𝑇𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤

- Chapter 24 -

You looked pale, sickly even. All due to the sudden and unprecedented appearance of your last and only living relative, your brother. In all of your 28 timelines, not once has he appeared, he never called or texted you either.

Due to being a top 10 ranked American Pro, busy is a very large understatement to describe his schedule. From meetings to patrols to interviews, he never had a moment to just talk to his own sister.

Let alone show up to a Japanese sports festival.

Nevertheless, his smug little face was there all the same, and you had to hold back the vomit that was rising from your stomach due to your anxiety.

It's not that you hated him or were scared of him, it's just that you haven't seen this man in over 25 years.
And your entire personality has completely been warped and perverted to the point of unrecognition.

You were able to get away with it since everyone else was basically meeting you for the first time, they never met you before. And therefore had no past experience with you to compare from, that safety blanket will be ripped to shreds when you'll interact with him later on.

To him, you were still the shy but gentile soul that didn't know much about combat nor her own potential. A young budding hero that clung to him for protection and comfort, as well as cried to him when you were emotional or confused about your power.

Your entire existence was completely transformed, from your characteristics to your very ideals and morals.

You missed him dearly though, and you wouldn't have realized it if he weren't here right now. You completely forgot about him, you forgot what your last words to him were. It was so long ago you even forgot for a moment how to do American Sign Language.

Everything that was happening around you was muffled, you could no longer hear your music nor the loud speakers introducing the first round and what the challenge was.

All you heard was your heart pounding from your chest, the crippling fear of the unknown death gripping your lungs. You saw everyone else turning and moving around, and you reluctantly did the same to seem inconspicuous.

It took every muscle in your upper body not to cry due the overwhelming nerves that were surging through you. You snapped out of it for a moment when a soothing hand appeared on your arm, you blink a couple times before turning your head to the figure.

It was Kirishima.

"Hey, you good? You look like you've seen a ghost?"

You could tell he was nervous when talking to you, usually he would be just fine walking up to you whenever he would like. And you always appreciated his time and company, his personality was both welcoming as well as magnetic.

To think you were intimidating and uncertain to be around made your heart ache even more.

"I'm fine Kirishima, worry about yourself and the obstacle course. You're going to need it."

You walk away from his opening embrace, trying your very hardest to alter your focus from your brother the first round.

Even if he is here, that shouldn't change anything that usually would happen in the obstacle course right? The same people are going to lose, and the same people are going to move on to the next round. The enemies will remain the same dumb robots, and the landscape will not change.

Right?

Everyone was getting into their regular old positions, the crowd silent in anticipation, your brother looking directly at you. His attention resulted in sudden nerves raging in your mind about the sports festival, about messing up, about losing.