A/N: First, I just want to say sorry I got stuck in the previous chapter for almost three months because work made me busy, life made me kind of miserable, and then my muse has been slowly seduced by a new fandom (Oh God, it's happening), so I thought it a good idea to release the chapter so everyone could have something to read whilst I tried to finally get my shit together and continue the story properly.
In other news... someone got after me (again).
Apparently, my constant usage of strong language in the story proved too much for them, and they felt the need to leave a flame review because of it. Which is weird because *looks at the summary box* didn't I rate this story M for mature which usually means there's adult situations, mild sexual content, and strong language? Didn't I warn people that this story is for people 18 and older? Didn't it show Kuzan growing up with bouts of depression while sometimes expressing intense anger due to a history of being abused and ostracized? Didn't this story show Kuzan briefly being raised alongside the Bakugō family (do they remember Mistuki and Katsuki)?
Seriously, people get offended over the dumbest things and have to be asshats by leaving unnecessary hate comments. First because some guy complained about the change of the art cover of the story and now because of some strong language. Jeez, smh...
Anyway, onto the reviews!
Exiled Soul Nomad, What happens next is you reading this chapter I uploaded for you. :)
Prince, Hey there, missed hearing from you! I know it's been awhile but *does best All Might impression* I AM HERE! And I do my best in SMASHING you right in the feels! Thanks for pointing out the mistakes, appreciate it!
Firlz, OMG, I'm such an idiot when it comes to research on pitching baseballs. The only thing I was thinking at the time was for the dorm mate to be good at something but within possible human range, yet from what you've explained, that backfired terribly. Thanks for telling me, I'll go back to rewrite that mistake later.
SAVAGEGuest, I have odd feelings when it comes to Mineta. Like, I didn't even mean to make him likeable at all, I just wrote him as the scared kid and reacting like a little beast when he saw someone about to assault the bodacious Yaoyorozu... so yeah. A couple people expressed to me that they're hoping that the change will make Mineta into a better person in the story. And you're right, Kuzan would have done that for anyone else, but there's also this thing about getting main cast members killed because of his presence (ex. Izuku), so he was really desperate in that moment to make sure everyone, EVERYONE, made it out of that clusterfuck alive. Yes, Class 1-A is going to wreck the Sports Festival, that I can promise you.
Namikaze Uzumaki Potter, This story is pretty good for binge reading apparently, and I sometimes like to take time in writing it down that people are pleased when they're gifted with another long chapter to lose themselves temporarily in. You should have seen the story when it was first starting out, I used to pump these chapters out almost a few times a month and people went crazy with excitement. I'm starting to lose steam now, but I'll still try to make it worth reading to keep the story interesting. Barring the fragile egos of flamers, a lot of people like it so far.
Leaning Leon, With Aizawa getting the prejudice bitch-slapped out of his head, we can finally work on getting some good ol' character development between him and Kuzan.
DarkFireCat5241999, To be honest, I've never watched Young Justice and I don't think I'm interested enough to do so. I just don't feel as pulled in to the fandom, like I'm literally clueless with Harry Potter/Katekyō Hitman Reborn/Death Note that I'm probably getting shocked looks from you on the other side of the screen. "Outsider" doesn't really ring well to my ears, but I'll try to keep an open mind on it.
Fat Future Cat, Wow, haven't heard from you for awhile! Thanks for tuning back in with the rest of us losers! It was difficult at first to get the right emotions before typing down because I didn't understand how to convey it properly. I didn't want it to be the typical outburst of righteous anger like so many would do if they were leading up to the explosion between their character and Aizawa. It was more than the anger, it was about the helplessness, the fear, the whole trying to hold back your emotions because your head needed to be in the game.
I hinted a few moments where Kuzan wanted to break down, the main one being where he and Iida found Thirteen bleeding out. Uraraka had to ground him back, get him to calm down because Kuzan couldn't afford to lose it right there. So when it was over, when there was no more danger to be had, Kuzan wanted to deny it at first and tried to focus on his anger, but then All Might came along and the dam broke. I was inspired from a photo I once saw of a doctor breaking down outside of a hospital after they lost a patient. I wanted to make it right before posting the chapter, and according to a lot of people, I did a pretty okay job at it.
TRASHKIING, Gomu Hero? I guess... I'll keep looking around for more hero names.
Phantom Aficionado, The road to Aizawa reconciling with Kuzan and his family has officially begun. Get ready for some asshole!Kuzan content in the future.
Toushou-sama, You're totally right. You're only working out from the long ass fic that your eyes started to sweat, nothing more *pats shoulder*.
de junco, I cannot express the love I have for Dadmight and the intense feelings he brings by being there in the scene. Their dynamic is so perfect that I sometimes feel shocked on how well I write their chemistry down. In that chapter, I wanted All Might to drop his sunny disposition and just open himself raw when he had to deal with a distressed Kuzan, and I was really happy how it turned out. The parallels between Aizawa and Kuzan weren't quite how I wanted them to be, I think a majority of people looked at it wrong and didn't actually catch it, but maybe the future chapters and some side-stories in "Rubber Band Theory" will fix that issue. I really want those two to come together, but they still have issues (at least Kuzan does now), so it'll be awhile before they find common ground with each other.
invasionofprivacy, I was totally happy to finally shed some light on Aizawa as well. He's important to me, and as much as he gets a lot of shit for his actions in this story, I wanted to give everyone a perspective to the outsider point of view by the people who were effected by the fall-out and what it happened to them as they grew up in this new and scary era they were forced to live in. Imagine this is how a young Kakashi felt growing up during the Third Shinobi World War: losing friends, lots of death to go around, not enough supplies to keep them going, plenty of villains taking the opportunity to wreck shit up, and just a whole lot of bad shit for the nation.
errydaymPurple, At first I was writing it down because I wanted to add words, but then the more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. There was bound to be heroes who have heightened senses or sensitive psychic abilities, and they probably sometimes get overwhelmed enough they end up with something like a panic attack. The only way to bring them back from their sensory overload is to give them something they associate with safety and home. All Might's been working a lot around other heroes, I figure, so he must know how to react. He's confident that he's familiar with Kuzan, so he didn't hesitate to use himself as a safe space for Kuzan to allow the boy a chance to bring himself back.
Musical Bear, Yes, here comes mama Grete!
redskin122004, Thanks, I'll try to focus more on this story. And hey, have you seen my other story yet? There's a chapter dedicated for you just like I promised! ;)
Raphaim, Heavy ass shit is my middle name, bruh!
zharshoul, That's probably what I get for wrecking your feels from the last chapter, huh?
PoisonPen37, Intense, emotional, and maybe some bit of catharsis thrown in for good measure, I'm glad I succeeded.
ReadingnerdOtaku, We're all an emotional mess. Let's join a club, lol.
suntan140, Again, we feel you in your hate for Aksel Gunnarsen.
AaronCole, Binge watching so long that your sleep schedule has been fucked up?! I don't know whether to feel sorry or feel flattered that the story has become such an impact on you! Well, you've caught up to the rest of my horde of followers, so you'll be able to sleep easy knowing that the waiting period will take some time until the next chapter comes along.
AMinorGlitch, I think that, in my opinion at least, is by far the most emotional chapter I've ever written. It took quite awhile, but I was eventually able to bring out the words to life in a way that a lot of people can comprehend just how raw that moment was.
PatAberu, Yes, it was kind of hard to write that. Like, I was thinking about making him break down in a more private setting, but then I thought that would be kind of unrealistic, and there was All Might, his kind of emotional support that he trusts completely, so yeah, waterworks were shed.
LordofTee, It's one big twisted circle for Aizawa, life is malicious in dishing out ironies to slap the poor guy in the face with.
