A/N- So, it's been a while, but I've started to gain traction again.
Not much progression in terms of the MHA story line, just a bunch of filler to setup future stuff.
To those of you who have submitted OC's for the story; although I haven't used them just yet, I did find some I plan on utilizing. Just know that if I use your character, I might have to make a few adjustments to them in order to better fit the story. Ex: I don't want two people with the same personality.
*EDIT*- Added some more to this chapter. See A/N at the end.
Other than that, I hope you enjoy and be sure to review.
Disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING!
(-)
Toshinori Yagi rubbed at his temples as he tried to alleviate the headache that was threatening to take hold of his brain. Due to the actions of a single rebellious student, the entirety of Hero society had been thrown into chaos in trying to deal with the fallout. It seemed that Kumagawa Misogi had planned everything out to make sure the impact he made with his great reveal would maximize its effect. Heroes were forced to work double-time to deal with all the protests, along with handling their own duties. And no one had to work harder than the country's Number 1 Hero.
Between trying to keep Endeavor off the war-path, as well as settle the worries of the masses, he also had to deal with the results of the UA Sports Festival. Although he hadn't placed first, Midoriya had done well all things considered, and Yagi was certain he was shaping up to be the ideal Symbol of Peace. What worried the Pro more, was the fact that his student would be shadowing the retired Hero; Gran Torino, in a few days time.
He had to suppress a shudder at the thought of what the boy would be put through.
And as if all that wasn't bad enough, now the Hero Killer Stain was stepping up his game. The Villain's latest target had been Iida's older brother, the Pro Hero; Ingenium.
Yagi let out a long exhale as he slumped back into his chair. "A hero's work is never done..."
Almost as if in answer to his prayer for a distraction, the hero's phone rang. It was a familiar tune, one that let him know who was on the other end of the call without having to look at the screen.
"I was expecting a call from you for some time now. Did something come up?"
"Hardly, I just wanted to do some research on the subject before I made my proposal to you."
"And I'm willing to bet that you came up with nothing of substance regarding the subject?"
"I am well aware that Nezu already went to great lengths in his investigation, but you know how everyone always has to find out the truth for themselves. It's a simple psychological response. That, and I actually intended to find the boy in question myself."
"You tried to find him?"
"Naturally. Given the nature of my Quirk, I figured it would be best if I tried to meet him in person."
"I'm not sure whether or not that was crazy of you or cunning."
"Well, madness and genius often go hand-in-hand. However it's the results that define just how much our actions lean towards one or the other."
"Hahh, well, I can't argue with you on that. Though you should do well to remember that his motives and intentions seem to shift without warning." he responded as he drummed his fingers on the table. "Although he has undone his actions, he has still killed multiple Villains when lethal force was not required... All it takes is a single whim for him to choose whether or not to undo his work."
"Ah yes, his ability to turn anything to nothing. Quite the dangerous power. In fact, I'd say it could potentially be the most destructive 'Skill' in the world, depending on what its limits are."
"... And?" Yagi prodded, knowing there was more to his friends train of thought.
"And, it could potentially be one of the most helpful. To turn death itself into nothing. To be able to render any and all injuries null and void."
"I know where you are going with this, but it's a risky idea."
"Of course. Every choice comes with its own level of risk, which is why I plan to minimize the chance of my plan backfiring as much as possible. And to do that, I must get inside the mind of the madman."
"... I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do."
"Not sure? With his power, we can finally restore your health to what it once was. The Symbol of Peace shall return to his prime form, and All For One will be at the disadvantage. You will be able to remain as the beacon of hope the people need for years to come!"
"I know, I know... It's just... is this what's meant to be?"
"... I don't follow."
"It is the duty of the old guard to pass their responsibilities onto the next generation." he said as he looked at his open palm, 'feeling' the flame of One For All in his grasp. "I have already begun to pass the torch to the next bearer. Soon, he will take my place as the new Symbol of Peace. But before that happens, I will defeat All For One."
"You are making a mistake. You would risk it all by betting on the future? Even when victory is within your grasp in the present?"
"... If we are able to sway Kumagawa to our cause, I will not complain. However you must remember that no one lives forever. It's just a matter of time before our number gets called. And when it does, we must make sure that all our affairs are in order."
"... If that is what you think is best, then I will respect your decision. But that won't stop me from approaching him."
"Just... be careful. Alright?"
"As always."
Hearing the line disconnect, Yagi returned his phone to its place on the table. Looking back at the pile of paperwork on his desk, the hero let out a sigh. "I feel like I've aged twenty years in just this last week alone."
(-)
It was midday in Musutafu and the weather was slightly overcast, making it a good day for indoor activity. Walking down the street was a group of Class-1A students from UA who had chosen to spend the day doing something fun together, seeing as how the following day they would start their training under a real Pro-Hero. It was their last chance to get some fun in before their schedules were monopolized by work.
