Chapter 29
Shinso
Disclaimer: I do NOT own My Hero Academia, or its characters. I DO however, own my OCs and my story.
.:+:.
... He... Said...
.:+:.
"She did what...?!" Midnight stammered, rounding on Cementoss as he said the words and eyes wide- her glasses falling halfway down her nose as the large man smiled, nodding a little.
They were both wrapping up what little of Class B's Training Session was left for the day, Class A, All Might, Izaru, and Aizawa having left several hours prior- and the latter two probably off talking to Tsukauchi at the moment. And it was Izaru now that was the topic of conversation, Cementoss recanting Izaru's prompting of Midoriya to step in and save All Might- and the resulting smile that graced the lips of the woman who had been so quiet and distant since arriving at the school.
"It was quite the surprise... Pleasant surprise, actually." Cementoss hummed, his hands falling on the tower of cement beside him. "... I will admit I've been doubting how well she'll be able to settle in here, even with so many familiar faces and assurances... She's been so uneasy, and I don't blame her for being... What little we were told about what they found out at the Police Station, and about the Pit... none of it paints a good a picture." He sighed a little as Midnight's eyes glittered at the words, her arms crossing about her torso a bit. "... It was good to see my doubts laid to rest a little." Cementoss hummed, "Even if things go slow, if she found a reason to smile, even for just a few moments, it's a good sign."
"And I missed it!" Midnight sighed in exasperation, her hands hooking behind her head. "Damn... I've been waiting to see something like that from her... I hope the next time doesn't take too long to come." Midnight leaned her cheek in her hand, before she smirked slightly, "...Mmmm... I suppose I can't complain too much, I already got some see something a bit more thrilling than that last night anyway~!" Midnight chirped, earning a blink of surprise and question from Cementoss, who paused in his work and tilted his head at her.
"... Dare I even ask...?" He mumbled, Midnight smiled wryly.
"Oh just a small show of affection from someone you'd least expect it from~!" Midnight chuckled, licking her lips slightly as a sort of sultry glint appeared in her eye. Cementoss wilted slightly, seeing the more lewd side of Midnight flaring to the surface as her thoughts fell back on whatever 'thrilling' spectacle she had witnessed last night.
He wouldn't ask
.:+:.
"... Well, I think that was all we had to discuss for today..." Tsukauchi smiled slightly, letting out a small breath as he caught Izaru's eyes. The Detective stood up from his seat with a small stretch, his hands falling in his coat pockets.
They were settled in the Teacher's Lounge- Aizawa, Nezu, Izaru, All Might and Kesu in attendance for the last hour and a half or so. They'd been busy discussing the move forward in the Simon Investigation, and the implementation of that Program to look for Kesu through security feeds for all the time Izaru and the cat had been together. Aizawa and All Might had said little to nothing at all while Nezu and Tsukauchi made up the bulk of the discussion- with Izaru joining in where she was asked to and needed.
Tsukauchi had gone over a few of the possible leads he'd managed to scrounge up, which more or less was just a list of missing person's he thought might be connected to Simon, though more digging was needed to confirm that. He'd asked if Izaru remembered anything else, which was a no- and he wasn't all that surprised by it to be honest, so he let it be and just settled on touching base with everyone on where he was and what he was doing about investigating at the moment... Which was little so far, but all great things start somewhere right? He'd earn some real traction somewhere along the way, he was sure.
He also mentioned sending the data Izaru had scrounged up, sending it off to the companies and whatnot she had previously hacked into- letting them be aware of what issues were in their security system and letting them handle it (to which most of them hadn't had a clue of the leaks, and were by now scrambling to close them... Mostly via Izaru's advice on the subject she had left amidst said data too).
And also mentioned- the results back from the hospital regarding Simon's Quirk and how it worked... Which unfortunately, was rather inconclusive, with the details still fairly up in the air. The separate strand of DNA that had been found intermingled and settled in her lungs had been degraded to start with, and hadn't lasted long after being sent off to the lab. Police Records hadn't found a match with it, which was unfortunate, as the running theory at the moment was it likely belonged to Simon himself, and that his Quirk manifested in giving off some sort of biological pathogen or virus that entered people's bodies via inhalation, and traveled up to the brain from there... Inhibiting thoughts and free action in some manner or other.
A theory still, since what they'd found and looked over wasn't enough to be definite proof of that story- but it seemed as likely as anything right now... And was backed up a little, given where the bulk of that DNA had been found (in Izaru's Lung Tissue...), and why it seemed Simon's Quirk had worn off so quickly following the 'Attack' she had at the station, and the following surgery. Both were events that could, and probably had expelled a great deal of that virus from her body and rendered the Quirk's Effects much weaker... Which correlated a bit with Izaru's mention of Simon's Quirk wearing off whenever she did suffer through one of those Attacks. Theory still, but it got them a bit closer to understanding Simon and how his Quirk might actually work- and knowing anything about what mystery he really was, was a bonus.
So for the most part, their time was spent discussing what little they had pieced together- and then setting up and going through the access the Police were granting Izaru to general video surveillance systems (to which she would be using in her program). It was near 4 in the afternoon by the time they got through everything, and Tsukauchi didn't ask Izaru how she was settling in (because he had already talked about that topic with Nezu and Recovery Girl before said woman showed up).
"Thank you for starting to work on that program so quickly, Izaru. But you can take your time, there is no rush." Tsukauchi murmured lightly, she nodded a little in understanding- though inwardly he just figured she would continue on at breakneck pace regardless of what he said. "We went through everything, so unless you have any questions...?" He murmured slowly,
"No, there's nothing I want to ask." She replied, he nodded a little.
"Alright. I'll be heading back to the station then." He murmured,
"Thank you for stopping by to discuss things, Tsukauchi." Principal Nezu said kindly, climbing to his feet as All Might, Izaru and Aizawa slowly did the same. "Your continued help is most certainly appreciated!"
"You're welcome, I'm glad I can lend a hand." Tsukauchi smiled back, "Ah, I'll be sure to give you a call right away if anything turns up. In the meantime, if you remember anything that you think will help- don't hesitate to call me, alright?" He added, glancing toward Izaru again, who nodded just once.
"I'll see you out, Tsukauchi." All Might murmured, and earned a small nod of acknowledgement from the man. All Might diverted his attention toward Izaru for a small second as he offered her up a small smile, "I'll catch up with you later, alright?" The (former) No. 1 hummed. Izaru blinked, looking a little confused for a moment, before nodding slowly.
"... Alright." She mumbled, waving a little uncertainly after him as he and Tsukauchi moved away and toward the door. Principle Nezu trailed after them right away, the trio leaving Izaru and Aizawa behind with Kesu on the Erasure Hero's shoulder. Izaru glanced sideways toward Aizawa, who had pulled his phone from his pocket and was tapping his thumb across the screen in silence- completely uncaring of her or everyone else as they left the Teacher's Lounge behind. He kept typing for a few seconds, before he locked the screen and stuffed his phone back in his pocket, letting out a small sigh, and Izaru just watched him quietly.
He'd said absolutely nothing through the whole meeting, which didn't surprise her so much. But now they were left alone again, and for some reason she found herself waiting for him to move... She didn't really have anything to do with herself besides going back to coding, as it was, and because of that she just... Didn't really know if she should go, or stay... Or...
"You waiting on me?" Shota asked dryly, his eyes never moving toward her even a moment as he asked the question, though he was still very aware she had yet to move a muscle.
"... You are in charge of supervising me." Izaru replied lowly, and he let out a small breath.
"You don't have to be stapled to my side." Was the easy reply, and Izaru bit the inside of her cheek, quickly looking away.
"... Sorry..." she mumbled softly, and he paused slightly at it, his eyes opening up again and grimacing faintly when he saw the way she stiffened there... And he realized almost immediately he probably shouldn't have said that.
