Chapter 75 - A Promise to be Perfect

"Whatcha drawing? Looks ominous," Yuki leaned back on her chair to see Hagakure standing beside her desk to inspect her sketch. It wasn't much, just an abstract symbol shaded red.

"Something Rayla told me about," The bluette replied fondly, sitting upright again while tapping the page in her notebook with a pencil. "The marking of a powerful being called The Taken King; Siva's memories are a little fuzzy of his time before he became... well what he is now, all I know is that the name still gives me chills... and the sky turning black like reality was being pinched and twisted."

"I heard you talking about it with her, her emotions spiked," Kyoka added behind Yuki, arms crossed while playing with a jack. "I get the feeling she wasn't straight with you, something happened, and that symbol's part of the reason."

"Astute as always, Kyo," Yuki complimented, the rocker nodding silently. "It must've been bad then."

Guardians can live for centuries | Many have seen those die a final death | They are used to it but bear the scars

"And Solaire's been there the whole time too, reiving her that is," Yuki wore the scars Siva was burdened with, that alone was a lot to adjust to. But those two? They've seen so much more Yuki couldn't begin to comprehend.

"I hope she's okay," Hagakure's sleeves fell. "Rayla's really nice and down to earth!"

"Definitely," Kyoka agreed, snickering a bit behind her hand. "Y-Yuyu, t-take a look at that catastrophe, pfft!" She snorted, slapping her desk.

When she and Hagakure did, both practically doubled over at what they saw at the back. Aoyama and Izuku were dancing per Ashido's instructions. Though 'dance' would be a loose term. Something like a horrid water dance mixed together with rust.

I believe they are conducting a ritual | If done incorrectly | It may lead to disastrous consequences

"Pfft, hehehehe...!" Yuki clutched her stomach, puffing out her cheeks to withhold her laughter. "Zuzu, you... your dancing i-i-is, *Wheeze* *Wheeeeze*!" She couldn't breathe.

"I-i'm that bad, huh?" He stopped embarrassingly, Yuki tried to dismiss his thoughts.

"No-no, it's... it's... hahahaha...!" Hagakure leaned on the machinist's shoulder. "I'm crying~!"

"Yeah, sorta reminds me of Sato's baking, both really help out with hero work aside from just a hobby when you think about it," Kaminari held up his finger, stating quite the fact, then turned to Kyoka. "Speaking of hobbies; I bet yours and Akio's is the same, Jiro!"

"What? I dunno what you're talking about - plus Akio's is just a pastime I taught him since music's a big thing with my family," She flinched, trying to downplay the idea.

"Come on! Your dorm looks like a recording studio, and you just confirmed music's your whole life!" He crossed his arms, nodding to himself. Yuki and Hagakure felt their heads swaying back and forth between the two.

"Drop it, moron! Forget what you saw in there!" Kyoka glared, becoming increasingly more flustered. She did play music for her friends, sure, but it wasn't something she liked to publicly show off.

"She's gonna stab him." Hagakure sighed.

"Definitely," Yuki murmured.

|99.99% Likely Possibility|

Kaminari just glossed over the threat. "Oh yeah, that's passion; for real though, you should start a-" A jack swept around to poise by his throat, silencing him instantly.

Kyoka huffed, cheeks pink from being put on the spot. "Just shut it - not a word from you either," She glared down at her shadow, Viral's eye appearing.

"You're a horrible liar." She stomped on the shade before returning to a seat further away. Leaving those present dumbfounded. In the back, Akio was sleeping, though Yuki swore his eye cracked open briefly.

Later that day...

"It's coming... the School Festival," Mr Aizawa tucked himself into his sleeping bag. "Here it comes again..."

"NORMAL SCHOOL STUFF!" "Yaaay." Yuki chimed in a little softer, waving her ring fingers beside her cheeks.

While everyone was hyped, Kirishima stood up. "Hold on, Mr Aizawa, are you sure this is okay!?"

"Hush, Kirishima, don't ruin this!" Kaminari hissed.

"Think about it though there are villains everywhere right now!" He countered, Yuki raising her finger.

"Not to mention Kovik's still out there, and with the same kind of SIVA variant as mine," She didn't want to be the wet blanket but it needed to be said. "Although; outright canceling this would be worse; but I understand why you're worried Kirishima."