Celeste Snow, It's gonna take awhile for any sort of relationship to happen between Aizawa and Kuzan, but if you stick around, it'll eventually happen. And I agree with the whole OP character just solving shit with brute strength. I want to build it up, I want to create a road towards the destination of power, I don't want it there at the snap of my finger, that's plain boring and lazy writing to be honest. And All Might is great to write, but I guess the only reason why others don't put in a lot of depth is because they probably don't like him all that much or he's not someone to be deeply focused on in their story.
Huh, ... Yes *slowly nods head*, I'm pretty positive Yule's been around far longer than Christianity and Christianity was inspired to create a holiday by naming it as the day Christ was born and therefore Christmas. And that's why Yule and Christmas are majority of the time compared to one another.
HamClad, It's painful to write Aizawa as another sheep in the mob, but yes, it would make sense. Not everyone is going to be nice or understanding to Kuzan, kids were brought up with their parents beliefs and the adults like Aizawa, Present Mic, Midnight, Vlad, and other teachers had seen some pretty awful shit over the years when their nation was abandoned from the support companies keeping them safe and supplied to deal with both disasters and dangerous villains. Had things been different, life been kinder, the two of them would have gotten along like a house on fire.
kaylabear1, They all went through something scary, but everyone's gonna come out different and better than before. And in this chapter we get to see the aftermath of the USJ incident properly since last chapter was more like a selfish indulgence and an insight to Aizawa.
XxlaniidaexX, There's gonna be a day where I'm going to create a playlist for Kuzan (some songs will probably have a few lyrics tweaked up to match the message it conveys), and it's going to be some good songs, too! Believe it!
Disclaimer: Boku no/My Hero Academia belongs to Kohei Horikoshi, my only claim is my own original character(s)!
.
Chapter II: Part X
.
His coughs were getting worse.
A violent shudder racked his smaller frame, a coughing fit that sounded wet, sticky, and painful because it rattled the ribs and burned both your chest and throat from the effort. Sometimes, I would look for something like a bloody blotch of saliva clinging at the corner of his lips because his coughing was just intense enough to scratch at his throat hard enough to make it bleed. The idea made me feel afraid, but the worry was squashed down when his head tilted back to look up at me.
I smiled at him.
Izuku smiled back.
In a few short minutes, we made it to the shabby convenience store waiting around the corner of the street block. The blaring fluorescent lights stung my eyes, but I ignored it and focused on quickly browsing the small aisles for some food, water, and whatever medicine they had to help Izuku get better with his illness. There wasn't much the store had to offer, but it would have to do.
A prickling sensation blossomed at the back of my neck.
It still bothered me, even after years of going through with the same motions of being regarded as a menace to society, I still felt exposed when their eyes tracked me like a hawk tracking prey. It took everything in me not to show how uncomfortable I was; if you ever showed someone a soft spot, they wouldn't hesitate to bring a knife and dig it deep in your most vulnerable places where it hurt the most. Lifting my head up, I tilted my head enough to look over my shoulder to see who was gawking at me.
The store owner looked at me as though I was a ticking time bomb about to explode in his face. He tracked the movement of my hands, probably checking his wares and how much was going into the basket while also checking for any bulging pockets. I couldn't see his hands, both the limbs hidden behind the counter.
I didn't want to imagine what he was hiding beneath the counter.
Quickly grabbing the last item off the somewhat barren food stall, I looked for the familiar mop of green curls that wandered away from my side. Not even a second later, I spotted Izuku standing in front of a small book stall.
With a couple of strides, I reached him and looked over his shoulder.
"Remember this?" he grinned at me as he held up the paperback.
"It's the manga we used to read." I said as I inspected it. "It's kind of corny."
"But it's pretty good. I love it." Izuku said, holding the manga defensively to his chest.
"Yeah, whatever," I smirked. "You're such a nerd."
"Shut up."
I looked at the manga in his hands. "... You want it?"
"Uh, no, that's okay—"
"It's cool." I reassured him. "I got enough money to splurge."
Izuku tried to protest, but he was drowned out the by store owner who gruffly demanded, "Get what you want and get out of my store!"
I threw the older man a scathing glare, ready to give him a piece of my mind regardless of the danger it would put me in, but a hand on my arm made me clench my jaw. Wordlessly, I grabbed the manga from Izuku's hand and tossed it inside the basket.
"Wait outside." I ordered the smaller teen. "I got this."
Again, Izuku looked like he was going to protest, but another coughing fit erupted from him and I gently pushed him towards the entrance of the store before making my way to the cash register where the owner was waiting. We eyed each other distrustfully, his bright eyes brimming with silent accusation whilst mine brewed from old anger. I was thankful that he was at least quick enough to get the items scanned so we both could hear our separate ways.
I paused at the price staring back at me from the screen.
"What the hell?" I demanded as I turned my narrowed eyes at him. "This stuff ain't worth THAT much."
"My store, my rules."
"Bullshit." I grounded out. "Trying to swindle good people out of their hard earned money!"
"Then you can fuck on right off, freak."
My face must have become something gruesome because the store owner was leaning away from the counter, his eyes now full of anxiousness, and his arms drifting back behind the counter where he was still hiding something I hoped he really wasn't hiding. But even with the threat, I wondered if maybe I could move quickly enough to get him before he reached whatever he thought would save him from me, I wondered if I could—
A loud cough made me blink out of my murderous stare down at the nervous store owner.
Eyes glancing towards the window of the store, I eyed the green-haired boy who was looking down the street while rubbing at his arms. Small flecks of white were beginning to fall, slow and soft, snow drifting over the city as a sign to prepare for the coming frost. Day was already getting dark, and the street lamps outside were starting to come alive.
The last thing Izuku needed was more trouble.
With a heavy scowl on my face, I grumbled in handing over the ridiculous amount of money owed to the nervous store owner. However, before I disappeared out of the store, I gave the old man one last evil glare that hoped he would die alone, broke, and forgotten by society until somebody complained about the smell of his rotting corpse where'd they find it curled up in a tiny broom closet or something.
The frost invaded my lungs as I breathed.
Izuku looked up, eyes bright as he met my own.
I smiled as I held out the manga for him to take.
.
.
.
Not too suddenly, I woke up.
At first, I just stared at the ceiling of the room, waiting for some sort of panic to come and swoop into my chest... yet nothing of the sort happened. I took my lack of reaction as a somewhat good sign.
It beat waking up in cold sweat and short breaths.
Waking up in a hospital room, I started to realize, was beginning to look like a bad habit that needed to die. A glance to the side and I found a few monitor machines and the typical I.V. bags attached to the vein in my arm (I was relieved to find no one having removed the black armband). Rolling the muscles of my arms and legs, I finally moved to sit up from the bed.
So far, nothing seemed to hurt, but that didn't mean I would try my luck or anything. Looking down at myself, I was dressed in a blank gray T-shirt and dark shorts.
Slowly, like trickling water from a faucet that hadn't been closed shut or opened properly, the memories resurfaced.
The attack inside the USJ facility, everyone being separated, Iida and me running around fighting villains and finding classmates... Thirteen bleeding out and Yaoyorozu struck down by the Nōmu.
'They're okay,' I reminded myself. 'All Might said they were okay.'
My attention then fell on my shoulder at the reminder of the fight between myself and the giant Nōmu. Even without poking or prodding at the area, I could feel some sort of tinge of pain, a phantom sensation of the open wound left behind by the beast after its jaws of shark-like teeth clamped down and dug deep. I could still smell my blood, feel the splashes of red against my cheek after I had managed to pry the monster off my back.
I was reminded of the old nature documentaries I used to watch, prey being eaten alive as the predators chomped, pulled, and ripped the meat off them until they finally died from being devoured.
'Jesus,' I thought. 'That could have been me.'
Still, I eyed my shoulder.
'... Just a peek.'
With great trepidation, I carefully reached for the collar of my shirt and slowly pulled it back until the fabric stretched far enough for me to properly look and inspect the damage left behind.
A massive scar stared back at me.
