When Things Don't Go as Planned, You Just Keep Running

Kiyomi ended up waiting a whole week and a half before going back out as Shard. One, it was a longer period of time, so things were less suspicious. Two, Kiyomi was too busy arguing with her appointed lawyer and Mr. Hayato to think about going back out. Not when the threat of being forced to be a hero hung over her head.

Detective Tsukauchi was sitting in on this meeting, taking notes and recording certain parts of the conversation. Kiyomi ignored him, turning back to Mr. Hayato and Ms. Ozaki.

“Look. I’m going to say it again.” Kiyomi whirled her coffee and took another drink, narrowing her eyes. “I will not ever agree to this plan! I can go to U.A., okay, since you seem so insistent that I do because of ‘surveillance’ but I will not join the Hero course!”

“Kiyomi, I don’t think you realize--” But Kiyomi cut Ms. Ozaki off. 

“Oh, you better believe I realize.” A glare was sent to Tsukauchi, as well as to the other two adults. “I realize that there’s something going on here and you aren’t telling me.” Kiyomi went to take another drink from her coffee, only to find it was empty again. “Fuck. I need more coffee.”

Hayato and Ozaki glanced at each other. While Ozaki seemed just fine with the accusation, Hayato wasn’t as good at hiding his emotions and looked worried. Kiyomi watched him as he offered to get more coffee and left.

Kiyomi looked back at Ms. Ozaki. “I know someone’s helping me. I don’t like it. It’s not fair. Send me away or some shit. But any Hero course, let alone the Hero course at the number one school in Japan, is not happening. I don’t care if that’s the ultimatum. I’m not following it.”

Ms. Ozaki sighed. “Tamatsuki… you could be put in actual prison for this thing. You were running around for what, two years?” Kiyomi sat back in her chair, arms crossed. “Not only is vigilantism illegal, but also public quirk usage without a license and all of these assault charges.” Ozaki held up a rather lengthy sheet and Kiyomi glowered, but it did hurt to see what was actually against her. The pain in her chest was there, dully. “We’re trying to give you a chance here. The chances of you getting into a good college or having a good job is significantly decreased because of all of this. You’ve been given the opportunity to get into the number one school in Japan. Not many get a second chance like this.”

Nothing was said for a few minutes before Mr. Hayato came back with two new cups of coffee, handing one to Kiyomi. 

“You’re incredibly smart,” Ozaki continued. “You would excel at U.A. I honestly think you should go. Not just because it’s being forced on you, but because it will give you opportunities many schools around here don’t provide.”

“No Hero course.” Kiyomi drank from her new cup of coffee, letting the warmth wash over her but the anxiety was still there, in the back of her head with a twinge she couldn’t ignore. “But… I’ll consider it.”

Ms. Ozaki let out a sigh of relief. “I’ll contact the courts right away. And you’ve been sticking to your probation orders? Not leaving the city or going out late at night?”

“Yes, ma’am.” But not for long.

Kiyomi felt like she was betraying her family even more, saying she’d go to U.A. Her father never went to the school, he went to a popular school in America, but it still didn’t feel right. The number one school in Japan had a reputation for producing amazing heroes, but Endeavor stood among them. He was as terrible as the worst of them, and yet he was still the number two hero. Kiyomi didn’t want to go to the same school that scumbag graduated from.

Some more subjects were discussed, like Miyoko and her wanting to disown Kiyomi. It was too harsh. Everyone agreed, but there wasn’t anything they could do about it. Something was off, though. Miyoko would never just decide to disown Kiyomi after one offense. Something was going on, so now there were two things Kiyomi didn’t know about. 

Not knowing scared Kiyomi. She didn’t like it.

By the time Kiyomi got back to the Sakimoto’s, she had drunk probably over ten cups of coffee and she needed to do something. All of Kiyomi’s anxiety would overtake her if she didn’t. She cleaned a lot, surprising everyone especially Hachi, Mrs. Sakimoto’s husband, and Kiyomi saw them conspiring in a corner, glancing at her. Kiyomi didn’t listen in like she usually would, going back to sweeping the entire ground floor. 

Dinner was made quicker than it usually was and the effects of the coffee still hadn’t worn off. Kiyomi hadn’t been this on edge in ages. Every time a laugh emitted from one of the younger kids or a glass was set down on the table, Kiyomi had to physically keep herself from flinching. 

Drinking all that coffee had been a very bad idea.

[To: Shinsou]

get this damn thing off me

I need to run and find something to do so i don’t go

Insane.

[From: Shinsou]

give me a sec.

there. 

should be deactivated. is the light still on?

