It was like pieces of a secret puzzle had been falling and falling, until they had gathered enough to form a picture. It was still glassy and confused, fractured and shaky.
But...
The great building glowing white.
Soft light coming from above too, the great sphere up in the sky, beautiful with its blue and green hues among the stars. Earth.
And all around the remainders of a fight, a war, in the form of burns, blood, ice stumps, broken swords and ruins all over around.
Collapsed walls, barely standing columns, a ruined garden, scattered weapons bent out of shape.
The overall feeling of oppression and death.
The rush, the fear. The sense of loss.
Same, for all of them.
And then the scenery transfigured, the ruins of the white palace with its sterile ground melted into the image of a modern city landscape, in a similar state of devastation and despair. The sky, blackened and opaque, had an unnatural stillness hovering from above, a sky with no Moon or stars.
Up, above the devastation, on what looked like a single column that miraculously stood in the midst of despair, a figure, or was it two? In white... or purple? Which one? Both?
Dim light came from the figure (figures?) a long staff - weapon? scepter? - in small hands.
The purple light engulfed it all, followed by the whitest glow.
A faraway voice repeated, in a litany: "The three talismans... The light of destruction"
"The three talismans... The light of destruction"
"The three talismans... The light of destruction"
Then it split. For each observer of the oneiric sight, a different detail.
Golden chains in white hands.
Raven hair lit by the glow of fire.
The smell of rose tea.
Cold, gentle hands.
Sad purple eyes.
Arms reaching out, a prayer and a plea over a sword stained in blood.
"The three talismans... The light of destruction"
They awoke with a flash of purple under their eyelids, covered in sweat, panicked and breathless. In different places, each in the solitude of their own rooms, unknowingly joined by fate.
The words kept ringing in their ears, the worry, the fear, as real as if the vision had already happened.
It was so much. Too much, without the instruments to understand a single thing.
The livid sky, brightening quietly in the dawn of the new day, held no answers.
Lunchtime wasn't a moment where the classes were forced to stay together, nevertheless, a lot of them seemed to stick with each other, often in their usual groups.
Bakugou, for all his efforts to be left alone by scowling around more than usual, couldn't keep away the rest of his classmates and just moved his tray a little to the side when Kirishima, Ashido and a few others slotted into a seat at the same table.
Kirishima let out a loud yawn putting his tray on the table «Ugh, what would I do for a bit of sleep...»
«What did you do all night? Videogames? Late training? Movie marathon?» Kaminari inquired, taking place in the opposite row.
«Nothing» the redhead replied, sitting heavily with another sigh next to Bakugou, who looked like he was ignoring everyone.
At Ashido's skeptical look Kirishima reiterated: «Nothing, I swear. I just had all those nightmares, I kept waking up, I even cut off my pillow with my quirk by accident, it was a mess! I was up before dawn 'cause I couldn't go back to sleep»
«Aww, poor baby» Jirou deadpanned sitting next to Ashido.
From his place in front of her, Kaminari grimaced «I can hear the sarcasm from here»
«Good» was the girl's reply, then she turned «Mina, can you stop?» she added at the pink-skinned classmate, who has been jumping up and down her chair ever since they arrived.
«The new student should have been here since Monday already and I haven't seen him yet! It's been three days!»
«Maybe it's not that important?» Sero noted.
«She's going to fake being ill just to sneak in the infirmary at this rate» Jirou rolled her eyes.
Mina pointed a finger at her «That's a great idea! If I can't catch him here, I'll try that»
«I didn't mean it as a suggestion!»
«How will you recognize him if you don't know what he looks like? You can't have met the whole school already» Kirishima doubted his own statement because this was Ashido they were talking about, he had half a mind she'd be very much capable of such feat, even in a school with over 600 students.
Realization dawned on the girl, who got up and turned to go over the plant stands that separated their seats from those of their other classmates.
«Midori-kun!» she poked in the green bush of hair with a finger.
The boy jumped up «Aaa-ah! Ashido-san!» he screeched, almost sending his whole tray to tumble away. Todoroki, Uraraka and Asui barely had the time to catch his lunch items before they could fly on the other side of the room.
«Relax, it's me! I need to ask you a thing» Mina hushed, careless of the fuss she caused.
«Ashido-kun, this is not a proper way of sitting!» Iida scolded from Midoriya's left, next to Yaoyorozu who nodded.
«Yeah, sure, Prez, but it's urgent» Ashido dismissed him «Midori-kun, you need to tell me what Chiba-senpai looks like»
The green-haired boy made an effort to sit back «W-what? W-why would y-you...?»
«Just tell me! Better, if you see him, call him here!» she added.
«Call who?» Hakagure asked, her tray seemed to float from her uniform to rest on the other side of the table of Midoriya's group.
«The new hottie, Recovery Girl's intern»
«Oooh, that!»
«Sit the fuck down, acid-brain!» Bakugou shouted from the other side of the divider «Nobody wants to see that stupid fucker»
«I must say I am a bit curious too now -kero. Ochako-chan, you met him too, right?»
