Hey everyone, hope you like your Halloween eve gift!
While I'm happy to be back, I gotta make a quick confession. It's been a rough month. I was dealing with some stuff, nothing new when it comes to reality. But it just reminds me why I love fiction and creative works.
I hope I can continue to write stories that will do the same for all of you.
I started a new posting schedule, I've been filling more slot stories. I hope you'll continue to support me. Special thanks to my sprouts and seedlings for making it possible for me to keep writing and posting so consistently.
I can't wait to grace you with more stories to take away your pain and lift your spirits.
Happy Haloween!
You can join me on my Tumblr page for:www.tumblr.com/blog/katsura369
New project announcements
Specia chapter releases
Posting schedule
Fanart
Personal chats
CHAPTER 88:
There was always a bubble of excitement that would inflate throughout the day for students, starting in class and expanding until the end of break. That was normally for reaching the end of the day in one piece. However, for the hero course students, their excitement would boil over when they finally got to their last lessons of the day. Hero studies. This eagerness was usually appreciated, since it was for the sake of their futures. Which might be why they were always so restless in their seats.
They were just waiting patiently for Shouta to pull out the card to give them their training category for today. And Shouta, as 'energetic' as he could afford to be, stood in front of the blackboard, addressing his students.
He scratched at the side of his eyes, "Alright, class, today you're going to be doing something new." Murmurs followed his statement, students turning to each other to look for a possible answer, knowing they likely wouldn't get it.
However, everyone became silent once again when Chiyo walked into the classroom. The room was overcome with a visible stiffness at the women's presence. It wasn't for lack of respect, but rather the opposite of the matter. But the appearance of their school nurse without a deliberate call to an emergency could only lead them to draw two conclusions.
Someone was about to get scolded for some form of reckless self-destruction. Or they were all about to be scolded for reckless self-destruction.
It was only a matter of time after their last visit, which nearly included the entire class because of Sakura's training exercise. Even bearing witness to Shouta getting an earful for allowing things to go this far. Sakura was especially recoiled for her actions despite the intent of the battle, where they couldn't avoid injuries. Her resounding argument was that she had healed most of her classmates with heavier injuries. It still didn't save her from a scolding.
"Alright, listen up," Aizawa's tone was dry as he looked over his students. "For today's lesson, Recovery Girl will be taking charge of all of you. Behave yourselves."
Chiyo, leaning on her cane, pulled out a card for the class, "Today's hero lesson will be First Aid."
..
..
..
Being told to change into their gym uniforms was a bit of a letdown, since almost everyone wanted to show off their costumes, which had been altered for this cold season. That also made them unusually subdued as they sulked to the gym entrance. Some were talking about how they wanted to test out the improvements made to their new costumes. But apparently that was going to be for another class, another day.
When they entered the gymnasium, they found it had been set up into a layout of stations, with an assortment of dummies on mats and medical aid kits and other hospital grade equipment that wouldn't be easy to get a hold of in normal schools. Some of the dummies were in obvious positions of distress, with mock injuries painted on them in stark red.
Chiyo stood at the center of it all, tapping her cane on the ground. "Ah, good, everyone is here. For today's lesson, you're all going to be practicing your first aid skills to treat various injuries that are often recorded on the scene."
"First aid training?" Denki scratched the back of his neck, "Uh…isn't that what actual doctors are for?"
Recovery Girl's eye twitched. "And what, pray tell, do you plan to do when there isn't a doctor around? Stand there and watch someone bleed out?"
Kaminari paled. "I-uh-
"Exactly," She huffed, pointing her cane out in their direction, "As heroes we think it's all well and good to be able to save people from villains, pull them out of disaster zones and search and rescue, but more often that not those civilians will sustain injuries from those encounters before you're even able to arrive on the scene. What's the point in rescuing someone if they die from their injuries?"
Ochaco started twisting her fingers in her hands, her face in discomfort as she kept her eyes from meeting anyone else. She felt the concoction of unnervingly negative emotions starting to set deep in her stomach now. And if she had bothered to turn her head, she would've seen Tsuyu mirroring those emotions back to her. The frog-like girl had become like stone, recalling the memory of their internships. And going up against the Hassakai, she might not show much emotion on her face, but she had been greatly impacted by that experience.
