Sorry this took longer, got busy with real life recently as well as developing plans on another story I post here in . I hope this lenghtier chapter compensates for that. I hope you enjoy...
XIV. The Foreboding Ultimatum Part 1
Katsuki Bakugou was waiting outside of UA's gates. The day had already been finished after the Battle Trials overseen by All Might. After the very first simulation however (done by Izumi and her group), everyone in the class started to do better and make the best out of themselves to continue on the spirit started by the Redhead Girl. A lot of very interesting match-ups was done throughout the day and even though some had failed, those who won merely made the day brighter for all of them. This in turn, gradually increased the camaraderie for the entirety of Class 1-A, all thanks to the performance of Izumi and how she pulled off her plan in their simulation. However, it remained a concern for most of them on what exactly happened to her at the standoff at the very end, luckily it seemed the class' concerns were alleviated once a few of them had gone to visit Izumi in the infirmary. Not much was known after that as classes were basically over after the last simulation. In fact, they were one of the last students from UA to go home at that hour.
The sun was nearing the edge to set for the day. For Katsuki, he decided to wait for Izumi since he had questions. Questions that he wants answers to. He saw that Izumi had something wrong with her the moment the first simulation ended. The way her eyes contorted to that of a paralyzed and stunned state before passing out was something he noticed really well. The way her eyes blinked from red to normal along with the small moment where she nearly strangled Shoto to death put a bit more questions in his head. That and the way she came to school today; how quiet and removed she was from the entire class.
Seeing her cry during lunch made him discern that something was indeed wrong.
As to what it was, he couldn't answer. Which is why he wanted a chat face to face for him to feel at ease. He still never knew what exactly was the reason he was doing this, but he figured the easing his mind by getting the answers he needed could stop this weird set of confused emotions he held.
Maybe.
It was nearing half an hour as he stood by the gates of UA. Most of his classmates had passed by. Some sneering at him, some saying their goodbyes, and some completely ignoring him. He didn't care at all at what they thought of him, since to him all of them were extras. He was bound to be the number one hero someday and he knew it best inside him.
Himiko stopped by to wave at him, along with the invisible girl and that punk-rock tomboy. They were active in a conversation as they passed by and even though Himiko shared a quick glance for him, he never cared to glance nor react back.
To be fair, he had seen almost all of his classmates pass by him at that moment. Yet he never saw Izumi yet. It was odd too considering that Izumi always stuck with the blonde smiling girl or at the very least she would talk with her new friends. Seeing them without her made him feel suspicious.
He was losing his patience as well at that particular moment.
Being a person with admittedly short patience made this decision of his, a chore.
He hated waiting. People should wait for him, not the opposite. Yet he really wanted to know badly from Izumi what happened today with her. Making it so that he adds a bit more patience than needed from him usually. Although, should he meet her, he would serve some payback. Making her realize that it isn't wise to do things like this to him.
Even if it was his decision after all.
He grumbled underneath his breath thinking about it. It had been more than a half hour now and he still hadn't seen her. He cursed Izumi for making him wait this long. Now he was sure that his revenge would be short and sweet on her.
Soon after thinking that, he heard two voices approaching his position at the gates. Seeing that it was impossible for Izumi not to be part of the two, he angrily sighed and revealed himself. Only to see that the ones who were there were Momo and Shoto talking about something.
They paused the moment they saw him, as anticipated Izumi than them.
Momo awkwardly smiled and Shoto never even changed his expression.
"Uh hello… Bakugou right?" Momo asked.
"Tsk. I thought Deku was with you. Could have sworn she would have gone home by now." he said in annoyance. He sighed again in frustration as Momo looked at Shoto, to which the other boy simply shrugged at.
"Izumi's gone home earlier than expected. Her mother took her home after she woke up in the infirmary." Momo explained. The moment she did, Katsuki fumed as he slapped his face at being so stupid waiting this long only to be told that she was gone from the school.
He gritted his teeth in anger. Tomorrow for sure.
"Damn it! Since when was that?" he asked.
"Since about an hour ago. She never even got to say goodbye to Himiko and Kyouka." Momo told him, making him understand why exactly the blonde girl wasn't with Izumi when she passed by.
"Uh, why exactly do you want to see Izumi? Do you need something from her?" Momo asked.
"That's none of your fucking business." Katsuki said with a bit of venom in his voice. Ideally, Momo would try and defend her claim against such an insult. Yet she already knew that from Izumi and Himiko themselves that it was pointless arguing with him. She sighed and started to walk away from them.
"I'll see you tomorrow Todoroki." Momo said as she walked away. A limousine was parked near the gates waiting for her and with a final wave to both of them (even Katsuki), the car departed. Leaving Shoto and Katsuki alone with the sun setting against UA's campus grounds.
"I'll be off as well." Shoto said.
Katsuki then looked at the smug, expressionless boy beside him and before he could go any further, he grabbed his arm and forced him to face him.
"Do you have a problem?" Shoto said as he looked at Katsuki, eye to eye. The blonde boy never liked how he acted even towards him. The disdain he felt tripled when he saw that even Shoto was starting to get pissed off. The way Katsuki's eyes acted towards him made him frown deeply. It reminded him of someone else. He forcibly took his arm back as he waited for Katsuki to do anything.
Tensions were strong between them as Katsuki wanted to punch Shoto's face in.
Yet they knew that doing it on school grounds would result in an offense for both of them. Luckily, the tensions deflated and Katsuki was forced to look away, not wanting to share his glance towards him as Shoto continued to stare with narrow eyes.
Shoto then asked a question that made Katsuki flinch.
"If you said you don't care about anyone in class… then why the heck are you paying so much close attention to Midoriya?"
Katsuki was forced to look at him as he tried to give out a response. He clenched his fists as the half and half boy looked at him with ferocity. Wanting to get an answer out of his mouth.
"I thought I told the bitch earlier that it was none of your goddamn business!" he said as he roughly pressed his finger on Shoto's chest to point it out.
"Alright then, if you won't tell me about it then I better leave you alone." Shoto angrily said as he started to walk away. Katsuki, furious at his sudden disinterest tried to say something but the words couldn't leave his mouth. Seeing that he had nothing to say, the other teen started to walk away from him. Katsuki wanted to fume and kick his ass, but it was irrelevant at this point.
Yet…
"I saw her cry alone during lunch. That's the reason I wanted to talk to her dipshit." He said, the moment the statement was heard by Shoto, he turned his head and wondered if it was true. Although the guy himself was too loud and obnoxious to tell lies, but the part about Izumi did keep him curious.
"What difference does that make to me? I don't care about her. That's on you to ask her about it." Shoto replied, making Katsuki fume but he didn't say anything to reply against that.
"Fuck it… just tell me one thing about her in the first simulation against her and we'll forget any of this bullshit that happened between us."
"And what is that?"
"What happened to her on that very last minute, when she choked you to death?"
Shoto couldn't say. It came as a surprise to him too. The way how her face reacted to the sudden tightness of her grip made him shocked a bit. As he knew that the girl was far too kind and friendly to do anything remotely resembling violence against her peers. Sure, she did a very good number on him during their hand to hand fight but none of them was made to injure him severely. Only to subdue him with enough strength to get him out of the game.
The grip she made was different too. The way it tightened around his neck was that with the intent to kill. Her face said otherwise however and she blacked out seconds after with that horrified and scared expression upon her face.
He wanted to ask her about it there with Izumi in the infirmary, if it weren't for the sudden appearance of her mother, he would have known.
"I don't really know what to say. I was surprised myself seeing her like that. Have you ever seen her act like that before?" Shoto asked.
"No… Deku is too much of a snowflake to do anything to people around her, especially people she deems as friends."
Shoto widened his eyes partially at that.
"Friends huh?"
Katsuki frowned.
