Magnus: I must warn you that this chapter is mostly world building, because I want the next arc to be filled with action, so please, bear with it.
Disclaimer: Of course this story will have social-politics and dark stuff; I did put a warning in the first chapter, didn't I?
Cursed Blood
Chapter 10
A sinister insight.
Tsuyu started her day, oddly enough, on both the wrong and right foot. When she'd finally managed to shake away the last vestiges of sleep she realized that her tongue no longer remembered Izuku's taste, her nose no longer sharp enough to pinpoint his location. A mad dash to her bathroom's mirror revealed a black-eyed reflection; the long awaited sign her savior's blood no longer pulsed inside her, influenced her. The rules no longer appli—
She'd be able to touch him this morning!
As this thought blazed through her mind, Tsuyu came to another revelation; her feelings for the green-haired teen were indeed the real deal! Unfortunately, the elation that wanted to bubble up from her stomach was summarily soured by memories of how much she'd suffered at the hands of Izuku's rules.
She didn't know what she wanted to do now…
Any doubts the frog-girl might've had about being returned to her old self died when her savior arrived at her family's home to walk her to school; memories of her actions under the influence of his blood, the trouble she'd caused, flooded her mind immediately upon seeing him and her self-consciousness struck full force. How was she supposed to greet him now? Conflicting feelings battled within her and the decision to remain silent was made in a split second. Stewing in her uncertainty, Tsuyu avoided eye contact for the entire trip to school.
When Izuku was called to the principal's office, however, she knew she was a lost cause. Watching the green-haired teen walk away caused her to be consumed with guilt, it'd be all her fault if he was suspended or expelled, since she'd been unable to keep his Control ability secret. She'd ended up following Izuku for a hodgepodge of reasons, regardless of Present Mic's warnings, earning her first detention… in her entire life.
"Hey Asui-san, are you alright?" Jiro asked the distraught frog-girl across from her, leaning forward to speak around the red-haired Kirishima. The groan of exasperation wasn't an encouraging sign.
"Not really… kero," Tsuyu replied, slumping further into her desk. Waiting for Izuku to return to the classroom, all smiles to prove everything had turned out fine, was torture. She was so going to punish him for getting her into trouble now… maybe demand he stay with her for the entire detention?
"Is detention that bad?" Ochaco asked, barely able to remember her last detention from back in elementary school. A prank gone wrong had cost her a whole evening, but it had been more boring than anything. Not even her parents had been angry with her at the time.
Tsuyu didn't answer; the problem wasn't the detention, or the fuss her mother would no doubt make about it. She was more concerned about that detective she'd seen and how long it was taking Izuku to come back. There was only an hour before lunch, Present Mic had left forever ago, but there was still no hint of the green-haired teen. She was beginning to suspect that the selfless idiot had tricked her; sacrificing himself to whatever horrors the policeman could think of in order to protect the rest of the student body from his nefarious influence.
"Asui-san… you are worrying for Midoriya correct?" Tokoyami asked eventually. The raven-headed teen had nailed it on the head.
"Maybe he's just being questioned. You know, about his morals…" Ojiro butted into the conversation, unable to remain a neutral party. "I mean, think about it. He didn't do anything bad to Asui-san sure, but he had her under his complete control."
While the tailed-boy didn't have anything personal against his green-haired classmate, the cunning mind he'd shown and his aberrant Quirk gave him the creeps. The powers Midoriya had shown weren't ones he was keen to see grow.
"Hey! Maybe he was asked to keep a villain under control!" Mina threw out, quick to jump in. It was clear to those involved from her excited voice that the pink-skinned girl was more intent on derailing conversation than helping though.
"You infer he's been involved in an interrogation?" Iida questioned, ever serious. Mina frowned, her attempt at a prank setup hijacked by the academic. "I for one can see such a thing working for the benefit of all."
The floating uniform that was the only indication of where Toru was standing shifted, the invisible girl making some unseen movement. It was still expressive enough to draw the attention of those gathered.
"Um… wouldn't that be considered a coerced confession?" Toru asked shyly, still slightly put off by Izuku and his Quirk. She agreed that he seemed like a nice enough person, but the idea of his blood getting into her and becoming enslaved still haunted her dreams sometimes.
"I wouldn't think so," Momo interjected, ready to do her best to defend her vice-president. "From what I could understand from watching Tsu-chan, the commands are more… undeniable compulsions. An order to answer truthfully isn't impacting the responses given, only forcing them out. The police would be able to proceed with questioning without interference. Is that right Tsu-chan?"
The mature girl might've found the idea of blood transference revolting, but that was more to do with her slight hemophobia than any issue with her green-haired vice. Izuku had shown himself to be quite the responsible and capable person. His handling of Tsuyu's… incapacitation… only further proved his morality in her eyes.
"It's true… disobeying his commands is impossible. No matter how much I tried… I just couldn't…" Tsuyu replied monotonously. If she hadn't been so distracted by her worries, she might've watched what her mouth was saying. "But… he was… too kind about it…"
Seeing another opportunity for teasing appear before her, Mina jumped on the slip as quickly as she could.
