Warning: slight cussing. Depressing thoughts. Mentions of suicide.
Chapter 21: the training camp.
Nico's POV.
When Izuku wanted us to come to the pool, I had my doubts. I didn't really like swimming that much. Being a son of Hades did that to you. But, then again, all my friends would be there. I sighed, and decided to go. I walked to the stairs to the bar.
"Oi! Shigaraki! Do you have a swim shirt I can borrow?" I called down the stairs.
"No! why do you ask?" he called back. I sighed, and shadow traveled into the bar area. I'd started living there as I didn't want to burden the Yung family anymore. She was super supportive of it, and it was working out pretty well.
"Cause Deku just invited the whole class swimming for endurance training, and I really don't feel like showing all my classmates my scars." I whispered into his ear. He made an 'o' with his mouth.
"Nope. Sorry, I don't swim. Just go steal one from somewhere." He offered. I rolled my eyes, and did just that. A black long-sleeved swim shirt popped out of the shadows. It still had the tag on it. I waved my hand, and it was de-tagged. I took it, and shadow traveled upstairs. I changed into my new swimwear, and cut holes in the shirt for my wings.
I shadow traveled to UA. I wasn't the first one there. the girls were all next the pool stretching. I waved hi, and started stretching myself. I ignored them for the most part, only picking up snippets of their conversation. Then, the others started showing up. Mineta, and Denki looked so upset that there were others, and the fact that the girls were wearing school uniforms. I scoffed at their perverted tendencies.
"Alright!" Iida took head, and had us do lots of exorcises. I did them, and had a little fun actually. Then, we took a few minutes for a break. I went over to the girls, ignoring the look Mineta was giving me.
"Excuse me." I said, waiting for them to look up.
"What did you need Nico?" Toru asked sweetly.
"Uh, I was kind of wondering if I could join you? I've never really played like that before and it looked fun." I said, awkwardly. I mean, I was trying to be friendly. okay?
"Uh, sure." Momo said. I gave her a small smile, and jumped gracefully into the water. The girls were a bit hesitant at first, but then we started having lots of fun. I smiled a bit, and really enjoyed myself.
"Catch!" Sue called, and threw the ball at me. it sailed high over my head, but the shadows in the water leaped up, and caught it. I dropped the ball to myself, and smirked. This was actually fun! I threw the ball to Ochaco, and she in turn passed it to Momo.
After about 10 minutes of this, Iida announced that they were going to have a swimming competition. I shrugged, and went back to playing with the girls. I didn't really want to compete. Also, the fact that I was pointedly ignoring the fact that all the other boys weren't wearing shirts. Yep. Definitely not thinking about how good any of my classmates looked. Definitely not. I shook my head a few times to clear it, and caught the ball just as it soared towards my face.
Just as Shoto, Deku, and Katsuki were about to go at it. Aizawa showed up, and announced that our time was over. I think the man secretly enjoyed that. We all whined a little, and got out of the water. Aizawa sent me a strange look at the fact that I was the only one who was playing with the girls.
"Nico, the principle wished to have a word with you." He announced. I said a word that would have gotten my mouth washed out with soap had anyone spoken Greek, and changed my clothes with the shadows, automatically drying myself. I followed my homeroom teacher through the school wondering what Nezu wanted to speak about. He led me to the teachers' lounge, and followed me in. All-Might was there along with the principle. Aizawa leaned against the counter, and watched on. Shit. That meant this was serious. I didn't sit in the chair. I just stood there; arms crossed, and face expressionless.
"Nico, it has come to our attention that you do not have a guardian listed. We were wondering if you could shine some light on this issue." Nezu stated. I looked him in the eyes.
"No. That's not what this is about. You went against everything I told you, and started digging up my past. I'm going to say it once, and only once. Stay away from my past. Or you will regret it." I stated. All-Might looked at me.
"Could you at least tell us where you're staying?" he asked. I looked at him.
"No. it's none of your business, and I'd rather not be stalked home every night. I'm not an idiot. I haven't stayed alive as long as I have, to just go around being an idiot." I stated. Oops. I slipped again.
"What do you mean 'Stayed alive as long as I have'? most people live until they're 80." All-Might said. I glared at him. if only he knew.
"You've seen my quirk. You're not the first to try and extract information from me. not the first to try and use me. I have had enough with being used. I am my own person, and I'll do what I want." I stated, and walked towards the door. I stopped just inside the doorframe.
"I'm not some tool for you to use. You would do well to remember that I'm a person too. I'm just a 16-year-old who has been through too much. Please, just leave me be." I told them, and walked out the door. If they really wanted to talk, Aizawa would've used his scarf, or they would've called me back. I sighed, and ran my hand through my hair. I'd finally gotten around to cutting it, and now it hung unevenly at my jaw.
I shadow traveled to the bar, and sat in my chair. I grabbed my hair, and placed my forehead on the cool marble. Why was my life always so complicated? I pulled on my hair, in an attempt to alleviate the thoughts from my mind. It wasn't working. I laughed mirthlessly, and starting singing a song under my breath.