Mr Aizawa didn't raise his voice. "She's right, Kirishima; a reasonable point it may be, however, there are other students here aside from the Hero Course; your spotlight is the Sports Festival, this for everyone else. The Support Course, General Studies, and the Business Course," He surmised. "While not as public as the Sports Fest it's important to them, many of your peers are feeling stressed out due to the conditions at UA; Especially the Dorm System which had to be adopted because of the Hero Course."

"We basically screwed everyone else," Akio added, looking passively at the window. "While not our fault our confrontations with the Devil Splicers, League of Villains, and smaller incidences in between haven't made life for other students a breeze."

Kirishima looked guiltily at his table, sitting back down. "When you put it like that it would be unfair to cancel things."

"Correct," Mr Aizawa agreed. "So yeah; It's still on, hopefully, everyone will enjoy it. One change this year is that the event will be private to UA only, aside from staff, and a few expectations or requests for certain guests," The yellow sleeping bag slumped, eyes heavy. "You may not be the focus this time, but your class still needs to participate with something in mind, you must decide... what you want... to do... today..."

"Aaaand he's out!" Yuki clapped, looking at Iida. "Class Rep, Vice, you're up."

"Thank you, Yuki," He took his stand by the podium with Yaomomo. "Alright! As Class Rep, it is my duty to facilitate any ideas you may have! I promise to do my very best, please raise your hand if you have a suggestion!"

Then came the onslaught of words. "I wasn't expecting such enthusiasm! Calm down, we'll go one at a time!" His robot arm shot toward the electric blonde. "Yes, you Kaminari!"

"A Maid Cafe!" He beamed with excitement. "Seriously, imagine it-!"

"What's that again? Like... a kink cafe or something?" Yuki's head bubbled with question marks. Leaning over to Izuku she asked. "Any ideas?"

He blinked, staring at Yuki for a long time. Then the blood gradually soared into his face at the scandalous idea of seeing Yuki in an outfit like that.

"How may I serve you today, Master~?"

The sweet broccoli head's heart practically burst from his chest. Then reality sunk in, the girl's crimson-blue eyes waiting patiently as Kaminari ranted on.

"Y-Y-You wouldn't be into i-i-it, r-really!" His throat felt dry now.

The requests continued. First, Ochaco with her hand up, "A Mochi Shop!" "I see, celebrating Japanese cuisine!"

Kirishima held his fist proudly, and his other displayed a message from Rayla. "An Arm-Wrestling Match - oh, and Rayla said her pick is something called 'Sparrow Racing'!" "So intense, and a concept from another world!"

"NOT THE BIRD!" Her distant voice cried out.

Hagakure squirmed with excitement, "A Fun House!" "I don't know what that means but it sounds interesting!"

Ashido posed. "Disco!" "Sounds invigorating!"

Yuki slammed her hands down. "A Dance Rhythm Tournament!" "Friendly completion, I like it!"

Izuku beamed. "A Hero Quiz!" "As I'd expect from you!"

Tsui pondered. "A Frog Song," "How charming!"

Kota spoke up meekly. "A Petting Zoo?" "Also a great suggestion!"

Shoto raised a hand. "A Soba Stall." "It is your favourite!"

Flames decorated Katsuki, "A Fight to the Death!" "Unexpected for a Festival!"

Shadows encompassed Tokoyami. "A Banquet of Darkness." "Ohohoho!"

Akio and Viral crossed an arm above themselves. "A Magic Demonstration!" "A one-of-a-kind show!"

Aoyama sparkled. "My twinkling extravaganza!" "Huh?"

Kyoka didn't seem very into it. "Maybe a skit...?" "Possibly!"

"Right, anyone else?" The list when on for a while.

Yaoyorozu raised a list in her hand. "Right, to start; we should eliminate any inappropriate, impossible, or confusing from the list." Several were scored out.

Unfortunately, by the time the bell rang, no one had come to a collective idea.

"Well, that was a very unproductive meeting," Mr Aizawa yawned in passing, stopping before the door. "Decide what you'll do by tomorrow morning, if you don't we'll go with my idea."

"What? A Cat Cafe?" Yuki smirked until a binding snapped around her mouth. "MMM MMM MMM-MMM!?" She threw her arms up and down in a tantrum.

"No..." Hell's gate crept open before his eyes. "An Educational Lecture."

"YOU MEAN JUST A CLASS!?"

[Dorm 1-A]

"Soooo, you're all screwed, that about sum it up?" Nana sat on her stomach, waving her legs back and forth.