"What of it? Of course she treats her classmates like they're her goddamn friends. Back in our school barely anyone tried to talk to her, it was only either that blonde bitch or me." He cursed after knowing that Izumi's behavior was suspicious. "I don't get why she acted that way. Nor why she was so quiet in class. Deku is far too stupid with her pathetic dumb heart to even remotely act like this. Crying on spot without any reason at all makes me think something's going on."
"What do you think it is?" Shoto asked, curious to know what the blonde explosive boy thinks.
"Why do you care?" Katsuki suddenly said as he then realized that he was technically saying too much to Shoto at this point. Too much that might give him a different impression about himself. He hated that, as it could imply into something else.
Luckily Shoto simply groaned in response and turned his back. Walking away from him.
He did have a point. Why on earth would he care about Izumi in the first place? She was a rival after all. His defeat in her hands made him realize that something needed to change. Even if it meant doing something drastic the next time Izumi and him come face to face.
Katsuki on the other hand, was left to confused thoughts. He cursed himself yet again for these stupid delusions. Yet he did want to know what was up… and he reckoned that he would try his damnest to approach her about it tomorrow. He was adamant to do that as he walked away with an annoyed demeanor. As he walked, he couldn't stop thinking still about Izumi crying alone in the gardens.
He hated being obsessed about it. But he couldn't get it out of his head.
Shoto Todoroki however, saw Katsuki walk away from the UA campus on foot from the car his sister used. He was quiet at first as he contemplated on what the blonde boy said. He looked out the window watching him walk away as the care drove out of sight.
"You look a bit frustrated there… do you have a problem?" his sister asked.
Shoto finally wore the seatbelt as they pulled through the main highway. He fixed the way he was seating, looking forward to the windshield as cars and buildings passed by.
"Shoto… I asked you a question." Fuyumi reiterated. While her tone was assertive, it didn't contain any ill will. Just a bit of concern with how her brother was doing.
"Don't talk like that… you remind me of her." Shoto said as a wave of sadness came over them. Fuyumi felt a bit of guilt coming from her as she placed one of her hands on his shoulder to give it a comforting touch. She tried to smile at him as he continued to go expressionless.
"I'm sorry. But, since I'm the only one you got at home that mostly takes care of you. I just wish that you and I have an understanding that we can agree on. A common ground if you will. It doesn't have to be with dad…" Fuyumi then sadly smiled. "nor with mom."
"But you know that you can talk to me. So please just humor me into a conversation alright?"
Shoto stared at her and nodded.
"Sorry." He whispered.
"It's okay. I understand." Shoto grumbled in response as Fuyumi waited for him to reply.
"It's about a girl."
Her eyes widened. This was unexpected coming from him. Her little brother was troubled, by a girl? For some odd reason excitement bubbled in her emotions. She wanted to press further and while killing them from her excitement just because she was driving, was bad… it didn't mean that she couldn't ask a few juicy details as to what he means about that exactly.
"Go on…" Fuyumi said, luckily a traffic light stopped their car momentarily.
"Do you remember the girl that helped me buy you those books? The one that we saw at the Aldera Memorial?" Shoto asked, his expression unchanged.
"Izuka, was that her name? The pretty redhead?" Fuyumi guessed. She did like that girl pretty well the moment she saw her. It made her wonder what exactly encouraged her to talk to Shoto, not that she didn't think her little brother was that unsociable…
"Izumi…" Shoto corrected.
"Wait… you've been thinking about her?" Fuyumi said in realization as the traffic light went green.
"Not exactly." Shoto said, wondering why on Earth her sister seemed so surprised and excited with what they're talking about.
"What do you mean?"
17:56 Hours, Toshinori Yagi's Residence…
The usually short car ride to Toshinori's residence was abnormally quiet and longer than expected. The car, driven by Kaguya was mostly a silent affair. Tensions between mother and daughter who rode at the back was mostly kept in a standstill. Izumi was basically guilty with fear coming off from how her mother reacted to seeing her in the infirmary. It wasn't even that much of a stretch to say that she was really, really disappointed at her. Back then she was very vocal when she was angry at Izumi, but now it was different than what she expected. Instead of getting mad at her, she was given the silent treatment. With her mother barely even talking nor sparing a glance at her direction. It made Izumi really upset, knowing that her mother whom was pretty much happy and proud with Izumi's efforts at this point, was largely disappointed with how much she kept from her about these new developments regarding her quirk. To be fair to her, she didn't even know how to approach to Inko about it earlier… resulting into a very quiet interaction between them.
Izumi hoped that her mother would talk to her. Perhaps explaining some things to her would stop this divide between them again. A divide that was largely closed after the events of last year. Their rekindled relationship was something that Izumi really wanted to maintain. Inko as well desired that, but she was largely concerned, worried, and downtrodden knowing what happened with Izumi at school.
In fact, she wasn't even that angry at all with her. A bit was still there, but not entirely the reason as to why she was so quiet towards her.
She was just put into a series of thoughts that scared her with how her daughter's life will turn out in the next few months or days. Uncertainty was their enemy now and Inko knew it best.
The very moment they arrived at Toshinori's residence about two hours ago, Izumi was still guilty seeing how sad and visibly quiet Inko was. It turned to be that way still even when they entered their temporary home for the time being. Kaguya was tasked by Inko to make her some tea to calm her nerves down. The woman left instantly after that, leaving Inko and Izumi at the living room of the house alone. It took some time putting off the weight on their shoulders, but Inko managed to tell Izumi to get some rest at the room they shared. Izumi wordlessly nodded in agreement as she walked away upstairs. Inko on the other hand simply frowned at this air between them.
She didn't enjoy nor like it all. She heeded the words of what Juno said before about Izumi, and she knew that those warnings were becoming reality progressively faster than she hoped. Not only that, but she was really sad making it seem like they were back to those times again…
Back in the past where she was barely a mother to her.
She didn't want that anymore. She told herself to change and recently she believed that. So in some sense, she had to make this right. But they needed a little time off from each other until then.
Toshinori arrived an hour later, having a short meeting with the staff about the rumors placed on the school of All Might teaching there, as well as the new developments regarding what happened in the Battle Trials. Nemuri even managed to get a phone call in to Inko before the meeting the ended. Explaining to her what needed to be done so that the girl's condition wouldn't worsen through time. Thankfully, Izumi wasn't at that level yet where worry was needed in place over everyone's safety and hers. That also meant that they had to observe her far more closely this time. Toshinori even told her while they shared a quick dinner together that Aizawa plans to monitor her most of the time during classes under his tutelage. This went for the rest of the staff as well, and in no circumstance should Izumi be allowed to be out of sight from the teachers themselves. This wouldn't be a problem for the teachers in terms of making sure everything is discreet and to provide zero panic towards the other students and her, since Izumi herself was pretty much an obedient student as proven even back then.
After the dinner however, Toshinori convinced her to talk to the girl and bring her dinner she missed inside the room they shared for the night. The reason being was that Izumi managed to sleep the instant she arrived at the room and hadn't woken up until Kaguya told them that she was awake. Reluctant and scared at first, with a little push of faith from him, she managed to go along. Convincing herself that she had to uphold the promise of being a mother to her daughter.
Now here she was… holding a tray in her hands, at the door of the closed room Izumi was in.
She looked at the corner of her eyes and saw Kaguya standing there. She had the demeanor of subtly telling her that should she need assistance, she would gladly do it. Inko brushed her off with a smile, reassuring her that this was better off being the two of them alone rather than having another person there. Kaguya understood this with a curtly nod and she backed away after Toshinori downstairs called for her to help with something.
Once again, she was alone in the hallways of yet another house. Standing outside the door of her daughter's room. Hoping that nothing was wrong. A sudden wave of nostalgia came over her.
Bad nostalgia that is.
It reminded her too much of that night where she basically spat Izumi's dream back to her face. Every detail was fresh in her mind recalling that night. She felt terrible now looking back, as she was barely five at that age and how harsh she was towards her was clear as the eye can see. Even Nemuri managed to berate her for so many times because of that single moment.
Yet here she was again. Both of them not in favorable terms to say the least.