Even Eijiro's grin had fallen, and his jaw set tight. They had all been there to see the injured parties and how they nearly lost their lives.
But what they didn't know was that this should've been the exact reaction for every student in that class looking to become a hero. Showing they had reached a level of understanding in their role. However, for them it was just an unpleasant weight they couldn't yet unload from their shoulders.
Sakura felt Izuku's gaze on her back, but she didn't turn to meet his eyes. She already knew they would be filled with guilt; he wasn't meant to carry.
Katsuki chided in, "Tch. So what? We just patch 'em up and send them to the ambulance; that's supposed to show up for emergencies. We do our job, so why can't they do theirs?"
Chiyo tapped her cane on the ground again, clearing her throat. "Oh? And what if they don't show up on time? What if you're in a collapsed building, or a disaster zone, or heaven forbid, a villain's trap where emergency services can't reach you? You're assuming there's always going to be spectators and emergency services available. And most of the time, there are, police, the fire-department, and an ambulance. However, there are times when a hero will need to take on these roles."
Katsuki's scowl grew, but his mouth shut without retort. At least he was quick to understand.
"During your provisional licensing exams," she continued, "you were assessed not just on rescuing people, but on prioritizing them. Some injuries can become fatal if a person is moved recklessly. Other injuries and wounds need immediate intervention. A hero who doesn't know the difference is just as dangerous as the villain who caused the harm. It's important that every hero has some degree of medical knowledge."
A heavy silence filled the room as Chiyou's words settled into them. Until Sakura stepped forward, with rather eager eyes. "So what is our first assignment?"
Recovery Girl's lips curled into a small, approving smile. She gestured to the set of dummies around the gym before explaining. "Every dummy will represent an injured individual. This is taken from the most commonly sustained afflictions that heroes see in their line of work. You will get a list of symptoms on a page, as well as a summary of how the injury occurred, with some additional information. In teams of four, you will work together to come up with the best course of treatment for those injured. That includes assessing how to transport your injured civilian, if you need to give treatment. And if you do, you have to detail how. This will test your ability to assess injuries, stop bleeding, stabilize fractures, and recognize when not to move someone."
..
..
..
With another lot draw, the class had been split into groups of four, and Sakura found herself paired with Ochaco, Hanta, and Rikido. Chiyou didn't waste any more time and had them start. There were five stations set with 7 dummies in each, and they would have to complete their rotations to each within a certain amount of time. You could only move as a team, and once you claimed to be done assessing one dummy, you couldn't come back to them. Chiyou explained this was because once you decided a prognosis, whether it was true or false in the real world, you couldn't take back the consequences.
While she didn't explicitly state this, to make for a more exciting training session, the class had turned it into a competition to see who could finish their rotation the quickest. Especially when they heard that the last team to finish would have to stay behind and clear out the gym with all the dummies and equipment.
Everyone had at least some degree of first aid knowledge; however, they still fumbled when it came to application, as they found the dummies were also quite interactive. But Sakura, who didn't have the same enthusiasm as her peers when it came to hero training, was willing to take the lead on this one.
She had her group finishing their first assessment in three minutes.
"Compound fracture in the left tibia, internal bleeding in the abdominal cavity, concussion with possible spinal trauma," Sakura listed off, as she felt along the dummy's limbs, where actual replicas of the injuries lay. Finishing before her teammates could complete reading through the scenario sheets.
Hanta balked at her, nearly dropping the page. "Uh-What was that again?"
Ochaco's hands hovered uncertainly over the dummy. "Wait, how can you tell all that just by looking?"
Sakura didn't pause as she adjusted the dummy's positioning. "Pupil dilation, skin pallor, breathing patterns-even in a fake body, the markers are there if you know what to look for. Besides, it's written on the exam page too,"
"Which you barely briefed through,"
Rikido let out a low whistle. "You're really good at this, Sakura,"
"Thanks, but don't let me hog all the fun," Sakura said, stepping back so that the others could have some space and reach the dummy. "Wrap the ankle, stabilize the spine, and don't move the abdominal injury, and don't move the abdominal injury until you've controlled the bleeding."
