Confrontation and Explanation

Ichigo-

"Why'd you do that?" Ayako cornered me after the festival. "I was looking forward to battling you again damnit!"

"Well, you've left every one of your opponents injured after your fights, so I figured better safe than sorry."

"I demand a rematch!" All Might and Aizawa rounded the corner, stopping when they saw the situation. "You hear me? Whether you want to or not, we will battle again!"

"Ayako. Calm down." Aizawa sighed.

"A-Ayako please don't hurt him!" All Might looked scared and Ayako sighed.

"Wasn't planning on it." She let go of my collar and shoved her hands into her pockets, walking off angrily. Aizawa followed after her, and All Might asked me if I was fine.

"I am. Don't know about her though." She had never confronted me like this before, and I was worried. I had backed out of many of our battles, and this only ever happened when she was remembering something painful from the past.

Ayako-

As Shota tailed me silently, I walked out of the school, barely managing to hold back tears as I walked. I kept my head down and let my wings wrap around my body, feeling my ears flick downwards, reflecting my mood.

I was so caught up trying to not cry I didn't notice someone walking up to me, so I ran into them. I was so surprised that I lost my hold over my emotions and tears ran down my face. I looked up, and saw the person I had run into was one of the Bakugo twins.

His face narrowed in anger until he noticed my tears and it immediately softened. "What's wrong?" Katsuki's voice was nowhere near the angrily aggressive tone it usually was, instead sounding worried.

"Nothing." I attempted to step back but he wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me back to him.

"Clearly something's wrong." He sighed, letting go. "Well, if you ever want to talk, here's my phone number." Katsuki pulled out a piece of paper and a pen, writing something and handing it over. "I won't pressure you."

Then he turned, and started to leave. "Thanks..." I said, barely more than a whisper, but he nodded, and I saw his lips turn upwards in a soft smile.

"Ayako, are you okay?" Shota lightly rested a hand on my shoulder, and I sighed, turning to him.

"Fine enough."

"You're still crying." He wiped a tear from my face, and I winced since he had touched the scar on my left eye. "Sorry." Shota stepped back, and frowned. "You know where to find me if you need to talk."

"Yeah." I nodded, turning towards the gate once more and walking to my house. I added Katsuki's number in my phone and considered telling him.

With how he treats the Midoriyas, I'm not sure if I should trust him, but he seemed genuinely concerned for me. I decided to give it a shot, and sent him a message.

Me- Hello. This is Ayako.

Katsuki Bakugo- Hey. So what'd you want to talk about?

Me- The reason I was crying earlier is...

Me- Ugh. Why don't we meet up somewhere? It's a long story.

I stopped walking and considered.

Me- You know that one beach that got cleared of trash recently? Meet me there and bring snacks and some water.

Katsuki Bakugo- Alright. I'll see you there.

I began walking in the direction of the beach, and as I walked past a somewhat large house, I heard someone yelling. "Hey you old hag! I'm meeting up with a friend from school!"

"You finally have a friend! Great work Katuski! Just make sure not to scare them off with that horrible personality of yours." I heard a female's voice call, and then laugh as I was as well. "Have fun!"

"Whatever." The blonde opened the door and saw me, looking surprised. "You stalking me or something?" Though he didn't sound as worried as he had before, his tone still wasn't anything near as aggressive as it was for everyone else, and even me at first.

"Nope. Just walked by and heard you yelling. Who were you taking to anyway?"

"Ah. My mother." He replied as we started walking.

"What snacks did you get?" I looked curiously at the bag he had over his shoulder.

"A little of everything we had. Wasn't sure what you'd like." He shrugged, shifting the bag a bit.

"Thanks." I smiled as we walked onto the beach. Since I was still wearing my school uniform, which instead of a skirt I wore pants, I rolled up my sleeves and my pants, kicking off my shoes. I also took off the outer part of my uniform, not seeing the point in wearing it.

Katsuki-

As she got more comfortable, I did the same. We walked together near the water and began making a sandcastle.

Ayako stayed silent for a while, and when she spoke, it was with a sad, subdued voice that made me want to hug her. "Ever heard of the Pro Hero Rockcharge?"

"Didn't he intern with All Might for a while?" I asked, not totally certain.

"Yeah." She smiled, not one of happiness, but of sadness and regret. "Do you know his name?" I shook my head and she nodded. "You probably wouldn't. He kept that part of his life well hidden. His name was Dimitri Tatsunishi."

"So he was your older brother?" I interjected and she nodded once more.

"He was. After interning with All Might for a while, he went to work with Shota. He was always hard-working, and made sure to do his best protecting me."

"Was?"

"He's dead." She looked up at me, and there was no emotion in her eyes, just a dead emptiness. "The day before my seventh birthday, he was called out on a mission. He swore to me he'd be back, but...." She took a deep, shuddering breath and looked down once more, falling silent once more. Ayako continued making the sand castle, and when it was nearing completion, she looked up at me. I saw tears welling up in her eyes, and she looked like she was about to cry.

I acted on instinct, wrapping my arms around her. Ayako stiffened, then slowly began to relax into the hug. I heard a sob, and she began crying into my chest, so I held her until she had calmed. "Better?" I asked, pulling away with a smile.

"Yeah. Thanks."

"'Course." I started working on the castle again, and she did the same.

"Dimitri died protecting Shota. I think he feels guilty about my brother's death, because he distanced himself from everyone once more." Ayako stuck the flagpole onto the castle, and we began filling the moat. Even though she could have made water herself, we gathered water from the ocean. After we finished, Ayako headed onto the little pier, sitting under the little roof at the end with her feet in the water. "I was never told exactly how he died, but I was told he had died a hero's death." She huffed, pouting a bit. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"No clue." I smiled. "But, wherever he is in the afterlife, I'm sure he's proud of you for doing so well in the Sports Festival."

"Thanks." Her gaze slowly returned to it's normal softness, though it still had an edge and there were still tears streaking down her face. Though there were those tears, there was now a smile on her face. "I just wish... I wish that he was here...."

"I'm sure he was a great guy." Ayako nodded sleepily.

"He was..." She yawned, and slipped into the realm of sleep, falling onto my lap. I sighed, petting her hair as I texted my mother.

Me- Hey you old hag!

Hag- What's up Katsuki?

Me- I'll be home late

Me- My friend fell asleep on me, so when she wakes up I'll take her home

Hag- She? Well, have fun Katsuki. See you when you get back.

I turned off my phone and looked at Ayako's peaceful sleeping face. When she was asleep, she was totally still, and not fidgeting like she usually does. It seems as if she can't stay still, which was probably from her consistent need to be ready for battle. Her face was relaxed, and she nestled into me, snoring lightly.

Smiling, I carefully gathered her into my arms, standing. I left the food, and walked back to the rest of our uniforms, which we had left on a grassy hill at the edge of the beach. I laid down, looking up at the stars and laid her next to me. Almost immediately, she shifted and curled up against me, her white wings stretching out behind her.

"I wonder if you'll think as good of me when you wake, Ayako." I murmured as I began lightly scratching the base of her ears, noticing how much more relaxed she became when I did so. I paused, and she slowly tensed up again. I let out a low chuckle and resumed.

Eventually, I too fell asleep, and we awoke at dawn.