Starting school next week for summer classes. Hopefully I won't see another long delay on this story. I feel I'm getting REALLY close to the end on this thing. Just a few more chapters and I should be good to finally be done. I really, REALLY wanna finish this thing.
Anyway, here's chapter 9! Hope you guys enjoy, and as always, feedback is appreciated!
Chapter 9
"Tokoyami?" Shouji knocked on the boy's door, "It's me. Please open up."
No answer. Kirishima stood awkwardly nearby, scratching the back of his head. After the incident with Bakugou, Tokoyami stayed in his room for the rest of the day. The next morning, he still hadn't left his room. That night, Aoyama claimed to hear howls of anger and crashing furniture coming from his room. The incident spooked him quite a bit, and he ended up sleeping in someone else's room. Kirishima asked Shouji to speak to him, not feeling comfortable with doing it himself. He and Fumikage may have been friends, but Kirishima's close friendship with Bakugou made things uncomfortable to say the least. Shouji sighed and closed his eyes, placing a hand on the door.
"Can you at least say something?" he asked, "Let us know you're ok?"
Just then, Dark Shadow slid underneath the door, causing both boys to jump back.
"Be gone!" he hissed, "Tokoyami doesn't wish to speak to anyone right now."
Before Shouji could respond, Dark Shadow was back under the door and out of sight.
"Maybe we should just let him be," Shouji turned to Kirishima, "Wait for him to cool off a bit."
"He was cooling of all night," Kirishima sounded frustrated. He finally mustered up the courage and stepped over to the door, "Oi, Tokoyami! You can't just shut everyone out like this. We're your friends, and we're all worried about you! I know you suffered a defeat, but that is no reason to stop pressing forward! You must get back on your feet and-
Dark Shadow popped out from the door again, much larger than before. He towered over both boys.
"LEAVE US!" he growled like a beast, "NOW!"
Kirishima thought about standing his ground for a moment, but Shouji turned and grabbed his shoulder.
"Come on," he said, guiding the redhead out, "Let's go."
As they made their way to the cafeteria for breakfast, Kirishima kept looking back.
"Don't worry, I've got an idea," he said, "I think I know someone Tokoyami might be willing to speak to."
They reached the cafeteria, and Shouji looked around for a certain green haired girl. He found her sitting down with Ochaco, Midoriya, Momo, and Todoroki.
"I'm gonna go find Bakugou," Kirishima looked back at him, "You sure you can handle the rest of this on your own?"
"Don't worry, I'll handle it," Shouji responded, "I know Fumikage better than you."
Kirishima nodded and started to walk away.
"Wait a minute," Kirishima paused, and Shouji looked at him, "Are you going to say anything to Bakugou?"
Kirishima flinched at that.
"What?" he asked, "What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean," Shouji's eyes lowered, "You saw how he treated Tokoyami yesterday. That wasn't just bad sportsmanship. That was utter humiliation."
"Lecturing students is Iida's job," Kirishima responded as he looked over to Bakugou's table, "Confronting him about it wouldn't solve a thing. You may know Tokoyami better than me, but I know Bakugou better than you. And I can say for certain that what he did yesterday wasn't out of malice or contempt. That was something else entirely."
Shouji raised an eyebrow at this. He wanted to ask questions, but instead sighed and shrugged it off.
"Alright, I'll trust your judgement on this," he turned around.
"Thank you," Kirishima smiled as he walked away, "And thanks for helping me!"
"No need to thank me for helping a friend," Shouji spoke under his breath as he walked away.
Shouji made his way to the table. Ochaco paused her eating and looked up at him.
"Hey Shouji!" she struck a small smile.
"Ochaco," Shouji acknowledged her, "Pardon me for asking, but have any of you guys spoken to Tokoyami recently?"
"What do you think?" Todoroki didn't bother looking at him as he ate, "He hasn't spoken a word to anyone sense yesterday. Didn't even bother saying he wouldn't be coming to meditate with me this morning. Not that it matters. I assumed he wouldn't."
"I tried texting him a few times but…" Midoriya looked away.
Shouji wasn't surprised by any of this. What he was somewhat surprised by was Tsuyu pushing her chair back and standing up. The others looked at her.
"I'm gonna go talk him."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Momo asked, "Aoyama said he sounded quite furious."
"Tokoyami would never lay a hand on me," she spoke without pause, "Nor anyone of us, for that matter."
"Here, I'll go with you," Shouji said, "I'm not eating until I know he's ok."
Tsuyu nodded, and she looked back at Ochaco.
"You mind taking care of my dishes, ribbit?"
"Not at all," Ochaco smiled and tightened her fists, "Go get em Tsuyu!"
Shouji and Tsuyu walked out of the cafeteria and up to Tokoyami's room. On their way, Shouji spoke,
"I was heading over to the table for your help. I already tried speaking to him on my own."