The other girl nodded enthusiastically «Sure! Let's see, he's tall, uh... I think taller than Iida-kun, yes, and he has black hair, his skin is a little tan...»
«Ah, C-chiba-senpai!» Izuku called as soon as he spotted the tall boy on the other side of the hall, raising a hand to be seen for good measure. Mamoru saw him and nodded at his address, hands full with his tray to answer any other way, and started to walk in the group's direction.
The simple action elicited Ashido's and Hakagure's delighted squeals, along with some - more or less discreet - looks from all over around.
Mineta grabbed Midoriya's sleeve, forcing him to pull down his arm «You can't call him here, he's going to muck us up with the girls!»
«Uh?»
«You think guys like us can compare with ones like him?»
«You can't compare with anyone anyway» Jirou cut him off, leaning out her seat «It's the perverted creepiness coming from you, not your looks»
Kaminari, two seats over, grimaced «Harsh»
«Shut up, Jamming-whey, don't think you're any better, you big flirt»
«Twice as harsh!» the one in question complained, with a rather dramatic flare that went completely ignored.
«Look at him! One could die for a face like that!» Hakagure squealed in the meantime, probably hiding her face in her hands, if one had to judge by the position of her uniform's sleeves.
Todoroki looked suddenly worried and got up «Maybe Mineta is right. We should keep him away so no one is harmed...»
«It's a manner of speech, Todoroki-kun!» Uraraka corrected him, half-laughing «No one is going to die just because there's a cute boy around»
«We'd be goners otherwise» Hakagure added and nodded towards Todoroki's general direction. Pity no one could see it, but the other girls knew what she meant.
«If you're sure...» Todoroki sat back, unconvinced, all while looking warily at Mamoru who was almost there.
«Can we all make sure to give the welcome of class 1-A to a new student?» Iida interrupted all discussions with his large gestures, although only with one arm given the other was still bound «Moreover, it's unbecoming of future Heroes to speak without the person in question to be present» he added.
At this, Yaoyorozu nodded in agreement «Let's be courteous and polite, please»
Izuku was glad Chiba-senpai was used to Usagi-san's group's antics and wouldn't mind his classmates acting in a similar way, or he would have been ready to die of second-hand embarrassment before the older boy even reached the table.
«That's it, I'm leaving» Mineta declared and grabbed his tray to go sit next to Kaminari at the other table.
«Sore loser» Sero joked, then craned his neck to see the newcomer and added «Come on, he can't be that... damn, he can»
At that, everybody except Bakugou turned too.
Izuku was suddenly very sorry for Mamoru, who was now being stared at by most of his class - the only ones who didn't eat lunch in the cafeteria that day were Kouda, Shoji, Satou and Aoyama - and even some of the other students. The older, though, kept up a carefully neutral expression with just a hint of a smile that Izuku guessed, more than knew, was more uncomfortable and polite than relaxed.
Nevertheless, Mamoru's manners didn't falter while the large group greeted him, each their own way and in a quite confusing manner - which reminded Midoriya of his second day of class - and accepted gracefully the free seat next to Izuku.
«And we'd like to apologize for the confusion» Yaoyorozu added, introducing herself soon after.
«On behalf of Class 1-A, we give you our welcome to our school, Chiba-senpai!» Iida ceremoniously asserted.
«Uh, thank you...»
«Iida-kun, you exaggerated» Uraraka reprimanded, then turned at Mamoru with a friendly smile and added: «It's amazing you got an internship with Recovery Girl, Chiba-kun, congratulations»
«It's a great opportunity» he agreed «I've been doing a lot of independent study, but the practice is another matter»
«Same as with heroics, I guess. I mean, we all knew how to do some things, but the real thing is way harder» Ojiro observed.
Mamoru nodded in agreement.
«It's remarkable nevertheless. What kind of independent study did you do?»
«All kind. Biology, anatomy, quirk theory, some basics on specific medicine branches through the research from Dr Mizuno...»
«You are acquainted with Mizuno-sensei?»
«Who?»
«Mizuno-sensei will be part of the medical team who's going to follow my brother's recovery and my therapy as well» Iida explained.
«You're in good hands. Ami-chan passed me some of her mother's studies, some time ago, I've been basing a lot of my independent study on that»
«Ami-chan?»
«Another of Midoriya's friends. They came to visit us while we were at the hospital, in Hosu» Todoroki supplied.
«Midoriya sure knows a lot of girls, uh?» Kaminari leaned forward to poke the green-haired boy.
«It's always the quiet ones!» Mineta's whine came from the back.
Izuku became redder and redder «Eh-eh, i-it's not l-like that at all! Oh, T-todoroki-kun knew one of them too alr-ready, r-right?»
The one addressed nodded, unbothered to be called into the discussion «Hino Rei. She's a miko at a Shrine near my sister's school»
Yaororozu perked up at that «Forgive my intrusion, are you talking about Hino Rei-san from T.A. Academy?»
