I can't believe all the support I've gotten for this story. I was so motivated I ended up writing this chapter today, it's 12 am and I haven't slept yet haha. This chapter has some spoilers involving the villains, so if you aren't up to date with the anime or manga I'd read at your own risk.
It's late so I edited this chapter to the best of my ability, if there's any mistakes or errors please let me know. (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
Without further adieu I hope you all enjoy. (︶ω︶)
I do not own Boku no Hero Academia.
Lazurite
Chapter Two:
Two Faced
"Poor thing."
Her lips curled into a bitter frown.
"Don't worry, I'm sure a Hero will come by to help."
She balled her hands into tight fists at her sides, head ducking lower for her chin to rest atop her knees. Rain began to dribble from the sky, crystalline droplets falling against the bustling streets of Japan with a soft hiss, a thin coat of mist rising from the warm concrete.
Dull eyes stared blankly at the people rushing past, no doubt hurrying to their warm homes where open arms waited for them within. Jealousy reared its ugly head within her chest, leaving behind a feeling of bitterness that had her face scrunching up into a scowl.
With a heavy sigh the girl pushed herself deeper within the now soaked cardboard box she had been calling home, and pulled the tattered remains of her jacket across her bare shoulders.
It was always the same story, it had been for the last several months since she had lost her home. Passerby's would feign pity, lamenting over how sad it was to see a child homeless on the street, while others would scoff in disgust at the hood rat that was stinking up the side of the road.
There would always be the promise that a Hero would come by to come rescue her, but after countless days of waiting and going on little to no food the hope of being saved had dwindled down into a lifeless coal, the embers having burned out long ago.
A sudden gush of rainwater broke through the thin cardboard, causing a gaping hole to appear in the roof and with a frustrated cry the girl tore the box apart with her bare hands. Crawling further into the alleyway she hid beside the cover of the dumpster, a flush of shame spreading across her chest from the looks of sympathy she was receiving.
Leaning back against the rough brick she felt her eyes start to slip closed, head lolling to rest against the trashcan as the gentle thrum of rain pelting her skin slowly lulled her to sleep. In the distance she could faintly hear the sound of footsteps sloshing against the pavement, and within a few moments a shadow fell over her blocking out the constant stream of water.
A single eye cracked open, her gaze rising up to stare at the black sheen of an umbrella that had been placed above her, jolting back in surprise she stared wearily at the man who now stood several inches away.
"You'll catch cold if you stay out in this weather." His voice was a deep baritone, strong and firm, but filled with a gentle calmness.
"Doesn't matter, not like I have anywhere else to be." She whispered, arms curling tighter around herself.
The man let out a hum, rubbing at his chin he regarded the girl with an expression that she couldn't quite place. "It's quite unfortunate isn't it?" He began, and she tensed when a hand was held out to her. "But it doesn't have to be."
Without a moment's hesitation the girl reached out, taking with it the start of an unknown future.
"You're face looks like shit."
The sound of button mashing filled the bars silence, Shigaraki Tomura didn't even bother looking up from his game, and the tacky soundtrack of some fantasy RPG replayed over for what felt like the hundredth time.
Lazy eyes stared up at the ceiling, long blue locks splayed out above Umi's head, feet swinging idly over the edge of one of the cushioned booth seats. To the right of her by Tomura, Kurogiri kept himself busy polishing one of the many glasses, and Umi rolled onto her side to stare at the both of them.
"Well I mean, I sort of got my ass kicked." She admitted, bruises from the earlier fight had begun to blossom into a violent purple that looked more like a rash than anything, the cuts on her face had swollen up slightly and she was sporting a nasty black eye from when a rock had smacked into her brow.
Tomura stomped his foot with an angry curse, the text YOU DIED flashing red across the screen, he slammed the game console onto the counter and turned on his stool to lean his back against the bar top. "That's your fault for waiting to use your Quirk."
"I can't always rely on my quirk, I don't wanna be codependent with it." Umi's head snapped up at the sound of a cabinet opening, she watched as Kurogiri rummaged through one before pulling out a small medical kit.