He hadn't thought much about it beforehand and it had mostly been sheer reaction- he hadn't meant anything harsh by it, but it sounded harsh, and much more than he meant for it to. He hadn't intended to be harsh at all, but the way in which she hunched her shoulders against it near instantly made him grimace a little further, his eyes flashing.
"... I didn't mean it that way." He murmured quickly, his voice quiet and Izaru glanced up toward him in surprise. "I meant you shouldn't feel obligated to stay close to me because I'm technically your supervisor, you can go wherever you want to Izaru, you don't need permission." He explained quietly, his hand coming up to rest on the back of his neck as he let out a quiet breath. "I don't mind if you prefer to stay with me rather than go somewhere else, you being around isn't a bother. I just meant... You don't need to worry that you shouldn't go where you want without checking with someone first." He murmured quietly, rubbing the back of his neck with the faintest glimpses of unease and Izaru blinked slowly at it, her grey eyes gleaming.
She nodded slowly after a moment, her neutral expression softening almost imperceptibly as she looked away from him.
"... Thank you..." Izaru murmured softly, nodding one more time as she seemed to let out a small breath. "...Though... I didn't take what you said that way, Shota." She admitted quietly and he stiffened slightly at the words, his eyes narrowing a bit in confusion and surprise, but she just shook her head one last time, and he never earned her eyes again. "... I didn't think you were telling me I bothered you... But thank you, for saying it plainly... And everything else... I appreciate it." She murmured softly, Aizawa staring for a few seconds and unsure of her train of thought... Before he nodded slowly.
"... Of course." He mumbled, his hand slowly leaving the back of his neck as he glanced off to the side for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek at the fact that he just didn't know what she was thinking or what she really thought... Again.
... I never get her... Not all the way.
"...You're planning to stay up all night coding, aren't you?" He asked after a moment, deciding to change the subject for now, and she nodded slightly.
"... Probably." Izaru mumbled, and he glanced back her way at last.
"You should really sleep." He told her evenly, and she seemed to huff just slightly.
"I slept for over 36 hours. I am not at all tired." She grumbled, and he let out a breath at the answer.
And you've already been awake for over 24 since then...
"... Fine." He relented, almost all too easily- again, deciding a change of subject was probably better than trying to argue... Arguing with her had always ended up being rather useless before now, and he doubted time had changed that at all. So he let it be, though he did grumble, "... Hmph, if you're going to be so stubborn about it, I won't push the issue right now... But there is something else we need to discuss." He grumbled and her eyes flashed at the words, her expression immediately taking on faint hints of tenseness.
Discuss?
They'd talked a lot last night, and discussed things- though she supposed there were several questions he had, and hadn't asked the night prior... Is that what he meant?
Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she chewed on the inside of her cheek a few times because... Somehow that didn't feel like the right answer.
"... About...?" Izaru mumbled slowly, and he settled his hands in his pants pockets, his expression steady and calm though instantly she saw something else in his eyes... Something uneasy, and that wasn't at all like him- which made a small knot begin to form in her stomach in sheer reaction, though she didn't know quite why it did that so quickly.
"Kaminari." Aizawa murmured lowly, and she stiffened a little. "I understand why his Quirk makes you nervous, and I don't blame you... but I can't keep him from using it in class. He's here to learn how to use his Quirk to help people, and he's going to keep using it as long as he's still a student here. Since you're meant to stay close to Midoriya and I, that means he'll use it around you- there's little way to avoid it, and even if you can keep yourself in check, he or some of the other students are going to notice your reaction eventually. Especially so if you try and avoid him." Aizawa murmured quietly and she blinked once.
"... Why would I avoid him?" Izaru asked quietly, and near immediately, and Aizawa stiffened in surprise at it. "... The issue isn't with him as a person, just his Quirk... and even then it's not his Quirk, it's just the similarities that seem to... Freak me out..." She grimaced a bit, her hands hooking behind her neck as she let out a low sigh and looked away from him. "... I never expected his Quirk to...I just... I've never reacted like that before, and I didn't expect to start now... But... I don't even really understand why it does that to me either..." She mumbled lowly, "... I don't know what to do about it, Shota... I wouldn't know where to start with trying to not react to it, if there even is a way... If you have a suggestion, I am all ears... but for now I'm just going to have to deal with it... and get over it." Izaru mumbled lowly and he frowned ever so slightly at the last bit, and how almost carelessly she said it.
'Get over it', as if it was just some minor inconvenience- and not the deeply rooted, terrible horror that is was for her.
"... Rationally I know that Kaminari isn't going to try and hurt me, so knowing that might help... But I honestly don't know what to do about it. Sorry..." Izaru went on, oblivious to his own thoughts there for a moment. Aizawa let out a low breath, his eyes flashing slightly as her voice dropped away and he saw the way her hands curled into fists at her sides, and the suddenly distant look that appeared on her face as she fell into her own head... He saw the tenseness work its way into her expression so faintly, and he knew her thoughts must have either fallen in her own uncertainty, or maybe even on memories (of the ones she could recall...) she would have better left untouched.
Her reactions to Kaminari's Quirk had come only twice, and both times she had managed a way to keep herself... Well, for lack of a better word- controlled. She didn't react too violently, she was quiet about it, and outside of the terror that dawned in her, the only other thing she had done was grab on to him and All Might. Both instances and actions were unlike her, and clearly told to just how traumatized she was from what 'Surge' had done to her with his Quirk, and what absolute horror she'd suffered through being jolted back again and again from death to life to death again.
Knowing how awful that really had to be, without really knowing- no, he didn't blame her. And if he could, he would have kept her from being reminded of it in the first place, and would do what he could to keep from being reminded again... But he knew there was no way of avoiding it. He couldn't keep Kaminari away from her, nor bar him from using his Quirk. That wasn't an option, and keeping Izaru away from the young boy entirely wasn't an option either... And apparently (surprisingly), that wasn't something she had even considered doing, and she likely wouldn't go along with that plan even if he did try it. But simply ignoring the issue and letting it be didn't strike him as the best plan. Just letting her 'deal with it' on her own wasn't a great idea, because he wasn't sure how well she could work herself around to not reacting badly to it- or if getting over that fear was even a possibility at all... But then again, she was continually doing things he hadn't been sure were possible... So maybe she could.
And as it was, he wasn't sure he had a better idea on how to handle it either... Not that he liked his own not knowing, mind you.
"... You don't have to force yourself into situations that make you uneasy." Aizawa reminded her softly, and she blinked, glancing his way again slowly. "I already told you, do what you think is better for you, even if it may not be the 'rational' response." He murmured, his eyes flashing as he settled her with a steady gaze. "I'll help you, if I can, and if you need it. And I won't say I have a better plan on how to handle it than you do, because I don't." Aizawa said softly, "I know it might be hard to come up with an answer at the moment, but you're the only one who can really know what will help you and what won't, and what you can handle right now."
Izaru nodded slightly to the words, her grey eyes flashing a bit as her hands fell in her coat pockets and she seemed to sigh. "... I think I'm just... Gonna try and take it in stride... and get used to it." She murmured softly, "... I do think... I'll be okay with it... Eventually... And it might help just to get used to being around the students first... If I find a way to be comfortable around them and Kaminari just as a person... His Quirk might... Freak me out less..." She mumbled and Aizawa nodded a little, though he wasn't all that assured by the words, and her plan. But he wasn't going to argue it... Like he said, he hadn't much of a clue what would really help her with this, though internally he hated that.
Kesu's tail flicked lightly across Aizawa's neck, the cat still sitting (quite contently) on his shoulder and hardly having budged for a long while now. He didn't mind having that cat there, Kesu didn't bother him in all honesty... But the sudden tap earned Aizawa's eyes, their gazes matching for a few seconds. Aizawa paused, his attention breaking away from Kesu and toward the window for a few seconds, before he glanced over toward Izaru... And to the scar stretching along the front of her throat.
