Chapter 26
Complicated

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

.:+:.

It's awful

.:+:.

Two days ago-

"A-All Might..!" Midoriya panted, his hand waving in air as he stumbled out of his running and into a jerking walk upon catching sight of the No. 1 standing in the center of the path ahead of him. All Might glanced up from his phone at his name, blinking at the rushing younger and his huffing form as Midoriya stopped in front of him, leaning over a bit with his hands on his knees.

"You didn't have to run here." All Might murmured, Midoriya shook his head a little.

"I know... I was just surprised you said yes... When I asked to talk...!" He panted, straightening up slightly. "I know you've been... Really busy lately, with everything going on... I didn't want to distract you... But..." All Might sighed a little, shaking his head as he cut Midoriya off with a hand on his shoulder.

"I get it." All Might murmured, his hand patting the younger's shoulder a few times before pulling away. "And I think right now you're a good distraction... I know you have a lot you want to ask, and it's probably passed time I clear things up with you." His hand moved to land on the back of his neck. "I know all of this is confusing, and knowing there's someone out there looking to capture you... I can't imagine how worked up you must be, Young Midoriya." All Might murmured softly, Midoriya's eyes flashed a little as he swallowed.

"It's alright, I know everyone's doing what they can to keep Simon away." Midoriya murmured, All Might blinked. "Mr. Aizawa and Ms. Izaru talked to me about it this morning... about who she is, how Ms. Izaru was under control of Simon's Quirk... And about how she was told to catch me, because Simon is interested in my Quirk." His eyes fell to his hands as they wrung together in front of him. "She didn't say it directly but... Does Simon know about One For All?" He asked, his eyes finding the No. 1 and his heart dropped a little at the slightly pained expression on his idol's face. All Might nodded stiffly, and just once.

"Yeah."

Midoriya's heart dropped into the pits of his stomach. "B-but how...?" He stammered, All Might sighed.

"Izaru is good with hacking into computers, and Simon ordered her to hack into All For One's Systems, so he could get ahold of the data that All For One had on you, and me, and One For All." All Might explained softly, "She wasn't able to find a copy of the data she transferred to Simon, so we don't know just what information he has, or if it extends passed you and I. But he does know how One For All works, and that you're my Successor- and it's because he knows about it that he wants to 'collect' you... Though we still aren't sure what he does with the people he takes, we're under the assumption he uses them as Villains for hire, and has them working to do different things and help different Villain groups."

Midoriya swallowed slightly, "Is that what he was using Ms. Izaru for...?" All Might nodded,

"The things he made her do more or less extended to just hacking... So being ordered to come after you was a little abnormal." All Might explained, "I'm not really allowed to explain much more about Simon though, since it's an ongoing investigation- but for the most part, we're under the impression that Simon won't spread rumor about One For All... That would just earn more competition for him, in terms of capturing you."

Midoriya nodded stiffly, "That makes sense..."

"That part is a little lucky, that he'll keep it to himself, at least for now. I don't really like having a lot of people knowing about One For All, least of all a Villain like that... But if we can apprehend him before he does much more damage than he already has, he'll be locked up and any information he has can't be of much use to him in prison." All Might went on, "And I promise you, Young Midoriya- we will stop him. He will never have a chance to get his hands on you, or anyone else again. The police are on the lookout for him now and so are all the UA Staff, we will find him, and put an end to his crimes. The only reason he's been allowed to do these things as long as he has, is because he was careful to stay under the radar- but Izaru's exposed him now, and everyone's on the lookout for him."

Midoriya nodded, uneasy still but nonetheless assured by the sureness in the No. 1's words and promises. "... Does Ms. Izaru know about One For All too, then?" He asked softly,

"Yes, and I trust her not to tell anyone else about it. As it stands, she already kept the details of One For All to herself when she was being interrogated. She knew it wasn't something I wanted shared and she settled on keeping it to herself without me having to ask her to." All Might murmured, "I wouldn't have shared it with her even before all of this, but I can't change what happened or the fact that she already knows... and in all honesty, it's much more comforting having Izaru to have been the one to learn that secret, rather than someone else."

Midoriya blinked, his head tilting just a little bit at the No. 1. "... When Mr. Aizawa and Ms. Izaru talked to me this morning, I understood that she'd been sent to UA on Probation because the Principal was sure she wasn't going to cause trouble, and the fact that Mr. Aizawa and Ms. Izaru were in the same Class helped with that decision... but the rest of the Staff voted to let her in, right?" Midoriya murmured, All Might paused at the sort of unexpected question, before nodding.

