EDIT: I posted a second opening video for this story on youtube! It's titled "Invasion Opening 2", and if you are interested in viewing, PM me and I'll message you the link.
CHAPTER 19
A NIGHT TO RECOVER
It was late in the evening now. The heroes had taken refuge in a couple of houses a short distance away from where they'd had their battle at the water wheel generator. While it wasn't safe to remain so close to that hot spot, they weren't ready to move on just yet, with how badly injured Deku was.
Senku was going over some maps and papers when Genos made his appearance. The team's scientist was lodged up in the study, where he was going over some maps on the floor, with the help of some tools to help organize his ideas. After all, they were already short on time, but with Deku currently incapacitated, they would need to hit the ground running once they resumed the journey.
"You're up rather late," Senku commented. "Although I'm not sure if a cyborg like you really needs sleep. I would still assume getting rest would be beneficial."
Genos didn't look tired. In fact, he looked fired up. But when he kneeled down across from Senku, he revealed what was really on his mind. "I have failed. Far too many times now."
Upon hearing the confession, Senku shrugged as he lowered the collection of pins in his hand. "We're up against an evil genius. He's bound to catch us by surprise now and again."
"No," Genos said in a firm voice, pressing his fist against the wooden floor, leaving a dent in the mahogany. "Time and time again, I have been immobilized in battle. My failure has led to others being harmed as well." As he reviewed his results, it was hard to blame him for his frustration. But he was just getting started. "Under my master's training, I have spent countless hours improving my strength, getting stronger, and overcoming obstacles. However, I find that the real truth… is that my master watched over me from the start. It was unnecessary for me to be part of a team that coordinated battles. This was never something I expected to be a part of. And now… I realize how lacking I am in capability."
"You're being pretty hard on yourself," Senku replied, stroking his hair aside calmly. "Especially considering how much help you've provided for everyone here. In fact, it's reasonable to say that you may even be the most valuable member of this team. You just keep on selling yourself short, even when you succeed. The real problem is when you do fall short, you blame yourself twice as hard. I think if you really want to evaluate your progress during this war, it would be better to combine your own self-reflection with the observations shared by your teammates."
As he thought that over, Genos realized that Senku had a point. Not to mention, Senku was a man of sound mind. It was unlike him to overly praise a member of the team irresponsibly. He would avoid insulting others, but Senku would never lie about another person's strength. When it came to science and logic, Senku told the truth.
"What can I do?" Genos asked, almost pleadingly, for a cyborg at least.
Senku wasn't sure he had the answer that he was seeking, but he gave him some advice anyway. "Your master isn't here, Genos. You are the master now. That means that you are responsible for your actions, both good and bad. If you achieve success, smile and pat yourself on the back. If you encounter failure, learn from your mistakes and improve. But no matter what, you cannot give up and condemn yourself to despair. That's the only way we'll all fail. We have all our home worlds counting on us, ten billion percent. And we're not gonna let them down."
For the first time in a while, Genos was able to let go of Saitama's influence over him. It was true; his master wasn't here. In fact, his master actually needed him to succeed now. Regardless of what the standard of excellence was back home, he needed to be excellent in his own regard here today. That meant adapting and learning how to function with these other heroes, no matter how dire the situation got.
(In one of the bedrooms)
Deku sprung awake, after suffering from a nightmare. He saw the faces of his classmates from school: Ochaco, Katsuki, Tenya, Tsuyu, and the rest. They were all watching him helplessly, pleading with him to save them. Everyone needed to be saved. And All Might… wasn't able to help either. Even the greatest hero of all time needed to be saved.
It was overwhelming.
There was sweat on Deku's forehead as he tried to regain his hold on reality. Throbbing pain shot through his body, and he sensed that his back had taken serious damage. When he reached over to feel around, he became aware that both of his hands and all his fingers were broken as well. It was a result of him using One For All at one hundred percent, instead of balancing it out more thoroughly. At the time, he was certain he needed to operate at full capacity. In fact, he didn't even want to regret his decision, with what was at stake.
A noise across the room startled him, and when he jerked his head over to look, a sharp burst of pain struck him. The lights were off, but one of the lamps was turned on, and Caitlyn came into sight. "Deku, it's just me," she assured him, sounding guilty for possibly adding to his suffering.
"Caitlyn…" he replied, finding it tough to speak, just like before.
"Just focus on resting," she said in a calm voice. In a swift motion, she was at his side, pressing a damp cloth to his forehead. After wiping away the sweat from his face, she brought some fresh water for him to sip on.
As he drank it, Deku winced from the pain. It was like his entire body ached, in every corner. How had he managed to put his body through such turmoil? It didn't take him long to figure out the answer to that. He had been determined to protect Caitlyn… at all costs.
When it all ran through his mind again, Deku's eyes teared up. "I'm… I'm…"
Caitlyn quickly held her hand to his ear and stroked his hair. "I told you, just focus on resting. Forget that other stuff."
