Kurmara sighed as she zipped up her jacket, shouldering her bag before leaving the agency. She exchanged waves with coworkers, stepping out into the street towards her house. Enduring a day buried in paperwork had left her drained. Retrieving her phone, she dialed her friend, who teased, "Hello, there, Miss Multi-quirk." "I hate when you call me that," Kurmara chuckled. "Too bad, I'm joining in calling you that," her friend retorted, prompting an eye roll from the short woman. "Whatever. I'll be home soon. Do we need anything?" "Not that I know of, but I'll check just in case," her friend replied. "Take your time." Kurmara strolled down the street, pausing at the crosswalk alongside others who had just finished work. "Hey, I have to ask you something," Kamie began, causing Kurmara to sigh. "No, I didn't get hurt today. I was doing paperwork." "That must've been hard. But that's not what I wanted to ask about," Kamie continued. Kurmara traversed the street as the signal changed. "Alright, then what did you want to ask?" Her friend hesitated, prompting a sigh.
"Look, why don't you just ask me once I'm home? I'm in our neighborhood, so I'll be there in a few." "Alright, I'll see you in a little while then." Kamie hung up, and Kurmara stowed her phone in her pocket, continuing her walk home. She exchanged waves with a few neighbors before reaching her house. After unlocking the front door, she exhaled and slid off her shoes. "I'm home," the short woman called out, heading into the kitchen and placing her jacket on a chair. Kamie entered the dining room, greeting her with a smile. "What was work like today?" she asked. Kurmara shrugged while walking over to the fridge. "I was mostly inside the agency at my desk, alongside everyone else doing paperwork. Believe me when I say it was horrendous." She groaned, grabbing a water bottle and taking a sip. "Just paperwork? Nothing else?" Kamie queried, leaning against the counter. Kurmara shook her head. "None at all. I wish I could've gone on patrol at least once, but I guess that was already dealt with last time. I had three big piles; you wouldn't believe it," Kurmara sighed, and her friend chuckled.
"Well, I guess you sometimes have to take care of the written things first before any of the physical." "I guess, but at least we had some help for most of it, you know?" "Oh yeah?" Kamie perked up, and the short-haired woman nodded. "Yeah. Hanta snagged one of the piles for me after claiming that he finished his, but he decided to sit with me and bug me like he usually does." She giggled lightly, recalling her friend's banter. "What did you two talk about?" "Well, it was mostly him just messing around with me again, as well as teasing me about something he told Mina as if I'm even surprised about that anymore." "When does he never tease you?" They both laughed before Kurmara gave a small sigh. "I guess he thinks I still have something hidden deep inside for Bakugou or something because neither he nor Mina will leave me be about it. They even added me to their little chat with Denki, so now he's joined in with the questioning about it." "Wait, you like Bakugou?" Kamie queried, but Kurmara shook her head. "No. How many times do I have to tell everyone that it's not like that?"
"Well... I think it wouldn't be so bad if you did," Kamie muttered, making her friend stare at her. "What did you say?" "Okay, hear me out first. I think you should try and go for it, you know?" Kurmara stared at Kamie, scoffing and shaking her head. "You too, Kam? Seriously? Why does everyone think he and I should date? We're just acquaintances!" She voiced as she walked to the sink. "But think about it! The two of you together, it would be talking all over among everyone." "But that's not good gossip. Not to mention, he'd just shut it all down anyway," Kurmara muttered to herself, but Kamie picked up on it. "So you've thought about it! See? If you're thinking about it too, you should try to date him!" Kamie suggested, but Kurmara just shook her head. "No, it's fine. After all, he can barely stand me normally, so there's no way we could date. Besides, I'm hopeful for me and Kiri..." She responded with a small smile, turning away from her friend. "Oh, come on, Kurma, think about it!" "What is there to think about? We're just acquaintances. Dare I say just close friends." "But what if he has a thing for you?"
Kurmara snorted and shook her head. "Sure. As if there was a small chance he did like me, there's no way in hell he would admit it. Besides, he's probably with someone anyways, so there's no chance." "And you think there's be a chance with you and Kirishima again?" Kamie questioned, and Kurmara turned towards her. "What do you mean? Of course, I think we would have a second chance." "But he never responded to you nor read anything you've ever sent." "He has different work from what we do, Kam," Kurmara defended, making the brown-haired woman roll her eyes. "Different work, my ass. He didn't try to contact everyone else either, did he?" Kamie countered, making Kurmara bite her lip. "See, exactly my point. And just last week, you said you saw him when you went out with everyone after work." "I think he still cares a little!" Kurmara shouted, beginning to get frustrated. "Well, even if he did care about you, he would've at least tried!" "Enough!" Kurmara shouted, smacking her hand down on the counter, creating a dent in the marble. She glared at Kamie, anger in her eyes.