"Yes, that's right." The No. 1 murmured, his head tilting. "Why do you ask...? Are you worried that she's going to try and do something? I know it's probably hard to trust anything about Izaru after what happened at the Training Camp-"

Midoriya waved his hands in front of him quickly, shaking his head a few times as he smiled slightly. "N-no, I'm not worried Ms. Izaru is going to come after me again or anything. I don't get a bad feeling from her and I trust all of the Staff's judgement on this- and yours too, All Might. Plus, when we talked this morning she was super polite and nice, she's nothing like how she was back at the Training Camp, and I don't honestly even feel all that nervous about her being here either... I mean, what she did wasn't really her fault right? And it wasn't what she wanted to do either, she told me that and apologized for what happened... I don't dislike her at all, even without knowing hardly anything about her." He smiled nervously at his own words, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

All Might blinked, his features falling from tenseness for a moment into something a little softer- Midoriya wasn't sure why, but he didn't pause either.

"The reason I'm asking is just that... was it just Mr. Aizawa's word about Ms. Izaru that influenced the decision to bring her to UA?" Midoriya went on, "I know it's not like Mr. Aizawa to let personal relations get in the way of making rational decisions, but even with his vouching for her, I feel like it would take more than just his word for all the other Staff to agree to letting Ms. Izaru stay at UA." The young boy smiled a bit more sheepishly, gesturing toward All Might, "You said you wouldn't have told her about One For All even 'before' all of this... it kinda sounds like, somehow, you knew Ms. Izaru too, before all of the things that have happened...?" Midoriya asked slowly, All Might stiffening almost imperceptibly, before he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"... You're too smart for your own good, kid." The No. 1 murmured, "But I guess it might have helped to start with that- so yeah. I knew Izaru a long time before this whole mess with Simon happened."

"Were you friends with her?" The younger asked and All Might paused, looking a little unsure before slowly nodding.

"... Yeah, I can't say we were as close with each other as we were with other people, but I know her well enough to trust that she's not going to be a threat." The No. 1 explained, Midoriya smiled, his hands clapping together in front of him lightly.

"Ah, this all makes a little more sense now." He chuckled shyly, "When Mr. Aizawa and Ms. Izaru came to talk to me today, I couldn't help but notice they were both really tense... and honestly you've been just as tense as they have, All Might. I figured it was probably because of Simon wanting something with me, but it's also because you know Ms. Izaru personally, huh?" He asked, All Might stiffened a little, grimacing a bit to himself.

"... I apologize, I don't mean to be so worked up, Young Midoriya." The No. 1 apologized softly, the younger shook his head a bit.

"Don't worry about it, I understand." Midoriya murmured, his smile fading into something a bit more somber. "... I get the feeling nobody knew that Ms. Izaru was being controlled by Simon, right? It can't have been easy to find out that someone you were friends with has been forced into working for a Villain..."

All Might swallowed, letting out a breath as he nodded a bit. "Yeah."

That and about a million other things... we had no idea she was even alive...

He wouldn't say it out loud though, that part wasn't important for Midoriya to know... And in reality, knowing that young boy- if he knew about anymore of the situation than he already did, he would take it way too personally. Midoriya was of course the sort of person that couldn't sit idly by when people were suffering, and he wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it if he knew just what had happened to Izaru- how long she'd been under Simon's hold, or about the Pit, or the fact that she was supposed to be dead...

... it's all too complicated, and there's no use burdening him with it too.

"All Might?"

"Hmm?"

"I know it's not really my business, but Ms. Izaru disappeared pretty quickly after Mr. Aizawa introduced her this morning." Midoriya murmured, "She looked a little worn out earlier... uhm... just... is she ok...?"

This kid...

"... She's sick." All Might replied softly, Midoriya's eyes widened at the answer. "She wasn't really feeling so hot, so Aizawa told her to take the day off. She'll be okay in a little though, so don't worry about it."

"Oh, alright..." Midoriya mumbled a little uncertainly, All Might smiled, his hand coming down in a chopping motion on the younger's head. The poor kid froze at the gesture, looking none too sure why it had happened-

"Honestly Midoriya, she'll be fine. Don't look so freaked out, Izaru's a lot tougher than you think."

