Chapter 21
Unsure

Disclaimer: I do NOT own My Hero Academia, or its characters. I DO however, own my OCs and my story.

.:+:.

... Did I... Make the right... Choice...?

.:+:.

"-while you'll be expected to do as any of the staff tell you, it's been decided that your primary supervisor will be Aizawa. Unless specified otherwise, you'll be expected to stay in a certain range of him, and follow whatever instructions he gives you. Since the current threat from Simon is aimed at a student in his Homeroom class, we decided it was best to keep you near him in case some crisis does crop up.

You'll be confined to the Campus Perimeter and your location will be closely monitored by both the UA staff, as well as the police. This will be monitored using a Tracking Bracelet, and any attempts to deliberately tamper with it will earn you punishment.

You will be staying in the staff living quarters while you are at UA, and given a cell phone to use only to contact either the police, or the UA Staff and no one else.

Remember that you are not to speak of Simon, or tell any of the students about who you are. Your identity as 'Seer' or anything else involving Simon and the investigation into him is not to be disclosed to anyone who does not already know.

However despite all of that, you are still in UA's Custody, so it is ultimately up to them what you do and how much contact you are allowed with the students directly... But only because you've been deemed a non-threat.

... Is all of that clear...?"

.:+:.

Damn it... I still feel sick...

.:+:.

"... What am I supposed to call everyone, around the school...?"

"Hmm?"

"... I take it the students use everyone's Hero Names, right...?"

"Yes, the majority of the Staff are only known by their Pro Names to the students, so it would be better to refer to them like that too."

"... Right..."

"Is that an issue?"

"... No... It might just... Take me awhile to get used to it... I might stumble... But I'll get it... I just have to focus on... Who is who..."

"... You can call me whatever you like."

"... What...?"

"I didn't keep my name a secret, so call me whatever is easiest."

"... Alright... That'll be... One less thing to keep track of..."

"Are you alright to meet up with Nemuri, Thirteen and Cementoss?"

"... I suppose so..."

"It's better to get all the introductions over with as soon as you can."

"... I know..."

"... That being said Snipe, Hound Dog, Power Loader, and Ectoplasm aren't available today so those introductions will have to wait anyway."

"... That's... a lot of names..."

"... Are you alright?"

"...mm... Yeah, I'm just... Its just a lot in one day..."

"... You don't have to do it all in one day, you know."

"... no its fine... I'm used to it..."

.:+:.

"...A...Aneko...!" Midnight stammered, her hands clasped together in front of her chest and smiling slightly, her eyes shinning and trembling just faintly. Her eyes landed on Izaru moving up the hallway with Aizawa beside her, the former's eyes snapping up from the floor at the sound of her name and looking instantly a little unsure.

It had been earlier that morning she'd been asked to talk with Principal Nezu, and the resulting (insanity) events that lead to being asked to be placed under the Custody of UA.

Following her decision to go ahead with it, there had been logistical things to go over, rules, regulations, warnings... But now it was just passed 1 in the afternoon and they had arrived at UA (the Campus of which she would be utterly confined to for the foreseeable future... and only able to leave with permission and an Escort). All of that aforementioned rules and regulations and setting everything up had taken quite a lot while, not surprisingly... To be honest though, all of it felt like it was moving passed her in a whirl and her head was struggling to keep up with it. She was more tense now than she had been at the Police Station, and the uneasy feeling in her core just kept getting worse. It was making her feel sick, though she swallowed that feeling back. Over and over she kept wondering... If deciding to do this was the best idea...?

She wasn't even sure why she said yes... And she wasn't sure what the Principal had said really meant either-

Izaru's steps and thoughts faltered to non-movement as Midnight broke away from the other two beside her and practically dashed up toward the other woman, arms open and trembling as she caught Izaru up in her arms. Izaru halted, her heart skipping a beat at the sudden contact and eyes widening slightly, quite unsure of what to do as Midnight held her in the hug. Izaru's eyes snapped left toward Aizawa, searching almost, only to earn a small shrug from him.

