Deep Red

44

I didn't really consciously remember us taking the break and sending the students off to head through the woods by themselves. I was way too tired and it all just seemed to go by in a haze. I went straight back to sleep, as soon as Shouta and I got back on the bus to head to the actual camp with everyone's bags.

I remembered dragging myself into my room at camp a while later and just falling asleep. I was semi-conscious for a while and then just fell back asleep again and only woke up in the evening. I made my way outside the camp to see whether any students had already arrived here.

But the place was strangely empty once I had made it outside. Pixie Bob was standing at the edge of the clearing, still throwing some distractions at the students, it seemed. Mandalay was in and out of the house, preparing some food for dinner. Shouta was leaning against the house, not looking too happy.

I went over to him and leaned against the wall next to him, not saying a thing. I had been living with him long enough to know that when he got like this, it was better to let him do the talking when he felt like it. Although I figured that the presence of the Pussycats would cheer him up a little. They were basically cats in human shape, after all. And if anything cheered him up, it was cats.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." he said after a while and glanced over at me. I gave him a groggy grin.

"Wouldn't have been that tired if you hadn't started packing at 4 in the morning." I replied and yawned.

"I got carried away with grading papers. I was planning to do the packing a few hours earlier."

"See, what I don't understand is how you have slept even less than me and are up and running. Did you sleep at all since yesterday morning? Did you get any sleep on the bus or since we got here?"

"Not precisely."

"Then why are you not in bed?"

"Because the students could be back any minute and if they're not... well, I don't know." he said.

"You're worried about them, aren't you?" I asked, knowing that he would gladly put his life on the line for any of his students any day. He would never admit to it, but everyone knew that it was true.

"Of course I am. They're my responsibility. Especially with everything that has been happening lately."

"So do you have a plan on what to do if they're not back soon? Or how long you're gonna wait?"

"No idea. I suppose if it comes to that, I'll just have to make it up on the fly. Wing it." he answered.

"Winging it? How uncharacteristic for you." I commented sarcastically. He saw me grinning and chuckled a little.

"I suppose you could say that. But if it comes to me winging it, I've learnt from the best. You, Hizashi and... some others." he answered, the smile on his face quickly fading. I wasn't quite sure about it, but I figured that this was about his friend who died. It seemed like he still wasn't coping too well with it. But I could never be sure, since he never talked about it. To no one, not even Hizashi.

"I like plans and schedules, too!" I protested, hoping to steer the conversation in a more positive direction.

"The litter is almost here!" Pixie Bob suddenly announced with a big grin on her face. Mandalay came over to us.

"That took a lot longer than I expected it to." she commented, looking quite pensive. Shouta gave her a slightly annoyed look. And then we saw the first few students slowly emerging from the woods.

They looked completely beaten. Their school uniforms would probably have to be completely replaced, because they were torn and ripped and dirty. The students themselves had scratches and mud stains all over them and they looked like they had been through hell and back.

I felt a little bad seeing them like this. Maybe having them walk this early on for such a long time and with so many obstacles without them being able to even prepare for it wasn't a great idea. But then again, what did they expect? They had signed up for the hero course and the hero course was what they were getting.

"You said it would only take three hours!" Kirishima exclaimed, being the first one to complain. Mandalay laughed nervously and gave him an apologetic smile, even though she knew that wasn't going to cut it.

"I guess we timed it on how long it's take us, sorry!" she said. I gave her a shocked look. Was she for real?

"Honestly, I thought it would take you even longer, but you did much better than I thought." she added quickly.

Pixie Bob had gone over to a group of boys and quickly started fussing about them. She seemed weirdly obsessed with them. And her age. I wasn't sure whether it was my place to ask, but thankfully Shouta had no shame whatsoever. He pointed at her and leaned over to Mandalay.

"Has she always been like that?" he asked.

"It's gotten worse lately. She's at the age where she's choosing a mate." Mandalay whispered.

"Ugh, I'm starving!" Kaminari shouted. Him and Kirishima were clearly frustrated at the lack of food. And they looked like they actually might topple over any moment now. We really should have given them at least a few protein bars or something. Or some water. Why had no one thought of that?

"I've actually been wondering, since we've got here earlier..." Midoriya started saying and just walked away from Pixie Bob towards us. He pointed at Kota, Mandalay's cousin's little son.

"Who is that kid? What's he doing here?" Midoriya finished his question. Mandalay looked down at Kota and gave Midoriya a big smile.

"Oh, this little guy? He's actually my cousin's son, he just lives with us now. Don't be shy, Kota, say hi to everyone! You're gonna be around them for the next week." she replied. Kota didn't look too happy about this development. He didn't seem to be a very happy child in general.

Midoriya didn't seem to be bothered by that, however, as he walked up to him briskly and held out his hand. Kota was looking down at it with more disdain than I had ever seen on most adult's faces.

"Hey there. My name's Midoriya. I'm from the U.A. hero course. It's nice to meet you." Midoriya told him, either completely unable to read the atmosphere or ignoring it against better knowledge.

The small boy looked at him angrily and punched him full force. Where it hurt. Right where it hurt. Midoriya's face went pale and he started to gasp in pain, as Kota just stared him down. Everyone had felt that punch.

"What a low blow! You fiend of a child! A punch to the scrotum is unforgivable!" Iida shouted as he ran over to check on Midoriya. Kota, who had started his retreat back into the house, turned around, his face looking even angrier than before. What was the deal with him? Mandalay had probably told Shouta, but since I had been asleep, chances were I missed all of that.

"The last thing I want is to hang around with some hero wannabes." he said coldly and walked off.

"Wannabe? How old are you kid?" Iida exclaimed, sounding shocked. Bakugou watched the whole exchange smiling. And that was never a good sign.

"That brat's got spunk." he said, with a grin on his face.

"He's like a mini version of you..." Todoroki remarked, a little smug smile tugging at his lips. Of course that set Bakugou off.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? YOU CAN JUST SHUT YOUR MOUTH, BEFORE I BLAST YOU ALL THE WAY TO HELL!" he screamed at him, towering over Todoroki who still didn't move an inch and was still giving him the same smug grin. Todoroki usually took things very literal, but he had this strange way of just knowing how to push Bakugou's buttons and he tended to make good use of that knowledge.

"Yeah. Sure." was all he said.

"Enough playing around! Get your stuff off the bus. Once your bags are in your rooms, we'll have dinner in the cafeteria. After that, you can bathe and sleep. Tomorrow your training starts in earnest. You better get a move on." Shouta told them and pointed towards the house.