Much much tougher... almost iron-willed, and with an iron soul... she has to be, to be as well put together as she seems... after all of this.

"R-Right!"

.:+:.

Present-

"Bakugou, ain't ya gonna go introduce yourself to Ms. Izaru?"

"Heh? Why the hell would I?"

"Cause it's polite man..."

"Tch... Fine, whatever."

"... It was really nice to talk to you, Ms. Izaru." Sero hummed brightly,

"Indeed." Tokoyomi murmured, dipping his head toward her a bit formally. The large boy with the mask and the silver hair beside Sero nodded, and so did the other boy with the embarrassed smile and peculiar, rocky head. (Shoji and... And Koda, right..? They hadn't really said much in the meet and greet)

Izaru nodded a bit, swallowing back a little at the way her core was just... Knotted

What is wrong with me...?

"... Nice to meet all you too." Izaru said quietly, this being the fifth or sixth time saying it since arriving at Gamma Gym that day. What few came to introduce themselves a bit before heading off to lunch, persisted slightly at lunch itself- and now again as they headed back out of the Gym after resuming training about two hours beforehand.

It was a constant, yet sporadic stream of people and every time a new student came up... she just...

She was trying, but why was it so... So hard?

The group of boys nodded at her and headed off after the other students, everyone filing slowly toward the exit of the gym where Shota, Nemuri and Cementoss had congregated a bit waiting for the class to move off. Izaru cast a sidelong glance over toward the small group of Pros, not catching any of their eyes for even the smallest moment, before looking away from them and toward the floor, sighing slightly.

... This didn't used to be like this...

She bit the inside of her cheek, her eyes dropping closed and shaking her head at herself just once.

... And there's so much of it, new information, names, faces... It's not just the new information, or names or anything else... It's them... the feelings... Emotion...

... I thought I used to understand it all... I thought... but maybe I never did...

"Hey!"

She glanced up quickly, her eyes landing on the newest student that seemed intent on introducing themselves- and she found not one boy, but two... And one of which she recognized instantly.

The redhead from earlier (Kiri... Something..?) was headed her way with a hand raised and a slightly exasperated smile, a none-too-thrilled looking Bakugou trailing after him slowly, his hands stuck in his pockets and looking rather disgruntled.

"Hello again, Ms. Izaru!" The redhead said brightly, "I just wanted to say bye, before we headed off! And I hope you have a good rest of your day!" He hummed, stopping in front of her as Bakugou stopped at his shoulder, pointedly not looking at either him, or Izaru. The redhead paused slightly, glancing sideways toward the blonde, and then quickly placing his hand behind Bakugou's shoulder and pushing him forward.

"Get your hands off me, Shitty-!"

"- AND Bakugou wanted to wish you a good night too, after he introduced himself of course!" The redhead cut Bakugou's annoyed voice off with utter ease, smiling still and patting the silently fuming blonde on the shoulder a few times. "Ain't that right, Bakugou?"

"The hell it is!" Bakugou snapped instantly, "And quit petting me Shitty-Hair, before I blow YOUR FUCKING FACE OFF- nngh!"

The redhead's hand moved quickly from Bakugou's shoulder and to the top of his head, forcing him to bend over in a strained sort of half-bow as the redhead followed suit, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck in exasperation.

"Sorry about him Ms. Izaru, he's usually not this prickly." The redhead apologized, still smiling though it faded quite a bit- however he seemed to have no trouble keeping Bakugou's head down even as the blonde started to try and get out of the hold. "He's been in a real bad mood the last week... Usually he's at least polite with the teachers, well- his own sort of polite anyway... but I guess not today, heh..."

Izaru blinked slowly, her grey eyes fixed on Bakugou shaking under the other boy's hand, red-faced and looking ready to blow a fuse... But his shoulders had hunched at that first part. Subtly so, and almost imperceptibly with how much he was fidgeting... But they did.

Her eyes flashed, her blank expression breaking, just for a split second, as something a little more sullen appeared, and then it was gone again.

"... It's alright." She murmured softly, earning a blink of surprise from the redhead as he quickly looked up from bowing, "I don't mind. And you needn't apologize." She told them quietly, her eyes trailing from the redhead and toward Bakugou, though the blonde never looked up. "... The introduction isn't really necessary." She murmured, "Formality doesn't really matter to me either, so there's no need for you to put up face or anything... Being sort of polite, mad or otherwise." She added, and this time the blonde visibly stiffened, his fists clenching harder at his sides than they already were.