"It is so good to see you again...it's been so long...!" Midnight breathed, pulling back with her hands still on Izaru's shoulders, and Izaru felt her core knot even further at the sensation of the contact of those hands persisting... Why...?

"I could hardly believe it when Hizashi told me...! I'm still reeling... but... I'm so happy you're back...!" She murmured softly, her hands moving from Izaru's shoulders and holding either side of her jaw gently, Izaru sighed silently, nodding a bit and forcing herself to not show how uneasy the contact made her, or how rigid she went at it. Despite her efforts, she saw Nemuri's smile falter, and their gazes breaking apart when Nemuri's attention flicked down and the other woman saw the scar sliced along Izaru's neck- ah... So it was that, and not...

"... it's... good to see you too... Nemuri..." Izaru mumbled slowly (after having easily recognized the woman, mind you... Thankfully she wasn't dressed in her Hero Costume at the moment, and her hair and voice hadn't changed much since they were younger).

And like with Hizashi back at the hospital, she didn't really feel anything when she said that- about it being 'good' to see Nemuri again. She said it now because the rational side of her mind told her it was probably the appropriate thing to say at the moment, though apart from that it didn't really mean anything at all... And she still didn't get why.

Nemuri smiled again, her attention diverted from the scar on Izaru's neck at the sound of her voice. Nemuri's hands remained where they were a few seconds longer, before she shifted to Izaru's other side and hooked her arm inside the other woman's gently. She started forward down the hallway, leading Izaru with her as Aizawa trailed behind a bit now, "We're still sifting through everything with the move, trying to get the dorms set up and everyone settled in..." Nemuri told her softly, "... I'm going to take care of you for the rest of the day while Shota handles his class, we can catch up and get you settled in too." She added, Izaru blinked, a little surprised at the information but she nodded a bit in agreement anyway.

"... alright..." She mumbled, Nemuri nodded and stopped them in front of the other two, gesturing with her free hand toward the large grey man with the blocky head and smaller form of someone in an astronaut suit.

"I think you might remember, but you've met both Thirteen and Cementoss before." Nemuri told her lightly, "They were first years when we started our second year."

"It's good to see you again, Izaru." Thirteen hummed, waving a hand at her.

"I'm happy to see you two, are you doing alright?" Cementoss murmured, Izaru blinked, glancing between the both of them as she paused.

"... Black Hole and Cement Manipulation.." Izaru mumbled under her breath, nodding slightly. "... I used to help you with Chemistry Class, and you were always tucked away in the library." She said, nodding toward Thirteen and then Cementoss in turn. They both seemed a bit surprised at the words, before smiling with small nods.

"Yep, that's us~!" Thirteen hummed lightly,

"I'm surprised you remember us, we didn't see much of one another when you were at school." Cementoss murmured, Izaru sighed silently.

"Yeah... But to be honest, the things that I can call back on the easiest are everything that happened before ten years ago... in some way the time at school is more fresh on my mind than a lot of other things." Izaru explained, they nodded slowly in understanding. "... ah, I'm fine too... in answer to your question." She added in at the end, Cementoss nodded a bit, smiling slightly. "... so what do you guys teach..?" She mumbled, trying to break the silence that suddenly fell between them for a few seconds.

"Modern Literature." Cementoss replied,

"I handle Rescue Training and other Exercises of that nature." Thirteen replied easily, Izaru glanced sideways toward Nemuri, who smiled a bit more.

"Modern Hero Art History." She smirked, Izaru nodded a little. "Thirteen here is gonna come with you and I on a small tour of the school, while Eraser and Cementoss work on the Training we're gonna be putting the students through for the next week before the start of the new term." Nemuri explained next, "There's still a lot to set up, and of course the kids themselves need to get settled and moved in too- so all hands on deck." Nemuri smiled, Izaru blinked, uneasiness passing over her features so faintly, and so fleetingly it was hardly there- but Nemuri noticed the subtle reaction and her arm hooked with the other woman's tightened a bit, giving her a reassuring squeeze. And the feeling that flared in Izaru at the action was not reassurance, but what it was... That's not right, it feels like...?