It was a mess of red skin that stood out from the rest of my complexion, almost oval in shape but the edges too sharp and twisted from where the Nōmu's teeth had bit down and forcefully ripped the skin and meat out. Another shudder echoed up and down my spine.
My poor stomach seemed to churn in disagreement with the memory as well, coiling around then locking itself in protest. A wave of nausea followed and I wondered if should head towards the bathroom in case I really needed to puke my guts out. I didn't want to think about eating right now. I pulled the covers of the bed sheets off my legs, prepared to make a run for the toilet.
'Just breathe, man,' I tell myself. 'Breathe.'
Inhale—instead of the disease and cleanliness coming to greet your nose, it was nature that spent time being cared under cool water and warm sunshine. Aromas pleasant and natural floating about lazily around the room, chasing away unwelcome odors waiting outside the door of your room—Exhale.
Eyes snapping open, I looked to find the source of the smell.
Near the far corner next to the entrance of the hospital room, there was a table that held a variety of flowers. There was so many of them, but I could only recognize a handful of them thanks to my bishōnen teacher from junior high, Tenjikubotan-sensei.
Not to anyone's surprise, the man was a fan of things like ikebana (the traditional flower arranging stuff) and hanakotoba (flower language). Some of the kids got interested when the teacher showed off a variety of other poisonous flowers he collected in his journals, and they liked it so much that they ended up making a club out of it. Clubs had been pretty much non-existent before Jakku was reformed, so a lot of kids were a bit out of loop on club activities. Thankfully, a lot of the teachers were more than happy to put something interesting if it meant less and less fights in school between students.
Anyway, it was during a free period in Tenjikubotan-sensei's class that as student shyly asked the man if he could help him in picking which flowers he wanted to give to a relative who was waiting for an upcoming surgery. Out of curiosity, I watched as the teacher helped the kid by naming some flowers and the meanings behind them, informing the student how flowers could offer support before the surgery of afterwards.
Observing the flora some more, I was able to recognize several.
Bright daffodils (respect), blushing peonies (bravery), drooping bluebells (gratefulness), pink gladiolus and snapdragons (strength), blue irises (loyalty), immaculate and royal heathers (protection and admiration), and lastly, the one single flower standing above the colorful bunch in all its radiant glory, a sunflower (happiness).
I took in the assorted gifts sitting on the table for a long while.
"Huh."
It was then that another thought occurred to me: who left me some flowers?
Mom and dad weren't the flowery type, in fact they were more like the people who would bring me something good to eat because everybody knew hospital food was crap. Taishirō was the same as well, but he would sneak a movie or handheld game console for me to occupy the time until I was discharged.
All Might however, that was a guy I could easily believe would pull something like this off. I could only be thankful he didn't go overboard, leaving the entire room to be covered in every inch of all kinds of flowers. The biggest clue that made me automatically point a finger in his direction was the tall and lonely sunflower which stood out from the rest of the flora. I sometimes teasingly referred to the older man as the sunflower man because of his sometimes bright character and also because of his appearance whenever he wasn't walking around in his buffed form.
However, there was something about the rest of the flowers that still made me hesitate to think that this was all the Pro hero's doing.
Putting my sensitive nose to good use, I concentrated on infiltrating past the various perfumes to try to get a hint of whom the flowers originated from. Because I needed to my nose to really get everything, I had to dull my other senses like my sharp eyesight, keen taste, and tuned hearing which made my tracking abilities all the more powerful.
After a few long seconds of investigating, I was able to determine the culprit behind the gifts—or rather, culprits.
Uraraka, Iida, Asui, Ojiro, Satō, Kirishima, Shōji, Kaminari, Kōta, Sero, Ashido, and Jirō.
"... the hell?" I mumbled to myself.
Uraraka and Iida I could understand, but everyone else? I eyed the flowers dubiously.
Was this done out of politeness? Perhaps they saw All Might or Uraraka and Iida shopping for flowers and felt inclined to join because it seemed like the good guy thing to do? Or maybe they felt indebted to me because of what happened inside the death trap facility we walked into... which was ridiculous because it was Yaoyorozu who ultimately saved the day by alerting the teachers with her emergency smoke bombs.
Speaking of which, I wondered how Yaoyorozu and Thirteen were doing.
Recovery Girl managed to heal the missing pieces of my shoulder (not to mention the gashes I gained after using up One for All), but the medic lady from before said that the old woman wasn't able to recover the blood I lost. Yaoyorozu mostly suffered from internal damage from when the Nōmu struck her, but there was a high chance that after Recovery Girl's treatment, the tall girl would make it out okay. As for Thirteen, I winced, I wasn't so confident.
Thirteen lost not only blood, but pieces of themselves after being attacked by villains with aquatic predator-type quirks; not only that, the Space Hero was also moments away from death's door, barely clinging onto consciousness to give instructions to the others when trying to help Yaoyorozu. The elderly doctor constantly reminded people that even though she had the power to heal people, she also had the power to simultaneously kill them as well. The injured had to have at least enough energy to withstand the healing period or otherwise be faced with the consequences of falling into a coma or outright dying from exhaustion!
After all, there was a reason why the old lady was unable to save All Might's left side.
Out of nowhere, a yawn intruded upon my dark thoughts. Shaking my head, I lazily blinked my eyes then looked for a clock to give me a reference for the time. The room didn't have any windows (I was somewhere in the inner parts of the hospital), and I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone yet.
I could only imagine a few certain people forcing their way through the door so they could throw questions while demand answers in the same breath. So yeah, I really wasn't in a hurry to inform the rest of the hospital that I was awake.
I spotted a clock on a nearby wall.
'23:47.'
Did I sleep the whole day away?
Another yawn threatened to emerge from my mouth again.
It was better to deal with whatever happened tomorrow morning after I was truly well rested. Getting back to a comfortable position on the mattress, I didn't bother to pull the cover sheets all the way since the room fell in a comfortable space between cool and warm. Once on my back, my head leaned a little on the one side where there was still dozens of flowers staring back at me.
It didn't take long for me to drift back into sleep.
.
.
.
"Hey, sleepy head. I saw yer eyes roll around under the lids. You awake?"
Grilled street food and familial blood. Taishirō.
"I am now," I grumbled as I came to. Occupying a ridiculously small chair was my cousin. "Tai, what are you doing here? Aren't you suppose to be in Esuha?"
The blond wasn't dressed in his usual bright costume, nor was he in his much robust form. A lot of people didn't recognize Taishirō when he was walking around the streets in his much lankier form which did wonders to further help hide his association with our family. Dad felt plenty guilty for putting mom and I through so much hardship which was why he told our cousin not to say anything about us being related to one another or it would deeply affect his career as a Pro hero. As expected, Taishirō wasn't happy with the arrangement of sneaking around like a criminal, but dad convinced him to do it if not himself then for his baby cousin.
"Where's dad?"
"He's still working back in Osaka."
Translation: dad's superiors weren't going to allow the detective temporary leave in order to see how his hospitalized son was holding up, and it was for this reason why my cousin was allowed to go because he was a Pro hero, therefore they had no authority over him; besides, Taishirō had taken plenty of classes on law enforcement when he had been a university student (it wasn't a mandatory requirement, but the knowledge of how the justice system worked did benefit plenty of heroes in their endeavor to uphold the peace), and he worked closely enough with dad for a number of years to know the routine of interrogations and interviews.
"Yer ma ain' here either." Taishirō said. "We're at a different general hospital, that's why she ain' here with ya right now."
'Well, shit,' I bit my lip. 'She's probably on a warpath right about now.'
"Yeah," the blond nodded his head, already knowing what I was thinking. "She lost her shit over the phone when she called us. Said she couldn't find ya at home when she got back from work and couldn' reach ya through the calls and text messages. She had to learn what happened from one o' the nurses at the hospital."
"Well, shit." I mumbled out loud, feeling all kind of horrified on mom's behalf.