"Heh, wow Ms. Izaru, you're super laid-back, huh-?" The redhead chuckled,

"Tch... Yeah whatever, I couldn't give a damn about anything you say!" Bakugou snapped hotly, cutting the other boy off and earning a mortified look from the redhead at the sheer venom that worked it's way into Bakugou's voice. Bakugou jerked his head up roughly, pushing his shoulder into the redhead and causing him to stumble back a few paces, before his furious red stare locked with Izaru's. He swept a hand in front of him in sheer agitation, taking a step toward her almost threateningly, and absolutely fuming in near to no time at all.

And Izaru didn't move, not an inch, her eyes remained locked with his and didn't divert even as he swept his arm out, or stepped up. She remained where she was, quiet and expression utterly unreadable, and not a hint of any reaction to the boy's suddenly boiling over rage.

"Introductions don't matter, huh?! Well too fucking bad, I'm Katsuki Bakugou and I'm the one that's gonna wipe the floor with all the rest of these losers aiming to be best of the best!" He snapped hotly, jabbing a thumb downwards at the floor and Izaru blinked, once. "The only one here that's gonna reach the top is me, got it?! Don't waste my time by trying to act all cool-headed or whatever- I ain't gonna like you, so don't even say stupid shit like that!" Sparks and smoke rose up off his shoulders and hands as he huffed hotly, jaw clenched and shaking with his anger as he clicked his tongue, and then promptly whipped around. He shoved his hands on his pants pockets and began to stalk off, stomping a bit and muttering no small amount of curses under his breath.

"B-Bakugou, man that was really uncalled for...!" The redhead called quickly, still looking rather mortified at the sudden behavior from the blonde. "She's a teacher dude, you can't just blow up at her like that!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP SHITTY-HAIR AND JUST FORGET IT!" Bakugou snapped loudly, but he never looked back and the redhead flinched a little, looking no amount of lost and confused, as well as maybe a little panicked.

"... U..uh.. I'm so sorry about that, Ms. Izaru..." The redhead started quickly, hesitating to take his eyes off the blonde still stomping toward a side exit of the gym. He couldn't believe Bakugou had blown up like that at all, and least of all toward a teacher- let alone a new teacher who has been nothing but polite since showing up. Bakugou was hotheaded most of the time, but he boiled over the edge quicker than he ever had, and he couldn't understand why he was so pissed. Nothing Ms. Izaru had said had been anything to get so worked up over, so what the-?

He looked back toward the woman, intent on apologizing some more on behalf of the blonde and hopefully to try and make up for how disrespectful he had been to her- only to pause when he realized Ms. Izaru didn't look upset, like at all.

She was just quiet, her grey eyes stuck to Bakugou's back as he hurried off, and nothing but sheer and utter calm. She never looked at the redhead for even a moment, not even as he started to apologize, and instead she let out a small breath, and shook her head slightly.

"... It's fine." She murmured quietly, her voice low and so utterly level. "Don't worry about it."

"B-but Ms. Izaru..." He started, and she shook her head again, silent for a few long moments as she kept watching Bakugou walk away, before she finally met the redhead's eyes.

"It's fine." She repeated again, and he blinked in surprise and confusion. "Really, don't worry about it... just let him cool off." She added, and he looked even more confused-? Because... Well he just couldn't read her, not any clue to what she was feeling or if she was inwardly annoyed, or just anything at all... She was just.. A blank slate.

He swallowed, and slowly nodded. "U-uhm... Okay... If you're sure...?" He mumbled, she nodded once.

"Yeah." She murmured, tilting her head in the blonde's direction, Bakugou already nearly at the exit. "You should probably head back to the dorms though, or you'll get left behind." She told him, and he paused, before nodding and backing up a few paces.

"O-oh, yeah..! Right, good idea..!" He said, offering up an unsure smile and waving a hand behind him as he hurried after the blonde who had reached the exit now. "Ah, good night, Ms. Izaru...! We'll see ya tomorrow, yeah..?" He called, and Izaru blinked, before slowly raising her left hand from her jacket and offering a single, small wave back, before her hand dropped again.

... Such a short fuse...

The redhead dodged out of the exit, moving quickly and calling out toward Bakugou, and she let out a silent breath.

... An incredibly short fuse... But...

"Izaru."

