The Inevitable Happens, and There's No Fixing It.
Kiyomi kept going out at night, despite not having Hitoshi to rely on. She cracked down on the crime in the area, but allowed certain things to fall under her radar, like usual. The kids stealing from a convenience store didn’t go unnoticed, but they did it often. One time, Kiyomi wanted to follow them home, only to realize they didn’t have one to go to.
The next day, the kids found a hundred thousand yen waiting for them. Kiyomi was going to buy some books and a new pair of shoes, but she decided they needed it more than she did.
Her shield only shattered once in the month leading up to her first day at U.A., and it had been purposeful. She’d had another meeting with Ms. Ozaki, Mr. Hayato, and her probation officer, who was keeping a suspiciously low amount of tabs on her, and they’d told her more shit about how well she’d done on her entrance exam and how if she kept this up “she’d be able to go free by the end of high school.”
Talk about bullshit. Kiyomi had spent that night running into a wall until her shield shattered. She had a new scar on her cheek now. She hardly ever got scars on her face, and they usually faded. This one was too deep to fade. Kiyomi could tell by how much it bled.
Like usual, her cuts healed faster than they should’ve, and Kiyomi woke up the next morning with her scars and only a dull muscle pain that came from ramming into brick walls for hours.
The first day of school was tense. Kiyomi felt like throwing up as soon as she woke up. Her acceptance letter was still shoved between the wall and the desk that sat in her room, where Kiyomi had put it after ripping it up.
Her ankle monitor seemed even more prominent despite Kiyomi’s dark leggings beneath her new U.A. uniform, with its idiotic cool blazer and stupid matching color scheme.
Something was going to go wrong today. Kiyomi could feel it.
Kiyomi left without eating. Besides, Mrs. Sakimoto seemed busy on the phone and Tsuki kept glancing at Kiyomi but never said anything. Muttering a goodbye, Kiyomi stopped for coffee on the way to the train station, plugging in her earbuds as soon as she stepped outside to keep any unwanted hypervigilance at bay.
Kyoji had texted her briefly the night before, wishing her well on her first day of school, and how it would be weird now that they weren’t in the same school anymore. Kiyomi had replied with a thanks and a string of emojis.
Hitoshi hadn’t contacted her since he’d stopped vigilante work. Kiyomi didn’t even know what class he was in. She pretended not to care, but she currently had no friends besides him at U.A., and Kiyomi thought she would go insane if she didn’t have anyone to talk to.
The train ride was quiet. Kiyomi stood the entire time, scanning through her phone like usual. Nothing she cared about or didn’t already know.
Kids were already streaming into the school when Kiyomi got to the cursed campus. She kept her head up as she made her way to 1-C, following a hastily drawn map she’d made with the spare time getting to the exam hall a month ago.
Hitoshi was there, sitting in the back, with his head of unbrushed hair. God, was he ever going to take care of that?
They exchanged glances as Kiyomi took a seat in the front. There was a nod from Hitoshi, and a nod back. That was it.
More students filed into the classroom, and it didn’t take long for all twenty students to choose a seat and wait for a teacher. A mediocre woman walked in with a bright smile and told them they were going to the entrance ceremony. The class grouped together and made their way down to an auditorium filled with kids. There were so many people…
Kiyomi spotted Present Mic standing against the wall, talking animatedly with Pro Hero Midnight. She watched him for a few moments before turning her gaze to the animal preparing to start a speech on the stage. The weight on Kiyomi’s chest resumed at the idea that she was so close to her favorite hero. She wondered distantly if she could get his autograph later. Probably not.
Principal Nezu’s speech dragged on for two hours. It was boring and stupid, and Kiyomi instead noted how class 1-A was missing from the auditorium, evident by the twenty empty chairs in front of them and how a notable asshole was missing from the lineup of teachers.
Class 1-A was being taught by Eraserhead.
And Izuku Midoriya must be with them. Kiyomi had seen his bright red sneakers and curly hair searching the hallways that morning, and he was nowhere to be seen in the auditorium.
At least he’d gotten into the Hero course. Kiyomi was proud of him, especially because he was Quirkless. She was going to have to ask him how he did it. It wasn’t every day a Quirkless kid made it into U.A.’s Hero course.