"Am I the only one I know,
Waging my wars behind my face, and above my throat?
Shadows will scream that I'm alone.
I-I-I I've got a migraine.
And my pain will range from up, down, and sideways.
Thank God it's Friday! Cause Fridays will always be better than Sundays;
Cause Sundays are my suicide days.
I don't know why they always seem so dismal.
Thunderstorms, clouds, snow and a slight drizzle.
Whether it's the weather, or the letters by my bed.
Sometimes death seems better than the migraine in my head.
Let it be said what the headache represents;
It's me defending in suspense,
It's me suspended in a defenseless test,
Being tested by a ruthless examiner.
That's represented best by my depressing thoughts.
I do not have writer's block. my writer just hates the clock.
It will not let me sleep. I guess I'll sleep when I'm dead.
And sometimes death seems better than the migraine in my head."
The door opened behind me, and I instantly stopped singing.
"You alright there?" Dabi asked, coming up behind me. from what I could hear, he took a seat on the barstool next to me.
"Yeah. the freaking principle, and the crappy symbol of peace are doing the one thing I told them not to do, and then they have the audacity to ask for my help unraveling the past I buried. Other than that, I'm freaking peachy." I said venomously.
"Oh. Sorry." He said. We sat there in comfortable silence for a while.
"Nico, you're going to the training camp, right?" Kurogiri asked, coming through one of his warp gates.
"Yeah. why do you ask?" I said, and looked up.
"We were planning an attack, and wondered if you knew the location." He replied. I sighed, and dropped my head back to the counter.
"Ky, you know how I feel about that. The teachers are suspicious enough as is. It wouldn't help if you guys just showed up too." I stated. And looked at the warping man. "And no. the teachers are keeping the location a secret to make sure something like that doesn't happen." I told him.
"I don't suppose you'd give us a call for their location." He said.
"Nope. You're on your own." I said and smirked. He sighed, and disappeared.
"How do you get away with that?" Dabi asked. I turned to him, and grinned.
"Easy. I'm just awesome like that."
The day of the training camp had arrived. Aizawa directed us to a bus, and we started out.
"So, how has everyone's summer been so far?" Ochaco asked.
"Fine." Shoto said. I shrugged.
"Normal." I lied. A normal summer for me was camp half blood. Well, I guess this was kind of normal then.
"It sucks! We can't go anywhere!" Mina complained. I looked at her.
"Well, think of it this way; At least you're still alive." I stated. Yep, that's me. pointing out the depressing positive. Mina stared at me in shock.
"Well, I guess that's one take." Shoto stated, ending the conversation. I was glad it was over. I looked out the window, and watched the scenery pass.
After a while, Aizawa stopped the bus. We were all ushered out, and I saw that we were on a cliff side. A large forest was below us. It had an eerie feel to it. I looked over at the other car, and saw that 3 people were standing there. two women in cat suits, and a small boy off to the side. I kept to the back of the group, and listened as Deku went full nerd at the front.
The cat ladies were named 'Pixie-bob' and 'Mandalay'. Weird names. They were part of a pro hero group called the 'Wild, Wild Pussycats'. Where did people come up with these things? It didn't matter.
"It should only take you about four hours to get through the forest! Good luck!" Pixie-bob placed her hands on the ground, and a tremor went through the earth. I sprang into action on reflex. My wings snapped out, and I grabbed Shoto under the arms. I flew us up into the air just as the rest of the class was dumped off the side of the mountain. The earth stopped moving, and I landed.
"What the Hell?" I asked, and looked at the pros. Aizawa was smirking.
"I win." He stated. Mandalay said a cuss word, and handed our homeroom teacher a stack of bills. I blinked a few times.
"Okay, what?" I asked.
"We had a bet." Mandalay stated, and glared at the pro. "I bet that no one would escape Pixie-bob's attack. He bet that you would, and that you would take him with you." She pointed to Todoroki. I smirked.
"I underestimated you Aizawa. You seem to have figured me out." I told him. he smirked.
"Yeah. a lot of people tend to forget about me when I'm in my sleeping bag." He stated. So that was how he did it. Nice.
"Well. How should we go to the camp?" I asked.
"You were supposed to fight your way through the forest, but since you avoided my initial attack, you can come with us." Pixie-bob said. I turned to Shoto.
"Do you want to go through the forest? It will be a good training exorcise." I told him.
"If you don't mind." He said. I smiled.
"Not at all! Be back in time for dinner!" I shadow traveled him to the others. The pussycats looked at me.
"What did you just do?" Mandalay asked.
"I call it shadow travel. I can send people, and objects through the shadows as long as I know where they're going." I stated. "Would you like a demonstration?" I asked. all three adults nodded. I smirked.