"Wait. Are you… disappointed that he didn't order anything kinky?" The pink-skinned girl asked, a large badgering smile on her face. Conspiratorially, she nudged Toru, hoping her usual partner-in-crime would catch on and help her out.
Tsuyu fought the urge to reply; silence was better for her than any possible answer she could give Mina's suggestive question. From the looks her classmates were trading back and forth, many seemed to agree with her. It was easy to see that many, regardless of how they felt about his Quirk, considered Izuku too nice to do something like that. Others, from the pinched looks they held, were clearly of the opinion the prying was in bad taste.
"Oh man! The things I could do with a Quirk like that!" The nasally voice of 1-A's resident pervert railroaded into the gathered classmates, earning the midget glares of derision from nearly all present.
"Yeah… the ladies would be easier to please with what Midoriya's packing," Hanta Sero, a teen with a sharp chin and cylindrical elbows, added with a suggestive wink.
"It'd be easier to get away with a lower budget date, am I right?" Kaminari joined in, earning his own death glares from the girls.
A quick double slap and an ear-jack to the eye later, and the three boys were hunched over cradling their newest reminders to not piss off their female classmates. Sometimes it seemed like they didn't take their education seriously at all.
"But seriously Tsu-chan," Ochaco pushed, "Is Midoriya a cheap boyfriend?"
"We're not… dating," Tsuyu grit out vehemently. The frog-girl hoped her curt answer hid her disappointment while also conveying she wouldn't be against such a thing occurring. Clasped hands and a hopeful look joined the rosy-cheeked brunette's now sparkling eyes. Tsuyu felt her stomach begin to turn knots.
"Really? Then… do you think he'd want to be one?" Ochaco's question nailed one of the fears the frog-girl had developed while under Izuku's Control; other girls would eventually discover the boy's disposition and move in on her territory.
While her classmate sat embroiled in her inner turmoil, Ochaco was involved in her own mental gymnastics. It was beyond any shred of doubt now that Izuku Midoriya was a great guy, nice, and considerate toward everyone. It was easy to see him as boyfriend material after everything that'd happened. If she could just get him to get rid of the reanimated corpse, she'd be able to get along fabulously with the green-haired boy. After all, with a Quirk like his, there was tons of money in his future.
Tsuyu could see the machinations brewing in the brunette's eyes… and they just made her want to slap the girl, really hard, and make it clear she'd seen green-haired teen first. She may have still had a ton of her own obstacles to clear first; finishing her education, forcing Izuku to forgive his unwitting use of Control on her, finding the courage to assert her feelings, and all the paperwork she knew their mothers were no doubt writing up, but she didn't need challengers on top of all that.
Realizing she'd begun a clear list of checkmarks in regards to living a life with Izuku, Tsuyu considered the idea that she'd been thinking too far ahead… but then she couldn't let just anyone else weasel their way to him first. It was enough to make her head spin.
The classroom door opened—
"Man! That took way too long. I'm starving!" Izuku's shout startled everyone present, his entrance sudden. Walking into the room, followed by Tae, the green-haired teen held the door open, a manila folder in one hand.
"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble, Onii-chan…" Came an innocent apology from the lips of a little girl as she entered behind the previously missing 1-A members, dressed in a school's PE uniform that was too large for her. The child looked a bit pale, but was otherwise full of energy, her long, light-blue hair bouncing in large twintails.
The green-haired teen had hardly closed the door behind the little girl before he found his hands full of concerned frog-girl.
"Izu-kun? Kero," Tsuyu's soft question left little doubt to the observing classmates as to where her feelings lied.
Quick to snap out of his shock at Tsuyu's full-body tackle, Izuku wrapped one arm around the person who'd come to mean so much to him in such a short amount of time, his other reaching up to scratch the back of his head.
"Oh… hehe… sorry for taking so long," the green-haired teen said, "I ran into… unforeseen circumstances."
"As long as you're fine, there's nothing to apologize for, kero," Tsuyu countered, sagging with relief when she saw his clear eyes devoid of any withheld secrets. He really was okay.
But there were still questions to be answered though, namely concerning the little girl that had just claimed him as her brother.
"Is she your girlfriend?"
That is, if the little girl didn't beat them all to the punch.
With the innocent cruelty only the naivety of youth could produce, the blue-haired child threw Tsuyu right back into the mental conundrum of her undefined relationship with her savior. Needless to say, she could hardly control the blush that spread across her face, much to the sniggered enjoyment of her classmates.
"Lily-chan! That's impolite!" Izuku blurted out, not confirming or denying the question. "Sorry about that, she's a curious one."
As the green-haired hero-in-training tried to wave away Lily's inquisitiveness, Tsuyu felt the beginnings of suspicion sprout in her mind. She knew Izuku had no siblings, and a quick taste of the air confirmed that the little girl was wearing the same perfume Tae did only in a stronger concentration. What just about clenched it for her though, was that the little girl's eyes were red…
"Don't worry, I understand," Tsuyu said, forcing her usual monotone. She doubted Izuku would appreciate attention being drawn to the fact he'd probably just used his Quirk again. But she had to ask… "But more importantly, who is—"
"That's Lily Hoshikawa! The child prodigy that's rumored to be appearing on the upcoming 'Clash of the Idols' TV show!"