"... Izaru."
Izaru blinked, her attention shifting toward him again and head tilting a bit in question. "Hmm?"
Aizawa's hand lift from his pants pocket, his fingers tapping lightly against the skin of his throat just once- mimicking the area on hers where the scar was, and his eyes flashing a bit as he grimaced just faintly. "... I was planning to ask last night, but I never got around to it." He explained softly, and she seemed to bite the inside of her cheek at the gesture. "I don't remember you having that one back at the Pit." He pointed out softly, and Izaru's eyes flashed a bit, and she glanced away from him quickly. Her own hand reached up tentatively, brushing along the scar as her eyes narrowed at the floor, and Aizawa's voice dropped to something a bit softer in tone. "What happened?"
Izaru grimaced, saying absolutely nothing for a very, very long time as he watched her seem to fade away into her own head and her own thoughts. He saw the tenseness work it's way into her features, her hand still hovering over her neck and eyes glittering as she let herself just... Think. For a few seconds he wasn't sure why she hesitated in answering, and then he realized from the way she was so quiet and pensive that she probably didn't have any answer for him.
Her thoughts and memories were still pretty degraded, right? He had already assumed that the scar had came about from something that happened in that ten year time gap. And with what uncertainty passed over her features now, he instantly figured that she-
"... I... I don't know..." She mumbled softly, swallowing a bit as his shoulders sagged slightly. "... I'm sorry... But... I don't remember... Shota..." She told him quietly, and he nodded just once.
"That's fine." He told her softly, she was biting the inside of both cheeks now, her entire countenance nervous, uncertain, tense... He regretted asking, because knowing her she was going to brood about it.
... Damn it... I shouldn't have asked.
"... Would you like to come with me for a few hours, before you start working on that program again?" He asked next, changing the subject one more time and his expression nothing but his usual tired neutrality. Izaru blinked, her hand falling from her neck at last and glancing over toward him in slight intrigue.
"... To do what?"
"I've been neglecting training one of the students for the past week, with everything that's been going on." Aizawa explained easily, and her eyes narrowed. "I told him to meet me in a bit to get some work in before the sun sets. You can tag along and give yourself a little while longer before you dive in too deep with your coding, if you want to." He explained, before he paused, his hand rubbing the back of his neck a bit. "... You will have to meet with the rest of the other Department Students at some point or another, so it might be worth it to make your introduction now, since I'm already headed that way." He added, and Izaru's head tilted a tad.
"... You're training a student from a different Department?" Was the first question that came, and he nodded. "... Why?" She asked next, and Aizawa sighed slightly,
"He was placed in General Studies because he did poorly in the Physical Portion of the Entrance Exam, the nature of his Quirk wasn't suited to contending with the robotic enemies." He grumbled, "But in reality his Quirk is useful, and one that can easily be used to deal with Villains in real-world situations. He has a chance at being a good Pro, but not much in the way of opportunity being stuck in Gen. Ed. So I started to shape him up and train him outside of class."
"... With the intent he'll be transferred into the Hero Course eventually." Izaru murmured, her eyes flashing. "... You're still a bit prickly about the whole Entrance Exam setup, huh?" She asked, and Aizawa stiffened, frowning slightly at the comment and for a moment not sure what she meant-?
"You were prickly and passive-aggressive those first few weeks in our first year- right up until you got transferred over, Shota." She commented, and he frowned a little more at the words, stubbornness maybe- because maybe it was true, but he didn't like having it pointed out.
"The Entrance Exam isn't logical-" he started gruffly,
"I'm not arguing with you." She cut him off easily, and he let out a low breath. "... After all, if I'd actually gone that route and taken the Exam my Quirk wouldn't really do me much good either... and as it is, I never really agreed with the method in the first place. Because you're right, the whole 'pitting kids against giant robots' is not the best way to test their ability, there's a lot more that goes into being a Pro than just physical strength and being able to destroy things... or even just immobilize targets." She shook her head a bit and let out a soft sigh. "... It doesn't surprise me you still disagree with it... It is surprising that they haven't changed it up since we were in school... you'd think after a few years they'd alter something at least." She mused, letting out a small breath as she shook her head a bit. "... hmm... well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything to tag along... I am a little curious to see the student you're spending time training, even when he's not technically one of yours." She murmured, rounding back to the beginning of the conversation and her grey eyes glinting as she looked his way. She tilted her head at him in question, "... What sort of Quirk does he have?"
This time it was his turn to hesitate, just for a quick few seconds, as his eyes flicked away from her and Izaru blinked, noticing the reaction immediately and tilting her head just a little more. Aizawa's eyes dropped closed as his shoulders seemed to sag slightly, Kesu on his shoulder tilting his head just as Izaru did.
Maybe he shouldn't have brought this subject up either... He might have been too quick to try and steer away from the question about the scar- shit.
... No going back now...
"... Brainwash." Aizawa murmured slowly, opening his eyes to look at her as he said it, and she just looked right back. Neutral faced, and not even blinking at the answer, completely unfazed.
"Brainwash?" She murmured lightly, he nodded a bit, though slowly still.
"... It's voice activated, you have to respond to him verbally in order for his Quirk to have an effect." He elaborated. She blinked this time, her head nodding a bit and... musing in way.
"Hmm... interesting... though I guess it's not much of a surprise the Entrance Exam didn't go over well..." Izaru mumbled, her arms crossing over her chest and eyes falling closed as she seemed to think it over. "... If you have to physically talk to him for it to work... I suppose he has a knack for people to talk to him...? Irk them even, rub them the wrong way... Make it so you want to answer, whether it's through anger or just instinct...?" She hummed aloud and mostly rhetorically, before she paused. "... I assume his Quirk doesn't work all the time right? He has to choose to use it on someone?" She asked him directly this time, and Aizawa stood there, his expression unreadable and holding her steady in a flat stare for a few seconds, quiet.
She didn't even pause, not even for a single second. She didn't even react in any way when he told her what sort of Quirk it was, and he honestly expected something, at least something small... But she was entirely non-bothered by the fact, unfazed, and even genuinely interested in knowing more- it was an intrigue for her.
He expected some tenseness, some hint of nervousness at the prospect of meeting someone with the near same Quirk as Simon... but no, there was nothing. Not even a single shred of anything at all, and he couldn't help but pause, his eyes narrowing.
"... The issue isn't with him as a person, just his Quirk... and even then it's not his Quirk..."
... He supposed maybe her reaction didn't surprise him so much, if he thought about it in that way- the way she'd rationalized it. But even assuming that... He still didn't understand her, not enough.
Never enough
"... Yes, to both questions." He answered quietly, and she nodded a bit.
"... Alright." she murmured, her head tilting toward the door. "... You said you were supposed to meet him pretty soon?"
.:+:.
"So what's it gonna be today? More laps or...?" The younger boy started, his hands in his pants pockets and looking tired and worn, dark lines running under his eyes and purple hair sticking on end as he turned at the sound of feet getting closer. His tone was low and bored almost, but his words trailed away as surprise and question appeared on his face when he found the familiar figure of Eraserhead... and the Pro wasn't alone.
Shinso blinked, his attention falling on the woman that followed along beside his 'Mentor'. Her silvery, lavender-hued hair was washed out in the harsh light of the waning day, and her grey eyes fell on him with an expression just as neutral as Eraserhead beside her. Shinso stared, blinking a few more times at the unexpected newcomer and stiff in his spot as both adults made their way up to him.
There had been a text message that Mr. Aizawa sent him earlier, about meeting up for training- which was pretty normal (and long awaited actually, it had been a while since Mr. Aizawa had talked to him, what with everything that had been going on...), but there had also been one other one.
Mr. Aizawa
Meet me in ten minutes at the training field
...
Alright
...
