Chapter 11 - Pressure in Perfection
[My Hero Academia - Perfected]
Written by Silent Slender
OP 2 - Dakara Hitori Ja Nai
After spending two days off everyone was back into the swing of school life, alongside the constant reports of what people now called the 'USJ Incident', of course, class 1-A took it all in stride, but while everyone was either commenting on All Might's fight with Nomu or about practically being small-time icons on the news, one thing had drawn Izuku's attention from the noise. "Why hasn't Yuki shown up yet?"
"Attention! Homeroom is about to begin!" Iida was already back into the swing of his role. "Everyone take your seats!" His method was really only backfiring on him, much to several of the class' amusement
After spending the night at his two days ago, he hadn't heard from her since the following morning, not even on his way past his usual route. While not particularly concerned it was strange as to her sudden absence. His answer quickly came when the doors opened, with the mystery girl slowly making her way inside with a small wave. Izuku eyed her carefully, noting what she walked a little robotically while clutching something in her hands, a note. "She looks nervous? And she's not wearing the cover for her hair," He smiled to himself. "She looks great without it."
"He's smiling at me, okay, that's comforting... okay... here we go," Yuki drew silence across the classroom while standing at the front, holding up her first note with short, bold words so that everyone could read them. 'Everyone. Thank you for trying to help me' She flipped it over carefully. 'It meant alot when I found out, so...'
Yuki slowly bowed her head graciously. She never expected the majority of them to care for her wellbeing after only a week of knowing them, but they did and after hearing it from Jiro she knew she had to thank them accordingly. After a moment she lifted her head, seeing them look back at her welcomingly.
"'Course we'd help out," Jiro replied with a typical smirk that said, 'duh'
"Hey, if you ever need help just ask!" Kirishima held his thumb-up
All of them bar Izuku, Kacchan, and Todoroki gave some form of answer, and while Yuki did feel at fault for putting them in such a position just after surviving against the villain attack, her smile wouldn't falter, again, not that they could see, but she hoped they understood she was grateful, so with a hand on her heart, she nodded once and took her seat, just as the murmurs started back up again.
"Hey, is it true you fought with that bird-villain? The one All Might fought?" Yuki bent back on her seat, nodding upside down to Sero, seeing his mouth drop. "No way!"
"I wish I could have thrown a few hits myself, you should have seen it," Kirishima grinned, throwing a few air jabs. "Yuki looked crazy fighting that thing head-on! She threw everything at it and barely got scratched herself!"
That brought a flick to his nose, seeing her eyes flatten while pointing to her still bandaged body as he scratched his cheek. "Hehe, right, but come on you totally had him!" Again, Yuki shook her head, sitting back with a sigh
'I pushed my body near the point my bones nearly fractured and my muscles almost tore, even with all of my power I couldn't beat Nomu, his strength... he was strong, plain and simple'
On the other side of the class, Izuku paled, looking down at his hands dejectedly. "Yuki was stronger than me, she threw everything at him and still couldn't win, my attack was useless too, what other chance did we have without All Might?"
Of course, Yuki flicked his nose, causing Izuku to nearly fly off the back of his chair at her magical appearance. While standing with her foot on both his and Sero's desks, she leaned down to look at him inquisitively, flicking out a note with her eyes curved. 'I still kicked his ass make no mistake, Zuzu' She slowly adjusted her mask to reveal her mouth, then smiled, wording 'thank you' before slipping it back down, flipping up and over Sero and back into her seat with ease, earning a few claps at the stunt.
With his spirit renewed, feeling as radiant as his friend and Yuki happily bobbing in her seat at having everything back to a state of perplexing normality, the door slid open for their substatute - "What the hell is that!?" Izuku and Yuki's thoughts echoed
"Good morning class," The mummified voice of Mr. Aizawa sounded, his arms bandaged together with his mask covered completely from the injuries to his head
"Mr. Aizawa, what are you doing here!" The class boomed
"Woah, what a Pro!" Kaminari breathed while Iida stuck his hand high
"Mr. Aizawa I am glad you are okay!" Iida's comment drew a look from Yuki and Ochaco, both blinking warily at the limping hero who shambled up to the podium
"You call that okay?" 'He's fucking mummified! How are you even standing!?' Ochaco murmured and Yuki held up her note madly
"My well being is irrelevant, what's more important, is that your fight isn't over yet." His comment brought a wave of tension across the class, the fear of villains again rising while he locked his hidden gaze with Yuki who shared a concerned look with Izuku. "She's still banged up, had it not been for All Might... she even lightened my injuries a bit." "The UA Sports Festival is about to start."
