Better late than never.
This chapter... dragged me across the coals. I ended up restarting the opening segment so many times that I had to forgo my usual practice of writing it out on paper first and just went straight to a word document. Some parts after flowed much better than others and the end in particular I'm not too happy about but by then I was just burned on rewriting so often so I powered out what I could and just gave a view once-overs to make sure it wasn't utter trash.
That said, I am rather amused by just how much I ended up writing under that mindset. Again, some parts flowed very well, for whatever reason. At any rate, enough belly aching from the author. Read on people.
As always, notes are at the bottom.
As Hokuto predicted, the coach had more than enough seats to accommodate everyone. The Aozora instructor busied himself this time spectating the "exchange" between Osmund and Nedzu. Whilst his pup continued acting like a puppy, the UA principal conducted himself as though in the midst of a stimulating conversation. Being able to follow about a third of their dialogue, Hokuto knew they were jumping around some mostly stupid topics.
But it beat trying to antagonize the driver again, who'd taken to keeping one hand on a holstered police baton on his left thigh. Man took his cookies seriously.
At least Aizawa, through no desire of his own, served as a ready source of entertainment. Though Osmund had reclaimed his rightful place atop the peak of Mt. Senki, Nedzu had swiftly taken the abandoned throne of Shouta's scalp as his own. The stubbly faced teacher looked truly defeated – bus driver was almost tempted to offer the man a cookie.
Toshinori sat in the same seat as Mr. Senki, looking about as nervous as a spooky-scary-skeleton man on a bus full of heroes in training probably should have. He had sent as discreet a nod in Midoriya's direction as he could before sitting down. Of course Hagakure had noticed, just as she had seen Izuku's not-so-subtle return nod. But she could save her questions for later.
Midoriya watched as his current teacher started a lighthearted exchange with his incognito mentor. It seemed like he was trying to soothe the older man's nerves, the two talking in subdued tones. This only furthered his thought that Mr. Senki was the "associate" All Might had mentioned a while back. Not that he had much time at the moment to really think about such things.
Uraraka did, in fact, get to sit next to Izuku. That alone was pretty distracting. But when Hatsume insisted on continuing their heated discussion from the previous bus trip, she did so by jumping the seat in front of Midoriya and landing square between his legs. When the girl crouched down and basically presented her cleavage to the boy above, Ochako's face went scarlet. She solemnly swore she was not staring.
The fact that her normally nervous seatmate seemed so accustomed to this position was starting to upset her.
Ikaruga again took up her post above the bus' central aisle. Albeit this time the spider girl was sitting cross-legged, her rump against the ceiling with her arachnid limbs holding her in place. She was, as expected, tapping furiously at her phone's touchscreen.
But she was far from alone in her current activities.
Standing just beneath her, partially in the aisle and leaning up against the tall back of his seat, was a comically focused Kisuke. The spike haired teen had adopted the textbook, cartoonish pose of "concentration," his eyelids closed to tiny slits, his pupils trembling with strained focus, and his tongue poking out from the corner of his mouth.
"I predict your upcoming demise in three… two… one."
In line with Ikaruga's countdown, Kisuke's avatar became a spray of ash as the veteran player nailed him with some sort of laser weapon as he rounded a corner. He could only groan in frustration, squaring his shoulders and resuming his "concentration" as his character swiftly respawned. The spider girl allowed a brief smile.
She allowed several more as her killing spree persisted, numerous cries of anger and hopeless whines sounding out from all over the bus.
Hagakure shook her head, uncaring of the action's lack of perception. Minetta, taking up the seat beside her, was leaking as much fluid from his forehead as he was from his eyes. To his credit, he played on regardless, knowing full well by now just how supremely outclassed he was. The invisible girl was just bewildered by the whole scenario: she could understand the UA students, but her fellow classmates should have known better than to challenge Ikaruga in competitive gaming.
From a few rows ahead, Tooru listened as Midoriya's blonde "friend" – she'd recognize that yawp from a city block away – damn near snapped his mobile in half, stopped only by the muscular red head in the seat next to him. She mused that there were some upsides to their impromptu skirmish.
With most of the transport's occupants otherwise occupied, the majority failed to notice when the lighting outside dimmed considerably. Midoriya perked at the shift, seeing the space they were traveling through to have shifted to a wide tunnel of sorts. Amber light overtook the covered parkway and traffic ahead seemed to have ground to a snail's pace.