«Yes»
«I know her too, then!» she clapped her hands together «T.A. was my middle school, you see. Hino-san was my kouhai, a veritable leader and, albeit a little closed off, a paragon of manners and elegance»
Mamoru, who had seen Rei throw a broom at Minako's head for asking whether she farted during her meditations, no more than two months prior, kept very quiet at that. After all, T.A. was known for being a strict school and maybe Rei allowed herself to act like that only around close friends.
Instead, he said: «She's part of my girlfriend's group. That's how we all met Midoriya-kun, actually»
«Eeeh, so you know Kino-chan too?» Kirishima jumped in.
«That Kino? Terror Kino?» Ashido screeched when Kirishima nodded, and added «She was a legend in our district! It was a real bummer when she left. Or was expelled, they never cleared that up»
«Uh? What did she do to earn such a reputation?» Yaoyorozu frowned.
«There was a gang of older boys, a bunch of punks who terrorized younger kids» the pink girl started to explain «One day she faced them on, alone, and beat them to pulps. It was epic»
«You were there, Mina-chan?» Asui croaked, a finger under her chin in plain curiosity.
«Well, no, but I was told! And it was the talk for most of the school year. But then she left, they said she got expelled but I don't buy it, and I didn't have the chance to meet her before she left. I'm sure there is still the article online from our school's newspaper» she took her phone from her pocket and started to tap on it.
«Sounds like a badass anyway»
Uraraka nodded «She is!» and a round of questions was aimed her way, this time, giving Izuku and Mamoru a bit of respite so they could eat.
«Found it!» Ashido exclaimed at some point, showing the article to the others. It was complete with a blurred photo of a tall girl with a ponytail throwing a guy twice her size with a weird-shaped head over her shoulder, another boy was on the ground already.
«Wow»
«I bet she could beat a few of us no problem»
«I don't believe it!» Kaminari said, being the one too far from the phone to see it, unlike the rest.
«No, really, look, this was last year. Think about how strong must she be now!» Ashido shoved her phone in front of the blonde, unceremoniously going over Bakugou to do so.
Bakugou almost exploded the table «Shut the fuck up, you extras! And take that crappy thing out of my face!»
«Eeeh, his temper is worse than usual today» Sero commented.
«Thought you'd be more agreeable now that your hair is back to normal» Kaminari added «Missing the pretty boy look Best Jeanist made for you?»
«Fuck you all, I don't!»
«Looks like Kacchan d-didn't sleep well today either» Izuku muttered.
Uraraka, who heard it for being right in front of him, frowned «How do you know, Deku-kun?»
«Ah, K-kacchan is crank-kier when he doesn't sleep and has a t-tick too. He starts his exp-plosions from near the p-pinky finger instead of the center of the p-palm, he'd-done that the whole m-morning»
«My my, Midoriya-chan, you know him well -kero» was Asui's comment.
«Eh, uh, y-yes, we grew up together it's n-normal, I-I think...»
«Stop fucking stuttering, Deku! You're the one who needs to sleep more, you idiot!»
Out of habit, Midoriya hid in his shoulders, not looking directly that way when he answered: «I always w-wake up early, Kacchan. I awoke only a little before my usual alarm t-today... hey, how did you know...?»
«Your stutter-fests are dumber than ever, nerd» he scoffed, then turned around, back to his food.
«Correction: they know each other really well -kero»
«You could make a club» Kaminari joked «The sleepy-heads. Bakugou, Kirishima, Midoriya and Iida. Oh, and you could pull in that kid from 1-C, the one with purple hai...»
The following explosion, although small, went very close to Denki's hair, enough to singe a few tips. Mineta, wise for once in his life, made sure to move out of Bakugou's line of sight.
Todoroki, unfazed by the chaos, seemed to consider something and added: «I too woke up earlier than usual, this morning»
«Y-you too?! Did you have strange dreams too? Isn't it weird?»
Yaoyorozu perked up «The ancient Greeks said that dreams at sunrise hold prophecies»
«There is no scientific basis for prophecies unless specific quirks are involved, this is but a coincidence, I am certain» Iida opposed «I too woke up earlier than usual and I don't see how it could be indicative of a particular phenomenon»
«Could it be that you feel the change of season? Summer is behind the corner after all -kero»
A loud groan and Kaminari's head hit the table «Ugh, don't remind me»
«Why so down, Kaminari-kun? Summer is a wonderful moment!» Uraraka cheered «Sun, warmth, no rain, and the vacations and summer festivals and...»
«Finals»
There was a collective groan, because, yes, incoming summer was great but, before the break, there were the exams to deal with.
«I don't think you have much to be worried of,» Mamoru reasoned «You're an elite class and you certainly will be more than enough prepared if you put the same amount of effort into your studies as you did up until now»
«That's so nice of you to say!» Hakagure cooed.
«Yeah, you should learn from him, Blasty» Ashido remarked at Bakugou, who flipped her off.
Truth to be told, Mamoru was a bit preoccupied with the finals, not his own, though, but Usagi's.
He had heard Ami earlier that morning to schedule a new study plan that could help Usagi pass the strict tests at Mugen Academy. But that was a problem for the following weeks.