So the six person group had decided to head towards the mall and see what they could find to do. Perhaps see a movie or something.
"Hey, did you hear about that weird island that appeared off the coast this morning?" asked Kaminari.
"Yeah, that was totes weird! And it has an entire facility on it as well!" opined Ashido.
"You think someone built it overnight?" wondered Kirishima.
"Well as far as we know, islands don't just sprout up without warning." responded Jirou. "Especially ones with a pre-built structure on them."
"I heard that the government has been looking into it, but apparently an unknown group has claimed the island is theirs and have been blocking access." spoke Uraraka. "What do you think Deku-kun?"
Turning to the green-haired teen who had remained quiet for the entire conversation, she noticed that his mind seemed to be somewhere else.
"Yo, Midoriya!" Kaminari called out as he grabbed the boys shoulder and gave it a shake.
"Huh?"
"You alright man? You've been spacing out for awhile now."
Midoriya blushed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head. "I-it's nothing... Just, worried about Iida-san is all."
The rest of the group gave a slight nod in agreement. They had invited Iida to come along with them, but he said he was going to see his brother in the hospital instead.
"I feel ya man." said Kirishima. "He acts like a robot all the time, but he's still a kid like us. He must be worried sick about his bro."
"Well he does look up to his brother as a role model." added Ashido. "I can't even imagine what he's going through right now."
"I wish we could do something to help him." spoke Uraraka as she clenched her fists.
"I'm sure the doctors are doing everything in their power to help him." noted Jirou. "It's not like we can do anything ourselves except be there for him when he needs support."
Midoriya nodded in agreement as he was tapping his chin in thought. "But... what if there was a way we could help him?"
"What? You got an idea?" asked Kaminari.
"Kind of. But I don't think you'll like it."
"Why's that?"
"Well, while we personally can't do anything to help, we do know someone who can."
"... Please tell me you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting." spoke Jirou.
"U-unfortunately yes." Midoriya said nervously. "If his words are to be taken at their full worth, Kumagawa can turn anything to nothing. That includes wounds. We all saw what he is capable of."
"Okay, one; this plan is crazy. Two; Kumagawa seems about as stable as a house made of toothpicks. Three; this plan is crazy. And four; how would we even go about finding him?" asked Jirou.
[Well for starters I could just find you.]
Everyone jumped at the familiar voice that came from behind them. And lo and behold, the very same person they were just discussing happened to be there. As opposed to his school uniform, Kumagawa was now dressed in his casual wear, which was a pair of black slacks, and a grey long-sleeve shirt that had the words 'I'm with stupid' written on it with an arrow pointing up at Kumagawa's face.
[Hey guys! It's only been a week since we last saw each other but it feels like years! Tell me, has anyone been keeping track of Bakugou's cursing?]
Despite all that had happened the last time they saw him, Kumagawa was acting like everything was perfectly normal.
"Uhh, 13,530." Kirishima answered after a moment.
Giving him a thumbs up, Kumagawa shot a smile at Kirishima. [I knew I could count on you buddy!]
"Wait, time-out!" Jirou shouted as she formed a T with her hands. "Are we really doing this?!"
Kumagawa tilted his head in confusion. [Doing what exactly?]
"I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but a good portion of the population considers you to be an anarchist." responded Jirou. "Pro-Heroes have been on a manhunt for you, and now you're just waltzing around a busy street like nothing's wrong?!"
The smiling teen held his hands up defensively. [Jirou-san, you really should calm down.] he then leaned in to whisper to her. [People are starting to stare.]
Casting a quick glance around, Jirou noticed that her outburst had garnered the attention of other pedestrians.
"Umm, what are you doing here Kumagawa-san?" Uraraka asked, trying to shift topics.
Said teen skipped backwards a step and put his hands in his pockets. [Why, I'm here to spend some time with my former classmates.]
Needless to say, all eyes had widened at that statement.
"Seriously?" asked Kaminari.
[Is it really that hard to believe?]
"Listen man," Kirishima spoke up after a moment. "You're cool and all, and I know we were friends, but that stunt you pulled at the Sports Festival was a little..."
"Disturbing." Ashido finished for him.
"Yeah, so I hope you understand why we're a little apprehensive of being around you."
Kumagawa rolled his knuckles under his chin and nodded in agreement. [I see. I suppose what I did may have been a little extreme to innocents like yourselves, it's just that I've long since gotten use to that level of violence. Sometimes I need to remind myself that not everyone is comfortable with my combat style.]
Despite the fact that his smile never changed in the slightest, along with his tone of voice, Midoriya thought that Kumagawa was genuinely apologetic. But that still didn't make the teen seem any less dangerous.