"I'm sick of this! He did care, and I know he still does! What the hell do you know about how he feels?" She demanded, and her friend let out a small sigh. "Kurma, look I—" "Do not say another word. I'm going for a damn walk before I break anything else in the house," she interrupted, stomping past Kamie, bumping shoulders as she headed toward the front door. Kurmara slipped on some shoes, walked out, and slammed the door behind her. She walked down the street in her neighborhood until reaching a little abandoned area with trees and a dilapidated building. Unsure why she was there, it seemed better than arguing with Kamie. "What the hell does she know? What does she have against Kiri?" Kurmara asked out loud as she paced, still angry. Deep footprints marked the grass from her pacing before she let out a shout, punching the building. Her anger activated her strength. She stared at the building, then back at her hand, deciding to vent her frustration elsewhere. She approached one of the trees in the area, delivering a few hits that sent wood splinters flying.
Frustration from the earlier conversation fueled her, leading her to unleash her Quirks on nearby trees.
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A shout escaped her as she punched one, leaving a hole. Stepping back, she surveyed the area, realizing that sundown had arrived. "I've been out for a few hours now... I should probably head back," she sighed, grabbing her phone and jacket. Kurmara stopped and turned around, scanning the area for a moment before shaking her head and walking towards the clearing. Thought someone was there... Just imagining it, I guess. Finally back in the city, she headed home. No longer angry but still a bit upset. I don't know why she was so heated about me being hopeful... She thought with a sigh, choosing a longer route home to avoid immediate confrontation with Kamie. Walking down an alley, a slight unease lingered, but she dismissed it with a shake of her head. Suddenly sensing something behind her, she swiftly dodged, narrowly avoiding an object that collided with a trash can. Turning, she spotted a villain and let out a silent sigh. "Seriously?" She muttered as she faced him. "Well, well, look at this. I seem to have encountered a hero. I recognize that beautiful face anywhere," he sneered, making her grimace.
"Think you'd get lucky with finding me?" She remarked, and he stared her down. "I actually think I could get lucky. But not in the way you think, princess," the villain smirked, causing a twisted feeling in her. "You're quite disgusting, you know that? I wonder how many women you've said that to," she commented, taking a step back. "Why don't you find out?" He lifted something above his head, ready to throw it at her. Barely able to dodge it, she prepared to use her Quirk on him, but a sudden lightheadedness hit her, recalling recent events. Dammit. I don't have enough energy to apprehend this sicko... She thought, deciding to turn away and run, hearing him behind her. "Ooh! I love it when they run! But you won't be able to get away from me!" He shouted as she heard him begin to chase her. Encountering villains always gave her bad vibes, but this one's disgusting intention turned those vibes into something more fearful. She aimed to distance herself from him as swiftly as possible, turning down a corner while still hearing him behind her until, unfortunately, she hit a dead-end.
"Shit!" She turned to see the villain turn the corner. "I guess our fun game of Cat and Mouse has come to an end, pretty lady," he voiced as he began to walk towards her. Just before he got any closer, a voice above them interjected. "There you are, you bastard." They both looked up, and the hero jumped down towards the villain, delivering an explosive blast. "Bakugou?" Kurmara queried out loud. He turned to face her before back at the villain, blocking the hit thrown at him. However, the villain tossed him aside, causing Bakugou to hit the wall. "How dare you interrupt us?!" The villain shouted at the explosive hero before turning towards Kurmara again. She used up whatever energy she had left for one of her Quirks, knocking the villain unconscious before hurrying over to Bakugou. "You alright?" She questioned as she began to help him, only for him to swat her hand away. "I'm fine, dammit. I don't need your help," he voiced as he struggled to stand up, nearly falling over in the process, but she supported his weight. Close to him in the current proximity, she noticed his injuries, evidence of a prior struggle with the villain.