"Ya know how it goes."
Unfortunately, I did.
"Are they here?" I asked, my tone subdued at the thought of facing a certain unpleasant group.
"Genbu." Taishirō revealed, treating it like a distasteful flavor he was going to spit out. "He's talking to a detective right now."
Taishirō and I exchanged meaningful looks, knowing that if we didn't hurry in getting the story sorted out, somebody was going to walk in through the door and demand more than what I could give. Last time I checked, practically everyone in my class was interviewed by the police, but I could understand why they felt the need to cover every crack and crevice if they truly wanted to cover the ground on the who's, how's and why's... which felt pointless because the villains made their goals obvious from the start: to slaughter everyone and kill the Symbol of Peace.
"Let's just get it over with." I mumbled.
The older man pulled out a recorder, something to later hand to the police for record evidence and in case they wanted to come back and question me further. Once the red light came on the recorder, Fat Gum began his interrogation.
"Tell me what happened. Start from the beginning."
"It started around early noon during lunch break at school, there was this alarm and..."
Once I opened my mouth, it was like everything came spilling out. I explained to him the sudden terrible ominous feelings that stuck with me after the press broke through the front gates and invaded the school's premises, I told him about how distracted I was throughout the rest of the class period, and I added how skittish and anxious I became when Aizawa led everyone to the the USJ facility—situated far away from the main campus building.
There was an odd look on the hero's face.
"Sir?" I prompted him.
"Can you explain your Sentinel quirk to me again?"
He knew my powers intimately for pretty much over a decade, but knowing that this recording was going to be taken to the police, I followed along.
"My quirk Sentinel allows for all five of my senses to become more enhanced than the average person. It also allows for me to dull my senses if I so wish, and I could even heighten a couple of them in exchange for dulling the others."
"And you said you've felt the danger after the incident where the press entered the school's front gates?"
"Yes sir."
At the time, I couldn't tell if it was memories from back then or something else that just knew something bad was about to transpire. Taishirō looked like he was going to ask for more details, but decided against it when he realized he didn't have the time to go through every little detail when something in my story stuck out. Time was of the essence and it wouldn't be long before the dumbass lizard would be walking through the door alongside the detective that wanted to meet with me.
"Tell me what happened after you and the rest of your classmates stepped off the bus."
I told him about the awful feeling I felt when I stood outside the giant training establishment, unable to concentrate on Thirteen's presentation because I was too lost in the hyper awareness that something bad was about to come down upon us all. It was only after I stepped inside the building that it all made sense: we walked into a trap.
There was a pregnant pause.
I told him how Aizawa brushed off my concerns when I tried to warn him and Thirteen, the ink-haired teacher believing I was merely causing a disturbance in the middle of class over some so-called disturbance only I seemed to notice. I told my cousin how I failed miserably and was seconds away from throwing my hands at Aizawa when the villains finally made their appearance.
I told him about the warp villain who brought to life hordes of murderers.
I told him about the pale-haired man with the multiple hands attached to his face, arms, and shoulders.
I told him about the abominable Nōmu.
... I told him about Aizawa leaving everyone wide open for an attack with Thirteen, a non-combatant rescue hero, as our only means of defense against the enemies.
The Pro hero reached for the recorder and turned it off, and then he stood up to his full height and stalked around the room. The grilled street food he often permeated turned into something what I could describe as burnt grease, all old and nasty.
"I broke his face when I woke up." I said.
The blond let out an abrupt humorless laugh. "Yeah, I know. Saw it on the news, too!"
Another pause filled the room, the two of us going still as we stared at one another. Brows furrowed in confusion, I gave the older man a look that demanded to know on how the hell he knew that? The school couldn't have told them because Taishirō just told me how they only heard about what happened through the news and from close acquaintances. Taishirō let out a heavy sigh, reaching up to pinch the area right above the bridge of his nose and the space between his eyes.
"The emergency smoke caught a lotta people's attention, bro. Guess who else came runnin' 'sides the heroes and police?"
After I came to outside of the USJ facility, I was disorientated and a bit dazed of the situation. It was only after looking around that I remembered what happened—most specifically, what happened to Yaoyorozu and Thirteen. Seeing the glaring absence, and barely getting any information from the medic, the worst conclusions came crawling up on me. Panic started to set in, the horrible encompassing guilt of not having done enough to prevent such a tragedy, and just as I was moments of away from having a mental breakdown... Aizawa came between my crosshairs.
Then suddenly the horror became anger, the self-loathing became hate, and the guilt shifted into blame.
Because as much as I hated myself for not doing enough, for not pressing the issue harder, for not acting sooner, my hatred for Aizawa was much more overwhelming.
That stupid man played the biggest factor in why everyone got caught up with that mess inside the USJ. He was the reason why Yaoyorozu and Thirteen hadn't made it, he was the reason why that warp villain got us, he was the reason why all the kids got dragged along for the hellish ride.
So when I forced myself up on my two feet, removed the tubes of my blood bags, I wasn't thinking on anything else but getting back at the bastard. I didn't care if I ended up getting pinned with assault charges, I didn't care if this would put a stain on my image (hah, what image?), nor did I care about the repercussions that would lead to my expulsion from the school, those issues to me were so insignificant compared to the emptiness I felt in my chest.
I wanted to forget pain and instead create more by inflicting it on the person who deserved it the most.
In my approach, I was coherent enough to ask if Aizawa was in fit condition (because believe or not, I wanted to beat the shit out of him when he was at his best), and once somebody confirmed it for me—I swung at him.
A lot of people saw what I did that day.
Including the press who probably hovered above the area in their helicopters, cameras zooming in and taking pictures and faces of the people gathered there. Every second, every action, all of it recorded and distributed to the public.
I could already see the headlines: the Gunnarsen Bastard attacking a highly-respected teacher of the prestigious U.A. High School.
And yet...
"I don't regret it." I said.
I felt his eyes on me, and I looked up to meet them head on.
"I don't regret giving that asshole what he deserved."
Slowly, the blond nodded his head.
"I know, Kuzan."
Loud chatter from outside the door caught my attention, and I zeroed in on the door while Taishirō muttered a curse under his breath. A second later, the door swung open and I scowled when Genbu stepped inside. Behind the lizard prick was a plain-looking man wearing a trench coat.
"Glad to see you're finally awake." Genbu condescendingly snapped. "Now that you got your beauty sleep, mind answering some questions for us?"
It took everything in me to hold back the growl that threatened to rumble deep from my chest. "Sure."
"Captain Genbu," the other man stepped around the lizard which allowed me to get a good look at him. He looked average and unnoticeable, someone I couldn't written off any other day, but now that he had my attention... "I'm sure you have more important priorities to oversee during the investigation—"
The guy had only met Genby and already he was trying to get the lizard man to fuck off as politely as he could. I couldn't fault the man, Genbu wasn't exactly polite company to keep around.
"Don't worry that pretty head of yours, Tsukauchi. I already got my officers spread out and working by the hour to get everything sorted so we can get a full story." Genbu waspishly talked over the detective. The lizard turned towards my cousin. "Besides, I have someone already doing the questioning. Your presence, while appreciated, isn't necessary."
Not wanting to witness an argument break out, no matter how one-sided it appeared to be, I decided to butt my head in.
"Uh, detective?"
"Hello," the detective straightened up. "I'm Tsukauchi Naomasa. I came here to ask you a few questions about what happened at the training facility."
"Which we were getting to." Genbu interjected from the background, but everyone pretended that he wasn't actually with us and had been yeeted off into the shadow realm.
I gave him a wary once over. "Why is there a detective from another district taking interest in this?"
He was obviously not one of our own. The guy was too bland-looking, his noir outfit made him stand out a bit from the rest of the officers I came across, and his scent of twenty-four hour diner restaurants did nothing to help his case. So why, I wondered, was there a stranger taking interest in me? If he was brought aboard as a consultant, he could have easily waited for some low-ranking officer to do the job for him and waited until the full report came in. It's what any other higher up in his position would have done... but instead, he was here. Meeting me. The more than usual ruffled police captain held a grimace that said he too had been caught off guard by the unexpected visit.
