The halls of U.A. were quiet, the kind of silence that made Dante's boots sound louder than they were. He wasn't in any rush. He wasn't going anywhere in particular either. Nezu had told him that he'd try to get in touch with Dante's father, but that wasn't what was on his mind.
"Pyroclast…"
The name kept repeating in his head. He had come up with a name for his quirk way faster than he had his first, which he had just named HardCoil , cuz it coils around and can also be hard. Great, I know.
He named it Pyroclast as that was a term used for volcanic fragments that come out during explosive eruptions, which reminded him of when he used his quirk, it felt like a volcanic eruption.
Little Dante appeared next to him as he walked.
"You're quiet."
"I'm just thinking," Dante muttered under his breath as he stepped out of U.A.'s gates.
He was kind of disappointed he couldn't participate in the finals, but at least he came fourth.
He took the long road to the beach.
The wind hit his face as he stepped onto the sandy shore, cold and salty. The waves rolled in slow and calm, a far cry from the storm that'd torn through his body hours earlier.
The wind shifted.
Not sharply. But it was as if to push Dante's gaze in a certain direction.
He caught a scent he hadn't noticed before, it smelled… lavenderish? He blinked and turned his head, scanning the edge of the beach. On the concrete wall that overlooked the sand, sat a figure. Legs swinging slightly. Copper hair catching the light of the setting sun, giving her a beautiful glow.
Itsuka Kendo?
She hadn't noticed him yet. Her eyes were focused on the sea. She looked… calm. Thoughtful. the kind of quiet you wouldn't expect from someone like her. He didn't call out right away, he just looked at her.
And in that stillness, his mind raced again.
"Are you thinking about him? My father?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"I didn't get a chance to know him," Dante muttered. "I barely even remembered the guy. But you did. You loved him." He exhaled. "You know I'm doing this for you. I'm sure you want to know why he gave up. And so do I. I want to know what led him to that."
"But what if you don't like the answer?"
"I don't care. As long as he's truthful, I'm sure he's not all bad."
A pause.
"I know he's not."
With that, he stepped off the sand and walked up to the girl on the wall.
"I didn't expect to see you here," Dante called casually.
Kendo blinked, turned her head slightly and smiled. "I didn't think you'd notice me. You looked pretty zoned out."
"I was. I was thinking about family stuff," he said, hands in his pockets.
He climbed up, dropped beside her and stared out at the water again. "You always come here?"
"Sometimes. Helps clear my head when I'm either upset or stressed," she replied. "I wasn't expecting company."
"You upset?" He asked, voice lower. "I can go if you'd like."
Kendo hesitated. Then she forced a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "No, it's fine. I'm just thinking."
"Thinking's not always a good thing," Dante replied. "Trust me, I overthink everything." He leaned back slightly. "Every little thing that happens in my life, I subconsciously create a reason and an explanation as to why it happens, so I usually get stressed out." He sighed, "Whatcha thinking about?"
She didn't answer right away. Just stared out to the tide again. "It's… stupid."
"If it's bothering you, it's not stupid."
Kendo took a long, slow breath and exhaled like it was dragging out all the disappointment within. "I didn't do too well in the sports festival."
Dante raised a brow. "You're not being serious? You smoked the first round, the second one was just as easy right? Sure, You didn't get in the final 14 but out of everyone around me, you were one of very few that wasn't focused on me. You're smart."
"It doesn't matter," she said. "I didn't make it far enough. I didn't stand out. Not really."
Dante stayed quiet, letting her speak. Something told him this wasn't the kind of thing she shared easily, so why him?
"I train every single day, you know? Not just with my quirk, I love martial arts, I love to condition my body, track reaction time, endurance. I never slack." Her voice dropped, bitter. "And still… I ended up in 1-B."
Dante's eyes flicked to her face. "So? Aren't the classes equal? It's totally random which class you're assigned to…"
"So it sucks. Class 1-A is always in the spotlight. It's like we're second best. And yeah, that's the whole point. Even still, I try to ignore it, I try to keep working, but sometimes I wonder if I'm really getting better or just treading water while everyone else just sprints ahead."