"What's the point of even having one then?" Tomura rolled his eyes, and took a sip of his drink. "What're you gonna do, tase everyone to death? So scary." He deadpanned
"Tomura has a point." Kurogiri added, heading over to the girl he ushered her to sit upright, and Umi let out a whine akin to that of a dying whale.
"You guys don't understand you're already codependent—ow." Umi jerked back at the sudden stinging pain on her cheek, Kurogiri tutted at the girl, hand gently circling around her wrist to keep her from moving.
"Well, for one you wouldn't end up looking so horrible after each one of your fights." Kurogiri gently rubbed antibacterial cream across the wound, patting a gauze patch onto her face he proceeded to grab the medical tape.
Umi scoffed, her face didn't look that bad…right? "I don't think it's as bad as you guys are making it seem." Kurogiri gave her a blank look as though to say really, holding up her arms he gestured to the many scars that littered the pale skin.
When he was finished with the bandages she pulled them away with a huff, "Oh you guys act like you've never gotten scars! Mura-chan has them to, Mr. Dry lips over there because and I quote 'Villains don't have time for Chap Stick'. And I can't tell with Kuro-chan since he's you know…just a cloud.'"
"Oh fuck off." Tomura flipped her the bird, and Umi fell back into the seat with a cackle, nearly toppling over poor Kurogiri as he packed up the rest of the supplies.
"This cloud would appreciate it if you stopped bleeding all over my bar every time you come back." Kurogiri didn't even make it two steps before his foot slipped in a puddle, glowing yellow eyes narrowed and he looked to where the man from before had been tossed aside. Ice shackles were crusted across his wrists and ankles, drops of water dribbled onto the wooden floors leaving behind various shallow pools scattered about. "I'd appreciate it if you got rid of this."
Umi hopped off the seat, she offered Kurogiri an apologetic grin as she gripped him by the collar. "Open up a warp gate for me, I'm gonna go give this one to Sensei now." The mist villain grumbled something under his breath, something about how he'd have to mop up all the water before it molded the wood, but nonetheless he opened a warp for the girl who offered them both a wave before stepping inside.
Almost instantly the strong stench of bleach flooded her senses, Umi glanced about the darkened warehouse, medical equipment was strewn about, and a large surgical steel table was set off to the side.
Computers lined an area off to the side, the monitors holding different viewpoint to various viewpoints across the city, a large figured sat perched before them and Umi felt a smile spread across her face.
"Sensei, I brought another one back for you." She called out, and the chair slowly turned around to face her.
Umi can remember the first time she had seen her Sensei's face, it was a stark contrast to what the man looked like in the past. His former lightly colored hair had been all but singed off, rough scar tissue now coated the entirety of his face, slight indents ran across where the sockets of his eyes used to be, and even the ridge of his nose had been obliterated into nothing.
The only part of him that had been left intact was his mouth, but even then the upper portion of his lip was non-existent, having faded out into nothing more than jagged flesh. Her eyes trailed over the extensive mass of I.V. tubes that punctured the juncture of his throat and cheeks, and she thought back to all the times she had cried over the thought of losing the one person who had given her a second chance.
Slowly All For One rose from his chair, sleek dress shoes clipped against the cement floor echoing throughout the expansive warehouse, and the sound seemed to stir the unconscious thug at her side because in the next moment he was jerking roughly against the ice restraints.
"You've been working hard." He spoke, and the deep baritone of his voice caused the man at her side to flinch.
"Who the fuck are you people?!"
All For One payed him no mind, instead choosing to avert all his attention towards Umi, a large hand came to rest atop her head and the girl felt a wave of pride swell within her chest from the gesture.
I was useful. She hugged her hands against her chest, blue eyes sparkled like gems in the dim lighting, and Umi felt herself smiling widely before she could stop herself. His hand lowered towards her cheek and he frowned at the feel of gauze against her skin.
"Kurogiri tells me you've been hesitant on using your Quirk."
"Ah—not so much as hesitant I just want to rely on my own skills a little more…" Umi trailed off softly.
