sleep well." And places a light kiss on his hair, as she had done before.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Katsuki felt his vision slowly returning. And instinctively, he ran his fingers over his eyes, feeling... eye gunk? What the hell is this? It's not that this wasn't common, but in this amount? This wouldn't happen unless... Oh, shit. Katsuki then begins to remember everything that happened, the 'conversation', the outburst, the crying, the tears, the words of affection... Immediately, he feels his face redden and heat up.

Did that... really happen?!

—Unfortunately.

...

Deep down, he hoped it had all been a dream. A dream too good to be true... the part where his mother appears at least. But now, he can remember everything, every detail.

My mother... acting like that?

But why?

—Are you stupid?

Katsuki knew why. His mother loved him, and always will. Now, he was aware of that. However, he still couldn't understand why someone would be like that to him, even if it was... his mother.

Already tired of lying down, Katsuki grabs the cover and throws it aside, sitting on the couch, facing the small table that was there. Looking around the room, everything seemed to be normal... It was dawn – maybe one or two in the morning – and Katsuki could tell by the moon outside, the darkness, and the absolute silence that hung over everything. And that's good, he likes the silence, he needs it after the day he had.

On the table in the living room in front of the sofa, Katsuki also sees two papers, a larger one that looks like a document, and a smaller one, on which he recognizes his mother's handwriting. Taking his mother's, he quickly reads what is written.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"Your teacher came here earlier, he brought the documents about the battle test you will do in two weeks against him. The rules are all on the paper, kid, read this damn thing carefully!!! If you need anything I will be upstairs working"

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

HUM?! Did Aizawa come here earlier?

But he said he was coming tomorrow... what a weird shit.

Katsuki tried not to think about it too much, and immediately focused his attention on the other paper. He picked it up with considerable care, this was the document with all the rules he had to follow, he wouldn't lose it. Then, he began to read it from beginning to end, every part.

Overall, the rules were everything one would expect. They were no different from the normal rules he was normally required to follow when he had training at U.A. The location of the fight was also one he remembered. The central square of U.A huh? I remember that. That's where we fought the teachers before that shitty camp. But, one rule caught his attention. Non-lethal equipment allowed? He gave special focus to this part. Apparently, any and all equipment that is not lethal in nature can be used.

So, I couldn't use a katana, but I could use a wooden katana?

Tsk... what a boring shit.

—Every day more hypocritical. How I like it!

The non-lethal equipment part was shit, but at least he could use equipment. That's better than nothing, and that was also the last rule in the document. Humph... so that's it? It seems like the same rules as the training against teachers. At least Katsuki already knew what to expect. He knows how Aizawa fights, and he knows the environment they'll be fighting in, he has to use that to his advantage.

Putting the paper back on the table, Katsuki gets up from the couch – stretching slightly – he wants to take advantage of the early morning to go out for a bit, walking in this silence and darkness always helped him put things in order. But, before that, he needs to check on something... his mother. He knew her, and knew that he probably stayed working late after he fell asleep on... her lap.

Tsk...! I still can't believe that shit happened.

—There are two of us.

He grabbed the blanket from the couch and put it on his back, walking to her room on the other side of the house. Opening the door, he saw what he suspected, his mother was sitting in the chair in front of a small table, where her laptop was open on some strange fashion app that Katsuki couldn't recognize. Mitsuki had her head on her arms, face down, sleeping right there on the table, you could even see a little drool escaping from her mouth.

Seeing this, Katsuki sighed heavily. He didn't like it when his mother worked so late. For all he knew, she was doing some freelance fashion clothing to earn some extra money on top of her work. They don't necessarily need it, but it helps them not spend the month in the red. After she separated, they had to move house – to a considerably smaller one – in a worse place, but with much lower rent too.

I guess that's the price we had to pay in the end to stop living with that piece of shit. Masaru cheated on Mitsuki over a year ago, with some secretary from what he knows. Katsuki doesn't really care who it is, he'll hate the woman – or man, you never know – just the same. At first it was... complicated. The divorce process was tough, and living alone with him and his mother in the house, after having been used to having his father there for so long. But they managed to get used to it, and today they are even more mentally stable than before because of it. They have been slowly getting closer since the day they found out about the betrayal. It wasn't very noticeable, but today it proved to be... useful. They - son and mother - had a good time there.

The absolute downside to all of this? Money. Masaru earned considerably more than Mitsuki from his job. And when Masaru finally left their lives over a year ago, their income dropped by more than half. They had to move out of their old house – the one near the Midoriyas – and into a much smaller one in a worse neighborhood, and they had to cut their living costs considerably. The house was not roomy, but compared to the old one? It was absolutely worse, it had only one floor, no basement or attic. A single bathroom, two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room. Something very basic for two people.

