UA High School - 2157 (12 Years Ago)
Shouta fiddled with the gown, the material already getting on his nerves as they stood in line beside the stage.
The principal adjusted the microphone to the right height before clearing his throat.
"Good morning. Today we are here to celebrate our graduating classes as they prepared to make their next steps. We thank you all for coming and hope you cheer on all of our students as they make their way onto the stage to accept their diplomas."
He took a breath.
"First up we have Class 3-A. Now sadly we must start on a lower note than we usually do. During his second year, Oboro Shirakumo a student on the hero course tragically lost his life saving a group of school children. His actions that day saved thirty young lives and his bravery will never be forgotten. I would like to thank those of you who came to the memorial ceremony where we unveiled the plaque dedicated in his name out in the gardens beside the school's east wing. His name shall live on as part of UA's history and we honour him today by presenting his diploma to his Mother and Father."
The parents and family sat in the balconies were on their feet as they clapped in support of the couple.
Inko shook her head as she struggled to hold back tears.
"I can't even imagine what that must feel like; oh I do hope they're doing okay."
"I don't know if I can forgive them for how they treated Shouta afterwards."
"Mitty they were going through a lot."
"He was sixteen and they blamed him for the kid's death! The whole thing was a fluke, a damn accident on all sides and that's all. It should have been left at that."
"If you were in their position and that had been Kacchan you would want answers too and you know it."
"I wouldn't ever blame a kid, I don't care what mental state you're in, if you take your anger out on someone as vulnerable as a grieving child then you can go rot in my opinion." Mitsuki sighed. "The sad thing is the kid would never have wanted this, everytime he was round our place, Oboro always used to tell me about how much better Shouta was getting and their plans for the agency they were gonna' create when they became pros. He would hate a damn plaque in a garden, and he sure as hell wouldn't stand for his Mom and Dad victim blaming his best friend."
"You need to calm down, babe." Masaru's calm voice spoke up.
She took a breath.
"Hizashi was there too." Fumiko Yamada spoke up. "His voice quirk was the reason that building came down but it wasn't his fault, the villain absorbed the sound waves and amplified them to bring down the structure."
"It took four months for him to be able to use his quirk again. Those boys had lost enough already, to see them climb out the other side was a miracle." Hana added.
Shouta froze as he watched Yui and Aito walk up onto the stage.
He couldn't do this.
Making his way through the huddle of students he headed off towards the main school building.
"Shouta!" He heard Hizashi call after him but he didn't stop.
Masaru adjusted a sleeping Kacchan against his chest before softly nudging Mitsuki with his elbow and pointing towards the students.
"Shouta's gone."
Mitsuki tried to spot him but couldn't, only managing to find a distraught looking Hizashi instead.
"What's wrong?" Inko asked, Izuku squirming on her lap to try and catch a glimpse of his older brother.
The three of them watched as Hizashi took off towards the school.
Mitsuki sighed.
"Shouta Aizawa." The Principal announced but the stage remained empty. "Okay... em, Keiji Azuma."
Inko turned to Fumiko and Hana next to her, the two women having noticed their son leave too.
"I'm sorry about this." She apologised.
"Hizashi doesn't care about a piece of paper. Today was always going to be hard but they've got each other to get through it, that's what matters." Hana replied.
Inko smiled.
Fumiko clearly wasn't thrilled but didn't say anything.
Izuku, who had grown accustomed to seeing Hizashi's parents, shuffled along to crawl onto them.
Just as Inko was about to scorn him, Hana immediately began to fawn over the three-year-old, wrapping her arms around him as he contently sat on her lap watching the ceremony.
"He has a lot more energy than Kacchan, huh?"
"He certainly does." Inko smiled.
Masaru couldn't just sit anymore.
"Could you take Kacchan?"
"If you hand him over you'll wake him up and then he'll never go back to sleep, it's probably gonna' be best to just take him with you."
"Okay." He nodded before standing up and shuffling out the row, gently stroking a comforting hand through his son's hair as he did so. "Come on buddy, let's go see if your big brother's okay."
Crossing the courtyard and entering the school building it didn't take him long to locate the two boys.
Shouta and Hizashi were both sat on the floor leaning back against a set of lockers, their cheeks wet as they huddled against each other, hands intertwined.
They looked up as he approached.
"Who is it?" Shouta asked Hizashi.
"Masaru."
"Oh."
He thought that maybe his adopted son would hide the intimacy the two were currently sharing but neither of them made a move.
He remembered when Shouta fearfully came out to them, clearly terrified he was going to get sent back because of it. Even after they told him there was nothing wrong with being gay and that they still loved him regardless he still shied away from any displays of affection towards Hizashi when they were around.
The two of them had been dating for nearly a year now and it never failed to make Masaru smile seeing the effect Hizashi had on the kid. Shouta was happy and that's all he could ever have asked for.
"And a sleepy Kacchan." Hizashi added with a smile.
"You boys doing okay?" Masaru asked softly.
"We'll survive. Sorry I ruined everything." Shouta apologised.
"You didn't ruin anything, we know why you couldn't and that's fine, it was your choice."
Losing Oboro had changed both the teens.
Since joining the hero course in his second year Shouta had dramatically transformed as a person, the scared, quiet boy having become a typical, chatty high schooler with friends. After Oboro's death Shouta blocked people out, hid away, and basically shut down. He was barely eating, hardly sleeping, training 24/7, and throwing up almost daily thanks to pure stress from the police investigation. Masaru remembered clearly the day when he'd reached his limit, the boy having broken down, sobbing in his wife's arms as everything he'd held in, everything he'd refused to feel came rushing out.
And then he'd asked for help and Masaru couldn't have been prouder.