All For One retracted his hand, "I understand your need to feel independent, but, it should not have to come at the price of your safety. You should have told me sooner, if physical combat is your concern I can put together a plan to help with your training."
"R-Really?!" Umi's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Of course."
"Hey! Are you shitheads listening?!" The man screamed, during their conversation he had managed to hoist himself up into a sitting position, and his eyes were wildly scanning the warehouse.
"You've brought a rather rambunctious one." All For One finally turned his attention towards the thug, "No matter, it won't last here."
Slender fingers latched onto his shirt, tendrils of water curled around his limbs, hoisting him upright they roughly slammed him against the medical table. Umi ran her fingers across his shackles, the ice melted beneath her touch forming back into water that trailed down to conjoin into the tendrils, swiftly she began to fasten the leather straps around his wrists and ankles.
"You bitch! Just wait until I get my hands on you." He snarled, thrashing furiously in his restrains and Umi merely stepped backwards, the thrum of a generator could be heard and slowly the harsh click of lights spread across the warehouse revealing rows upon rows of metal tanks.
Heavy tubing flowed within the unnaturally bright glowing waters, and when the man's eyes caught sight of the various floating brains within each vessel a fearful scream tore through his throat.
Languidly All For One circled the table, off to the side one of the doors banged open, an elderly looking man stepped out and Umi recognized him as the doctor that was often stationed beside her sensei.
"You can scream all you like." All For One's voice was cold, devoid of any of the warmth Umi was used to, and it was enough to send a shiver of fear up her spine. "But no one is coming to save you now."
Umi's expression darkened, behind her a warp slowly swirled open and without another word she stepped inside, disappearing from sight.
The first thing Umi registered through her sleep ridden mind was the strong smell of bacon, shuffling onto her back blue eyes fluttered open, only to be met with wisps of glowing yellow hovering above her.
Her first instinct was to scream, followed by rearing her fist back to punch the culprit straight in the face, and Umi liked to have think she would've landed a nice uppercut to the chin had it not been for the fact that Kurogiri was incorporeal.
Kurogiri stared down at the girl with a blank expression, shaking his head he went to place a plate onto the table, "You fell asleep in the booth last night when you got back." He explained as Umi stared in confusion at the wool blanket thrown around her shoulders.
Tiredly she rubbed the blurriness from her eyes, reaching for a fork she shoved a mouthful of eggs into her mouth only to pause when she caught something pink from the corner of her eye. Slowly she turned to look at Kurogiri only to gape, the man was donned in his usual suit, looking the picturesque of elegance however overtop that he had on a garishly bright apron that read 'I'd tell you the recipe, but then I'd have to kill you' written in white cursive text across the front.
Oh my god.
"Are you…why are you wearing an apron?"
"This—" He gestured to his suit, "Is Prada, and I have no intention of staining it with bacon grease. Do you have any idea how expensive this—"
"I can imagine, you and Sensei both have expensive taste when it comes to clothes."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to look nice."
"Save for the fact that you both barely go outside." Umi grumbled, she wondered all the things she could buy with his tie alone, probably a good months' worth of groceries plus cosmetics and even a little extra left over to splurge on.
He held a hand to his hip, spatula pointed outwards so that the handle rested against the side of his vest, and she silently prayed that it was grease free lest his little apron escapade be for naught. "I don't need to hear that from the one who spent 50,000 yen on sweets."
Umi flinched, caught, she knew they were never going to let that incident go, she had been young and it was the first time she'd been offered so much cash and freedom. Also it wasn't like she spent the money all at once, it was slowly over the course of two months, but the horrendous stomach aches and ear numbing lecture she received were totally worth it in her opinion.
"Yeah, yeah, you like your Prada and I like my sweets." Her fork stabbed into a chunk of potato, bringing it up to her mouth she glanced around the bar noting that they were one body short. "Wher'fes Tofmura?" she murmured around a mouthful of food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Kurogiri scolded, back turned to her as he cleaned up the plates and headed fort the back door where the kitchen was.
Umi rolled her eyes, while she knew he could be terrifying when it came down to the business of things, about 10% of the time he acted like a babysitter for both her and Tomura despite him being several years older than herself.