My guard went up from zero to eleven in an instant.
There was a touch of surprise gleaming from his obsidian eyes, a small smile blossoming on his previously blank face. "Very astute of you, Sengoku-kun."
Again, Genbu scoffed in the background. Again, he was ignored.
"Do you mind if I take over?" the detective asked, looking towards my cousin. "Officer...?"
"Of course." Taishirō acquiesced, wisely not giving away his name while making sure to keep his head low enough for the dark hoodie he was wearing to keep his profile obscured by the detective. "We were just going over what happened in the beginning. Here's a recorder if you'd like to review it."
His careful speech and lack of Kansai dialect pretty much confirmed to me that Taishirō was familiar with this detective Tsukauchi. My cousin never really bothered with hiding his background unless he was being careful around certain people who could easily trace back his origins. Hopefully, the detective would dismiss him as another brute squad enforcer working for the local police department.
"Thank you, I appreciate it." I watched the detective take the offered recorder from the hooded man's large hands.
Beyond them, I could tell Genbu was going to kick up another fuss. Fortunately, the idiot didn't get to say anything because I caught the scent of lavender and fresh earthly moss followed by furious clicking high heels rapidly approaching our room. Not a few seconds later, the door burst open and mom barreled inside. The other men in the room were surprised by her unexpected entrance, and while Tskuauchi and my cousin calmed down once they realized who she was, Genbu's lips twisted at the sight of her.
"Don't go getting all hysterical on us, Gunnar—"
Hanging on one side of her arm, she looked to be carrying what smelled like a home cooked meal, and on the other side was a freshly brewed styrofoam cup of coffee. I never liked coffee, but mom and dad were in love with the stuff. They were like vampires who obsessed and hungered over it because their life would be meaningless without coffee to guide them at the end of the bright tunnel.
However, in that moment, mom didn't hesitate to the chuck her hot coffee on the front of Genbu's dress shirt.
The police captain released a high pitched yelp, his words gone and replaced with surprise and pain.
"Oops," mom chirped, sounding apologetic when she was anything but. "I did not see you there."
"The hell you didn't—!" Genbu began to hiss, but he was instantly cut off when mom snatched him by the lapels of his ruined suit. "H-hey!"
She dragged the squirming lizard closer to the door, and Taishirō didn't hesitate to reach out and open the door for her. With a sweet smile pointed at the taller man, she pushed the police captain out of the room completely. The lizard looked about ready to explode in her face, spewing all sorts of ugly abuse like he always did whenever because it seemed easier for him to take out his frustrations on her, but mom beats him to the punch before the garbage could come pouring out of his stupid mouth.
"You best hurry and try to save that lovely dress shirt of yours, otherwise that stain might become permanent. Besides, I'd be pretty embarrassed to be seen walking around wearing that if I was in the middle of a job, don't you think?"
Taishirō took the opportunity to slip out of the room (and away from Tsukauchi), ducking his head to keep himself from bumping against the doorframe while using his bigger frame to push the captain further out the door. Despite his angry sputtering, mom gave the police captain a saccharine smile while slamming the door closed with an air of finality behind the action.
Detective Tsukauchi looked both dumbstruck and completely at awe towards my mom. Not only did she walk inside and take charge, and not only did she shut the police captain down before he could even begin his little tirade, she fucking humiliated him in front of the peanut gallery who had the pleasure to bear witness to it.
And damn, did she look cool doing it.
Turning away from the door, she closed the gap between us and Tsukauchi was wise to step out of the way lest he incur the wrath of the mother bear on himself. Setting aside the plastic bag she was carrying to the nearby nightstand, I released a sigh as her arms wrapped themselves tightly around my waist. I leaned against her shoulder, taking in her scent while running a hand down her shoulder blade.
"I'm was so scared, Kuzan." mom spoke in her native tongue. "When you weren't home, when I called you hundreds of times, I thought—"
"Sorry," was all I had to offer. "I would've called but my phone got destroyed."
Crashing through concrete rubble would do that to phones.
I couldn't begin to imagine how terrifying that must've been for my folks. Mom arriving to a dark house with no signs of it being recently inhabited to show that someone did come by. Her phone calls and texts going on unanswered when she tried to contact me, her calm gradually tearing itself away as the sinking feeling of something disastrous having happened to her only child beginning to torture her heart. The devastation she felt when she finally got word, when someone finally informed her of the incident which took place at the high school I attended, children and teachers attacked and nearly killed by the villains...
I could not even begin to imagine.
Seeing the incredibly awkward detective pointedly keeping his face turned away from mine and mom's intimate moment, I slowly pulled away from her while giving a subtle nod towards the man so mom could ease up.
"Detective." I called.
"Ah!" the man jumped, no longer looking blank-faced but a bit flustered. "I'm sorry to intrude, it's just your son and I were..."
He made a gesture towards me and mom, after giving the detective a scrutinizing look, backed away so that we could pick up where my cousin left. She made no move for the door to give us privacy, not that Tsukauchi was going to ask her to leave because the man seemed smart enough not to get between a fiercely protective mother and her child. The doctor made herself busy by preparing the small meal she brought with her while the detective moved the process along.
The recorder Taishirō left behind was played, and everyone listened intently as I relayed the story with my cousin sometimes asking for clarifications on some things that stuck out to him. A few minutes into the recording, Tsukauchi and mom gave me bizarre looks that matched Taishirō's when I told him about the bad vibes I got.
Tsukauchi paused the recorder.
"You said you sensed the danger before it happened?"
"Yes sir." I replied. "It's like... something more than gut instinct. It felt deeper than a guess... like I knew it was going to happen before it happened."
The two adults exchanged looks.
"Doctor?"
"This is news for me, too. My son's quirk is much more sensitive than my own, and he can't seem to shut it off completely like I can..." mom tapped her chin in contemplation.
Detective Tsukauchi hummed for a moment until something sparked in his eyes.
"Your mother is Agnete Gunnarsen, yes?"
"Jaeger, detective," mom corrected Tsukauchi. Her voice became cool as a frozen wasteland when she spoke. "Her name is Agnete Jaeger. She wants nothing to do with his name."
"My apologies, doctor." Tsukauchi cleared his throat. "From what I remember, it is her family which you've inherited the Sentinel quirk from."
"My sisters and I are the fifth generation to have the Sentinel quirk. Everyone knows that with each new generation, the quirk gene becomes stronger and enhanced than the previous. Aksel is a second generation who has a psychic type quirk," mom paused, hesitating briefly as she gave me a cursory glance before returning to the detective. "There was an older brother of mine, from Aksel's first marriage. He inherited the psychic quirk from Aksel. After his passing, the only one in our family to have the psychic gene is our younger half-sister, Trine."
Genetics was not my biggest forte, but I was able to understand bits and pieces from what mom was talking about to Tsukauchi. Because grandma was a fourth generation and the old man was of the second generation, their children had a higher chance of inheriting their mother's quirk than their father's. And over the course of their years growing up, mom, Vigrid, and Sissel hadn't gotten anything remotely paranormal. Yet, even with the genes skipping mom's generation, they might have stayed dormant... until now.
"What is your father's quirk, by the way?"
Mom frowned. "His quirk is projection. He can make you see things or force strong emotions on the individual, nothing like mind control... but it's something you barely have any choice but to endure it. If he doesn't like you, he'll make damn sure that you know it."
Mom's eyes flickered towards me.
A blood red sky, vultures circling 'round and 'round until they swooped in.
"Your brother and sister?"
"My sister calls her quirk token; she can sort of perceive small bits of information when she makes contact with things," mom explained to the detective. "My brother's quirk, he was able to, um..."