It wasn't that one of 1-A's members besides Izuku knew the identity of the girl that caused those present to stare in wide-eyed shock at the announcement. It wasn't the near fanaticism the freak out was delivered with that drew everyone up short either.
No… it was the fact that it was Minoru Mineta of all people who had screamed the information that left the room speechless.
Lily, happy to be recognized, spun around and launched into a cute pose.
"Ah! A fan!" The little idol-hopeful was filled with glee that she was already seeing a bit of the fame she'd worked so hard to gain. Almost immediately, that joy fell away when the loud, short boy began drooling… and muttering…
"Such delicate features! Such a perfect build!" Mineta rambled, fingers twitching towards the now backpedaling Lily. "The upcoming swimsuit pics are gonna be the best in forever… and in a few years, the ling—"
The miniature pervert's depravity was cut short by a solid eraser shot to the head, curtsey of a glaring Izuku. Oddly enough, even though the assault had been committed in full view of all present, not a soul decided to reprimand the green-haired teen for his actions.
Unfortunately, the damage had been done. Lily, spooked, had retreated behind her new big brother, clutching onto his pants leg tightly. With her face buried into his back, no one could see the panic that the midget's words had induced.
"I-Izu-nii… I don't think I want to be an idol anymore…" Lily whispered, pulling slightly on Izuku's clothes to get him to bend down to her level. "Not with people like him… like the old men… still around…"
Heart aching once again for the horrors the little girl before him had been forced to endure, Izuku gave the slightly trembling Lily a reassuring head pat followed by a warm, lovely smile.
"Don't worry Lily-chan, I'll keep you safe," Izuku comforted, "And if people like him cause you problems when I'm not around, Tae-chan will gladly take care of them for you. Isn't that right?"
Turning to the older zombie-girl, the two were given a resolute grunt from the ravenette. Delighted, the child idol gave a beaming smile in return.
Enchanted by Lily's happiness, the girls of 1-A slowly swarmed the little girl who, instead of being overwhelmed, seemed to thoroughly enjoy the numerous head pats she was given. Recognizing the bluenette's sparkly red eyes for the sign they were, the older girls silently agreed to give their classmate the benefit of the doubt this time. To them, Izuku had just been hired to heal the little girl and this was a temporary result, nothing worse.
Then Aizawa finally entered the classroom.
"Everyone, sit down." The instruction was met with absolute obedience, except for one student. Glancing up, the gruff teacher saw that one of his favorite trouble-children was still standing, no doubt ready to cause another headache and deluge of paperwork.
"Midoriya?" Aizawa groused, feeling conflicted on whether or not he wanted his class's vice-president to have an excuse to still be standing. Narrowing his eyes, the underground hero noticed a new face in his classroom standing beside the green-haired teen, a little girl that seemed oddly familiar…
"Sensei, this is for you…" Izuku answered, bowing before handing over the manila folder he'd been holding. In a wholly illegal act of cuteness, the little girl quickly imitated the boy's strict posture. "It's regarding an… upgrade… to my Quirk. I apologize for any inconvenience this causes."
Waving Izuku back to his desk, Aizawa gave the contents of the folder a cursory glance. The front documents covered quite the disturbing bit of information; no matter how much he agreed that students needed to experiment and study their Quirks, there was just something seemingly wrong with zombifying a child—
In an act of rarely seen emotion, Aizawa nearly dropped the folder when he scanned the newly created zombie's name and cause of death. As it was, the gruff man visibly paled as he finally remembered the name, and the person it belonged to. Feeling sick, a weight settled in his stomach as he read the cause of death and reason for zombification…
=Flashback=
It was a month ago, and he'd been unavoidably drafted into attending some ridiculous contest that was being used to select the main protagonist of some upcoming TV show. Thankfully, he didn't have to suffer being a judge, just represent the token Hero presence the general populace had grown used to seeing at such events.
He'd been pissed, he remembered, since the job had originally been handed to Midnight. Whatever indisposition the Somnambulist-user had excused herself with though, whether or not the true reason was one too many drinks the previous night or miraculously breaking her growing dry streak, it had been enough to get Nezu to select him to go in her place.
He'd hated every minute of that day. And he hadn't bothered to hide that fact either. That's probably why all the child contestants had given him plenty of space and kept quiet whenever he was present. All except for one…
"Mister, are you really a Hero?" The little had asked, getting way too close for his comfort. Apparently his less than friendly appearance hadn't frightened everyone away. Pity.
"Yeah… I am," he'd answered as dryly as possible. He'd hoped that where looks might've failed perhaps attitude would do the trick against the bundle of joy.
"I don't think I've seen you before," The little girl had responded instead, smiling bright enough to rival All Might in cheerfulness and luminosity. "What's your name?"
He couldn't figure out what had been wrong with the girl; he was an underground hero, unsung by the masses, and worked to hunt down villains where other heroes feared to tread. He wasn't a social person by any means. Why was she bugging him?
"Eraserhead." had been his eventual one-word answer.