A minute later he emerged from the back with a crate of alcohol, heading behind the bar he went about organizing the various glass bottles as he saw fit. "Tomura was up all night playing that new video game you bought him, and he would've still been awake had I not forced him to at least get a few hours of rest."
"Ah, Dark Soulful, a truly wonderful game. Too bad I can't last more than five minutes." Umi held her glass of orange juice up with a wistful expression on her face, it amazed her how Tomura managed to play such difficult games while simultaneously trying not to disintegrate any of the controllers.
"That's nice." Kurogiri muttered over his shoulder, mind far too preoccupied with organizing the various brands of whisky by name.
Having finished her breakfast she set her plate to the side, slipping out from the booth Umi stretched her arms above her head, a groan leaving her lips when her back popped. "Say Kuro-chan, mind opening a gate for me at the usual place?"
"Heading out already?"
"Yeah, I didn't get a chance to take a shower yesterday so I feel all gross." One of her fingers fiddled with the gaps that had been torn through her shirt, on top of that her face felt oily, and a large portion of her jeans had been split up the front down to her shin.
Her ears twitched from the familiar sound of a warp opening, she was about to step inside when a wispy like tendril reached out to stop her. "You've been getting more publicity on the news lately, Sensei advised me to tell you to keep a low profile. He has all the subjects he needs for now, so be careful doing anything reckless."
"Gotcha, I'll keep that in mind!" Umi offered him a wave before hopping into the warp, darkness engulfed her for a moment and in the next her feet were crunching down onto the uneven grooves of asphalt.
Shoving her hands into her pockets Umi continued down the road, it was a forgotten part of town that no one bothered coming to anymore. Deep jagged cracks ran along the cement, various craters lined the sidewalks, and nearly all the buildings had their windows smashed out leaving shards of shattered glass scattered about.
Apparently it had been the aftermath of a nasty fight between a group of Villains and the Heroes, the events had taken place way before Umi had even been born, and she'd been told that the damage was too extensive so the many affected left their homes for city life and all thoughts of repairs had been scrapped and tossed aside.
Up ahead Umi could make out the silhouette of a crooked fence, speeding down the sidewalk she was mindful to leap over any hole shattered into the cement, and once she had reached it she pulled roughly on the chain link, wincing slightly when the squeaky metal grinded against itself.
Mindful to close the gate behind her she continued down the now dirt path, idly kicking at a stray rock she stopped once she reached the dip of the hill, eyes following the projectile of the stone as it skidded down the curve.
Down below was that of an abandoned train yard, heavy metal rails lined the stone ridden gravel, and several carts lined the tracks stacked side by side one another. Rusted over cars stood forgotten towards the eastern side of the area, and bundles upon bundles of weeds curled through and about the aging iron.
Umi was careful as she slid down the hill, jagged shards of glass from bottles and other debris were scattered about the descend, and there was no telling what sort of disease she could pick up if any of them were to prick her skin.
"Home sweet home." She raised her arms out on either side of her, heading towards the western side of the yard a lone train cart came into view. There was a large iron barrel placed out front with a handful of worn down furniture and lawn chairs Umi had found randomly strewn about outside. It served as her own little person bonfire on those nights where she would stay up all night to watch the stars, and toast marshmallows to cheesy pop songs on her phone.
Draped across the train cart itself were fairy lights, she had opted for picking ones that emitted white light than that of the colorful ones because she thought they gave it more of a natural glow, that and it was less conspicuous to any wandering eyes.
Small iron shelves were huddled around the cart right beside the iron door, potted plants of different varieties ranging from flowers to cacti were seated neatly within their spots, and a tin watering can lay at the foot.
Time and time again Kurogiri had offered the girl a place to stay at the bar, Tomura had also voiced his opinion on the matter wondering how she could even stay in such a worn out place, and even Sensei had told Umi he would purchase a small apartment for her if she needed.