"Pretty much..." Kaminari grimaced. "Honestly, coming up with the ideas was the easy part."

"Actually deciding led to World War Three." Akio tacked on, leaning back on the sofa. "Combining them isn't as easy as it sounds; think of it as a magic seal, you can't just write some jibberish you need consistency."

Nana rolled onto her back, playing with the tip of her tail. "I guess I can give ya one, though it's up to you..." She whistled.

"What is it?" Tsui asked the mini Yuki pointing toward the ceiling with her tail.

"A Talent Show," She shrugged. "If ya have nothing else that'll give you something to put all your ideas toward, but again, last resort kinda deal - plus, I want credit for music production!"

"Huh, so where's the Raid Team?" Ojiro inquired.

"Not here-" Kaminari answered. "They're in extra classes so we'll have to pick for them."

"What about Bakugo?"

"Sleeping."

"Now that things have quietened down I have some thoughts about our list," Iida looked up from the pages. "It's clear we've caused some strain on the other students; it might be wise to choose something that would lift their spirits to make it up to them."

"I don't disagree; we're aiming to be heroes, right?" Yaomomo added softly. "So we must be aware of any trouble we've caused for others."

"Correct; That in mind, I don't think we can offer the students of UA a meal since Lunch Rush's cooking is so widely available with master chef quality." Iida crossed off more from the list.

"We have to keep their needs in mind; if we're the only ones having fun it'll be a disaster," Shoji pointed out.

"Yes; but what? There must be some service we can provide..." Iida contemplated further.

"Try to make something that'll get the heart pumping," Nana pipped up again, sitting upright. "People want to be entertained so go for something that'll get you lost in the moment, no ulterior motives; Go for an experience that everyone just wants to get up and dance to - like Miss Ashido suggested."

"She's right," Shoto stepped forward. "And Ashido's idea would work too."

"You'd be into that?" The pink girl was surprised once Shoto knelt down, taking the laptop from Yaoyorozu, typing something into the video-sharing service.

"Hang on a second; there's something I've seen before, I don't know what it's called exactly but everyone looked like they were enjoying it," He typed up the video he saw, scrolling to the right thumbnail. "There, something like this."

"A rave? Yuki's right, you are strange," Nana leaned over his head. "But yeah, something like that."

"Never pegged you for this stuff," Sero commented.

"Maybe he's a super-secret rave lover?" Akio suggested, then went wide-eyed. "Woah, that be cool."

"No, I just agree with Iida's opinion; we should provide stress relief for the other courses," Shoto answered simply. "I got the idea from my extra exam training."

"What the heck kind of exam was that?" Sato had... another idea of whatever that could've been.

"Interesting; singing and dancing, huh?" Iida liked the sound of that, it fits every box they ticked.

"But none of us can dance; no one wants to see some cringy routine." Sero dismissed.

"No prob; I got you fam!" Ashido pointed to Aoyama, the man's movements slicker than butter compared to before. "Ta-da~!"

"And we'll need some killer music too; gotta have the crowd enthralled to your beat," Akio raised a hand. "And I can think of a certain someone..."

"Akio..." Kyoka gulped. "Wait a minute..." Everyone was looking at her now. "Crap, he planned this!?"

"Why don't we perform live with all your instruments?!" Hagakure leapt toward Kyoka, grabbing her shoulders.

"Absolutely not!" The rocker denied, deflating the bubbly girl's aura.

"What's wrong? You're really good at playing, and teaching people how to play," Hagakure reinforced. "And you always look like you're having a ton of fun while playing music, I bet everyone in school would love to hear you rock out!"

It was a great idea; an amazing one, but... Kyoka felt smaller in their eyes, looking down at her jacks as she tapped them together. "No... I'm not Ashido or Sato; their hobbies help their hero work, they have a purpose, but music, it really is just a hobby."

It finally dawned on Kaminari why Kyoka retaliated. "Oh, so that's why you got weird, sorry about that, but..." He looked to his left a moment.

Akio stood up, scooting past his class to reach her side. Purple met green before he lifted her necklace with a music note attached. "Remember when I gave this to you? I said, 'Your music makes you a hero'," Her eyes widened to his gleeful smile. "It doesn't affect your hero work directly, but music touches the soul of people; they can feel sad, or happy; It flows through their veins, making them feel powerful,"

His hand lowered the charm, brushing her bangs over her ear. "If anyone aside from Nana over here can invoke that feeling in people with music, it ought to be the girl who taught me how to play, to feel there's more to life than running from the past I can't remember."