"Don't worry, we'll take it slow and don't be afraid to ask any questions if you're confused or curious. I know this is a lot to take in at once, Aneko." Nemuri hummed, and Izaru hesitated a small second more, before casting the thoughts off entirely. She just couldn't, not right now...

"... Right..." Izaru mumbled,

"We're going to head off then." Aizawa murmured lowly, nodding his head to Cementoss who smiled a bit and nodded.

"Perhaps we'll have time to talk later, Izaru." Cementoss murmured,

"If you need me, just send me a text." Shota murmured, his eyes finding Izaru's for a small second before looking at Nemuri instead. "I'm supposed to warn you away from any lengthy excursions, Midnight, but I don't really care to. I'll be able to keep an eye on where you are with the Tracking Bracelet, so go where you want... Just try and stay out of trouble."

Nemuri smirked slightly, "But trouble is always so much more fun~" she shot back with ease, he just sighed.

"Thirteen, I'll leave it to you to make sure nothing unseemly happens." Aizawa muttered dryly, earning a slightly nervous nod from said Pro.

"Of course, Eraser..."

"You should try and go easy on your students, Eraser." Nemuri smiled as Aizawa and Cementoss started to head off. "Punish them, but be gentle~!"

"Be quiet..."

Izaru blinked, silent as she watched them walk away before settling a questioning look on Nemuri (who still held her arm inside of hers...). "... Are they in trouble?" Izaru asked slowly, Nemuri chuckled.

"Oh yes, there was this little debacle where some of his students decided to head out and rescue Bakugou themselves, even despite being told to leave it to the Pros." Nemuri hummed, "They jumped in to whisk Bakugou away when All Might and All For One really got going, which was incredibly stupid... But they stayed out of open conflict and returned Bakugou to the police anyway~"

"... Did they get hurt...?" Izaru murmured, the sudden question earning a pause from Nemuri and Thirteen both. Just a few seconds, and in those seconds one thought passed across both Pro Heroes minds;

That's the first thing she asks...?

Nemuri smiled at the lavender-haired woman on her arm, her heart fluttering slightly as she shook her head. It was a stupid thought, because of course that was the first thing Izaru would ask in regards to Shota's Class. Why would she have ever expected anything different? She hated that she had.

"Nope, everyone was alright, no injuries to speak of. Though they might be a little sore after Eraser has a word with them, but maybe they're used to it by now... It's usually his class that gets in all the trouble." Nemuri replied with ease, her eyes glinting as Izaru glanced away and toward where Shota and Cementoss had disappeared. A few seconds of silence tell between them, before Izaru seemed to let out a silent sigh.

"... I'm sure that gets on his nerves..." Izaru commented quietly, almost to herself, but Nemuri heard, and she chuckled at it.

"So, shall we start on that tour?" Nemuri hummed, pulling Izaru lightly to head in the opposite direction, Thirteen replacing the empty spot on the woman's left where Aizawa had been walking. (Who of which, she found it odd that he'd let her out of his sight so soon. He was after all supposed to be the one mainly in charge of supervising her... But she also supposed he couldn't babysit her all the time either...)

She bit the inside of her cheeks at the thought. She wasn't particularly okay with the fact they were all going to be watching her every move either...

"Oh, and before I forget, how did the surgery go...?" Nemuri asked, her voice dropping slightly and her smile fading with it a little as Thirteen visibly stiffened. They had both been made aware of the fact that Izaru had been sent to the hospital, (all of the other Staff had been told too, during the briefing and the vote to give the choice of UA taking over her custody..), but they'd been told little about all of that, and what her injuries were really like. "... Hizashi mentioned what it was about, but he didn't go into any specifics..." Nemuri elaborated slightly, Izaru's eyes trailed away from her as she let out a silent sigh.

"... It was fine, the biggest issue was cleared up, and I haven't thus far had any bad reaction to it... So please don't worry about it." She mumbled, Nemuri blinked at what seemed a subtle way of telling her to... Drop it.

"... That's good to hear... But if you start feeling lightheaded, or in pain or anything, you'll tell us, right?" Nemuri asked, her smile returning as Izaru paused.