Then the bus driver, force of forward momentum that he was, started bullying his way towards the side of the road. His chosen strategy was marvelous in its simplicity, merely plowing the vehicle's considerable bulk across the lanes, offering other motorists a telegraphed route to avoid but zero compromise in his own capacity to yield. Those who dared to challenge his authority were summarily barraged by vitriolic shouting and rapid blasting of the bus' horn to drive his opponents into submission.
The entire display had Toshinori on edge. Hokuto perched himself right by the bus master's seat, adding his own encouragement to the driver's endeavors. With a short click, the stout man presented a steel baton in the teacher's direction, not having to look as he warned Mr. Senki off of his now guarded cookie stash. Hokuto had the grace to appear dejected, Osmund rotating on his scalp in order to bat his master's face with his wagging tail.
As in their previous bus ride, Naota was out of his seat and headed down the aisle before the bus had even come to a stop. The inverted Ikaruga, still engrossed in her game, leaned back until she was essentially laying across the top of the bus. Still Naota had to duck down to avoid getting a face full of her violet lockes.
But unlike before, plenty of people began to sober up as the vehicle pulled into a parking lane. The gaming session was almost unanimously brought to a close as those involved pocketed their phones and started to collect themselves. Ikaruga, of course, committed herself until the end of the round. Kisuke likewise kept playing, though he cast some curious scans of his fellow teens rousing all around him.
Iida was on his feet and down the aisle in record time, filing in second behind Naota. Ochako made to question him as he passed, but the stern student kept his eyes forward, his already militant form somehow more rigid, a touch of haste in his steps. Her arm fell limp as the boy swept by.
At the same time Izuku roused Mei out of his space, leading her to the aisle and beginning to stand himself. The gadget girl was sniping her laptop's keys at a fast pace, Midoriya turning to offer his hand to a somewhat dazed Uraraka. Her still raised arm made for a swift response.
"I've seen Iida get caught up in his own momentum," the brunette softly spoke, "but this is…"
Looking Izuku in the eyes, Ochako froze at the rather dour atmosphere that seemed to have manifested. The boy was staring down, his eyes half open and his features slack. His tone came more subdued than hers, "He probably knows where we're going…"
Hatsume pecked one last key with pronounced energy. There was a short pause as the computer's screen loaded… and then the inventor's eyes widened. As another student shouldered past her towards the exit, Mei's dense lockes swung about with force as she twisted to stare out the side of the bus.
"What do you-"
Uraraka was cut off as the transport jolted to a halt. Mei marched down the aisle as Izuku pulled Ochako to her feet. Minoru leaped onto his familiar perch on Midoriya's back as Hagakure stood by at the rear of the formation.
Outside the windows was a busy sidewalk, dozens of commuters striding to and fro across the concrete. Many were hailing cabs and pooling outside of public buses, waiting for their turn to board. Many more were flooding in and out of a wide row of glass, automated doors set into the wall of the tunnel. The border of the wide entrance was done up in polished marble, four rounded, Grecian-style pillars intersecting each set of doors. The space beyond was brightly lit, white tile flooring stretching out from the entry.
Above the doors, written in lustrous gold, was a name and a message.
"The Shepard's Station:"
"A Place of Passing,"
"A Rest for Heroes."
They made their way swiftly through the interior. Aizawa took the lead, his stylish Nedzu-hat gaining him a wealth of attention. The UA instructor paid the pointed looks of the masses no heed, marching over pale tiles with fast footfalls.
The enormous hall they traversed was a kind of terminal hub, numerous off-shooting stairs and corridors leading to various connecting rail lines and to street level where several bus routes intersected. Many small shops and eateries sat between the adjacent corridors, a splattering of free standing chairs and tables seated in front of the stalls.
Most curious of all was the lighting. The roman-esque décor remained present in the towering pillars that held up the room's center and ran in several spaces along the walls, their height done up in the same marble white as the floor. But the air was veiled in gold, brilliant streams of sunkissed light streaming in from a source on high. Long slots lined the point where the straight walls met the curved ceiling of the terminal, allowing beams of saffron to fill the space. The likeness to natural daylight was stunning – perhaps a bit overdone, if one were being honest.