Yuki slowly melted in her seat, hearing Kirishima jump with joy. "Yep, Mummy Head is fine." Deciding best to cross her arms and lay her head down she pondered on his words. "The Sports Festival... I never actually watched as often but I know its invaluable for us to get noticed by agencies and Pro Heroes all the time, making an impact is paramount, so is the glory of winning too."
Mr. Aizawa assured them all that the security had been beefed up over past years and that it is a show of spirit against the recent attack. Something Yuki knew was that any villain dumb enough to attack during the Festival must have a death wish given how many heroes would be there anyway. This festival from how her mom described it was what replaced the Olympics ever since Quirks popped up, now any sports fan tuned in to the Festival.
"Whatever the events are I'm sure we can handle them, right?"
Always | You | Me
Yuki smirked. "We need to broaden your vocabulary, its been seven years, my guy."
"You're so lucky, Shoji," Kaminari sighed while Yuki sat on her desk, legs crossed while chatting with Jiro, Shoji, Kaminari, and Yaoyorozu. "People are bound to notice your unique Quirk," Then he tapped his fist to Yuki's arm. "Yours too, I mean, you just 'explode' with energy."
Yuki's gaze flattened again. 'Yeah? Because I love having my body nearly torn apart on an atomic level just for flair' Her remark brought their heads around, she flicked the page. 'That energy I produce is produced through my skin, while I don't feel any pain those lights are leaking through my body'
"Damn, that's hardcore..." Jiro blinked
"Anyway, while mine is great what matters is that I can show them how useful I can be," Shoji added with Yuki's nod of understanding. "While our Quirks make us stand out, having utility over flair is far more important as a hero."
Jiro then stifled a laugh. "No doubt you'll make a scene too," She was referring to his overuse of electricity, earning a growl from the spiky blonde, while Yuki realized something
'You know-' Her pocket buzzed, making her crumple the note. Sighing she pulled it out
Toshinori: Hey, can we talk for a moment? Just us two?
Yuki: Sure, I'll be there in a second
Without a word Yuki waved goodbye and took her bag with her, noting Izuku's curious gaze so she winked and left the room and him in confusion.
Not long after she would be sitting in the Teacher's Lounge with a cup of tea in her hands, the mask pulled up slightly. She faced Skeleton Might as he did the same, both sighing at the warm sensation of the beverage. A small silence filled the air between them, with Yuki setting her cup down with a frown. Why was she here? What did All Might want to talk about?
With his own solemn look, he spoke. "Yuki, I heard what you did before I arrived at the USJ," She winced, giving him the answer he needed and she cursed herself for being dramatic. "...You and Midoriya turn out more like me by the day..."
'What was I supposed to do? Let Mr. Aizawa, Tsu, Izuku, my best friend, die?' Her note sat on the desk with a jab, but All Might remained stoic. 'I was beaten and broken too, but I... wasn't strong enough, I still can't protect him or anyone' Her hands shivered. 'I couldn't control it... I... I'm sorry...'
"I'm not scolding you, actually, your little trick with SIVA may have done more good to me when I fought that Nomu character, so thank you," His thanks made her blink, then with a breath she pried her mask off, looking back at her mentor and friend with wary eyes, she was uncertain of her choice, she could deny it, but the thoughts still remained. "You've learned to trust yourself and others with your power, that's a good start, and you've learned to control SIVA at thirty-five percent, even if it did cost you injuries."
Her eyes flattened with a cute pout that was difficult not to laugh at while she pointed to All Might's stomach or lack of one, and his chest, knowing full well he hadn't recovered completely either. He sat rigid at her leer, then sighed. "Yeah, you're right, but you're my student, my injuries are irrelevant when it involves anyone in my class."
Yuki shook her head, but smiled a little, sitting with her back on the sofa, staring up at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts. 'All Might... can I become a hero?'
While not facing him, Yuki played with the mask in her hands, tracing her fingers over the edge while wondering about her power, of SIVA. The more she increased her output of power, the less human she looked, and when Kovik attacked her, she felt so powerless. It honestly scared her that she could become just as she was back then.
All Might watched her, she never took her mask off often, it was a strange sort of comfort to the girl he knew, without it, she might not have been able to do much of anything. But without it, all that uncertainty, her fears, and doubts came bubbling across her face, and he understood, probably more than she realized.
"I have seen heroes be given backlash for their pasts, some failed to save people, others were small-time crooks or horrible children, some even have gone through a similar experience as yours," All Might expressed lament. "But those pasts, the failures of their upbringings is what made them into heroes. They didn't fall so easily into the role of villainy because people told them to, they defied expectation and strived, each painful step brought them closer to their dreams, just like you."
