My Hero Academia: Limitless

Bonus chapter!

Kaori's grin widened as she launched into a flurry of strikes. Her style was... odd. Familiar, yet not quite right. I blocked a kick aimed at my head, noting the way she flowed seamlessly into a low sweep.

"Not bad," I said, sidestepping the sweep. "But you're telegraphing your moves."

She laughed, a sound that was both playful and dangerous. "Oh? And here I thought I was being subtle."

I narrowed my eyes, watching her closely as we circled each other. There was something about her movements, the way she shifted her weight. It reminded me of-

My thoughts were interrupted as Kaori surged forward, her fist aimed at my solar plexus. I caught her wrist, using her momentum to throw her over my shoulder. She twisted in mid-air, landing gracefully on her feet.

"Nice try," I said. "But you'll have to do better than that to get through my barrier."

Kaori tilted her head, studying me. "Barrier, huh? Interesting quirk you've got there."

I shrugged, keeping my guard up. "It has its uses."

She lunged again, this time feinting left before striking right. I blocked, but she was already moving, her leg sweeping up in a high kick. I leaned back, feeling the air whistle past my face.

As we exchanged blows, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that I'd seen this style before. The way she mixed unpredictable movements with sudden, explosive attacks... it was like a bastardized version of Arashi-ryu.

But that was impossible. How could Kaori know even a corrupted version of it?

"You seem distracted," Kaori taunted, dancing just out of reach. "Am I boring you?"

I refocused, pushing the questions aside for now. "Just trying to figure out your endgame here. You know you can't hurt me through the barrier."

She smirked. "Who says hurting you is my goal?"

Before I could process that, Kaori changed tactics. Instead of striking, she darted in close, her hands reaching for my arms. I realized too late what she was trying to do.

The capture tape.

I twisted away, but Kaori was faster than I'd given her credit for. The tape wrapped around my wrist, pulling tight.

"Gotcha," she grinned.

"Not quite."

I activated my quirk, teleporting a short distance away. The tape fell to the ground, no longer connected to anything.

Kaori's eyes widened. "Oh, now that's just cheating."

"Says the girl using knockoff Arashi-ryu," I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" she asked, her head tilting in a way that was almost predatory.

I forced a casual shrug. "Nothing important. Just wondering why you're up here playing with me instead of guarding the bomb."

Kaori's grin turned sharp. "Maybe I just like the view."

I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the way her outfit accentuated every movement. The cropped jacket, the exposed midriff with those straps... it was distracting, to say the least.

Focus, idiot. She's trying to throw you off.

"Well, as fun as this is," I said, "I should probably go help my partner."

Kaori's eyes narrowed. "You're not going anywhere."

She rushed me again, but this time I was ready. I sidestepped, using her momentum to send her stumbling past. As she turned, I activated my quirk, aiming for the roof access door.

I materialized just in time to see Kaori's fist heading for my face. My barrier flared, absorbing the impact, but the force still sent me staggering back.

"How-" I started, then cut myself off. Of course. She'd predicted where I'd teleport.

Kaori smirked. "You're not the only one who can analyze an opponent, pretty boy."

I narrowed my eyes. This was getting interesting.

We fell back into the rhythm of combat, trading blows and near-misses. I kept looking for an opening, a chance to slip away and find Yaoyorozu. But Kaori was relentless, always there to block my path.

"You know," I said between strikes, "I'm starting to think you just enjoy my company."

Kaori laughed, a sound that was equal parts amused and dangerous. "Maybe I do. Or maybe I'm just buying time."

I frowned. "For what?"

Her grin widened. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

I cursed internally. She was right - every second I spent up here was a second Yaoyorozu was alone against Todoroki. I needed to end this, fast.

"Alright," I said, taking a step back. "Let's see how you handle this."

I reached for that infinite space, channeling it into my fist. Blue-white energy crackled around my hand as I charged forward.

Kaori's eyes widened. For a moment, I thought I'd caught her off guard. Then her expression shifted, a look of fierce determination replacing the surprise.

She met my charge head-on, her own fist pulled back. As we collided, I felt a surge of... something. Power, maybe? Whatever it was, it pushed against my barrier in a way nothing else had.

The roof exploded.