That weekend was for another, more important, matter: the first Provisional Hero License of the year, which worried the second-years of Yuuei and other Hero schools, as much as the Sailor Senshi.
Mamoru had full trust in the Sailor Senshi's abilities to deal with a practical exam: with the sole exception of Chibiusa, they had plenty of experience, the real work that was to follow, that was more of an issue, and yet one he was certain the girls could overcome. He only wished he could be so assured when it came to his girlfriend's academic skills.
And yet he couldn't but worry about the exam, what could entail and what could happen during it. He had a nagging feeling about it, the worry of something about to go wrong. Again, it wasn't lack of trust as much as fear for the unpredictable.
But there was nothing he could do, for the moment being.
Afternoons in the nurse's office at Yuuei were more than a bit busy. On top of the ordinary work, Hero course kids ended up there for anything from minor cuts to fractures to concussions and sometimes they were brought in by the medibot while unconscious; Support kids had every kind of mishaps, most notably explosions from failed experiments, or misuse of some equipment that led to cuts, burns and bruises, and so on.
And then there was Shinsou.
Mamoru met him on his first day of apprenticeship. Perhaps "met" was too big of a word: the younger teen was passed out from a migraine in one of the nurse's beds already when Mamoru got there. In such a state, there wasn't much talking, but Mamoru'd never been a chatty person and didn't have troubles keeping his voice lower than usual.
«Mental quirks can often lead to migraines and sleep troubles» Recovery Girl explained, quietly, to not disturb her patient, «The brain is the most complex organ in the human body and, unfortunately, the one we know the least about»
«He didn't show particular troubles during the Sports Festival» he noted. He knew because Artemis forwarded him the recording of what he missed while he was assisting in the infirmary.
The nurse hummed «Adrenaline must have kept his symptoms from showing, but the accumulated fatigue takes a while to recede, especially if he didn't take care of it properly, or if he's been training it extensively, as I suspect»
She didn't elaborate on that and Mamoru didn't ask. The next time he saw Shinsou, it was mere days later, with a sprained ankle. Aizawa, who Mamoru hadn't met personally before but at that point knew by fame, was the one who brought him in.
He knew 1-A had practical classes every other day and this wasn't one of those, not to mention Shinsou was in 1-C, so he wasn't Aizawa's student. Unless there was more going on with the two of them, and Mamoru wasn't supposed to pry in but... well, people talked and all the General Studies department had high expectations for Shinsou to transfer in the Hero Course, so it was sort of common knowledge he was being tutored for this goal. The simple fact Aizawa brought Shinsou to see the nurse was evidence on its own.
Recovery Girl, who was busy with treating the last of the support kids who came in after Hatsume from 1-H miscalculated one of her babies' offensive power and caused a rather large explosion that involved half her class, had left Mamoru to deal with the other boy, asserting it was something minor to treat, well within his abilities to deal with.
«I could have done it on my own» Shinsou protested meekly.
«I don't see why, that's the reason this office is here for... this is not new, is it?» Mamoru noted. The nerves had small tensions that told his quirk the sprain was older than the current day.
Shinsou didn't answer and Aizawa moved ever so slightly, glaring a bit his way until the student caved in.
«I slipped on a puddle on the external staircase of my apartment. Uh, Sunday evening»
Aizawa was glaring openly now «You didn't mention it»
Shinsou shrugged uncomfortably «I bandaged it and put ice on it, it was fine»
«Why didn't you have someone look at it?»
«I live alone» he admitted with another shrug, but there was a tremble in his eyes when he said so.
«So do I» Mamoru replied calmly, knowing how common it was, for the most disparate reasons, for students of important high schools to live away from their families «It's a good reason to let others treat you whenever you get the chance: it's hard to say if you're doing something wrong without corrections, bad bandaging can do more harm than leaving it untreated»
At Shinsou's dismay, Aizawa sighed «Until you'll heal, we'll work on that»
«T-that, sensei?» there was a bit of a stutter, there, a lingering fear.
«First aid. You know too little of it»
«But I can still train...» the fear, or shame, multiplied in his voice.
«No. I set the pace, kid»
It sounded final. Nevertheless, the student tried to oppose «Won't that set me back? I'm already behind them...»
"Them" most likely meant the Hero course students. Mamoru could understand the feeling of being left behind in an ever-growing power gap: Tuxedo Kamen could hardly hold a candle to the Sailor Senshi and the girls were improving even faster as of late.
«First aid is part of the curriculum of the Hero course. I thought you could postpone it and focus on your fighting abilities but, given the situation, we'll switch order. It'll change very little, all things considered»
Shinsou had to give up, nodding with slumped shoulders.
Aizawa left shortly after, with orders to Shinsou not to move until he had Recovery Girl's okay, and the teen more or less flopped on the cot with the most tired air Mamoru had seen on a human being in a long time. The dark circles he sported seemed even more prominent when he kept his eyes shut.
«You could try verbena tea» Mamoru suggested after a bit of consideration.
A purple eye opened a bit «Uh?»