[To: Shinsou]

I didn’t do anything.

could you have remotely deactivated it this entire time??

no, the light is off

[From: Shinsou]

good. you can take it off and hide it in your bed or something

and maybe i couldve. 

doesnt matter now

[To: Shinsou]

thanks.

Do you want to meet up?

[From: Shinsou]

no 

[To: Shinsou]

okay fine

Kiyomi was out by midnight. She’d checked previously for all the precautionary measures the Sakimotos had up to prevent their kids from sneaking out, and had dealt with most of them. The only thing Kiyomi would have to look out for was the security camera overlooking most of the front of the house. That wouldn’t be too hard; Kiyomi had dealt with much harder. 

Making it look like Kiyomi’s bedroom window was untampered with was probably the hardest. They had fancy window locks, and it took a little fiddling to get them open. As long as no one checked in on her at night, which Mrs. Sakimoto said she didn’t like doing because she wanted her kids to trust her, Kiyomi was safe until three AM. It was a short patrol, but Kiyomi didn't want to take any chances. 

It was weird patrolling without her boots, but Kiyomi managed. Her phone was securely in Kiyomi’s pocket, hardly moving even as Kiyomi jumped around from roof to roof with trained accuracy. Instead of her handmade white mask, which Kiyomi had thought to be her signature, Kiyomi had taken a medical mask that the Sakimotos kept a stock of. 

It didn’t match Shard’s style, but then again, neither were the black leggings that were too cold for the weather nor the too-big sweatshirt Kiyomi had found in her bedroom closet. But they worked, so Kiyomi tried not to complain.

The night was quiet. Pausing on an office building roof, Kiyomi took a breath. Her anxiety ebbed away like old paint. She missed this, and she’d only been gone for a week.

Her phone buzzed. A text from Hitoshi gave an address, with no context, but Kiyomi knew exactly what he needed. Scanning over the street signs, Kiyomi started for the warehouse Hitoshi was at. 

Wonder what he was doing. Breaking up a drug ring? Trafficking ring? Arms sales? People liked to do arms sales in abandoned warehouses. Kiyomi didn’t understand it. Maybe it was aesthetic. 

Either way, when Kiyomi made it to the warehouse, gunshots rang out. Eyes narrowing in focus, Kiyomi made her way to the nearest window, covered in dust, but Kiyomi could make out faint silhouettes in the gray. 

“Wakino! What the hell are you doing?” One man cried out. There were some shouts and another gunshot. There were eight figures, all looking to be men by their frames. They all circled around one, slightly shorter and thinner boy, whose classically messy hair could be made out escaping from under his hood

“Anytime!” Hitoshi’s purple eyes flashed. With an exaggerated groan, Kiyomi jumped onto a nearby box and made her entrance jumping through the disgusting window. A few shards of glass got caught in her hands, but Kiyomi hardly noticed. 

“Heya.” Kiyomi smiled widely under her mask. This was her thing. She was in her element. “Am I interrupting something?”

A majority of the men, all suspicious-looking office-types, turned to her. Guns were aimed, and with a flash, the bullets they shot bounced back at them, grazing one of the men’s shoulders. 

Kiyomi’s shield glinted in the faint light. It had no sign that it had just been shot at, save for the way Kiyomi had stopped in her tracks for a split second.

Keeping the Defense shield up, Kiyomi made her way to the nearest man, with dark hair and glowing eyes. He shot his gun, but the bullets didn’t even scratch the shield, which was taken down as soon as Kiyomi got close enough to smash his kneecaps. The man fell to the ground, and a knee was brought up into his chin before being kicked down to the cement floor. 

“Tamatsuki.” Hitoshi had a knife, slashing it at the men who approached him. He slid past the slower man who’d ran at him with ram-like horns. With a swift movement, Hitoshi cut one of the man’s achilles tendons as Ram-Head lost his footing and fell forward. Cries of pain were announced, but both teens ignored them.

“Shinosu.” Kiyomi connected her fist with another man’s throat. He stumbled back, and Kiyomi twisted the gun out of his hand, kicking at his ankles and knocking him onto the ground. “Can I borrow one of those?”

A knife was handed to Kiyomi in passing, who stabbed into a different man’s shoulder, before body-slamming him with Defense. The man rammed into the metal wall, the metal bending to the will of the force. A small crack appeared in the middle of Defense, but Kiyomi didn’t mind. She welcomed it, in fact. 

“Hey, idiot, I’m going to cut you.” Hitoshi’s voice had that familiar commanding tone, and Kiyomi knew better than to reply at Hitoshi’s stupid quip.