[Tell you what,] Kumagawa clapped his hands together upon coming up with an idea. [How would you like to join me on a trip to a karaoke bar? We can sing some songs, have some lunch, I'll even treat you all to it!]
"Err, I think I'll pa-" Kaminari was cut-off as Kirishima grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back and formed a group huddle. "What the hell man?!"
"Alright, who's for going with Kumagawa to karaoke?" the red-head asked.
"... You can't be serious." Jirou said dryly.
"I mean, the idea sounds fun, but..." Ashido trailed off as she glanced towards Kumagawa, who was standing still and waiting patiently for them to finish. "Well..."
"Yeah, the guy's kinda scary, but this is the perfect chance to get his help for Iida." reasoned Kirishima.
"... Wow, did Kirishima just have a good idea?" Jirou wondered aloud.
"I... I agree with Kirishima-san." Midoriya spoke up after a moment.
"Seriously?!" Kaminari spoke in disbelief. "Do you even remember what he's capable of?!"
Midoriya swallowed the lump in his throat as he recalled watching Kumagawa drive a screw through his skull, but after a moment he nodded. "Yes, I do... But think about it; has he ever harmed any of us in such a way?"
The group looked amongst each other, slowly coming to a realization.
"Even when he was set to fight Todoroki-san, he never utilized his screws to harm him. He has only ever used punches or kicks, and weak ones at that."
"But, what about the villains at USJ?"
"... Even though he had 'killed' the villains during the attack, he said it was because they were trying to kill all of us. And in the end he undid all the damage." Uraraka answered.
"That still doesn't change the fact that he killed them."
"Listen, the guy may be a bit extreme, but not once has he done anything 'evil'." Kirishima opined. "I say we go with him." he then put his hand in the center of the group. "Who else is coming?"
After a moment, Midoriya and Uraraka added their hands to the mix.
Jirou let out a sigh as she put her hand in as well. "I'm probably gonna regret this."
"I suppose there's no harm in hanging out with him. It's not like we're gonna fight or anything." Ashido reasoned as she put her hand in.
"What about you Kaminari?"
The blonde ran his hand through his hair in aggravation, but eventually relented. "It'd look bad if I was the odd man out." and he added his hand in.
[Alright! Let's do this!]
The students were startled as another hand was put in. Unbeknownst to them, Kumagawa had snuck his way into the circle sometime during their discussion.
"H-how long have you been here?!" asked a spooked Kaminari.
The smiling teen wagged his finger. [Sorry, but a true magician never reveals his secrets.]
'What part of that was magic?' was the collective thought.
[Now, onward to the karaoke bar! My friends are there waiting for us!] he said as he dramatically pointed in the direction of the bar.
"Wait, friends? You mean there are other people joining us?" asked a nervous Kaminari.
[Oh, don't worry. They don't bite or anything. Well, most of them. My girlfriend is the only one who does, but she only does that to me.]
Not knowing exactly how to interpret that, the students chose to ignore it altogether.
After a few minutes of walking, the group arrived at a rather popular karaoke bar off of main street. It was rather flashy in order to stand out, and was designed to cater parties of up to twenty people in a single room. After Kumagawa explained to the man at the front desk that he had a reservation, he handed the teen his pass and directed him down the hall.
Right before Kumagawa opened the door to the room, he stopped and briefly turned to the rest of the gang.
[Just a heads up; my girlfriend can be a little eccentric. She is rather straightforward about showing her affection for me, so don't be alarmed by what you see.]
The teens nodded in understanding. How bad could it be?
[Hey everyone, I'm her-]
"Misogi-kun~!"
The UA students could only gasp in shock as a bubbly girl with somewhat messy pale-blonde hair that was tied into two buns, immediately jumped at Kumagawa... And proceeded to stab the side of his head with a fork.
As if that wasn't strange enough, the other occupants of the room didn't even react in the slightest as Kumagawa's head started spurting blood like a colander.
[Ah, Himiko-chan, I always look forward to your wonderful greetings.]
This is what Kumagawa considered a nice greeting? The UA group didn't want to imagine what a bad greeting to him would have to be.
Also, Kumagawa said his girlfriend bites, NOT STABS. Contrary to popular belief, there is a difference between the two.
"This can't be real..." Jirou spoke after a moment.
"Believe it kid. Kumagawa is like a magnet for shit like this." spoke one of the rooms occupants.
Turning to the source of the voice, Jirou nearly stumbled backwards in surprise. "Y-y-you're...!" she stuttered as she pointed at the girl.
"Hah?" the girls mouth opened as she grunted, showing off her sharp teeth.
"K-K-Kiyoterae!"
True to Jirou's observation, Sukinasaki Saki, the lead singer of the band Kiyoterae, was lounging in one of the rooms couches, sipping from a glass of what was probably juice.