"... Yes." Izaru replied softly, Nemuri nodded a bit.

"Thank you."

.:+:.

... It's just... Getting worse...

.:+:.

"... And with that concludes our tour of the school~! It's honestly not changed much since you were last here. The newest, biggest thing will be the new dorms and living facilities~" Nemuri hummed brightly, "Any questions there, Aneko?"

Her eyes and Thirteen's trailed toward the woman, Izaru paused and hands in her pants pockets as her head tilted back and she looked over said 'living facilities' for the staff (of which in one of those rooms she would be staying...). It was a massive building, new and fresh, built up in the course of a weekend, record time.

Izaru had followed the both of Thirteen and Nemuri around for a few hours now, evening slowly ticking closer and mostly quiet outside of the occasional question. They had avoided topics such as Simon, the Pit, the last ten years altogether... And she knew why. Most of it stemmed from nervousness and even worry that if they brought it up, it would be a sore topic... And maybe it was, but Izaru wasn't really under the impression everyone would just mow over it. She didn't voice that out loud right away though, but later she thought she would have to make it clear... They could ask, they had right to ask, and she was prepared to answer. She just wasn't sure what to feel about the prospect still... Not really.

All of this was just so... Foreign.

And the nauseous feeling had not gone away since this morning, in fact it was just getting all the worse, her head throbbing with a headache and her feet felt like bricks... She was tired as hell, and her entire system was fried and on high alert still, so she couldn't relax even if she tried. That was normal, though... just maybe not to this extreme, usually.

"... Is anyone allergic to cats, that you know of?" Was the question Nemuri earned from the 'Villain', and the one that she blinked at, looking a bit confused. Izaru's unfamiliar grey eyes did not move to the Pro though, she still kept on watching the building, taking it in.

"... Cats...?" Thirteen echoed to Nemuri's left,

"... I have a friend who is a cat... He likes to stick close, so I'm sure he'll find some way on Campus... If anyone is allergic I can tell him to avoid them... if need be." Izaru replied softly, not at all perturbed or even aware of the incredulous looks she got from both Pros. "... I haven't seen him since... this morning... I think he was hanging around the Principal..."

"... Ah... No, not that I'm aware..." Nemuri replied, Izaru nodded slightly in acknowledgement of the answer.

"Ah, Vlad has a dog he's bringing with him in the move-in though..." Thirteen added softly, Izaru's head tilted toward the Rescue Hero at the words.

"... I don't think a dog will be an issue, but thank you for mentioning it." Izaru murmured, Thirteen nodded a bit. "... And... Other than that, I don't have anything I'd like to ask... At least at the moment..." Izaru murmured, turning back toward them now and expression neutral. It usually was that, the only other expressions either Nemuri or Thirteen had seen from her the whole time were nervousness and uncertainty- but those last two were so fleeting it was harder to say for certain they were even there at all.

"... Alright, then we can move on to the next thing..!" Nemuri smiled, her pep returning slowly as Izaru's head tilted a bit. "You're pretty low in the way of supplies and clothes, right, Aneko?" She smirked, her eyes glittering as Izaru nodded, hesitantly. "Then next thing, we're going shopping!"

"Huh, Midnight...?" Thirteen stammered, Nemuri shook her head.

"I already cleared it with the Principal and the police, so don't stress about it there, Thirteen~"

.:+:.

... She's really good at hiding how uneasy she is... Hmm..? I suppose... In some ways she always was...

.:+:.

Nemuri did most of the actual shopping, whilst dragging Aneko and Thirteen along for the ride (with them having no choice on the matter..). Izaru had to put some input into it though (even though it was... Hard) since the supplies and shopping were in aim to help her.

She'd never had much the last ten years, and what she did have was little. Two pairs of outfits and only bare necessities she could throw away and replace with ease as she moved around... Nothing the last ten years had been permanent in a sense, and moving into a situation where it would be like that was foreign to her too.