He didn't stop his task to put away the supplies as he explained: «For the insomnia. I can't say it works every time, but it helps»
Both eyes were open now «I thought med students didn't have time to sleep»
«I'm not one yet. I'm a third-year, Gen Ed. And sleep is important for the regeneration of brain cells, among other things»
Shinsou perked an eyebrow but didn't follow on that, electing to say something else: «I prefer coffee»
«A terrible choice, really» Mamoru remarked.
The elderly nurse came back right that moment and Mamoru missed the tiny smirk on the other boy's face because he was busy updating his teacher. She gave a quick check on Mamoru's job on Shinsou's ankle, nodding to herself in approval, then added: «Chiba-kun is correct, verbena or mauve teas are both good options, and verbena helps with headaches too. This, unless for some reason you take medications already»
«I don't» Shinsou replied.
«Then try it. I always advise to go with traditional remedies when possible, they're easier on the liver and the kami knows you kids will have to take more than enough medications when you're older as it is. As for the ankle, don't put too much weight on it and ice it every evening. I think a week should be enough, but if you manage to have some good sleep I can give you a kiss» she instructed and gave him a candy, which Shinsou accepted with a good dose of bewilderment.
Mamoru had gotten used to the nurse's grandma-like habit - she even kept around other kinds of treats for kids who couldn't eat sugar - but it was always amusing to see the faces of his schoolmates when they got candies.
«Do you still need help with 1-H?»
«They're all good to go. You can leave too, if you want, we should be done for today» she encouraged.
Mamoru nodded and went to the side room to get back his blazer and schoolbag, not surprised to find the younger student struggling a bit with his balance.
«Do you need help going back home, Shinsou-kun?»
He seemed surprised, but shrugged «Nah, I have a bike, I can lean on that»
«You sure? It's on my way, I'd pass near your home anyway, it's no bother» the older assured. He didn't think the other would accept, he struck as an independent type, but he felt more comfortable offering his help when he could.
«How do you know that?»
«There are only three buildings in this area with external staircases that could get wet and slippery and they're all on my way» he had to say, a little embarrassed at the slip-up. It wasn't like he was keeping tabs on the other teen, far from it. It happened that, when he moved to Musutafu, he took notes of a lot of things of the neighbourhood, including possible escape plans (or going-back-home-unnoticed plans) that could be useful to him or the girls in case of attack, so, when he heard Shinsou had slipped on his apartment complex's staircase, he couldn't but assume he lived in one of those. The note on the bike sort of helped, since not many people took bikes on trains, the morning commute was notoriously busy and it was hard to maneuver a bicycle in the wagons filled to the brim.
Despite suspicion oozing out of him, Shinsou allowed Mamoru to help him with his schoolbag and they moved out the infirmary and down the corridors at a slow pace, with Mamoru occasionally extend a helping hand for the other.
At some point, after the first flight of stairs he had to skip with one hand on the rail, Shinsou almost crashed, only to be caught by the arm by Mamoru.
«Careful there» then gently picked the other's backpack «Here, let me carry that until we get down. Maybe we should have taken the elevator...»
«I'm fine»
«There's no shame in using the chances you get, Shinsou-kun»
He gave in, and they took the elevator to reach the ground floor. There was another stretch of silence but this time it was Shinsou to break it: «People don't... usually do that»
«Accompany you home?»
«Help me. Speak with me. This kind of stuff»
«Because of your quirk, I suppose» it was said matter-of-factly, but it stung anyway, although for different reasons.
«So you know. I thought...»
«I saw the Sports Festival. And, in case you didn't know, you became quite a celebrity in the General Studies department. Everyone is cheering for your transfer»
This seemed to take the younger aback and they walked quietly all the way down to the entrance, where they changed shoes and then on the way out, to the bikes' rack just behind the corner of the main building.
There were only two parked there, a red and purple one with a basket on the front, and one that had probably seen better days, the paint had chipped in some points and the handles must have seen better days if the peeling of the fake leather was any indication.
Shinsou unlocked the chain with a small key among the ones in his pocket and sat heavily on the bike. The idea was to manuever it with one leg to avoid the strain on the injured side, and it could be done with his bag in place, hence Mamoru gave it back to the rightful owner without a word needed.
They had made maybe five steps from the rack, when a rattling sound of metal came from the bike, prompting both boys to look down.
«Sure, why not that too?» Shinsou hissed under his breath, more resigned than angry.
The bike's drive chain was hanging miserably out the rings, in part sprawled on the ground, but it didn't look broken; Mamou told him this much when he knelt to check it. It was a matter of maybe half a minute to fix it, which he did promptly.
«Uh, thanks, I guess» Shinsou rubbed his neck «Again» he added.
«It's nothing. You learn all kind of tricks when you have no other option but to care for yourself» Mamoru gave the chain a little pull, just to check it was settled, then took a tissue from his bag to clean his hands.
Shinsou leaned back on the seat, still studying the other on their way out, electing to speak only once almost at the school's gates.
«You make it sound like you have lived alone for a while»
It was a noncommittal comment, but Mamoru answered all the same: «Since I was thirteen» then added: «My parents died when I was six and being adopted never worked out. How about you?»