We both went flying, debris raining down around us. I hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact. When I looked up, Kaori was already on her feet, looking slightly singed but otherwise unharmed.

"Well," she said, brushing dust off her jacket. "That was exciting."

I stood slowly, eyeing her warily. "What the hell was that?"

She shrugged, a playful smirk on her lips. "Trade secret."

I opened my mouth to retort, but a crash from below interrupted me. Ice spikes erupted from a window, followed by the sound of Yaoyorozu's voice shouting something I couldn't quite make out.

Kaori's smirk widened. "Sounds like your partner's having fun."

This game had gone on long enough.

"Sorry," I said, "but playtime's over."

I teleported, aiming for the hole in the roof. Kaori was fast, but even she couldn't react that quickly. I dropped through the opening, landing in what had once been a hallway.

Now it was a winter wonderland gone wrong. Ice covered every surface, jagged spikes jutting out at odd angles. I could hear the sounds of combat echoing from further down the corridor.

I took a step forward, then paused. It was too quiet. Where was-

"Didn't your mother ever teach you it's rude to leave a girl like that?"

I spun around to find Kaori perched on a nearby ice formation.

"How-" I started, then shook my head. "Never mind. I don't have time for this."

Kaori's grin turned predatory. "Make time."

She launched herself at me, using the ice as a springboard. I braced myself, barrier flaring to life. But instead of striking, Kaori twisted in mid-air, her legs wrapping around my waist.

I stumbled back, caught off guard by the sudden closeness. Kaori's face was centimeters from mine, her eyes glinting.

"Got you now," she purred.

I felt something tighten around me. The capture tape. Again.

"Dammit," I growled, trying to shake her off. But Kaori held on tight, using her body weight to keep me off balance.

"You know," she said conversationally, "for someone with such an impressive quirk, you're surprisingly easy to trap."

"I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you."

Her grin widened. "Oh? And why's that?"

I smiled. "Because you forgot one very important thing."

Kaori's eyes narrowed. "And what's that?"

"I can teleport."

Her eyes widened in realization, but it was too late. I activated my quirk, picturing the spot behind her. We vanished in a flash of blue-white light, reappearing with our positions reversed.

Kaori let out a startled yelp as she suddenly found herself wrapped in her own capture tape. I smirked, enjoying the look of surprise on her face.

"Now then," I said, "if you'll excuse me, I have a bomb to secure."

I turned to leave, but Kaori's voice stopped me.

"Wait."

I glanced back. She was struggling against the tape, a mixture of frustration and... something else on her face.

"You're not just going to leave me here, are you?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that the point of capture tape?"

Kaori pouted. Actually pouted. It was... surprisingly effective.

"Come on," she said. "At least give me a chance to get free. It's no fun if the game ends this easily."

I watched warily as she began to wiggle against the tape. Her movements were... distracting, to say the least. The way her body twisted and flexed, straining against the bonds...

I took a slow step toward Kaori, watching her movements carefully. 

"You know," I said, taking another step, "for someone who just got caught, you seem awfully relaxed."

Her eyes met mine, a smirk playing at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe I just like being tied up."

I froze, my brain short-circuiting for a moment. Was she serious? 

I took another step, closing the distance between us. Kaori's breath hitched slightly, her eyes widening a fraction. I leaned in close, my face inches from hers.

"Is that so?" I murmured, watching her reaction carefully.

For a moment, Kaori's mask slipped. I saw a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, a hint of genuine surprise. Then her smirk returned, sharper than before.

"Why don't you find out?" 

I grinned, raising my right hand. "Maybe next time."

Kaori's eyes narrowed, realizing too late what I was about to do. I crossed my fingers, activating my quirk.

"Watch me," I said, and teleported.

I materialized in the next corridor while All Might's voice boomed over the speakers, startling me.

"KAORI SAKURADA HAS BEEN CAPTURED!"

I sprinted down the ice-covered hallway. The familiar pressure behind my eyes built with every jump, a reminder that I was pushing my limits.

Another teleport. My vision blurred for a moment, forcing me to lean against a frozen wall. The cold helped, but only barely. 

"Dammit," I muttered, pressing my palm against my temple. Too many jumps in too short a time. I knew better than this.