For an hour or two they were constantly moving from one place to another inside of a sort of... 'One Stop Shop' store, of which was huge, you could find anything and everything in it, and only slightly busy- seeing as how it wasn't open to the general public. It was more served toward servicing Pros so they could get their shopping done without being hounded by fans or the media... Which served their excursion quite well, and was apt to wear on Izaru much less. (With both her Quirk, and the slowly becoming more and more apparent realization that being around other people (and especially a lot at once) made her more and more uneasy as time dragged on...)

Nemuri had taken to darting between the different departments, scooping up said supplies and moving on. And when finally came some lull into the movement, it came when they hit the clothing department. Thirteen took a seat down inside the the small sitting area of the dressing room, Nemuri busy with Izaru (picking things out and having her try them on... And on.. And...).

Thirteen pulled their phone out when they felt it buzz, wilting slightly to see the message from none other than Eraserhead, and of which they'd been dreading. (And most assuredly brought on when Aizawa checked the location of the Tracking Bracelet stuck to Izaru's left wrist, and found it not on UA grounds..)

To: Eraserhead
(588) 372-7873

Where are you?

...
Midnight took us out shopping for supplies for
Izaru, she cleared it with the Principal and the
Police. I checked

...
Fine
You need to be back before sundown

...
We will, I think we're almost done

...
...
...
Has she shown any signs of being disoriented, or weak? Or in pain?

...
Not that I've noticed
Why?

...
...
...
...
Just keep an eye out for it

...
Got it

Thirteen paused though, rereading the words and not sure why Eraser has asked... Or why he'd not answered when Thirteen asked him why. It seemed odd to think it up to being out of pure concern on Eraser's part, he wasn't usually like that... Which made Thirteen think he had another reason to think Izaru might be showing signs like that. Izaru wouldn't have been released from the hospital if she wasn't on the mend, right? She had time to rest between the surgery and today, and with Recovery Girl's Quirk there shouldn't have been anything to worry over... right?

Thirteen had little time to wonder more on it before Midnight's voice caught their attention.

"I have a jacket for you to try on, Aneko~" the woman hummed pleasantly, somewhat enjoying herself in the excursion, even if she had to curb her usual taste and clothing to more suit Aneko. Which resulted in a lot of simple, and comfortable things, long sleeves and short sleeves, tank tops and jeans... Nothing too fancy nor that fun to look at, but she had the sense Izaru didn't care much about her outward appearance, so she catered to it. And thus far, Izaru hadn't had any real complaints about what Nemuri picked out either, which meant she was doing a fine job of catering to her 'client's' needs. (There were a few things of course that got Vetoed, not that Nemuri minded... In fact it was better Izaru had input at all, and wasn't just along for the ride.)

Nemuri was no stranger to making the best out of tense situations, she rather had a knack for lightening any sort of mood and she could give off something of a calming, and friendly air with ease (even outside of the capability of her Quirk). So in the situation of a friend who was dead, practically enslaved for ten years and forced to become a Villain- and had no small amount of sore, touchy subjects surrounding her- Nemuri found some way to navigate and interact almost with ease... Which was good, though she really wanted to ask questions, and seeing that unease and nervousness hiding behind that neutral face in a girl she had known so well once upon a time was hard, and it made her soul ache. Nemuri was just about as 'okay' with the whole situation as Hizashi was... Which was not very okay at all, but she did hide it better than the Voice Hero.

The door to the dressing room opened as Izaru stepped out from inside, her eyes finding Nemuri and her hands at her sides, a green light flashing dimly from the (non-removable..) Tracking Bracelet on her left wrist. It was simple, and looked like a normal bracelet (as not to cause suspicion...), and dressed in a pair of dark jeans and knee high boots that had been picked out a few minutes before. That was paired with a pale tank-top that left her arms bare, and for the first time both Thirteen and Nemuri got a look at the scars, and the tattoo littering her skin along her arms.

There were two each running along her lower arms, and two more stretching across her left shoulder, scars that joined with the one they had already noticed (and said nothing of...) across her neck, and the thin, faint ones all along her hands and her fingertips. They were not big, no, nor were they even all that eye-catching normally- but for them in that instant, they found themselves staring because they had never seen them before. Aizawa had been the only one to see them, and that was because he had been there, found her when she...