Aizawa cut through the bewildered, staring crowds like a plow through snow. Hokuto – and Osmund – followed close behind, benefiting from their peer's utter lack of social niceties. The four moved to the right wall of the hall, striding up a staircase with rails topped in polished bronze. The black clad hero took the steps three at a time, practically stomping in his ascent. Hokuto mirrored his pace by skipping up the stairs with the poise of a gazelle and the countenance of a pre-schooler.
The Aozora students closest behind him looked anywhere but at their teacher, doing their best to socially distance themselves. Osmund yipped and bounced in place on his master's head.
Izuku's group, plus Ochako, minded themselves towards the rear of the progression. As they mounted the stairs, they came out on a second level platform that stretched the length of the grand hall. This higher floor comprised of two walkways on opposing walls, a view of the first floor resting in the center. Hagakure ran her palm along the lustrous railing, glancing down at the tide of commuters shifting about below.
Toshinori stayed close behind the greenette and his friends. When he could, the hero incognito would toss encouraging glances and grins towards his protege. He really couldn't afford to show outright favoritism; with them going to different schools, it would raise too many questions.
Such things were the least of Midoriya's concerns right now though. He couldn't help but stare at Ochako, who in turn kept her gaze on Iida marching a ways ahead of them. Naota was mostly keeping pace with the straight-laced boy, Bakugo outpacing them only by the merit of his annoyance with crowds and wanting to get to their destination as quickly as possible.
The brown haired girl turned towards Izuku, sparking an abrupt shock across his features. Her expression stayed concerned, putting aside how funny she found the boy's reaction. "When are you gonna tell me where it is we're going? You know, right?"
Midoriya sucked his lips in, looking off to the side a bit. Without making eye contact, he declared, "Just wait, you'll see in a minute." Uraraka was frankly perplexed by the answer, why couldn't he just say it? What about this place was getting everyone so down?
Hero he was, Toshinori came to the rescue, "This is kind of Hokuto's style, these sort of 'presentations.' It's more potent if you can experience it without filters." The girl only seemed to get more confused but was mostly accepting of the adult's words. It wasn't like she had no experience with a teacher giving abstract lessons.
The wall running to the right of the second story walkway opened to a wide gap with a steep staircase rising upwards. Aizawa started up with his hands in his pockets, ignoring both the railings on the sides and the one going up the center. The scalp-bound Nedzu made a comment or two, prompting his underling to further dig his palms into his pants to avoid whapping the mouse/dog/bear on the nose.
The slits of golden, fabricated sunlight continued to run along the corners of the slanted ceiling, at least for the lower half of the staircase. Cresting over the top of the ascension the advancing students and teachers could see the natural glow of day, hints of blue sky peaking down from a towering wall of glass panes.
Aizawa staggered. The slip up was split second, hardly noticeable. Nedzu lowered a paw to his coworker's shoulder, patting it softly. Mr. Senki approached from behind and swung an elbow into Shouta's arm. Not a word passed between the three, their forward progress staying steady.
Bakugo rocked up the steps at speed, Kirishima and Mina hustling to keep pace as they overtook the adults at the front. Their group was just beaten over the top step by Iida who only just avoided breaking into a full out run. Naota had fallen in line with Hokuto and the others.
As students passed the crest of the staircase ahead of them, Ochako noted the steadily fading sound of footfalls from those in front. Nearing the top, the sight of a dozen plus people silhouetted against the midday backdrop of the city skyline was the first thing to greet her. She heard the skeletal Toshinori take in a breath, Izuku observing him with curious eyes. Their little rear guard joined the silent group, shimmying themselves into line.
And like most of the others, they too paused in place. At once Uraraka understood the nature of this particular "lesson."
A wide space was laid out before them, the floor covered in smooth tiles in mixing patterns of dark emerald and pure black. All around the large, square platform was a veritable moat of plant life, moist leaves and a myriad of colorful flowers bordering the space in nature. The walls adjacent to the staircase behind them were styled as rocky cliffs, vines and various flora climbing up a ways. Opposite those, offering a view of the city, were those titanic planes of glass, their height reaching several stories easily and allowing a wealth of sunlight to pass.
In several rows, running in neat lines across the dark tiled floor, were many tall, four sided monuments. The spear shaped structures were over three meters tall, their surfaces made of coarse cobalt. A scattering of other people walked amongst the obelisks, the atmosphere overall one of quiet reflection.
This in no way surprised any of the teachers or students. Though some of the teens were slow to pick up on their destination in transit, there wasn't a soul in Japan looking to the hero track who wouldn't recognize this place.