He got up, buffing out while lifting Yuki to sit upright, he knelt down, grabbing her mask with his signature grin facing her. "Young Azuru, you too can become a hero," He slipped the mask over her wide-eyed expression, seeing her smile disappear under the metal as the eyes blinked. Ruffling her hair he stood tall with a laugh. "Now! Wait here and I shall return!"
Without another word he fled the room, leaving Yuki to rub the spot his hand once rested again, her fingers looped through her hair. Her uncertainty had been robbed of her, and she felt better. She had a power that made her path between good and evil vague, some if they knew, would say she had to be locked away, but not the symbol of Peace, and if he believed in her, then that was already enough. Izuku believed in her, and she prayed she'd hear him say those words one day to her too.
Not long after All Might left he brought with him Izuku, both seeing Yuki jugging a number of dormant clusters in her hands while balancing on one leg, that had resulted in a number of sharp projectiles tossed across the room out of sheer embarrassment and anger, but they finally coaxed her into not killing them by offering her a bag of gummies that she happily snacked on while sitting right up against Izuku, but she thought it be a good punishment.
"So, what are your plans for the Festival?" All Might inquired, resulting in Yuki clicking her fingers with a note attached
'Hit everyone really hard' That only received a bloody laugh from the hero as Yuki and Izuku held onto each other of the fright
"Hahaha, that's it!?" He coughed, rubbing his mouth again while eyeing the two with an interested smile. "Well, you two certainly look to be close?" They turned to one another and quickly separated with blushes of their own, though Yuki threw a gummy at All Might's head. "That seems waste-" Another struck his forehead, seeing her glare back at him
While Izuku enjoyed the rather cute show between the two he gasped, interrupting their stare-off. "Wait, I remember fighting Nomu I actually controlled One For All!"
All Might blinked, tapping his chin. "Oh right, you did mention something about that. What was different about this smash?"
"When I threw a smash at Nomu my arm was completely fine!" Izuku detailed, but then furrowed his brow, gazing at his hand. "It was the first time I ever used my Quirk on someone... and, well, seeing what they did to Mr. Aizawa and Yuki, and what they were about to do to Tsu I felt... frustrated that I just sat and did nothing, I didn't think at all about the consequences and attacked."
Izuku closed his eyes, trying to clear the image of Yuki's motionless body caked in blood from his head. Gently, something rubbed the back of his hand. Yuki's thumb copied a motion he once did for her, rubbing in slow circles over his palm.
"You unconsciously controlled it because it wasn't training, someone's life was on the line and you were fighting a real-life person," All Might explained, a note held before them
'You made the mindset of saving someone not killing them. That must have metaphorically turned on the brakes' She suggested as All Might nodded
"Well hey, it's some progress atleast." With that, All Might stood up, looking out the window and at his own reflection. "I don't know how much time I have left as the Symbol of Peace, others are feeling it, a tension in the air," Both Izuku and Yuki absentmindedly held onto each other's hand, in the glass All Might couldn't help but smile at the sight. "In time, someone... no, others will have to take my place, to show the world that They Are Here."
He turned to them, smiling proudly at the two. "The UA Sports Festival is the highlight for Heroes and Students alike, there, you must show the world who you are, and what you stand for!" He held his hand out to them. "Give them the dream of a new Symbol of Peace and Hope."
His encouraging words struck them both, as they glanced to one another. The weight of this event had sunk in clearly, to others it was a time to enjoy themselves, others for their future careers, but they knew it meant more for the two of them, Izuku as the world's next Symbol of Peace, and Yuki as the one to stand by him as a hero who'd offer her hand to the world. Stifling the pressure the two of them smiled and held their joint hand up high for All Might.
"We Will!" "I will grow stronger, I have to otherwise I won't ever be able to live up to All Might's expectations... to Yuki's..."
'Together!' "I will master SIVA, in order to stand beside my friends... by Izuku, I need to harness all of SIVA's power."
"Then go beyond, both of you, Plus Ultra." "You kids don't deserve to shoulder such burdens, but it pleases me that you aren't going into the unknown alone."
To Be Continued...
I'm baaaaack~! More slice of life but next time we get some action and some startling developments! I really enjoy writing these three together too. I hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter, Plus Ultra!
Next Chapter: Perfect Your Style, Deku!
There were only two weeks until the Sports Festival, and so Yuki wasn't going to pull her punches, both with herself and Izuku. It was time she passed on her own knowledge of how she learned to control SIVA in the hopes he can control One For All.