Katsuki even sold a lot of his stuff when they first moved, to help his mother. Nowadays, his room has a lot less All Might stuff, for example, he sold a lot of his dolls. And... shit, he didn't want to remember the former number one hero now.

All Might... he lost his power, because I was too weak and couldn't escape that shitty League.

What the hell!

Shit, shit, shit!

—It turned masochistic now is it?

Katsuki shook his head repeatedly, he couldn't just wallow in guilt now.

Focusing his mind on the present and his attention on his mother again, he turned off the laptop, closing it. He grabbed the blanket from his back to cover Mitsuki. Katsuki slightly adjusted the blanket so that it wasn't covering her head, but the rest of her body. He carefully adjusted the blanket, making sure she didn't get too hot either, since she was sitting in a chair, not lying on the bed.

After finishing, he steps back a little, looking at the result. His mother there, sleeping peacefully after working so hard... he needs to say something, even if she can't hear him now. "..." But what to say? He wanted to help his mother... but how? "I'll help you, mom, I swear." Katsuki said, placing his hand lightly on her back, as if he wanted to support her after everything she did for him. Everyone knows, he never calls Mitsuki mom most of the time, not even when they're alone. But now? He couldn't call her 'Old hag' after what happened, not today.

He left the room without making a sound, closing the door with a click fast. And walking to the living room. First, he stops by his room to get a coat, after all it must be cold outside, and he doesn't want to catch a cold this fateful week. Then he takes a piece of paper and quickly writes that he is going out, and so his mother doesn't wait for him to come back. I'm going to stick this on the fridge, she should see it when she wakes up. Sticking the paper to the fridge, he heads towards the door, opening and closing it behind him.

The second he steps outside, he feels the wind in his hair, his fingers, and his entire body. His lips immediately dry up, and instinctively his body curls up in on itself.

Shit! How cold is this?

We are still far from the doom of winter!

—Be thankful! Maybe the wind will be able to blow your sins away.

—Look at the bright side.

It is common knowledge that Katsuki did not like the cold. But, this was largely due to his old power. He needed to sweat to use his explosions at full power, and the cold didn't help with that, on the contrary, it made everything worse. In other words, he was weaker in the winter. Before. Nowadays, that wouldn't make much of a difference.

He starts walking down the street, without any specific goal. Katsuki just needed to... walk. Make his body move, have time to think about everything that will happen. Okay... I can use gear then, right? But what the heck would I use?! I've never needed gear outside of my old gloves. That's true, any and all equipment he used revolved around his power, without the explosions, it all became useless. I don't know how to use any weapons... and I feel like going into this fight barehanded and only any martial art won't work, not with Aizawa. He looks around the street as he thinks, trying to see if anything catches his eye, maybe some inspiration, anything. But nothing.

Tsk! What the fuck... how am I supposed to do this?

Just two weeks is too little time.

—I think it's a lot, you know. But did anyone ask for my opinion? I don't think so.

Katsuki thinks as he walks down the street, which, because of the early morning, is incredibly empty. He actually finds it a bit strange, yes, it must be around two in the morning now. But there is usually at least somebody at this time, besides him, it shouldn't be so empty... Katsuki walks a little further now with this in mind, until he is next to an alley of pure darkness, he can't see even a hand in front of him. He looks a little at the alley, and soon starts walking forward, ignoring that pile of darkness.

But before he could move on... "GRRR!" Katsuki immediately turned towards the alley, getting into his old fighting stance out of pure instinct and muscle memory.

What the hell is this?!

Does that sound like a... growl? Maybe a dog?

—...

Katsuki isn't stupid, he won't risk drawing attention from whatever is there, especially in his current state. Slowly, he starts to back away, wanting to get out of the radius of whatever is there.

But things were never going to be that easy for Katsuki to solve. Just as the boy slowly started to back away, something jumped in front of him, coming from the alley. Now, Katsuki could clearly see who was making that noise, and fucking shit. He had never seen anything like it before in his life. The creature – or monster, Katsuki didn't really know what to call it – had two sharp horns right where someone's eyelashes would be. Its eyes were deep black, both the pupil and the rest. He couldn't see the rest of its body properly, but he was sure the monster had claws too. But that wasn't what impressed Katsuki, what impressed him was the blood, the animal was covered in blood everywhere, especially in its mouth. And it was missing one of its arms, which was... Regenerating?! What the hell is this? He knew that there were very strong healing quirks, but at this level? "What the f—"

Before he could say or do anything. "CRUNCH!" The creature launched itself at Katsuki at an abysmal speed, its teeth sinking into his collarbone with a wet, repulsive sound. Tearing apart all the flesh and muscle there.