Mr. Senki breathed out, "Welcome to The Orchard."
The Memorial Orchard was a famous place. It couldn't be called "unique" really, every country had at least one equivalent location – most cities and even a few towns had smaller scale versions of their own. The Orchard was, however, the most prestigious hall of fallen heroes in Japan.
No sooner did Hokuto finish his introduction that the group began to disperse. Aizawa strode off at once amongst the rows, walking with a clear destination in mind. Nedzu hopped off his mount partway, matching speed with the scraggly teacher even with his child-like stride. Iida resumed his military gait and hastily disappeared into the spines. Uraraka made to follow but paused after half a step. A quick tap from Hagakure sent her off like a gunshot, the brunette hurrying off in pursuit.
At this point the collection of teens started to disperse. Midoriya stared after Iida and Uraraka for a short moment, questioning whether or not he should follow. His gaze was distracted by a shock of blonde hair, Kacchan marching into view before pausing to toss a "look" towards an approaching Kirishima. The red head presented both palms in a stance of mock surrender, a good-natured smile in place as he backed up towards Ashido and Kaminari.
Izuku couldn't help but notice that Kacchan seemed much more… restrained than usual. Without a word, the grumpy blonde walked into the row of columns.
Minetta stepped in front of the greenette, "So, what should we see first?"
"I have an idea, follow me."
Midoriya and Hagakure blinked as the skeletal Toshinori stepped past them, the gaunt man resting his palm on the former's shoulder for a brief moment. The notion of a destination seemed enough for Hatsume who followed swiftly behind. She had her laptop opened and was typing away with one hand as her telescopic eyes darted about the various pillars. The three Aozora students started forward.
Walking amongst the memorials was a… sobering experience. The first few lanes of cobalt monuments were absolutely filled with names, all four sides etched in a myriad of cleanly inscribed characters. There were more people here than Izuku could ever hope to remember. There were probably more people here than there were years since the dawn of quirks itself.
This made it all the more alarming to the young man when he did recognize names. He was, after all, deep in the hero fandom.
'Aiko Toyatomi, also known as The Blade Hero: Swordbirth. Killed in action cleaving a building in half to save fleeing civilians.'
'Kiba and Kyoko Izumi, the Water Hose duo. Slain by the villain Muscular whilst protecting innocents from the maniac's rampage.'
'Ueda Kyoshin, The Barricade Hero: Stalwart. Fell during the siege of Musutafu's Twelfth Precinct by the Meta Liberation Army.'
Izuku… couldn't place his feelings at the moment. Yes, this was a place to honor the fallen, to remember them for their service, for their selfless final moments. But he had never been good with death, even in the case of heroic sacrifice. Loss was loss and being surrounded by reminders of how violent and chaotic their world could be…
The boy felt strangely numb.
"Kiri! Right over here, this is who you were looking for, right?"
Midoriya glanced towards the speaker, catching sight of Mina as she hopped in place and thrust her pointer towards a high point on one of the columns. Kirishima jogged towards her with a hopeful air, stopping beside the pink girl and hastily scanning over names. A wide grin split his features a second later, lifting his palm for a high five from his horned companion. As the pair slapped palms, Kaminari stepped up and read aloud.
"Crimson Riot. Lost in the floodwaters following the Great Urdnot Quake and Tsunami, his efforts helping to save over five hundred lives, including dozens of his fellow heroes. He held the line."
Eijiro's toothy grin reduced to a quiet smile. "Yeah… no hero in the world's more manly." Ashido gave her own pleased expression, a hint of pride as she regarded her middle school acquaintance. Denki continued staring at the memorial, nodding softly at his classmate's words.
Izuku felt his frame jerk. Hagakure had a hold of his right arm, dragging him out of the way of a monument he was about to walk into. The boy looked sufficiently embarrassed, something that wasn't helped when Bakugo strode out from the far side of triangular structure. The boys met eyes for an instance before the blonde dismissed his childhood friend with a harsh scoff. Tooru stuck her tongue out at the sourpuss.
"You gonna be okay, Shouta?"
The Aozora trio halted at their teacher's voice. Toshinori and Mei had already stopped, the former looking on in morbid interest as the dreaded engineer continued sweeping her sight about the tall stones and typing rapidly.