Ochaco nodded, carefully securing the shattered ankle while Hanta prepped a makeshift splint and Rikido wrote down their list of actions before he forgot what they were doing.
A few feet away, another team's dummy let out a sharp BUZZ, which they knew by now meant you were either practicing the wrong diagnosis, or had caused a fatal injury to become lethal, at times, there were even shouts when something popped, and a burst of red paint would cover the floor. Which, again, the last team would have to mop up.
"AH WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Heads turned to see Denki covered in a red liquid that had shot from the dummy. "Is it even possible to bleed out this much?!"
"That's the fifth time we've heard that," Hanta muttered, securing a bandage.
You'd think people would check before yanking on a broken limb or pulling out a foreign object from a wound. But it was not as easy as they assumed.
At least during the licensing exams, they had their rescue patients able to scream and criticize them for any missteps they might've made concerning their fake injuries. But their focus was admittedly more on the makeshift villains that came after them, so their priority had been evasion, protection, and combat rather than treatment. Though Sakura pointed out most injured parties won't give them that luxury, and it would be up to their own intuition. However, after a few rounds of this, everyone somewhere in the back of their minds was hoping they wouldn't have to come to this situation again.
Bottom line, it was far more vexing than they realized.
Sakura watched them work, offering corrections only when necessary.
"You're improving," she noted as Ochaco finished wrapping the injury without triggering the dummy's alarm.
Ochaco wiped her forehead of her nervous sweat, while she had done a great job in Sakura's opinion, the girl seemed to hesitate in her movements when she was treating the dummy, despite her show of determination to get it right. "Yeah, well, it'd be a lot easier if we could just heal people like you do."
Sakura's expression darkened slightly, but she didn't direct her eyes at the girl. "My power isn't magic. There are things even I can't fix,"
"Like what?" Hanta prompted.
"Major injuries, shattered bones, failing organs, death," Sakura listed like she had said it a thousand times before.
Hanta cleared his throat. "Still, in the city, there's always paramedics, right? Backup is usually on the way. Sometimes emergency services get to the sights before the heroes."
Sakura shook her head. "Recovery Girl wasn't wrong. With injuries, every second counts. The longer you wait, the worse it gets." She adjusted the dummy's head to stabilize its "neck injury." "And sometimes, moving someone the wrong way can kill them. Like a back injury, if you lift them carelessly, you could paralyze them for life."
Ochaco's hands stilled. "I… never thought about it like that."
Sakura's voice softened. "It's not just about civilians, either. Heroes aren't immune to getting hurt. Knowing how to treat yourself or your partner or sidekick could be the difference between life and death."
Rikido studied her. "Can it really be that bad?"
"When you see it for yourself, trust me." That tipped off she might've been very familiar with this scenario.
"Have you dealt with that before?" Hanta asked.
She didn't answer immediately. Instead, she pressed two fingers to the dummy's wrist, checking its nonexistent pulse. "I like studying the human body. I like knowing what's under the skin without needing machines or Quirks. I like being able to assess an injury just by looking at someone's pupils. It's saved a lot of lives."
Hanta leaned back, stretching his arms. "Man, I never thought first aid could be this intense."
"Yeah, but at least now we do know." Rikido glanced at Sakura. "Thanks for not just doing it all for us."
She shrugged. "What's the point of training if you don't learn?"
"DAMMIT!" Nearby, Bakugou's voice erupted over another alarm from a dummy. "I DON'T NEED TO PLAY DOCTOR TO KNOW HOW TO WIN, YOU EXTRAS!"
Recovery Girl's cane met his head with a thwack. "You do need to learn how not to make injuries worse, young man!"
..
..
..
Keen observation. It had become a habit, not just from being thrown into an unfamiliar environment that was this world of heroes but born out of her ninja training and survival instincts. That's why Sakura had noticed when Ochaco became unusually quiet as class continued. And she carried that quiet out into the girls' locker rooms.
Which was filled with the chatter of the girls and the smell of perfume. The lockers clanged shut as laughter bubbled around them. While the others flitted between conversations, with Mina animatedly recounting her near-disastrous attempt at splinting a dummy's "broken" arm, and Tsuyu croaking in agreement, Ochaco had been unnervingly silent.