She glanced right, her eyes matching with Aizawa's as he stopped at her shoulder, brow quirked. She'd been only faintly aware of him coming up from the corner of her eye, and he'd started moving over the second Bakugou had stepped up and stared her down. And he'd started walking a bit faster when the blonde's voice raised high enough half the gym could hear him... Though lucky enough by then, most of the other students had already left and were well out of earshot of Bakugou's sudden flare of anger toward Izaru.

Aizawa had been ready to wrap the fuming boy in his Capture Device and stifle his yelling himself, only to halt on that plan of action when Izaru told Kirishima 'it's fine' with the utmost calm a person could possible have after getting snapped at like that- let alone from a student and someone Izaru assuredly outranked. She was a teacher, and it wouldn't do to let any student, let alone Bakugou, treat her like he just did. It irked Aizawa considerably that the damn kid actually did it- Bakugou was usually lacking in the more traditional terms of respect and formality with his superiors, but that?

That was way out of line

And Izaru must have known that, but she didn't seem to care, and her lack of a reaction had Aizawa keeping his mouth shut until Kirishima moved off. Cementoss and Midnight were standing at the other end of the gym and the exit there, watching with curious and confused eyes as silence fell over the gym again. They as well as Aizawa had heard Bakugou yelling and seen his agitation toward Izaru, though they hadn't a clue why, and for now they left Aizawa to move closer and find out what went on.

Izaru met his eyes steadily as he stopped at her shoulder, her expression as barren and unreadable as ever. "Hmm?" She hummed lightly, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"What the hell was that about?" He grumbled, his head tilting toward the direction Bakugou and Kirishima had left.

"Nothing." She murmured, and he gave her a look that was not at all convinced. "Really Shota, it wasn't anything important... He was just trying to get Bakugou to introduce himself."

"If that was all it was, he shouldn't have talked to you that way." Aizawa muttered lowly, "I don't usually care about his temper, or his lack of grace when talking to the staff, but he crossed the line. That kind of behavior isn't acceptable, and you shouldn't be so nonchalant about it either." She blinked,

"... Sorry." She apologized softly, "I understand what you mean... And I know it isn't a good idea to just let it slide for a student to do that with a teacher... But honestly, it didn't bother me. And I don't think..." She trailed off a bit and he narrowed his eyes further in question, only to have her break their eye contact and look back toward where the two boys had disappeared.

"What?" He asked after a moment where she fell into silence, and her head twitched a little in sign she heard him, though he didn't earn her eyes again.

"... Is he usually so quick to get angry?" She asked after a minute, and he blinked, frowning at a lack of an answer, before he forced a silent breath.

"He's a hothead. It takes very little to set him off, and usually he can get worked up with just about anything... Though admittedly he's seemed to be in an especially bad mood the last week." He answered, "I've been giving him and his temper some slack since what happened with the League, but that was more than I'll tolerate. I'm going to have to have a word with him about toning it down." He grumbled, Izaru shook her head.

"Don't." Izaru told him immediately, and he stiffened in surprise. She blinked, small inklings of nervousness appearing on her face as she seemed to catch herself, and cast him a wary glance from the side, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. "... Sorry... I'm not... trying to tell you how to handle your students, or anything Shota..." She added quickly, her voice dropping a few degrees as he settled her with a flat stare, and she quickly looked away again. "... Really... Just... Don't push this, it's not worth it." She murmured softly, and he quirked a brow. "... He was already agitated before we started talking... And I suppose... I just said the wrong thing." She told him quietly, her eyes falling on the floor and her posture deflating slightly. His head tilted,

Wrong thing?

She shook her head at herself, her hand still on the back of her neck and eyes slowly trailing back up toward him- and he saw something he did not expect, and it was gone so quickly he wasn't sure he did see it.

... Was that...?

"... Please, don't press it." She murmured again, "I don't think he meant to be rude, or get so pissed off... He was just wound up and it boiled over." He blinked, searching still for that fleeting bit he thought he saw, but he couldn't find it.

But why? Why did she seem so insistent on him not scolding Bakugou about this? Why would she...?

His jaw clenched slightly as he held her gaze in silence.

He got the distinct impression there was something going through her head, something more- but clearly she wasn't looking to explain it to him... At least not right then.

Tch... Why can I never tell what she's thinking...?

He forced himself a breath, his lips a tight line as he grumbled a bit.