But Umi had turned them all down politely, she was grateful for their offers but she didn't want to get too dependent on them, she understood that she was still young but she had grown up rather stubborn and set in her ways. She wanted to accomplish things for herself, wanted to feel the joy and satisfaction that came with completing a hard task on your own.
Which was why even though the train yard wasn't the nicest to look at, it meant the world to Umi because it was hers and hers alone.
She would admit that it got a bit warm in the summer, and could get terribly cold in the winter but she was a survivor if anything and possessed street smarts that helped her push through each obstacle thrown her way.
Undoing the heavy metal latch Umi slid the door wide open, hauling herself up and over she fell onto her back, blue eyes wandering up to the ceiling that had been filled with an array of battery operated paper lanterns that hung from silk ribbons.
The walls were decorated with paintings she had done when inspiration had struck, along with the occasional band or anime poster she had favored. A large queen sized mattress was shoved up against the corner with a single blanket and pillow, and at the front of the cart was a generator that could operate her internet router she had managed to install.
All little necessities she had managed to scrape by in the last couple of years.
Even the location of the train yard had been kept a secret from the others, she enjoyed their company but hadn't wanted any of them to intrude on her private little sanctuary, it was the one place where she could wind down and be truly alone.
Not bothering to get up Umi rolled towards the foot of the bed, opening one of the drawers to her dresser she pulled out a bundle of clothes and tossed them onto the mattress. She opted on picking out a simple pair of leggings, a red tank top coupled with a leather jacket, and a pair of black timberland boots.
Umi let out a sigh as she sat herself upright, snatching a towel from the top of the dresser she also collected a catty of her shower necessities and was about to head back outside when a ping from her phone stopped her.
She quirked a brow at the unknown number, tapping the message she felt her face light up as she read.
Hey Umi at least I hope it's you, this is Midoriya sorry about messaging you so late for my number! I was wondering if you'd maybe want to hang out later…of course when I get out of school if you'd like I mean I don't want to pressure you if your busy! (╯•﹏•╰)
He was just as shy over text as he was in person Umi mused, Yeah it's me ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), and don't worry about it, I understand everyone gets a little busy. Umm, I don't have anything else planned today except heading out to get some ice cream later! Just text me what time I should meet you and I'll be there. ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
Umi tossed her phone to the side, she'd read his message when she was done showering. Sliding out of the train cart she headed around the back where a small makeshift shower had been made with tacky flower decaled curtains hung up, and it was during moments like this that Umi was thankful she had been born with a water based quirk.
Stripping off her clothes she hopped into the metal tub, a loud hum leaving her lips as excitement bubbled in her chest.
A good fifteen minutes had passed since school had been called out at Aldera Junior High, Umi had watched as a hoard of students had passed the gates, filling the once peaceful atmosphere with excited chatters of the weekend to come.
Midoriya had texted her to be there a little before three, and that he was usually always one of the first few students that left the school. She wondered if he had maybe forgotten and headed home without stopping to look for her, or that something came up during class that had him staying after.
It wasn't until practically a half an hour had passed that Umi decided to past the gates to look for him, unease settled in her gut at the thought of being so close to another school, in the past she had attended Junior High but things didn't turn out so well and she ended up getting homeschooled by Kurogiri.
"Midori-chan!" She called out, and it wasn't until she had made it to the front entrance that she heard the sound of someone yelling in the distance. The noise was coming from the left side of the school, seeing as she had nothing to lose Umi shrugged her shoulders and headed after the noise, if it turned out to be nothing then she'd just head back and go get icecream herself.
Peeking over the corner of the building Umi could make out two bodies, her eyes scanned over them and when she finally caught sight of green hair the corners of her lips tugged upwards in relief, only for it to be wiped clean off her face when the spikey haired blonde roughly shoved him against the wall.
Anger curled in her stomach, how could anyone treat Midoriya so horribly? Umi wondered if this played a part in why he was so jumpy whenever someone got too close, or why he always curled into himself when out in public amongst others. She knew the adverse effects bullying could have on someone, after all part of the reason why she had been withdrawn from Junior High was because of all the teasing and bullying.