Shinsou hesitated for a heartbeat or so «My mother died when I was twelve, so my... other birth giver pays for my house and other expenses. He got me my own place here as soon as I was accepted at Yuuei, I bet he couldn't wait to get me out of his hair. Not that I wanted to stay» then he shrugged, as much as he could while using the bike to balance his weight while moving, «I guess shipping me here was insurance for his family I wouldn't turn my villainous quirk on them. A win-win for everyone»
«This notion is disturbing»
A bitter chuckle «You tell me»
«No, I mean... the way you've been treated, it hinges on the idea quirks belong to a specific category. The whole dichotomy of Villains and Heroes, as if there was nothing outside of it, no other option. It doesn't sit well with me, your quirk can have multiple applications in different fields, yet you've been told otherwise and treated differently because of it. Not to mention only a handful of professions allow the use of quirks in daily activity, and those professions are all related to Heroes or police forces on one side and the medical field on another, despite all the different quirks out there, and I suspect it's only because Heroes need medical attention more often than other categories. It's disturbing, and damaging»
Shinsou perked an eyebrow «Most people wouldn't even think about that. Especially people blessed with good quirks»
«Perhaps that's exactly where the problem lies» was the reply «People base their perception of others on quirks, then base their behaviour patterns on an unconscious value scale that depends on "how heroic each quirk can be"; as if there's nothing more to humankind»
Hitoshi shrugged «According to society, yeah, we're pretty much that»
«That doesn't mean it can't change»
It was a curious stance, with a lot of idealization thrown in. But Hitoshi couldn't blame the senpai, his own wishes weren't that far. A different society in which people were valued for who they were and not by their quirks. Where there'd be no question whether a kid with a villainous quirk could apply for a Hero course because no quirk was seen like that. Utopic at best, nevertheless something to aspire to.
The two Gen Ed students were now on the path to get to the gate, when someone came from the other building, the Hero course one, calling for the older, who stopped and turned.
It was Midoriya, his green hair more messed than usual but smiling as he reached the others and asked: «Chiba-kun, I heard about the incident in Support! Is it alright? Are you done for today?»
«Yes, it wasn't that bad. I thought I'd find you at Yagi-san's home already, what are you doing still at school?»
«Y-yeah, well, I'm running a little late, but they know, I told Usagi-san already they said it's fine. I mean, I do feel bad for postponing it, but they said it's okay since I had stuff to do and theydon'twanttointrudewhichisniceofthemevenif-» he stopped abruptly at the sight of the other teen and smiled «Ah, hello Shinsou-kun!»
The purple-haired boy blinked and nodded slightly, surprised by both the word-vomit and the cheerful greeting.
«So was it because of training?» Chiba scowled «You know you don't have to strain yourself too thin»
Midoriya shook his head «N-no, I promise! It was for research: I had one thing I wanted to check so I stopped by the library, but it took longer than I thought to find the right books eventhecataloguedidn'thelpwithwhatIneeded...»
«I'll be on my way» Shinsou quietly said, ready to extract himself from the whole uncomfortable situation of being the odd man out in a group of friends.
«I-if we're going the same way, I can come with you, maybe? Only if you want, sure...» the green-haired boy's voice trailed off, closing in his shoulders, as if he expected to be rejected any minute.
Wasn't it weird for a kid like him? Such a great quirk didn't fit with being afraid of rejection, no? Or was it because he broke his bones and others made fun of him for that?
«We're going the same way» Chiba confirmed in his place «Come on, we can't stay in the middle of the road the whole day» he prompted.
«You don't have to come with me if you have other things to do» he really didn't feel like third-wheeling, or being babysat, for that matter.
«As I said, it's on our way, so it's no trouble» Chiba replied with enviable aplomb, so they went, with Midoriya's quiet chatter - and wasn't he a nervous wreck? what was with that? - asking hesitant questions about class 1-H's accident and saying absolutely nothing that wasn't regular school talk, not even a single jab at the fact the other two were Gen Ed and he was Heroics, or mentions about his quirk or even his recently-concluded internship - because Hitoshi could be closed off, but he knew how to keep his ears open and he knew about the rumours about Midoriya, Todoroki and Iida's "meeting" with the Hero Killer.
On his side, Chiba was mostly quiet unless asked, but always gentle and calm even when Midoriya started with his whatever was that mesh-up of words that made his speech hard to follow.
Nevertheless, Hitoshi kept to his own, unwilling to drag attention to himself, at least until it was time to part. It was soon, anyway, but then it came to his mind he had a problem he didn't consider.
«That's my stop» he said when they got close to the building, ready to see them go and handle how to get the bike home on his own even with his ankle like that. He could manage, it wasn't like he never did it before...
It was Chiba to point out his bluff «Do you keep the bike upstairs? I can help you carry it up»
«Yeah, but there's no-» he stopped mid-sentence, a sting of pain jolting up from his leg when he unconsciously leaned on the wrong side.
«Shinsou-kun, are you okay?» Midoriya fretted.
«Yeah, it's noth...»
«He has a sprained ankle he shouldn't aggravate» the older contradicted.