I'm bringing someone to meet you.
...
...
...
Okay
So he had been aware that his teacher would be bringing someone, but the Erasure Hero had been quite vague with the oneliner. He'd been tempted to reply back in question, but knowing Eraserhead (and the already vague statement) he wasn't likely to get much of an answer over the phone.
But even still it was intriguing- Eraserhead wasn't much of a people person, so for him to bring anyone to the training session was a bit out of character... And more so, he brought someone Shinso had never seen before. And a woman at that.
So, who was she? And why was she tagging along with Eraserhead for something like this?
Shinso turned himself all the way to face the pair of adults as they drew up in front of him, his head tilting a bit. "... Hey." Shinso murmured, lifting a hand in a small wave and addressing both Mr. Aizawa and his companion. The woman blinked at it, nodding a little in reply, and Mr. Aizawa gestured toward her.
"This is Aneko Izaru, she's a recent addition to the UA Staff." Mr. Aizawa explained, and Shinso blinked in surprise. "She's here to help increase security around the school, and help out. We're slowly getting around to introducing her to the rest of the students and other departments, so I brought her along today."
Ms. Izaru nodded a bit as Aizawa said his piece, her grey eyes flashing, and Shinso let out a breath as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright, that makes sense... Then I guess it's good to meet you, Ms. Izaru. I'm Hitoshi Shinso." Shinso murmured politely,
"... Nice to meet you." Ms. Izaru replied lightly, but her expression was still so flat... Weirdly enough that kind of reminded him of Mr. Aizawa in a way. Shinso cast the Pro Hero a quick glance, before glancing back to Ms. Izaru.
Huh
"So are you helping out with teaching a specific class, or are you just lending a hand wherever?" Shinso asked easily, and she paused half a second.
"... Ah... Wherever I suppose." She replied slowly, "... Mostly I am here to just... Generally keep an eye out... And help with whatever everyone might need a hand with." She murmured, "... I'm still pretty new, and we haven't really set a specific job... but I'm do my best to help wherever or whoever needs it." She explained softly, and Shinso smiled just slightly, nodding once.
"Cool." He murmured lightly, "So you tagging along with Mr. Aizawa just to watch, or are you gonna work me into the ground too?" He asked easily, teasing almost as he saw Mr. Aizawa grimace at the comment of 'working into the ground'.
"Keep talking like that and I'm going to work you harder." Mr. Aizawa muttered sharply, but Shinso smiled coolly at the words, his attention less on the Pro and more on the slightly surprised look from Ms. Izaru- and the way her eyes seemed to glint at his little joke. It wasn't all that often anyone dared tease the Erasure Hero about anything, or even attempted it after all- so the little tease was surprising, and Izaru was quite taken back by it for half a second... And how quickly Aizawa was to react to it, but not in true anger. In fact he didn't seem to mind it much at all, and only reacted gruffly out of instinct.
A lot like Aizawa maybe, but Shinso wasn't the most social of people, nor the easiest to get along with- he could be rather crass and even a bit hard to swallow, and he was rather reserved, and quiet. Regardless of this though, Shinso did have something of a... Easy-going relationship with the Eraserhead. Content even.
Sure, Mr. Aizawa worked him hard as hell, and he'd been given no small number of bruises and scrapes through all the training- Eraser was strict, and in a way ruthless- but even then Shinso didn't mind. The harder he worked the better he got, and he knew that was why Mr. Aizawa pushed him so far... but through a few months now of training with him, they'd managed some semblance of a symbiotic, comfortable relationship. Enough so he wasn't wary of dropping a tease or a crass comment here and there... And don't mistake it, Shinso respected the Eraser quite a lot, and even looked up to him- he appreciated the guidance (even if he wouldn't say so lightly out loud), and he honestly did enjoy the training, even if it was hard as hell... And he was pretty sure Mr. Aizawa liked him, at least a little.
Mr. Aizawa was a quiet, distant personality and a bit gruff himself... But Shinso had come to realize he did in his own, silent way, care. And Shinso figured he was somewhere on Mr. Aizawa's list of 'Things that don't bother me too much'
Shinso blinked, watching quietly at the way Ms. Izaru's eyes flashed at Mr. Aizawa's reply, her lips twitching at the corners in what was almost a smirk, but she just let out a faintly amused sigh instead.
"... Well he can be a bit of a hardass, so I'm not surprised he works you into the ground." Ms. Izaru replied lightly, and Shinso smirked at it- more so when Mr. Aizawa frowned a bit indignantly at the words. Shinso barely stopped himself from chuckling, though his smirk was no less wide as he shot the Erasure Hero an amused look, before looking at Ms. Izaru and her completely calm expression.
Wow, that was an instant burn...!
"But to redirect... I'm curious to see what Shota's taught you, so I'll just stick around and watch." Ms. Izaru told him lightly next, still so calm and nonbothered- but Shinso's eyes widened slightly, his smile never failing, though he looked slightly shocked now.
'Shota'?
"... So don't mind me, just work like you two normally would, alright?" Ms. Izaru went on, glancing from Shinso and toward Mr. Aizawa- who sighed silently, but nodded anyway.
"We're training just as hard as any other day, so don't get distracted." The Pro told Shinso lowly, and the younger blinked. Shinso met Mr. Aizawa's gaze steadily, a ghost of a smirk still on his face as the older man gave him nothing but a flat stare, clearly not going to comment on the conversation, or what Shinso was asking silently through the look.
He smiled, casting Ms. Izaru a sideways glance and breaking his gaze from the Erasure Hero for a small moment.
... She called him by his first name, and called him a hardass... and he's not doing anything about it.
He's definitely snapped at Present Mic for calling him by his first name before now... But he certainly doesn't seem too bothered that Ms. Izaru called him that, or badmouthed him... Huh
Shinso let out a small breath, smiling faintly as he nodded, and glanced back toward Eraser.
"... Yes sir."
.:+:.
"... Have you had a chance to ask her, All Might?" Tsukauchi murmured, his eyes trailing toward the (former) No. 1 as they both drew to a halt just in front of the main gate of the school. All Might stiffened slightly, looking a little confused for a small second as Tsukauchi tilted his head. "... About her Quirk, and not telling you." The detective elaborated, and All Might let out a small breath, his hand finding the back of his neck.
"Oh, yeah... We talked about it, a little bit." All Might murmured, his blue eyes flashing. "To be honest, she was actually pretty torn up about the whole thing... about keeping it a secret... I think she was probably fighting with herself a lot back then, wavering back and forth between telling anyone about her Quirk, or being DIN... But by the time she did get around to doing it, I had already left for America, so I hadn't a clue." He sighed a bit, "... To be honest... It didn't really occur to me, because she was always so calm and mature about everything... But she was probably really scared about all of it, in her own way, and that kept her from saying anything for a long while... And I don't blame her being that way, I get it... She was a kid, most adults wouldn't have known how to handle everything that was going on with her."
Tsukauchi nodded slightly, smiling softly toward the No. 1 Hero, though his heart twisted a bit at the words. "... I'm glad you two could come to an understanding about it. I know all of this has really been stressing you out." Tsukauchi mumbled quietly, and All Might grimaced.
"... You're starting to sound like Midoriya..." He sighed, and Tsukauchi chuckled.
"Did he take having Izaru as a new member of the Staff alright?" The detective asked, and All Might nodded, perking up slightly.
"Yeah, actually. From what Izaru said about it- when she and Eraser told him, the kid was more worried about the fact that he'd hit her back at the Training Camp, than he was about her being at school. And since then he's told me himself that he doesn't really distrust Izaru either, or feel nervous about her." All Might replied, "Which honestly I can't say I'm that surprised... that kid doesn't really have a hateful bone in his body. And after hearing about why she was going after him in the first place... I guess there really wasn't any way he'd hold any resentment or anything toward her about what went on."
