Chapter 9. The Brand New World!
The morning after the exams dawns and all I feel is like one big bruise. I try to get up and all that does is force me back down. My eyes droop and my arms are heavy. Almost like lead. My bands are sitting on the nightstand nearby. I hear a soft knock on my door.
"Honey? Are you okay?" Mom asks.
"Yeah mom. I'm good. It's just that I can barely move." I answered. She opens the door and just scoops me into her arms.
"Alright then. Lemme help." She says. She carries me out of my room taking my bands with me. Her arms wrapped around me and carried me towards the bathroom. Mom and I have done this before. Sometimes my muscles just quit.
She starts the bath and the warm water pours into the large tub. She takes off my shirt and bottoms and lowers me in. The water soaks into my sore muscles making them feel way better. Mom gently rubs my muscles a little.
"Thanks mom…" I sigh.
"No problem Renaru." she replies and smiles. "My tough little guy." I watch her work. She always works hard no matter what she does. She has to be both Mom and Dad. Even though Dad isn't around I always wanted him back.
It isn't fair but we got by. Mom just needs a rest. Maybe more appreciation than she usually gets. I reach up and gently grab her wrist. She stops and grins a little at what I want to do. Gently rubbing the soap on myself.
She watches with the same interested glee as she did when I was little. Always mesmerized. Always watching with interest even when I didn't do things right. Tough when she needed to be and gentle. My mom never once tried to hurt me. Never once let me get hurt. Always there to protect me. Always shining so brightly. Always fighting. Her rough and calloused hands gently rub my back.
"Hey Renaru, promise me this." She says. "No matter what. Never lose that kind heart you got. There are too many assholes in this world."
I nod and she grins. Getting out of the tub was easier because my muscles decide to work again. I get on a shirt and my underwear and pants with my bands coming on last. Mom kisses me on the forehead.
"That's my boy." she says. I look out towards the neighbors house. Mister Shiozaki would leave on Sundays of course but… where was Ibara? Worry settles in my chest thinking that something bad happened to her.
I grab a manga and shimmy up the wall. My effort was not wasted because I didn't see Mister Shiozaki anywhere. I find my way to Ibara's room and all I see is all glass floored. The door off its hinges. Flowers crushed on the floor. The bed was massacred. The walls have heavy gouges in them. Almost like a tornado tore through it. Stabbed on the wall were a bra and panties barely hanging there like gaunt remnants of war. Books scattered like broken birds and beads dotting the floor.
I back off and scramble for the wall, getting over it almost like I'm crazy. I land on the other side and make myself scarce. Going off toward the station and through the turnstile. Boarding the train towards the city. I need to transfer lines but still. I need to find Ibara. I'm worried about her. So I might just sideswipe to Miss Maryanna's apartment. I get off the train and hustle towards the exit. Being a man on a mission. I ran like hell just to see her.
My worry grows and my legs go from a trot to a full on run. I need to see her. I need to know what happened. She's my friend. She's more than that. I stumble and lurch forward. Still moving forward. Moving with my eyes on the horizon. A memory flashes through my mind. Ibara and I when we were little. Holding hands watching the stars go by. Memories of her and I laying together. Memories of me…
"Hey Ibara! When I'm older I wanna marry you!"
That promise. How did I forget that? Why did I ever forget that I'm such a dumbass?! I skid into the complex harshly. My eyes on the apartment Miss Maryanna lives in. I surge up the stairs and the rickety metal creaks and groans under my movements. I stop in front of the door and I double over and huff. My body is screaming in pain and tiredness again. Suddenly there's a length of something around my waist. Slender arms lifting me into someone's arms.
"Renaru, what-" Ibara began. All I did was grab her shoulders.
"Tell me what happened with your dad! I forgot you lived here and I was gonna bring you a manga and-" I fell into a coughing fit.
Ibara gently brings me inside and I sit down on one of the couches. She moves towards the kitchen and I hear water softly boiling. I wait as she works on the tea without much of a ripple in her movements.
Deft and smooth. Kind of making me jealous. She was blessed with a perfect body with steady everything. She's still in the kitchen.
"I assume you want some answers." She says.
"Nah. I don't care. I just came here to see you." I say plainly enough with Ibara blushing.