Izaru's grey eyes passed along the both of Nemuri and Thirteen quickly, seemingly knowing immediately what had earned the sudden shocked quiet, and sighing. "... They're mostly from the Pit." She told them softly, making them jump slightly at the sudden explanation. "Most of the injuries healed pretty well, since I tried to take care of them over time... but a few left a mark, which wasn't much of a surprise. But they're not really a bother... I know you're not used to them, but you needn't look so tense..." She explained, earning stiff nods from Nemuri and Thirteen both.

"... Sorry for... Reacting like that..." Nemuri mumbled, forcing a small smile. "They don't actually look bad at all, by the way... You're right... I just wasn't expecting it... But scars are kinda hot in a way..!" Thirteen wilted behind Nemuri at the comment,

"...M...Midnight...!" Thirteen stammered, Izaru wasn't at all taken aback nor surprised by the rather lewd comment, because she was used to it. She remembered and knew Nemuri to be like that... crass and crude and inappropriate too, though mostly just shameless.

Izaru's eyes fell closed, "... So I see you're still prone to inappropriate comments..." Izaru hummed, Nemuri smirked at that, instantly able to tell Izaru meant nothing harsh by the words, though of course the barren and emotionless tone of her voice did nothing to help with that understanding. "... So, this jacket...?" Izaru switched gears with near ease, Nemuri jumping in the bandwagon as she held said jacket up.

"What do you think?"

.:+:.

"... Thank you both, for showing me around... And helping."

"Of course ~"

"Happy to be of assistance."

"And don't hesitate to ask for anything you need, alright? Big or small, everyone's willing to lend a hand as you adjust, alright?"

"Right, we know this is... Probably not all that easy on you... Izaru."

"... mhmm... But... Just to make it clear... You can all ask questions."

"... I'm... Sorry...?"

"... I'm not under the delusion that you don't have anything you're burning to ask... Or confused about... I know you've all got things you want to know... Or clear up... You don't need to feel like you aren't allowed to ask me, or say anything..."

"... But... Izaru... We just... We don't want to make you uncomfortable..."

"... I can't imagine the things we want to know will be easy for you to talk about... That's why we've avoided it..."

"... I know... But it's not something that you can avoid forever... If you have something you want to know, you can ask... I very much doubt any questions you have will be any worse than what it felt like to have Keitaro use his Quirk on me... Simon's Quirk has worn off too... Don't be afraid of asking... Asking won't harm anything..."

At least... I don't think it will... But then again...

... I still don't on know what this is... What this feels like... All of this...

... I don't think I know what it feels like anymore... to just... Live.

.:+:.

This feeling... This whirling, fuzzy... Dizzy feeling...

.:+:.

"How did the dorm move-in go?" Midnight hummed brightly, stopping behind Eraser as he stood in the small lounge area of the staff living quarters, one hand in his pocket and the other holding to his phone (to which he was reading a series of exaggerated, much too happy texts from Hizashi...).

'SHE SAID YES?!'

'IZARUUUUUUU IS GONNA STAY AT UA?!'

'YYYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHH!'

... And other such nonsense, of which he was sure to earn a number more of the messages until the Voice Hero was back at the school. (Which at the moment he was busy at a conference concerning the Provisional Licenses...)

The day was setting into night as the sun cast it's last, deep orange and dying rays in through the windows to bathe the room around them.

"Fine." He grumbled, glancing up from his phone and turning toward her slightly. "I take it you didn't have any issues?" He mumbled, she smiled.

"Of course not." she replied brightly, he blinked, brow quirking slightly as he found her alone...?

She noticed the look, and smirked. "They're coming, Izaru and Thirteen have been chatting for awhile as we got her settled in to her room." He nodded a bit in understanding, and Nemuri's smile seemed to fade a little as she paused for a moment. "... Truth be told, she seems to be handling all of this a lot better than I expected her to." Midnight added more quietly, "Though I can tell she's more nervous than she's letting on... Especially when it comes to being around people, and trying to organize new information." Aizawa nodded slightly,

"... It's going to take time." He mumbled lowly, Midnight nodded in agreement. "... apart from that, physically, was there any problems?" Midnight blinked at that, looking a little surprised at the question, her eyes narrowing a little.