Therapy did the kid a world of good as he was finally able to take about his father, the death of his mother, his life in foster care, those two weeks on the streets, and so on. That coupled with the joint grief counselling sessions he had with Hizashi, the two teens slowly and surely came back into their own, returning to UA a few months before the end of their second year and adjusting well.
Seeing them looking so much older and mature in their gowns made him smile.
He needed to remember to take a picture.
"You two doing okay?"
"Yes, sir." Hizashi replied with a grin.
"Shouta?"
The boy nodded.
"I'm fine."
He picked himself up off the ground, dusting off before walking over to him.
"May I?"
He motioned to Kacchan.
Despite Mitsuki's warning he handed the sleeping child gently over.
Shouta smiled as he held his younger brother close, the boy not stirring at all.
"Is Zuku with Inko?"
"Well actually he's currently on Hana's lap."
Hizashi looked up and laughed.
"Of course he is."
Later
"Master Aizawa."
Shouta paused at the voice of Nezu-sensei; his old homeroom teacher back in General Studies.
"Sensei."
He crouched down.
"I have this for you." The teacher handed him the rolled up diploma. "I know it's only a prop until your real one arrives but it's still part of the experience."
"Thank you."
"It was nothing."
"I mean for everything. I know you had a part in selecting me during the entrance exam despite, you know." He vaguely motioned towards his eyes. "And you recommended me for transfer after the sports festival."
Shouta paused, taking a breath.
"There aren't many teachers who would implement an open door policy for a single student. It really helped knowing there was always someone on campus I could talk to."
He held out his hand.
"So thanks."
A small paw reached out and shook it.
"You are a very strong-willed young man and you're going to go far. It was an honour to teach you even for a year. From General Studies to a licensed pro, I must say we've never had a student like you and you did that all yourself. I assure you there will be many a future student who will walk these halls talking about your achievements. You should be proud of what you have accomplished and the friends you made along the way. Your family are very proud and I'm sure your Mother will be too."
Shouta paused, his breath catching in his throat at the mention before a soft tearful smile came to his face.
"I'm sure she will."
"I hope we may meet again in the future." Nezu gave him a pat on the arm. "Enjoy the festivities."
"Shouza!" The excited voice of Zuku shouted.
"I know they definitely will." He smirked.
One Year Later
"He lives!" Nemuri exclaimed sarcastically as he answered the phone.
"I will just hang up on you..."
"Oh don't be a grump."
"What do you want, Nemuri?"
"Did you give it some thought?"
"Yes."
"And?"
"No."
He heard her groan down the line.
"Why not?"
"I have zero interest and I'm not good with kids."
"That is absolute bullshit, what do you call all that with Zuku and Kacchan then?"
"Having brothers?"
"They're still kids!"
"You're not gonna' let me say no, are you?"
"Hizashi already signed up."
"Hizashi is a mad man."
"Just give it a go, come on."
"I'm not working for that buffoon."
"Good 'cause he doesn't even work here anymore, he hasn't for months."
"So who's the principal then?"
"Nezu. He's always asking after you."
His old teacher had got a promotion it seemed.
"Do you really think the top hero school in the country would be interested in a blind teacher?"
"There you go again, just stop with the self-deprecation would you? You're the best hero of the three of us."
Shouta scoffed.
"Nezu wants you to teach the A class, the job's waiting for you if you accept."
"Wait a minute, I haven't even applied."
"He wants alumni not hired in tutors, the money's average but it's rewarding as hell. You've always said you wanted to help people in your position so why the hell not?"
He exhaled.
"I'll think about it."
"Yay!"
"That wasn't a yes…"
"It might as well have been. I'll see you next week for the faculty meeting."
"Nemuri…"
The line went dead as she hung up.
Shouta groaned.
"I'm going to regret this."
Five Months after Oboro's Death
The night before they were set to return to UA, he and Hizashi had gone to the graveyard for the first time to see Oboro's memorial. Their plan however had one small hurdle.
Mr. and Mrs. Shirakumo.
"We just want to say goodbye, you didn't let us at the time."
"No! You have done enough! Our little boy is dead and it's..."
Shouta's breath caught in his throat as he forced the words forward.
"Say it." He challenged.
"The building came down because of your quirk, and you're blind! Oboro might still have been alive and in urgent need of medical care but you couldn't see him."
A finger jammed against his chest.
"You killed our son!" She screamed.
Heavy footsteps could be heard before Shouta was suddenly shoved backwards, losing his footing and falling to the ground.
"Hey!" He heard Hizashi shout.
"I think it's time you go."
Shaking, he struggled to hold onto his composure as he bit his lip, never having felt more blind.
A hand came to take his own before he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and led away from the memorial, barely reaching the gates of the graveyard before he violently threw up.
"This is my fault..." His weak tone shook as the words stumbled out. "The police know it, they know it, I'm so sorry."
"Look at me."
Shouta didn't.
"Look at me."
Hizashi placed his hands on the sides of his friend's face and lifted it so that he was facing him.
"Everyone's reason for blaming you is what, because you're blind?!" His friend paused, the voice hero's anger rising. "Don't ever apologise for that, do you hear me?"
Shouta nodded.
"You have a provisional license in the top class of the top hero course in Japan; do not let them undermine you or your abilities. You're not a hero because of your disability, or a hero despite your disability, you're a hero with a disability. You're gonna' inspire a hell of a lot of people, Shouta."
He reached up and gently tucked Hizashi's hair behind his ear, fingers coming into contact with his plastic hearing aids as he did.
"Speak for yourself."
"The world needs us regardless of whether they know it yet. I am not giving up, and neither should you."
"Who said anything about giving up?" Shouta quipped.
Hizashi smiled.