He looked up at her, and although it wasn't easy, he eventually accepted her invitation to rest at ease. "All right…"
She seemed pleased with his cooperation, and then she gently scooted closer to him on the bed. "Pina just needs a little more time to restore his magic, then he'll resume healing you. You're gonna be fine."
At least, Deku was able to reveal a faint smile, since he was relieved to hear that.
With the good news revealed, Caitlyn relaxed a bit more as well. She leaned forward, peering over the young hero with eyes of intrigue. For a few moments, she lost sight of her normally stern demeanor. Seeing such a powerful hero in such a weakened state appeared to have that effect on her. There was an expression of reluctance on her face as she looked away, then eventually forced herself to look Deku in the eyes again. "Thank you for catching me," she finally broke the silence.
Although Deku could barely move, he appeared to shrug skeptically. "I just couldn't stop myself, once again. Even after you warned me. You would have been fine. You were going to land and get out of trouble."
However, she shook her head. "No," she countered. "Not this time."
When he heard that, Deku didn't know how to respond. But he realized now just how close a call it had been, if even Caitlyn was unwilling to deny it.
She glanced back and forth, as if the others were watching them. After taking several moments to review her surroundings, she glared at him, as if she returned to her old self again. Then she brought her head down and placed her lips against Deku's, in a sudden gentle kiss. His eyes widened in surprise at the gesture, but then he returned the kiss. In that moment, there was validation in everything he'd been through.
The moment ended as quickly as it occurred. Caitlyn retreated back to stand by the bedside, where she fetched the damp cloth and ran it over Deku's forehead once again. She played it off as if nothing happened, casually tending to him while he remained weak in bed.
Deku looked up at her in bewilderment, but he honored her apparent wish for silence. He was too weak to do much about it at the moment anyway. Even so, inside he felt warm and restored. Perhaps heroes received praise and affection all the time, and this was just something common for the greats like All Might. But Deku knew that this moment was special to him. Even if it was short and simple, he discovered that his beliefs really did lead to great things. It was about time he accepted his confidence without so much reluctance. Now he felt his belief in himself increase.
Some time went by, and neither of them spoke for quite a while. Deku fell back to sleep at one point, but then he woke up again, as a result of some soreness in his left shoulder. No doubt, it was there as a result of the fall he took. Hopefully Pina's magic would restore his broken bones, because otherwise he was going to be useless to the team. That was something he wouldn't be able to accept.
Even with how much pain he was in, once again Deku searched the room for Caitlyn. He spotted her lying on a chair she'd brought over, and she was asleep now. Her trusty machine gun was in her lap, in case they came under attack again. He had to admit, he admired her commitment to this current lifestyle. In fact, it was her commitment to doing the right thing all the time that now inspired him.
Somehow, she sprung awake, realizing that Deku was up again. "How you feeling?" she asked. When he bared his teeth awkwardly, she chuckled and shook her head. "Sorry. I shouldn't have even asked."
"I'm better now," he replied, giving her his best smile.
Apparently, she saw right through it and knew what was on his mind, and she glared menacingly. "Don't even think about telling anyone else about it," she commanded sternly.
"Meep," he uttered in a soft voice.
With her warning given, Caitlyn quickly settled down and set her machine gun aside. "I'll get you more water."
The reminder caused him to notice how thirsty he was. This time, he chugged the water quickly, and even spilled some down his chin. Caitlyn giggled and scolded him playfully, then wiped the wet spots with a dry cloth. After a few moments, she fetched an additional blanket to drape over him.
"What about you?" he suddenly asked.
"What about me?"
"You need to keep warm, too," he pointed out.
Sure enough, Caitlyn had goosebumps from the cold night, and she rubbed her shoulders. "Perhaps it is a bit chilly."
Deku nudged one of the blankets with his chin. "You need at least one blanket for yourself."
Despite the offer, she shook her head. "I'll be fine. You need the warmth right now so that you don't go into shock."
It was so difficult for Deku to tone down his chivalry. He couldn't grip his hands, but he could push with his knuckles, so he sent one of the blankets over toward the side of the bed. "Just one," he insisted. "Take one for yourself."
Caitlyn wanted to protest, but she couldn't. He was just so determined to be considerate of others. Even if it drove her crazy, it also inspired her. She found it more and more difficult to give him a hard time over it. After all, that was part of what made Deku so heroic.
Once she took the blanket and wrapped herself in it, she thought of something else to say. "Izuku, right?"
It felt weird hearing her call him that, instead of his hero nickname. "Yeah," he confirmed.
She squinted her eyes curiously. "Did you think I forgot your real name?"
"Never doubted you for a second." He felt like he was embarrassing himself again, although he was too worn out to do much about it.
Caitlyn curled up in the chair, now more comfortable with the blanket. "We're going to stop Teckh," she stated. "There's no way he's going to get away with all this."