Again, instead of being off put by his countenance, the little girl had clapped her hands at the name.
"That's a cool name! My name's Lily! It was nice to meet you Mr. Erasurehead!" Standing there, Aizawa had been confused as to what he'd done next. The little girl, Lily, had succeeded in getting a handshake from him, the underground hero that never gave interviews or allowed the spotlight to fall on him.
Suddenly Lily's name had been called; it was her turn to appear on stage.
"It's time! Cheer for Lily today, and Lily will cheer for you on TV!" The little girl had seamlessly slipped into an even more perky and bubbly personality. She hadn't moved, however, obviously expecting him to cheer her on.
He didn't do cheering.
"You go and do your part," he'd answered instead, "And I'll always keep you safe."
The sparkling eyes and innocent smile he'd received in return had been dangerously close to making him feel something.
The performance had been beautiful and perfect, at least as far as Aizawa knew how to judge such things. Lily's motions had been fluid, natural, and joyful and her victory was undisputed. Unable to help himself, the gruff hero had found himself applauding the bluenette's act. But only a little.
Aware the girl had been getting to him despite his best efforts, Aizawa had made an effort to leave the venue, as soon as he was able, without Lily noticing. That had been the last time he'd seen her.
…Alive…
=Flashback ~ END=
Snapping out his memories, Aizawa stumbled back, dropping the folder onto his desk.
"I… I just remembered I have to go to the faculty office for something…" the normally composed teacher said, holding onto his professional visage as hard as he could. "Take this period for self study."
With that, he left the classroom, head down, without a backwards glance.
"Lily might've seen that guy from somewhere before…" Lily mumbled, tilting her head to the side as soon as she felt it was proper to do so. "Do you think he left because of Lily?"
"Midoriya, just what did you mean by upgrade?" Iida yelled out, arm chopping the air like mad. The bespectacled student, forgetting what the class had just been told, was worried by what such terminology might suggest; he truly hoped the sweet little girl before them wasn't being referred to as such. He didn't know how he'd be able to accept it if the prestigious UA allowed for the enthralling of a child into a tool for hero training.
"Yeah! You're not going to tell us they're allowing you to keep slaves now, are you?!" Ojiro spat, slamming his hands onto his desk as he shot to his feet. The tailed-boy was beyond upset; seeing a reanimated corpse being forced to do the green-haired teen's work for him was one thing, but this was a whole other level of worse.
In no time at all, the room was a cacophony of voices all plying to be heard.
Izuku was frozen, shocked by how badly things had devolved so quickly. In a matter of moments his already damaged reputation was beginning to sink even further and he feared the few friends he had would soon abandon him for good. Unnoticed by the fretting green-haired teen, Tae had placed herself squarely between him and his classmates, barring her teeth with a low growl. Even Lily, small as she was, had instinctively taken a step away from the crowd and gone to hug his leg to offer her support.
"JUST LET HIM EXPLAIN!"
"CEASE YOUR BASELESS ACCUSATIONS!"
The stereo shouts from Jiro and Tokoyami respectively cut through the chaos, the former jumping to stand on her desk while the latter had used Dark Shadow to make himself appear more imposing. Tsuyu, too enraged at their stupidity to even speak to her classmates, had risen to stand next to Tae, glaring harshly at the few who could meet her eye. Instantly, the competing voices quieted, making Izuku feel beyond blessed to have such wonderful friends.
He made a mental note to remember to ask Jiro later if she actually wanted to be his friend though.
"Oh… um, th-thanks you guys! I'll make this quick though…" Izuku said, incredibly uncomfortable when all eyes landed on him expectantly. "You know what? Better yet… Lily, why don't you introduce yourself?"
The words caused the little girl to begin bouncing in place, her happiness at being given the spotlight obvious. Slipping into a cute pose, the bluenette began her introduction.
"Hello everyone! I'm Lily! Lily's the prettiest girl in the whole idol world!" Lily presented in a sing-song voice, dipping and spinning like she was on stage. After a cute wink with a smooch to her audience, she gave a gracious bow. "But now that Lily is dead, Lily will fight beside her hero Izu-nii! You can count on Lily!"
Silence. The members of 1-A needed a moment to processes what they'd just seen and heard.
"Did… did la petite mignonne just say…?" Yuga Aoyama, his hands split between holding his massive belt against his churning stomach and covering his mouth, couldn't bear to finish his question. The blond wanted with all his might to be able to disbelieve that he and his class had a dead child before them, hoping that refusing to speak the terrible truth would somehow undo it.
"W-why?" Momo choked out, the class president's mind reeling from facing the cruel fact spitting her in the face. The enquiry was followed by one of the mature young woman's fists being slammed onto her desktop. "What happened to her?!"
Lily recoiled, more from the question than Momo's aggressive emotional outlet. After a brief moment where it looked like the bluenette was fighting some internal battle, she turned to stare back at Izuku, a silent pleading in her red eyes.
"Lily doesn't have to answer that… does she?"
Izuku, himself glad to be able to skip reliving the horrors of Lily's fate, was quick to reassure the young zombie with another head pat and one of his best smiles.