The girl's face shaded a little darker, heart beating erratically, attempting to find her counterpoint that never came. "Y-you seriously think so...?"

"Never a doubt," He closed his eyes with a grin. "Cheesy as it is, I'd put my faith in that."

"You could say the same for me," Viral appeared, tucking his hood over his scar. "You are hardly some novice, embrace your talents and show these mortals what you're made of."

"Jiro!" Even Kota stepped in passionately. "They're right, you can use your talents to make other people smile! Your music would definitely be useful when you're a pro!"

"I second that!" Nana waved lazily. "My Quirk literally involves music so I can see where you're coming from - and your voice is really amazing too, Miss Kyoka!"

Yaoyorozu stepped in for her flustered friend. "Look; I understand where you are all coming from, but it is her choice to make."

"Well?" Akio asked, waiting patiently. "Your call, Kyo."

"Honestly? After what you all said..." She lowered her arms behind her nape, looking bashful. "If I didn't do it, I guess it wouldn't be rocking at all."

"YEAH!"

With the class up in arms for their concluded idea. Kyoka tugged at Akio's shirt, forcing him to lean closer to her to receive a peck on the cheek from her. "Thanks... you jerk."

His face looked a thousand times brighter after that. "Just wanted to see you smile again, not a problem!" Of course, that was his intention. Kyoka really didn't understand how she fell for the idiot who came from the sky. But she wasn't complaining.

The next day...

The door to the hospital room slid open; instead of her usual doctors, Eri was surprised to find the three heroes she met standing before her with smiles. According to what Mr Aizawa said to them, she was concerned about Yuki, Izuku, and Mirio since the incident. They were her only request since her Quirk no longer held the power to rewind.

Eri sat on her knees facing them once Mirio finished slicing up an apple for her. "This whole time, even when I had a fever, all I could think about was how much you did for me, how you saved me... but, I don't even know your names."

"A girl like her can't be this cute!?" Yuki restrained herself.

"I know Lemillion's name but that's it, so who are you?"

"My name is Yuki Azuru; my hero name is Aksis." Yuki bowed her head politely.

"And I'm Izuku Midoriya, and mine's Deku." He offered with a smile. "You know what? Deku is probably easier to remember, so yeah, I'm Deku since it's shorter."

"A hero name?" She asked.

"It's like a nickname, sorta."

"So Lemillion, Aksis, and Deku... and there was a man wearing glasses," The three of them felt their hearts twist. She... didn't know about Nighteye. "All of you ended up getting hurt badly because of me..."

"As far as we know she's wracked with guilt; she's been blaming herself for what happened. So we haven't told her about Nighteye."

"It's all my fault, all the terrible stuff that happened, I'm so sorry." She was practically on the verge of crying. She shut her eyes, tears beginning to form with her croaking voice. "I know that... you lost your power protecting me, Lemillion," She sniffed. "And Dren said he wanted to save me... he did, he stopped me even though he was really hurt..."

*Pat*

Yuki moved to sit beside the girl suffering her own turmoil, wrapping an arm around her back to hug her gently. She opened her eyes, staring up at Yuki's loving smile. "Chisaki may have told you that, telling you it was your fault, but nothing you've done was ever in the wrong," She held up her fist. "You saved me and Deku, your power saved us - and Dren, he wanted the same thing for you, to be free."

"Your Quirk... is a blessing, Eri!"

"I do hope someone will rescue you."

"She's right, Eri," Mirio smiled, patting the girl's head. "I guarantee not a single one of us believes it was your fault; I know what we are thinking, 'Man, we're super glad Eri's okay'," Her tears started to fall, only for Yuki to lift her sleeve to wipe them gingerly. "We all fought because we wanted to see you smile." His face was sincere.

Eri peered around at the three, staring for the longest time. She cringed, crinkling her nose while pinching her cheeks. Every twitch in her face pulled at her muscles until she sagged, hands dropping to her lap again. "This is so silly... I think I forgot how smiling feels..."

It finally hit the nail. Eri was safe, Overhaul was gone but...

"SOMEONE ELSE IS ABOUT TO DIE BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Ah, yes, it's so much easier to be hurt yourself than allow others to be hurt for you."

