Rough Start

"You know, that venom is bullshit."

Yui shakes her hand from side to side and flexes her fingers a few, trying to stave off the growing numbness.

"It's poison if it's not injected, and what the hell do you want me to do about it? Stop sweating?"

Orochi smirks, even her extra heads seeming to have a smug glint in their eyes.

"Whatever! I'm gonna be pissed if I start losin' because you can't stop cheatin'."

"Villains aren't going to play fair."

Despite Yui's words, the usual meanness isn't present in her expression. Instead, she maintains a playful look as she sidesteps Orochi's claw.

It was a bit odd, at least for Yui. On the surface, her partner was the kind of person she should hate. Grew up comfortably and in a family of Heroes no less. Her Quirk would probably be just as strong if she had never trained a day in her life too. Meanwhile, she was a gutter trash criminal and whatever family she had likely wasn't any better. Good people wouldn't leave their kids to rot. Making a few feet of cloth definitely wasn't as useful out of the box as regeneration.

But it also couldn't be easy being a mutant no matter how well off you were. All that extra stuff draws eyes, and being poisonous had to at least be as much of a pain for Orochi 24/7 as it was for Yui right now.

It'd be easier if I could actually cover myself up. Dumbass uniform. Dumbass zipper.

So they both had their problems. Maybe there was some kind of lesson to learn, or maybe Orochi had just been less of a snob than expected and Yui less of a belligerent downer than she tried to be.

Fuckin' Rosethorn.

The fact they'd been forced to work on a team together might have had something to do with it too. It was hard not to have some respect for a teammate. Even harder when Yui had been put into a position where she actually had to work with her team. It was a far cry from the level of 'teamwork' she'd engaged in the previous year.

Yui ducks another swipe, going low and trying to sweep Orochi's legs from under her while she's off balance. The Hydra uses her head tails to catch herself mid-fall and retaliates by using them to launch herself at Yui. From her low stance, the only option for avoiding the flurry of claws and teeth is for her to roll backward and into a flip. However, the growing numbness in her limbs makes the maneuver more awkward than usual. As she pushes herself up and into the air, Yui is met with a reptilian head biting at her shirt to pull her back down.

Almost instinctually, she shoots a ball of cloth into the head's maw and kicks it away before continuing her retreat.

"What happened to that talk about cheating."

Yui pants slightly while sticking her tongue out.

"Villains don't play fair, 'member?"

A loud whistle suddenly sounds through the gym, drawing the attention of the entire class to Ippon.

"That's enough! Wash up and get ready for your next class!"

Yui smirks and starts off toward the locker room.

"Guess we'll have to settle things next time."

"Tch. Not like you were going to win anyway."

It was more than likely true. As long as they were trying to leave their quirks out of things, there wasn't much she could do to someone like the Hydra. Even with them, the most she could hope for was tying her up, which was easier said than done. Still, that doesn't stop her bravado.

"And you think you would've? Don't underestimate Senpai!"

The pair continues light jabs which drift into general conversation. However, Orchi asks something unexpected.

"Ever try DDR?"

The question catches Yui off guard. She huffs in disbelief and her gaze shifts from Orochi to her feet as she seems to speed up slightly.

"Hell does that have to do with anything?"

Orochi shrugs.

"You move pretty well. Thought you'd be good at it."

Still not raising her gaze, Yui click her tongue as if annoyed by having to even think about the suggestion.

"Yeah, well I-"

Her stride is interrupted when she collides with something — no someone. Yui's head snaps up and she catches Ashleigh by the wrist before she hits the ground. She roughly yanks the girl back to her feet, leaving Yui looking down at her.

"Watch it."

The words are harsh, but not too threatening on their own. More intimidating is the delinquent's posture accompanied by the intense look on her face which screamed "or else".

"I, uh..."

Ashleigh stares like a deer in headlights. The situation may have been manageable if it was just Yui, but it's overwhelming with Orochi at her side as well. All she can do is clam up in the face of two of 1-D's more aggressive members.

"You what?"

The girl's silence only serves to further irritate Yui. They'd had little to no interaction, but she'd noticed Ash sneaking peeks at her before. Her first thought was that she was being sized up, but Ash proved herself to be too much of a wallflower for any chance at a confrontation. That meant it had to be fear. Or somethinging close enough. It's the way people gawked at dangerous animals, trying to keep them in sight but not looking too hard for fear of drawing their attention.

Whatever that feeling was, it made Yui sick. It was better than pity or disgust, but it got on her nerves all the same.

"What? Too afraid to talk?"

Yui's eyes widen, full of venom as she glares at the mousey girl. She looms over Ashleigh like the animal she's sure the girl thinks she is and grabs her by the collar, earning a small yelp.

"Maybe I should give you somethin' to be afraid of? Huh!?"

This wouldn't prove anyone wrong about her. She knew that, but what else was she supposed to do? The moments when she wasn't screwing up never counted for anything. There was no proving herself in their eyes.

