Blossoms of the Dark

CVII Selene: Stay

Trigger Warnings:

- suicide

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Once we have stopped crying, we leave to find a spare training uniform shirt.

My second match is about to start soon, against Iida-san, but before Todoroki-kun and I part ways, he stops me.

He hasn't let go of my hand all this time, and now he cradles my free one, turning me to face him.

"I feel guilty asking this - in fact, I have no right to ask you this - but I don't want to be alone. My thoughts ... they terrify me. Please stay. Please don't go. Stay for a bit longer," he whispers, eyes trained on the ground, entire body trembling.

I clench his hands. "I can't. I'm sorry. But I can promise you this: I'll come to you as soon as the match is over. My joints can endure that much. And until then, you may take a flower."

His gaze rises to meet mine, scared and shimmering. When he sees the conviction in them, he asks tentatively, "Which one?"

"Your choice," I reply.

He releases his grasp on one of my hands to lift it and inspect the blooms. I feel his fingers stroke the petals and my hair. It feels ... nice. Without ill intent. And that scares me. Finally, he pulls back, holding four nasturtiums: red, orange, yellow, and maroon. "I couldn't decide because all of them were beautiful. Is that all right?" I tell him that it is and free my other hand from his, turning back to enter the arena. "All the best," he susurrates. "I know you'll do amazing."

Pressing his hands one last time, I let go. I step onto the concrete field, directly facing Iida-san. He is wearing his signature frown, so he doesn't appear menacing. He doesn't see me as much of a threat either, an unfortunately misguided notion I am going to exploit.

The instant Midnight-sensei orders the match to begin, he dashes toward me, intending to finish this match swiftly. I sidestep when he is only meters away, and he misses. At the same time, a barely visible puddle of water rests above the concrete, just touching the edges of the chalk-drawn rectangular boundary. He charges again, and this time I levitate myself to create some distance between us. The water level rises.

From what I've seen, his quirk is not long-lasting. Sprinting is fast but quick. The runner tires soon. Iida-san is the same. I just need to wear him down and victory is mine.

We repeat this dance for a little longer, the water having now reached his ankles. It's like water accumulating in an invisible aquarium tank. At this point, he has noticed it, and changes his strategy. Instead of rushing headfirst, he takes a more roundabout approach. He circles me, and I circle him, waiting for the other to make a move. All the while, more water accumulates. It is about to touch the lowest of his exhaust pipes on his hamstrings. When I am close to the white boundary line, he pounces, covering the distance, hoping to push me back. But I have a different idea. I summon a pillar of obsidian just under my feet, towering approximately five meters. He cannot scale that height, for the pillar is smooth with no handholds or footholds. He almost crashes into the hard rock, but stops just short. I sit down, feet dangling over the edge, and open my thermos bottle to, of course, drink some milk.

He grits his teeth, much to my amusement, and berates me. "You're very disrespectful. This is an event of prestige. Renowned heroes are here to watch and select their protégés, the public is here to watch, our own teachers are present to evaluate us. And you're mocking all of them by having childish fun and drinking."

I chuckle, and to emphasize his point, I swing my feet back and forth and take another sip. "Iida-san. We all have our methods of tackling problems. You like to charge headfirst, like most of our classmates. I prefer to sit back and let things take their course." Now really feeling childish, I bring my cane forward to put my hands over its head and rest my chin on them. "Besides, I am a poor little crippled girl. I can't even walk without it, let alone run. How can I possibly take the offense?"