"Of course not Lily-chan," the green-haired teen said, "You've told them plenty."
While the bluenette visibly relaxed at his kind words, Izuku's classmates all paled at the knowledge that such an innocent looking little girl had gone through something so disturbing and upsetting that she actively chose not to remember it. Many of them could only conceive of a handful of scenarios that they felt fit that bill, and all of them were incredibly sickening to consider.
Left embroiled in their imaginations, the rest of the class sat by as one of their number stood from her desk and walked over to Lily. Surprised that she'd have to be the one to bring up the oddity she'd noticed, Jiro knelt in front of the little bluenette, gazed into her ruby eyes, checked her pulse, nodded once, and decided it was officially alright to ask about what had been bothering her.
"So Lily's a zombie… that can talk… why?" As self-torturous as the rest of 1-A were being at the moment with their thoughts, the clear voice of their musically inclined classmate was enough to snap them back to reality. Like heat-seeking missiles, sharp inquisitive looks were thrown Izuku's way.
Once again, he'd landed in the spotlight.
"That's… kinda the upgrade…" the green-haired teen tried to begin an answer, only to be immediately drowned out by the ensuing uproar once again.
UA halls, under a staircase…
Shouta Aizawa was drowning, curled up in a ball in a spot he'd found back in his days as a student where no one would bother him. The normally indifferent man was facing a crisis—his worst nightmare had become a reality; he'd made a heroic promise and failed to uphold it—and worse still, the victim of his inadequacy had returned from the dead to torment him.
"Shouta-kun? What're you doing here?"
So much for his spot.
Hearing Midnight's voice but choosing to wallow instead of answer, Aizawa continued to sit in his ball, unmoving.
"What's with you?" Midnight continued to prod, sashaying closer to the small space her co-worker had holed up in. "You see a ghost?"
Upon getting closer, the 18+ Only Heroine sobered up instantly. Whatever could put tear tracks down the face of the hardened underground hero Eraserhead was no laughing matter.
"What… what would you do if someone you failed to save suddenly appeared right in front of you?" Aizawa eventually asked, a haunted note to his gravelly voice.
Midnight leaned back in a contemplative pose, a perfectly manicured hand raising up to cup her chin in thought while the other arm crossed her breasts to support her elbow. She'd seen Nezu do this pose a thousand times and this situation obviously called for serious smarts.
"I'd say it'd depend on how hard of a failure we're talking about," the heroine ultimately replied after a few moments of silence. Without further—or any—invitation, Midnight sat beside her co-worker, doing her best to project empathy.
"I promised to save her… and instead this little girl died at the hands of a group of repulsive degenerates," Aizawa forced the words out, palming his face in his hands. "She just walked into my classroom as a zombie, by the way."
Midnight's complexion paled to match that of the suffering man beside her. The heroine well knew that while such failures were more common, though underreported, occurrences than realized in today's society, they were also the ones that hurt the most. She couldn't believe the shit luck her co-worker had just rolled. It looked like even being warned about their students' Quirks wasn't enough anymore.
"If it were me," Midnight said, a feral grin curling across her full lips, "I'd probably find a nice secluded corner to cry in… and then I'd go on a bloody crusade and not stop until I'd made all those damn perverts eat their own dicks!"
It was a ludicrous statement of course. They were Pro Heroes, not Vigilantes. That kind of action was beyond the purview of all but the most underground and black marked of heroes. But the buxom woman was trying to get a reaction from her despondent co-worker, a laugh, a reprimand, anything. Seeing the vicious glare form in the eyes of the man beside her, she felt victorious.
"That's… not a bad idea," Aizawa grumbled as he stood up, a look of stony determination settling on his features.
"E-Eh?" Midnight was taken aback by the terrifying look. She hadn't expected him to take her seriously!
Pulling himself together, the formerly depressed man began to walk away. Only a few steps away, he stopped.
"Thanks for listening, I feel better," Aizawa said, glancing back briefly at the stunned woman behind him. He had a new goal, for the first time in too many years to count.
He just hoped Nezu would agree to allow him some additional hero work hours in the near future.
"Why am I suddenly feeling guilty?" Midnight's words fell on deaf ears, the hall now empty. Sliding to her feet and resuming her walk, the 18+ Heroine hoped. She hoped that the return of a long buried fear of her dear friend falling into villainy was just a trick of her imagination.
Back in Class 1-A…
After more discussion, shouting, counter-shouting, and calmer minds ultimately prevailing, things had thankfully wound down. For the first time since arriving in the classroom it felt like Izuku had finally found some room to breathe while everyone else was preoccupied.
In one corner the girl, consisting of Momo, Toru, Mina, and Ochaco took turns playing with Lily and brushing her luscious hair. Others like Todoroki and Kirishima watched the undead girl from the sidelines, the sadness weighing their gazes a clear indication they found her existence hard to accept. Koji Koda, the boy with the boulder-like head and whispery voice, and others like him put more effort into ignoring the elephant in the room; the actual crimes that had been committed against a child like Lily.
Then… there were the likes of Ojiro and Mineta, who for their own reasons were against the existence of another undead in the classroom.