“What the--”  The man never had time to finish his response, his eyes going blank as Hitoshi commanded him to knock himself out. It worked, the man slamming his head into a wall and slumping to the ground. 

Three men left. Kiyomi jolted forward, Defense staying up despite the crack. Another bullet bounced off of it as Kiyomi ran towards a different man. 

A red laser burst out suddenly, causing Kiyomi to turn. The laser was stopped by Defense, but the crack deepened. Just a little more….

Kiyomi stayed in the path of the laser, going towards the source as Hitoshi took the man who kept trying to shoot at her. With a small smile, the laser cut through and Kiyomi rolled away as the shield shattered. Pieces jabbed into Kiyomi’s legs and ankles as she slid away, the laser singing a piece of her sweatshirt. The smell of burning fabric mixed with Kiyomi’s blood as she struggled to her feet, blood beginning to ruin her leggings and pool in her shoes. And she liked these ones…

Either way, Hemisphere was summoned as Kiyomi ran into the source of the laser, a man who’d taken off his glasses. That was some old classic comic shit right there. Kiyomi could feel the jagged edges of her shattered shield in her legs, and raised her leg high enough so they cut into Laser-Eyes’s side. She promptly fell over, pain radiating up her body, but Laser-Eyes gripped his side. 

Just as Kiyomi was about to stand, a knife hit into Laser-Eyes’s shoulder, eliciting a cry. Summoning Bubble, the force of the sudden shield pushed Laser-Eyes into the wall, knocking him out with a distinct crack.

“Did you get the other two?” Kiyomi asked, gritting her teeth as she stood, before tumbling forward. Hitoshi caught her before she face-planted, sighing at the amount of blood running down Kiyomi’s legs.

“Of course I did,” Hitoshi grunted as he helped Kiyomi walk. “First night back after a week and you’re already crippling yourself. Way to go. Guess that’s why they call you Shard.”

“Excuse you, I call myself Shard.” Every time Kiyomi tried to put her full weight down, her ankles buckled, the shards of shield being pushed down into her muscles some more. “The police just followed suit. You got a first aid kit around here?”

“I have a stash nearby. Can you climb?” The men around them started to groan, a few coming two. 

Kiyomi scoffed. They made their way outside the warehouse, the light of the city not too far off. “Does it look like I can climb? I got two arms, idiot.” She smiled, the adrenaline fading as pain ripped up to Kiyomi’s neck, like wading through a lake of glass. “Did you see when I slammed that guy into the wall? Just a few more hits like that and I’ll be invincible.”

“No, I was too busy trying not to die, thanks.” They started to the city lights, Hitoshi needing to readjust his grip on Kiyomi’s arm. “One, when was the last time you slept for longer than three hours, and two, no, you’re not doing that again, because you’ll actually cripple yourself.”

“Well, one,” Kiyomi mocked. “It was four hours, thank you very much, and two, I won’t cripple myself. I haven’t done it yet, and it’s just some small damage. It’s not like they’re giant pieces.” Kiyomi didn’t need to see it, but she could feel Hitoshi roll his eyes. “Besides, they heal faster because it comes from my quirk. Bet my shield damage will heal faster than the glass cuts I have from that old window.”

Hitoshi sighed again, and the two were silent and alert as they made it back into the city streets. Their eyes were peeled for cops or heroes, but after ten minutes, they stopped. Kiyomi was deposited against a brick wall, which she slumped into, and Hitoshi jumped up and grabbed a fire escape ladder. 

“Tamatsuki?”

“What?”

Kiyomi lost control of her body in an instant. She let out an internal sigh, but didn’t resist.

“Climb up the ladder. Don’t stop.”

It was easier being brainwashed and told what to do rather than having to do it herself. Kiyomi’s legs burned as she climbed, but it was like her body didn’t realize now that it was under Hitoshi’s control. Kiyomi didn’t mind. She and Hitoshi had trained together a lot when they were younger, and Kiyomi could break out his mind control with some effort. They knew each other’s quirks well, especially considering they were the only two friends they’d had in elementary school. 

As Kiyomi crumpled on the roof, Hitoshi’s brainwashing eased away. “Could’ve told me next time,” Kiyomi mentioned as Hitoshi went to the garden this roof hosted. It was nice and vibrant, even in the dark. A moment later, Hitoshi reappeared with his usual decked-out first aid kit. 

“No need. You don’t care either way.” With two clicks, the metal weather-proof case was opened. 

Hitoshi rummaged through the kit, taking out a few things that Kiyomi couldn’t make out. Her vision was getting blurry. She needed some water. Or some blood. One of the two. Kiyomi couldn’t tell how much she’d lost, but she knew that her leggings were ripped up from the calf down and her shoes were probably blood-soaked beyond saving. 