"Okay! Everyone hold hands." I held out my hands. Aizawa took my left, and Mandalay took my right. Pixie-bob took the kid's hand, and her sister's. I closed my eyes, and reached out with the shadows to the bus. Didn't want to leave that here. I concentrated on our destination, and the shadows at our feet opened up. I dropped us off at the parking lot.
I opened my eyes, and swayed dangerously. I accidentally grabbed Aizawa's shoulders in an attempt to keep myself upright. He didn't seem to mind that much.
"Are you alright?" Mandalay asked coming over. I sat on the ground, and put my hands over my ears. They had popped, and everything was rather loud. I shook my head a few times to clear it, and opened my eyes. All three of them were staring at me in concern. Th small boy just looked scared.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Traveling so much is kind of hard." I said, and pointed to the bus. They turned as if just now realizing that it was there. Pixie-bob gasped.
"Wow. You must be pretty powerful!" she said, awed. I let out a small laugh.
"You have no idea." I muttered under my breath. Aizawa heard me, so did the kid. I stood shakily, and managed not to fall flat on my face.
"So," I said, and looked around. "What are we going to do?" I asked.
"Well, in a few hours, we were going to make dinner for your classmates who'll be coming out of the forest around then." Mandalay told us. I grinned.
"I can help with that. I love cooking." I told the pros. They looked at me.
"Sure kid. Can you take care of Kota until then? We have to do hero work." Pixie-bob said, with a jerk of her thumb towards the little boy. I frowned, but nodded. That was a little harsh.
"Sure. I don't mind babysitting. I used to babysit a lot." I told the pros.
"Okay, just so you know he hates everything to do with heroes. So, try not to mention that." Mandalay said. I could appreciate that. The pros walked off, leaving me and the kid alone in the parking lot. I walked over and stopped about 5 feet away.
"Hello." I said. He glared, and me. I sighed, and sat on the ground. I splayed my wings out behind me, and laid back. "So, they said your name was Kota. Right?" I asked, kind of to the sky.
"Yeah." he replied grumpily.
"Mine's Nico. I was born in Italy, but I've spent lots of time in America." I told the kid. I was making shapes in the clouds. I sighed, and sat up. the ground was hot.
"What do you want to do?" I asked. he glared at me. I sighed, and just sat there looking at him.
"Nothing." He grouched, and turned his back on me. I was screaming inwardly.
"You sure? We have a few hours before I have to go help make dinner." I said.
"Go take your stupid heroism somewhere else." He said. I let out a laugh.
"You know, out of everyone in my class, I think I'm probably the most likely to turn villain." I stated, still looking at the clouds. I heard the intake of breath.
"You're a villain?" he asked.
"No. but I'm not a hero either. I save those who need saving, and screw the rest of the world." I stated, and looked down at him. "A 'hero' in this day and age is someone with a flashy quirk who goes around winning popularity. I want to be a real hero. Even if that means I'm a vigilante. I won't abide by their rules. To this world, a 'hero' isn't what a hero should be. A hero is someone who will save someone else no matter the cost to themselves. A hero is someone who does the right thing, even if it's the hard thing." I stated, looking at his facial expressions. I rested my head on my knees.
"My sister was a hero." I told him. he looked up at me. I gave him a pained smile. "She died. She was only 11." I told the little boy. I looked off into the trees. "You know, she shouldn't have been there. she shouldn't have been sent on that rescue mission. They should have sent someone who was trained!" I exclaimed, before I caught my temper. I sighed.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to blow up like that. It's been almost 7 years, and I still think about her every day. I don't think I ever forgave him." I said, sort of to myself. I let out a small laugh. "And now I never can."
"What do you mean?" Kota asked. I looked at him.
"Can you keep a secret?" I asked. he nodded. I ran a hand through my hair. "I ran away from home. I didn't have the best life there. because my quirk is dark aligned, no one would take me seriously as a hero. They all told me that with a dark quirk like I had that I could never be a hero. That I couldn't do it." I held my hand out, and let the shadows dance across my palm. I sighed, and looked up at Kota.
"What is your quirk?" he asked, coming closer to get a better look.
"I have a very convoluted quirk. For the most part, it's control over the shadows." I told him, and made the shadows do a dance. I dropped them back down, and ran my hand through my hair again.
"I've never gotten over my sister. From the fact that the pussycats aren't your parents, I'm guessing that your parents are dead." I stated. He recoiled.
"Don't talk about my parents" he hissed.
"My mom's dead." I stated. Then I let out a joyless laugh. "It would be better if my father was dead. He's a total asshole. He wanted me to be a weapon." My hands automatically traced the scars on my right arm that my father had given me when I refused to kill someone. Kota's eyes were glued to my hand. "That's one of the reasons I left. I wanted out form under his thumb. I needed to be my own person." I stated, and stood.
"Where are you going?" Kota asked. I smiled down at him sadly.
"I'm going to go find a good place to relax." I told him. he seemed to wage an inner war with himself.
"I know a spot." He told me. I grinned. Step one: complete.
End of chapter 21.