14: Its A Battle Of The Heart

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

"How did this happen?" Chiharu asked himself in the mirror. The mirror didn't respond. It would be nice if it did though. Actually no. It would probably just be freaky. 

Haru knew exactly how it had happened. It had happened because he didn't get trapped by Todoroki's ice, he had only fallen a few times on the rocks and he had walked right through the mine field like there was nothing there (because so what if he set one off? It wasn't going to hurt him. They were the same level of explosion as his support weapons). 

He had paired up with Midoriya for the cavalry battle, that was a no brainer. Uraraka was right about it being better with friends. They had so much fun together, even though Iida was a bit of a dick about why he wouldn't join them. Chiharu didn't really care if that caused a rift between him and Iida. He was here to support Izuku and Izuku only. 

But then he had gotten to the individual battles. 

He was facing Mina first, which would be weird. He really liked her, she was sweet and really tried hard not to make the Bakusquad vs Midoriya group rift bigger than it already was. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try his best. He had to. 

After all, he knew Izuku well. Nothing impressed him more than heroic deeds. 

Sure, Chiharu had always imagined Izuku as the knight in shining armor but that had never really been the case. It was always Chiharu jumping into fountains to get his notebooks, shouting at bullies and arguing about mistreatment from teachers. So maybe he was just meant to be the savior, even if Izuku had a quirk now. 

So he was going to sweep the green haired boy off his feet. He'd get as far as he could and he'd make Izuku notice him in a romantic way. 

How do you look hot while fighting? 

Chiharu was so distracted by his thoughts that he nearly missed his call. Iida had to shake him and remind him. 

---------- ----------- ---------- ----------- ---------- --------- 

"Its not....it doesn't hurt?" Mina asked, confused. Chiharu stared at her hand on his shoulder. It has dissolved the shirt he was wearing but other than that his skin looked untouched. 

"Mina, I'm invulnerable." He remined her. Mina nodded slowly. Chiharu took the opportunity to physically grab her and start heading for the border. 

Mina used her flexibility to put Chiharu into a choke hold and he let her go, grabbing her foot as he did. He built up a bit of momentum before flinging her away from him. Mina stood up immediately and rushed at him, fist ready to swing. It was covered acid too. 

Chiharu just absorbed the impact and used the opportunity to punch her back. It hit her right on he cheek. Mina stumbled back and Chiharu hit her again. 

They were on the edge of the court now. The boy just stared at her, wondering how to get her over. Mina lunged at him and Chiharu nearly fell back but caught himself. Once he was on his feet fully he widened his stance and grabbed Mina's thighs. 

Hawks had shown him some sort of martial arts throw that works well for traditional korean wrestling and it seemed to work pretty well here too as she was pretty instantly out of bounds. 

"Iwamoto is the victor!" Midnight announced the crowd cheered. Chiharu was relieved that the match was over. 

He immediately rushed over to Mina and helped her too her feet. "I am so, so sorry. Oh my god your face! I hit really hard I'm sorry." He said, fussing over her. Chiharu moved his arms so he could support Mina as they walked off the field to the sound of cheers for both of them or just incoherent screaming. 

Mina started laughing. "You're so scary when you fight but you're such a baby in real life." She said though giggles. Chiharu pouted, further proving her point. 

The two walked out of the stadium laughing. Haru was just so relieved she didn't hate him now. 

---------- ----------- ---------- ----------- ---------- ---------

"Why didn't you pick Haru?". 

The black haired boy stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Izuku's voice. He had just been trying to find him before his match against Todoroki. 

Only instead he had walked in on what appeared to be a private conversation between Izuku and All Might. He didn't make his presence known though. It seemed important. And as guilty as it made him feel he didn't leave the hallway. He wanted to hear what Izuku was saying and why it involved him. 

"What do you mean, young Midoriya?" All Might asked. Izuku took a deep breath. 

"To inherit One For All. His body is strong, its indestructible." Izuku said, his voice frantic, "I'm breakable-my body can't handle your quirk. You should have picked someone like him. He would be able to use it at 50% right now. He would-" 

"Why are you comparing yourself to your best friend?" All Might questioned, "You are separate people and although you are attached at the hip you can not be compared. Young Iwamoto has his quirk and you have yours.". 

"Mine?" Izuku questioned. All Might nodded. "It is now as much yours as it is mine." He explained, "I chose you because of your heart and your conviction. I would never pick someone based on their quirk.". 

The boy seemed to think about the answer for the question, then responded. "But Chiharu has conviction and passion too. He wants to help people and be there for just as many people as I do-" 

"He does not." All Might interrupted, his tone firm. Chiharu went stiff and felt the blood drain from his face. He fought with his body to stay still and hidden in the doorway he stood in. 

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked, confused. All Might sighed heavily, like it was burdensome to relay the information. 

"Young Iwamoto wants to be a hero for you, not for the public or for himself." All Might said. "I understand that you are oblivious, young Midoriya, but you have to be able to see it. Young Iwamoto has a passion for hero work, it gets more evident by the day. But his primary motivation is not what I picked you for, the desire to save those who need it, his motivation is you.". 

Tears pricked in Chiharu's eyes. How did he know? Did everyone know? Oh god he was going to die. They knew that he was here for Izuku and not because he genuinely wanted to be a hero. God he was deciding still if he wanted to be a hero! He needed more time. Chiharu loved the course, he loved the activities and like All Might had said, his passion for it grew by the day. But was that not enough for U.A? Or whatever weird quirk stuff they were talking about? 

The teen quickly looked for an exit and found it in a hallway door on the other side of the room he was in. Chiharu ran for the door, not even caring if either of the two heard him. 

--------- --------- --------- -------- -------- -------- ------- 

Aizawa noted that when Chiharu reappeared in 1-A's seating section he looked worse for wear. It wasn't the match that had made him cry, so Aizawa was confused. 

The boy looked up at him with bloodshot and hollow looking eyes. There was some degree of passion in those eyes. A determination to either succeed or self destruct. Aizawa didn't like the look of the usually soft brown eyes turned cold and calculating. 

"Has my next match been announced?" He asked. Aizawa nodded slowly and showed him the roster sheet in his hand. It read 'Iwamoto vs Tokoyami'. Chiharu nodded after looking at it and searched for his seat. 

Aizawa had been worried about Chiharu before. He would have to rely on his body and his body alone to get him through the competition, muscling himself through every new challenge. 

Now though, Aizawa had an uneasy feeling that Chiharu could do it. That he could have done it all along. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry for the late update, I got really bad writers block! 

But I'm back now and the next chapter should come out some time tomorrow! 

I'm so sorry for adding more angst, I just can't help it 😭. Also for clarification All Might did not just tell Izuku Chiharu had a crush on him, he just said that the reason Chiharu was in the hero program was because Izuku motivated him. All Might is pretty sure that Chiharu is in love with Izuku but he understood it wasn't his place to tell Izuku that. 

Anyways stay tuned for more chapters! 

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net