In an attempt to make conversation, Kiyomi asked, “So how long has your dad known about your vigilante stuff?”

“Long enough. He still thinks I don’t know he knows.” A flashlight assaulted Kiyomi’s eyes, which Hitoshi held in his hands as he cut away at Kiyomi’s leggings. “It’s kind of obvious when he leaves dinner out for me at three in the morning.”

“He help you set up your magical kits?” Kiyomi was used to the pain that followed after having alcohol poured on open wounds, but a hiss still emerged. 

“They’re practical,” Hitoshi corrected, his hands working quickly as he started to take shards out from under Kiyomi’s skin. “And yes, he has.”

“Wow, must be amazing to have a doctor for a father. So smart and shit. Doesn’t kick you out when you fuck up.” Kiyomi finally gave up trying to watch Hitoshi as he worked, the light too bright. Instead, Kiyomi laid back and watched the distant stars. 

“That’s why you got here so fast.” The shards clinked as they fell against the roof, but disappeared soon after. “Do you have people to stay with?”

“Foster care.” The words were poison on Kiyomi’s lips, and Hitoshi made a sound of disgust. “Hand-picked homes, by the looks of it. Someone’s working hard to keep me from being incarcerated and I want to find them and tell them to fuck off.”

There was a pause. Hitoshi tugged off Kiyomi’s shoes, but she was too numb, both physically and emotionally, to care. He worked as Kiyomi watched the stars, blurred and beautiful. One of the lesser reasons Kiyomi loved working at night was because the clear night sky was one of the most beautiful things a person could watch. 

“I’m going to U.A.” Hitoshi finally said. “I’m going to give up vigilantism and become a hero.”

Kiyomi made a noise, and even she didn’t know what it meant. “Oh, a stickler for rules now, are we? Well, great, we can go together.”

This surprised Hitoshi so much he stopped working and crawled over so he could search Kiyomi’s eyes for her lie. “Since when are you going to U.A.?”

“Since it became the only thing allowing me to see my brother. Go keep me from bleeding out, deadbeat.”

“You’re not going to bleed out, whiney idiot.” But Hitoshi went back to picking at shards. “I’m not even going to try for the Hero course straight out. It’s biased to physical quirks. I’m going to get in through the Sports Festival.”

“Oh boy, the nationally televised shit show.” 

“Be quiet, it’s not that bad. I can stop helping you and let the bottom half of your legs get infected.”

“Eh.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Now shut up.”

Hitoshi worked diligently for the next twenty minutes, making sure every piece of shield was taken out of Kiyomi’s legs. She helped a little, but considering she couldn’t focus on a single point of longer than five seconds, it really didn’t do much. As Hitoshi wrapped them in white gauze, Kiyomi could already feel the shallower cuts beginning to heal.

“Can you get back to your foster home on your own, or do I need to carry you there?” Hitoshi was tired, but Kiyomi could tell he missed her. Even if they didn’t work together much, they worked together well. 

“I’m fine.” Kiyomi stood, almost falling off the building. “Just need to sleep before I’m ready to slam guys into metal walls again.”

“He was, like, double your size, too. Those shields are too strong.” Hitoshi held out a hand, and Kiyomi knew what he wanted to see. She unzipped her sweatshirt, that now had a hole in the bottom of it, and showed off her scars.

Scars, like the fractals in a snowflake, littered Kiyomi’s body, converging in droves at her hands and wrists, but making their way up her arms and neck, and down her chest. Some scars were years old and nearly faded, while some were only a few months old. The newer the scars, the bigger and deeper they were. 

The side effect of Kiyomi’s quirk. Every time her shields shattered, they doubled in strength, however, the stronger the shield, the worse the blowback, because physics. It had been a while since a shield shattered around Kiyomi’s legs, and certainly not to this extent, but it was nothing that hadn’t been done before. 

“Give me a few more goes, and then put me up against fucking All Might. Let’s go, motherfucker.” Kiyomi squared up, threw a few loose punches, before laughing. If she wasn’t mistaken, a small grin could be seen on Hitoshi’s lips, but Kiyomi didn’t say anything. 

Collecting the first aid equipment and putting it back in its case, Hitoshi shook his head. “Go home, Tamatsuki. If I see you out here again tonight, I won’t hesitate to use my quirk and send you back.”

“Ugh, fine.” Ignoring the burning pain and squelch of her ruined shoes, Kiyomi got ready to run off the roof. “See you around, Shinsou.”

“Something like that.”

Kiyomi leapt off the roof and started her way back to the Sakimotos, not once looking back at the boy behind her.