The singer grinned at the mention of her bands name. "Well, well, looks like we got a real consumer here!" she said as she raised her glass towards Jirou. "You must be Jirou. Kumagawa said you're a big fan of my music."
The rock girl turned towards Kumagawa, whose head was still covered in blood as his girlfriend hung from his neck. "You're friends with Sukinasaki Saki?!"
"'Friends' might be a bit much in my opinion." Sukinasaki spoke up. "He's more like an annoying brother who keeps poking you when you're trying to read. You put up with him, but he still pisses you off. And every once in awhile he does something nice to earn back your respect."
[I think there's a bit more to it than that,]
The performer shot a glare at the smiling teen. "So you want me to give them the unedited version?"
[... So yes, Sukinasaki is a friend of mine from junior high. We were both in the same class, as well as served on the student council.]
"This the same place where the President gave you the position of Vice President?" asked Ashido.
Kumagawa shook his head. [No, that was when I was in high school.]
"Wait, UA is a high school, and you were enrolled as a first year. So how does this work?" asked Midoriya.
"Screw-head here is actually 18 years old." answered Sukinasaki. "He already graduated from high school, but for reasons only he can comprehend he decided to start again as a first year."
"Seriously?!" asked Kirishima in surprise.
"I hate to admit it, but that seems a little... weird." opined Uraraka.
"I know, isn't Misogi-kun amazing~?" spoke the blood-stained girl who was hugging him.
"Okay, time to address the elephant in the room. Who is she?" Kaminari said as he pointed at the strange girl.
"I'm Misogi-kun's girlfriend~!" the girl answered as she released Kumagawa and spun on her heel to face the students. As she did this, all the blood vanished from her clothes and face, making her look not quite as disturbing.
"My name is Toga Himiko! It's nice to finally meet Misogi-kun's friends from school~."
"Err, nice to meet you Toga-san." Uraraka responded nervously. "I'm Uraraka Ochaco."
"Kirishima Eijirou." spoke the red-head.
"I'm Ashido Mina!" the bubbly pink girl stated.
"K-Kaminari Denki." the electric Quirk user responded with a stutter, still hung up on the girl 'attacking' Kumagawa.
"M-Midoriya Izuku." the green haired teen spoke with his usual nervousness upon meeting new people. "But I sometimes go by Deku."
Meanwhile Jirou was still too preoccupied gushing over the singer of her favorite band to give her name.
"Err, that's Jirou Kyoka." said Ashido. "She's not usually like this, it's just she's a big fan of Sukinasaki-san's band."
Toga gazed about the colorful group of students before her eyes landed on Midoriya and momentarily halted. "Hey, you're that cool guy from the Sports Festival. The one with the Quirk so strong you hurt yourself!"
Midoriya blushed slightly as he looked away. "Y-yeah... That's me."
The pale-blonde beamed. "You were pretty cool! But not as cool as my Misogi-kun~!"
"Ah, t-thanks for the c-compliment."
"Alright, now that introductions are over," Kaminari started as he adopted a thinking pose. Then he suddenly pointed at Toga while turning to Kumagawa. "WHY WAS SHE STABBING YOU?!"
[Oh, that's just her way of showing her affection to me!] Kumagawa responded like it was completely normal.
"There's a difference between affection and mutilation!"
"Don't worry, it's okay~." spoke Toga as she threw her arms around Kumagawa's neck. "Misogi-kun is happy to indulge my habits~."
"... And, your habits are stabbing people?" asked an unsure Uraraka.
"Yeah, but it's not my fault. That's just who I am~."
[Remember weeks ago when I said I made a new lady friend?] Kumagawa asked. [Well, that was Himiko-chan. She attacked me on my way to the convenience store, at which point we developed a strong bond. I admire her honesty and impulsiveness,]
"And I love his smile and generosity~."
[And since we're both Minus, it's like a match made in Hell!]
"Uhh, don't you mean Heaven?" asked Midoriya.
[... Yes, of course! That's what I meant.]
"So, she's an Abnormal like you?" Kirishima wondered aloud.
"There's a bit more to it than that."
Turning to the new voice, the group finally acknowledged Kumagawa's other two friends who had been present from the start. The first was the girl they recognized from the Sports Festival who showed up after Kumagawa's declaration. Now that they had an up close view of her, they noticed that besides being a beauty, there was something about her eyes that seemed off. But they couldn't quite put their finger on it.
The other person was a somewhat tall man wearing a white uniform. They couldn't determine anything else about his looks, as his face was buried in the food and drink menu for the karaoke bar. The only thing that stood out was the absurdly long blue ahoge that hung in front of his menu.
"By the way; nice to meet you all." the girl said with a small wave. "I'm Ajimu Najimi, and this," she gestured to the man beside her. "is my friend Shiranui Hanten."