"You're already injured..." "It's nothing, don't worry about it," he voiced as she guided them out of the alleyway. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked. "Taking you to my house so I can help you a little," she responded. He protested, attempting to pull away, only to hiss in pain and reluctantly allow her to walk him down the street and into her neighborhood. Upon reaching her house, Kurmara opened the door to a silent and dark interior. Kamie must already be asleep... She thought with a relieved sigh as she assisted Bakugou inside, guiding him to the dining room and settling him in a chair. She switched on the little light above the stove and illuminated the dimming lights above the table. "I'll be right back," she told him before disappearing into the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit. Returning to the dining room, she instructed, "Okay, I need you to remove your shirt." Bakugou raised an eyebrow, causing her face to heat up, but she maintained a straight face. "I need to see where you're hurt so I can help you," she said.
He stared at her for a few seconds before rolling his eyes and slowly removing his shirt, revealing numerous wounds, bruises, and blood. Kurmara bit her tongue, refraining from commenting on what she saw as she began her work, cleaning the blood and inspecting the depth of the wounds. Once she cleaned them up, she sewed up a few of the deeper ones and carefully bandaged him up. While doing so, he spoke up. "I see you decided to go back." "What do you mean?" She asked, not looking up. "Back in the alley. You ran from the villain and ended up getting trapped in a corner like an idiot. Like back at UA for the—" "Fighting Training. Yes, I remember. But I ran because of the terrifying vibes I got from him," Kurmara responded, interrupting him. "Bullshit. I get you can feel certain vibes from villains, but I find that to be bullshit. Is there any real reason?" He questioned, and she rolled her eyes. "That is the reason. But there's another that goes along with the first," "And what's that?" "I had used up most of my energy a few hours earlier." "And what were you doing that required all of your energy?" He asked.
She didn't respond, continuing to inspect his wounds and bandage him up. "Even if you didn't have much energy, you could've done something." After he said that, she tightened one of the bandages a little too tight, making Bakugou hiss with slight pain. "Even if I could do something with little to no energy, there wouldn't be much for me to do despite having multiple Quirks. Yeah, the villain was mostly muscle, but I couldn't just use my strength at that moment," "It doesn't matter how many Quirks you have; you could've done something about the bastard." "Like what?" "As you said, your strength would've been useful against him. I know you can do that." Kurmara looked up at him when he said that. "I might've trained my ass off to control it and my emotions, but it's as I already said—I didn't have enough energy to do anything useful." "It was useful enough when you apprehended him." Silence lingered in the air for a while, making Kurmara stick with those words as she finished up. "There... This should help keep from infection," she voiced as she began to put everything back into the medkit.
"Uhm, there's a guest room you can stay in for tonight, so—" "I'm just going to leave. You've done enough," Bakugou cut her off and tried to stand up, only for Kurmara to stop him. "Just because you're all patched up doesn't mean you're magically better." "Says the one who heals after dying multiple times," he remarked, and she stared at him. "That's only internal and for me, not external. I can't use it on anyone else, unfortunately," she responded, but he just rolled his eyes. "I'm fine; there's no need for me to stay here any longer than I have." Kurmara was beginning to get a little frustrated. "You can't leave until you at least rest a little," she insisted again, but he rebuked. "Goddammit, you're staying here until tomorrow. You can't leave until you have rested a bit and allowed some of the injuries to heal," she said a final time, staring him down before he finally stood up, forgetting how much taller he was than her. Kurmara was intimidated, but she held her ground, maintaining a serious look in her eyes as she stared up at him. Bakugou studied her for a moment before letting out an irritated sigh and turning away from her.
"Fine. I'll stay here just to keep you from whining." He is so stubborn... She thought with an amused huff, which caused him to look back at her. She cleared her throat. "Uh, let me help you to the guest room," she said quickly, walking past him to the room. She opened the door before returning to help him into the room, carefully setting him on the bed. "There. Uhm... let me know if you need anything more." "I'm fine," he responded as he laid down, and she nodded before walking out of the room and into her own. The many emotions she kept hidden finally showed up all at once in a wave. The first emotion she felt was embarrassment for how they met under the circumstances after a conversation she and Kamie had hours earlier. The second was irritation because of the way he had spoken to her while she fixed him up, and the third was overall just her feeling upset. Kurmara immediately felt exhausted at the confusingly mixed emotions she felt and the small wave her Quirk produced in a matter of seconds. She stripped out of her clothes, climbed into bed, and got under her covers, the events of the day washing over her.
She felt even more drained than she already was, causing her to drift off to sleep almost immediately.
