Starting a new Day
Okay, so I decided to place the rest of my deleted scenes in a separate piece, Shattered Centers: Scenes off the Cutting Room Floor, but left the last chapter as is, except it's now labeled as a preview to that. That's why this is now labeled as part of a series. I have the deleted scenes up through chapter 13 posted, if you want to go check that out.
I don't know if my chapters will come out any quicker than usual, despite the Coronavirus trapping me at home. If not, it's because I'm planning out ideas for the story further down the line.
That does not mean, however that there will not be more frequent updates in BNMHA material. I am planning on starting a series: An Exploration of Questions in which I post material for stories I started but ultimately never completed. I will have a piece in this series devoted strictly to Boku No My Hero Academia, So between this, my deleted scenes, and that, I hope to post new material in some form at least once every two weeks for the foreseeable future.
I'm also planning on going back and replacing any point where I wrote Aizawa Sensei with Mr. Aizawa at some point. I feel like either I should do the Japanese name system correctly or not at all. I am currently not comfortable enough with my understanding of the name labels to trust myself to do that so I won't risk messing it up. From here on, if you see the Sensei label it's because I missed it on removal. The only exception to this being if I ever write of Tomura Shigaraki or Kurogiri and they make a reference to/talks to All for One because that's the only name they used for him.
*Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump. Thump-Thump.*
Toshinori's heart pounded in his ears, and his lungs burned as his legs carried him at an unforgiving pace. He knew that he was pushing his limits, but he couldn't help it.
He couldn't sleep last night. Once, he had dealt with sleepless nights by going out, activating One for All and finding people who needed help.
But now, that was no longer an option.
All Toshinori could do now was run laps. Running until the muscles in his legs screamed, and his mouth filled with a now familiar coppery taste. And then, run some more, despite knowing better.
Running, but not fast enough to escape the words.
His feet carried him down circuitous, looping trails, as his mind had done all night, before he'd given up on sleep altogether and started moving. The paths that he ran meandered, but ultimately took him back to where he began, much like his thoughts.
'From the moment you chose Midoriya… You put him in harm's way.'
And just like his mind, when Toshinori finished one round, he started another, with those words racing round his head. With each bend he took, a different point Eraser Head made popped in his head.
Different ways he failed his student. Risks that he'd taken. Pain which he'd caused. Suffering he'd either accepted or ignored.
So many ways he'd let Midoriya down.
He wasn't sure how long he'd been running, but the sun was just now starting to rise.
It was true, wasn't it? Toshinori had passed One for All onto Midoriya, with the expectation that he would be the next Pillar of Peace, complete with all the expectations, responsibilities and dangers that came with the position.
Toshinori considered his physical condition, comparing where he was now to when he started, all those years ago. It had been ravaged by not only All for One's blow, but also the toll that One for All itself had naturally taken on him.
He'd been so happy to give One for All to Midoriya, to give him the opportunity to be a true hero in body as well as spirit. To give him a chance.
The retired hero knew the dangers that came with One for All, but-…What? He had decided Midoriya was worthy of One for All. But, why had he never asked if it was fair to Midoriya to pass One for All to him? Did he deserve to have that responsibility placed on his shoulders? To be put through the pain? To inherit the risks that came with it?
And a scarier question…Would anyone worthy of One for All deserve to be exposed the problems that came with it?
Did Nana ever think, consider any of that, when she passed One for All to him?
But what was Toshinori supposed to do? Let the quirk die with him? The world still needed One for All, didn't it? That last set of questions came with a wave of guilt.
The questions left the remains of Toshinori's stomach twisting in knots.
And then, there was everything else Aizawa pointed out.
"I'm sorry, Midoriya, my boy."
He stumbled and stopped, leaning against a tree on the side of the path to catch his breath.
The thumping in his ears drowned out the sounds of the world around him. Perhaps, that's why he didn't hear the growing sound of approaching engines and, instead, only realized Tenya Iida was approaching on his own morning run when the boy rounded a corner into Toshinori's line of sight.
Toshinori tried to cover his exhaustion, not wanting to worry the student as he waved and called out, "You're getting better with your turns, Young Iida."
Iida ceased using his engines and approached Toshinori, so that he could move at a more natural running speed. He smiled as he said, "Thank you, All Might! I'm surprised you're here. Usually, I only see you on my afternoon runs." His smile suddenly disappears as he finally seems to get a good look at Toshinori. "Are you alright?"
It was at that moment that Toshinori noticed that his running shirt now had a smattering of red speckles on it. His students had sadly become aware of his tendency to cough up blood in this form. Still, he was usually self-conscious enough about it to be sure to wipe it up as quickly as possible, so they didn't have to see too much.
Today, though, Toshinori had been so lost in his own head that he hadn't spared it a single thought. Even after the initial conversation he had with the children, assuring them there was no reason for them to worry, they were still uncomfortable whenever they saw such reminders. He was probably pretty pale, too. When was the last time he drank anything? Before running, for sure.