There it was. The crack in her mask of being a mature, big sister figure.
"I hate that I let it bother me," she said. "But I want to be great. I want to matter. And every time I think I'm getting close, someone with a flashier quirk or insane talent just blows past me."
Dante still just let her talk, staying silent. He watched the waves crash, silent and endless.
Then, "You wanna know something messed up?"
Kendo looked at him.
"I didn't really want to be in the spotlight," he said. "I wanted to be a hero, but that was never really my dream. And half the time, I feel like I'm a villain. My quirk is violent. It's dangerous. I've hurt people without meaning to. There's no glory in that."
She blinked. "But you're crazy strong."
"I was forced to be strong. You? You choose to be strong. Every day. You think that's weak?" He shook his head. "Nah. You actively choosing to live this life, that's what strength really is."
Kendo went quiet. Her fists slowly unclenched.
"You matter." Dante said, voice softer now. "Even if you're not on a poster. Even if people overlook your effort. I saw you. You're better than half the loudmouths in 1-A, there's literally a dude that can just talk to animals for crying out loud!"
Kendo laughed lightly, wiping one of her eyes. "What's with the lecture? You sound like an old man."
Dante grinned. "Maybe I am."
"Soooooo," came a familiar voice from infront of Dante, all smug and sing song standing on thin air. "Is this the part where you kiss her?"
Dante twitched. 'Go away!'
Little Dante sat down in the air infront of the two, arms crossed, one brow arched with a wicked grin. Then he winked.
"She's totally into you, man. Now's the time to bring out the ring and ask her to marry you~~"
Dante's eyes widened in real time. "What—? No—!" He blurted aloud.
Kendo looked at him and blinked. "Huh?"
He shot to his feet so fast it nearly startled a flock of nearby seabirds. His face was rapidly turning a dangerous shade of pinkish red.
"I'll—uh—I'll see you around, Kendo!"
And then he ran. Not in a cool, nonchalant way like usual. Not the ominous anti-hero in shadows from a comic.
Nope.
He ran like a flustered teenage boy escaping an emotional vulnerability like it was a villain attack.
Kendo watched him go, the corners of her lips tugging upward in amusement. She shook her head, laughing under her breath.
"What a strange guy," she murmured fondly.
But her mood? Thanks to Dante she was now smiling, way better than the gloomy look from before.
…
Dante was bolting through the city like he was actually being chased.
Why the hell did I run? Why am I making such a face? Why on earth did Little Dante say something like that???! It was going so well! Does she like me? Was he being serious? Was he just messing with me? I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT GIRLS!!
The voices in his head weren't helping. Little Dante was howling with laughter. "Smoooooth, Casanova. Really nailed that cool, mysterious vibe eh?"
"I will kill you," Dante growled under his breath as he darted past pedestrians, his face was still bright red.
By the time he slowed down, he was at Kaijin's gym. He slammed the doors open like he was possessed.
Kaijin, seated near the ring with a bottle of water and a clipboard, looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Dante? Weren't you injured? I saw you get taken out of the stadium on live tv."
"I'm perfectly fine!" Dante huffed, pacing towards a bench press rack.
Kaijin stood, crossing his arms. "Right. Well, congratulations on making it that far in the festival. That was a very good performance. Everyone was watching."
"Thanks," Dante muttered, voice tight.
Kaijin took one look at Dante's glowing red ears then back at the way he was aggressively piling on weights.
"Hmm… girl trouble?"
"NO."
Kaijin smirked. "Okay, okay."
Without another word, Dante grabbed the barbell and started slamming out reps, each lift more intense than the last. The air around him steamed faintly as his muscles burned.
Lift. Slam. Exhale.
Forget. Ignore. Distract.
Kaijin just watched from the side, sipping his water. "Oh boy."