"And?" Tsuyu looked at him.
"His quirk practically threatened me and Kirishima," Shouji let out a small chuckle, "Guess it was less than successful."
"At least you tried before I did," Tsuyu said as she clicked the button to the elevator, "I just didn't know what to say."
"Do you still not know what you're gonna say?" the elevator door opened, and they both walked in.
"I don't think the words are that important," the elevator door closed as Tsuyu continued, "Right now, Tokoyami shouldn't be alone. That's what really matters."
Shouji nodded in agreement, and the elevator door opened. Both walked over to Tokoyami's door. Tsuyu took a deep breath and knocked.
"Tokoyami, it's Tsuyu," she spoke, "Can I please come in?"
There was no response. Shouji worried that this would be no different than before, but then Tokoyami spoke in a haggard voice,
"Asui?" he called.
"Fumikage," Tsuyu acknowledged his call, "I just wanna see you. We don't have to talk."
There was a silent pause for a few moments before Tokoyami spoke again.
"Are you alone?"
"Shouji is with me," she said, "But, he doesn't have to come in as well, if that's more comfortable to you."
Tsuyu looked at Shouji for confirmation on this. He nodded, somewhat regrettably. The door suddenly opened, and Dark Shadow stood on guard.
"Tsuyu only," he held the door open and floated out of the room, glaring at Shouji the whole time, "You stay."
"You got it." Shouji put two thumbs up and took a step back.
Tsuyu gave him one final look, as if to say thanks, before stepping into the room. Dark Shadow closed the door behind her.
Tsuyu had to hold in her gasp at what she saw. To say the room had been ransacked would be an understatement. Clothes had been thrown everywhere, with drawers pulled out of the dresser. Everything hanging up on the walls had been pulled down and tossed about. Tokoyami's desk had been flipped over, and his chair thrown on the other side of the room. His gothic candles were the only things left standing. Shockingly enough, nothing looked broken. Tsuyu wondered if Tokoyami had intentionally been careful enough not to wreck any of his belongings, or if it was only blind luck. The bird headed boy sat down on the bed with his head down. Dark Shadow cooed as he reduced his size and floated over to him, rubbing up underneath Tokoyami's beak. Fumikage slowly lifted his hand to pet the beast. Tsuyu walked over and sat down next to him.
Neither of them said anything for the longest time. Tokoyami's hand was laid out flat on the sheets next to Tsuyu. Instinctively, she slowly inched her hand over and rested it atop his. He turned his around and tightly gripped hers.
"I didn't want anybody else to see this mess," Tokoyami spoke in a low tone, "It's embarrassing. I shouldn't lose my temper like that."
"You can't always have complete control over Dark Shadow," Tsuyu spoke, "It wasn't-
"Dark Shadow didn't do this," Tokoyami barely glanced at her, "I did."
Tsuyu didn't know what to say to that. She reached over and softly rubbed Tokoyami's hand with her own.
"I thought I was closer to him," Tokoyami began, "After all that training, all that discovery and growth, I believed for a brief period that I was reaching his level. But I haven't. If anything, the gap has grown even greater than at the tournament. I haven't even advanced a step."
"That's not-
"Don't tell me it's not true!" Tokoyami growled. Tsuyu jumped just a little, but she didn't let go of his hand, "He is so much stronger than back then. I should've known, but I wasn't thinking straight. Damn it all, how could I have been that naïve!? I was so focused on my own development, I barely thought about his!"
"Fumikage," Tsuyu put a hand on his shoulder, "You know that's a lie. You shouldn't be focused on anyone's progress but your own. Stop worrying about him, ribbit."
Tokoyami regained his posture and sat up straight.
"You're right," he said, "I shouldn't obsess over his power."
They sat in silence for some time again. Tsuyu decided to speak her mind as always.
"If you want some advice from me," she began, "In yesterdays battle, you were trying way to hard to plan things out and think ahead. I could see it in your posture throughout the whole fight. Your attention was split. You've always been more of a technical, analytical fighter, but that can cause you to overthink and overanalyze your opponents. You need to be more spontaneous, especially with stupidly fast and strong opponent like Bakugou."
"I know, that's what I was thinking about," Tokoyami sighed and rested his arms on his knees. Tsuyu smiled. Clearly, he was becoming more relaxed and comfortable. He just needed to speak up about his battle, "But I'm not sure what to do. Especially when fighting against light emitting opponents, I'm always worried about Dark Shadow's powers draining, even with the martial arts to back me up. I've become too paranoid about it."
"Maybe you should speak to Momo about this, ribbit."
Tokoyami flinched and looked over at Tsuyu.
"Yaoyorozu?" he questioned, "Why her?"