"... she's exhausted, though she's been keeping up well." She murmured, "... Is there a specific reason you are asking, Shota?" He sighed, his eyes dropping closed as he shook his head a bit.

"Just keeping track." Was the simple reply, Nemuri's head tilted at the dark-haired man, though he never saw it.

"... It's driving me crazy. I've been trying to fix it, but ever since the interference that got ran at the USJ, the water regulators don't run at the times they're supposed to. I've reset the system about six or seven times, and I never get any error reports or codes... It works fine, just not right when its meant to..." Thirteen sighed, their voice filtering from the hallway Nemuri had come from.

"... If they got zapped by someone with an Electric Quirk, they might have damaged some circuit or motherboard that you can't access easily... And no amount of resetting the system will help until the physical hardware is repaired." Izaru hummed thoughtfully, and quietly too. "... I'd try replacing the timers themselves and the pressure sensors to see if that makes a difference... Maybe even rewire the circuitry... What happened, though..?"

"O..Oh, I thought maybe you'd have heard in the news... The League Of Villains attacked Eraser, his Class, and I at the USJ in the start of the first term." Thirteen explained, earning a blink from Izaru as she paused.

"... I... Do faintly remember that..." Izaru mumbled, her eyes falling on the floor as they continued walking. "... I guess it didn't really... Stick though..." Thirteen nodded slightly in understanding, "... If it was a Villain, the damage will probably be somewhere you wouldn't expect it to be... Some place they could get their hands on the wiring where they wouldn't be seen or caught... You should probably go around with an Ammeter to try and find spots where the current is irregular and go from there... If you don't find anything than maybe the the software does have an issue... Probably just one bug in the code that got triggered during the conflict..."

Thirteen nodded, giving her a thumbs up. "I'll give it a shot." The Pro hummed, "Thank you for the advice!"

"... You're welcome..." Izaru mumbled, her eyes moving from Thirteen and toward where Nemuri and Aizawa were, the both of them listening in and the former smirking slightly at the conversation.

It was nostalgic, having Izaru hand out advice like that...

Thirteen and Izaru drew to a halt in front of them, the latter's grey eyes raising from the floor to find Shota, her hands in the front pocket of the hoodie she was wearing and her silvery hair shinning orange and yellow in the light of the setting sun, her expression neutral but... Worn. She was clearly tired, that wasn't a surprise, but it was odd to be able to see it, usually she hid it better... Or at least from what they could remember.

"... hey, Shota." Izaru murmured, he blinked. "... Since you're supposed to be handling most of the supervisory duties around me, I take it you have some plan about what to tell your students...?" She asked, his other hand and phone with it fell in his pocket.

"We aren't meant to let the students know about who you are or about the Villain Status. And to avoid unwanted questions, it would probably be better to avoid stringing some colorful story." Aizawa murmured, "I intend to tell them as much of the truth as is possible. That you are a former student from UA, and in contest with trying to upgrade security, you are now a member of the UA Staff, and will be helping to ensure their safety, and help in other matters around the school where it's needed."

"... Alright." Izaru murmured, nodding in understanding, but Aizawa wasn't quite done.

"You're not allowed to disclose any of the other circumstances of being here to the students for the time being, as you already know... But there will be one student who will know, since it can't be avoided." Aizawa went on, earning a tilt of Izaru's head. "... We decided there was little point in trying to avoid telling Midoriya about why you're really here. Knowing him, he'll recognize you- perhaps not immediately, but assuredly at some point he will- and to avoid panic on his end, we'll tell him in private what it is that is going on, and what he needs to know, as well as instruct him to keep the information to himself." Her eyes dropped closed as she seemed to mull it over a moment, before nodding again.

"... That makes sense.." She mumbled, Aizawa let out a silent breath.

"We'll pull him aside in the morning before Class gathers for Training Tomorrow, and explain what's going on." Aizawa murmured, Izaru paused at that, almost uncertainly, before nodding once more.