She sighed heavily. She didn't want another repeat of that and hopefully it wasn't going to be. She wanted to talk to her after all, and doing so would help the girl's condition. Being a mother was hard for sure, but she already took this job with the heavy responsibility it took and Izumi was already a prime figure of importance in her life. The only important figure that she loved so dearly.
With a deep breath, she gently knocked on the door.
"M-Mom? Is that you?" Izumi asked. Inko was surprised to hear that her daughter expected her, leading her to think that it was either because of her quirk, or she was just genuinely expecting her to be the first person to talk to.
Either way, she was glad that her voice didn't seem afraid.
"Yes… it's me Izumi."
"You can come in. The door isn't locked."
Inko held the tray as she focused her mind towards the doorknob. The door opened afterwards as she pushed it away with her quirk in a slower manner. Hoping to ease the mood between them by showing her comfort and reassurance. Inko saw her daughter sitting at the head of the bead, her waist under covered by blankets and in her lap was a pillow. Her headband had been removed and placed on the tabletop at the bedside, next to the lamp. Her hair was disheveled, but otherwise she looked fine and better than what came before. She had a relaxed mood within her and her usual cheery self was back, although a bit guilty and afraid that Inko would lash out.
Inko gave a warm smile at her the moment they saw each other. Izumi did so as well in response as Inko closed the door behind her slowly again with her quirk. She walked next to Izumi's side and settled the tray in her lap, taking the pillow away to the side so she can eat properly.
"I brought you dinner. It isn't my cooking but it's Kaguya's. At the very least it isn't Toshinori's." Inko teased as a soft chuckled emerged from Izumi. The girl then slowly started to eat the meal given to her. A stark contrast to the meal she had on lunch, of which she barely ate at all. Inko then softly moved closer to Izumi as she laid herself on the headrest next to the girl. Inko then placed a loving hand on Izumi's crimson hair and stroked it peacefully.
A soft silence was shared between them. Between Izumi's meal and the small distance between them because of an earlier argument, it seemed like everything was in a recluse, calm state. Inko then put her left arm to pull Izumi closer to her. The girl in response placed her head on her mother's shoulders. Inko promptly kissed the top of Izumi's head as the soft silence between them permeated into a loving, and understanding kind.
"It hasn't been an easy week for you hasn't it?" Inko said.
The girl moaned in response as Inko held her closer.
"It isn't for me as well. Too many changes happening in just a short span of days. I'm more worried about how you're adapting to all of this more so than I."
The girl smiled, acknowledging how thoughtful her mother was looking after her. It was true, it had been a rough week for her. Starting at UA was a joy she wanted so bad in life, but ever since she set foot upon her grounds, it was nothing but a set of trials and problems. Not all of it was bad of course, but with how the week was progressing for Izumi, she knew that she was being overwhelmed at all sides.
"I'm sorry mom." She said with a small voice.
"What did I tell you about saying sorry?" Inko replied with a smile. Izumi meekly chuckled, recalling the last time she said such things to her.
"But in all seriousness Izumi, you don't need to be sorry. I guess I can see why you didn't want to tell me about it. You've been worried about me as well haven't you?"
Izumi nodded. Truthfully to some extent, her mother had a visible strain ever since she got enrolled at UA. Her mother was in a sense overwhelmed as well, with how quiet and tired she looked with each time she came home or how each time was spent on worrying about her. A part of her told herself that she didn't want to a bother into the set of problems her mother was already experiencing.
Which unknown to her, was that all of Izumi's problems stem from the girl herself. Everything was in slight disarray with what's been happening recently, and Inko was already close to the brink of bearing too much weight on her shoulders.
Yet it didn't matter for her in the slightest. Izumi was a priority that warranted every single time spent on good faith for her well-being.
"I'm sorry as well if I came out a bit too angry earlier. I was just worried about you…" Inko softly said. Izumi lovingly pressed her head closer to Inko's shoulder as the older woman rested her head on top of hers. The mother and daughter smiled at that gesture to each other.
"Izumi?"
"What is it mom?"
"Just tell me what's going on with you next time. I hate seeing you like this. I hate worrying all the time thinking something bad is going to happen to you. So please make sure to tell me what's wrong and I'll try to help with the best I can." Inko said. Izumi nodded when she heard that, assuring even herself to uphold that request.
"You know that I love you so much… you're the only important thing left in my life and I'm afraid of losing you." Inko added as the girl smiled in thanks and love.
"Love you, mom." Izumi whispered.
Inko chuckled softly as they stayed that way on the bed. Holding each other in a soft embrace. Izumi then asked a question that was bothering her ever since she and her mother made up a year ago.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"C-Can you tell me… who my dad was?"
Inko suddenly diverted all her attention towards the sudden question. It wasn't that she didn't expect her to ask it again (after many times that is) but after she changed to better suit her relationship between her and Izumi, this would be the first time where Inko was asked this question. Face to face and she knew that keeping this secret from the girl for too long was wrong on so many aspects.
She was afraid to tell the whole truth to her, but she couldn't bar her from it entirely as well.
"I-it's okay if you don't want to. I understand… t-that it's a sore subject. But I really do want to know, because I don't even know what his name is." Izumi said with a sad tone.
Inko bit her lip.
"It's not that I don't want you to know anything about him Izumi. It's just hard trying to talk about him to you." Inko admitted.
"Can I ask why?"
Inko looked at Izumi, her eyes full of curiosity that came with a bit of sadness, afraid and eager to know about her father. Even if Hisashi wasn't technically hers to begin with.
But neither was she her real mother as well.
Swallowing hard to the question, she finally decided that she could say something.
"Mom?" Izumi pressed, hoping that she didn't make her that sad or in pain. Inko then looked at her and conjoined their hands. Squeezing tightly, Inko smiled with sadness at her and spoke.
"He's gone Izumi. The reason I never talked about him at all with you is because he's gone."
Izumi's surprise was visible. She had a gut feeling that it was the case long ago, but hearing it now was different. As a mix of emotions during that spur of a moment bubbled up inside of her.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that." Inko apologized.
"N-No… it's okay. I can see why you'd keep me out of it." Izumi admitted.
"It's not that I wanted to Izumi. But talking about him is genuinely hard, especially on me. It's not that I never wanted for you to know about him, but with the way things ended up for both of us in life, I kept it away from you so that you wouldn't be in pain knowing that he was gone."
Normally, Inko would be brought to tears at this moment. Yet she already had closure with Hisashi's death, and a mere sad smile coupled with how Izumi reacted to all of this made her feel better in letting it out for her.
Izumi wasn't exactly okay hearing these things, but she took it far better than Inko surmised.
"How long ago was it?" Izumi asked.
"Before you were even born." Inko admitted. They were in fact in their third year of high school before Inko vanished without a trace. Looking at it now however, should Hisashi had turned out alive, he would have loved Izumi with all his heart, regardless of her background.
They would have been a family.
Alas, it was not to be. Merely thinking about it now made Inko feel a large pain coming from her heart. Izumi on the other hand, wished that it wasn't the case for her and Inko. But knowing about the great mystery of a father she never knew felt different than what she expected.
She should have been in tears and sadness knowing about all of this, but she barely knew the man at all, and the only familial figures in her life that mattered to her greatly was Nemuri, Inko, and recently, All Might. Although the thought still made her curious, so she pressed on her questions to Inko herself.
"M-Mom, i-if it isn't a problem, c-can you at least tell me about him?"
Inko stared at Izumi's eyes. She smiled with a nod. Telling her about Hisashi before the sudden changes in her life was at least a good idea, and seeing that it was mostly a compilation of good memories, she knew that she didn't need to hold back telling her most about it.
"Alright…" Inko said.
"What was his name?"
"Hisashi… Hisashi Midoriya."