When they got back to the classroom, they had two hours until lunch, and then two hours after that. Kiyomi managed to strike up a conversation between classes, setting up her English notebook before turning to the person sitting in the chair next to her.
They had dark hair, bright purple eyes, and was spinning around in the fancy chairs U.A. had placed with their desks. When they realized Kiyomi was watching them, they stopped, and, looking a little dizzy, held out at a hand.
“Okane Satomi! Nice to meet you!”
“Tamatsuki Kiyomi.” She shook the person’s hand lightly. “Nice to meet you, too. What did you think of Principal Nezu’s speech? Pretty boring if I do say so myself.”
“Meh. I listened to maybe half of it before spacing out.” Satomi glanced at their schedule. “Aw, English is next. I suck at English.”
“I could help you out with it later,” KIyomi suggested. “I’m pretty good at it.”
Satomi’s eyes glittered. “Please! This is U.A.. Everything is going to be harder now.”
Kiyomi nodded in agreement and made a mental note to remember to help them later. Things like that were easy to forget. As the English teacher, a kind-looking man with dark hair, set up and started his lesson, Kiyomi stopped paying attention.
She still wasn’t allowed back into the Black Market (she always cringed at how unoriginal the name was, but she wasn’t the one who came up with it.), so Kiyomi was struggling to come up with money. She’d given the rest of her savings to those homeless kids, so currently, Kiyomi was broke. She still wanted her boots back, which were still evidence, and Kiyomi had no idea if they were even still at the police station.
Knowing her luck, probably not, but Kiyomi stayed hopeful. One day, she was going to break in and steal them back.
English was more difficult, which was what Kiyomi was banking on. Her English was already above the average high school level. Maybe she’d be challenged for once. The notes Kiyomi took missed plenty of things, but when you already know something, why make an effort to study it more?
The next class was a history class, which was easier and more fun to follow. Kiyomi wrote her notes seamlessly, adding small side notes of her own. The assignment the class had been given was easily finished before the end of class, but Kiyomi held onto it in case anyone wanted to compare answers. She and Hitoshi used to do that in elementary school.
Lunch came along quickly, and, as much as Kiyomi wanted to try Lunch Rush’s food (more heroes, ugh.), Mrs. Sakimoto had made her a lunch and Kiyomi was happy to eat that instead.
“Tamatsuki, you want to come down to the cafeteria with me and these guys?” Satomi stood with a group of boys, all in the General Education course. Kiyomi pretended not to notice how they looked at her. It was disgusting.
“Sure, Okane.” Gathering her lunch box, Kiyomi sent a glance to Hitoshi, or rather, where he should be. He must have already gone to the cafeteria. Kiyomi wanted to catch up with him. Maybe they could be normal friends again.
Well, they were never “normal” friends to begin with. They’d spent many nights pushing their quirks to the limit and practicing hand-to-hand combat.
They’d been ten at the time. So, definitely not normal.
The Lunch Rush cafeteria was jam-packed full of students from all four courses. Kiyomi noted how Izuku Midoriya was still nowhere to be seen. She followed Satomi and their group of odd friends to an almost-empty table, where a few second-year Management course kids sat, talking over a file of charts and graphs.
Kiyomi was quick to spot Hitoshi, sitting by himself eating a bowl of rice. She furrowed her eyebrows together and started to walk over.
“Hey, Tamatsuki! Where are you going?” Satomi called back to her.
“I’m going to go invite my friend Shinsou to come sit with us.” Kiyomi stopped, gesturing to the distant Hitoshi. “Is that okay?”
Satomi looked uncomfortable, glancing between Kiyomi and Hitoshi. “Uh, well…”
One of the unknown boys took over. “Don’t you know? He’s a villain. He can brainwash people.” He stated it like stating that the sun gave off light.
“Uh, no. He’s most certainly not a villain.” Man, first day and people were already spreading rumors about Hitoshi. That was fucked up, and Kiyomi did not appreciate it. “He’s one of my friends. Now, I’m going to invite him over so--”
“Please don’t.” A different boy spoke, tone harsh and cold. “He brainwashed one of the kids at his old school to kill themselves. I am not putting my life on the line for your friendship.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Now Kiyomi was pissed off. What the fuck kind of rumor was that? “No way in hell would Shinsou do something like that, and I certainly don’t appreciate you spreading untrue rumors about him.” She walked over, glared, and grabbed her stuff. “Okane, if you still want help on your English, come find me when you aren’t surrounded by pervy assholes.”