The girl then leaned forward and interlocked her fingers as she observed the students with a scrutinizing gaze. "So, you must be the kids that had to put up with Kumagawa for the last while... Kinda impressive that you made it this far. Even more impressive that you willingly joined him here today."
Ajimu then shot a glance at Kumagawa. "They are here willingly, right?"
Kumagawa held up his hands placatingly. [I assure you that I am not threatening or blackmailing them into being here.] his eyes then narrowed slightly as he stared back at the girl. [Besides, we both know you have plenty of ways to find out the truth.]
Ajimu shrugged. "Fair point. By the way, the others said that they're running late."
[Ah, so that's it. I thought the room looked rather empty.]
"Anyway, we seem to have gotten off-topic." Ajimu said as her attention returned to the students. "You're curious about how Miss Toga fits into all this. Seeing as how we still have some time before the last of our guests arrive, I suppose we can fit in some exposition. And don't you dare complain about this. MementoMori115 is doing his best to make things proceed as planned and provide background information for the readers."
The teens looked amongst themselves in confusion at that last remark.
"Let me start by saying that each person who was initially in this room is an Abnormal. Although Hanten and I are rather different when compared to others."
"Wait, so Sukinasaki-san is an Abnormal?" asked Jirou.
The idol smirked. "Shit yeah I am. Don't ya remember the stunt I pulled at the Sports Festival? The headlines in the paper may have said it was a Quirk, but they're way off."
"Sukinasaki is technically classified as a Plus." Ajimu explained. "As for Toga here, she is actually something quite uncommon."
"I'm super special~!"
[That you are Himiko-chan!] Kumagawa agreed as he patted the girls head.
"As I was saying," Ajimu said with a bit of annoyance in her voice. "As Kumagawa stated during his stunt, Skill's are abilities born from the mind, while Quirk's are born from the body. One is genetic, and the other is the product of ones mentality. In order to realize ones Skill, their mind must be a blank canvas so that the Skill may manifest. And here's where things get confusing. When someone manifests a Quirk, all their focus is directed at it. This means that the potential for the Skill to develop is stunted since the persons mind is no longer open to change. It's like one of those eye-trick paintings where you have to try and see something hidden in it. The only difference is that instead of looking for the hidden image, you just choose to admire the painting for the base picture."
"Concerning Toga, she was born with a Quirk, but also had the potential to develop a Skill. But since Quirks generally manifest earlier than Skill's, she was unable to become an Abnormal, despite her mentality." she then gestured to Kumagawa. "As you know, Kumagawa's Skill allows him to turn anything into nothing. So upon realizing Toga's condition, he turned the mental barrier she had into nothing, allowing her to gain her Skill."
"I'm a Quirky Minus~!"
"Wait, so she has TWO powers?!" asked a flabbergasted Ashido.
"Yep! I have my Quirk; Transform, and my Minus; Unshackled!"
"Two powers?! Argh! I'm so jealous!" groaned Kirishima.
"Umm, I have a q-question." Midoriya spoke meekly as he raised his hand. "You keep saying that your powers are Skill's, but you also call them a Minus. What does that mean?"
Ajimu smirked. "Caught on to that did 'ya? Well, as it has been stated; someone who possesses a Skill is called an Abnormal. However Abnormal's can be separated into three main categories based on mentality. Plus, Minus, and Not-Equal, with the Not-Equal being the rarest type."
The brunette leaned forward as she interlocked her fingers. "Plus refers to an Abnormal who possesses a positive Skill, and they usually manifest as an internal power. These people seek to master their Skill so they can better control it, and are generally what you would consider to be 'positive' in their attitude."
"A Minus on the other hand, are Abnormal's that have been warped by the negative aspect of their powers. Unlike a Plus, a Minus has no desire to master their power. Rather, the Skill develops further as the subjects mind continues to deteriorate through trauma and hardships."
Upon seeing the students start to open their mouths, Ajimu held her hand up. "Yes, yes, you'd probably consider that to be sad and everything, but that's just how it is. And quite frankly, I don't give a shit about your opinion on the matter. But as I was saying; the deranged mind of a Minus allows them to warp reality through their skewed view of the world, and often results in powers that are able to manifest outside the body."
"So, Pluses are good and Minuses are bad?" asked Kaminari.
Each of the Abnormal's in the room, save Shiranui, shot a glare towards the blonde. He quickly broke out in a cold sweat at their sharp gazes.
[It's not nice to make assumptions about people, Kaminari-san.] Kumagawa said with an eerie smile. [It's prior prejudices that more often than not turn people into Villains. If you claim someone is a monster, then they might just become one.]
"S-sorry!"
Instantly, the oppressive atmosphere vanished.
[But, in a way, you are right. Minuses generally despise Pluses, which results with them being at odds with each other. It doesn't help that Minuses are usually destructive by nature.]
"So... That includes you as well?" asked a concerned Uraraka.