Tsukauchi chuckled in slight amusement, "I suppose he wouldn't, huh?" He murmured, All Might smiled just faintly.
"Yeah... he even reacted to one of her warnings without a second of hesitation." All Might mused, Tsukauchi blinked at the words.
"Warning?" Tsukauchi murmured, and All Might sweatdropped, smiling a bit sheepishly.
"Ah, right... there was this slab of cement in the Training Gym that started to fall, and was gonna hit me." All Might murmured, "Izaru and Midoriya were talking right before it happened, but her Quirk kicked in and she got him moving to smash that rock to bits before it could land on me." He smiled, and Tsukauchi gave him a half nervous, half exasperated look. "That was actually the first time I saw her Quirk in action... And to be honest... I was actually impressed." All Might mused, "... She figured out what was going to go wrong, and who was the best option to contend with the danger, all in the matter of a few seconds. Her reaction time is incredible, and her accuracy is nothing to sneeze at either." He hummed, his eyes glittering at the thought. Tsukauchi nodded a bit, letting out a slightly exasperated breath, though he put on a small smile anyway... or well, tried to.
"Well I'm glad she was around then... I'd hate to have gotten a call that you got flattened by a rock, All Might." Tsukauchi mumbled, and All Might chuckled slightly.
"Right... I'll try and be a bit more... Careful..."
.:+:.
Izaru let out a small breath, her eyes following the quick and precise movements owed to Shota and Shinso as they dodged back and forth across the sandy clearing of the softball pitch, throwing punches and kicks this way and that... moving around and circling each other, and entirely invested in what they were doing, and nothing else.
As well they should be, especially in Shinso's case. One moment of distraction and he'd end up on the ground with the breath driven from him- she really doubted Shota would pull his punches too much, even on his student. And on the other end, from what she was seeing with all the brawling and the training so far the last few hours- Shinso wasn't at all bad, he was actually pretty good, and maybe even almost on par with the Hero Course kids. So if Shota got distracted for some reason, even the Pro might end up with a punch or a kick from the younger.
There had been a mix of things the two of them had been doing the last few hours, and not all of them including Shota doing something with Shinso- laps, sprints, agility courses... things like that. There had also been general instruction, tips and work on technique and the like, including hand to hand combat and time spent working out the (literal and metaphorical, in this case) kinks of Shinso using a Carbon Fiber Capturing Device that was more than ghostly similar to the same Tool that Shota himself used. All in all, it wasn't unlike the Training she had seen the Class 1-A kids doing, just perhaps a bit more varied in exercise and more in depth, and more one-on-one.
The longer she stood there and watched, there came to be some sort of feeling creeping into her chest, and her core... A sort of pang, in her heart, that maybe 'nostalgia' seemed the appropriate word for... and 'ache' too. Though she wasn't sure why it felt like that, and she didn't really want to wonder about it either at the moment, so she let it go and poured her focus into simply watching the two of them work. And the more she watched, the more she caught the way Shota's eyes glittered- the small, fleeting moments where he smiled, just faintly, the hints of excitement in thrill in his expression that was usually so flat and neutral and hardly ever wavered.
I think he really enjoys it... training Shinso... And I can tell Shinso enjoys it too... though both he and Shota don't really seem like it outwardly...
They were both quiet personalities, she supposed. Their mannerisms, facial expressions (or lack there of), demeanor... they were actually quite alike, from what she had seen. Maybe even eerily so.
Izaru let out a small, slightly amused breath, her eyes dropping closed for a moment, and quickly tossing that last thought away.
Anyway, the whole time- and even with everything they did- they hadn't worked on Shinso's Quirk, at all. She wasn't sure if it was because Shota didn't see a need to, or if it was just lack of people to use it on, or maybe even something else... But no matter the reason, she found herself sort of wishing they did work on it, at least a little.
Some small part of her was a little intrigued by it, and wanted to know more on how it worked- Brainwashing Quirks were quite rare, so it wasn't odd to be interested in seeing one in action... But maybe it was, coming from her?
... I don't know... Maybe...
Because she didn't really know, she decided it was better not to think about it too much... Though inevitably her mind wandered somewhere else where 'I don't know' qualified still... Like most everything now.
Izaru grimaced slightly, her eyes cracking open and settling on the slowly tinging orange sky overhead.
To be entirely honest, her role here as a Staff Member was still so vague. She wasn't really sure of where the bounds were, no one had set any... What was she supposed to do here, really? What was she allowed to do, or could do, even...? She'd already made it clear she didn't know how to talk to any of the students really (or the other Staff for that matter), and when she did talk she wasn't sure she was any good at it at all... How much was she even supposed to interact with any of the students?
She hadn't been completely on her own with any of them thus far, there had always been one of the other Staff Members around- omitting her late night run in with Bakugou. But given how that had turned out, and how much she'd struggled to even say anything to the blonde... Well, she wasn't all that sure if it was even okay to be alone with any of these kids at all...
... or if she was comfortable herself, with the idea of being on her own. She'd fairly well established after that night with Bakugou that she wasn't very good at handling herself when she was all on her own... Would she ever be able to handle herself alone and talking to them ever again?
I used to be able to talk to people, so easily... I never faltered, I always... Could at least say something, right...?
Why can't I now...? Why does the thought of being alone with anyone... Make me feel so... Uneasy...?
It isn't supposed to be like this... Is it...?
I should be able to talk to them... Any of them... Without... Being uneasy... Or being unable to come up with the words... Right...?
... I should be able to talk to them... Without...?
... I still... just don't know...
Her hand moved up, her fingers brushing along the scar on her neck, the light of the setting sun turning her grey eyes an eerie yellow tint.
... I think... It shouldn't be so hard...
... And... I think... I think I want to be someone they can trust... I don't want to give them a reason to think... I'll be a threat... Or that I'm being disingenuous in any way... But...
Her hand fell to her side, her eyes dropping closed and head tilting back as she let out a low sigh.
... At the same time... I do want... To keep from... Hurting them more... Than I already have... But...
... But can I do both...?
Her eyes opened as she felt her phone buzz in her pocket, her head tilting back down again as she pulled it out and the screen lit up.
New Message From: Hizashi
Hey~~! What are u up to, Izaruuuu~?
Her thumb moved to unlock the phone, but she never got that far at all. Her attention got diverted as she felt something rub up against her ankle, and she glanced down to see Kesu there quite suddenly... Kesu, who had been sitting on Shota's shoulder before meeting up with Shinso- but had jumped down and wandered off as she and the Pro headed here.
She didn't mind much that he left, or question it- he was always off doing his own thing- but she was a little surprised he came back so quickly. Usually he was gone for a day or even more... Well, that was when she had been out who the hell knows where working for Simon. Now though, she was only ever somewhere on UA's Campus, she supposed, so maybe it wasn't something to be surprised about.
"Hey." She murmured on instinct, her phone shortly tucked away in her pocket and forgotten as she bent down, running her fingers down Kesu's spine as he purred. He hopped up into her lap and she picked him up, standing up straight again as he moved himself over her shoulders and then into the hood of her jacket. He curled up inside of it, setting his chin on her shoulder, and still purring all the while- Izaru gave him a moment to adjust, before catching his yellow eyes from the side and tilting her head. "Did you have fun on your excursion?" She asked softly, and earning a small nod form him. "... Were you with Nezu?" She murmured, but Kesu shook his head this time and she blinked in surprise. "... Were you with anyone?" She asked next, and got another no. "... Ah... So you were just exploring some more...?" He nodded, and she nodded a bit in understanding, before leaving the conversation there. Her attention shifted from Kesu and back toward Shota and Shinso, falling into silence as she and the cat watched them both continue away with their brawling... All the way up until Shota called it to a halt (well, she assumed he did- she couldn't hear him say anything from where she was) and left Shinso panting. By then the sun had nearly set, and the shadows stretched long across the ground.
