My Hero Academia - Outcasts

Chapter Fourteen - The Face of a Villain

"Sis.." Matsura Hukaro spoke, turning over in his bed and rubbing his eyes with his wrist as the door to his room opened and closed. "You look tired".

It was early evening after class. Musutafu Hospital was in full swing, the chatter outside loud and indecipherable. Even with the door shut you could still hear the rustling of people and carts. August skies pierced through the window straight into the siblings' faces, forcing the other to run to the window and pull the blinds. Matsura Emiko turned to her brother and smiled, bowing low as she glanced at his demure expression.

"I could say the same for you." She said, her grin a bit too wide. "Any news?" Her question was met with a sigh. Her older brother pulled back his white hair, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Nothing you want to hear." He mumbled, "How's class?"

"It's been a lot better." Emiko said, moving back towards the chair beside his hospital bed. "We got this new teacher, Hisakawa, she's actually the reason I'm here right now" she mentioned. "She let me leave class early, which is nice. Daigo doesn't trust her.. But I do." Emiko laid her hand against her heart, closing her fist over it. Hukaro nodded, leaning back into his bed.

"That's good." He said, a laugh following. "That makes my life easier. I don't have to worry about some teacher being rude to my sister anymore." He patted her head, brushing back her bangs. Emiko giggled, shaking her head to fix her hair.

"No, she's a real hero. Not like the teachers we had before." She shuddered, remembering Henko and Tsukumo. Her mind paused on the word 'real' for a moment. It echoed in her head. "It.. kinda makes me think.." Emiko trailed off, her gaze towards the blankets of the bed. Hukaro eyed her closely, his head tilted to the side.

"About?" He asked, shaking her out of her trance.

"I.. was um.. disqualified in the House Battle today," Emiko started, "but.. it was kind of on purpose. There were rules I could break, and I figured if I lost early I wouldn't have to actually.. compete." She felt guilty admitting it, lowering her head. Hukaro blinked, glancing over at her sunken face.

"Did you at least try to win?" He asked, and Emiko nodded her head, remembering her immediate zip in the ground. As Kuro fell through, she laughed before letting him out of her portal, helping him up afterward.

"I won, technically," She admitted slowly. "But it was through a loophole. Anyways, the second round was either fighting her or fighting other students. Kuro is kind of easy to take down, but Daigo, Ako, or a Pro Hero? I don't know which is worse.." she felt a shiver going down her spine.

"I still think Daigo would let you win." Hukaro coughed, nudging her shoulder. Emiko rolled her eyes, leaning on her hand.

"I wouldn't want him to. But I am afraid of that." She mentioned, feeling a slight pain in her forehead. "So I felt like.. well, the first round isn't a bad place to give up, right?" She asked. "If I can control where I fail, it's not so bad." Emiko answered her own question, trailing off before asking, "Is that bad?"

Hukaro pushed himself to the back of the hospital bed, moving the connecting tubes inside his nose off his chest and over his shoulder. They shared a glance, matching red eyes colliding. Hukaro was trying to figure his sister out, and Emiko was trying to remain hidden.

"Failure is what builds experience." He said flatly, his lesson hidden in his kind smile. "Sure, it is nice to give up when something is too tough. But, there is cowardice in giving up so easily.." he shrugged, and Emiko's gaze broke from his, choosing to stare at her hands instead. Hukaro noted this, crossing his arms over his chest. He leaned forward, his face next to hers.

"Are you thinking about leaving your class?" He asked, watching as Emiko pushed herself back in her rolling chair, shaking her head profusely.

"No, I would never!" She stated with a determined voice. "That's not what I meant." She said through a sigh, her shoulders slumped. "I... it seems bigger now, I guess." Emiko admitted. "Our class hasn't been in a lot of fights compared to the other hero classes. But we're close now. We have a real hero teacher, and soon we'll all be real recruits. I don't think I'm ready for that yet." She asked, her face growing weary. "And what if I don't make it? What if I can't live your dream?"