Aesthete

Chapter 36 - Bakugo 4

I was reaching the towering structures, seeing the dirt morph into silver tiles and pipes, steam resonating from one of the buildings. I kept the same speed as I entered the city domain, looking and hearing for his voice, his sight.

I slowed down when I turned to a corner, watching the blockage of materials stop me from moving forward.

"Hey, you're Reyna!" A feminine voice cried out and I whipped my head to see pink curls flying towards me, I felt my body become slow as a girl with brown hair came from the rubble.

"Shiketsu would be so proud if we took out the prettiest girl from U.A. Especially because you're so strong." A ball flew towards me and I glared, wrapping stone around it as I hurled it towards the brunette, hearing a click from her target. I struck her last one, and she cursed before waving me off with a tight-lipped smile, "How the hell did you do that, cutie? Kagami, try and take her out for me, will you?" The brunette disappeared, and I felt my body shift to the ground without my command. I groaned, feeling blood drip from my lips slightly as I heard the girl with pink curls giggle. "Sorry, it's my quirk, I shouldn't be so rough on you." I summoned a vine to wrap around her head, roots manipulating the balls she threw towards my targets as it flung them away. I tossed her to the pipes, hearing her whine, "Aw, come on! I'm using my best strength to keep you on the ground and you're still fighting? You're such a U.A student, I wish we met another way."

"Agreed," I mumbled, wrapping a vine around my waist to toss me into the air as I hurled stones at her. She became distracted with dodging so she didn't notice that I shifted the metal to dent, letting the pipes hit her arms as she became pinned to the ground. I jumped to her, letting the ball pierce her final target as Mera spoke through the intercom, "60 people have already passed."

"Sorry about that," I told her, throwing the pipes off her arms as I touched her, letting Gingko alleviate her wounds as I tugged her upwards. She smiled, shrugging me off. "It's fine, someone like you deserves it." She walked off, leaving me alone as I sighed.

I guess I'll have to find him later.

I was making my way out of the city-like terrain, finally finding some calm after the raging inferno I felt earlier. I was still furious with Bakugo, but I couldn't let my emotions distract me from my goal. I also realized that acting out in front of everyone would only make me seem unstable and childish, I was already on a fine line with my sporadic behavior whenever a grueling memory of the League came about.

I was too absorbed over calming down and making my way to the waiting room that I dismissed the voices that were nearby. I trudged along the dirt, nearing the outside as a voice belted my name.

"Florence, you passed? We did, too!" I stiffened, whipping my head to meet Kirishima's as Denki ran to me, congratulating me for advancing. I nodded, giving a forced smile to both. I felt his stare but I refused to acknowledge him, only seeing the gauntlets hang from his wrists in my peripheral vision. "Flo, you good?" Kaminari questioned, stooping his head slightly to meet my gaze. "I'm just tired, I'm gonna be alone for a bit." I explained, patting his shoulder before stepping away. My back was facing them when he spoke.

"Florence." Katsuki's voice made me dissolve, the way it always did, the raspy and gruff tremble could ask for anything of me and I'd oblige without thought. For once, I couldn't see him. If I met his gaze, I'd lose any grip on the rationality and calm I had left, remembering the look on that boy's face when he was willing to throw it all away just so I could pass the first phase only solidified my need to ignore him.

I kept walking, clenching my fists as I focused on my breathing. I felt the sun shine down on my face while I focused on the roof of the place I was approaching. When I entered, I grabbed a bottle of water, standing in the corner of the room as I watched the people interact with each other. Once again, I felt like an intruder, even when a part of my mind insisted I wasn't. I sipped on the drink, humming a soft tune my mother used to sing as a lullaby. I crossed my arms in front of my chest, even when I saw most of 1-A file in. My friends glanced towards me but said nothing, they understood me well enough to know I needed space.