... I never could... Damn it

"... Hmmph, fine." He muttered, his eyes dropping closed. "I'll leave it alone for now... But if he talks to any of the Staff like that again, I won't have a choice but to have a word with him." He grumbled lowly, and Izaru nodded once, her eyes dropping again.

"... Alright." She murmured softly, and he bit the inside of his cheek, his eyes tracing along her shoulders, her posture, everything.

She'd not reacted in any way when Bakugou had started shouting, at least not from what he'd seen. She'd been utterly still and unreadable all the way through his brief shouting spell, and she hadn't even seemed to flinch when he stepped up or swept his hand out, and honestly he expected she would.

He had noticed it before, the way Izaru pulled back from Midnight when she came up, and after the hug- and even the sudden tense and rigidness in her body when Iida came up unexpectedly, and then persisted even still as the other students started to file up and say their introductions. It wasn't all that noticeable in the grand scheme of things, and he doubted anyone else noticed it unless they were really looking... and he certainly was. He couldn't help himself, he'd been watching her more intently than would have probably been appropriate, but at the same time he didn't care.

He was trying to gauge what she was feeling, be it nothing, or fear, or pain, or exhaustion... he'd been watching her like a hawk the whole time, and more so after what happened in the Teacher's Lounge. The fear he'd seen in her back there, the terror... some of the first true, and powerful bits of emotion he had seen in her at all since coming back into his life, where everything else had been nonexistent or so subdued.

But he hadn't seen that, not fear of that caliber again, and not when Bakugou started yelling. But she was uneasy, very much so, and his stomach knotted.

"... Are you alright?" He asked quietly, his eyes still searching, but Izaru never looked up at him again. She just nodded, only a little, her eyes on the floor and still so very unreadable.

"... I'm fine." She murmured, her hands burying themselves in her jacket pockets. He frowned, his eyes flashing at the answer.

She never met his eyes again for the rest of the night, not as they walked back to the Staff Dorms, or as he, Izaru and Nemuri sat down for dinner in relative quiet. She just kept her eyes down, nodding here and there when Nemuri asked a question or addressed her- but it was clear that Izaru had fallen deep into her own thoughts, and no amount of prodding was bringing her attention back up to the surface all the way.

Nemuri had cast him a questioning, and slightly anxious glance during the meal, searching for some sort of answer or something from him about the sudden change, but he shook his head slightly in response.

He just... didn't know.

Everything was still just so tense. Even as the meal ended and they all headed off to their own rooms, Nemuri tried to stay cheery and cast a goodnight at Izaru, and the woman nodded only once in reply.

"Goodnight." Izaru murmured, and Nemuri paused, before slowly heading off down the hallway with a wave over her shoulder. She slowed up briefly, glancing back at the two of them, Aizawa standing next to Izaru by the stairs, before she looked away again and continued on to her own room a few doors down.

"... goodnight, Shota." Izaru murmured quietly, her eyes finding his for the first time in a few hours. He blinked in surprise at suddenly being addressed, his eyes meeting with those grey ones that weren't quite familiar. She nodded a bit, her expression still so unreadable, but now definitely a little worn.

... but why...?

She tilted her head a bit, not pausing long enough to let him keep wondering, and he bit the inside of his cheek.

"... I'll see you in the morning, Shota."

.:+:.

... I said the wrong thing...

She sighed, her hands in her jacket pockets and walking slowly, aimlessly... The moon remained a sliver in an overcast sky overhead, the campus grounds utterly quiet all around her and only broken once in awhile by the sound of her feet on the cement, and Kesu's soft paws as he trotted behind her.

She'd long since stopped paying attention to where she was walking, the campus was so vast she'd been able to just keep wandering and still end up somewhere new... not that she cared for any of the surroundings, she was more focused on her thoughts.

... though I'm not sure what I meant to say... I thought it was the right thing... but...

Her eyes dropped closed, her shoulders hunching as she bit the inside of her cheeks.

... maybe I read the whole thing wrong...? Can I even really understand... anything anymore... if I don't get my own...?

Her walking slowed up into nothing, her aimless wandering of the past... she didn't know, few hours...? ... suddenly coming to a halt.

Her head fell back, staring up at the dark sky overhead and quiet. Kesu stopped walking the moment she did, the cat standing on the path behind her, yellow eyes fixed on her back and silent too.