Mom trailed off, eyes glazing over as she was both trapped in a memory only she could see while also hesitating to share something intimate of her dead brother. It was the same look dad had when I brought up my uncle's name (and never brought up again when I realized how uncomfortable it made him).
The detective coughed, causing mom to break out of her stupor. "Sorry, doctor. How about I come back later? Sengoku-kun must be hungry."
My stomach grumbled to life, agreeing with Tsukauchi's assessment. The adults shared amused glances with each other as I flushed red with embarrassment. With a polite nod goodbye, the detective stepped out and left my mom and I to our own devices.
"Oh."
I glanced up to find her staring at the cluster of flowers on the table across from my bed.
"Oh yeah," I mumbled lamely to her. "I got flowers."
"I can see that," she made her way towards the pile, inhaling the flora perfume. "Mmm. These are lovely, darling."
"... You think you can take the flowers home with you?" I asked.
Her face became gobsmacked, eyes wide as saucers as she looked at me from over her shoulders. "Really?"
I shrugged.
"Just thought it'd make for a nice garden... or something..."
I mostly wanted to keep the sunflower. As for the others, I probably would have thrown most of them out, but something made me hesitate to consider following through with the idea. I mostly chalked it up to being unable to find out which gifts came from who because it would have been kind of a dick move to throw away Uraraka and Iida's flowers since they weren't assholes. So really, I had no other choice but to take the whole flora arrangement with me.
Really.
Mom smiled. "I guess our tiny backyard could use a little more decoration beside the usual weed and vines."
.
.
.
It didn't take Tsukauchi long to get the full story from me; my information became a gold mine to the detective regarding the two main villains who led the assault as I was able to detect heavy traces of alcohol in their scent which meant they were hidden away inside some club or secluded bar riddled with all kinds of drinks. This helped narrow the search by a margin, but it was enough that police all over had their eyes peeled for suspicious-looking pubs radiating with villainous activity.
Despite the calm and professional manner he treated me and my mother with, there was just something about this blank-looking man that made me side-eye him. I still struggled to decide if I was being paranoid or if there was something my memories were trying to tell me about this mysterious detective who butted in on my interview with the police. Besides that, I had a new problem to worry about.
Because of my vague knowledge about the attack, investigators and heroes alike were going to bring my quirk up for questioning because of how ambiguous the whole thing was. Without understanding the true nature of how my quirk functioned, people were going to make assumptions.
Assumptions, the detective said, which could paint me as a suspect of the investigation.
"Awesome." I sarcastically retorted.
"Don't worry, you've got plenty of people vouching for your innocence," Tsukauchi reassured me. "Besides, I got a trump card that will shut down any accusations thrown against you."
When given a look that prompted him to explain what he meant, the detective merely smiled and made himself scarce when my mom came around to check up on me.
Outside the investigation, there was a storm brewing.
People, both on social media and every news network, demanded information about what happened inside the training facility. More than that, they wanted to know how many students lost their lives that day (so they could hurry to the home addresses to harass the grieving families for some high rates on their respective news coverage). Following that, they would throw in the age old question on how exactly was the faculty going to improve their school's security while ensuring their students were well protected.
To ease the concerns of the people, an official press conference was broadcasted live to finally address what had been on everyone's mind. A couple of days after the incident, Principal Nedzu stepped up to the podium, gave the viewers and those present to the flashing room a polite bow, and made his announcement.
All twenty students, including their teachers, were alive and making full recovery of their respective injuries. The school was currently locked down after it was discovered that they had been infiltrated by the villains during the whole uproar when the press entered the school's campus, but with how well things were turning out, it wouldn't be long when everyone would be able to resume classes.
At first, there was skepticism.
The only reason why a person would be alive was because they either got permanently injured or they called it quits. Yet with no signs of dead students popping up in social media, or families stepping up to angrily retort otherwise, their theories were dying out real fast.
Next, people questioned how a group full of children and two teachers were able to hold off against an entire army of villains that weren't amateurs when it came to attacking students from the hero schools.
All eyes turned towards their savior, the Symbol of Peace. It was an easy conclusion everyone jumped to, the man worked as part of the U.A. staff, so surely he was able to respond quickly enough and come to the students and teacher's aid. However, the principal was quick to debunk that notion when he brought up the time frame and schedule between class and All Might's commute to the school. Surely no one had forgotten that he had been delayed three hours, too busy snatching up thieves and rescuing hostages from violent villains? Surely the people remembered how All Might was resolving one incident after another before finally arriving at the doorstep of the school?
Which meant no one knew what was happening until they all spotted the red emergency smoke billowing through the broken portion of the roof from the training facility across the main school campus—an area, the principal repeated, that had been cut off entirely to prevent any sort of communication from reaching the rest of the school staff. The teachers who had been there, Thirteen and Eraserhead, confirmed that they had no means to notify their peers of the situation.
This meant the students were the ones who had to notify the school.
This meant the students, beside their teachers, were left alone to deal with the assault.
This meant a bunch of children were fighting furiously for their lives while working quickly to call for outside help.
All this happening under everyone's noses until a giant red plume of smoke made itself known.
Like a time bomb going off, the public exploded.
The word spread across the nation like a wildfire. Hashtags were tossed around the internet forums and blogs, video channels dedicated to getting the right from their reliable resources for any computer hermit became popular overnight, and anchormen and women were repeating the same thing as if it were the only mantra that could get them up in the morning:
A miracle.
Young students who went to U.A. in the hopes of becoming the heroes of tomorrow, not only survived the assault, but worked together to fight back against the evil long enough until the real heroes arrived in the nick of time.
Already there was a bunch of reporters and journalists who wanted to know the identity of the kids so they could go ahead and ask questions, eager to share with the rest of the country who sat on the edge of their seats with a glimmer of hope in their eyes. Questions like who was the one that released the emergency smoke came flying around. How many villains did each student take down? What kind of quirks did the kids use to take on their opponents? Had the school trained them rigorously that the student was confident in their ability to fight back?
So many questions.
When the press got pushy on demanding to know the real heroes that day, the principal finally relented.
"A student who entered the school on high recommendations: Yaoyorozu Momo." Principal Nedzu revealed. "She used her quirk to signal the school for the trouble we were oblivious to."
Yaoyorozu was an important family well known across the country, and I was kind of shocked to be hearing this the first time because really? They were that important? The more I listened to the talkshow hostess explain to her co-host, the more I slowly began to realize something seriously fucked up about my uptight classmate Yaoyorozu Momo.
The way they talked about her... it was like she was some sort of commodity to the people than some teenager. The only reason people cared about her at all was because they were angry about how their country almost lost an important asset because how the fuck else were they going to get those quirk gear, unattainable resources, or whatever bullshit they needed after losing it from the fall-out?!
For the first time in years, I was beginning to realize that the harm the old man created for these people went deeper than them losing support and loved ones.
What if one day someone said you could use your quirk to help people? Exciting, right? You'd do it, making things because you have the power to do so, handing it out like a present offered for the person asking for it. And then along comes another person, asking for another present, but bigger or more complicated. And it must've been hard work, but in the end, you made it and you give it to them. And then along comes another person who wants a present for themselves, too.
But at this point you're kind of tired, you want to stop, you want to be left alone because you want to something new for once.
Only you can't be left alone. You can't stop making those things. You can't do whatever you like whenever you like. You need to keep making them because people need it, and it's not like you have anything better to do. The only reason you're comfortable at all is because your quirk is helping with making money while also providing for the people who need it more than you. So no, you can't stop and you can't be left alone, and don't bother asking because that's just plain selfish Yaoyorozu Momo!
It made me wonder how the girl was able to break free from such a heavy burden forced upon her from a young age. What made her decide that she was better off as a sword for the nation than its tool? How did she find the strength to say no when they demanded more from her? How did she escape the clutches of her expectations? How did she ignore the millions of voices screaming, pleading, demanding her to quit being a hero because that was selfish of her?