The sounds of combat grew louder. I could make out Yaoyorozu's voice more clearly now, something about strategy and teamwork. Classic Yaoyorozu, trying to turn everything into a teaching moment.

I paused at a corner, weighing my options. On one hand, Yaoyorozu was holding her own against Todoroki. This could be good for both of them - Yaoyorozu needed to prove herself, and Todoroki... well, the ice princess needed someone to knock some sense into her.

On the other hand, my head felt like it was being split open with a rusty spoon.

A massive crash echoed through the hallway, followed by Yaoyorozu's frustrated shout. "You can't keep this up forever, Todoroki! Your right side is already showing signs of frostbite!"

"I don't need fire to beat you," Todoroki's cold voice replied.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. The responsible thing would be to let them work this out. Let Yaoyorozu show her tactical genius, let Todoroki learn that ice alone wasn't enough.

Another explosion rocked the building.

"Fuck it," I muttered. "Sorry ladies, but I need an ice pack and a nap."

I pushed off the wall, rounding the corner into what looked like the aftermath of a natural disaster. Ice covered everything, broken only by scattered debris from what I assumed were Yaoyorozu's creations. The two girls faced each other across the frozen battlefield, both breathing heavily.

Yaoyorozu had created some sort of insulated suit, protecting her from the worst of the cold. Smart. Todoroki stood near the bomb, her right side covered in frost despite her claims.

Neither of them noticed me appear.

"You know," I called out, making them both jump, "this is really impressive and all, but can we wrap this up? My head's killing me."

"Nakamura!" Yaoyorozu's eyes widened. "Where's Sakurada?"

"Tied up at the moment," I said, then immediately regretted the choice of words as my mind wandered back to that particular encounter. "Literally."

Todoroki's eyes narrowed. "Stay back. This is between me and Yaoyorozu."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is it? Because last I checked, this was a team exercise."

"Nakamura," Yaoyorozu started, "I can handle-"

"I know you can," I cut her off. "But I've got a migraine, and we've got five minutes left. So..."

I vanished, reappearing next to the bomb. Todoroki spun, ice erupting from her right side, but my barrier held easily. I placed my hand on the fake weapon.

"BOMB SECURED! HERO TEAM WINS!" All Might's voice boomed through the speakers, making me wince.

Todoroki stared at me, her heterochromatic eyes burning with barely contained rage. "You-"

"Me," I agreed, then immediately regretted speaking as another wave of pain hit. "Look, you're both amazing, and this fight was probably very meaningful, but I really need to sit down."

I slid down the wall, letting my head fall back against the ice. The cold actually felt nice.

"That was... anticlimactic," Yaoyorozu said, approaching cautiously.

"Sometimes that's how it goes," I mumbled, keeping my eyes closed. "The hero shows up, saves the day, then passes out from quirk overuse. Very dramatic."

"You're not actually going to pass out, are you?" Yaoyorozu asked, concern creeping into her voice.

"Nah, just need a minute. Or ten. Possibly a coma."

I heard footsteps crunching on ice, then Todoroki's cold voice: "You didn't take this seriously."

I cracked one eye open. "On the contrary, I took it very seriously. That's why I ended it quickly instead of letting it drag out."

"You're just like him," she spat. "Always showing off, always having to be the strongest-"

"Hitomi," I interrupted, both eyes open now despite the pain. "I ended this because my quirk was about to knock me on my ass, not to prove anything. Though if you want to talk about showing off, maybe look at what you did to this room."

She glanced around, seeming to really see the destruction for the first time. Ice coated every surface, spikes jutting out at random angles. Parts of the walls were completely destroyed, and the floor... well, calling it a floor was generous at this point.

"I..." she started, then stopped.

"Used way more power than necessary?" I suggested. "Nearly gave yourself frostbite to prove a point? Almost brought down the building?"

"Nakamura," Yaoyorozu warned.

I sighed, closing my eyes again. "Sorry. Head hurts. Makes me cranky."

I pushed myself up, using the ice-covered wall for support. The world tilted for a moment, but I managed to stay upright.

"You should see Recovery Girl," Yaoyorozu said, reaching out to steady me.

"Later. Still got one loose end to tie up." I paused. "Or untie, I guess."