Kiyomi didn’t wait for a reply, already going over to sit with Hitoshi.
“High schoolers are pieces of shit,” Kiyomi announced, startling Hitoshi out of his daze. “I hate them. Except for you. You’re cool.”
“Uh, thanks.” Hitoshi looked surprised she even came over, let alone that she started eating. “I didn’t think…”
“That I’d stand up for you? Yeah, like hell I’m going to let some fucking asshole rumors get around.” Kiyomi scoffed. “How did they spread so fast? Are people spying on you or some shit?”
“Kiyomi, you’re swearing too much.” Hitoshi always reminded her to censor herself, as Kiyomi often forgot to. “Some people from my old school came to U.A., too. It looks like they’ve been busy.”
They both saw all the looks Hitoshi was getting. Even the people that were sitting nearby shied away from them. Everyone was scared of the exhausted boy with hair he never brushed.
And Kiyomi fucking hated it.
“Don’t listen to them.” Kiyomi shoved some food in her mouth before continuing. “If they can’t bother to get to know you, they aren’t worth your time. I’ll make us some friends and blackmail them.”
“Don’t do that.” Hitoshi still spoke quietly, but the small smile on his face was unmistakable.
“Fine,” Kiyomi huffed. “Just you wait. You’re going to kick everyone’s asses at the Sports Festival and then everyone is going to want to be your friend. You’ll be popular until the day you get transferred and don’t have to see them ever again.”
“We all share a lunch period. I’m going to see them no matter what.” School Hitoshi was so different from Vigilante Hitoshi. Kiyomi didn’t like how small he made himself, or how Hitoshi didn’t ask questions. What kind of stupid people put it in his head that he wasn’t allowed to ask questions?
“True, true… I could threaten them. With violence.” A dark look passed over Kiyomi, but disappeared a moment later.
Hitoshi shook his head with a small laugh. “I’m happy you decided to join the General Education department. I’d probably be friendless if it weren’t for you.”
Kiyomi raised her eyebrows. “You really think I’d make you wait this out all on your own? No fucking way, Hitoshi.”
They spent the rest of the lunch period together. Eventually, Satomi wandered over and apologized, which Hitoshi didn’t understand but Kiyomi made him accept anyway. Kiyomi and Satomi made a date where Kiyomi could help them with their English, and by then, lunch was done.
Two more hours of school after lunch, and then Kiyomi was allowed to go home. She said goodbye to Hitoshi and Satomi before making her way to the train station. Izuku Midoriya was nowhere to be seen, but neither was Eraserhead. Thank god for that. After all the shit Kiyomi had to put up with about Hitoshi during the day, she didn’t want to talk to the Pro Hero at all.
Another day, another Endeavor headline. Kiyomi grimaced as she read how Endeavor brutally took down a group of villains, many suffering burns from the hero’s quirk. “If they hadn’t resisted, they wouldn’t have gotten hurt,” the article justified. Of course they justified Endeavor. Kiyomi knew the villains he’d taken down, recognizing them from the blurry photo the article featured.
One of them was one of the kids Kiyomi had given her money to. Two more Kiyomi had seen around the Black Market. One was a single mother struggling to support her three kids and the other was needed to get money to pay for their mother’s hospital bills.
Some villains had malicious intent, sure, but you need to look at their lives, too. You can’t just assume based on what others tell you.
Listening to music helped soothe Kiyomi’s nerves after reading that stupid article. The walk back to the Sakimoto’s didn’t take long, though she sped up when she recognized Mr. Hayato’s car in front of the house.
What the hell was he doing here?
Kiyomi searched for Mr. Hayato as she took her shoes off at the door and shoved her phone into her pocket.
“Tamatsuki.” Hayato, alongside Mrs. Sakimoto and her husband, stood in the sitting area, arms crossed and face stern.