…
Toshinori was peeking through the small opening on the door looking inside the room where Inko and Izumi shared. Initially, he was going to ask Inko if she was down for a coffee break downstairs to join him with. Just a small chat to make the mood a lot more easier for all of them. With the quickening pace of events, and the now stressed atmosphere both Inko and her daughter experienced, he thought that it was good way to vent off steam, himself included. He also didn't want Kaguya to bother calling her for him, instead he bid her to prepare them their beverages. He decided to invite her himself, with easy and slow steps, thinking that the mother and daughter was sharing a rather somber moment as they recuperated the initial tension between them earlier.
What he didn't expect however, was climbing up the stairs and hearing the cheerful and generally happy atmosphere coming off from the room he was looking into. He saw Inko and Izumi sharing a lighthearted conversation with each other, from what little details he could scrounge up he heard that they were talking about Inko's memories with her late lover, Hisashi Midoriya.
It was surprising seeing Inko in a very much happy state while talking about him, most of the time the meager mention of his name drove her over the edge in sadness. Even Nemuri herself never mentions him, knowing that the woman was easily flustered and emotionally vulnerable when he was brought into a conversation. Yet here she was now, happy and comfortable talking about him towards her daughter. A part of him thought that the day Hisashi was finally brought to Izumi's attention would result in a sadder mixture of emotions (based on how Izumi once asked him about her father, and the fact that Inko was still very much scared to mention him to her).
But here they were now… with Inko sharing stories of the time she was in High School. Izumi laughing at how funny some of the stories were, and how Hisashi was a pretty much a likeable guy.
He smiled at it. Seeing the mother and daughter interact with one another. It truly felt like one of those rare moments where the two before his eyes bore no problems nor the weight of the world on their shoulders. Back then he thought he was the only one with such a responsibility. Now, seeing how these two dramatically shifted the views he had in life, it made him realize that there was so much more out there in the world and even though problems rose from every corner, a light of positivity still shined.
"Do you enjoy peeping into another person's business, Mr. Yagi?" a voice suddenly whispered to him, and he turned to see Kaguya, her ears straight up, and her expression that of a smug manner. She was obviously teasing him.
"It's not in a bad way Ms. Kaguya. But seeing them like this is refreshing with how recent events are to both of them. I'm quite happy they got along pretty easy this time."
Kaguya made a semblance of a smile as she can perfectly hear what the two were talking about inside. Her ears were sensitive to sound, and she was happy as well knowing that the two made up. Earlier, she was really inclined to say something, but she knew better than to pry. She then saw that her boss was looking at the two with a distinct emotion that only stemmed from something close to need. A bit of jealousy as well that they were talking about something else, and while the man would surely jest her that it wasn't the case, she could see it through his expression alone.
"What about you Mr. Yagi? Are you happy that you're not there with them?"
"I think I'm okay where I am now. It's good seeing them like this." He simply said as he peered further. Kaguya suddenly had an idea, she knew fairly well that she couldn't overpower All Might by herself, but when he was in this form… that of Toshinori Yagi, she could easily move him without any effort at all. She pressed both her hands on his back…
"Wait, what are you doin-
And pushed him inside with one shove.
As soon as she did, the laughing inside died instantly. Toshinori was brought into the room abruptly that it surprised the mother and daughter duo. He awkwardly smiled at the both of them as he scratched back of his head.
"Peeping now are we? I thought you were a decent man Toshi." Inko teased as she smirked while crossing her arms at him. Izumi chuckled as Toshinori made an awkward laugh.
"I-I'll let myself out… sorry for barging in." he said as he started to walk to the door. Before he did however, Izumi promptly walked to his side and pulled his arm to join them. Toshinori looked at Inko who merely shrugged to Izumi's actions.
"What? I didn't tell her to do that." She stated as Toshinori chuckled in response. He was then placed in the middle of them as Izumi rested her body against him at his left side. The girl wordlessly smiled at him and conveyed an already obvious gesture of thanks towards him.
"Thanks kid." He said as he made a thumbs up. Izumi giggled in response.
"I can't believe I'm actually laying down next to All Might, in his house of all places." She whispered. Inko watched as the man patted her head in comfort.
"Well for what it's worth Young Midoriya, I'm quite happy sitting next to you as well."
Inko giggled at how extremely cheesy it was for her, and the two of them looked at her as to why.
"You really know how to ruin the mood huh?" Inko teased and they all laughed in response. For Toshinori, he felt the best kind of happiness he hadn't felt in years with them. To Inko, she felt that even though she lost so much in life, these two were the ones that brought her back from the brink. For Izumi…
She felt like even though she never had a whole and complete family, at this very moment she cherished what she had, and even though it wasn't much, to her this meant everything. A family in itself that was complete in her eyes.
Kaguya watched through the door, and quietly brandished her phone. Taking a picture of the three them happy together. Maybe she could keep it for something else someday. Or maybe to herself. Either way she was content.
THE NEXT DAY…
"Will you be joining All Might today as well Ms. Kaguya?" Izumi asked, at that moment she was completely dressed in her school uniform and was carrying her bag at her back. Her mother and All Might had left earlier according to the bunny-eared butler so it was left to Kaguya to drive her to UA. While she expressed at first that she would have gone to UA alone by herself, the woman simply told her that it was an order from both her mother and Mr. Yagi. Izumi pouted of course, but she knew that there was no winning with her so she agreed to it eventually. The ride wasn't that long per say, and Kaguya did her a favor by not showing up at the front of UA's gates with a car. She didn't want to make a scene after all.
So here she was being escorted by Kaguya as they walked towards UA's gates. It turns out she too was needed by All Might inside the school premises, bringing the two of them together to walk side by side. The bunny-eared woman was quiet like usual, and the question to her was answered in a matter of a few words.
"Yes. Mr. Yagi needs my assistance."
"On what?" Izumi asked.
"School business. Do not ask me about it." Kaguya affirmed. Izumi simply shrugged as she tapped her headband, making sure that it was in place correctly. The moment they turned to the main pathway towards the school, it was only then did they realize that multiple news vans and reporters were clamoring people entering the school.
Izumi could see that some of her classmates were being interviewed as well. The likes of Uraraka and Tenya along with a handful of other students from different classes and years were present. Izumi was surprised that these people were here, and was wondering what the fuss was about.
Kaguya then placed a hand on her shoulder, Izumi looked up and saw that she had a serious expression on her face. As if something bad was happening.
"Stay close to me." She whispered and Izumi nodded as they continued to walk.
But even then with the presence of Kaguya herself, it seemed like the media circus immediately laid their eyes on her. One reporter from a news team came upon them with a series of questions. Both on her and Kaguya. Kaguya hadn't felt like this ever since
"Miss! What is it like having All Might as your teacher?"
"Is he really teaching at this school?"
"How is he at this line of work?"
"What other reason is All Might doing this?"
Kaguya took a deep breath and pushed them all aside with little effort. While it didn't stop them from following them both, at least it brought comfort and enough space for Izumi. Who was still uncomfortable with these type of things.
"We just want an interview from the students!" one reporter said as the others moved their camera closer towards them both. Kaguya covered it with her hand as she moved them away.
"Please allow the girl to get to school. You could be charged for harassment if you force her to talk." Kaguya warned, but most of them kept coming, it seemed like they weren't going to stop should Izumi say something.
The girl however was overwhelmed as she didn't like crowds clamoring over her. Her emotions were thrown in a slight spur as her headband glowed faintly in red. Kaguya managed to pry off one reporter that was closest to her when one woman from the crowd recognized Izumi.
"Hey! Isn't she the girl with All Might on that Slime Villain incident?"
An uproar was raised and the crowd swarmed them instantly. Kaguya was getting pissed off as Izumi was already getting overwhelmed. She pleaded for them to let them through and when the crowd's attitude worsened, Kaguya grabbed the nearest camera and crushed it into her hands. The entire crowd was silenced instantly as Kaguya threw the remains of the camera down to the street in front of her with a signature fix to her suit jacket.
"You'll have to fix that lady! We can call our lawyers down on you." The cameraman said.
Kaguya stood her ground with a glare.
