The Fire In Our Hearts

Chapter 13

"So, I've been wondering, how did you get that burn on your arm?"

I choked on my drink, making Kaminari, who was sitting next to me, jump.

I let out a few coughs before trying to answer her question.

"I... it... it was an accident when my quirk first developed..." I stammered.

"Oh... that's a lot less intense than what I was thinking." Ashido said from across the table.

"Oh yeah? What was your guess?" Sero asked.

"I don't know... a kidnapping attempt or something?" Ashido said.

Water spewed out of my nose as I felt my eyes widen.

I grabbed one of the napkins from the middle of the table and covered my mouth, standing up and walking out of the cafeteria before things got worse.

"Great." I thought, throwing the napkin in a trash bin on my way out.

Before I could make my way back to the rest of the group, the bell rang and everyone rushed out of the cafeteria, pushing me forward and away from my friends.

~

I slowly opened the door, bracing myself for Ryusei's wrath, but, when I opened the door, everything was quiet. It was weird, honestly, considering Ryusei never goes anywhere without forcing me to go with him.

I went to my room, setting my bag down on the floor right next to the worn wooden doorframe.

I walked across the small hallway to Ryusei's room, which, to my surprise, was empty. I stood there for a moment, almost waiting for him to magically appear, before going back into my room and changing into a pair of sweatpants and a dark red T-shirt and falling asleep.

When I woke up I had no idea how long I had been out.

As soon as I sat up, I started panicking. I was sure that Ryusei was going to be livid.
At the same time, though, why hadn't he woken me up. I looked at my door, which was slightly askew, and sighed before getting to my feet.

I carefully opened the door, just enough to have a clear view of the living room, but, to my surprise, there was still no Ryusei. I opened my door fully and walked over to his bedroom, which was empty as well.

"Weird..." I thought.

Then it hit me.

I scrambled back into my room and grabbed a backpack, along with a few pairs of clothes, a hairbrush, my toothbrush and toothpaste,my phone, a charger, my wallet, and the small plastic bag of mirror shards I had hidden in my dresser. I changed out of what I fell asleep in and put on some jeans and a dark blue hoodie.

I walked out of my room and into the kitchen, where I filled a water bottle and placed it in the small pouch on the side of my bag.

I checked every room in the apartment one last time to make sure Ryusei really wasn't there.

I walked into his bedroom, checking as thoroughly, yet quickly, as I could, and my eyes landed on his phone.

I scowled.

"Why would he leave his phone..." I thought to myself, looking around the room and back at the phone.

Before I could think, I grabbed his phone and stuffed it into the pocket of my hoodie and walked out of his room and through the front door. My heart was beating out of my chest and I could feel myself getting dizzy.

I had finally escaped, but... what next?

"Apparently my family was in Germany, so that's a no go. I don't have Shitsumon's number and I don't know where he lives so I can't go to him..." I thought.

I was out of the apartment building at this point, but I still didn't know where to go. There was one solution I had pushed to the back of my head, but it was probably my best option.

~

"Here goes nothing..." I thought.

Ashido's house was a lot... nicer than I'd expected. I'd never been there before, but when she put her number into my phone, she'd also put her address, for whatever reason. There were no cars in the driveway, so I didn't expect anyone to answer.

I took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

To my surprise, there was shuffling behind the door before a girl with blue hair and skin opened it. I knew for a fact she was in my class, but I didn't know her name.

"Uh... Mina?" The girl looked behind her and yelled for her.

"Wha- oh." Ashido appeared right next to bluey at the door. "What are you doing here? Are you on the run from the govern- oh wait..." She said, a finger on her chin.

"I... may or may not need a place to stay... for a while... for unspecified reasons..." I said, avoiding eye contact.

Ashido stood there for a moment before looking at blue and then back at me.

"This is Yui by the way." Ashido said before opening the door wider and stepping to the side. "Come on in!" She exclaimed.

I stepped into the house and I was immediately overwhelmed by the strong floral scent wafting through the air.

"Ooh yay! Hinaki!"

Kaminari was sitting on the couch, looking at us as we walked in.

"Why exactly is she here?' He asked Ashido.

"I... actually, I don't know." She replied, looking at me. "Why are you here?"

"It's... complicated...." I answered, looking away from the both of them. "Hey, I'm kinda tired, can I...?" I looked at Ashido.

"Oh! Yeah! The guest bedroom is the last door down the hall. It's the only one with a silver handle." She said, pointing up the stairs.

I thanked her and made my way up the steps and to the end of the hall where I casually entered the bedroom.

I took off my backpack and flopped down onto the bed. I had no idea how tired I was until I placed my head on the pillow.

"Great." I thought. "It's finally over."