Midoriya's hesitant air dissolved at that. «Let me help!» he promptly said, with no hesitation whatsoever.
«Why would you?»
It was rude, Hitoshi knew it far too well, but he felt like he was like running on a fuse ready to set off. The whole day, with the sprained ankle hurting, the classes he couldn't quite focus on, the training with Aizawa being worse than subpar until his mentor forced him to the infirmary, now this... he didn't know what was this, but it upset him.
«Uh?»
«I get him, med kid and all, but you? After the Sports Festival?»
"After I tricked you. After I almost made you lose your precious spot in the Hero course"
Midoriya shook his head and replied with a thousand watts smile that was even more absurd than the whole situation: «It was a competition, it's fair you went all out!»
That... he didn't expect that. Not really. Even after the amicable way he treated him after their match, Hitoshi didn't think there was no resentment at play there. It was simply unthinkable, not in his experience with people. Even so, on the Hero course kid's face, there was nothing but eager sincerity.
Purple eyes blinked slowly, trying to process how to deal with this, then he could only say, at the both of them: «Weren't you late? Wasn't there someone waiting for you or something?» and yes, that was rude too, but he couldn't get why and how he'd act like that.
«They won't mind» Chiba assured.
And there it came to Hitoshi's mind they completely ignored they answered questions from a brainwasher with a voice-activated quirk. Didn't they remember? Or they didn't care? Were they confident Midoriya would snap out if needed, just like he did during the match?
But there was no hostility, there. He could tell because the feeling was foreign and yet not unpleasant. They genuinely were offering help, no strings attached - not like his former classmates who asked about the specifics of his quirk and then tried to convince him to use it for heinous things like forcing the teacher to give them a copy of the next test, or worse... -
Maybe Hitoshi had become paranoid, in the years. Maybe there were people who were just... nice. Such a foreign concept had trouble make itself way in his mind, but, slowly, he allowed it in, It was Yuuei, after all, there had to be at least some people who didn't aim for popularity but genuinely wanted to help others. Aizawa-sensei, for instance: he had nothing to gain from training Shinsou, it was more of a bother, in all honesty - because who wouldn't think of him as a waste of time and effort? - and yet he was doing that. He offered, when no one ever offered Hitoshi anything, not for free.
And now two more people, one of which would have a reason to resent him - but he didn't - wanted to help, and it wasn't pity either, he knew pity and it wasn't like that. Unless they were afraid of him, but those types tended to make it clear that his special treatment was for their own benefit - like that woman who sweet-talked around him but behind his back begged his father to send him away... - and there wasn't fear there either.
It was a leap of faith anyway, offering them a bit of trust. He had had to keep his guard up for years, but Shinsou left the handle to Midoriya - who happily scooped the bike up like it weighed nothing - and nodded towards the staircase with a simple: «This way»
Next to his door there was a bar where Shinsou usually locked his bike, knowing the neighbours wouldn't touch it, it was only a matter of two flights of stairs before the trio was in front of the apartment, which felt like an age but couldn't have been more than ten minutes, filled with some comments on the view - "wow, you can see a bit of sea from here!" and "are those Mugenzu's towers?"- and little more.
After locking the chain in place, Shinsou scratched his neck and looked at the other two «Uh, thanks then»
Midoriya glowed under the half-assed thanks anyway and smiled wider than before «No problem!»
Chiba took something from his bag and gave it to Shinsou «Don't forget to ice your ankle, Recovery Girl-sensei will have your head otherwise» he reminded him.
The younger looked at the item: it was one of those instant ice packs there were in infirmaries and first aid kits «Do you keep this stuff on you all the time?»
The med student shrugged «I like to be prepared. Take care, Shinsou-kun»
«See you soon, Shinsou-kun!» Midoriya added and waved as they left.
Hitoshi waved back, with a sense of ease that wasn't there before. He wasn't at Yuuei to make friends, but nice acquaintances didn't sound too bad to have.
The two were on their way to Yagi's house soon - Mamoru because he'd promised the girls to show up, Izuku for Usagi's weekly tutoring - in a silence that Mamoru would have deemed companionable, had it not been for Midoriya's evident fidgeting.
«What is it, Midoriya-kun?»
«Could I, uh, ask a thing? Only if you want to, I don'twanttobotheryouandit'sokayifyoudon-»
«Midoriya-kun, it's fine. Just tell me» Mamoru assured.
At first, the answer was a small, worried mutter, then he blurted out: «The day we met. There was this thing that happened, I saw like a building and shadows, a big fight... I don't really know what it was, but I've been having more of those dreams lately and I was wondering... I know it's confusing and makes me soundlikeI'moutofmymind...»
«Midoriya-kun, breathe» he tried to calm down the other one. Somehow, he knew the discussion was going to come up, sooner or later «I don't think you're crazy or else. Actually, I think I get what you mean and I may have an explanation»
«Really?»
«It's because of an ability I have. It's called psychometry» Mamoru hesitantly explained: «I can see the memory of things, sometimes of people too, and it can go back or forwards»
Green eyes widened the size of saucers, his previous hesitance forgotten «That's cool! Is it part of your quirk? Can you move between visions you already had? Do you alwaysneedphysicalcontact?»
