Hearts Afire

Atsushi clan estate, 1 year ago.

Within the lush tea gardens leading to a Japanese-style mansion, two men walked together, their sandals softly clicking on the stone path.

"Say, Yuusei," Yuujirou Atsushi called, bringing his son's gaze away from a bush warbler making its nest. "What are your thoughts on the recent Popsy scandal?"

"... the what?"

"Don't tell me you haven't heard about it."

"Keeping up with hero gossip is too much work for little-to-no reward."

"Hah! I suppose you'd have that perspective as a future pro."

He nodded. "... Well, what did Popsy do?"

"She claimed people with bird quirks are predisposed to crime."

"..." Yuusei was struck into silence, and it was an answer all on its own.

"I know, right?! And to think she made her debut in one of Saurus' colosseum events. This came out of nowhere."

"It might be a fabricated quote. She battled against that pyrokinetic from Night Parade a while ago, right? There are many ways she could have been taken out of context."

"So you agree that she's getting slandered?"

He raised an eyebrow at the word agree, then shook his head. "I'm saying it's a possibility. However... most heroes are personas."

It was part of their training. To act confident. To project an image of strength. To assure the people you're rescuing that everything will be fine.

Even he was like that, to some extent.

"They can be very different people out of costume... which might lead to disappointment once you see their real selves."

Yuujirou grinned wryly. "Are we still talking about Pospy? Or is this about Stormrazor?"

"... It isn't."

His father didn't buy it.

"I'll never understand what happened between you two in that internship. Especially because you both refuse to explain."

"That's between me and her," he stressed, and Yuujirou relented with a small sigh. "Back to my point: if Popsy's principles are so important to you, then I'll ask Rosethorn about it."

If his memory was right, then they used to be classmates. She ought to know something.

"I knew I could count on you!" Yuujirou said, patting his back.

"Since when were you such a Popsy fan, anyway?"

He put a hand to his chin. "Hmm... I guess it all started when I invested in stock for a company that produced her merch."

Yuusei's gaze went back to the nature surrounding them, but much to his surprise, his father wasn't done.

"Turns out their CEO was a cannibal! So that cost me quite a penny. I had to research everyone involved in that incident, and Popsy's name came up... she's gathered a few more PR scandals since then, and it's always hard to tell what's true or not."

They left the tea gardens and reached a zen garden, which served as a porch for the residence ahead of them. A maid raking the sand bowed to them once she spotted them. Yuujirou replied with a wave, while Yuusei gave her a brief nod.

"Anyway, I wouldn't call myself a true fan. Like most heroes, I keep myself updated in case it affects us."

He noticed Yuusei's frown and patted his back again. "I know you dislike seeing heroism as a business, but you'll have to deal with it once you succeed me."

"I'm well aware..."

His father rang the doorbell. "And if you don't wanna work with that stress for now, you can go underground! Like your—"

Suddenly, Yuusei felt a fierce presence looming from beyond. He stepped forward, putting his body in front of his father—

The door was slid open, and he instantly butted heads with the person on the other side.

"Well, well, well... If it isn't the only child who tries poaching siblings from others."

Golden eyes glaring at him. White hair. Dragon horns that curved around her head like a coronet.

It was the underground heroine his father was about to mention.

His eldest cousin.

"Acting like a sore loser doesn't suit you, Akane."

She pulled him by his collar, slamming their foreheads again. "You—!"

"Settle down, you two."

Yuujirou stepped between the two, cutting off the threat about to leave her lips. Though his hands were on their shoulders, neither budged, refusing to step back.

Akane frowned, torn between obeying the family head and giving Yuusei his due.

"Yuujirou-san... give me two—no, one hour with this brat," she requested with a fire burning in her eyes. "I promise I'll leave him alive, if barely."

"Don't let her fool you, Father," Yuusei said, grabbing her wrist and prying her hand away. "She wouldn't last ten minutes."

"Why don't I grab my costume and show you how long it'll take—"

"Sis, why are you taking so long..."

The reason behind their feud stepped into the hall, and Akane immediately took two steps back.

"Yuusei! Uncle!"

Orochi ran towards them with a wide grin, and Yuujirou sagged in relief. With her currently giving her cousin a bone-crushing hug, Akane would have to dial back her killing intent... hopefully.

"Hey, little hydra," Yuusei greeted, stepping back to avoid getting bowled over. "How are you doing?"

"Oi, quit calling me that!" One of her tails nipped at his cheek in protest. "I'm almost as tall as you and Sis now!"

"You could grow twice my height, but you'd still be my precious little cousin."