"Oh. I see." she mutters. I take the cup from her and nod. She settles next to me and the silence is deafening between us. Which one of us is going to start? We sit oddly next to each other with steaming cups of tea in our hands. Just sitting next to each other is strange now. I take a swig of tea and Ibara takes a dainty sip of hers. All I want is to be with her. She always looks so sad. Her green eyes look over at me and I turn back with a slight smile.
"Ibara. It's okay to be alone sometimes. I just want to be with you." I blurt. "I just want to know what's wrong so I can help because you're… you are my only friend and if anything was gonna happen to you I would- I dunno what I'd do!"
I ball my fists into my jeans and look down at my legs. Ibara doesn't say anything much about it but I look back up at her and she's almost hesitant to grab me or do anything.
She takes a deep breath. "Of course. I made you worry and I apologize for it." her hand grabs one of mine and squeezes. "But… but you're more than a friend to me." In seconds my little friendship with Ibara turned into a nightmare. Because I felt the same way. Ibara was always there for me. Always helping me. I couldn't even imagine surviving the Entrance Exam without some kinda help from her.
I'm fucked. I'm so fucked. The robot looms over me with its shell gleaming in the sunlight with my flames barely staying alight. Of course with death staring me in the face I had to face it with my usual bravado. Then I see a green blur of something closing in fast. A rush of air blew me backward and I saw Ibara holding the robot's arm back with her hands putting dents in the metal.
"Don't you dare harm my Renaru, you sinful piece of scrap metal!" she snarls as she crushes its arm and shoves it back with a heavy kick. She turns with her eyes closing until she realizes what exactly she said.
"Did I just call you mine?" she asks me. I nod.
"Oh goodness!" She squeaks, "I didn't mean to, it just came out!" Her cheeks are beet red.
"Nah. It's okay. It's actually kinda cute." I responded. She turns away and marches away.
Now we're sitting next to each other. Our tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. She finishes drinking her cup of tea and I did finish mine too. We sit there as I mull things over.
"Renaru… I'm sorry." she sighs. "I'm sure I made you uncomfortable. So please forgive me." I sigh and wrap my arm around her shoulders. She doesn't flinch but leans into it. She seems absolutely at ease. Resting her head near my chest. My heart thudding in my chest and my hair heating up gently.
Silence took over everything else. Just sitting together with her draing herself around me. So much stronger and so much better than me. A vision of grace and compassion and beauty. A girl I never deserved. Not because I feel as though I don't deserve someone to love. It's just the fact I would have to walk alongside them. Have others look at me and her and wonder what the hell possessed her to be with a boy so gawky and small. A boy with such a slender and almost grossly muscular frame.
A boy with flaming hair that barely stays alight. A boy that teeters and totters and mumbles. A boy so odd and a boy so strange as to think he could ever match up to the titans of heroes like All Might and Endeavor. A boy so foolish to fall in love with her. I'm not good enough and I never will be. But…
Ibara moves just for a moment to look me in the eyes. Her hands drift to my cheeks. Holding them gently and seeing the turmoil. Seeing the want and hurt and all the doubt. She leans forward and I feel her lips on mine.
I close my eyes and feel her vines gently winding around me. She pulls away with a soft giggle. She's smiling again. Then she begins to hug me. Her arms loose around my waist.
"I missed this…" she sighs. "Feeling like this. Feeling wanted." I hum softly in agreement.
"Well… now you'll get a lot more." I say. I thread my hand through her hair. The shorter and younger vines winding gently around it. I feel all my stress and worries melt away. The pain settled as Ibara gently muttered prayers. My eyes close and I drift off into slumber. My sleep is easy. Dreamless. All I ever want it to be sometimes. Just to get my dumb head to shut up. I wonder if we will work out. I guess when I wake up then.
Ibara and I woke up and she slowly stretches with a yawn. She's so cute. My body feels better. Who knew her vines knew how to find pressure points? Ibara rubs her eyes.
"Oh… you're still here." She says. "Did you sleep well?"
I nod and get on my feet. "Ibara… how about we go out together sometime? Maybe see a movie or go for a walk or… well go out for food?"
She smiles and kisses me on the cheek. "I would like that very much."