Katsuki froze. No muscle responded. He tried to scream, but the monster's hand was already covering his mouth. Cold. Wet. Strong too much.

"Well, well! Look what we have here...!" His mouth was salivating, and opening slightly, Katsuki could see his sharp teeth from here. "It's been a while since I devoured such young meat!"

The monster speaks as it begins to push Katsuki into the alley, covering his mouth the entire way. The – former – student hero even manages to find some courage to struggle and try to escape, but the monster – that was definitely not an animal – was much stronger, and managed to restrain him without any difficulty.

"You're persistent, kid, I like that!" The monster says this as he slowly brings his mouth closer to his collarbone again. "But... what if I do this!" He starts biting Katsuki's collarbone again, now devouring the flesh. His teeth go deeper and deeper. At this point, Bakugou believed he would pass out or die from the pain.

Is this how I'll die?

Without being able to be a hero?

Without being able to apologize to that... little shit.

Without... being able to help my mother?

In the background, you can hear light footsteps running towards them, a Katana in hand. "AHHHHH! What the delicious!" The monster speaks as he tastes Katsuki's flesh, who was about to pass out from so much pain now. "Ah... I want MORE!"

—....

—Pathetic.

—Giving up so easily?

—That power took courage with it when it left that body, apparently.

Before the monster could continue devouring, Katsuki could see in the background... fire? The head of the thing devouring him was suddenly cut off. A katana... of fire? That generates fire? Before he could think about it any further, he felt his mind going blank, was he... fainting? Or dying? Katsuki couldn't tell.

Just before he blacks out, he sees the monster disintegrating into thin air? And the... person who saved him – it was a woman, Katsuki could tell – coming running toward him? "Hey! Kid! Can you hear me?!"

Katsuki fainted.

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Final Notes:

So, I have to make a few things clear here. First, the updates for this fic. I'm going to keep updating 1 to 2 chapters per week. With a minimum of 5000 words each. Tip: always expect a chapter. I'm going to need to be really excited to have the energy and time to do two in one week lol.

I haven't written in a long time, so I'm still getting used to... all of this. In other words, some things might change later on, I'm also studying a lot about writing, so things might(and will, I hope) get better from now on.

I have two chapters ready already, counting this one, and I'm writing the third one right now that I'm releasing this(May 25th). As you've noticed, I like BIG chapters. I can't always promise 10000+ chapters, but I guarantee that I'll keep them all at 5000+.

Another thing, I mentioned that this will be a crossover between My Hero Academia and Demon Slayer. However, there are some caveats to all of this. First: I'm going to change a LOT of things about the power system, and I'm going to follow a completely different path from Kimetsu, and add a lot of things that come from my own little head. This will all be explained more in the second chapter, the whole basis is still the same as Kimetsu, so don't worry.

I don't think I need to explain that there will be original characters of mine here, right? I think it's pretty obvious T-T. And, in general, my Katsuki will also be a tyiiiic OC. As you can see, I changed his personality a little here, and he will evolve over time.

In these first chapters, Bnha's characters may seem a little faded, but over time they will appear A LOT more, I promise - I'll try at least kskskskks. Remember that the story is centered on Katsuki, so right-

And, I'll try to reduce the length of the paragraphs in the next chapters, just to let you know... sometimes I think I made these TOO long lol. Anyway, I welcome opinions on-

And another thing: The romance won't be the focus of this fic, and it takes a long time to start.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Have a good week, everyone, and a good day :D

Edit(July 5th): I'm the creator of this fic, and I'm translating my own fic that I originally wrote in Brazilian Portuguese.

I'm not VERY good at English. And it took me a LONG time to translate this chapter. And I also accept help, if you English speakers want to give me some advice.

Like, I'll do my best to translate, but it really takes me a LONG time to do it. I think I can guess about... 3-4 days to translate a chapter, for now. As I get better and get used to it, this may improve, but for now this is it.

Thank you to you who are reading this! I appreciate it SO MUCH <3

(EXTRA NOTE. 02/07: I'm new on Tumblr, so I still don't know how things work here… I accept tips to make the fic reach more people! If you want, you can look on your favorite fic site, I'll probably have posted it there… I'll post simultaneously on Wattpad, AO3, Quotev, and Royal Road.

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who reads this far! I'll carry you in my heart! )