"There you are Midori-chan, I was looking for you." She chirped, and both pairs of eyes snapped towards her approaching form as she offered them all an innocent wave.
"U-Umi?" Midoriya gazed uncertainly from the boy holding him against the wall, to the girl that now stood only a few feet away, hands shoved deeply into the pockets of her leather jacket.
"In the flesh, I was wondering what was taking you." Blue eyes narrowed at the blond, stepping over to Midoriya she gingerly reached out to pluck the fist away from his collar.
Her fingertips barely even managed to touch his hand before the blonde was harshly smacking them away, he roughly shoved Midoriya to the side and Umi reached out to catch him before he could tumble to the floor.
"We're busy here, can't you take a hint?" He snarled.
"I don't care what you are." Umi scoffed.
Blazing crimson met serene blue, fire and water clashing, she could feel a wave of heat begin to radiate from his body and her eyes instantly fell to his hands that had begun to emit tiny explosions that crackled like fireworks.
"K-Kacchan!"
"Shut up Deku!"
Suddenly a hand fisted the collar of her jacket, a sharp hiss filled the air and Umi's eyes widened when the leather began to sear against the heat that radiated off his palm. "I said this doesn't concern you, piss off."
"Kacchan huh?" Umi let out a snort at the nickname, a grin spread widely across her face before full blown out laughter escaped her lips. The hand on her collar tightened, the leather curling beneath his grip and warping little wrinkles across the material.
"What's so funny?"
"K-Kacchan's just a nickname..." Midoriya tried to intervene, flinching back when Bakugou rounded on him, the movement caused Umi to jerk within his hold the bottoms of her feet scraping against the dirt.
"N-Nothing it's just Kacchan sounds kinda cute, you know like something you'd name a pet hamster or something." Umi gripped 'Kacchan's' hand, a gush of water seeped forward causing the explosions in his palm to die out with a loud hiss.
She took this as her chance to shove away, at her side Midoriya's mouth dropped open in shock as he regarded the girl with wide eyes.
"Oi, Puddles, are you tryin' to start something?" Kacchan wiped the water from his hand, and Umi took a mental note of the fact that he probably couldn't ignite anything as long as he couldn't get a spark going.
"P-Puddles?"
"Umi it's fine let's just get out of here." Midoriya pleaded, he took a step back and tugged on the sleeve of Umi's jacket.
"You're not going anywhere Deku, don't think a Quirkless nobody can get away with stepping to me!"
"Quirkless? But I thought you said-" Umi trailed off, a small frown forming on her face.
Midoriya did a full body flinch, he hung his head in shame and slowly shook his head. "I—I lied about what I said before Umi, my quirk isn't fit for fighting because I never had one to begin with."
So that's what it was huh… Umi hummed, "Alright, I think this has gone on for long enough, which is why I'm gonna just—" She pivoted on her heels, lashing out Umi tightly gripped Midoriya's hand within her own, and together they took off into a sprint.
Midoriya glanced over his shoulders, green eyes nearly bugging out of skull when Bakugou lunged forward explosions propelling him forward in hot pursuit. Umi let out a breezy laugh, and a rush of adrenaline ran up her spine.
Slamming her foot into the ground a thick wall of ice burst upwards, blocking Bakugou's path and the teen let out a furious roar as his palms slammed into the ice. "You're dead when I get my hands on you Puddles! You too shitty nerd!"
Umi picked up the pace, glancing behind her she watched as the wall of ice grew smaller and smaller until it was finally out of sight and they had reached the front gate.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Midoriya questioned, he let out small huffs of air, shoulders hunched slightly as he caught his breath.
"Yeah it's just ice after all, I'm pretty sure he just blew it away anyways." Umi slipped off her jacket, holding it up in front of her she inspected the damage only to let out a long groan. The whole collar had been melded together in a weird warp, parts of it had just been singed off all together revealing the material underneath.
"I'm sorry about your jacket, I didn't mean for things to escalate like they did…"
"It's fine Midori-chan it was my fault to for interfering, but geez he was such a hotheaded dude." Umi tapped a finger to her chin in thought, "He sort of reminded me of an angry Shiba Inu…"
"Kacchan's always been like that, ever since he got his quirk when we were kids." He offered, and Umi hummed in reply.