She had absolutely no sense of what time it was or how long she had been wondering around campus, really. After watching Shota move up the stairs toward his own room, she'd been in the hallway for a little while by herself, before eventually her feet took her back downstairs and out of the staff dorms altogether. That had been the start of her long roam around the quiet and dark confines of UA's grounds, someplace she had been oh so many times before- and at one time, been very familiar with... and it felt familiar, in some corner of her mind. Persistent flashes of her younger years, back here as a student herself, helping out where she could, dodging between classes, keeping an eye out for... anything.

It felt like yesterday in some moments, then maybe like a few months... and then a lifetime ago and ten years. Her life, ripped into two pieces between now, and then- with a huge, black, cold dark gap of nothingness between the two.

... maybe I can't... but even still... I don't think I was wrong... not about... seeing it...

... I can feel it... but maybe it doesn't matter... it's not... really my place...

Her eyes dropped again, shaking her head at herself once or twice and grumbling under her breath.

... but it won't go away...hmm...? ... of course not... nothing ever goes away, all the way...

... what's that thing... he told me I do...? 'Brood'...?

... he's probably right about that...

She blinked her eyes open, her thoughts and attention immediately snapped away to the sound of footsteps somewhere to her left. Kesu's head turned in the same instant her own did, silence settling again as the footsteps stopped and her grey eyes matched with red ones.

They came to a complete standstill, his walking stalled as he stood a few paces up the path from her and at a corner, their gazes matching as his face fell flat in shock. And she just held his gaze, fixed to her own place and quite surprised herself.

"Eh?" He mumbled, the shocked look quickly dissipating into one of suspicion as he growled. "What the hell are you doing here?" He muttered lowly, Izaru blinked.

"... I'm walking." She replied, he grit his teeth at the answer.

"No shit." He shot back reflexively, "Walking? At 2 in the morning? What the hell is your deal?" She shook her head slightly,

"... I didn't realize it was that late." She replied softly, he huffed, clicking his tongue as he looked away from her altogether.

"Tch, yeah whatever, I don't fucking care." He muttered hotly, Izaru let out a silent breath.

"... why are you out here so late?" She asked after a moment, and he stiffened, his shoulders hunching in what she guessed was rising agitation. "There is a curfew... you'll probably catch the attention of the worker robots if you're not careful."

"Oh now you're gonna try and act like a teacher, huh?" He growled hotly, "Gonna turn my ass in for bein' out late? Send me to detention?" He hissed, his head snapping back around in her direction. "Yeah right. If you had any intention of acting like a teacher's supposed to, you'd have already chewed my head off about the way I'm talking to you, instead of just taking it lying down." Izaru's head tilted, but she didn't say anything, and she surely didn't react- and that just made the blonde boy all the angrier, it seemed.

"Grrrah, what the fuck is your problem, huh!?" He snapped, "Why are you just standing there, letting me yell at you?! How the hell can you just take it and say it's 'fine', and that you don't care if I'm polite, or whatever the hell else or not?!" He kept on, his body shaking now with his agitation and red in the face. "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! WHY DON'T YOU REACT, HUH?!"

"... do you want me to scold you?" Izaru asked slowly, he grit his teeth.

"I WANT YOU TO ACT LIKE A FUCKING TEACHER SHOULD, DAMN IT!"

She let out a quiet breath, her eyes flashing in the dim around them and Bakugou panting from the yelling, though he fell silent for a moment as they just stood there again. Kesu watched quietly, his yellow eyes flicking from Izaru toward Bakugou intently, and she but the inside of her cheek.

... act like a teacher should...?

"... I'm not sure I know how to." She replied after awhile, and he stiffened. "... But I don't think scolding you is going to help anything, so I won't do that."

"Tch, why the fuck not?!" He retorted instantly, she paused, her grey gaze steady and her expression flat as can be, and Bakugou stiffened again, a shiver running up his spine when- for a moment- he felt like she was staring straight through him... and then it was gone, and she let her eyes drop closed.

"... because you aren't yelling at me." She said simply, and he froze, his expression falling blank as he just stared.

"... w.. what...? What... the fuck..." He stammered, the shock wearing off quickly as his anger boiled once more, and he scowled. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?! Of course I'm fucking yelling at you, do you see anyone else out here besides that stupid cat?!" He roared, waving a hand at Kesu behind her. Izaru blinked, her expression breaking slightly out of the barrenness it seemed apt to stick too, and what appeared there next was- without a doubt- sympathy.