«As far as I know, psychometry is an ancient ability, it pre-dates quirks by centuries, millennia probably. I usually need to touch people or objects for it to activate, but I don't have control over it, most of the time. It's never very clear and I can't always understand what the visions mean» he admitted «I'm sorry it ended up upsetting you»
The green-haired kid shook his head «You didn't do it on purpose, it's okay. It's a really cool ability to have! But...» here, the doubt was back «You said you can't control it. Is it bad for you?»
The older shrugged it off «Well, if I focus enough, I can choose to activate it, but it's harder than my quirk is and more often than not it acts on its own, and what I find out isn't always useful» he admitted, then decided to add: «In my experience, it's more than likely those were memories of the past»
Midoriya frowned «Not the future?»
«I seldom see the future, the past is more accessible and more defined, so to speak. Your vision wasn't that hazy, so I'm positive it was the past. A past life, most likely»
«Oh. So you saw it too? Stupid question, you alreadysaidthat...»
«Back then it was the Castle, and something about a sword, I think. As I said, nothing is ever clear»
«And the omens about Talismans and deities of destruction?»
Mamoru stopped abruptly «You had those too?» he wasn't expecting that part. This surely had no involvement with his psychometry, because the omens came at night, for him and the girls alike. So, while they suspected Midoriya used to be someone they knew in Silver Millennium ever since their trip in Juuban, the possibility of him being involved in the current situation was more remote, until then. If he received the same omens he and the girls did, though...
Izuku nodded «There was a voice. It called for me, to protect the Princess and Prince. I think... Usagi-san could be the Princess. Does it make sense? I mean, I know it doesn't...»
So not the exact same vision. But this opened a problem about who exactly he used to be. Serenity didn't have guards aside from the Sailor Senshi, did she? Was he someone who lived in the Castle, perhaps?
«I... don't really know what to tell you about it» he had to say, because it was true, he didn't have a clue what those referred to or what triggered them, but also because he couldn't tell anything to him without talking to the others first «I had them, sometimes, growing up. They're not harmful, lost sleep aside» he could only offer.
Midoriya nodded «What do you do with the dreams? Visions? How do you call them?» he suddenly asked, as if struck by a different line of thought.
«I try to figure them out, as much as I can, but ultimately I leave them be. Experience taught me the sense becomes clear at the right time»
«I see»
The younger kept mumbling under his breath for a short while, nothing Mamoru could decipher, but he didn't mind. There was something soothing in listening to the quiet speculations, especially when he came out with some small ideas that would be interesting to test at the first chance.
«Thank you for telling me all this. And putting up with me» Midoriya eventually said out loud.
«It's alright, I know it can be upsetting. I wish someone explained it to me when my visions started, it would have saved me a lot of research»
«You had no one who could help you with it?»
«Not really. Psychometry is not common»
«Isn't it hereditary, like quirks? Doesn't anyone in your family have it?»
«I don't know. If any of my relatives did, I don't remember it» a little pause «I don't remember my family at all»
«Ah, s-sorry! I didn't mean to be rude»
Mamoru shook his head «It used to bother me, but not anymore. I have plenty of people I can call family, now»
It was a feeling shared, in a way. Izuku smiled «I'm glad to hear it»
They picked up the road, this time in companionable silence.
There was a sense of something, lingering in the air, accompanying them on the way. Like a soothing hand on their shoulders, a gentle warmth. A presence, walking between them, almost pleasant in its sense of familiarity. If Mamoru had turned to look at the space between, maybe he would have seen the outline of the dark-haired woman with sad eyes and a kind smile who was watching over them... or maybe not.
Either way, there she was, even if neither of them quite knew it.
Notes:
Lots of notes this time.
- The first part of this chapter refers directly to the spinoff "Heroes of Silver Millennium", obviously.
- Yuuei should have a students' body of around 660 kids (11 classes, times 3 years, with 20 kids per class on average), which is way more kids than you can meet in your first two months of school. That doesn't mean Ashido Mina wouldn't try, lol.
- The bit about Minako asking Rei if she farts during meditations is canon in one of the side stories of the manga, broom throwing aside.
- I have a soft spot for Shinsou, and I wanted to celebrate him being back in the anime and to add a bit more of him and his possible family history. I went a different route from the fics I usually read about him (which I love, I just wanted to try a different take of his situation) and the general headcanons about him, I hope you don't mind. Also, Mamoru needs more male friends and with Motoki and Asanuma away, the Shitennou dead for good and Helios' appearance still far to come, he was without options. Honestly, it started as "a day in Mamoru's school life", but it turned into "Mamoru and Shinsou bond over insomnia and being orphans" plus "Shinsou doesn't trust humans and that's why". I think at some point they'll find out they're both cat lovers too, lol.
- Next chapter will be posted near the end of next month, both because it's going to have the whole Provisional Exam and it'll be hard to write, and because I have my own exams in the middle of it.
Stay safe!