Behind her, Akane patted her head. "He's right," she admitted as if forced to. "It will always be my—our job to coddle you like this."

Sensing the incoming double-team teasing, Orochi broke away from them, pouting. "Stop it, you two..."

Yuujirou chuckled, stepping past the lively trio. "Where's Yamamoto? I was told he'd be here at this hour."

"Ah, Dad's in the kitchen."

As if a switch was flipped, they stopped crowding the front door and made their way down the hall.

"You didn't answer my question, Orochi. How are you doing?"

The girl blinked, then gave him a thumbs up. "Great! I got my recommendation letter for Shiketsu last week, so I've been training extra hard for the exam."

"Congrats. I wish I could give you some tips, but they change things up every year."

"Don't worry, I'll crush it even if I go in blind!" she boasted, flexing an arm while her tails shadow-boxed ahead of her.

"If it's anything like U.A.'s, then you're probably right," Akane commented, then sneered at her cousin. "And you, prodigal son? Still in detention?"

"Ended last month. My license is no longer suspended, either."

"Really, now... what witchcraft did you work on Karaburan to make her this soft on you?"

He shrugged. "The magic of being a model student for three years?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Nah, I don't buy it."

Akane wrapped an arm around his shoulder, trying to pull him into a noogie.

Struggling to keep him in her grip, she faced his very amused father. "Yuujirou-san, help me expose him! How bad were the parent-teacher conferences?"

"He wasn't there for those—"

"Shush, the adults are talking."

He finally escaped her chokehold. "I'm 18."

"But you're still a high schooler, so does it count?"

Orochi purposefully lagged a step behind before coming between them. "Guys, calm down," she placated, hands on their shoulders. "You're both children."

"Hahaha! She's got you there," Yuujirou agreed before they could launch a counterattack. "Still, for the parent meetings... Yuusei's right. Aoi was the one who visited the school for those. I only have the second-hand accounts."

"That's plenty!" Akane and Orochi assured at the same time, making Yuusei give the latter a betrayed look.

His father waved them off. "Perfect grades. Respectful to his teachers and seniors. Helps out his juniors. All things that make a father proud, but that's not what you're looking for, right?"

"..." Akane did not confirm or deny it.

However, as he saw the smug look on his son's face, Yuujirou knew he couldn't leave it at that.

"Although... Skycarver and Rosethorn did say something about toning down the PDA...?"

Yuusei's smile faded.

"PDA...?" Orochi echoed, flushing slightly.

Akane's eyebrows twitched. "Again, do you have dirt on Karaburan? How do you get away with this stuff?"

Yuusei glared at nothing in particular... No, that was wrong. He was definitely aiming at his traitorous father's back. "I doubt Rosethorn said that."

"How are you so sure?"

"Is she on your payroll too?"

He ignored the white-haired women pulling at his cheeks. "It was purely a misunderstanding on Skycarver-sensei's part... and some school gossip that got out of hand..."

Orochi seemed somewhat convinced, but her sister did not, which was expected.

Still, they reached the kitchen before he could finish defending his image, finding Orochi and Akane's father sipping tea and reading a novel.

His head lazily turned in their direction, and his face split into a wide smile once he saw the visitors.

"Yuujirou!" he greeted, leaving his seat.

"Yamamoto!"

The two men clasped their hands in a powerful handshake. Yuujirou took a step to the side so his son could approach.

"Unc—"

"There's my favorite nephew!"

For the second time that day, Yuusei received a bone-crushing hug. He patted his uncle's back twice, but his pleas for oxygen went unanswered. Behind them, Akane winced in a rare show of sympathy for him.

He only allowed himself a quiet sigh of relief when Yamamoto released him with a clap on the shoulder.

"So! It's been a while since you two stepped foot in here. What's the occasion?" he asked with an easygoing grin.

They all took their places on the dinner table, except Yuusei, who remained standing.

"My final exams are coming soon," he explained, and the man's eyes sharpened. "We'll be facing our teachers, though I don't know the exact format."

Yuusei bowed. "I came to request a spar. To make sure I'm ready."

Yamamoto was an ideal of what Yuusei wanted to reach with his own quirk. Before he took his final exam, he wanted to know how close he was to that ideal.

"Oh? But I'm just an elderly, retired pro," his uncle claimed, slouching slightly to appear shorter. "I'm flattered, but you could find a better sparring partner."

He received a flat stare in response. "Don't act coy, old man. You never stopped training after retirement."

Said old man laughed, then took a sip of his tea. Yuusei's posture became slightly awkward.

"Anyway, that's why I came here originally, but..."

"... But?"