“Hayato,” Kiyomi replied, in a more casual tone. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”
She wasn’t dumb. Kiyomi knew what this was, she just didn’t want to admit it.
“Kiyomi, we--” Mrs. Sakimoto cut off. Well, that certainly helped.
“Kiyomi, we know you broke your probation.” Before she could say anything, Mr. Hayato held out a screenshot of her in her black sweatshirt and white mask helping kids outside a bank.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck--
“You don’t know that’s me.” Kiyomi watched as Mr. Hayato sighed, and put another paper on top of the black-and-white photos. This one also had photos, this time of Kiyomi removing her mask to show to the kids she was safe and not going to kill them. She normally did that, especially for kids under twelve. They’re usually hesitant to receive help from a masked teenager at two AM.
Well, shit.
And yet, Kiyomi was still going to play dumb. “The picture’s too blurry. That could literally be anyone.”
Hachi cleared his throat. No. Not Hachi. Now he’s against her? “I saw you sneaking out last week. I was going to be quiet about it, because I get it. You’re a teenager, rebellion is in your nature. But... “
“Hayato pressed you.” Kiyomi was done playing. She knew when to admit defeat. “Fine. So I’ve been sneaking out. You don’t understand. I’m doing a job that needs to be done. No one else--”
“I understand,” Hayato cut in sharply. “that you’re still breaking the law, after all that’s been done to keep you out of prison. The penalty is even harsher for this, you know that, right?”
“I don’t care.” Kiyomi turned on her heel. “I’ll get my stuff.”
“Kiyomi--” Mrs. Sakimoto was stopped again. She was crying.
Shame filled Kiyomi. She didn’t want Mrs. Sakimoto to cry. The woman had been so nice to her. The mother worked so hard and no one here seemed to help her. Kiyomi felt bad for betraying her.
Maybe it wasn’t worth it. Maybe she should stop.
No! Why the hell would she do that? She is helping people. She is saving lives and she’s not even getting paid to do it. At least, not usually.
What else would she do? Kiyomi couldn’t just sit there while the world went to shit. What else was there? Hero work?
Yeah, like that was going to happen…
Hitoshi was going into underground hero work. Kiyomi could do the same thing. They aren’t in the spotlight and they’re literally doing the same thing Kiyomi does every night.
No. No. No hero work. Kiyomi knew firsthand how easy it was to become corrupt in the Pro Hero business. It was what happened to her father. Kiyomi wouldn't let it happen to her.
Kiyomi managed to shove all of her actual belongings into her school bag. She almost forgot the video game controller Kyoji had given her two months ago. Why did she have that again?
Oh yeah. Sentimentality. Definitely a Kyoji thing.
All of her respect was gone as she walked down the stairs, that controller in her pocket as Kiyomi ran her fingers over the different textures, a comforting thing after having no patience left for the world.
“Sorry for intruding,” Kiyomi told Mr. and Mrs. Sakimoto as kindly as she could before leaving with Mr. Hayato. Not another word was spoken between them.
She didn’t even get to say goodbye to the other kids. Damn.
“God damn it, Tamatsuki! Are you trying to get yourself thrown in prison?” Hayato was at the end of his rope. Kiyomi could hear it. For such a nice man, he had the patience of a wasp. Which was none.
On a side note, wasps suck. Kiyomi knew from experience. Nothing she wanted to do again in her life.
“Maybe.” Kiyomi’s voice was just as sharp as Hayato’s. “Where are you sending me now? The detention center? A hole leading to the center of the Earth? Maybe a police station where I can be berated by my mother again?”
“First, you’re getting a new ankle monitor. Then you’re going to Yukimoris, where you will not step foot outside after ten PM.” Hayato started driving right away, and they were already halfway down the street. “Consider this your second warning. One more brush with the law and you’re gone.”
Kiyomi didn’t bother to reply, instead pulling out her phone. She wanted to throw it out the window. She hated being shoved around. Kiyomi barely even got to say anything before she was transferred to the next house. Just throw her away already! Stop trying to make her into a rule-abiding citizen. She wasn’t one.
She wished it was a Friday night so she could listen to Present Mic’s radio show instead of her thoughts. But it wasn’t. And there was nothing Kiyomi could do about it.