Tae was in perfect form acting as an excellent deterrent to any actions they might've taken though.
"I'm sorry Tsu-chan…" Izuku apologized once again. He blamed the fact that his dear friend had earned detention on himself naturally.
"Don't be," Tsuyu countered, doing her best to reduce her friend's feelings of guilt. "It was my choice and no one else's. It's not your blame to carry."
Had it not been for Lily keeping the other girl's fully distracted, the frog-girl knew she and Izuku would be getting the third degree for how close they'd become while speaking. The green-haired boy seemed way too worried about her.
"Still, I wish there was something I could do to make up for the trouble…" Tsuyu so didn't need her friend's kicked puppy-dog eyes right now. But if he was adamant about offering, she wasn't above taking advantage…
She had just the thing too.
"Fine, if you insist," Tsuyu said, acting as if she'd given in. "Why don't you help me with the chemistry work I missed while too distracted by your blood?"
Now, when Izuku realized he couldn't help her with the assignments—he'd been in a worse headspace than her—she'd have a legitimate reason to keep their close contact going without looking desperate. It was the perfect way to make sure she'd get to spend more time with him. Any minute he'd stutter out an apolo—
"Sure, what lessons were you having problems with?" The green-haired teen asked, pulling out his textbook.
Tsuyu frowned, he'd answered without a second of hesitation. Almost as if…
"Weren't you too upset to focus the last few days?" The frog-girl ventured to ask, hiding her disappointment with forced curiosity.
Izuku didn't look away from the pages he was fumbling through, busy checking a few of his personal notes, when he answered.
"I was… but I've already finished the book, so this shouldn't be a problem…" Whatever else he'd meant to say was lost to a storm of mumbling.
"You finished the whole textbook… already?" Tsuyu's incredulity temporarily usurped her usual monotone. Unfortunately, Izuku took the tonal change for one of criticism.
Years spent as a victim of similar condemnation had left the green-haired teen with the disposition to avoid acknowledging his intelligence. So in true Midoriya form, he tried to cover for his accidental slip.
"I was bored…?" Izuku weakly replied, instantly knowing such an answer was too stupid to pass muster with his friend.
Tsuyu looked from the now sweating teen in front of her to the backpack at his feet, just now remembering that at least half of the notebooks in said pack were filled with Quirk and hero analyses. And he had many more just like them that he didn't have the space to keep with him at all times. It suddenly clicked to the frog-girl that the sweet boy before her had a truly brilliant mind.
"Izu-kun… is there a book on any of the syllabi for any of our classes that you haven't finished yet?" Tsuyu asked with slight apprehension.
The green-haired teen stopped his page turning, considering the question. He snapped his fingers a second later.
"Art History," Izuku said, "I… I just can't understand it at all."
Tsuyu facepalmed. How was she supposed to deal with this cinnamon roll without feeling like a complete idiot now?
"Yo! I could totally help out with Artsy stuff if you lend me a hand with Chem too!" The sudden offer was followed by Jiro plopping herself down next to Tsuyu, bag and notebook in hand.
Tsuyu might've felt annoyed by the intrusion, but her sudden dire need to cover how inadequate she now felt trumped the kneejerk reaction. In fact, she'd welcome her classmate's presence while she thought of another plan.
"Might I join this fortuitous study session?" Tokoyami piped up, approaching the three. It was hard to see unless one looked, but the avian-headed boy was sporting a massive blush due to the embarrassment he felt at needing to ask for help. "And… if I could be so bold… would aid in mathematics be acceptable as well? I'd… really be grateful…"
In no time at all, the now group of four were huddled around a pile of books, lost to the world around them as they shared and polished their knowledge with each other.
After school…
The rest of the day had come and gone without further incidents… besides the slightly odd behavior from Aizawa when he'd eventually returned from his trip to the faculty office. When their classmates had left after the final bell, Detective Tsukauchi had stopped by to pick up Lily for the identification process, which was being held next door.
Izuku, Tsuyu, and Tae were now alone in 1-A's classroom, waiting. Two were quiet as they thought over their day, the last busy staring into space. Lily's official welcome to the class had been an interesting mixture of reactions; most hadn't known how to handle the realization they were interacting with a dead child, and those that did act ran the gamut.
Surprisingly enough, it had been Kirishima that had gone as far as to offer up a prayer for the little girl's soul, which had caused Lily to give the red-head a crushing hug. Not one to be outdone, Momo had promised to bring her beauty accessories and tools the next day, the mature girl almost giddy at the idea of dolling up the bluenette so she'd look like a real idol. Needless to say, it was a good thing Lily no longer really needed air, her excitement and joy had been so overpowering she might've passed out from hyperventilation otherwise.
The door to the classroom opened and Tsuyu and Izuku turned, bowing toward the teacher they expected to have entered, Present Mic. Imagine their surprise when upon straightening the two were met with the sight of their principal instead, entering with an extremely skeletal looking man.
Izuku was doubly shocked to realize he recognized the man as the one he'd met at Dagobah.
"I told you he'd be here," Nezu quipped to the emaciated man from the doorway, pocketing a yen note said man handed over with a wince.