* * *
Behind her, a shout echoed, but she was slow to turn around. Something sharp and cool pierced through her in two different areas of her body before being removed. Collapsing to her knees, she let out a hiss of pain, the edges of her vision darkening as she stared at her hands, now covered in her blood. Her breath quickened as she pressed on the wounds, oblivious to the people rushing over to her. "-she'll lose too much blood." "She's losing so much-- she's here to die!" She attempted to focus on what they were saying, but the pain was overwhelming. Barely able to breathe, she struggled to move. Blood was everywhere, and despite her efforts to stop the bleeding, it continued. Something had struck a vital organ, causing her to lose an alarming amount of blood, forming a large puddle. Lying down, she tried to concentrate on her shallow breathing. Events were unfolding around her, but she couldn't lift her head. She wanted to close her eyes but hesitated. Despite it being summer, her body felt cold, a welcome relief from the searing heat.
People appeared in her blurred vision before she succumbed to darkness, her breathing slowing to a crawl. Then, a heart-wrenching scream echoed just before darkness swallowed her.
Kurmara jolted awake with a shout, her heart pounding loudly in her ears, sweat drenching her forehead and neck. The bedroom door swung open, and Kamie rushed in, hurrying over to her bed. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" she queried as she sat next to the panicked woman who held her hands close to her chest, breathing heavily. "I-I... it was... I couldn't...!" Kurmara tried to piece her words together, but they came out jumbled. Kamie rubbed her back to help calm Kurmara down. "Okay, take a deep, slow breath, alright? Try to focus on your breathing," she voiced, and Kurmara nodded, taking a breath as she counted in her head. One... two... three... four... She held in her breath before slowly letting it out. "There you go. Do you feel better now?" Kamie queried. The blonde and brown-haired woman gave a small nod before letting out a sigh. "Y-yeah. I think so," she responded shakily as she closed her eyes, still hearing the scream faintly echo in the back of her mind, causing a shudder to go through her body. "What was it?" Kamie asked as she watched Kurmara lay back down. "A nightmare." "What about?"
"When I was fourteen and died," she responded, rubbing her eyes. "Oh..." "Yeah..." They remained silent as the weight of the moment hung in the air before Kamie broke it. "Which... which one was it?" "Hm?" "Which nightmare was it about?" Kurmara sighed before sitting up. "When it was summer and, uh... Bakugou had gotten kidnapped. I, uh, I had gotten attacked by one of the villains that were there..." "Oh my god..." "It gets worse... they got him, and I blacked out, basically dying because of my injuries, but I had heard Midoriya let out the most heartbreaking scream..." She rubbed her face as she remembered and still heard the scream, feeling the tears sting her eyes. "I'm sorry you had a dream about that, Kurma," Kamie said apologetically, but her friend shook her head. "It's fine. It happened, but he's with us now. S'all that matters, and it was just a nightmare, but I'm good now," Kurmara told her, and Kamie nodded before letting out a sigh. "Well, as long as you're alright... try to go back to sleep," Kamie said as she stood up and began to walk out of the room before Kurmara stopped her.
"Hey, wait uhm... I'm, uh, I'm sorry about blowing up at you the other day about the Bakugou thing... I was already tired and had heard enough about it, but I didn't mean to get upset about it." She apologized as she fidgeted with her blanket. "It's okay. I mean, I shouldn't have said anything about it, especially considering that you already have your heart set on someone else and hear about it from your other friends," she chuckled, and Kurmara let out a breathy giggle. "Yeah..." "But still, I kind of deserve to have gotten yelled at. I didn't consider the fact that you might get back with Kirishima." "I get what you guys are trying to push, though... and I'll tell you this, I will think about it," Kurmara told her friend, who gave a small smile and nodded. "At least you'll think about it. Goodnight, hope you don't get any more trauma-induced nightmares." Kamie then cracked the bedroom door closed behind her as she left Kurmara to flop back with an exhale. She closed her eyes, the nightmare nothing but fuzz in the back of her mind now. "I didn't consider the fact that you might get back with Kirishima."
"You're harboring something for him, aren't you?" "Is it true? You like that explosive guy?" Kurmara put one of her pillows over her head and groaned before removing it as she stared into the darkness. "What the hell... This is going to screw me up..." She whispered as she covered up under her blanket, feeling confused. "I'll think about it... but I think... I already know... my answer..." She voiced to herself before drifting back to sleep.