And he noticed it, instantly, and all it managed to do was set him off more.

"What the hell do you know anyway?! You don't know anything about me, so just leave me the fuck alone! And stop saying stupid shit like that, like you have any clue what I'm thinking, got it!?" He snapped hotly, stuffing his hands in his pants pockets and whirling around on his heel to walk away. "I already told you I don't like you, so stop trying to play nice with me, damn it!"

Izaru jumped slightly as he began to stalk off, her body moving as she instinctively took a step forward, her hand reaching out and ready to-

She halted, her mouth open but no words ever forming on her lips. Her heart skipped a beat, and she realized... she had no clue what to even say.

What... what was she even supposed to say? This whole conversation had been... it felt like a whirlwind to her, his anger, his reactions, all of it- utterly unexpected, fast-paced, and her mind was struggling to sift through it all, and come up with a way to understand it. Even her replies had been short and slow to come... and now what little she said seemed to be all she had to give.

She drew her hand back, her eyes falling on it as her posture wilted, and she felt her stomach knot.

... even running into him... I wasn't planning on it... but I could have... tried to... come up with something better, than what I said before... I meant to.

Her eyes darted back up to his back, and her hand fell.

... but I can't... because I don't know how... to come up with something better to say... I don't... know what would even... be better...

Her jaw clenched slightly, swallowing back a lump in her throat and shoulders hunching.

... and now I might have made it worse... but... I just...

"... Bakugou." She called quietly, his name forming on her lips without her meaning for it to. His steps faltered, he hadn't gotten far enough away that he couldn't hear the soft tenor of her voice, and he couldn't help but halt- but even then he didn't look back. She hesitated again, and hated it, and the fact she'd called out before she could stop herself.

Because still, what was she supposed to say? Say and not make this worse? Say and... not make it hurt more...?

"... I'm sorry..." She murmured, her eyes dropping to her feet when that was the only thing that came to mind... her sluggish and fractured mind.

"... it... I don't know... how to... or... if it will make a difference... coming from... me... but..." She went on, her words jagged and so very painfully slow, and unsure. She swallowed, aware that the sound of his footsteps had ceased, and for the moment he was at least trying to let her stumble through it.

She shook her head at herself, frustration twisting itself into a tightly-wound knot in her core as she rapidly tried to find the next fractured string of words... and without a clue if they really were the right ones.

Shit

"... it... it wasn't because of you..." She managed at last, her voice fading off to something just shy of whisper. Her shoulders hunched further, her teeth gritting and she heard him hiss, low and shaking, but she didn't dare look up at him again.

"...tch.. just... quit talking already... damn it..." He shot back, his voice tense but not near what angry, explosive tenor it had been for most of the conversation. She stiffened, her lips pulling into a tight line as he started walking again, grumbling all the while and waving a hand back at her dismissively.

"... leave me the hell alone..."

The sound of his footsteps faded away into nothing, and by the time she glanced up again he had turned another corner and was out of sight.

She growled under her breath, her hands hooking behind her neck as she dropped down into sitting on the balls of her feet, her head bending enough to let her elbows rest on her thighs. She closed her eyes, shaking her head a few times at herself, and muttering a string of incoherent curses under her breath.

... why...?

Kesu finally moved, walking up to her slowly and stopping in front of her, ears pricked and yellow eyes gleaming in the dim.

... Why can't I... Why was that... So hard...? Why can't...

Kesu pressed his nose up against her arm, lifting himself onto his back legs and leaning against her knee with his front paws. She forced a long sigh, her fingers tightening around the back of her neck for a few moments, before she forced her arms to relax again. She tilted her head up enough to match Kesu's eyes, and he held her gaze quietly, whiskers twitching.

... why... why do I feel so... knotted up...?

"... Why can't I just manage... To talk to anyone... without...?" She asked quietly, her voice shaking though she didn't want it to. "... Why was... Coming up with anything... Stringing words together... So fucking hard... S...so complicated...?" Her eyes flashed and she swallowed. "... It didn't... Used to be like this... Did it...? I... I used to..."

Kesu's ears dropped, his head shaking a few times before he pressed his nose up against her arm gently. She sucked in a sharp breath of air and held it, her grey eyes glimmering and holding that breath for what seemed like forever, before letting it back out again.

"... Damn it..."


Hello!

I hope you enjoyed the update! Nothin' much too exciting, but a bit of character building hopefully!

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