Kumagawa waved his hand dismissively. [That's all behind me.] he assured her. [Sure, I can get a little extreme in my actions, but no longer is it strictly for the sake of being antagonistic.]
Any further conversation was halted as there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Ajimu called out.
The door opened and in walked one of the staff members carrying a platter of food and drink. "Your previous order." he stated as he placed them on the table in front of Ajimu and Shiranui, before turning to leave.
All eyes were locked on the platter of food. The reason being, that there was a bowl of noodles placed in front of Shiranui that was giving off steam like a volcano. Placing his menu down, he grabbed a pair of chopsticks and started eating the noodles like there was nothing wrong, even though the steam was so thick that it obscured his face.
"Umm, is he gonna be okay?" asked Ashido.
Ajimu picked up a menu and handed it towards Midoriya. "Don't worry about him, just order something for yourself."
"I-If you insist." replied the green-haired teen as he took the menu from her.
"So, Ajimu-san." Uraraka spoke up. "You have a Skill too?" she asked, trying to change the subject.
The girl smirked. "Oh, you have no idea." she said with a knowing tone. "But enough about us for now. Why don't you tell us about yourselves?"
After about twenty minutes of exchanging information; likes, dislikes, reasons for wanting to become a hero, there was a knock at the door again. Seconds later, another group of people walked in.
The first to enter was a girl with shoulder-length wavy, pink hair with a large red bow tied at the back. She had a pretty face that was elevated by her bright smile, and was wearing an elegant knee-length white dress that was lined with light-blue ruffles.
The next to enter was a diminutive girl who was easily the shortest person in the room. Her hair was coincidentally the same shade as Shiranui's, and she even had a similar ahoge, although hers was far shorter by comparison. Her blue eyes instantly snapped to the food on the table and she began drooling. She actually looked rather cute given her stature. Her height and soft features made her look like she was closer to a primary schooler in age, yet she wore the uniform of a high school.
Following behind the two girls, the last person stepped in and closed the door behind him. He was a little taller than the average teen, and carried himself with an air of strength. His shoulder length hair was blonde in color like that of a delinquent, but it was unclear if that was his natural color or if it was dyed. Dressed in an open dark-green jacket with a white shirt underneath, the first few buttons were undone and showed off the top of his muscular chest, and the collar was up.
[You are the only ones who made it?] asked Kumagawa.
The blonde scratched his head. "Medaka stayed behind to make sure everything was set up for later. You know how she is like that. And Zenkichi stuck with her to make sure she came up for air every once in a while."
[Aww, that's too bad.]
"Kikaijima is still angry at you from the last time she saw you." he added with a sigh. "And you know how Tsurubami-san is with crowds."
"And Chougasaki-san and Shibushi-san said they had prior obligations to deal with." added the pinkette.
Kumagawa shrugged. [Well I guess it's their loss then.]
"Or gain, depending on how you look at it." quipped Sukinasaki.
[I can always count on you to shower me with words of kindness.]
"So, who are these guys?" the blonde asked as he gestured to the UA students.
"We're Kumagawa's classmates from UA." answered Ashido. "Though I suppose we're not classmates anymore." she added.
The blonde clapped his hands together and gave a slight bow. "My condolences."
He then turned his attention to Toga. "So, I take it that this one is the girlfriend that you keep bragging to us about?"
"That's right~!" responded said girlfriend.
"Bragging is a bit of an understatement." spoke the petite bluenette. Somewhere along the way she had managed to acquire a plate of dango and was currently working on her fourth stick. "More like he takes every chance he gets to remind us of the fact. '[Oh, how are you doing today? Me and my girlfriend are doing great!]'" she said in a poor imitation of Kumagawa's voice.
[Hey! Even if you're just quoting me, I don't want anyone but me to speak in brackets. If it catches on and more people start doing it, then it'll lose its charm.] he said with a pout.
The bluenette stuck her tongue out and made a face in response.
Kumagawa's eye twitched ever so slightly at that, and proceeded to grab a pie off the table. (why a karaoke bar would serve a whole pie, nobody knew)
The wind up was heavily telegraphed, so when the pie did fly towards her, the diminutive girl ducked underneath. This resulted in the pie not hitting her, but instead impacting in the face of Shiranui just as he finished his bowl of noodles and the steam began to clear up.
A moment of silence passed as everyone's gaze was fixed on the silent individual. The pie slowly slid off his face and fell towards the ground, only to be caught at the last second by the small girl who started the altercation.
"No wasting food!"
Heedless of everything going on around him, Shiranui remained still, his face still covered in whipped cream.
Kaminari leaned in towards Kirishima and whispered to him. "I wonder if we'll ever see his face."
The red-head let out a small snicker of amusement.
[Well, since everyone is here now, why don't we do introductions again? You all, of course, know me.]