I'll probably never know the answer, but I did find out one thing about the princess.
She was a fucking rebel.
"And another student who was given the highest score to date in the entrance exams: Sengoku Grímnir Kuzan!" Principal Nedzu cheerily added like he hadn't dropped a bombshell on everyone. "While Yaoyorozu did the signalling, I'm told by multiple witnesses that Sengoku had been the one to come up with the plan when it became clear to them that escape from the facility's entrance became impossible—"
The television screen turned black.
I didn't have the patience to watch adults suddenly bickering and arguing back and forth because whatever good deeds I had was tiny compared to the misfortune I brought upon them. By the end of the day, it was going to be just like how people thought Jakku had been my fault. This time however, the public had a plausible argument to explain why a group of villains were bold enough to actually invade a school in broad daylight and attack students in the middle of class.
There was a reason why these days there was a huge surge of villains. People got desperate, people got tired of the bullshit, and people were mad as hell that they lashed out to express their frustrations.
Besides, after assaulting a member of the faculty, I might as well kiss my enrollment to U.A. goodbye.
.
.
.
Recovery Girl was giving me a reproachful look, and I kept my eyes occupied with the rest of the room to avoid meeting hers.
As much as I felt like snapping, I knew I had to keep my temper in check because she didn't deserve any sort of nonsense from me (she was also responsible for helping me stay alive, so there was that). Still, if the old lady was upset about me attacking Aizawa then I really had nothing to say to her. She wasn't there to see how badly things became when we were attacked, she didn't watch a teacher abandoning his students to fend for themselves, and she had no idea how frantic we all were when we scrambled to reunite while protecting ourselves and our own.
If she came to me thinking she was going to guilt trip me until I felt bad for doing what I did, then she had another thing coming. I was grateful for her saving me, but I wasn't going to apologize for my actions either.
"Some tea, Sengoku-kun?" Principal Nedzu offered from his place on the couch across us.
"No, I'm good. Thank you." I politely declined.
My appetite was gone for the moment, too busy feeling anxious about the meeting taking place in the mostly abandoned high school. Recovery Girl and her team weren't experts on quirkology, but her and several members had worked long enough in the field to get a good idea on how to poke and prod their patient to find the answers they were looking for. Mom wasn't happy about the idea of me becoming a guinea pig but she understood the importance of it since people were still scratching their heads over how my Sentinel quirk was able to predict the attack.
Besides, given our history, we couldn't afford to be picky with where we got our professional help from (even after so many years, I still shuddered at the memory of those despicable therapists).
While mom was kept busy and distracted by the medical department who taken a few tests earlier to get some information on my brain signals, I was herded away by Recovery Girl to join her, Principal Nedzu, All Might, and detective Tsukauchi. To my surprise, he was also the other person to be aware of the secret of One for All. Eyes locked on the older man, the Pro hero nervously offered a crooked smile.
"Damn, All Might, you really like to flaunt your connections around, don't you?" I waved a hand towards the detective who barely managed to hide a smile behind his steaming mug.
"I'm not flaunting anything!" All Might exclaimed, offended at the idea that his influence was being used for evil. "Tsukauchi is a good friend of mine, and I was worried about you, but I couldn't visit you myself because I had to go do some interviews and press conferences! I asked him to check up on you, that's all!"
"This is a gross misuse of your network, you stalker. You had your buddy butt into other police business."
"I was worried! The last time I saw you, you were unconscious!"
"Uh-huh. Any other spies I need to look out for?" I persisted jokingly.
"Oh, be quiet!"
A small cough from the mammal brought our little squabbling to an end. Time was precious and there was important matters to be discussed, so All Might and I needed to leave our personal life outside of the office and focus on the situation. Once I was settled between the two adults on the couch, Principal Nedzu motioned a paw towards me.
"How are you feeling, Sengoku-kun? Any trouble in movement? Soreness in the muscles perhaps?"
"No, I'm feeling a lot better now." I replied as I flexed the muscles. "Got plenty of hours of sleep and my family brought back enough food, so I recovered real quick that they didn't need to keep me in the hospital for long."
"Sleeping and eating helps you gain back your strength?" queried the detective.
"It's quite fascinating, detective. After consuming a large amount of food to absorb the nutrients, Sengoku-kun's body becomes replenished which helps hasten the healing process!" Principal Nedzu excitedly commented from his spot on the other side of the coffee table.
Next to the mammal, the elderly woman gave the group and I critical look. "Are we all really going to beat around the bush? Did we not come here to talk about what happened outside the USJ entrance?"
'Here it comes...'
"Shūzenji—" All Might began, but flinched when the doctor's sharp gaze fell on him. It was kind of impressive.
"No, don't try to excuse what your boy did, Toshinori. I cannot stand by when Sengoku deliberately attacked his teacher, going so far as to threaten him with murder!" Recovery Girl's gaze then fell on me. "What were you thinking, young man?!"
When someone usually does something nice for you, you learn to be humbled and grateful. Again, I really was glad that she saved me, restoring the muscles and tissues of my shoulder left evident by the massive scar, I truly was indebted to her.
But goddammit, I was an angry, selfish human being.
"I was thinking about how I had to listen to my classmate when she struggled to breathe. I was thinking about how many bones were broken, how many joints dislocated, how much damage her organs took when that thing backhanded her." I began viciously, the words pouring out of my mouth acting like poisonous darts aimed to infect and harm. "I was thinking about how much blood the average adult carried before trying to guess how much Thirteen lost when those villains tore their body like sharks in a feeding frenzy."
Recovery Girl was no longer glaring, but her disapproval of my actions remained. She obviously saw what happened to the pair (she saw a lot worse in her time), but she couldn't fault me for how I reacted. She couldn't.
"I was thinking about how no one would tell me of their conditions, if they lived long enough to get help or not. I was thinking about the worst conclusions coming true, mine and everyone else's efforts not being enough to save the people we lost." I sneered when I recalled Aizawa, standing off to the side with his arms fixed and looking untouched while everyone else bled and cried. "I was thinking about how unfair their deaths were while that asshole of a teacher stood there and, and—!"
"Are you starting to understand, Sengoku?" Recovery Girl interrupted my tirade, still looking at me. "Are you starting to understand how everyone else feels?"
All the air in my lungs escaped like they've been vacuumed out, my eyes growing wide like saucers at the unintended harsh words. I could even hear All Might choke, as shocked as I felt. Just like how Aizawa had done after the battle simulation, her words felt as though I've been physically stricken in the face. My fury was hypocrisy, my guilt a mockery, and my actions a joke delivered poorly, all of it a reflection from what the rest of society was feeling every waking moment of their lives.
I opened my mouth, wanting to tell her I wasn't the villain who struck down their heroes, I wasn't the unseen disaster that stole hundreds of innocent lives, and I wasn't the degraded equipment that fell apart when they needed it most, but my teeth clamped shut after a long period of silence. Besides, given the pitiful look she was giving me through her frowning demeanor, she could already tell what I was going to say.
A doctor's job was to deliver truths. You may not like the news, but it was there and this was where everyone stopped to think on how they should proceed. I could be angry all I want, but shitty things happened and I needed to deal with it no matter how unfair the whole thing played out.
Just like Aizawa and everyone else in the country.
I gritted my teeth.
"Sengoku-kun." All Might cuts in, hand resting protectively over my shoulder. "Your classmate and teacher are safe. Remember? You and everyone definitely made sure they made it out okay."
Inhale.
Yaoyorozu's okay. Thirteen's okay. They were all okay.
Exhale.
"If you want me to make an official public apology, then sorry to disappoint you, but I won't do it. I don't regret my actions." I faced the principal and doctor. "He dismissed my warnings, abandoned his students to fight alone, and nearly costed people their lives because of it. I will never be ashamed of punching the man who placed innocent kids in mortal danger because of some personal grudge he had against me. And if you invited me here to tell me I'm expelled from your school, then say it and I'll be on my way without a fuss."