"... That's enough for today." Aizawa mumbled, and Shinso nodded slightly, panting a little and a bit bruised here and there- but not so worse for wear... Just worn out, unsurprisingly. Aizawa was a bit worn out too, but he hid it better.
"... Alright." Shinso murmured. Aizawa nodded stiffly, and just once- before he turned and started heading over toward where Izaru was waiting, Shinso trailing along behind him without a word.
"... You've taught him a lot, hmm?" Izaru murmured as they got close, her eyes landing on Aizawa who only seemed to huff a bit. She didn't seem to mind the lack of an answer from the Pro, and in fact she hardly even paused on it as her grey eyes moved toward Shinso instead. "... You're not bad. You kept up with Shota pretty well, and you didn't seem to struggle with the regular physical training either." Ms. Izaru told him lightly, and Shinso blinked at being addressed- and the praise too. "... I would guess this training is a bit more intensive than what you get around to in General Studies, hmm...? But even still, you've clearly been working hard." She added quietly and Shinso smiled lazily at the comment, one hand landing on the back of his neck and the other in his pocket still.
"Ah, thanks... and yeah, we only do a few laps in Gym Class regularly..." Shinso murmured in reply, and Ms. Izaru nodded slightly.
"... That was pretty much all we did back when I was at UA too." She told him quietly, and he blinked in slight surprise.
"... You went here for school?" He asked, she nodded once.
"Yeah... And I was in General Studies too..." She explained softly, and his eyes widened a tad bit more.
"Seriously?" He breathed, she nodded again. "Huh... I thought all of UA's Staff were Pros...?" He mumbled and Ms. Izaru seemed to stiffen slightly,
"... I'm a bit of an exception." She mumbled. He nodded a bit, smiling slightly.
"I don't mind that, it's cool to have a Teacher around who's been in the General Studies department." Shinso replied easily, and Ms. Izaru blinked at it, looking a little surprised- but it was gone so quickly Shinso wasn't sure it had been there at all. Her eyes instead shifted sideways toward Mr. Aizawa, but the Pro didn't seem to catch the look, he'd pulled his phone out and was looking at the screen in what seemed like... exasperation.
Shinso noticed it too, both he and Ms. Izaru by now hearing the Pro's phone buzzing in hand. They both glanced his way as Mr. Aizawa sighed, shaking his head once as he caught their eyes for half a second. "... give me a minute, I'm getting a call..." Mr. Aizawa grumbled lowly, almost partly annoyed as he stepped away and put some distance between himself and Ms. Izaru and Shinso. He answered the phone but refrained from putting it near his ear for the first few seconds- instead simply holding it as they heard some wash of noise erupt loud enough from the other end that their ears caught it even as he moved away.
Ms. Izaru let out a small breath, her eyes flashing as she watched him go and looking not at all confused by just who it was that had called the Pro. She shook her head once, her eyes shifting back over toward Shinso, still so neutral-faced and quiet... but she seemed a bit more than that, Shinso was pretty sure...... tense... sort of.
Huh...
"... Shota was in the General Studies department too." Ms. Izaru murmured softly, catching Shinso off guard as his eyes went wide in pure surprise. She blinked at the expression, letting out a small breath. "... he got stuck in General Studies to start with after he took the Entrance Exam, but eventually got transferred over..." She explained softly, and seemingly letting out another silent breath. "... I take it he's never mentioned that... though I suppose I'm not surprised." She mumbled, almost as an afterthought and Shinso's eyes flashed.
"... no, he never did..." Shinso mumbled. "... huh... I guess that might make sense though... with why he's so grumpy about the test..." He murmured slowly, smiling faintly to himself at the idea. Even Ms. Izaru looked faintly amused, just for a split second- but like before it came and went so fast he wasn't sure it had been there at all. He rubbed back the of his neck, smirking just slightly as he chuckled. "... I suppose you learn something new everyday..." He commented lightly, before he paused, his head tilting slightly. "... so, you and Eraser- you seem to go back a bit, huh?" He commented, and Ms. Izaru blinked at it. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone call him by his first name, not even the other teachers." He pointed out lightly and she glanced away from him quickly, suddenly looking the slightest bit nervous at the mention.
"... Oh...ah... well... he told me it didn't matter what I called him around... everyone..." She mumbled quietly, her eyes glittering as Shinso tilted his head at it, "... y... yes, to the 'going back' bit... we were in the same class, our first year... before he moved over to the Hero Course... we stayed in touch even though he transferred..." She mumbled quietly. Shinso smiled slightly, a little amused and a little curious as to why she seemed to nervous all of a sudden- and the fact it was fleeting like all the other little breaks from neutrality he'd thought he noticed before now.
Well anyway- the explanation of them being old classmates did help to understand why she was on familiar terms with the Pro, but it didn't do much in the way of explaining why she called him 'Shota' (or even why Mr. Aizawa had told her she could call him whatever she liked...). Because he was fairly sure he'd heard it mentioned that Mr. Aizawa and Present Mic had been in the same class back in their high school days, but as he'd noted before- Mr. Aizawa had snapped at the blonde readily when Mic called him 'Shota' too.
His eyes flicked away from watching the tenseness in her expression and toward her shoulder when he saw some dark shadow move there- his smile dropping with his jaw in surprise when he met yellow eyes... There was a cat with it's chin on her shoulder...?
The cat moved, pulling itself up out of her jacket hood and standing easily on her shoulder as Ms. Izaru glanced toward it when it moved. The cat ran it's jaw along her cheek affectionately as Shinso just watched, completely stunned, and entirely interested.
He hadn't realized-
"... you have a cat?" He asked immediately, his eyes glittering and perking at the sight of it. Ms. Izaru jumped slightly at his question, her grey eyes moving on to him and widening at the small glitter of... excitement(?) in those tired eyes of the younger.
"... Yeah..." She murmured, he smiled softly, letting out a quiet chuckle.
"Sorry if I perked up out of nowhere... I love cats." He mused lightly, Ms. Izaru blinked, nodding a bit.
"... His name is Kesu." She told him, Shinso blinked in slight surprise at the name- but Ms. Izaru didn't notice it, her hands moved to pick the cat up from her shoulder, and did so with ease as she set him down on the floor gently. Shinso watched her do so quietly, Kesu's attention turning from her and toward him, intent.
Shinso smiled softly, dropping down into a crouch and extending a hand forward- gesturing faintly for the cat to come closer and it did, with little hesitation- trotting up to him and clearing what small space there was between himself and Ms. Izaru. The cat nudged his head under Shinso's hand, moving closer as his fingers trailed down his spine and tail in one fluid motion, purring in a rough, nearly disjointed and raspy sort of purr that sounded weird- and Shinso tilted his head at it.
"That's a weird purr ya got there." He murmured toward the cat, his fingers trailing under the collar to rub underneath it- and sweatdropping when the fur parted and felt the skin rough, scarred.
"... Hmm?" He mumbled, "... Did something happen?" he asked, less of Kesu and more of Ms. Izaru- and he planned to glance up at said woman but faltered when Kesu's head dipped a little in some weird gesture that was eerily similar to a nod.
"... He was injured, when I found him." Ms. Izaru explained softly, "... Something had torn up his neck pretty good... I did what I could, but the injury damaged his vocal chords a bit. He can't really make much noise, and I think that's also why his purr sounds a bit weird." Shinso swallowed, sweatdropping slightly as he nodded stiffly- just once.
"... I see..." He mumbled, Kesu moving closer as the cat twined himself through and around his ankles happily- none at all bothered by the words or the way Shinso frowned at the idea. "... well, I bet he really thinks a lot about you, for helping him out..." He added softly. Kesu pushed himself up onto his back legs as his front paws found Shinso's knee- his ears twitching as his head did that weird dipping/nod thing again.