"Sue me then. I dare you." Kaguya said as she brandished as much intimidation in her words. The group backed off as at the gates of UA himself was none other than Izumi's homeroom teacher. Aizawa looked down upon the crowd of reporters and activated his quirk. Threatening them in the process.
"All Might isn't in the premises of the school today. Please leave our students alone or we will call the authorities on you." Aizawa said as his quirk instantly went off the moment he finished speaking. Izumi and Kaguya hurriedly walked towards the gate as the other students followed suit. In the middle of it all, Izumi noticed a tall young adult at the very end of the road at the back, his features were covered by his gray hair. Izumi found it peculiar that he was watching wordlessly at what was happening. Although her attention was forced again upon the various reporters still yearning to get a scoop from her.
Yet again a multitude of questions were being asked towards Aizawa and Kaguya until the remote and automated gates closed down to its armored capacity. Leaving those outside with nothing to do but accept it. The students went to their classes as Izumi bowed in thanks towards her homeroom teacher.
"Thank you so much Mr. Aizawa." She said.
"Just get to class kid, we start early today." He said as he began to walk away, but before he did he turned towards Kaguya who was standing still behind Izumi.
"Tell your boss Nezu needs to speak to him. A PR issue from what I've heard." Kaguya nodded in response as he walked away. Izumi then looked at Kaguya who checked the time on her watch.
"See you later then…" she said with a small smirk.
"Likewise Izumi." The woman said as they parted ways. Izumi then ran towards Tenya and Uraraka who were waiting for her the moment they saw her. Regrouping with her friends, she happily lead them to the classroom as another day in UA started.
Izumi hoped inwardly that nothing bad would happen this time.
7:36 Hours, Room of Class 1-A…
"It's great seeing you better today Izumi, yesterday you got us really worried for you." Kyouka said as Izumi placed her bag on her seat. Their classmates weren't complete yet in attendance, but most of them had already arrived. Himiko seemed to arrive late today, as she hadn't shown up yet. Momo and the others had arrived early like usual, and Shoto as silent as he was remained in his seat. Tending to his own musings. Kyouka had arrived a bit earlier than Izumi, and along the way with the company of the constantly prudent Tenya with the sweet Uraraka, the redhead girl's day was starting off better than she anticipated.
"Thanks for your concern and worry guys, I'm okay now if that's what you're asking of me." Izumi replied. Momo and Uraraka were near her alongside Momo and Mina. Mina most of all jumped on Izumi's back the moment she saw her partner after yesterday's events. A soft giggle was shared between them as Izumi gave a cheerful greeting towards her.
"Your mom sounded angry yesterday, did something bad happen between you two?" Mina asked, as she was there when Inko showed up to pick her up. Momo was curious to this as well.
"No it wasn't anything serious. My mom just got worried that yesterday was the second time I got into Recovery Girl's office. Not that I wanted to that is." Izumi explained. While far from being a lie, she didn't tell the entirety of it either. That conversation of Izumi's small lapses of erratic behavior yesterday was reserved only for her and her mother.
"Your mom's really pretty Izumi… I think you got her looks pretty well." Mina complimented.
"What did her mom look like?" Kyouka asked.
"Well, she looked like a well-endowed woman. Beautiful and simple looking that is. Though her face left an image of strong-willed woman. I respected her the moment her air came into the room." Momo described.
"Which reminds me Izumi, why is it that your mother's hair is green and yours is red?" the spiky-haired girl continued as Izumi tried to respond to the question. She didn't know the full answer of it, but last night her mother did tell her that Hisashi Midoriya, her father sported red hair. So she assumed that it came from him. Unbeknownst to her, this was an obvious lie from Inko, so that she wouldn't think that she was any different from her.
"My dad's hair was red according to my mom. Back in the day I used to this dye this hair in green, because my mom wanted to but it became completely unnecessary the moment my quirk came into existence. The moment I activate it the dye instantly gets burned off and it returns to red." Izumi explained.
"Why would your mom want you to dye your hair? It's good the way it is." Kyouka asked.
"I don't remember exactly, but I guess she wanted us to be the same hair color. Don't get me wrong, it's not that mom forced me too. In fact, I think she likes it when I try to imitate her in some of the things she does." Izumi said with a small smirk, recalling last night's events with her mother.
"Mama's Girl" Kyouka whispered under her breath.
"What is your mom's profession Izumi? She sounds quite cool from Momo and Mina's description." Uraraka asked.
"She's a legal consultant. A lawyer in simple terms. She used to go abroad multiple times back in the past to handle certain cases that she was called on to. Nowadays, she seems more eager to stay near our home to spend time with me." Izumi said, recalling the days where only she and Nemuri were in the house.
"Who was that other woman by the way, the one with your mom?" Mina asked.
"Oh her… uh…" Izumi thought that she couldn't say that she was All Might's assistant. Doing so would ruin the secret of 'One for All' and it would certainly make a fuss to others knowing that she was staying in All Might's home. If the reporters outside were any indication, it would surely end that way.
"…She's my mom's assistant. She follows her around with whatever my mom wants her to do."
"She acted more like a butler than I cared to admit." Momo expressed and continued to talk about it to her, knowing that she herself had a family butler. Mina and Kyouka along with Uraraka weren't able to relate with the sudden shift of the topic. Being more so in the middle-class of all things made them feel awkward towards Momo who kept on talking about Butlers and servants.
"So Izumi's a rich snob then?" Kyouka said with a frown. The redhead immediately tried to refute the claim as she explained that Ms. Kaguya was just working for her mother and nothing else
"But she was with you earlier at the gates…" Uraraka added.
"It was only for today. For real! I walk to school on a daily basis. I'm not even rich for crying out loud." Izumi said in defense. Mina and a few others shared a small giggle as they continued to tease her.
Himiko arrived a few moments later, and joined with their other friends it seemed like all was coming to terms for a good day for Izumi.
"DEKU!"
Until Katsuki showed up. The blonde walked to his position as Izumi's friends around her looked at his direction. Shoto managed to steal a glance as well, recalling yesterday's talk with him. Tenya rushed forward to him, annoyed that he was being disrespectful again.
"Step aside four eyes! I need to talk to her." he firmly said and Izumi wondered what the fuss was all about with the explosive blonde 'friend' she had. He clearly was upset about something as he neared her. Kyouka on the other hand, sneered at him.
"What's your problem?" she said with a bit of anger in her voice.
"This isn't about you tomboy!"
"What did you call me?" Kyouka suddenly said with a higher tone.
"Ooh… a fight." Himiko said as she stared at Katsuki and Kyouka who were now in a standoff. Luckily, the tension was diffused when Izumi stood in front of her.
"It's alright guys… I can talk to him." Izumi assured as Kyouka sighed, although her eyes were still transfixed with anger towards him. Izumi then faced him with a concerned face.
"Do you mind not doing that to my friends?"
"I need to talk to you."
"For what reason?" Izumi challenged.
"JUST- AAGH! Come with me!" he said as he grabbed her arm forcefully and while Momo and Kyouka were surprised at the sudden act, Izumi assured them with a gesture that it was alright. They were about to leave the classroom, until Aizawa came in through the automatic sliding doors of the room.
"Get to your seats… and no, we have something important to discuss so none of you will be excused." Aizawa simply stated as Katsuki fumed only for Aizawa to glare at him further. He let it go just as he let go of Izumi's arm. He then gave a glare at her direction, making Izumi doubly curious as to what exactly he was bothered with about her. Everyone got back to their seats and the whole class with its full attendance were eager to know what their homeroom teacher's plans were for the day.
At first, he talked about their individual performances on yesterday's battle trials. He commended most of the class for their well-placed strategies and synergies when they were paired into teams. He also commended that one team who volunteered for another simulation since the class' total number was 22 students. Leading one pair without another to pit against. The two of them being Tenya and the foreign exchange student Sylvia who were grateful to be picked against another team.
Their synergy was well-coordinated and they were able to be effective in both simulations.