"Principal! Sir!" Izuku and Tsuyu exclaimed at the same time, quickly giving a much more formal bow. The Quirked animal gave a slight nod and motioned for them to stop.
Stepping into the room, the two adults made their way to the students.
"Present Mic had some rather… unexpected… business come up, so I offered to oversee this detention," Nezu explained without prompting, seeing the quizzical looks coming from the two green teens. "Although, seeing as I already understand the causes for Asui-san's perceived misbehavior, I'm willing to deviate from a more conventional punishment. That is… if you're interested?"
The principal's proposition immediately set the two students on edge. Legend of the Quirked animal's love of toying with humans had already made the rounds in the freshman classes, and while Izuku was fairly sure they had nothing to fear due to his earlier interactions with Nezu, he wasn't about to risk Tsuyu's safety for anything. Tsuyu, likewise, was prepared to accept any punishment over allowing more harm to come to Izuku.
"W-what… did you have in mind?" Izuku asked, inching in front of his friend. Unbidden, Tae covered the trio's rear. Just to be safe.
Outwardly raising a furred brow, Nezu internally cheered at seeing the protective behavior in front of him. It only encouraged the hope he'd begun to foster in his heart.
"I'm not much one for corporal punishment, or long lectures on responsibility and consequences," Nezu said, jumping up to sit at Aizawa's desk. "These are things I leave to my staff. Instead, I tend toward a more… intellectual approach to things."
As the Quirked animal spoke, the skeletal man pulled out and placed a wooden box on the desk. At a prompt from the principal Izuku, Tsuyu, and Tae stepped closer, allowing them to see the ornate designs engraved on the small case. Nezu opened the container, revealing a chessboard with neatly rowed pieces. Each figure appeared to be beautifully handcrafted.
"You should feel honored at having a chance to play against Nezu-sensei, young Midoriya," the lanky man suddenly spoke up, earning the attention of said teen but unable to garner enough to pull his gaze from the board.
"O-oh I am… mister…" Izuku trailed off, fumbling when he belatedly realized he couldn't remember the sickly looking man's name. It completely went over the heads of the two living students that it was Izuku who'd be facing the principal instead of the frog-girl who'd actually been in trouble.
The man only chuckled, seemingly finding the green-haired teen's question humorous for some reason.
"Yagi. Toshinori Yagi," the now introduced Yagi said. "I work as one of Nezu's secretaries."
It was a simple lie, one the blond had begged the principal to allow so his presence wouldn't further antagonize the teen he'd already hurt so much.
"Nice to meet you, Yagi-san," Izuku said, bowing again to the man. Tsuyu quickly followed suit, although Tae remained ramrod straight. If one had looked, they might've seen the zombie-girl restraining herself from growling at the blond.
Meanwhile, Nezu had finished setting up the chessboard. The Quirked animal clapped his paws together, the soft sound still catching the attention of all present.
"Now, for the terms," Nezu said, glancing between his two students. "Midoriya-san and I will play a single game. Depending on how he fairs, Asui-san's punishment will either be reduced to time served observing the match… or…"
At the trailing of the principal's words, both Izuku and Tsuyu felt their hearts constrict. Neither knew what madness to expect from their school's infamous principal.
"She'll have to promise never to do such a thing again."
Izuku blinked. Tsuyu blinked.
What?
"I won't! I promise!" The frog-girl declared as soon as her brain could fire again, thrown for a loop. Even as the words left her mouth, however, Tsuyu knew she'd do the exact same thing again if she believed Izuku was in trouble.
Nezu laughed lightly at the quick response, Yagi even cracking a smile. Like either of them believed such a thing from what they'd already witnessed of the two.
"Well that's good to hear," the principal said, allowing the pledge to go unchallenged. "It looks like we can just enjoy the game now, eh Midoriya-san?"
Signaling the green-haired teen to take a seat, Nezu looked over his black pieces, eager to see Izuku's opening move.
"Ohummm…" Tae lowly groaned, causing Izuku to chuckle. The easy response indicated to those who didn't speak zombie that nothing important had been communicated.
"Of course I'm going to lose, I only know the basics of the game," Izuku said, somewhat informing the others of what had been groaned. "Even so, I know this will be a good learning experience."
With that, the green-haired teen made his first move, earning a smile from the principal and a raised brow from Yagi. Taking a moment, Nezu considered the board, visualizing a handful of possible moves, counter moves, and contingencies.
"So, what's your opinion of the current Quirk Hierarchy Midoriya-san?" Nezu threw out as he moved his first piece. The unexpected, and controversial, question earned surprised stares from Tsuyu and Yagi both.
"I think it's stupid," Izuku replied without missing a beat, making his next move.
The surprised stares transferred to him.
"How so?" Nezu asked after finishing his second move. A thoughtful expression passed over the green-haired teen.
"Well, logically speaking, the idea of a hierarchy based on maintaining strong Emitter types and evolving stronger bloodlines is ludicrous when considering the randomosity of Quirk inheritance," Izuku replied, debating between two pieces for his third move. "Take me for example. My parents have Emitter type Quirks, but I'm a Mutant type. It just happens."