"Yeah, so why don't we just skip to the newcomers?" snarked Sukinasaki.
"That sounds like a reasonable idea." spoke the pink-haired girl. "My name is Emukae Mukae, a former kouhai of Kumagawa-san. It's nice to meet you all." she said as she waved at the UA students.
"And I'm Akune Kouki." the blonde said as he jabbed a thumb at his chest. "And might I add that you were all impressive at the Sports Festival."
Lastly, all eyes turned to the shortest of the group, the blue-haired girl who was too busy eating to pay attention.
"Oi, Shiranui!" Akune spoke up, shaking her from her food induced trance.
"Ah! Oh, yes." she responded as she raised a hand in greeting. "I'm Shiranui Hansode... Now if you'll excuse me, there's some takoyaki over there with my name on it~."
"Quite the friend you got there." remarked Ashido. "Kind of reminds me of Sato-san with his sweets."
After another round of the prospective Hero's introducing themselves to the newcomers, it was finally time for the festivities to begin.
"Yeah! Let's get this party started!" shouted Kirishima.
"Whoo! Let's get some more food in here!"
"Oi! Don't swing the mic like that!"
[I'm gonna sing that song by Dragonforce!]
"Too long!"
"Go for it Misogi-kun~!"
"Hey! Whose hand just grabbed my ass?!"
"M-my apologies Sukinasaki-sama!"
"Whoah!"
"Ahhmph!"
"Wahh! Ashido-san, you're suffocating Deku-kun with your chest!"
"Mmphm fmmf rmmbf!"
"Ah! Sorry Midori!"
"Gnn! SO JEALOUS!"
"Why the hell did I agree to come along?"
"Because someone needs to be the adult of the group?"
"Oh yeah..."
[Fine, I'll sing Gangnam Style!]
"I don't know why, but that seems like a crazy idea!"
Ajimu chuckled as things devolved into chaos. "Never a dull moment around here. By the way, no cliffhanger this chapter. You'll have to wait 'till the next one for things to get serious again. Oh, and MementoMori115 is still accepting fan-made OC to put in the story. Students and staff for AU and the like."
"... Okay, as it turns out, the idiot author of this story screwed up somewhat. I found that the scene he had originally decided to open the next chapter with, would make a lot more sense if I put it at the end of this one. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. You're welcome."
(-)
In the grand scheme of things, Mikagi Touya knew that he was nothing more than an expendable asset to his organization. Even with the desperate need for an increase in numbers due to the pressure put on Villains as a whole by Heroes, he amounted to little more than cannon-fodder, despite the fact that he had a somewhat useful Quirk.
Bluff Buster, as he called it, allowed him to easily discern the true intention of whomever he was staring at. And seeing as he was part of the 'extortion branch', which was responsible for shaking down targets and collecting loan payments, it was a pretty useful Quirk. So it was decided that Touya would be the leader of his particular branch, which entitled him to an escort of at least two armed guards whenever he was on the job. Not to say that his guards were rather incompetent at their job, but their muscle, combined with his ability to determine if the target was going to attack, made it hard for anyone to get the drop on them.
That being said, he was well aware that he was far from infallible.
{Did you know that there is roughly four and a half to five and a half liters of blood in the average adult human body? Of course, that number varies depending on the size of the individual.}
Coughing out a glob of blood as he pushed himself off the ground, Touya was greeted by the sight of the unusual teen who had reduced him to such a state. The boy appeared to be in his late teens and was of obvious Japanese heritage, despite the natural ash-blonde color of his hair. Both sides of his head were shaved and what remained of his hair was pulled back into a ponytail that reached the back of his neck, save few a bit of his bangs which fell forward to frame his forehead. His outfit consisted of a white dress-shirt with a brown-leather vest over top. He also wore a pair of black slacks and matching shoes. A pair of circle-rim glasses adorned his eyes, which were currently focused on the open book he held in his left hand. It was a worn copy of the King Charles Bible, and judging by the number of pages that were on the left side of the book, he was nearly finished reading it.
However what stood out most about the youth was the fact that his outfit was heavily stained with splotches of crimson. All of which had originated from Touya himself along with his guards.
Casting a glance to his left, he sent a weak glare at the lifeless body of Tetsuo. The whole mess they were in was his fault to begin with. It was all just supposed to be an ordinary work day, free of any complications. They visit their marks for the day, collect what they were owed, and give a stern reminder to those that failed to do so.
But of course Tetsuo, the trigger-happy fool that he was, decided he was in the mood for some action, and wanted to extort some extra cash. Say what you will about the brute, his Quirk; Stockpile, was nothing to scoff at. The longer he refrained from fighting, the stronger he would be once he reentered combat. This would reset his power back to its base level once the fighting ceased, but seeing as how it had been about a week since he last threw a punch, he was strong enough to bring a semi-truck going 70 mph to a dead halt without much effort.