But to Iida, he simply stated, "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern. I'm just walking to cool down and about to head back in. Don't let me take any more time from your morning run. I'll see you this afternoon for class."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Go on. I'll be fine," He smiled, one he'd often used in his larger form to reassure people after the dangers had passed and they simply needed comfort, in hopes of giving them a moment where they might believe everything was alright now, whether it was true or not.
Iida nodded, seeming to believe the smile, since he took off again.
Or so Toshinori thought. He was soon glad he'd chosen not to pick up the pace again. Rather than taking a different trail for his next lap, as he usually would, Tenya Iida came back around on the path the retired hero was on.
Then, he did it again.
And again.
Until Toshinori stopped counting somewhere around the fifth or sixth time.
Toshinori was sure that the student thought he was being subtle in his concern. He didn't feel like correcting the boy at the risk of making him feel guilty. The boy was just watching out for Toshinori, after all.
Finally, the man arrived back at the school. It was only as he walked back toward the dorms that the student continued on his usual route. He sighed as he stepped into the teachers' building.
He had to get ready for the day.
Shota cracked his eyes open and instantly regretted it. Despite still being tired, the man knew once he started thinking first thing in the morning, there was no point trying to go back to sleep.
And after last night, his mind had plenty to work with. Not just the mess surrounding damaged school property and Problem Children, as if that wasn't enough. Issues both personal and worldwide, ghosts of present and… Past. Painful past.
Shota wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he knew he'd gotten less rest than he needed. Heck, he probably could get a full night's sleep and still be exhausted, after yesterday evening.
Shota had set his alarm earlier than usual, but he had woken up ten minutes before it had gone off. Ten minutes he would never get back to rest.
There was a room in each student dorm for the on-duty staff. One teacher was expected to be in each student building, and the rest would stay in staff housing. They were supposed to swap out the on-duty person each week, giving their coworkers breaks and an opportunity to be themselves away from the eyes of their students. 'Supposed to' were the key words here. Shota had taken up permanent residence in the space, accepting that his students were destined for trouble and was determined to be there when it came knocking. Now, with his newfound knowledge about Midoriya being involved in a war with the darkest forces of Japan, he felt even more justified in planting himself right in his students' dorm. More confident that they were at risk of future attacks.
If his coworkers wanted to swap duties with him, they would have to physically pry him out in order to evict him. Then, they'd have to remember that there were empty rooms on the top floor so they could plan accordingly, because he'd use his capture weapon to scale the damn building if that's what it took to stay in the building with his students.
This class' craziness was rubbing off on him. There was no denying it anymore… At least, not to himself.
What would Shirakumo think, if he could see me, now? Shota smiled at the bittersweet thought. In many ways, Midoriya reminded Shota of him. They had that same determination to help anyone who needed it, consequences be damned.
Shota sighed, got up and started preparing for the day. There was a lot to do. He was thankful for his own kitchenette separate from the main dorm as he brewed his coffee and popped a couple pieces of bread in the toaster.
While eating breakfast, he took time to send an email to Mrs. Midoriya in order to request a meeting. If he didn't get a response by this evening, he'd make a phone call. He wanted to get that conversation out of the way, as quickly as possible.
Shota packed up his laptop, grabbed his rolled up sleeping bag, despite knowing he wouldn't use it nearly as much as he wanted to today, and passed through the main dorm. He passed Uraraka in the living room, stretching in preparation for early morning exercises. She usually wasn't up as early as Midoriya or Iida, but was still one of the early risers, getting some exercise in before coming into class.
As he walked to the school, he spotted Iida on his morning run and expected the boy to wave as he passed. Instead, he came to a halt and expressed his concern for All Might, even as he expressed being guilty for getting into a teacher's business.
Shota thanked the boy for informing him.
Shota supposed he should've expected something like that from All Might. He was glad that the man was clearly thinking about what he said but punishing himself like that would solve nothing. Furthermore, if there was anything that All Might should have a solid grasp on, it is the importance of presentation. The man had probably lost track of himself, but hopefully, seeing Iida was enough to remind him where he was.
Shota didn't much care for his physical appearance, but he sure as hell would never let them see him emotionally compromised. Last night, he'd been walking the knifes edge of that rule with Bakugou and Midoriya. He hadn't realized how close until Midoriya gave HIM a hug for comfort.
The crux of it was, that last night could've been easily avoided. Along with so much more. He'd already talked to one of the top people who could've done something to stop it. Now, he was going to meet with the next.
And so the morning begins! I'm excited to dive right into this stage of the story. There will be more conversations ahead but also sections where other stuff is happening, too.
All Might's run almost completed itself on my first draft.
Uraraka has proven to be the type of person to devote herself to becoming a hero every chance she gets. I could see her using the time she used to have to spend travelling from wherever she was living to the school to train, rather than sleeping in.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay safe and well.
