"Um...are you alright?"
Keigo groggily withdrew his hand from...underwater(?) and pushed back his bangs that also, for some reason, were soaked. His clothes-coincidentally-were also fully soaked. Bewildered, he glanced around. Man, he must truly be exhausted if he flew around on autopilot. Let's see….He was in the middle of what seemed to be a courtyard. Columns created "walls" towards the building; where numbers decorated doorways and child artwork clung to the drywall. A school?
Looking down, Hawks realized that he was-in fact-sitting right in the middle of a small pond. His wings ached, and he shifted uncomfortably with a groan. Wet feathers were such a pain to deal with.
"Mr. Hawks? Did you hear me? Are you hurt?"
Keigo peered lazily upwards, only to meet 17 round delight-filled pairs of eyes and 1 narrowly creased pair of amber ones. Amber-eyes wore a light purple shirt, her hair, a faded white lavender, towered smoothly in a high ponytail. Tied around her waist a white apron read, "Ms. Suzuki," and clutched around her legs were 17 children, all dressed in an orderly school uniform. Kindergartners? Keigo wasn't quite sure, he could barely remember his childhood days outside of the agency.
"It's Hawks! The number two pro hero! He's so coooool~" One of the students bravely stepped forward from behind the young teacher, only for her to grab him by the collar and drag back into place.
"Honda-kun! Hold on! We have to see if Mr. Hawks is okay!"
She regarded Hawks carefully, her eyes narrowed and squinted despite being under the shade of the nearby tree. She chewed her lower lip slightly between her teeth, perplexed.
"Hey...if you're okay you should at least answer, right?"
It was only then that Hawks realized he hadn't properly addressed any of her questions-well, question. He must really be tired to be slipping so out of it like this.
"Fine, fine!" He answered cheerily, raising from the pond and ruffling his wings. The young children breathed out squeals of delight as water droplets bombarded them.
"Sorry to intrude on your lesson sensei~ I'll be on my way now." Cracking his knuckles towards the sky, Hawks inwardly groaned. In between continuing his plans with the league and relaying information, he also had to ensure that there existed no suspicions of him. The public would grow weary if he disappeared entirely, and the league would question if he didn't maintain his appearance of a "hero" to further their plans. Like switching between two masks.
After all, only those who do not belong are able to equip such masks-for they are desperate to fit in wherever they can. Keigo longed to be free from such thoughts, yet he also questioned if that would truly be freedom.
In a world such as this, was freedom even an option anymo-
A warm hand spreads across his forehead. Instinctively, Hawks flexes his wings, the tips of his feathers curling from behind his back, encasing him-pointed at Amber-eyes who has someone managed to invade his personal space.
He can see it in her eyes. She falters slightly. Her knees buckle a bit forward. Her gaze grounds Hawks back to reality. Right now, Keigo Takami is Hawks, the number two pro hero. With a reassuring smile, Hawks steadies her tumble and draws his wings back,
"Sorry, there sensei! You probably shouldn't make a habit of suddenly touching people. Not that I mind though."
And just like that, the mask has naturally plastered itself masterfully. Good. She'd probably ask for a photo or an autograph or something. Then he could head back to the agency for a bit before leading back to work with the league. Just thinking about it caused his head to ache. Something as-
And then he felt it. It was a small sensation at first, soft and tingly. As soon as Hawks acknowledged the feeling, it quickly morphed into a rush of relief. It was as if Hawks found himself free-floating in a cozy river of security. The pleasant sensation was instantly followed by an emotion of calmness. Despite all the stress still lingering in his mind, all Keigo could feel was, well, calm-almost rested somehow, as if he just slept for 3 days straight.
"Oh geez, I knew you weren't feeling well, but this is terrible! How could you say you're fine with such a big smile?" Amber-eyes pulls back her hand from his forehead and brings it to the side of her head with a huge scowl on her face.
With a sigh, she turns to her class, "Everyone, we all rushed outside when we heard that huge crash. But everything is alright now. Please return to the classroom and finish your lunches. I'll be right in."
The children respond with an excitedly, "Yes~" before rushing back inside their classroom, their thoughts of Hawks overtaken by the reminder of their now cold lunches.
"Was that your quirk sensei?" Hawks ask interestingly.
She turns back to face him after the last student enters the classroom.
"I apologize for being so forward! I could feel your emotions so clearly you see...and the teacher in me couldn't really take it when you said you were fine." She bows down profusely, apologetic.
"No, no! I'm grateful for it really. You saved me big time. But do you mind if I ask you a question?"
She nods cheerily, a huge contrast against her now pale face. "By all means."
"What do you mean you could feel my emotions? And why do I feel so much better now, and yet you look so worn out?"
Amber-eyes laughs. "Ah, you were right when you asked if it was because of my quirk. My quirk allows me to feel the emotions of the people around me, both mentally and physically. I'm able to take away someone's targeted emotion as long as I'm touching them, have experienced that emotion before, and am able to exchange it with my current emotional state."
Then the calm he had now...were her feelings? Even with his feathers pointed at her, knees buckling and unsteady, she was calm?
Hawks lets out an impressed whistle, "That's quite a quirk you have! But that means you exchanged your emotional state with my own, are you sure you're alright?" Grateful as he was, Keigo had no desire to force his emotions on her.
"Don't worry, don't worry~ I'll only hold on to your emotions for maybe...half an hour? Though it usually depends on how great the person was feeling the emotion. But I'll be fine, really!" She smiles, and for some reason, Hawks no longer needs any reassurance.
It's strange. She's a civilian, a stranger. Yet another person that he only has to perform for. And yet in mere minutes, she easily saw through him and even went as far as to make his lie a reality. Right now, he truly did feel "fine," which was something he hadn't felt in weeks. Suddenly, the classroom door swings open. A young girl with swinging braids stands in the doorway.
"Suzuki-Sensei! Honda-kun spilled his soup all over the table!"
Amber-eyes flinches at the volume of her voice, but her smile never leaves her face.
"Well, then Mr. Number Two Hero thank you for visiting our school! I'm glad you're alright now. Please do try and pay attention when you're flying." She turns to leave, eyes never once taking a second glance at Hawks.
It's then that Hawks begins to wonder. This girl, this school, these children. When the fighting began, would they make it out safely? This town couldn't be much further from where the league was operating. What if...the only person to ever see the real him-even if it was just a glimpse-no longer existed in the world?
"Sensei~ Hold on just a minute."
She freezes mid-step, her hand on the doorway as she arches slightly to look behind her. "Yes?"
With a single thought, a feather gracefully flies towards her (she gasps in surprise) and softly floats down into her hands.
"Thank you. Hold on to that. If you ever need something, you let me know."
If there was ever truly anyone in the world who deserved a hero, he figured it should probably be someone like her.
With that, Hawks arches his back; stretches slightly, and takes off into the air. Swirling droplets of pond water and fallen leaves fill the courtyard.
Mio Suzuki glances down at the single feather in the palms of hands. What was she supposed to do with this? Dropping it into her apron pocket, she steps into the classroom and shuts the door.