So when the large gangster decided to casually 'brush up' against the blonde walking the opposite direction down the sidewalk and fall over in the least convincing bit of acting that Touya had ever seen, he did so with the intent of dragging the teen into the alley and demanding compensation. However when said teen didn't even stop walking during Tetsuo's tumble, let alone spare him a glance from the book he was reading, it set the muscle head off.
While Touya originally thought it fortunate that the particular street they were on was uncharacteristically deserted, he quickly realized that the lack of observers that could call for help worked against them.
The nearly seven foot tall brute had grabbed the teen by the collar and lifted him up, demanding he apologize for bumping into him and give him some money in exchange for letting the kid walk away intact.
The first thing that clued Touya in to something being wrong was his Quirks inability to discern the boys intentions. He showed no desire or reason to respond to Tetsuo's provocations. Not even to flee. His intentions were literally nonexistent. Upon seeing that he wasn't getting the desired reaction out of the kid, Tetsuo decided to rough him up a bit to show him he meant business. And that's where everything went downhill.
Instead of the kid getting his face acquainted with the pavement, it ended up being him. The scariest part was Touya didn't even know what happened. One second Tetsuo was shaking the kid about like he was a doll, and the next he found himself facedown on the ground with blood dripping from his broken nose. At that point Giriko, Touya's other guard, had sprung into action and rushed to help Tetsuo knock the kid out. Barely even sparing the second man a glance, the blonde didn't even move his body, yet suddenly Giriko was thrown through the window of a nearby building. Tetsuo dug his fingers into the sidewalk and ripped a chunk out of it, which he then threw at the kid. Despite the chunk of stone making impact with him, the teen didn't even flinch. And like with all things, escalation is a rather nasty game to play.
Touya grasped at his chest in pain as he tried to take a deep breath. He was well aware of the broken rib that was now pressing against his lungs and hindering his ability to breathe. Despite how short a time the fight had lasted, Touya was unable to determine just what kind of Quirk the teen had. The teen was able to throw Giriko without so much as a gesture, slam himself to the ground with the flick of a finger, withstand extreme blunt force trauma, and even bisect Tetsuo just by brushing his hair out his vision!
Tapping his foot in the puddle of blood he stood in, the boy adopted a ponderous look. {Have you ever wondered why exactly that is? Why is it such unprecise numbers? Why not four to five, or five to six? Why not just a more stable number like four or ten? Couldn't we just change measurements so that was the case? It would make it a lot simpler when it came to donating blood or determining how much more blood you could lose before dying of blood loss.}
Touya looked at the teen in confusion. What was he talking about?
Snapping his book closed, the blonde finally gave Touya his undivided attention. {And why do people choose to put their faith in a higher power? One that they can't even prove the existence of no less. And why is the sky blue? And why is the alien in the movie E.T. brown?} the teen squatted down and tapped Touya on the head with the flat end of his book. {And why exactly are you in this situation? One friend dead, the other unconscious, and you beaten and bloody. The answer; no reason. That's just how it is.}
*cough!* "W-what?"
Shaking his head, the blonde stood back up. {Contrary to popular belief, there doesn't need to be a reason for the answer, and the effect does not require a cause. All that is needed, is a Truth. An undeniable fact. It is, simply because it is.}
Touya let out a wry chuckle. "I don't need you to push your two-bit philosophy bull-crap on me... If you're gonna kill me or something... then do it already... so I don't have to listen to your fucking voice anymore!"
{Hmm, and I wonder why it is that my voice always annoys other people?}
Touya was getting aggravated with the blonde. Instead of just finishing what he started, it seemed like he was going to lecture him to death.
{But I digress. I suppose our business should be brought to an end.} the teen remarked as he cast a glance towards the unconscious body of Giriko, and then to his watch. {Exactly 137 seconds have passed since your friend has touched me. He has now expired.}
Touya noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Giriko's chest finally remained still. He was no longer breathing.
{As for you,} the strange boy said as his gaze shifted back to Touya. {As soon as both of your hands leave the ground, your life functions will cease.}
Touya was left confused at that remark, but when the teen turned his back to leave, he decided to make his move. Pulling a switchblade out of his pocket, Touya pushed himself off the ground with the intention of stabbing the boy in the back.
But strangely, just as the teen had said, once both his hands left the ground, he died.
{You are probably wondering why exactly you died from that, as well as why I'm giving an explanation to a corpse.} he spoke as he opened his book back up, starting at the beginning. {The answer; no reason.}
(-)
A/N- After countless threats courtesy of Ajimu, I have... reluctantly agreed to go along with her decision to have this scene added to this chapter.
The three thugs are just throwaway characters of mine, but the strange blonde is an OC Villain of my design. And despite what little he has done in this chapter, I think it's obvious as to what my intentions with him are.