Todoroki watched me with those mismatched eyes, her expression unreadable. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Probably," I agreed. 

I didn't wait for their response, just activated my quirk and vanished. The world spun as I materialized back in the hallway where I'd left Kaori. She was exactly where I'd left her, though she'd managed to work herself into an even more compromising position.

"Took you long enough," she said, grinning up at me from the floor. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me."

"Me? Forget? Never." I knelt beside her, trying to ignore how the movement made my head throb. "Though I'm curious how you managed to get even more tangled."

"I got bored." She twisted, somehow making the movement look graceful despite being bound. "Plus, I wanted to see what you'd do when you came back."

I started working on the capture tape. "And what exactly did you think I'd do?"

"Oh, I had a few ideas." Her voice dropped lower. "Want me to share them?"

"Rain check," I muttered, focusing on the knots. "My head feels like it's being used as a drum set."

Kaori's expression shifted. "Quirk backlash?"

"Something like that." The last knot came undone. "There."

She rolled to her feet in one fluid motion, then offered me a hand. 

I took her hand, letting her pull me up. Bad idea. The world spun again, and I stumbled forward. Kaori caught me, steadying me against her.

"Easy there, pretty boy." Her voice was softer now, genuine worry replacing the usual playfulness. "You really overdid it, huh?"

"Worth it," I managed. "I won."

She snorted. "Yeah, and now you can barely stand. Real heroic."

"Hey, I'm standing just fine." I tried to push away from her, but my legs had other ideas. "Mostly."

"Uh-huh." She wrapped an arm around my waist, supporting my weight. "Come on, hero. Let's get you out of here."

We made our way through the frozen corridors, Kaori taking most of my weight. I tried not to think about how close she was, or how she smelled faintly of jasmine.

"So," she said as we navigated around a particularly aggressive ice spike, "that thing you did with your quirk. The energy blast. That's new."

"Not really." I focused on putting one foot in front of the other. "Just don't use it much. Too draining."

"Hmm." She adjusted her grip on my waist. "And the barrier?"

"What about it?"

"It felt different when I hit it. Like it was... pushing back?"

"Maybe you just hit it harder than usual."

She laughed, but it sounded forced. "Maybe."

We reached the building's entrance, where All Might waited with Yaoyorozu and Todoroki. The Symbol of Peace's eternal smile widened as he saw us.

"YOUNG NAKAMURA! YOUNG SAKURADA! EXCELLENT WORK TODAY!"

I winced at the volume. "Thanks, All Might. Mind keeping it down a bit?"

"Ah, my apologies!" He lowered his voice, though it was still louder than normal speech. "Quirk exhaustion, I see. Perhaps you should visit Recovery Girl?"

"That's what I said," Yaoyorozu chimed in.

"After the review," I said. "Wouldn't want to miss out on the feedback."

All Might's smile somehow got wider. "Admirable dedication! But health comes first, young Nakamura. Young Sakurada, would you escort him to the nurse's office?"

Kaori's arm tightened around my waist. "Of course, sensei."

==========

[Next time on "My Hero Academia: Limitless"]

"And here we are folks, about to witness history!" I adjusted my tie, beaming at the camera. "My besto friendo heading to Recovery Girl's office with the mysterious Sakurada Kaori! Will sparks fly? Will—"

The studio door slammed open. Katsumi stood there, smoke rising from her palms. "The hell they will!"

"Now, now, Katsumi," I held up my hands, "let's not jump to conclusions—"

"He's injured and you're here shipping him with that—that—" She stomped toward the exit.

"Wait!" I clapped my hands, swapping her position with an empty chair. "You can't interfere with the plot development!"

"Watch me!" She blasted the chair aside. "And stop using your quirk on me!"

"But think of the readers! They've been waiting for this moment!" I ducked under an explosion. "Drop those power stones, add us to your library, and maybe—just maybe—we'll see if Yoichi finally—"

"If you finish that sentence, I'll end you!"

"You know," I stroked my chin, dodging another blast, "this aggressive denial is pretty telling—"

"DIE!"

The camera crew scattered as Katsumi chased me around the studio. "Will your favorite characters survive? Will the studio survive? Will I—" 

An explosion cut me off mid-sentence.

"Get back here and face me like a man!"