"... Hehe... You're pretty friendly." Shinso chuckled, still petting the cat and completely content in doing so, aware Ms. Izaru was watching in silence. "... I work at a Cat Cafe, actually- all the cats there are pretty friendly too... But you're a bit cuter than most of them." He told Kesu lightly, smirking to himself. "Heh, don't tell them I said that though..." Kesu's tail flicked as he lightly pushed himself up and easily jumped up and onto Shinso's shoulder, balancing delicately as the student smiled softly at the action. "Hehe... I bet you and Mr. Aizawa get along pretty well, huh?" Shinso asked the cat, who only kept on purring.
"... Why do you say that?"
Shinso blinked, his eyes moving up towards Ms. Izaru and pausing a moment when he saw the question in her expression. His head tilted a bit, a little unsure what she meant by the question or why she asked all of a sudden...?
He smiled, shrugging a bit. "Ah, Eraser's the sort of guy who picks up stray cats... And leaves food out for them. I've seen him do it a few times." He replied lightly, amused slightly. "I don't think he'd admit to it, but he's got a soft spot for them, hehe..." Izaru blinked, her eyes flashing slightly.
"... Huh..." she breathed, "... I suppose I didn't even... Wonder..." She mumbled, almost absentmindedly as her eyes shift toward where Aizawa had moved to. Shinso looked up at her for a long few moments, silence falling between them as Ms. Izaru stood still, stiff and hardly budging an inch as her face pulled slightly... Pensive, in a way.
Kesu pushed his nose up against Shinso's cheek, earning the students eyes as he blinked.
He glanced quickly back toward the New Teacher and his Mentor (who he saw slam his thumb against the screen of his phone, silencing the call with a vein ticked on his forehead), brow quirked, silent himself... Before he smiled slyly, and pushed himself back to standing with Kesu still balanced on both shoulders.
"Hey, Ms. Izaru? Wanna see something else I've learned from Eraser?" He asked coolly, his voice raising slightly- loud enough he saw Mr. Aizawa glance in their direction from the corner of his eye. Ms. Izaru jumped slightly at the question, blinking once or twice at him and a little caught off guard.
"... Sure...?" She mumbled uncertainly, he smirked a bit more, eyes falling closed and his face down a bit, his hand moving up as he intertwined his fingers in the front of his bangs.
"I think I got the hang of it pretty good, actually." He murmured lightly, Izaru's head tilting a bit in slight confusion as Aizawa took a quick step in their direction, looking just as confused- what the hell was that kid...?
Shinso's head tilted up again, his eyes opening as a wide, incredibly flat grin spread across his face- borderline something unsettling when paired with how emotionless the rest of his face seemed to be. It was both startling (creepy...) and utterly recognizable to Eraserhead's signature grin that he had used several times on his students- and the Pro Hero faltered at the sight of Shinso mimicking it, his eye twitching and stiff as a board as he felt his face heat up and his movement in that direction stalled completely. Aizawa sweatdropped heavily, both a little miffed and a bit embarrassed, his lips pulled into a tight line and about ready to snap at him to quit it-
Izaru was completely quiet for the first few seconds, not moving even an inch, her expression so flat and so utterly unreadable as she just blinked at the face, just once. Her grey eyes glittered wildly, before her neutral expression cracked a bit, the edges of her lips twitching uncertainly- and then she lost what composure she had had the entire time, and burst out laughing.
Aizawa stiffened, his frown shattering as his jaw dropped at the reaction- his shoulders sagging a bit and a little... What...?
Shinso let the 'signature grin' fade as he smiled at the sound, humming a bit as Izaru kept on laughing, completely amused- and with the most pleasant and wide smile on her face.
"... He... Haha... Does he seriously... Haha... Still make that... That... Creepy-ass smile...?!" She struggled to ask the question through the chuckling, her eyes glinting as Shinso smirked.
"Yeah, all the time." He replied easily, "He usually does it to throw people off, but sometimes he does it out of nowhere too- like it's supposed to be normal."
"Haha...! T... That's terrible...!" Izaru laughed, "... Oh my... I.. I thought it was just a phase... Haha... that he'd... Haha... G... Grow out of it... He used... To do that back in... Haha... School...!" She shook her head a bit, her tone nothing but amusement and even slightly teasing. "... hehehe...! T..that is so bad...! It's even... Haha... Worse... now, he's not a teenager anymore... Haha...! A fullgrown... Adult... with that grin...?! That face has probably... Popped up in some... Some of the students...N... nightmares...! Hahahaha...!" She went on, still so, so amused- Shinso smirked.
"Oh definitely." He chuckled, smirking still as he glanced sideways and saw Mr. Aizawa with his chin buried in his Capturing Device, his hair messy about his face and hiding it mostly- but even from where he was, he could see how red his Teacher's face was at the way Ms. Izaru was reacting to it, and all the comments.
Oh so worth whatever punishment I'm gonna end up with later, he'll probably work me to death in training next time... Eraser looks pretty embarrassed, that's new~
Izaru laughed some more, her hand moving up as she broke off slightly to cough a few times- out of breath and her face a little sore, her lungs too. Shinso stiffened slightly at the coughing and Aizawa immediately glanced up too, though Izaru was not seemingly bothered by it at all.
"Hehe... Damn... I haven't laughed like that... Ever maybe... Haha.." She chuckled, coughing a few more times and swallowing against it. Her hand moved up to cover her mouth as her eyes dropped closed, a soft smile still gracing her lips as she calmed down and caught her breath again. "... Hehe... I didn't realize he still does that... That really is so bad, Shota." She said lightly- very clearly teasing- her head tilting toward the Pro and smirking slightly as Aizawa frowned, half his face still buried among the Capturing Device.
"Be quiet." He replied gruffly, she didn't seem bothered by the reply.
"It was spot on, though, he looked a lot like you, back then-" Izaru murmured, "-if you add on when your hair sticks up when you use your Quirk- you two match pretty well."
Aizawa didn't warrant any sort of answer, he simply grumbled a bit and she let out an amused breath that ended in another cough, and Shinso smirked dryly at the little exchange. Izaru swallowed against that last cough, before shaking her head slightly and tilting her head toward the Erasure Hero. "... So, what did Mic want...?" Ms. Izaru changed the subject, her hand still hovering over her mouth a bit as the other fell into her jacket pocket. Aizawa and Shinso blinked, "... I assume from the amount of noise on the other end it was him, right...?"
Aizawa let out a sigh, looking a bit annoyed as he pushed his bangs back from his face a bit. "You were apparently not responding to any of his text messages, so he called me instead-" Shota grumbled lowly, earning a blink of surprise from Izaru, who pulled her phone out of her pocket and sweatdropped at the list of notifications that popped up right away.
"-he wanted to know where we were."
"IZARUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
Izaru and Shinso jumped at the loud voice, it ringing on their ears and causing the woman to start and turn around toward it-
"...ah..." She started, blinking as she caught sight of the blonde, grinning like an idiot, his arms open wide and excited, exaggerated mannerisms flaring.
"Yo~!" He shrilled brightly, Izaru's hand falling slowly from having been covering her mouth,
"You're back early..." She murmured softly, Mic smirked, starting forward toward her and grinning still- Izaru stepped forward too, almost instinctively- the two of them shortening the distance between them and leaving Shota and Shinso behind a bit without even really thinking about it.
"Heck yeah~! We squared away the conference a bit ahead of schedule, so instead of staying over a day I just headed back right away- since I was itchin' to get back and see youuuuu~!" He smiled, his fingerguns pointing at her, Izaru paused, her eyes flashing at the gesture, before she nodded a bit.
"... ah... Sorry I didn't answer your texts... I got distracted." She murmured softly, tilting her head back to where Shota and Shinso were still standing (and who were both paying less attention on the both of her and the blonde, and instead were saying something quietly between themselves). Mic shook his head a bit and gave her a reassuring smile.