Yuusei met his cousin's not-so-subtle stare.

"I found a new opponent on my way here."

The other family members followed his gaze.

"... Sis?" Orochi asked after a second, confused. "When did that happen? Did she ask for a fight as soon as you crossed the door or something?"

It was meant to be a joke, so Akane tried to laugh it off. But she avoided her sister's eyes as she did it, giving herself away.

"You're unbelievable sometimes..."

"Ha!" Yamamoto barked in laughter. "Well, I can't say I'm shocked."

"Still, It's weirdly good timing on their part," Yuujirou tried to put a positive spin. "The two can settle their differences before becoming coworkers."

"Really? I feel like they get worse after fighting..." Orochi remarked, remembering their many, many schoolyard brawls.

"True," her father agreed, nodding sagely. "But they're both grown up now, so surely they can act the part... right?"

The three laughed together.

Yuusei and Akane scowled, showing off their family resemblance. Then, they noticed each other's expressions and shared a look of mutual understanding. They were not going to sit through this slander, this sheer ignorance of the importance of their rivalry.

Akane rose from her seat, and the two walked in opposite directions.

"Fuck this. I'm getting my costume."

"I'll wait for you at the peak."

The remaining Atsushi laughed again.

"Have fun, you two!" Yamamoto shouted. "If you need a referee, I'll be here all day!"

---

[Hearts Afire ]

---

Because of his cousin's quirk, they couldn't spar near Yamamoto's house. That would ruin his gardens, and he'd give them that disappointed parent/uncle look afterward. It was a lesson they'd learned a decade ago.

Thankfully, northeast of the Atsushi estate stood the Thirteen Stones Mountain.

Before the advent of the supernatural, the mountain's foot and the trail leading to it were surrounded by a forest. But after years of being used as a training ground for the Atsushi family's more destructive quirks, the land was devoid of vegetation.

Hundreds of meters above sea level, the two dragons met.

While Akane was covered in the brilliant white armor that served as her costume, Yuusei was still in his kimono. It was made with his quirk in mind, so he didn't see the need to change into his costume.

"How do you want to do this?" he asked, stretching his arms.

"One round. This only ends when one of us gives up or gets knocked out."

"How many seconds for a knockout?"

"I dunno. Who the hell is gonna keep count in the middle of the fight?"

He pointed to the mountain's foot, and she squinted her eyes, spotting three silhouettes.

"So they came to watch, huh... that's perfect."

Akane pointed at him. "I'll beat you in front of Orochi and show her I'm the coolest... why are you laughing?"

"Hah... You'll never win if that's your motivation, Akane."

Her hand fell down. "Please don't start with the pseudo-intellectual bullshit."

His face and tone turned serious. "Think about it. You're eight years older than me. In this battle between student and pro, I'm the underdog. Whoever wins will look cool to Orochi, but I'll look cool by putting up a good fight."

She frowned, then cracked her knuckles. "I'll have to utterly crush you, then. No chances to show off."

"If you do that, do you think Orochi will abandon me while I'm down? She's a compassionate girl."

Akane's eyes widened. "You..."

Yuusei wasn't done. "We can both get coolness points by winning, but I'll get brother points no matter the result. The battle to see how well I'll do in my exam is still in the air. But the battle you're fighting is already over."

She snarled at his freudian slip. Brother points? Not on her watch!

"In fact... it's been over since you moved to Tokyo."

That was the last straw.

"You bastard!"

Akane took to the air in a burst of flames, preparing to rain destruction upon him. Yuusei sighed, forcing his wings to come out.

Meanwhile, on the mountain's foot...

"Ah..." Yamamoto sighed as he set down a blanket. "This place sure brings back memories."

"Your honeymoon phase with Nabiki?" Yuujirou teased, doing the same with a wicker basket.

While their children were sparring, they were having brunch. A mountainside picnic, even.

"Indeed. We faced each other many times here before she fell for my roguish charms and—"

"Yes, Father, we all know the story," Orochi cut him off, then reached for a sandwich. However, all of her tails decided to share the same thought, kickstarting another fierce battle for an even sillier reason.

Watching his niece battle her demons, Yuujirou realized he couldn't take anything from that basket for a while.

Yamamoto pouted. "You're no fun, snapping turtle... "

They ignored his crocodile tears.

"Speaking of..." Yuujirou began, cracking open a beer can. "It was quite the surprise to see Akane welcoming us. Is she finally fixing things with her mother?"

"Sadly, no. Nabiki left for a doctor's appointment with Kyoko, so she took that window to visit."

"Ah... that's a shame."

BOOM!

