I Can't Lose You Again

Chapter 29: Hero Ready

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Tenya distanced himself from his classmates, answering none of the messages they sent to them as they discovered the news about his older brother. Ingenium. It shouldn't have happened. His brother was strong. How did this happen? What went wrong? Something most definitely went wrong. His brother was strong enough. He is strong enough. He should have been strong enough.

His condition was all over the news. Even though his parents wished for it not to be public yet, it was leaked. All of it. Tenya saw it on every channel, of every TV, of every station. It got so bad that he just shut off his phone and cried himself angrily to sleep. He couldn't take it. Along with his condition, there was his name. Iida Tensei. Injured by the infamous hero killer. And because of that, his family was targeted. By the media, by the citizens that his brother protected, by everyone. He stayed inside of his room to avoid it all. He wished everyone would just go away.

Monday came slowly. When it did, Tenya was dearding to exit his home and try to face everyone with a brave expression. Everyone was well aware of the fallen pro hero. He wasn't the number one hero or the hero everyone knew, but he was the hero everyone liked. So why did his hero career have to end so suddenly?

Eyes followed him. Everywhere he walked, the eyes of the people he passed watched him. Thank God it had started raining before he left, leaving him to throw on a bright lime green poncho. He should have chosen a more darker color, but it was the only kind he had to availability. He pulled the hood over his head further while he rode on the train before he exited and made a dash out of the station. Out of the prying eyes. Out of the sorrow wake in his step. Just out. He ran all the way to U.A. like that.

"Oi! Oi, Iida!"

Until a familiar, friendly voice called out his name behind. Tenya slowed down and looked back to see his friend, Kirishima, running through the rain with his backpack over his head in cover, his red hair matted down over his head.

"Kirishima-kun, did you not obtain an umbrella?! You shall catch a cold for sure! Hurry, we must not be late for class!" Tenya took this opportunity to act his most normal to his friend, encouraging him on the way up the hill all the way to their entry and allowing them to quickly dry off in the shoe lockers.

"Ah man, the one day I don't check the damn weather, it starts to rain. At least you came prepared, Iida. Always the vigilant." Kirishima chuckled as Tenya slipped into his school shoes, placing his personal belongings in its locker. He quickly nodded to his redhead classmate before beginning to head out to not be late until his caring friend called out that stopped him, "Wait, Iida! Before you go, I, um... if you need to talk, please-"

"There is nothing to worry about, Kirishima-kun." Tenya instantly interrupted the student, not wanting to hear the same old apology about what happened. He was tired so instead, he flashed back his best smile with fake assurement, lying straight through his teeth, "Apologies for ignoring all your messages, but I am doing all right now. Let's not delay and be late for our first day back.

"Right!" Kirishima sighed, beaming his own smile back to Tenya.

The two walked through the hallways toward their classroom, talking lightly about the sports festival until they arrived. When they slid open the door to enter, the students inside were buzzing with excitement about what they experienced on their way to the school.

"Good morning, students of Class 1-A!" Iida announced his arrival, Kirishima behind him waving out to them as they turned their attention to the two with greetings back before going back to their conversations.

"Woah, Kirishima, your hair looks different!" Sero called out from his previous talk with Jiro and Yaoyorozu.

"Oh, it's not anything new, just the rain caused it to droop." Kirishima laughed out nervously, rubbing his neck awkwardly before slipping into his seat and starting a conversation with Ashido and Kaminari.