"Yeah," Deku replied, sharing in her motivation. "We'll catch up to him in no time."
(Inside a separate house)
The sudden appearance of piano music got Maka's attention. It was late at night, and she'd been having trouble sleeping. But she still didn't expect to hear a piano. "Soul…" She was aware that it was his favorite instrument.
With that, she climbed out of bed and began to descend the stairs. The source of the music was in a separate room from the dining area, and even with the door closed she could tell where it was. After a few moments of hesitation, she pulled the door handle and went inside.
There she found Soul, playing on the piano he'd found, unaware of Maka's arrival. Considering how much she bickered with him all the time, she never denied how much she enjoyed hearing him play. It was perhaps Soul's most redeeming feature, since he was normally so reserved all the time. And his music was certainly moving.
Inexplicably, he stopped playing, sensing that Maka was behind him. "You couldn't sleep?"
She sighed and walked over to sit down next to him. "Not really."
Soul looked down, but revealed a grin. "Guess that makes two of us then."
Despite how powerful a team the two of them were, they still both held onto their quarrels amongst each other. Those things didn't just disappear each day. Not completely.
"Why don't you play more often?" Maka asked.
"Eh?" Soul twitched his mouth uncomfortably. "Who cares if I play anyway?"
"I do." Normally, Maka would give him a hard time, but she felt powerless to do so when it came to his music.
He didn't have a snarky response to that. Instead, he nodded his head and took the compliment silently. After a few moments, he pressed his hands to the keys again, but hesitated. For some reason, he didn't know what to play next.
Maka watched him closely, wondering what his thought process was when it came to music. Then she had an idea and sort of shot for it without thinking. "Would you play me a song?"
"What?" Soul turned to look at her with a bewildered look. "I don't know what song to play you."
Instead of lashing back, Maka just looked down, avoiding a confrontation. This wasn't their traditional method of engaging in conflict. Instead, she simply accepted his rejection quietly.
But Soul didn't feel good about it, and he sighed. "Fine," he spoke up, changing his mind. "I'll play you a song. But I don't know what you like so just don't give me a harm time, will ya?"
Once again, Maka avoided raising her voice. She simply nodded and gave him a faint smile.
After seeing how she responded to him, Soul found the energy to tone down his intensity as well. They were not fighting with each other right now. Instead, they were just sitting there, relaxing. A conflict was not necessary. He just had this piano in front of him, and he was going to play it. It was a simple exercise.
Then Soul found that his fingers extended to the far right, where he found the B and C keys. After a few singular high notes, he began to play a fluttery series, and then he returned to the center of the piano for a more mature song. Considering it was late at night, he kept his song soft and tranquil, instead of going for something heavy.
While he played, Maka stared forward at the piano. She wondered how something like this was so unique to her. As a meister, she took admiration and respect for those who perfected their craft in battles, but a musician was a different kind of artist. But with Soul, it had always impressed her that he possessed this talent, especially considering he was so reluctant to put it on display. After all, Soul was always acting cool. It seemed to mean everything to him, and it was all he ever talked about. Yet somehow, when he played piano, he set that whole persona aside and just opened up. That made it very refreshing.
In fact, she realized now that was why she cherished his music so much.
A few minutes later, Soul ended his song and nodded, appearing pleased with it. Even so, he turned to glance at Maka, as if he expected her to voice her thoughts. "Okay, well let's hear it. Tell me it was whatever."
Her eyes widened in surprise, and then she shook her head. "It was beautiful."
"Eh, sure," Soul said skeptically. But when Maka maintained her reaction, he exhaled, appearing to settle down. "It wasn't anything special."
"Yes, it was," she insisted.
This time, Soul didn't have any other response. He simply nodded and leaned back a bit in his seat, relaxing more now. At least, the two of them were avoiding another argument. He wasn't sure he had it in him to fight with her right now, since he was feeling too relaxed.
"You should play more often," Maka explained.
"It's not like I own a piano or anything."
"I'll get you one." To this, Maka couldn't resist sighing sadly. "Once we get back home, that is."
Somehow, Soul picked up on the small degree of sadness in her voice, and he pounced on it. "We'll make it back to Death City," he assured her, being suddenly encouraging. "We still have a job to do. You've got to be the coolest meister and I need to be the coolest Death Scythe."
Once she heard him speaking like that, Maka teared up a little bit as she nodded. "Yeah. Guess you're right."
"Of course, I am," Soul told her boldly. With that, he placed an arm over her shoulder to comfort her.
When she felt his touch, Maka's realized her emotions had reached the opposite end of her normal state of being when it came to Soul. She leaned in and rested her head against his shoulder, embracing him from the side. It felt refreshing to have peace with her partner for a change.
Soul let out a fake groan as he hugged her back. It was late at night, and neither of them was able to sleep. They had more in common than they realized. Even with all they'd been through together, there was still a lot more to discover.