The mountain rumbled as a pillar of flames rose to the sky, dyeing part of the horizon in their color.

"... Should we start placing bets?" Yamamoto wondered, grabbing his own beer.

"Please don't," Orochi begged. "I don't wanna have to choose."

"Gambling in this kind of setting will lead to nothing good," Yuujirou decided. "Besides, I think we both know how this fight is going to end."

His brother-in-law mirrored his grin. "Hmm... you're right. It's quite obvious who will be the victor."

The two men continued to smile serenely at each other.

The Atsushi patriarch took a sip of his drink.

"Yamamoto."

"Yes, Yuujirou?"

"I just implied my son is going to kick your daughter's ass. Why are you smiling, you doofus?"

"Ah, my mistake. I hadn't realized you'd gone crazy."

Orochi tuned out the bickering old men and focused on the battle raging above.

The blue dragon chased the white dragon through a firestorm. He was faster, but his trajectory constantly changed to avoid her attacks while hers remained a straight line away from him. So she was always out of reach.

Yuusei put on the brakes and dived to the side, passing through a ridge in the mountain and going out of her sight.

Instead of chasing, Akane pushed herself higher, predicting his next move.

His claws struck the ridge, sending boulders flying at her.

Fast. Faster than expected. She was forced to go even higher, using one of the massive rocks as a platform and hopping away before it crashed on the hillside.

Stones rolled down the mountain, and she scowled, no longer able to see or hear her opponent.

CRACK

More stones from behind her, but he was still missing. He'd turned off his transformation right after that strike, reducing his size and using the projectiles as cover.

Annoyed, Akane didn't bother dodging, focusing flames on her fist and throwing an explosive right hook at the first piece of mountain that came her way.

Shadows fell upon her. She looked up and swerved to the right in instinct, but the dragon above simply adjusted his course.

A diving strike.

'Dodge!' her body screamed at her.

He was faster.

'Juke!'

He was more maneuverable.

'Counter!'

Now that, she could do.

Akane ceased using flames to keep herself afloat, falling through the air with a wild grin. Yuusei would meet her in under a second.

She didn't blink, unwilling to miss the moment he'd be too close to back out. Her armor glowed orange with all the heat she'd been storing, and impossibly, her smile became wider.

His claw sliced through the air, and she let it all out.

A single hit broke apart the armor on her shoulder and sent her careening even faster toward the ground. But she didn't care about that. She needed to see if her own attack landed! Her vision was swimming in red and orange because of the nova she'd just unleashed, but she still spotted the dragon's outline through the flames.

"... the hell?"

The initial heatwave burned him, but the remaining flames were somehow dancing away from him. His wings beat in erratic patterns as he righted his course towards her...

... did he make small air currents with his wings to mess up the direction of her fire?

Akane took flight again—

"Guh!"

Too slow. Another strike completely destroyed her chest plate, but she countered in time with a wild haymaker to his maw.

He grabbed her head and spun them around. The wind screamed, her world shook, and a giant claw covered most of her view, but she knew her opponent was still in front of her, and that was all she needed.

She swung again, and the fiery beam bursting from her fist... met nothing but air.

At the last second, Yuusei had cut off his quirk everywhere but his wings, making her target much smaller.

He flung her while she was extended, and she bounced on the summit, gasping for air, and then...

"Hahaha...!"

If that gamble had failed, she would have punched through his gut!

So her cousin had gotten a bit less boring at Shiketsu... good to know.

He landed nearby and rushed at her again. Still recovering from the heavy blows she'd taken, Akane tried to fly away. His tail curled around her waist, bringing them closer even as it got burned.

In this position, at this distance, with her protection stripped away... any hit landed by the blue dragon could spell her defeat.

However, Akane Atsushi did not yield. Once more, she focused her inner heat on an all-out counterattack. Having seen his plan to divert her flames, she would no longer spread them out in a nova, but instead channel them into another beam. One big enough to not miss.

The white dragon met her opponent halfway. His reach was superior. His fist would connect first. So she unleashed the inferno prematurely.

At the same time, pain burst from her ribs, and a choked gasp left her lips.

Through the black spots in her vision, she saw Yuusei take a half-step back. His body was smoking, yet his scales remained a brilliant blue.

Wings encircled her from behind, making her stumble forward.

... Once upon a time, his cousin boasted that she could have made it to the top ten if she hadn't gone underground. And right now, Yuusei could say he believed her. Even with his quirk, that much firepower at point-blank was hard to deal with. His body felt like it would unravel at any second as if the extreme heat was forcing his muscles to expand and tear apart.

However... he could also sense she was the loser of that exchange.