Midoriya watched the girl as she twirled the jacket in her hands, letting out a sigh she headed for one of the trash cans and tossed it inside. While her back was turned to him he took note of the various scars that ran across her pale skin, bandages were wound around her arms and he had only just noticed the bruises on her face. A pop of color caught his attention and he could make out swirls of blue across the curve of her shoulder in what looked like a tattoo.
"That wasn't from Kacchan was it?" He gestured to her face, and Umi blinked before swiftly shaking her head with a nervous laugh.
"Oh no—I just got into a bit of trouble last night on my way home. But don't worry they don't hurt or anything." She offered him a smile that she hoped looked reassuring, she didn't need him worrying about her—especially since she had been the one at fault.
"It's sort of amazing though, that you managed to slow Kacchan down with your quirk." Green eyes shined brightly, Midoriya slowly reached for his notebook and before she knew it he began mumbling as he wrote things down. "Is it water and ice control? Can you generate water from your body or do you need to take it from a source like a bottle or container? Maybe even a lake or pond?"
"Are you taking notes on me?"
A red flush began to spread across his face, Midoriya gesticulated with his hands bringing them up to shield his face. "I like to take notes down for people's quirks I like, most of them are heroes but on occasion I'll put down someone I know. I hope you don't mind?"
"I don't, but it isn't really anything special a lot of people out there have elemental based quirks." Umi held out a hand, a blue sphere of water began to swirl and form at the center, curling her fingers slightly ice began to frost over the sides curling upwards until it reached the top. "It's called Lapis Lazuli, it allows me to manipulate water in its three basic forms."
All the while Midoriya was furiously writing away in his notebook, Umi watched him silently, and she felt a pang of guilt sink in her chest.
It's not going to last, this isn't going to last.
A sad smile crept its way across her lips, here she was spending her time with a boy who wanted to become a hero, who looked up to All Might with all of his being, and here she was lying straight to his face parading around innocently as though she wasn't a villain.
For now at least.
"Say Midori-chan, why don't we get that ice cream I promised earlier?" Umi jutted a thumb down the street, "I know this sweet place that makes amazing snow cones."
"Eh really? Midoriya snapped his book shut and hastily placed it into his backpack, he rummaged through it for a while before pulling out a bright blue and red All Might wallet, a bright grin on his face. "This time I'm paying though, Mom gave me money when I told her I was heading out with a friend."
"Alright, let's go!" Umi pointed a finger forward, and her eyes fluttered shut as they walked side by side, together, the glow of the evening sun warm at their back.
Before it all falls apart I want to pretend.
It wasn't until a week had passed that Umi came to a decision.
Resting her forehead against the bar top she let out a heavy sigh, over the passing days her friendship with Midoriya had only grown stronger and in turn the guilt she felt grew heavier and heavier within her chest.
It had gotten to the point where he invited her over to his apartment, stating that his mother was utterly excited to meet the person who had quickly become one of his closest and only friends.
Umi didn't regret the fact that she was a villain, it was the path she had chosen from the moment she had accepted Sensei's hand, it was more so the fact that she regretted letting someone with such differing viewpoints into her life so easily.
Having friends was hard.
She let out another groan, rolling her forehead against the table, and Tomura firmly planted one of his hands on the back of her head, mindful to keep his pinky finger held upright. "I can't concentrate with you making so much noise, go cry somewhere else."
"I'm not crying, I'm groaning!"
"Same thing."
Umi blinked at him before letting out another groan, Tomura rolled his eyes and retracted his hand. Reaching into his pockets he pulled out a pair of headphones, without sparing the girl so much as a glance he plugged them into his portable console and continued tapping away at the buttons.
"Hey Mura-chan…"
Silence.
"Mura-chan!"
Still no answer.
Pointing a finger at his ear she shot a jet of water inside, instantly Tomura jerked back, headphones ripping out of his ear and he rounded on the girl so fast he dropped the console onto the bar top.
