Flicker (KatsukiXOC)

9. She Depends on You

"That's all of em," Katsuki said, shaking his hand. "Buncha mooks."

"Great, now let's hurry and help the others," Eijirou said, wiping his cheek. "Kurage-san ran off, so we should go find her first. Hopefully she wasn't hurt by that wall falling. If we're here, I bet everyone else is still in USJ. I'm worried about the guys who really don't have a way of attacking!" He turned to Katsuki, saying, "Thirteen-sensei's probably got his hands full since we rushed ahead like that. None of this would have happened if we'd let him suck in that mist man. As men we gotta take responsibility!"

Katsuki snorted and said, "If that's what you want to do go on alone. I'm gonna beat that Warp Gate Guy to a pulp."

Gotta find Wanko first, he thought, looking toward the direction she ran off in. God, why couldn't she just stay put and let him protect her? He balled his hands into fists. She could be so fucking dense sometimes.

"Are you still pulling that immature crap at a time like this? Besides normal attacks don't work on him-"

"Shut up!" Katsuki snipped, running a hand through his blond spikes. Sweat slid down his temple as his thoughts settled. She'll be fine, he told himself. She always turns out fine. She can fend for herself for the most part. She's gonna have to for now.

He turned his gaze to the wall of rubble, willing himself to calm down.

"He's how these punks are getting around. Bring him down and they'll have nowhere to run," he said, turning back to Eijirou. "It's not like I don't have a way to beat him,"

Just then a villain lunged at the both of them, just in time for Katsuki to catch him and slam his head into the ground with an explosion.

"If all they're sending to us are these idiots, we'll be fine."

She'll be fine.

Maybe if he said it enough times he'd believe it.

~

Awako steeled herself, her back against a wall. She had backed up against it, pressing herself to it as she kept her gaze focused on her brother. He hadn't seemed to change in all the years he was gone. She gritted her teeth in a snarl at him, water slithering from her bag and around her body.

He laughed, sliding his hands from his pockets as he took a few steps towards her.

"Never back yourself into a wall, sweetheart," he said, dangerously sweet. "It's never a good idea. Now you have nowhere to run. That should be rule number one that they teach you."

He whipped his arm out, a long tentacle shooting out from his wrist towards her. She scampered out of the way, tripping over herself but catching herself on the wall before running.

"Oh! So they do teach you something! Running away!" he exclaimed, pushing up his glasses and smiling. "Not a very good school if all they teach is-"

He was silenced by a shot of water to his face, his glasses clattering to the floor a few feet away. Awako was already exhausted from fighting alongside Katsuki and Eijriou. Now this. But she didn't falter. Wave after wave of water slammed into him, making him stumble backwards. She looked like a deadly dancer with every move of her wrists and hips. Every twirl and step she made sent him reeling back farther and farther.

Then Awako felt nothing but pain shooting through her legs. A scream ripped from her body, loud and blood-curdling. She collapsed, gasping for air.

~

Katsuki stopped mid-run and turned his head, looking toward the building. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to focus his hearing. Was that a scream?