Mr. Senki stood a few lanes over, posted up a few steps behind Mr. Aizawa. The UA teacher sat before a particular memorial – even from this distance, Midoriya could see there were far fewer names on this obelisk. Nedzu had descended from his perch and was resting just beside his coworker.
The black clad instructor gave no reply to Hokuto's inquiry. He looked even more tired than usual, his shoulders slumped and head dipped down. His line of sight seemed drawn to a name near the base of the four-sided spear. Nedzu placed a hand on the man's leg.
"I just need a moment."
There was a quiet finality in Shouta's statement that Mr. Senki could read in an instant. The Aozora instructor nodded once before walking away, his hands planted firmly in his pockets. Osmund remained in place atop his head, oddly calm for the moment. The principal stayed with Aizawa.
Toshinori watched on for a few seconds more before starting off again, prompting the rest to follow once more.
Their little party pressed on down the rows, passing a few of their fellow students as well as some scattered patrons of the Orchard. For a split second, Izuku thought he caught a glimpse of a nostalgic mess of colors, but backpedaling revealed only an empty view through the cobalt pyramids. Hagakure, having become an adept wrangler, ushered the boy back on track.
They walked for some distance before they reached a "clearing" of sorts, set beneath the wall of windows to the outside world. On the far end of the memorial plaza, the pattern of inscribed structures gave way to a half circle of stone benches curved around the border of the tiled space. A polished steel banister, long panes of glass running between, separated the smooth floor from the surrounding beds of flora. The barrier was only about waist high for the average highschooler, a point Naota took advantage of as he stood on his tip-toes, resting his rear against the polished bar.
In the middle of the half circle formed by the benches and curving border rail sat a blackened boulder. The rock was rounded, ovular really, its surface smooth and running water cascading over it. Mist wafted up from the vegetation below, the area holding an almost ethereal feel.
Midoriya could see more names on the watered stone. Even with the sun's light casting the rock in silhouette, he could easily make out the characters. They were glowing.
Toshinori halted. It was a momentary thing, barely enough time for a calming breath. The boney blonde was starting forward in seconds, his final preparations made. Hokuto appeared from the right, apparently having moved adjacent to their own group. The two men made steady approaches to the dark stone.
The Aozora students – and Hatsume – remained just at the edge of the line of spear shaped monuments. He couldn't speak for the others, but… something was holding Izuku in place. He wondered if this, maybe, was the same sensation that paused his mentor just moments earlier.
This… inevitability.
"You need help finding a name?"
Hagakure turned to find the speaker, her hand still clamped upon Midoriya's shoulder. Standing to their left, still amongst the spires, was the violet haired Ikaruga. Though it really shouldn't have been surprising given where they were, the boys couldn't help but blink seeing the spider girl with her smartphone holstered. Kisuke appeared to be maintaining his sidekick status, resting a few steps behind the girl and scanning the scant names around the center of a nearby monument.
The other girl, the one Ikaruga was talking to, was someone Izuku vaguely recognized. More than half the class was full of people the boy hadn't bothered putting names to – he really only took note of people once he saw their quirks, rude as it sounded. But this girl had a little more intrigue than just being the only blonde in the class. Something Midoriya had taken note of whenever he caught a glance at her.
The blonde's curly mane was a veritable cascade of lockes that fell across her shoulders and upper back. Though cut a bit shorter in the front, her thick puff of hair utterly obscured the top half of her face. Even so, she made no effort to sweep it clear, merely continuing to stand at the base of the memorial, an outstretched hand running over the glittering surface.
"Don't worry about it," the girl's voice was incredibly soft, "it's always in the same spot." As she traced her fingers across the coarse stone, they paused over a column of characters. Running her digits slowly over the chiseled name, her glossy lips curved into a pleasant smile. "There you are."
Izuku was pretty positive the girl was blind.
"Fujiko Nomura…"
The hero hopeful and both the girls next to him immediately snapped their sights down to the diminutive Minetta. The tiny teen had a fist slammed atop his palm in the gesture of revelation. They let a moment of silence draw on before Hagakure pressed with an inquisitive, "You know her?"
"Nope," the boy responded quickly.
Tooru cocked her head to the side, the display clearly unappreciated. "Then how did you know her name?"
Minoru settled her with a truly bewildered expression, as though she were asking a question that simply explained itself. The pause that followed somehow peaked Mei's intrigue, the budding engineer leaning in like an eager child. His eyes sliding across the two girls, resting on Izuku, then panning back the way it came, Minetta replied, "… I… always know the names of all the cute girls around me?"
