Puppet Master

The Tournament

"Good luck, Izuku!"

"You are going to do great!"

"Beat them down!"

Izuku blushed as he turned around while he was boarding the bus to the tournament and saw all of his friends waving to him from the school gate. He waved at them. "T- thank ya."

"Kirishima!" Izuku jumped and turned to Bando-sensei. "You're holding up the line. Get you and your cat on the bus!" Izuku bowed slightly. "Yes, B- Bando-sen- sei." Hime had wrapped herself around the back of his neck and on his shoulders. Izuku waved once more at everyone before boarding the bus and finding a seat. The classes mixed together and Izuku, regretfully, took the seat next to Yamamoto. The snowy-haired boy glanced over at him but did not comment. Hime jumped onto his lap and settled down.

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Why the hell is he sitting next to me?! Shiro avoided eye contact at all costs but he did take notice of the cat in freaks lap.

Shiro met eyes with it. He averted his eyes.

Even his freaking cat creeps the heck out of me! Sit somewhere else. Is this a threat or something?

A few people commented on the cat as they filed on. Izuku didn't say much but he did spare a few words to a specific few. Shiro leaned his head against the window and pretended to be asleep for part of the two-hour drive to Saint Heads Middle School. When he felt his neck cramping, Shiro 'woke up.' He sighed. He couldn't keep this up. He glanced over at the greenette to his left. His eyes were closed but Shiro doubted that he was actually asleep.

"So?" he started. Emerald eyes opened to half-lidded slits. "What's with the cat?" Shiro swallowed thickly as the freak moved his eyes to land on him out of the corner of his own eyes. Shiro did not expect him to reply.

"What do ya think?"

Shiro bit his tongue. Scary... He couldn't help but take in the visible scars on the boy's body. The three on his face, the one on his neck, the ones below the elbow on his left arm, and the one that looked like someone had cut a small piece out of his ear. He looked at the cat's pink vest that read "SERVICE CAT" on it. Shiro met eye back with the green-haired boy and was leveled with a cold gaze. Shiro turned his head back to the window. "Tsk. Nevermind. I don't really care."

On second thought, I don't want to know.

He didn't talk the rest of the trip.

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Izuku pat his shoulder. "'Ime." Hime jumped up onto his shoulder.

"Ime?" He looked up at the student passing while they got off. "That's a strange name." Izuku shook his head. "'Ime. N- not I- Ime." The girl giggled. "Alright!" She walked by. Izuku stood to exit his row but caught her whispering to the girl ahead of her: "He's so cute with that accent!" Izuku raised an eyebrow. Cute? He glanced over at Hime. Hime's cute. He nodded, thinking he understood perfectly.

He did not.

Saint Heads Middle School, a large private school where most of the students are the children of richer families, businessmen, and heroes.

Izuku followed his school's group down the hallways. Despite class being in session, all of the floors looked polished and the whole school had the "fancy" vibe to it.

"Tsk," he glanced over at Yamamoto. "Rich kid school." Izuku lifted an eyebrow at the boy. Grey eyes flitted to him. Yamamoto rolled his eyes and looked away. They kept walking. The gym, where the District Martial Arts Tournament was being held, was massive! There were other schools already there and warming up while others were in another large side room where teams would set down their luggage and meet up. Bando-sensei checked them in and they went to their area in the other room, setting down their belongings.