Damaged Survival

Ch 6: Why a race?

Karian was leaning against the wall in the back of the room while everyone prepared to enter the arena. Bakugou was sitting at the table in front of him. The blonde not really letting him just hang out away from everyone. Also at the table was Kaminari and Sato. Kirishima wasn't to far away either. Karian sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. He didn't even want to be here. He didn't want to participate but his father would kill him if he didn't. 

"You ready for this Karian?" Bakugou looked over at him and asked. 

"As much as I can be," Karian sighed. His arms crossed over his chest. He was wearing his P.E. uniform like the rest, so his arms weren't completely free like he would have preferred. But at least the uniform was short sleeved. 

"Why are you so worried about Kimura?" Kaminari asked. 

"Why do you dislike him so much?" Sato asked him. 

"Because he is always stuck up and thinks he is better than us," Kaminari said. 

"You mistake my disinterest for being stuck up," Karian said. "I don't think I'm better than anyone." Actually he didn't think much of himself at all. Sure he was strong and not many could best him in a fight, but that didn't mean he thought highly of himself. 

"Leave him alone Kaminari," Bakugou growled. "You don't know shit about anything."

"Yea Kaminari," Sato said. "After Kimura helped everyone out at the USJ. You still don't like him? Some of our classmates wouldn't have made it back if it weren't for him. You included." Kaminari looked down. 

"Don't hassle him," Karian said. "I don't care if people dislike me. Everyone has the right to make their own opinion about me."

"You're such a noble dude, Kimura," Sato said. Karian sighed. Even now he was gaining more and more attention. He didn't want people to like him. He didn't want people to desire to be his friend. It was bad enough that Bakugou and Kirishima claimed to be his friend. 

"I have a question for you Kimura," Kaminari said. "Something that has been bothering me since the USJ." Karian looked over at him semi-curious. "Aizawa yelled at the rest of us to leave. To get away and not engage in the villains. But he instructed you to protect us. Even when the Pros arrived. They praised some of us for acting brave in the face of the villain attack, but none of them praised you. In fact they talked to you as if you were already one of them." Karian looked at him. 

"I'm not hearing a question," Karian said boredly. Kaminari frowned and stood up. 

"Why are none of them treating you like a student?" Kaminari asked. "Why do the pros keep treating you like you've already become a pro?" Now even Bakugou was looking up at him curiously.  "It can't just be because your father is a prohero. They didn't treat Todoroki like that." Karian eyed him for a moment and then looked away. "Don't just ignore me!"

"Karian," Bakugou said. He was very curious to the answer now also. 

"What Bakugou?" Karian asked in an almost sarcastic tone. 

"Answer the question," Bakugou growled. Karian rolled his eyes. 

"My father takes me out on patrol with him," Karian said looking at Bakugou. He didn't need another forceful scene like before. And he had slowly gotten used to following Bakugou's orders over the last two weeks. Not all of them, but he wasn't in the mood to fight right now. "So I've met quite a few of them before." Midoirya glanced over as he heard them talking. 

"You have to have a hero licence to go out on patrol and fight villains," Midoirya said. "Otherwise you and Black Steel would get in serious trouble."