There was a tiny sharp intake of breath from the person beside me, no doubt surprised by the blunt words, but I ignored them in favor of keeping my attention trained on the small principal who stirred his tea in silence as I said my piece. Recovery Girl in turn said nothing. She already made her point, and I got what she was telling me, but it didn't change how I felt. Call me what you like, but I wasn't the idiot who ignored the warning signs before it was too late.
"That's unfortunate." Principal Nedzu sighed, placing his cup back on the coffee table. "If it's any consolation to hear: Aizawa is not pressing any charges against you."
While the news was unexpected and kind of surprising to know, it did nothing to quell the anger still burning within me. My face remained like a stoic statue as my arms kept in position of being crossed over my torso. Whether Aizawa had a change of heart not, it wouldn't change a damn thing on how I felt about him and his previous actions.
"And if you're concerned about your enrollment to the school being jeopardized, then you'll be surprised to know that an argument about emotional outbursts which result in the afflicted lashing out violently due to the paramount of distress is something that isn't uncommon in the hero community." I blinked, the anger slowly crumbling from my exterior. "This helped in keeping you attached to your class, but let me warn you, Sengoku-kun: you attack another member of my faculty again, I will take actions in filing a lawsuit against you. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir." I muttered, eyes flickering briefly over to the doctor before returning to the mammal.
Once given a nod of approval from the principal, my eyes automatically turned towards the person who most obliviously came running to my defense.
"I wasn't the only one, you know." All Might huffed as he downed the rest of his tea.
"Yeah, but you're always the first in line." I pointed out.
"Kid's got a point." Tsukauchi chortled in agreement.
"Anyway!" Recovery Girl, determined to keep important subject on track, waved towards my limbs. "Do you know what happened when you were fighting against the Nōmu?"
"How could I forget? That thing was relentless." I frowned while rubbing a hand over the area where the monster bit me. "When the freak with the hand fetish told the Nōmu to do something, it did it without question. It attacked, it wrecked, it broke, and came close to killing a couple of people. The Nōmu was almost like an unstoppable force, and it didn't help that it had a regenerative quirk, too."
"Yes, people described it being unresponsive to reason and unaffected by emotions. I was also told it couldn't feel pain." Principal Nedzu hummed.
"No, it can feel pain. When I was fighting with the Nōmu, we landed in the fire zone and I managed to push some flames towards it. The thing started to scream when it's body caught on fire. I've seen it get impaled a couple of times by the debris when I slammed it around, and it pushed the rebars out like they were stickers." I shared with the other who listened to my story with keen ears. "But when I used fire against it, the Nōmu finally reacted. It was like hearing a couple of people scream bloody murder all at once."
"Jesus Christ..." All Might whispered quietly underneath his breath.
"Anyway, I tried to immobilize it while it was distracted by the burns. I figured that despite it being able to take a hit from One for All, it wasn't able to bounce it off like my body does when hit with blunt force—the Nōmu just absorbed it. So the plan was to keep hitting it long enough that it can't absorb anymore."
"Clever boy," Recovery Girl hummed from her spot. Then she pointedly stared at the shoulder. "But that didn't pan out so well for you, did it?"
I shrugged. "I didn't know that I was actually up against two villains. That warp guy messed up my plans and I almost became the Nōmu's personal chew toy."
"Well, thanks to your efforts, you kept the Nōmu at bay long enough for help to arrive." Tsukauchi smiled at me.
Quickly trying to push the discomfort away, I instead turned my attention back on the old lady like I hadn't heard Tsukauchi's praise. I motioned towards my arms, legs, and face, wanting to ask a question that's been bothering me for the past couple of days since I woke up in the hospital alone.
"Something weird happened to me when I was fighting the Nōmu! One moment, it felt like I could destroy planets like a Super Saiyan—" "What the heck is that?" "—but then when I lost hold of One for All, it started to tear my body apart like I was shredded paper!"
"Of course it did, you little nincompoop! You forced your premature body to take on One for All at its maximum power!" Recovery Girl scolded.
I shot up from my seat like an energetic fanboy watching his favorite team win the Superbowl. "What?! For real? You're saying I was able to hold One for All's full power for like a few minutes?"
"Don't say it like it's something to be proud of!" Recovery Girl admonished me. She turned to All Might with a deep scowl etched on her wrinkled face. "I hope he doesn't pick up any of your bad habits, Toshinori! I'm getting to be far too old in dealing with another round of hot-headed boys who don't know when to quit while they're ahead!"
"I'll do my best to guide young Sengoku away from making the same mistakes I made in my foolish youth!" All Might vowed while sinking deeper into the cushions of his seat as if it would help engulf his body so it would no longer be under the old lady's death glare.
"Back to the issue at hand," Principal Nedzu spoke. "Amazing as your quick progress is, Sengoku-kun, I must advise you do not draw its full power again until you've learned to control it properly."
"Yes sir."
That day, I experienced something incredible being unleashed like a powerful river that seemed to never end, blasting and crashing against the rocks as it made its way down the streams of my veins. It felt amazing, liberating even, when I watched my fists push the monstrous Nōmu further away from my classmates and teachers. And on that very same day, I learned of its terrible cost.
As scary as it was, that day became my biggest lesson and reminder about One for All: the power passed down to me was not a gift, it was a burden I had to be responsible for. All Might was still around to keep everything afloat with his strength and might (or whatever was left of it), but someday he was going to have to remove himself whereas I had to step up and hold the entire pillar of society to keep it from crumbling in on itself.
That day was coming soon, just beyond the horizon, and it honestly terrified me.
It made the appreciation and respect I had for All Might grow to new heights.
I needed to kick my training into a whole new level, I thought.
Like, whole new Gear level.
A small notification alert jostled me a bit from my musings. Looking towards the source, Principal Nedzu had pulled out his little phone from the pocket of his vest, quickly reading over the message before typing a quick message. Call me a hypocrite but wasn't it considered rude around here to bring up a phone while in the middle of a meeting?
"Was that—?" All Might was sitting up straight from his seat, no longer relaxed. Warning bells started to go off in my head.
"Yes," the principal replied. "Better to get this done now than spring it on him when he's not expecting it."
The air turned sour. Not only that, but I caught how irritated All Might felt from the way his body temperature seemed to rise, and his blood brewed hotly from the anger bubbling beneath his skeletal frame. Like a tiny child stuck in the middle of giant adults, I looked around the others for answers. The principal stirred his tea, Recovery Girl tapped her gloved fingers across her lap, and the detective looked as though he was resigned to a fate worse than death.
Having enough of the secrets, I tried to demand an answer. "What's going on—?"
The entrance of the main office opened.
I looked over my shoulder.
I froze.
They in turn went still.
We stared at one another.
"Sengoku-kun," when All Might spoke, his voice sounded tight like he had wrapped his vocal chords with shackles and chains because he had to keep it under control. "Something else happened while you were recovering."
Slowly, the door closed behind them. They did not dare step further inside the room.
"Young Bakugō was driving himself insane about how you were able to move like you did. Recovery Girl barely managed to convince your mother and the rest of your family how you might have a recessive gene from your father's bloodline which explained a lot about your increased strength. This helped in pulling the wool over your classmates and teachers eyes."
I could not remove my eyes from the person standing at the doorway, pinning them there with the power of my gaze alone.
"But... we weren't able to explain away the multiple quirks they felt you carrying."
"We had no choice but to tell him." Recovery Girl sounded apologetic.
And Aizawa's one eye that wasn't hidden away by the bandages sticking to the other side of his face stared right back.
"He knows about One for All."
Get ready for some upcoming Second/Third Gear bullshit, ya'll! :D
For clarification:
Aksel Gunnarsen's quirk is mental projection
Trine's quirk is psychometry