"Think about it," Tsuyu continued, "Her power is to create basically anything. How often do you think she has to improvise in the middle of a fight? Not only that, but she can also plan things way ahead of time and analyze the heck out of any battlefield. She's got the best of both worlds. Meanwhile, you can only analyze and overthink stuff. Don't you think should ask her for help and advice?"
Tokoyami blinked with a blank expression and looked away.
"That's…actually not a bad idea," he said.
"You see?" Tsuyu grinned, "It's all ok. Nothing's changed. You're not weak, or naïve, or any of those other things. You just need help, like everyone else. So, stop pouting in your room already, and come out to eat breakfast with the rest of us."
Tokoyami let out a small huff and smiled.
"You sure know how to drag people back to earth Tsuyu," Tokoyami grinned at her.
"It's my secret special power called 'speaking your mind'," she beamed back at him and stood up from the bed, "Now come on. Breakfast will be over soon, and I know you didn't eat dinner last night."
Tokoyami sat down for a few more seconds before standing up.
"Alright but let me clean up this disaster before I go."
"Nope, breakfast first," Tsuyu grabbed his hand, "Shouji can help you clean it up afterwards."
Tokoyami let out a small groan and rolled his eyes. Tsuyu giggled at this and started pulling him out.
"Tsuyu?" Tokoyami stopped suddenly before they walked out.
"What?" Asui was starting to get impatient, "Tokoyami, seriously, you're gonna miss- ribbit!"
Tokoyami pulled Tsuyu in for the tightest hug, nearly lifting her off her feet. Tsuyu's heartbeat picked up as she instinctively wrapped her arms around him.
"Thank you for speaking to me," Tokoyami's face was dangerously close to hers as he smiled from the corner of his eye.
Tsuyu blinked once and smiled as she buried her face in his shoulder. Like at the hospital, they both sat there hugging one another, not willing to let go. Finally, Tokoyami let out a small laugh and gently pushed her back. His beak was blushing hotly as a dumb grin spread on his beak. He scratched the back of his head.
"I…uh…oh boy," he took a deep breath, "Do you wanna get lunch or dinner sometime?
"Ribbit!" Tsuyu blushed at this and swallowed deeply, "Sure! That's sound great. You already have my phone number, right?"
"What? Oh, uh, yes!" Tokoyami laughed, "Yes I do. Um…so, I'll just give you a text?"
"Sounds good, ribbit."
They both stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before Tokoyami spoke up.
"So…breakfast is gonna end soon, right?"
"Yeah, we should get going," Tsuyu grabbed his hand again, and they both walked out. Tokoyami cringed and rolled his eyes as he heard Dark Shadow howling with laughter in his head.
"Aw look! You guys are so adorably awkward together!"
"Shut the hell up…"
After breakfast, Tokoyami spoke to Momo about Tsuyu's recommendation. The girl seemed somewhat flattered, and a little surprised, but she agreed to help Tokoyami during training that day. They met up at one of the match pits outside away from the rest of the students. Tokoyami brought the sword hawks had given him and wore it on his back.
"After you beat me at the tournament, I learned that I had to stop relying on my long-term thinking to get me through every battle. You destroyed all the equipment I brought into the fight before I could even use it, so I was defeated. I started to realize that I needed to be quick on my feet as well."
"How did you do it?" Tokoyami asked.
"Really, there's nothing secret about it," Momo explained, "You just have to practice being spontaneous. Focus more on quick thinking and instincts. Here, let's start now. Go ahead and attack me your quirk."
Tokoyami nodded and planted his feet. He called out Dark Shadow, and the quirk charged at Momo. Without warning, Momo made a flash grenade and tossed it at the spirit. Tokoyami swore, but before he could call Dark Shadow back, the bomb exploded. Dark Shadow shrieked in pain as his size reduced dramatically. Momo then made a metal pole and shield and charged at Tokoyami. Fumikage drew Dark Shadow back and assumed a fighting stance.
"You have to fight me without your quirk wounded!" Momo hollered as she swung at Tokoyami, "You can't plan with this! You just have to fight!"
Tokoyami swore as he kept dodging Momo's attacks. He blocked her weapon with his arms a couple times. All of that blocking against Dark Shadow's attacks had paid off, but he knew his arms would go numb if he kept letting them get bludgeoned.
"You're still delaying!" Momo hollered as she knocked him back with the shield, "Stop analyzing everything and just act! Use your instincts!"