The pair were thankful as most of their classmates gave a cheerful remark at them. Mostly on Sylvia's side since Tenya once again gave another one of his honorary remarks and speeches with thanks.
Aizawa also commended most of his class for having the bare-minimum knowledge of handling their quirks to the optimal level possible. Mastery was a key component for being a pro hero and it took good effort and years of experience to hone one's quirk to its full potential.
Which is why he gazed his eyes on Izumi.
"Midoriya, while I can congratulate you for a good effort on part of the plan you orchestrated to beat an otherwise strong opponent, the way how your quirk misplayed at the end was still a major mistake that would cost the life of someone in the field. Your quirk has enormous potential, and while you do in fact use it optimally for most of the time, there is still room to be improved."
"Y-yes sir."
"Make sure you make of that promise next time. That goes to all of you as well." Aizawa stated as he moved the topic along to the next matter. Izumi was pleased to know that most of her classmates were rather moved by her performance, but she made sure of it not to go up into her head since she did do lots of visible mistakes that resulted in what could have been a cleaner operation.
"If there are no more further questions involving the Battle Trials yesterday then we can move on to the next matter of business. One of which will decide your future."
The entire class went serious in both slight fear and silence. Hoping that it wasn't another sudden test or exam from their homeroom teacher. Who may or may not try to use the 'expelled' tactic again.
"Today you will be choosing a class representative."
A collective sigh came from the class, Izumi included. Although hearing what he said greatly made them all excited. For being a class representative in the Hero Course provided more meaning than what the position's normal use is. While it was technically the same still from the tried and tested method, it also provided whoever was chosen exposure towards Hero Agencies as being a class rep to a class like this meant you were good at actively leading and guiding a team of heroes.
With that reason in place, almost the entirety of the class raised their hands up and stated why they were the best candidates to be the class representatives. Even Kyouka and Mina managed to put their cases up with various different reasons. Not everyone made their case though, as people like Tokoyami, Sylvia, Momo, and Shoto himself were more or less okay with who was going to be picked.
Izumi was included in that particular group as she merely sat in her chair and smiled at her classmates. Katsuki stood up as well angrily trying to say that he was the best, and to be honest it made Izumi chuckle seeing him try so hard. She then looked at her right and saw Himiko doing the same too. The blonde girl was clearly not enticed at the idea of being a leader and Izumi knew it best.
The blonde girl then gestured Izumi to look at her phone, likely that she sent a message there. Opening her phone, she saw that Himiko was pushing her to take the position herself. Izumi smiled back at her as Himiko tried to gesture her to stand up.
But Izumi didn't budge. It's not that she didn't want the position, but she wasn't sure of herself that she was the best person fit for the role. Aizawa didn't care as he stood there. Waiting for the kids to pick out someone as they continued to endorse themselves to the class.
"Silence, Everyone Please!" Tenya suddenly said in an outburst. Most of the class drew their eyes on Tenya who had a serious expression on his face.
"The class representative's duty is to lead others, that's not something anyone could do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom. Therefore, the most logical way to fill this decision is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader." Tenya said as he raised his hand up. Unfortunately, that also meant that he wanted them to vote for him as well. This made him seem like a fool to everybody else, but Izumi merely gave a thumbs up in support. She did think that the guy was a good candidate. So was Momo as well.
"Is this really a good idea?" Kaminari said.
"We've only known each other for a few days. How do we know who to trust?" Asui said.
"I trust Izu! For a long time now." Himiko said in the middle of it.
"But that's because you and her went to the same school. No offense Izumi." Kyouka replied.
"None taken." Izumi responded.
"How is this going to work though? Most of us will probably vote for themselves." Kirishima reasoned out, a fact that most of them agreed will happen.
"That's where voting comes in as the best solution. Think about it, the person with the most votes certainly is the best person for the job." Tenya explained and he turned to Aizawa who was more or less crawling into his sleeping bag. "It's the best way don't you agree sir?"
"Just pick out your representative before my nap is over. I don't care what method you use, just get it done." He stated as he moved in to take his short nap. Himiko couldn't take it off her mind that their homeroom teacher looked like an overgrown caterpillar with a face as he used that sleeping bag. Tenya said his thanks as Izumi's classmates began their mini-election.
Izumi already had a candidate in mind on who she was going to vote for so she wrote it down the moment their votes were cast.
The results after that however was not something she expected at all…
9:36 Hours, Toshinori Yagi's Office, UA Campus Grounds…
"I want you to take up all the names and registered quirks inside this box. If the file doesn't say anything, mark them with an unknown stamp." Inko said as she gave another set of boxes filled with files towards Kaguya's position. They had been busy for a considerable amount of time ever since they arrived at UA and both Inko and Toshinori had been scrounging up information about the Aldera Tragedy.
The reason being was, they wanted to know more about the quirks Izumi possibly had inside her own. It was a daunting task and the very moment the two left, they came upon a few of Toshinori's contacts to get the needed files before heading to UA. The data was crucial if they were to understand Izumi's quirk and with the added threat of hers going haywire at any given moment (to which they both hoped wouldn't happen) they needed in-hand knowledge of what to expect from the girl.
Now that Kaguya had arrived, the work would be easier. They barely got through half of it yet and even then these were the only files officially given to them by the city government. Even then, this didn't include the numerous villains, poverty-stricken individuals, and children who haven't manifested their quirks yet. So they had so many factors that would derail their full understanding of the quirks on all of those who died in the tragedy. Yet, knowing most of it was better than knowing nothing at all, so they took the chance regardless of the external detractors.
Toshinori had been ushering some calls to update some of the names not on this list and Inko was listing the files she already came across through her laptop that she brought along. She tied her hair into a pony tail at this moment and she dressed up fairly casual than usual. Sporting only a black shirt and jeans along with flats. Toshinori of course, who was dressed for work had a blue and white striped suit this time, and while Inko laughed at him for once again showing no effort in style, he managed it well both in his normal frame and sized-up form. Even with how loose it looked when he was in a normal sense.
Kaguya had used a pen and notebook to look through her own pile as they worked. Nemuri had stopped by an hour ago to check on them and was willing to help once she was free after her initial classes.
As this all went along, Inko continued to wonder if all of these quirks would indeed manifest in Izumi, but since 'One for All' was already something they saw, then it wasn't an impossibility for these quirks to manifest as well.
She tried recalling the quirks of the villains she encountered in the pier years back. She recalled a handful but couldn't exactly remember what others were. Yet the thought scared her still, some of those men and women had active, dangerous quirks and she feared that Izumi may accidentally use them.
"Do we need to include the quirks of those who were hit by her energy?" Toshinori asked.
"Yes… so that would put me, Nemuri, Kaguya, and some others on the list."
"You're joking right? She has your quirk too?" Toshinori said. He already knew how volatile and powerful the woman before him was. Even back in his prime, the danger and threat Inko posed was immense with how strong her telekinesis was.
"She has unfortunately, when she was a baby me and Nemuri would always get hit by her from time to time. It was only with Dr. Shigechi's help that we managed to give her doses of those suppressants. So yes, she does have my quirk." Inko replied.
"I'll be damned then." he commented.
"You scared? I thought back then you could always overpower me… now I'm hearing this?" Inko teased as she smirked while continuing her work.
"To be fair with you, you were pretty good with how you use your quirk back in the day. I had problems dealing with your crap on most instances." Toshinori teased back as Inko sweetly smiled even though she never made a glance at him. He returned to his own tasks afterwards.
Inko sighed after a few short minutes as she continued to type her findings into a comprehensive list. Kaguya, who was fast as always managed to finish the first box of files in a well-mannered written list in her notebook. It took her about twenty minutes or so in the process and as she gave it to Inko to add to their compiled archive, Kaguya noticed that while most of the quirks listed here were typical and common (likely from ordinary citizens and the like), but some of them were problematic in nature. Some that held a bit too much concern upon all of them. For a woman like her who was not vulnerable to surprises that much, she was definitely disturbed by some of the listings they compiled.