"... Are there any other rules?" Izaru asked quietly, he blinked. "... I understand I'm supposed to do what you tell me too, keep an eye out for dangerous things... And that's fine. But I'd rather you tell me the rest of the restrictions now... so I can settle them in my head for a few hours at least..."

He let out a silent breath, his eyes fixed on her and expressionless as expressionless can be... almost as expressionless as she was. "No that's it." Was the short, simple reply and Izaru visibly stiffened, her eyes flashing as she blinked a few times at him.

"... th... that's it..?" She echoed, her expressionless state shattered and looking confused as he nodded once.

"I'm not going to set a bunch of rules in stone. You're already aware of what you absolutely cannot do." Aizawa mumbled lowly, earning blinks of surprise and slight intrigue from Midnight and Thirteen both. "You're not here as a prisoner, Izaru. I'm not going to treat you as such. But that being said, I do expect you to adhere to better judgment, and common sense while you're here and around the students." He added in dryly, "Will that be an issue?"

Izaru swallowed slightly, her eyes glittering a bit as she went quite, looking a little shocked still but... nervous too. She dropped her eyes from him, her shoulders tensing a bit as she shook her head, just once. "... no that's fine." Izaru mumbled softly, he nodded in turn to the words.

"Then that's all I had for today." Aizawa told her, "Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"

"... no, Nemuri and Thirteen covered everything I'm pretty sure." Izaru mumbled, "... well... I suppose... have you seen Kesu, by chance...?" She asked softly, her eyes trailing up to meet his again as he shook his head a bit.

"No."

"Alright... then... I think I'm gonna just... attempt to sleep for a little bit." Izaru sighed, her shoulders sinking slightly as her eyes dropped closed. "... you guys didn't need me for anything else, right...?"

"No, no~ You go ahead and get some rest, Aneko." Midnight hummed gently, smiling at the other woman as she rest her hand lightly on Izaru's shoulder, and Aizawa saw her stiffen at it, though Nemuri seemed oblivious. "You must be tired after so much in one day." Izaru nodded faintly at the comment as she stepped back a bit, and enough Nemuri's hand had little choice but to retract.

"... right... I'll see you in the morning, Shota..." She mumbled softly, one hand lifting to wave over her shoulder wearily, before it landed on the back of her neck and she headed back the way she came in silence, and not once did she glance back at any of them.

"Goodnight." Thirteen and Midnight called softly,

"... night..."

Aizawa's eyes narrowed as he watched her go, until she turned the corner and was no longer in sight.

She backed off from Nemuri... and 'attempt to sleep'...?

He swallowed, his shoulders sagging a bit as his eyes dropped closed and he forced himself to bite back at the weary sigh he almost let slip.

... when was the last time she did sleep...?

He had an idea what that answer was, and it made him grimace. He's told Nemuri things were 'going to take time', and he knew that was the truth of it... but it wasn't going to simply be slow-going.

... all of this is going to be difficult...

His lips pulled into a tight line and his countenance bent just a little, his head tilting to the floor and his shoulders hunching with his hands in his pockets. He buried his chin into the tendrils of his Capturing Device, his ears straining slightly to pick up the soft and quiet sound of Izaru's footsteps going up the stairs.

... and I doubt it's going to get any easier for a long time... if ever... shit.

... Was this... the right thing...?

... or was it a mistake...?

... damn it... I don't know... I hate these nagging thoughts... I hate doubt... I hate emotions... and I hate that I... damn me.

.:+:.

... I don't... know... was this the... right choice...?

... why do I feel... so...

... awful...?

Enjoy the Update! I hope you're all continuing to enjoy the story, even if these last two chapters have been less exciting/eventful!

I appreciate all of you so very much! QwQ

(PSSSST, is anybody going to the Phoenix Comic Con in the next few days? Cause I'm gonna be there all four days! And I'm cosplaying something different all the days (one is Fem!Aizawa and another is Fem!Gray (from Fairy Tail if ya don't know)! And it's gonna so much fun!)

Anyhoo, thank you for Reading!

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