Midoriya snorted. Having that posed as a question pushed him over the edge. Mei nodded sagely, as though filing away the information. Hagakure took advantage of still having her sleeves rolled up and covertly slapped her palm atop one of the grape head's orbs, lifting the small boy by his bulbous hair and shaking him like a rag doll. Izuku turned back to his other classmates.
Kisuke perked, snapping his fingers at his sudden realization, "Hold up… I don't see a hero alias for this guy."
The blind girl's smile widened, some teeth showing.
Ikaruga gave her eyes a strong roll as she turned to her spike haired classmate, "Not everyone honored here is a pro."
"He was," Fujiko supplied, still facing the name etched into the cobalt stone. "He was just off duty at the time. His son thought he would have wanted to be remembered as himself. Just a man, doing what he could."
Kisuke looked like he was holding back tears. Ikaruga was stood next to him, patting his back as she stared forward with no expression. Fujiko offered no further response, her curl covered face staring steadily at the pointed monolith, fingers running slowly across its surface.
Hagakure poked Izuku's cheek. "Huh – wha?"
The invisible girl pressed her invasive finger a little deeper into the boy's face. Then she turned his gaze towards Toshinori, the wiry blonde waving the hero hopeful over. With a small start, Midoriya hopped forth and hustled towards the man.
When Izuku came in reach, Toshinori ushered him towards the rounded stone, laying a strong hand on the boy's back. Hokuto, standing opposite to his emaciated mentor, grunted in greeting. Osmund panted softly, maintaining his reserved air.
A thin arm stretched out, pointer extended. Midoriya followed Toshinori's finger towards a glistening name beneath the even flow of water. The boy read aloud:
"Nana Shimura."
Toshinori's arm snapped back, placing his fist before his mouth. The man contained his coughs as best he could, his young ward throwing up his hands in preparation to support the sickly hero. He was waved off as Toshinori slowly collected himself. Hokuto had stepped in closer, effectively sandwiching Midoriya between the two instructors. Mei and Hagakure rotated around to the far sides of the two men, Minetta opting for his usual method of climbing up Izuku's back.
"This…" The blonde man wearing a suit three sizes too large paused, sorting through his thoughts. "This is the grave of our country's greatest hero."
Hokuto donned a soft smile as Minoru turned a quirked brow towards the lanky adult. "What are you talking about," the boy started, a touch of condescension n his tone, "All Might's the greatest hero there ever was and he's still going strong!"
His green haired mount resisted the urge to smack the orb-hawked teen.
Toshinori supplied a rough chuckle in return. "And I'm sure the Symbol of Peace more than appreciates that," he threw a quick wink towards his protege, slapping a small smile on Izuku's face, "but I'll bet even he thinks highly of this person."
"Why?" Toshinori turned to his immediate left, staring down at Hatsume. "Why would All Might look up to her? I don't think I've ever even heard of her."
The skeletal blonde froze for a bit. It looked like actual cogs were spinning in his brain, attempting to form his musings into acceptable sentences. Mr. Senki stepped forward, clearing his throat as he moved.
"Nana Shimura wasn't really a 'hero,' per se. Not the kind you see running around in capes and cowls nowadays…" The Aozora instructor fell into silence, giving his chin a few taps, "Though I do suppose she also wore one of the former – bit of a thing for the theatrical, eh?"
Toshinori barked out a quick laugh, "That's one way to describe it."
The assembled students looked back and forth between the two teachers. Midoriya gave voice to their curiosity, "You knew her?"
Hokuto shook his head, throwing a short nod towards his baggy suited counterpart. Toshinori stepped out towards the smooth stone and turned to face the students, "She was an incredible person, always saw the potential in everyone and did her best to draw it out of them. By force, when she had to. I wouldn't be half the man I am today if I'd never met her."
Hagakure took two long steps out of line with her classmates and Toshinori, rotating to face her entire body towards the blonde skeleton. Minetta added to the effect by leaning into view, his eyes squinted in scrutiny and a single brow arced. Boy had the nerve to give the emaciated man a full body once over. The hero in hiding had enough awareness to cough lightly into his fist, sheepishly avoiding the pair's eyes. Hokuto couldn't hold back his laughter.