Inko shared the same expression as she encoded every type of quirk that was known from the Aldera Tragedy, along with the various minors that didn't even have their quirks registered or manifested yet in a certain capacity. Some descriptions of those said minors remained, but speculating was a problem, as a mere child with reptile skin did not simple mean that he or she's power was based on something reptilian in nature. Some bodies like said earlier from the Tragedy were unrecognizable too, while DNA testing proved most of who they were, some were mysteriously vague in terms of their identity. Toshinori and Inko shared a theory that some quirks do exist that allowed them to change the composition of their DNA into something else.
With all of those detractors in place, Inko shared a collective sigh as she looked over the list.
The quirk type with the highest number ahead of everything were of course the aforementioned Gigantification-type quirks. It was the most common quirk after all from the frequency of these abilities going into this age of time. The rest were a variable mix of Emitters, Transformation, and Mutant quirks that came at an alarming case in some of them. She did recognize a few quirks from that night that were on this list. While it didn't prove as a problem at first for her, the combination of said abilities made her worry deeply.
Living Arsenal
Kinetic Blast
Aegis
Terra
Nitro
Adrenaline Rush
Adaptation
Specter
Hemorrhage
And the list went on… while these served as a minor nuisance individually speaking to both her and Toshinori, it still didn't bode well that all of these en masse quirks (numbering at about six thousand or more), all directly live inside her now. Should she lose control of her quirk, then…
Inko shook her head. She mustn't think of that she said to herself. She sighed and continued her current task as Kaguya watched her closely. She was called upon by Toshinori to help him on trying to contact another known official to verify some of the identified villains in the list they gathered from the deaths fourteen years ago. While he was serious in a sense with the work he was doing, his thoughts were completely adrift on Inko, whom he was watching with worry and concern for how the woman was doing at the current moment. Kaguya noticed this almost instantly as she elbowed her boss promptly.
"What?" he said with a low voice.
"Don't you think it is time sir?" Kaguya said with an implication.
"Time for what?"
"Time for you to say something about her, that is."
Toshinori quivered his brow as he looked at Inko once more.
"You care about her, don't you sir?"
"Of course I would, I mean I always care about the well-being of people that nee-" Kaguya slapped him in the head with one of the files she carried in an abrupt sense. Inko looked at their direction in reaction as she heard the slap.
"Everything alright?" the green-haired woman asked. Kaguya gave a lax smile right back at her.
"Yeah… everything's alright." Toshinori replied as Inko gave a small awkward smile at him before continuing to her own matter. He then looked at Kaguya in question to the sudden move. The woman never flinched as he finally understood what she meant.
"Alright. I do. What do you want me to do about it?" he asked.
"I don't want to step in and make the choice for you sir, but you do need to do something about those feelings of yours. You haven't been in focus as of late, and while I don't think it's a bad thing to worry about those two, you need to act upon those feelings soon before it's too late." Kaguya said as she Inko gestured her to help her with something. Toshinori acknowledged what the woman was trying to say as Kaguya left his side.
He did it admit it now that he felt something towards her. But what of it then?
With a mental sigh, he tapped his fingers lightly on the desk and looked at Inko.
At that moment he was about to say something to her until the next moment occurred in a sudden twist of fate.
The School's Perimeter Alarm turned on.
A FEW MINUTES EARLIER…
"Izumi! Get your focus together." Momo said as the now proclaimed Vice-Representative of Class 1-A and with her was Izumi who was still having a hard time wrapping the fact that most of the class (well if you can call four votes as most) voted her as the Class Representative. Now, here she was talking with Momo as they agreed to proactively make initial plans for their classroom moving forward while eating lunch together. They were at lunch sharing a table for themselves and they were a bit too detached from the rest as they were focusing primarily on the task that she suggested to Momo that they do during lunch. Their classmates were in their usual tables alongside their circle of friends and some of them were even watching the two representatives talk from where they were.
The shock was blatant on Izumi the moment the results were tallied, as she herself voted for Momo to be representative, but finding out that most of her class chose her was a surprise. Most of those who voted for themselves were happy to know that she was the representative, albeit a certain Blonde boy frowned at her in a monstrous way (typical of him she thought). She found later who voted for her but she didn't ask as to why. It seemed like most of the class trusted her anyways and now she was put into this position on which asked her on a lot in terms of responsibility.
Mina was ecstatic to know that she was the representative, happily saying that she could do it. While she was shy to admit that she didn't expect this nor that she wanted it at all, she did respect their opinions on her and instead of backing out she had to make sure the faith and trust placed on her was warranted. Much like how those who trained her to be in this school was months ago.
She yet again vowed to uphold that promise, but she damn well knew that the job was not going to be easy. Especially since she wasn't an expert at this stuff. Thankfully, Momo was the vice representative so supposedly that would mean she would have an easier time dealing with this problem than it was if she was alone.
"Where were we again?" Izumi asked.
"We were talking about how to best lead the class when the teachers assign activities to us. Mostly on group training inside simulations. Think of it like the battle trials in a broader and bigger sense. With more people involved that is. I do think it's likely for the teachers to make a situation such as that soon, since this is UA." Momo said.
"Yeah. I do think it's a possibility." Especially when All Might himself trained here. I heard a lot of stuff about him back in the day and if such things are different now then it would only mean a higher difficulty for the class.
Izumi thought about the list of names of each person in her classroom. She already placed relative info about her classmates in one of her hero journals and it proved to be of great help here as she showed it to Momo. At first, she was surprised to know that Izumi was closely snooping in towards her class, but thankfully she found it thrilling at how detailed and well-made the journal was. Both of them used her journal to heavily talk about their class for the past thirty minutes while eating and it helped immensely for how to best make of their situation.
"We can list synergies first and then talk about it to our classmates later. It'll help for everyone to know each other better, and it'll probably work as a team-building experience once we're all done at the end of the day." Izumi suggested, and Momo wrote it down as her hero journal was now turned into a planner that she and Momo shared from now on.
After writing it down, the talks mellowed as Izumi ate the last of her lunch. Momo finished her sandwich as they relaxed for a bit, seeing their classmates talk so casually with each other from where they were.
"Nervous?" Momo asked. Izumi looked at her and thought about it.
"Yeah. You can definitely say that."
Momo smiled as she placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"It'll be fine. Trust me. We got a lot of support anyways, so I think it'll work out for us at the end of the day." Izumi smiled the moment she heard this from Momo and after that they saw Tenya barking at Himiko for playing with her food. They both saw Uraraka and Kyouka along with a few others laughing as their classmate tried to stop her. Mina was tagging along the fun as well with Toru behind her.
"I hope he's not sad that he didn't win." Izumi said in regards to Tenya.
"I don't think he thinks that way at all… I saw him quite relieved that at the very least it was you."
"Sure." Izumi said as they saw Tenya shouting and was pointing at the other table where Mineta and the other boys were talking about something. It made both of them laugh seeing how the guy tried his best at correcting their classmates. Seeing it gave the redhead an idea.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Izumi asked.
"What do you mean?"
Before Momo could answer that question, the entire lunch hall was filled with the sound of an alarm. An alarm that rattled the entire population of the school. Izumi stood up as her headband glowed in faint red. Something was wrong.
"WARNING, LEVEL THREE SECURITY BREACH. PLEASE EVACUATE THE BUILDING IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!" the intercom said, and as quickly as it happened, the students within the building started to slowly panic. Momo and Izumi ran to the rest of their classmates to join them as Tenya came their attention.
"What's going on?" Izumi said.
"The third year student I talked to said that a level three breach means someone managed to break through the school's barrier." He replied and saw that most of their classmates along with the rest of the population of the lunch area was panicking. Izumi quickly organized her thoughts as Momo tried to keep everybody calm in their class. The entire floor rumbled in noise at the combination of their fellow student's wails, fear, and disorganization. It was a stressful task, and Izumi knew that as Class rep she had the responsibility to guide her class out of this.
