Saiki's Disastrous Life at UA High

Chapter 79- He's Still Here?

An eerie silence befalls the clearing, the only noises sounding are the distant crackling of flames and the quiet sobs of the students. Everyone is in shock, their eyes wide as they try to comprehend everything that had happened. The villains had left as quickly as they had appeared, no one had been prepared. Kaido, Tokoyami, Midoriya, and Todoroki stare at the air that had once been a portal, their mouths agape, their eyes wet with tears. Bakugo is there, his hands and knees planted in the dirt as tears roll down his cheeks. His quiet whimpers echo in his mind, reverberating to sound far louder to him than they really are. He swallows heavily, his throat coarse and his mind racing. Finally, he lets out his pent-up anger, screaming 'fuck' as loudly as possible, as if there is a way for nature to reverse itself if he swears at it loud enough.

Midoriya, tears streaming down his face, slowly makes his way to the blonde, cautiously kneeling in front of the older teen. He doesn't say a word, and since he can't move his arms he's more of a calming presence than anything. Now that he's closer to him, Midoriya can hear Bakugo's ragged breaths, his quiet sniffles, his uncontrollable weeps. Bakugo glances up as if he has just recognized that he was no longer alone. Without a word he places his head on Midoriya's shoulder, his nose pressed against the boy who had always been nothing but a nuisance to him. Bakugo squeezes his eyes shut, attempting to dry his tears, but they only come faster when Midoriya whispers.

"It wasn't your fault."

"I can't believe those morons left me behind. Me! They're lucky I still need them," Kusuke grumbles, kicking a stick aside as he makes his way through the woods. He's silently regretting leaving his tracker at the base. He didn't want the League to follow him around and know all of his movements; he preferred to stay in control. However, more control can lead to less support. Kusuke could just imagine Kurogiri's calm voice questioning where their blonde teammate had vanished to, and everyone's gaze turning to Twice who simply replies 'Hey man, I thought he was with you! He was right behind me!' before everyone shrugs with indifference and continues on with their day. Typical villains, not giving a shit about the 'nerd'. Kusuke winkles his nose as his foot makes a 'squelch' noise, the sudden inability to move signifying to the blonde that he had stepped in mud.

"Perfect, just perfect," he growls, yanking his foot out, only for his shoe to remain in the mud and slowly disappear into the murky abyss. Kusuke's hair bobs as he throws his head back, groaning loudly, the anger in his voice evident. He had always preferred the city, and situations like these only reminded him of that fact. He decides that his shoe is a lost cause and continues on without it, regretting that decision when he promptly feels multiple small pellets soak through his white sock. This day could not get any worse.

"Hey, buddy? Is everyone okay now?" A loud, gruff voice echoes, the sound alerting Kusuke and causing him to crouch behind a tree for cover.

"I'm not completely sure... I hope so," Another voice replies, this one quiet and unsure, but clearly much more worried. Kusuke peers out from his hiding spot, narrowing his eyes at the two high school students, eyeing their stature to see if he could take them on. The second voice seems to have come from the scrawnier of the two, his yellow hair and noticeable electrical bolts help Kusuke deduce that he had an electricity quirk of some type. Kusuke pauses for a moment, unsure whether or not he has a way to stop electricity. He shrugs, figuring it can't be too bad (he has been tased on numerous occasions) and returning to observing the boys. This time he focuses on the larger of the two, who seems intimidating at first glance, but the dried drool on his chin and the booger under his pinky nail prove to Kusuke that he can't be that frightening of an opponent.

Kusuke sighs with relief, taking a step from the tree to reveal himself. He had to get out of the forest and these two idiots seemed to be lost, so he would have to go through them. The shuffling of leaves beneath him alert the boys of his presence, causing the yellow-haired one to jump into a fighting stance.

"A villain!" He hisses, elbowing Nendo to get in a fighting stance as well. Kusuke chuckles, glad that he was correct when he decided these two would be easy to fight. His mouth curls into a smirk when Kaminari tilts his head, confusion in his gaze, which wonders to Kusuke's dirtied socks. "Wait... you are a villain, right? You aren't just lost?" Kaminari checks, unsure why a villain would remain here after Mandalay had told them the villains had escaped. Now Kusuke is insulted.

"How dare you assume that I am so stupid as to get lost!" He scoffs a little in disbelief, his hand coming to his chest as he gapes at the teen. Kaminari narrows his eyes at this, lowering his stance to gain better balance. Nendo glances between the two, struggling to comprehend the situation at hand. Though the moment he sees Kusuke pull a small knife out of his pocket, its shiny blade reflecting the moonlight across the night, he understands. Kusuke lunges for Kaminari, his knife piercing just above the boy's hip, causing him to scream in pain as his warm blood spills into the clearing.

Nendo snaps at this, backhanding Kusuke and sending him flying across the clearing. Nendo rushes to Kaminari, who has pushed his back against a tree and is holding his wound. Kaminari smirks as he eyes the unconscious body of the villain.

"I'm glad you were here," he smiles, bringing a hand to his ear. "Can someone come... help?" He rasps, gasping in pain as his shirt sticks uncomfortably to his wound. Through the heavy static, Kaminari can barely hear Aizawa, who announces that he was on his way. Kaminari doesn't have the strength to question how the teacher would find them and instead passes out.

"You're positive there was a villain," Aizawa quadruple checks, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as Nendo nods enthusiastically. The spot Kusuke had previously lain was now completely empty, the warmth of his body heat gone like a freshly baked dozen of cookies. Nendo had been too mesmerized by a beetle to pay attention to the blonde. Kaminari is put on a stretcher and wheeled back to camp where he will be treated, while Aizawa attempts to interview Nendo on the walk back. He's not surprised that the nitwit let a villain go, but he is surprised he let his friend get so hurt.

Once at that camp Kaminari is given proper help. Kirishima and Midoriya sit beside their friend in silence, their eyes focused on the grass beneath them. Kaminari stretches, sighing in relief at the lack of pain, and observes the area.

"Why are you all being such downers?" He questions, hoping to lighten the mode. Midoriya just shakes his head, Kirishima gesturing to Bakugo, who is sitting against a tree, his knees tight to his chest and his fingers deep within his hair. Since not all of the classmates were in the clearing yet, Kaminari couldn't tell if anyone was missing. He bites his lip for a moment before trying once more to lighten the mood. "I fought a villain! Well, Nendo did. This blonde kid with a pin like Saiki's". Midoriya snaps his head up, jumping to his feet. The greenette's next words cause Bakugo and Kirishima to look up at him, their eyes narrowed with determination.

"Saiki's brother? Is he still here?"