She was a few steps away from falling down and passing out. Flying away was impossible.

... And if she only had a few steps left, her best option was to move forward and get a double knockout.

Akane proved him right, spitting a glob of blood on the ground and gathering her last fumes.

One step. She cocked her fist back.

Two steps. Too telegraphed. All he had to do was move away at the last second and let her knock herself out... and yet, he hesitated.

'Come.'

With a bloodthirsty smile and a fire in her eyes that was too dazzling to ignore... it was a deadly invitation showing all the signs...

'One more.'

She didn't see the same anticlimactic end as him. No... in her future, they clashed at full power again.

Yuusei had never been a battle junkie, and he wouldn't change now.

'Alright. One more.'

Nevertheless, he was someone who always tried to respond to family expectations.

The blue dragon met his opponent all the way. Once again, his reach was superior, and his fist would connect first.

However, he'd misread her invitation. Akane feinted with her fist and darted under his wings, avoiding his claw and launching flames without a strike.

Appear weak when you're strong, and appear strong when you're weak... though flying was still beyond her, she had more than a few steps left in her.

Still, she thought he wouldn't fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book...

Her cousin really was such a softie.

She stepped away from his burning body and almost stumbled. A tail was curled around her ankle.

'One more.'

Ah... so that wasn't enough to put him down.

Akane tried to block his next strike with her arms. It was a mistake. She remained conscious as her back hit the ground, but something inside her definitely broke. Several somethings. Even with all the adrenaline pumping, she could barely raise her arms.

She tried to roll to the side, but a wing blocked her path. His tail was tying her legs together now.

Pinned. Almost out of fuel. Yuusei silently looked down at her, ready for her slightest move but probably expecting her to call it quits.

She burned the last of her fuel and opened her mouth to give his answer—

His claw came down in a palm strike, forcing her to swallow her flames.

'... this is why I hate fire-breathing,' she thought as her vision blacked out.

---

[Hearts Afire ]

---

"... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three... two... one... zer—"

"... yuusei, please shut up..." Akane slurred, slowly blinking into awareness.

They were still on the summit. Her cousin knelt by her side. No longer using his quirk, he looked like a sweaty mess. Half of his kimono had turned to cinders, letting her see the first-degree burns scattered across his torso.

"Can you get up?" he asked, face blank, eyes filled with concern.

Her hands twitched. Her body did not. "... No."

Carefully, he scooped her into his arms. On azure wings, the two glided down Thirteen Stones Mountain, leaving it with some new craters and fewer peaks.

"Nice fight," she mumbled. "You got... stronger while I wasn't looking."

He could tell she was being honest in her praise, even if it sounded like she forced the words out.

"... Thanks... you were a formidable opponent."

After this, he no longer had any doubts about passing the final exam.

"... I have some pointers, though," Akane continued, and he nodded, waiting for her advice.

"First off, stop being so naive. If you were fighting a villain just now, and they wanted to end the battle on their own terms, would you let them?"

"No. I only fell for it because it was you."

"You...! Whatever," she gave up her point, scowling. "Next time, I'll hit that weak point even more, so you learn your lesson. The second thing... that move with the air currents... it's not some shit you can pull off on the spot. You've been getting practice with another fire quirk, haven't you?"

"You noticed? I threw myself at a flamethrower quite a lot in Shiketsu... although sometimes, the flamethrower threw herself at me."

Akane heard the word 'her', took one look at the fond smile forming on his lips, and gagged. "Spare me the details."

"Ah... my apologies," he said sincerely, bowing his head. "Even if it's about a friend, I forget how harmful these comments can be to a Christmas cake."

"Fuck off, Yuusei!" Akane thrashed around, gaining a second wind for the sole purpose of hitting her annoying cousin. "It's not my fault no one can meet my standards!"

Their discussion of the battle only lasted for a few seconds, and they bickered until their landing.

Below the mountain, Orochi was the first to approach them, filled with manic energy.

"That was amazing! Sis was like... this! Then Yuusei was like... this!"

Two of her tails became puppets in a play, mimicking their aerial combat, then getting tangled with the third one, who felt excluded.

Akane pouted. "Oi, Orochi... can you sound a little less excited about a fight I lost?"

"Ah, don't get mad, Sis... you'll get him next time?"

"Don't sound so unsure either!"

"Haha..."

Akane groaned. It was so over... Orochi's image of her had been broken... her Dad looked like he was regretting letting her go to U.A. instead of Shiketsu... and Yuusei was smiling at them with that stupid face of his...

Next time. The next time she visited Kyoto, she'd get her revenge.