Her fingers fumbled with the buttons of her blouse, her gaze distant, as if her thoughts had wandered somewhere far beyond the tiled walls of the locker room.
It was even more convincing that something was wrong when Ochaco attempted to be the last one out of the locker room, while the rest of the girls were eager to head off for their last lessons of the day, knowing there would be trouble with Shouta if they were late.
Ochaco's goal seemed to have been time alone with her thoughts, but Sakura chose to ruin that by waiting behind for her. She leaned against the wall near the locker room door and watched as Ochaco exited, already looking more somber than when she entered.
"Hey."
Ochaco startled, blinking up at her. "Huh? Oh, Sakura! Did you forget something?"
"No." Sakura tilted her head, studying her. Ochaco's smile was too quick, too practiced, like a paper mask hastily taped over something. "You've been quiet. You alright?"
"I'm fine!" The words rushed out, but to Sakura, they were buoyant and hollow.
And unfortunately for Ochaco, Sakura wasn't willing to buy the excuse even for her sake. For a few moments, they listened to the distant echoes of their classmates' voices vanishing down the hallway.
"If you want to lie to someone like me, you're going to have to do a better job than that Ochaco," Sakura cautioned, and the girl's shoulders became limp in defeat. That's when the paper mask peeled off, revealing Ochaco's true face.
"It's nothing…I'm just…feeling a little…" Ochaco tried to give a smile, but it appeared drawn on with a shaking hand.
"Was it the lesson today?" She asked with her arms calmly folded over her chest, still leaning against the wall. "Were you thinking about Nighteye? Because if so, you're not the only one,"
Ochaco's breath hitched, and her gaze shifted.
"Yeah." Her voice was small. "Him. And… you, too."
Sakura blinked, her head tilting. "Me?"
"Yes." Ochaco's fingers twisted in the fabric of her skirt. "They said your heart stopped. When they carried you out in that ambulance."
The memory flickered, white-hot pain, the metallic taste of blood, then nothing. But Sakura didn't allow her expression to morph into anything of concern. Rather, she didn't feel anything either.
"I remember," Sakura said simply.
Ochaco's eyes searched hers. "Were you scared?"
"Not really."
The answer came too quickly, too bluntly. Ochaco flinched, and Sakura sighed, realizing her mistake. While she had tried to integrate the facts of the inevitable, Sakura knew that accepting death wasn't going to happen over night. Striving to become heroes meant something to her classmates, more than it ever meant to her. They were determined to become shields for society, it's protectors from everything unsavory, and they believed death was one of those things. She softened her voice, watching as the last streaks of sunlight gilded Ochaco's cheeks.
"I mean, there was a lot of pain. But after I passed out? I didn't notice time. Or anything. So I can't say I was afraid of death when I didn't even know it was coming." She shrugged. "Besides, we're all going to die someday. Why does it matter when?"
Ochaco stared at her, lips parted. For a moment, Sakura wondered if she'd been too honest, if the truth had cut deeper than intended.
"I see," she murmured. Dropping her gaze to her clenched fists. "You're really amazing, Sakura."
The smile she offered was stretched thin, a fragile thing that didn't reach her eyes. It was the kind of smile Sakura recognized-one she'd worn herself, years ago. When she had been filled with nothing but regret for every shortcoming that could be listed in that moment, when she had seen her friend's in the hospital, after fighting for what she cried and begged for, and for the promise she had made, unsure if she could even accomplish it.
And she never wanted to see that expression on anyone else's face.
"Ochaco," Sakura said, voice sharpening. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing!" Ochaco laughed, waving her hands, but the sound was brittle, like glass about to shatter. She attempted to sway and laugh away any concern, but Sakura's expression didn't change. "It's just-well, you're really amazing! I mean, you're stronger than most of the boys, and even without your Quirk, you can still fight. You're smart, you know as much as a doctor, you can do everything on your own, but you still work well with everyone, and you're even teaching so many of us, and-
Ah.
Now, Sakura was starting to see it, somehow, Ochaco had started digging herself into a pit of comparison, even though she didn't say anything to directly compare. Her tone was the same one Sakura used when she used to praise Ino, while feeding that sinking feeling of inadequacy. A feeling that would eat away at her heart and performance. Even though she had passed that stage when they were training together with Tsunade, Sakura had always felt a sliver of that dread.