Momo charged him again before he could stand. Tokoyami pushed himself on all fours and kicked Momo's shield, knocking her backwards. The counterattack had begun. Tokoyami stood up and started a ruthless barrage of kicks on her shield, pushing her back to the edge of the ring. Momo grinned devilishly as she dropped her pole and quickly made some ropes behind her shield. Tokoyami kicked one more time, and Momo wrapped the ropes around his leg, yanking on it. Tokoyami lost his footing and fell onto his back. Without thinking, he released Dark, only at a quarter of his strength, and crashed into Momo's shield. The blow didn't knock her backwards, but she ended up letting go of the ropes. Momo gritted her teeth as she stepped away from the boundary. Tokoyami used his sword to cut the ropes and stood back up.
Dark Shadow covered Tokoyami's body like a suit of armor, and he held his sword with both hands.
"BLACK KNIGHT!" Tokoyami held the blade over his shoulder like a samurai.
Momo grinned as she created a sword of her own, and the two engaged in a sword battle. Tokoyami was surprised at how well Momo knew how to use the weapon. Even with the increased speed and agility given to him by the Black Knight, she was keeping up quite well. Half of Tokoyami's "armor" vanished as he drew his fist back. Dark Shadow's claw engulfed it.
"SHADOW GAUNTLET!"
Tokoyami threw his fist into Momo's shield. The metal bent, and she screamed as she was knocked back on her butt, letting go of her sword. Dark Shadow returned to his armor and Tokoyami charged, ready to make Momo yield. He didn't pay attention to the next move she made, and ended up slipping on the grass, dropping his blade. Momo had covered it in some sort of soapy substance right after she was knocked over. Before Tokoyami could stand up, Momo was right on top of him. She grabbed his own blade and put it to his neck. Tokoyami let out a frustrated grunt as he laid his head down and sighed.
"I yield…"
Momo let go of the sword and collapsed backwards onto her rear, gasping for air. Tokoyami sat up, breathing heavily as well, and pulled his knee close to his chest as he rested his arm on it. Tokoyami smiled and let out a tired laugh.
"Guess you've finally had your revenge now, huh?"
Yaoyorozu grinned and laughed as well.
"You made me use everything in my arsenal though," she commented, "Can't say it was much of a victory. I even used your own sword at the end."
"A victory's a victory," Tokoyami looked at her, "How did I do?"
"You hesitated at the beginning and end, but aside from that, I say you did very well," Momo leaned her head back as she caught her breath, "How much time do we have left?"
"I don't know, but it looks like everyone else is gathering," Tokoyami stood up, offering a hand to Momo. She stumbled back a little, and Tokoyami grabbed her to keep her from falling over.
"Easy there," he said as he wrapped her arm over his shoulders and grabbed her waist.
"Thanks," she looked like she was on the verge of passing out. They both walked back together that way.
Todoroki spotted them from the rest of the group and walked to meet them halfway.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing, she just used her quirk too much," Tokoyami looked at her while he said it.
"Here, I'll take her from here," Todoroki grabbed her other arm and wrapped it around his shoulder, "You can head back."
Tokoyami nodded and made his way back to the group. Todoroki started walking back behind him. Momo opened her eyes slightly and smiled up at the new face. She closed her eyes again and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Hey you…" she whispered.
Todoroki didn't respond, but a small smile spread on his face.
Later that day after dinner, Shouji went up with Tokoyami and helped him clean up his room. Having Dark Shadow and someone with multiple arms to help him made things much easier. The two talked as they cleaned.
"So, you're ok about everything that happened?" Shouji asked as he hung up posters.
"Yes, I'm fine with it," Tokoyami smiled as he and Dark Shadow folded clothing, "I took the whole incident too personally and overreacted. I'm not even mad at Bakugou."
Shouji looked at Tokoyami questionably, and his smile disappeared.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Fumikage," Shouji began, "It's ok to be upset. You don't have to pretend that everything's ok. Bakugou isn't a stranger to be an asshole. Nobody will hold it against you for being mad at him. Heck, most people already are on your behalf."
"They don't need to be," Tokoyami went back to folding clothes, "Bakugou spoke to me at lunch yesterday, before our fight. The way he spoke…I can't really put it into words, but I don't think he was trying to demean me. I believe he was challenging me."
"What do you mean?" Shouji's curiosity peaked, "What did he say?"
"He said unless I set my goal at surpassing Endeavour and becoming the top hero, I'll never come close to beating him," Tokoyami pondered the thought, "And then he beat the hell out of me in our match. I don't think that was a coincidence."
Shouji didn't say anything to that. He and Tokoyami continued to clean until he spoke,
"Well, I think for the first time, I actually agree with Bakugou on something."
"And what's that?"
"You should try becoming the top hero," Shouji looked at Tokoyami, "Or at least getting into the top five. That shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"
Tokoyami let out a small gasp as he looked back at his friend.
"I've never doubted for a second that you could do it," Shouji closed his eyes and smiled underneath his mask, "You're my best friend after all, right?"
Tokoyami blinked and smiled. He didn't say anything as he went back to folding.
