Colors in the Dark

[11] Losing Control

"I'm right here," a voice came from beside her, and Ayami turned to realize said dual-color-haired boy was right behind her. "They took Midoriya to Recovery Girl and the match was over."

She couldn't help but notice that he didn't meet her gaze, and his tone was bleak. He seemed... conflicted.

"Our classmates told me what you were theorizing about my family's past... Most of it is accurate, incredibly so. And from what he apparently said once I used my fire..."

Ayami's memories began to return, even the fuzzy color-blotched ones of the brief experience of existing in Headspace for a time. "Endeavor- I was right? About- the things I said about him?"

"We told him what you had hypothesized out of concern for him and you, as well as why you eavesdropped on his conversation with Midoriya," Tokoyami explained. "And from the expression on his face, he doesn't know how to feel about using a power his father so readily wants to abuse."

"What about Midoriya?"

"Iida, Asui, Mineta, and Uraraka went to visit him, but haven't returned, so we don't really know yet," Sero told her. Ayami thanked Dark Shadow for saving her with a pat before sitting up, awkwardly thanking Tokoyami for allowing her to lie on him before she regained consciousness. "They looked pretty bad, though."

"Anyway, Ayami, what caused you to pass out so suddenly?" Jirou asked, arms resting slightly-curled around her lap. She was on Todoroki's right, though, so she was probably feeling the after-effect of the boy's cold side being overused.

"Yeah, you really gave us a scare, there!" Kaminari added.

Ayami looked down, having long since noticed the unusual quiet in her mind. "After the final attack between Midoriya and Todoroki, I started getting dizzy. I kept imagining them getting hurt, or killed, and things got fuzzy. After that, t-the spirits were talking to me and each other about a bunch of things and convinced my receding conscience to wake up before anything could happen..."

"You were telling Ochaco about how you kept in control through your anger earlier, and now you managed to regain yourself even after an episode?" Kirishima asked. "You're improving your control over your quirk so quickly, even after years of having to repress it! So manly!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, shitty hair," Bakugou growled. "Orphan freak's still about as good with her quirk as damn Deku. Which means both of them hardly control their quirks; it's all or nothing. Tch. Amateurs."

"Lay off of her, Bakugou," Mina scolded, giving Ayami a pat on the back.

"Talk to me again, raccoon eyes! I'll kill you!" Todoroki looked irked at the blond, but that only angered him further. "And you, Icy-hot bastard, don't give me that stupid look! I'll kill you, too!"

Kirishima just grabbed him with a hardened hand- in case Bakugou tried to blow him up- and pulled him away. "Come on, it's almost time for our match!"

While the redhead pulled his ash blond friend along, the latter of whom was letting out a string of curses, the rest of Class 1-A began to settle again, Ayami engaging in quiet conversation with Tokoyami, before their missing classmates minus Midoriya and Iida returned.

"What's the news?" She heard Momo ask.

"Iida's already preparing for his match, is that where Kirishima was dragging Bakugou off to? And he's going up against the girl who beat Kaminari," Tsu relayed.

"But Deku...," Ochaco began with teary eyes, "Recovery Girl has to do surgery on his arms from hurting himself so much."

The class shared a pitying glance at the state of the green-haired boy, especially Todoroki, whose blank gaze that was once again staring into space telling everything Ayami needed to know about the state of the heterochromatic boy's mind.