I grin and head towards the door. Going out and feeling like I'm walking on clouds. Getting to the station and getting through the turnstile. On the way back home I saw something odd. Jets of flame flash around one of the biggest buildings in the city.
I didn't pay much attention because it had to be a hero. At the same time there was something odd about it. The flames aren't exactly flames at all. In fact it was almost like lava. In the inferno I didn't know who was doing it but the second I saw the jets and bursts of lava and magma.
It hit me like a truck. That's Mom. I don't know why or who she's fighting but I run off the train platform as soon as I could and book it over there. Suddenly feeling the heat growing even hotter than normal. I skid to a halt seeing an entire crowd watching the battle. Villains flying everywhere as a blac armored thing cloaks itself in a red orb of heat to slam into the biggest one who was giving her trouble.
The crowd cheers as the final villain goes down and Mom straightens. Heavy ash and smoke billow from the vents on the black and orange suit. The flames and lava fissures all fade and close back up. She surveys the crowd and I can barely contain my excitement. Mom is a hero! I knew it! There's no way she was just an assistant! She turns and blasts off into the air. We all watch and just barely after a bolt of something almost nails her in the legs.
Looming over us all is the number two hero… Endeavor. Flames wreathing around him and azure eyes blazing into where Mom stopped. His hand clenches into a fist. Just before he could fire off another blast Mom manages to fly out of range.
He snarls and clears his throat. "You. Me. Talk. Now." he moves off toward a normal enough sideroad and Mom lands to follow him. I wait until she's out of sight for me to move in. I stay at the mouth of the alley to eavesdrop.
"Enji. Listen. This is part of my job. My boss wants me to test out new gear." Mom says. Her voice even. Whoever Endeavor was… this Enji guy…
"Can it, Tekka. You had your chance to become a hero and you squandered it. Hand over the armor and I won't throw you into Tartarus."
Mom's tone darkens. "Do it and I swear to you that you're gonna regret it." Endeavor begins to chuckle and I freeze. That doesn't sound good at all!
"Oh? What if I just reveal all your past. No peaceful civilian life for you."
Mom's voice grows with a bit of a growl. "Do it. I don't care. But don't you dare involve my son in your petty little issues."
I listen as he laughs all the sudden. "As if your shaking travesty of a son will ever compare to my masterwork!" He bellows with laughter and anger makes my hair flare to life. What an asshole! I feel my heat growing as I storm out of my hiding spot.
Mom and Endeavor turn towards me. Mom looked absolutely terrified. I clench my hands into fists. My nails are digging into my palms and I glare at my uncle.
"Take that back!" I yell. "I'm not a travesty!" I watch as he strides towards me with a grin on his face.
"Well well well… if it isn't my mutt of a nephew. Go ahead and start flailing angrily." he snarls. He's inches away from me now and I tense. His smile widens and his azure eyes blaze into my soul but I stay strong.
"I want you to hit me as hard as you can…" he says.
"Oh. Okay." I say.
"Now hold on a minute. Your slow brain might've misheard me. I don't mean half as hard or just some dumb percentage of your accident of a quirk… I want you. To hit me. As hard as you can." he stops and his amused smile just makes me angrier. I breathe in quickly and close in with a heavy strike to the face. He barely flinches.
"Huh. I felt that." He says. "Not bad. But-" He swats me into the wall, the wind getting knocked out of me. I crumble into a ball and gasp choking on my air.
"You're going to fail. So sit down and stay out of my way." he growls as he turns and walks out of the alleyway. Mom blasts by me and grabs Endeavor's shoulder.
"You best apologize to my son… Enji." she snarls.
Endeavor just laughs and looks down at me. "He's surprisingly durable. If by some miracle he gets into UA, maybe he can surpass my masterwork." he turns back around and forces his arm out of my Mom's grip. Mom gently hoists me into her arms and I just glare after my uncle. My eyes staring daggers into his back. Never before have I felt more rage. How could he just call me that and get away with it?
I raise my voice, "You coward! Beating me up! Calling me a mutt! You're no hero! You're nothing but a bully! I'll beat your masterwork! I'll beat it black and blue and black again! You'll see!" I stagger to my feet and Mom tries to stop me. But all I do is glare after him. So I have a goal now. That is to become a hero and surpass this mysterious masterwork!