That crooked visage of a monster sunk his claws around her. A harrowing revenant shadowing her head with its beak. Eri's heart was still caged by Overhaul's spirit. She was still trying to escape. Yuki eyed Izuku, they shared the same thoughts, something had to change, something to help Eri see a bright future again.

Then it hit them, what Aoyama said that day. "A surprise..." Yuki was struck by a revelation.

"According to the doctor, since her horn's smaller she's more in control! And less likely to lose said control," It started to form in Izuku's mind, growing hopeful when Mr Aizawa said 'a few expectations and guests' were allowed. "Mr Aizawa!" Izuku stood up to talk with him. "Do you think Eri could leave the hospital, just for a day I mean?"

"It's not totally out of the question; actually, we were thinking-"

"I had an idea to lift her spirits up!" That caught him by surprise behind his scarf.

"And what would that be?"

"She could come to the School Festival!" Yuki caught on quickly, hugging Eri closely. "Think about it? Totally secure, tons of heroes, and you'll be there if anything goes wrong!" She whisked a few blue nanites through the air. "I've also been attempting to replicate that pulse shot Dren made to disrupt her Quirk like before so we have that too!"

She leaned forward. "What's a festival?"

Lemillion shot around, his lightbulb shattered. "Eri; this is the best idea ever! You're gonna have such a blast; A School Festival is where all the students plan super exciting things at our school for our classes to have fun with! There's lots of game, activities, and tons of yummy food!" Then candy apples appeared around him. "Oh, and get this, there might be candy apples there!"

"What are candy apples?" Eri was blushing with anticipation her face couldn't show. Scarlet eyes wide with speculation and wonder.

"You dip an apple into some crackly sugary stuff and make it even sweeter," Mirio clued her in, her eyes lit with stars that made Yuki coo again, hugging the little girl tightly who was drooling.

"I can't take it! You're so freakin' cuuute~!" Yuki nuzzled the girl's cheek as Mr Aizawa pulled up his phone.

"Akame's infected her head..." It was a fine idea though. "Alright then, I'll talk it over with the principal."

"Woohoo! You're going to the festival Eri!" Yuki threw her fist high. "This just got a lot more exciting~!"

"Well, Eri, what do you think?" Izuku asked.

She looked to her lap again. "You know, a minute ago, when I didn't know your names I felt sad and didn't know what to do," Eri raised her head, and while unable to smile, something in her eyes was itching to break free. That glimmer of hope was budding, and Overhaul wouldn't snuff it out this time. "Because I knew more than anything I wanted to be friends with the people who helped me."

"Yes, that's what we want too!" Mirio agreed.

"We'll need to prep some notes to help win the principal over though, just to be safe," Yuki added, throwing her mask on so the eyes could curve. "We'll make it happen!"

"Yeah, you bet!" Izuku was pumped.

"I'm on a break for a while so I can totally hang out with you before our Festival Date." Mirio pointed at himself, missing the blue flames circling Yuki.

"A date?" Eri tilted to one side.

"Lemillion..." Yuki seethed, clutching Eri closer protectively. "You taint her innocence, and I'll hurl you into the Vex Domain..."

"Hahaha, you're a riot, Aksis!" Mirio was unphased or was clueless.

Izuku sweatdropped. "Her Eliksni instincts are kicking in..."

"In one month, the School Festival would arrive, however..."

Alone on a mountainside that overlooked a large city, the air was thick and hazy with a dark smog. Forest green embers traversed the cliffside, sharpened across a large, black cleaver. It continued to sharpen its blade with the shell of a withered Ghost, the Light dried up. The swordmaster held one conviction, blue particles shimmering in its dark orange eyes.

"...A Darkness we had no perception of would come to snuff out the Light."

To Be Continued...

The Festival is on the horizon, and while it is a bit of filler beforehand, we've got some startling developments in store for some extra juice. I hope you enjoyed it, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Heroes!

Next Chapter: Secrets Revealed! Perfection Halfway!

Kyoka: Alright; it's time to get to work!

Akio: Montage time~!

Izuku: I'm starting to really get a handle on One For All.

Yuki: You're halfway there, but I wonder about that other ability of ours...?

Kyoka: Hey, can we talk for a sec, you guys?

Akio: Coming up; Secrets Revealed! Perfection Halfway!

Izuku: Go Beyond-

Yuki: -Plus Ultra!