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The smell of war is a pungent one.
Smoke and ash rising into the air, blood and gore splayed across the field. Taking it in, it was horrifying. But again.. It was a war. Many heroes, Pro and in training, had already fallen, or at least on their way there.
Ryuu took a step forward, looking across the zone he was in. There wasn't much he could do.. He was mainly for dealing with smaller, less core villains. He wasn't vital to the fight, and he knew it. But he still knew he could help.
And suddenly, there it was.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something. The mouth on his throat yelled at him, “Run you idiot! She needs your help! Don't just stand there!” and he sprinted. He didn't know who it was he was going to help, but he knew he needed to go. It could be anyone. She.. Esraa, Umi, Haikura, anyone.. What if it was Caly?
Oh God he hoped Caly was okay. He sprinted faster at the thought, the mouths on his hands opening.
When he got there, he saw another student- one unknown to him- struggling with a villain. He helped her out with the villain, before running off to help someone else. He kept going and going, from one person to the next, helping over and over.
He pushed onward though. He needed to live. He needed everyone else to live. For his friends. For his family. For his future. For her future.. One after another, he continued helping. He was so tired, but he wanted to keep going. He was covered in bruises, with a gashing wound over his left calf, rendering sprinting to more of a pathetic run.
Then he heard it. A scream. Maybe two. He registered one of them immediately. Caly. Caly was in danger. The mouth on his neck screamed at him “Run you good for nothing! She's in danger!” He sprinted, his wound bleeding horribly as he stumbled a bit. He didn't even know who or what Caly was fighting, but he threw himself in front of it without a second thought. He grabbed the villain with both his hands, tearing through the parts he had grabbed with the razor teeth the mouths on his hands possessed oh so proudly.
He drove into the villain like his life depended on it. Or at least not his, but Caly's life did. But then, he felt it. The villains quirk had stabbed through one of his hands, all the way through, and the villain swung, tossing him to the side. He hit the ground and slid, but he caught himself. The wind blew back his bangs, and something twisted. He ran sporadically towards the villain once more, jumping on his back and the mouths on his hands screeching into the villain's ears.
He was thrown back down again and again, but he kept going, until the villain was defeated. The final time he was thrown down, was his last time. He did not get up, he did not speak, he was silent. He watched as the villain fell, and his bangs fell back in front of his eyes, and Caly rushed over.
His ears were ringing… What was she saying..? He couldn't hear him.
He felt his body get brought closer to warmth. He opened his eyes, looking up and seeing Caly. Caly was half way to tears. Actually.. No.. He was already crying. “Get up Ryuu! Please don't close your eyes!” Ryuu smiled, looking up at Caly, with his stupid snaggletooth peeking out. “Hey Caly.. Remember that water show you gave me..? With.. The red pandas..” Caly nodded, clutching Ryuu's hands.
“Yeah.. It was nice..” he mumbled. “Please, if.. If I don't make it-” “you will make it! Don't say that!” Caly sobbed, tears dripping onto Ryuu's face. Ryuu's hand shaking reached up. “Please don't cry.. Okay.. I'd much rather see your smile..” the mouth on his hand kissed Caly's cheek. “That's.. Probably really gross.. Huh..?” He giggled quietly. “No.. It's not gross. It's.. It's nice.. Yeah?” Caly whispered.
A few more minutes passed, and Ryuu could feel his own body losing heat. Memories flashing before his eyes. The time where he told Caly his dream. To open a program for people with mutant quirks.. The time he and his sister first got their quirks.. His awful, stupid quirk.
And then, the time where he told Caly.. Everything. How he didn't know if he liked being a boy. How he hated his quirk with his whole being. How.. His grandpa was horrible. Everything.
“Caly.. Please.. Don't stay stuck on me forever.. Please live a life worth more than my own..” he whispered, grabbing onto Caly's hand with his last bit of strength. “And please.. Tell someone. Someone who can help, about my grandpa.. Get my sister out of that house..” He smiled.
The last thing he saw was Caly's tear soaked face, before everything went black. He felt like he was floating.
And at the end of the day, he knew he didn't want to stay around for long. With his grandpa.. With his quirk.. But at least the time he got was precious. He got to be with Caly. He got to be with friends. He got to be.. With a real family.