"No worries~!" He replied brightly, "Sooooo, did Eraser drag ya out to Training~?" Izaru blinked, shaking her head.
"He asked if I wanted to come... And I figured... Why not..." She mumbled, he blinked in slight surprise, but smiled anyway.
"Hehe, I get it~! Ya wanted to see their moves in action huh? Ya always did like to watch people fighting, mhmm~! Taking notes and seeing what they're made of~!" Mic replied brightly, and Izaru blinked at that.
"... Yeah..." she murmured, letting out a small breath that ended up turning into a few shallow coughs despite herself, and she grimaced as her hand moved up to her mouth. Mic's smile and cheery personality took a quick, sudden blow at the sound of the coughs, and he grew immediately a bit fidgety.
"H-hey, ya good there Izaru...?" He asked quickly, she nodded, swallowing as they ceased again.
"... Yeah, I'm fine... It's just because I was laughing so hard... I guess I'm not used to it." She told him quietly, and his eyes went wide at the words- excited and confused and interested all at once.
"Laughing...?!" He asked quickly, almost incredulously- because what?!
He hadn't even seen her smile! The whole time she had been so quiet and sullen, tense and uneasy (though grant you he'd been gone the last few days...), and the idea of her smiling, and laughing?! He found he could hardly fathom it- which made his heart twist a little with how sad a notion that was- and his mind was racing now in shock, because what prompted laughter?!
He wasn't sure the what really mattered- his heart was already warm just imagining that it was possible that she even had any reason at all to laugh after everything... But even still, what did I miss...?!
"Mmhmm." Izaru hummed lightly, "... Shinso did an impression of that creepy grin Shota does." She explained softly, and Hizashi's eyes widened a bit as he grinned,
"Oh yeah~?!"
Aizawa tuned Hizashi and Aneko out, his eyes falling on Shinso in silence as the younger boy kept stroking Kesu, the cat purring away happily and sitting on the student's shoulder... Before he let his attention shift away and toward the former two again...
... She laughed... And at that no less... He was a bit embarrassed about it, though it felt stupid to feel that way.
And even on top of that?
Even if it irked him being made fun of (at least slightly), he wasn't too bothered... Not really.
Aizawa's expression softened a bit when Izaru gave Hizashi a small smile, and the blonde nearly squealed, almost teary-eyed and all the more excitable in his (already over-exaggerated) demeanor- and Shinso smiled slightly, his eyes shifting sideways toward his Teacher and smirking almost, when he noticed the Erasure Heroes expression soften there.
"... So, did she used to be your girlfriend or something?"
Aizawa stiffened, his jaw clenching and eye twitching at the question out of nowhere, and his head snapped around as he settled the younger with a look so flat it was almost deadly.
"What?" Aizawa asked lowly, Shinso smiled dryly, shrugging slightly.
"I've never heard anyone call you by your first name and you didn't snap at them for it." Shinso commented lightly, "Plus you two seem rather friendly."
Aizawa blinked, his expression still flat as all hell and quiet as Shinso just smiled so coolly. His lips pulled into a line as he looked away, his eyes dropping closed as he let out a low, slightly heated breath.
"... We are just friends." He muttered lowly, Shinso smiled a bit more at it.
And yet Shinso had never heard Eraser use the word 'friend' before... Ever.
"... Did naming her cat 'Kesu' have anything to do with you, then?" The younger asked next, switching gears as Mr. Aizawa grimaced a bit.
"... No, that is just coincidence." He grumbled, Shinso's eyes flashed- because his Teacher's tone clearly said drop it... Not that he minded.
Heh... Big 'coincidence'...
"... Well, she seems cool anyway." He murmured lightly, and Aizawa sweatdropped slightly at the comment. Shinso's eyes diverted from Aizawa and toward Kesu as he drew his finger lightly under the cat's chin, humming internally to himself for the whole of the exchange, the reaction, the demeanor- all of it.
"... Good job, today."
Shinso jumped a little, entirely taken back by the sudden praise from Mr. Aizawa out of near nowhere, his eyes moving up toward the man and surprised. After all, it wasn't often Eraser gave out praise... And even so, the way his Teacher's voice sounded just then... It was soft, maybe even... Thankful(?).
"... You did well." Mr. Aizawa told him softly, and Shinso's eyes flashed. "... But I'm still going to work you harder next time." the older added flatly, Shinso smiled a bit.
"...Yes sir..."
"Eh, Eraser~?! What do ya say we head off and get some grub ~?!" Present Mic called, looking passed Izaru and toward the group of Aizawa, Kesu and Shinso. Izaru stepped to the side a bit, bringing her body around to face them too and a few paces from the Voice Hero's shoulder, her expression returning to the emotionlessness it had had... But a little less hollow now, somehow.
"... Fine." Aizawa grumbled, Shinso smiled coolly.
"I suppose I ought to give this little guy back to you then, Ms. Izaru." The student said lightly (raising his voice enough she could hear him), his hands moving to pick Kesu off his shoulders as the woman blinked- and Present Mic did too, confused.
"... You don't have to." She told Shinso quietly, and he stiffened, looking a bit confused now too. "... Kesu has free reign over the whole of the Campus. He comes and goes as he wants to... He won't mind spending a few hours with you... He likes the attention." Izaru murmured, shrugging a bit. "... You can take him with you, he'll wander off again when he wants to..."
Shinso blinked, looking a little stunned at the explanation and the... Well, more or less- offer for him to literally take her cat for a few hours.
"... Besides, he likes you. You won't mind spending time with Shinso a bit longer, hmm?" She mumbled, her eyes meeting the yellow gaze of the cat, who purred a bit more and dipped its head- and Izaru took that as answer (with Mic and Shinso both a bit reeling... Because she talked to Kesu like she expected the cat to understand her...?).
"... Right... So don't worry about it, Shinso... Kesu will let you know when he plans to wander off again... But for now he seems happy having you pay attention to him." Izaru murmured quietly, her hand lift as she found the back of her neck almost nervously. "... He'll probably visit you more often now, since he knows you like cats..." She added, Shinso blinked, smiling a bit as he nodded toward her.
"... Well I won't complain having him around... Thanks." He murmured lightly, Izaru nodded a bit. Shinso let out a breath, his eyes shifting toward Mr. Aizawa as he smirked, just faintly.
"I like her." Shinso said simply, quietly so only Mr. Aizawa heard anything, and the Pro stiffened a little, his chin burying itself in his Capturing Device as the man grumbled, his cheeks now so very, faintly- almost unnoticeably- flushed.
Mr. Aizawa grumbled a bit under his breath, his eyes locked straight ahead and almost refusing to look at the smirking younger at all.
"... You're running a hundred laps next training." Was the low reply, and Shinso let out a small breath.
... Worth it...
Hello! Happy New Year, here's a new Chapter for ya! I hope you like- it's a little more lighthearted than what we've had as of late! ;w;
I have a QUESTION for all you Readers, if you would oblige me! 3
If you had to pick what kind of animal Izaru would be, what is it? In terms of personality/behavior I'm asking.
You know those fan works where Aizawa is a cat, Present Mic is a cockatoo, All Might's a rabbit? I'm curious what you all think the animal incarnation of Izaru would be. ^^
Is she a cat? A dog maybe (big? Small? Breed?)? A mouse perhaps? A bird? A snake? A rabbit? Or maybe something totally unusual, like a goat, deer, badger, lion, etc?
I know what my opinion on it is already, but I am very interested in what you guys think! Leave me a Review with your answer!
Now, thank you all for reading as always! I appreciate your continued support!
And on another note- A HUGE THANK YOU to Boom44 on AO3, who donated to my Ko-Fi! Thank you, thank you, thank you dear! ^w^
Please, follow, fav and Review if you can! Thanks! 33