"I'm thinking of going to visit my mom."
All palpable anger seemed to visibly dissipate from Tomura's face, his hands lowered against the counter and he awkwardly busied himself with fiddling with one of the glass ash trays Kurogiri had recently purchased from a sale.
"What's the point? You know she can't listen to you." His thin fingers tapped noisily against the glass, and Umi shrugged her shoulders with another sigh that had his brow twitching.
"Yeah but she's the only family member I have left, I've got to look out for her." Umi's eyes fell half lidded, a melancholy expression flitted across her face and she turned to look at Tomura beside her.
"Do what you want." His fingers curled around the tray, ash seeping out from the cracks of his fingers and he reached back for his game, slipping one of his headphone buds back into his ear. "Don't cause any trouble, I'm not busting my ass to save you if anything happens."
"Aww, is Mura-chan worried about me?"
The resounding groan and curse she received was more than enough.
For as long as she could remember, Umi absolutely abhorred hospitals.
The sleek white tiled floors, over hanging fluorescent lights with the constant smell of something sterile in the air. She stood uncomfortably at the front desk, and a tender eyed nurse offered her a soft smile.
"Hello dear, here to see someone?"
"Nami Agawa."
Second reason why she hated visiting hospitals, after hearing her mother's name a look of pity formed on the nurse's face, and Umi's fingers curled into tight fists at her sides.
"What a sweet child you are, your mother really is blessed." She gave Umi a sympathetic sigh, and gestured towards the stairs behind her. Muttering a thank you under her breath she headed up the steps, for the most part her journey to the fourth floor was carried out in silence, the occasional nurse passing by with a nod of acknowledgement.
By the time she reached the floor her feet carried her by memory down the adjacent hall towards the room placed towards the furthest end of the hallway. 4-F was engraved against the card beside the door, and with a shaky breath Umi slowly turned the handle and stepped inside.
Blue eyes immediately found the lifeless form placed at the center of the bed, she closed the door behind her, and as silently as she could moved to sit in a chair placed against the side of the bed.
Her mother's dull stormy blue eyes gazed blankly at the ceiling above them, limp hands remained askew at her sides, and her pale skin was pulled taut over the bones beneath them. Gingerly she took Nami's hand within her own, her mother didn't acknowledge the movement and it wasn't like she could anyways if she had wanted to.
Nami Agawa was nothing more than a former husk of what once was.
Sensei had told her it was the result of a Quirk, had told her found Nami shortly after he'd taken Umi off the streets, that she was a brave fighter amongst the League until the day it had all been stolen from her. She was trapped in her own mind, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to live.
She brought Nami's hand to her chest, keeping it close to her heart. Her mind wandered back to Midoriya, to the boy that held the sun in his smile, the hero enthusiast of a teenager that would gush about All Might endlessly, someone who loved heroes with all his being.
At the end of the day, Umi could never see things in the same light that he did, despite what she wanted and pretended, despite their friendship.
That's what separated them, a boy to a villain.
After all, it was none other than a hero who had ripped everything away from her.
It's past midnight and I'm so relieved I managed to finish this chapter before heading off to bed. I still feel a little iffy with how I'm pacing things, but I hope everything is making sense, if not just message me any questions and I'll do my best to answer them.
I just want to thank everyone whose reviewed, followed or favorited, it means so much to me and I hope you're all liking Umi as well. Poor girl just wants to have more friends her age, with this chapter we get a little more insight on how she came to be a villain along with meeting her mom and the reason why she's decided to go against the heroes!
We also get our first cameo of Bakugou in the story, I already have a nickname for Umi to call him in the future as well, and yes she has a habit of adding chan at the end of everyone's name.
Also I know a lot of people are all for Dad!Might and I totally am as well, but like I also really head-cannon Dad!Giri. I can picture him acting as the dad of sorts in certain situations when it comes to the League and I really loved writing his character as well :)
Things got a little angsty at the end, but what can I say, I'm a writer who loves writing bittersweet things so prepare for tons of angst in the future!
Well that's all for now, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter because I had a lot of fun writing it.
Until next time! ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