Decided, the green-haired teen placed his piece, blocking some of his own while leaving his opponent with two obvious paths of attack.
Tsuyu had known that Izuku wasn't a fan of the Quirk Hierarchy their society clung to, but to hear him openly declare such a position gave her hope for the future. If someone with such a powerful Quirk was willing to be so open-minded, it would set an example for others to follow.
Yagi was impressed with the boy's reasoning. Of course he'd known of the unofficial, and in some cases, official, practices that constituted the Quirk Hierarchy, but as the Symbol of Peace, he'd long ago decided to stay out of that particular fight. He'd worked to build a foundation for society to prosper, destabilizing it when it'd just been so embroiled for so long would've made his job as a hero impossibly harder. At this point, he was sad to say, it was a battle for the next generation to fight.
"So… you believe what then?" Nezu probed, taking a second to lift a piece, consider it, then return it to move another. "That the Hierarchy should be based on power and utility, instead of type?"
It was Yagi's turn to blink in confusion. It was well known that the principal usually obliterated challengers in three moves. How was the match still going?
"No, that'd be even worse!" Izuku chuckled, sliding a piece forward. The two living spectators were now hanging on every word spoken between the two opponents.
"Oh? How so?" Nezu threw back, moving an unexpected piece yet still not finishing the battle of wits.
"Power alone is one of the worst ways to measure someone's worth," Izuku stated firmly. "I mean, what good does it do anyone to have all the power in the world if he or she doesn't use it to protect or save the weak?"
The spoken words cut deeply into Yagi's heart. They were eerily similar to his own master's beliefs on heroes, a philosophy he'd recently realized he'd walked away from after his crippling injury.
Tsuyu was mystified at how a simple game of chess had progressed into something entirely more profound.
Nezu's eyes widened. That last move—the boy was taunting him! His patience and conviction… it was exciting to see!
It made him want to go all out.
"What would you propose then?"
Such a question shouldn't have come as a surprise to the green-haired teen based on how the discussion had progressed, but all the same Izuku found himself speechless. He almost missed the principal's move.
"Well, for starters, actions should speak louder than words," Izuku asserted after recovering. "A man's worth should be measured by the benefit his actions bring to society. I-I mean… a woman's too! I'm including both in that—I'm not sexist!"
The green-haired teen's fumbling recovery, and quick glances toward his froggy companion, almost covered his next move.
"Stop worrying Izu-k—erm, Izu-ku-san, kero," Tsuyu deadpanned over her near slip of how close the two were, "I know you intended to be all inclusive with your words."
Truly it was sometimes exasperating all of the silly things the poor boy fretted over.
"You mention society… are you including the whole, or merely the hero aspect?" Nezu asked, taking a handful of seconds before making another move.
"As a whole. I mean, heroes are important, don't get me wrong, but why can't we praise others who are just as important in keeping things together?" Izuku answered the question with his own. "Why can't we praise the surgeons who battle against death on a daily basis in the hospitals? Why aren't we recognizing the police officers that prevent smaller crimes from plaguing the streets? Even teachers are praiseworthy… when they do their jobs. I-I'm talking about middle school—UA's been great as far as teachers go so far."
Beginning to fret again, Izuku finished moving his piece. While Nezu contemplated his own move, Tsuyu was forced to break the green-haired teen out of a mumble storm.
At this point, Yagi was nearing the end of his rope. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was the first time he'd witnessed anyone stand their ground for so long against the principal, even if he was going easy on the kid…
Thirty minutes later…
Nezu and Yagi waved their goodbyes to the retreating forms of two teens and two zombies, three of which appeared to be excitedly discussing what would happen during classes tomorrow. The two adults, however, were at the moment more interested in discussing what had just happened in the classroom.
"Fifteen moves… Sensei… I can't believe you were held off for so long…" Yagi was the first to address his thoughts. He well knew how fired up the Quirked animal could get, and how brutal he was when he let loose. "You held back for an awfully long time."
"That's the thing… I didn't!" Nezu replied, chuckling. "Truthfully I haven't had that much fun in ages. I'm actually looking forward to a next time."
The longing suffused into the principal's voice caused Yagi to shudder, only for a fresh shiver of fear to shoot down his spine when he processed what the Quirked animal had just said. He hadn't been holding back?!
Toshinori Yagi, at that moment, freely admitted that he was intimidated by the thought of having to teach such a gifted mind.
"So… what do you think? About the kid and his Quirk?" Yagi asked, hoping to glean some advice from the genius beside him. The skeletal man hoped the principal would give him something he could use to make amends for his past failures with the boy.
"I think… that tomorrow will prove to be most interesting," Nezu replied, considering every piece of information his high-functioning intellect had available. "Will Midoriya prove he can command his tools handedly in rescue operations? Will he bend to the pressure and end up commanding other students as well—or instead? I can hardly wait to find out!"
Yagi quieted, contemplating what awaited him. He needed to make a good impression this time. He needed to set an example for all of his students…
…At the USJ.
Magnus: Thank you for reading this far, but please be advised that this story will not get any less heavy as it progresses, you have been warned... the fluff will return though.