While it was amazing to be able to train with her best friend in medical ninjutsu and cheer each other on, Sakura had always felt the need to push further, to make sure that those three months ahead of starting could show.
"Well, here's the thing,"
Pushing off the wall and folding her arms behind her back, Sakura began to kick up her feet as she spoke.
"Do you know what a snowdrop flower is?"
Ochaco blinked. "No?"
"My friend and I found them at the end of winter," Sakura said, gazing out at the window where everyone could see the tide of the sun. "It was still snowing, but they were in full bloom. She told me they always appeared the earliest, pushing through the snow like they had something to prove. They represented hope. Resilience." A small smile. "I told her I wanted to be like that-a snowdrop. Small but strong enough to stand in the cold. The first bloom, ahead of all the others."
That had been so long ago when they were still children, ambitious to become real shinobi. It was just recently that Ino had reached out to Sakura after she was bullied in the park. That had been when things started to take a turn for Sakura. A change in her season, where she had kept it cold.
Ochaco's lips parted, grasping the context of Sakura's story. "That sounds like something to envy," she admitted softly. "I can see why you'd be like one."
Sakura chuckled. "Not quite. Then she told me snowdrops don't last. A few weeks, and they're gone." She laughed at the memory, her younger self's outrage, the way she'd spluttered indignantly. "I got so upset. But then my friend said something else."
She stepped forward, placing a hand on Ochaco's shoulder.
"It doesn't matter what kind of flower you are. Or how long it takes you to bloom. Because eventually, no matter what, every flower dies." Her grip tightened, just slightly. "But a flower doesn't complain about how long it lasts. It's always given enough time to serve its purpose."
Ochaco's eyes shimmered, her breath catching. She opened her mouth-
"O-Oh! Sakura!"
Izuku's voice shattered the moment. He skidded to a halt beside them, his face flushed and green curls wilder than usual from running. "S-Sorry to interrupt!"
Ochaco startled, then smiled, genuine this time, if a little wistful. "Hi, Deku!"
"Hi, Uraraka uh…" He rubbed his neck, glancing at Sakura. "I wanted to ask Sakura something. About, um. That thing we were talking about?"
Sakura nodded. She could already picture Katsuki lurking nearby. "No objections. Now?"
"If you're free!"
"Sure." She turned to Ochaco. "See you later?"
Ochaco waved, her smile back in place. "Yeah! I'll head back on my own."
As Sakura and Izuku walked away, Ochaco's hand crept to her chest, fingers curling over her heart. The hallway carried their fading voices, and for a fleeting moment, she wondered
What kind of flowers does Deku like?
THAT'S ALL MY LOVELIES! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember to stay strong and keep reading!
And Remember:
PRIVATE MESSAGING: Available on Tumblr ONLY! I love when you guys reach out to me but it's hard to respond to everyone especially when I need to hop onto different platforms. If you want to reach out personally with questions or messages please do so via Tumblr. THANKS Loves!
Check out the SCHEDULE POSTS On Tumblr, and if you like my stories, want to give me some extra support to help the creations of new stories and can't wait for the latest chapters consider joining me as a special member of my seedling troupe:
EARLY CHAPTERS FOR MEMBERS NOW: BUYMEACOFFEE
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter (89, 90, 91, 92)
-Kunoichi amongst Pirates chapter (39, 40, 41, 42)
-Crossroads of Fate chapter 29, 30, 31, 32
-Through the Looking Glass chapter 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
- (Bleach crossover) Kunoichi amongst Reapers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
-Commission: Demon slayer x My hero academia (PART 1 & 2)
- Kunoichi amongst Benders (Avatar x Naruto crossover) (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes WHAT IF SPIN OFF: Dorms and Exams
-(SEQUEL) Through the Spyglass chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6
-SPECIAL HALLOWEEN CHAPTER: Shinigami amongst Shinobi
Want more INFO on my STORIES and ARTWORK lookup Katsura369
Thanks for tuning in but now I've gotta tune out. Till next time!