The redhead girl looked around and quickly assessed the situation. She saw in the chaos was her friend from Class 1-B, Itsuka trying her best to reign her classmates by enlarging her hands to a sizable degree to distract them with something big to notice her.
Izumi then looked at Tenya and an idea sparked inside of her.
"Momo, Kyouka, I need you two to round up our classmates. Make sure all of them are accounted for." She commanded as the two nodded in response. Izumi then turned to Tenya as she grabbed his arm.
"Tenya, can I count on you to do something for me?"
Tenya's eyes widened as the halls were now full of students in disarray, Izumi wondered where the teachers were at this hour but if her plan managed to pull off this little panic-induced ruckus would stop. Izumi then whispered to him the plan as the way to the exit was filled to the brim of panicking people their age. Momo and the others struggled as they told their classmates to hold everyone at arm's length so they won't separate. Izumi and Tenya who were detached from them was in the middle of the crowd, the shoving and pushing intensifying by the second.
Tenya could see that Izumi's plan would work and because he was given the trust of his Class Representative to do so, he wouldn't fail at any cost. They were about to reach enough distance from the exit when someone accidentally shoved both of them, rendering his glasses to fall off from his face. Izumi's headband was nearly taken off from the ensuing chaos, and it made her worry that something bad may happen. Her eyes were already glowing in a faint red with the amount of chaos present but she steeled herself as she clicked the headband back in place. She grabbed Tenya's arm tighter as he got her attention.
"Ready?"
"Ready." He affirmed and instantly Izumi's Black Whip wrapped itself around his arm. It then moved across his torso and subsequent limbs as she gave him the signal to jump. Tenya activated the booster engines in his leg in an upwards fashion as Izumi readied herself. She then threw another line towards the direction Momo was and it snaked through the middle of the chaos inside the crowd. Luckily with a tight snag from that end, she positioned herself to make herself stable. The few students near them was whisked away a bit as Tenya flew upwards as he released the burst from his legs. Izumi's line holding him stopped him mid-flight and in a quick span of seconds, Tenya positioned himself forward towards the top of the exit door, with Izumi's Black Whip keeping him steady in the air as she let it extend. The sudden burst of speed would carry him forward to reach the end without falling down.
BWOOSH!
The redhead's headband glowed in bright red as everybody saw the spectacle unfold atop of them. Tenya was nearing the end of his journey where Izumi timed herself to yank and stop Black Whip from extending further, abruptly stopping the momentum just in time to receive a whip-lash effect from Tenya who turned his boosters off. Luckily, before he fell towards the crowd, he managed to grab hold on a metal pipe that came from the ceiling. With a heave of his breath made into a sigh, he felt relief as he made it just in time. Everybody stopped moving from where they stood and looked at Tenya who was grabbing on to dear life atop the exit. Izumi's Black Whip receded from him as her eyes and temperance returned to normal. She gave a thumbs up to Tenya to do his thing and the boy smiled as he kept his face in a firm manner to address the entire room.
This is it, be concise, clear and confident! Everybody's counting on you! She's counting on you! Tenya thought as he held on to that metal pipe and spoke with his large voice.
"LISTEN UP! EVERYTHING IS OKAY! IT'S JUST THE MEDIA OUTSIDE. THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. EVERYTHING IS FINE!" he took a breath and continued "WE'RE UA STUDENTS! WE HAVE TO REMAIN CALM AND PROVE THAT WE ARE THE BEST OF THE BEST!"
This completely rattled and silenced the entire block of students filing into the exit. It kept everyone in a sudden urgency to stay calm and focused. The chaos dissipated instantly as Tenya grabbed on to see his work in success. He smiled widely when Izumi waved at him.
Thanking the girl for giving him the chance with this act. Even the ones who were not really agreeable with his actions in class felt relief and a sense of calmness after his well-laid outburst and it made everyone to share him a quick thanks.
Although, he was still hanging on to dear life and looked like an idiot atop there…
Yet Izumi smiled at his behest.
"You did well back there. Nice job." Izumi said as the entirety of Class 1-A walked together back to their classroom. Tenya smiled back as Izumi walked by his side.
"If it wasn't of your guidance I may not have done what I needed to do there. Thank you." He replied. He then offered her his hand in a respectful handshake. "You put your trust in me Midoriya, so I would do the same. I wouldn't have thought to gather our classmates in that very moment. That quick thinking of yours managed to defuse the chaotic situation in some way." He continued.
Izumi smirked as they shook hands.
"Glad to know you're our Class Representative." He admitted.
Izumi then tapped his shoulder.
"Uh, about that. I may need to talk to Mr. Aizawa to ask a favor from him."
"A favor? Of what kind?"
"One that could give you a job other than being a representative in class. Should it work, Can I trust you to help me and Momo with our class?" Izumi offered and with a surprised expression, the boy smirked in agreement.
"I guess that's a yes then." she said as they both giggled. Momo then joined them soon after, albeit with a puzzled look. She took Izumi's attention and looked back at their classmates who were talking to each other.
"What is it?"
"We're missing a few members." Momo said. "Nobody's seen Bakugou, Sero, and Himiko after what happened back there." Izumi wasn't surprised to hear that Katsuki never came with them and she was sure that Sero would come to class soon, probably got detached from the group during the chaos. But Himiko… that was weird, the redhead knew that she clung to her friends really well even when something bad happens. Izumi wondered where her ashen-blonde friend was at this time.
And why did she suddenly disappear when they just saw her at lunchtime with the others?
Himiko opened her eyes as she stepped through the black void. The moment she did, she was greeted to a forest clearing that had UA about half a mile from where she was standing from. The blackened mist behind her that she stepped through shrunk into a humanoid form and beside him was a man twice or about her age wearing dark clothes and his face covered by his gray hair. His skin was pale and he hunched over looking at her with how tall he was compared to her
She smiled at him with that famous grin of hers, she then took something from her pocket. A small pink USB device was shown and she offered it towards the two.
It took a moment before both persons reacted to her offer.
"What? You don't like pink?" she asked.
The black mist-looking man stepped forward and took the USB from her fingers.
"This is all of it I presume? Everything regarding UA's defense system along with all its ins and outs?" he said. Himiko nodded at both of them, noticing the pale skin guy looking her over intensely.
"I also copied the main system's firewall network as a data schematic in there. Should you use that USB, you have an advantage to get into UA without their sensors detecting the presence of your quirks." She explained.
"Good. You've done well." the man replied. Himiko lost her smile seeing that both men seemed to want more from her.
"Can we end this already? My classmates may find out that I'm gone from the school, that distraction letting the media inside the campus isn't going to last long you know."
"We acknowledge that, and clever timing on your part." The pale man this time said.
"Then why aren't you two putting me back yet?"
The pale man moved beside her as Himiko stared at him.
"Can you tell us more about the mother of that Midoriya Girl?"
"What for?"
"Oh… you'll see the reason soon enough." The pale man said with a foreboding tone. He grinned as he thought about the plan his master put in place. The pieces were set for their grand entrance…
And Tomura Shigaraki couldn't wait for his turn in the spotlight.
END OF CHAPTER 14
AN: We're nearing it boys and gals... and yes, there will be large changes for the USJ arc. I can't say what they are now. But I hope you tune in to see it. I won't be posting a SideStory for this until Part 2 arrives as I think that little plot point is more relevant to both parts of this rather than in individuality.
Leave a review if possible and I do hope you liked it as there is more to come.
NEXT CHAPTER - The Foreboding Ultimatum Part 2: Izumi and her classmates are caught into a crossfire as someone makes their move against her. In danger and in peril, she and the rest of her class are left to fight for their lives as they find out what the enemy wants.
Oh, by the way. I'm also currently working on an Overlord Crossover fanfic. If you're interested in Overlord, I recommend you to try and read it. It's titled "Winter's Requiem" and I'm happy to say that the general response was favorable.
Well that's all from me! See you again in the next update. Bye! :)