A clawed hand grabs her shoulder, and the stern look Orochi gives Yui makes her feel sick in an entirely different way. Regret starts to mix with her frustration, and while her expression remains fierce her grip loosens a bit. It makes her uncomfortable in a way she doesn't understand. However, before she can do or say anything, Orochi's gaze snaps to something ahead of her with a grin.

"Need something, gorilla?"

Yui turns to see the imposing figure of Kaylee Suzuki, half-dressed after returning from the showers. For whatever reason, she always seemed to either be the first or last in. Yui's grip tightens around Ashleigh's collar again as they stare each other down. Just having to look up at the taller girl had her riled up again.

"Hell do you want?"

Kaylee fixes Yui with another look that confuses her as she puts herself between her and Ashleigh, Yui letting go as her anger finds a new focus.

"This all seems like a misunderstanding, so why-"

"Why don't your own damn business!?"

Right now she must look like a mangy kitten hissing and brandishing its claws at a tiger. Even she knows it must look pathetic, but backing down would feel even worse. Instead, she puffs out her chest as red ribbons snake their way around her limbs in preparation for a fight. She'd rather get fired again than look like a wimp who cowers at anyone a bit bigger.

Orochi primes her tail heads to attack, and although Kaylee tries to think of a way to defuse the situation, the subtle twitch of her fingers reveals an eagerness.

But before a brawl can break out, a wave of confusion and dizziness hits all three. One of Orochi's tails latches onto something to keep her steady, something being Yui's gym clothes. As Yui stumbles backward and into the Hydra, a torrent of cloth erupts forward to wrap around Kaylee and pulls her down along with them who in turn grabs onto Ashleigh. The result is a messy pile of limbs and an assortment of groans from each girl. Except for Ash, who benefits from using the over three as cushions. When they come to, they're greeted by a cacophony of giggles.

"I didn't know the circus was in town."
"They must've hurt themselves thinking too hard."
"Maybe they were looking for some privacy?"
"Ew."
"Isn't that against the rules?"

The quintet, an insufferable gaggle of bitches. One of them had also been on Yui's team. She couldn't remember which one, but it didn't matter. Unlike Orochi, no amount of bonding exercises or group training would make her do more than tolerate any of them for the time they were forced to be together. They all looked at her like she was trash, and "waking up" to them like this was about as bad as things could get.

"Ugh, screw off!"

If she wasn't tangled in someone's tails and weighed down by a giant, she'd probably be trying to start a fight with them. Instead, she uselessly squirms between her captors, her flexibility allowing her to change position a bit but unable to properly escape. Though her ability to do even that waned as she felt her body grow more numb.

Orochi's tails start to disengage as Yui shifts around. Rather than strictly focusing on freeing herself, she tries to get an angle on one of the Koreans for delivering a healthy dose of venom.

Aside from Ashleigh who's at the top of the pile, Kaylee is the first to free herself after burning through the ropes binding her. With the giantess removed it's much easier for the other two, though Yui struggles to stand. Each of them gives the quintet their own flavor of murderous glare while Ashleigh shrinks away.

"Why don't one of you meet me in the ring if you've got a problem?"

Though, from the look on her face, it doesn't seem like Orochi will wait that long before tearing into one of them.

"Sorry, not into...whatever it is you were doing."

The other four laugh with whatever-her-name-is as she smirks at the gang of delinquents. Rather than fuming, Kaylee returns her smirk.

"You sure? Seems more like you're just jealous flatties like you couldn't get any."

The quintet's smug expressions sour instantly. It takes a moment for Yui to register what happened, but she quickly progresses from barely restrained chuckles to full howling in laughter. She almost falls over from a combination of it and her currently less-than-reliable legs, but Kaylee catches her and keeps her steady.

"Pfft. Guess everyone hates what they can't have."

One of them, presumably their leader, says something that sounds rather heated. Unfortunately, it just sounds like nonsense to Yui and causes her to go into another laughing fit. Orochi shares some words as well before the quintet makes themselves scarce, her disappointment at not getting to butt heads with them clear.

Kaylee directs her attention back at Yui once they're out of sight.

"Are we good then?"

"Yeah, whatever. I'm takin' a shower. Don't feel like being a frozen salt lick after school."

Yui moves past Kaylee and glances at Ash, clicking her tongue and sighing. With her head clearer it was easy to recognize what she'd done and feel less than proud of her actions. No matter how someone looked at it, she blew up on a shy girl for looking at her.

Sorry.

"...Quit actin' so scared. Won't help you any with assholes."

She doesn't wait for a response, instead moving on to her locker. Behind her, she hears Orochi doing her best to get Kaylee riled up for a fight. For some reason, she finds a small smile forming on her face.

Maybe there're a few people here who aren't so bad.

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Pub: 20 Apr 2023 04:18 UTC
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