As the two adults made efforts to rebuild their dignity/return to their senses, Mei started tapping rapidly at her laptop's keys. Her eyes scanned the monitor with inhuman speed as words scrolled and pages popped open and closed at a breakneck pace. "I'm only really seeing some passing mentions of that name, mostly a lot of community activism and some small scale incidents. And yeah, no alias that I can see – says her quirk had something to do with levitation…"
Mei's comments droned off into a gap of silence, broken only by the much more sedate speed of her typing and some calming breaths from a recovering Mr. Senki. In that momentary pause, Izuku's mind began going over Hatsume's "report." It was… interesting.
"You're wondering why someone who comes off so low-key has such an… 'extravagant' memorial."
Midoriya jumped. The statement had logically been addressed at Mei, but Mr. Senki had delivered it whilst leaning into the boy's personal space. Enough so that Minoru had abandoned his perch. The smile on the man's lips had lost none of its mirth.
Hatsume remained quiet, as though the teacher's words had never been spoken. Her typing did slow a little. Hagakure locked her gaze on the approaching Naota, his features torn between interest and annoyance. The invisible girl did nothing to hide her disapproval of the boy… not that anyone would notice. She barely caught sight of Todoroki joining the group, a sitting rock made more noise than he did.
Most eyes present trailed towards Hokuto, expecting him to elaborate further. The instructor hummed in thought, staring out through the windows to the upper reaches of the cityscape beyond. The students held a collective breath, Mei's typing crawling to a snail's pace, as the man with the off-color locke of hair took a deep, dramatic inhalation.
And then he shrugged his shoulders. "What? I don't know anything about it."
Toshinori barked with laughter as the observing teens fell over, dumbfounded. Well, except for Todoroki and Naota, the latter clearly intending to set his teacher on fire with his eyes. Midoriya recovered the fastest when his mentor started coughing blood. But as the hero hopeful reached for him, Toshinori waved the young man off.
Swiping an arm across his mouth, brushing away any spilled blood, the emaciated blonde looked over the collection of youths gathered. Hokuto sent his colleague a quick wink before settling in himself. Toshinori rolled his eyes, then returned his gaze to the waterfall stone.
"Miss Shimura…" Toshinori trailed off, as though considering his words. "Nana had a very specific objective in mind when she fell into the field of heroics. It wasn't the kind of work considered appropriate for 'public broadcast'."
The wording there caused Tooru and Izuku to suck in their breath. Naota's brow raised and Hatsume stopped typing altogether. Minetta just looked confused, eyes darting between people helplessly and drawing an amused smile from Mr. Senki. Shouto, lacking reservations in general, bluntly gave voice to everyone's thoughts.
"Operations?"
Izuku released the air in his lungs. His secret mentor clapped a hand onto his shoulder, steadying the boy. As a hero fan and someone hoping to get into the profession himself, Midoriya had some working knowledge of Operations. It wasn't a proper term, there was no official designation for such things as there was never meant to be any public record.
It may have been more accurate to think of them as "Black Ops," missions and tasks that, if discovered, were actively disavowed by the entities who ordered them. Pro heroes are considered civil servants, they represent the hope and security of modern society. Even underground heroes, who operate more on the sly and tend to be most active at night, exist for the purpose of safeguarding the citizens and their way of life.
Operations was the dark side of those efforts. To keep the innocent in the light, maneuvers had to be made in the shadows. After the utter chaos following the dawn of quirks, the Public Safety Commission had taken to ensuring the peace with particular zeal. Their near authoritarian doctrine during the times of society's reconstruction garnered them a lot of opposition.
Opposition that often came to dubious ends.
Rumors of the PSC and their "Hit-Squad Heroes" were spoken in hushed whispers. The demise of their opponents further served to cow rebellious and criminal elements back into the shadows, giving the common people foundation on which to build. The practice of simply "looking the other way" when strange affairs began to surround the Commission became the norm. The leadership of hero society didn't have to do much to cover up, they just had to keep showing results.
Toshinori made a big show of clearing his throat. "There were seven of them all together, Nana and six comrades all working the same case."
The man was far from graceful in his efforts to gloss over Todoroki's inquiry. No one so much as batted an eyelash at that, it was to be expected.
"The… perpetrator they were pursuing was resourceful, it took many long years before they finally tracked him down."
A small coughing fit racked Toshinori's form. This time everyone stepped forward to help, the skeletal man having to physically halt Midoriya from taking hold of him. He shrugged himself back into proper posture and continued.
"All of them died. One by one. Nana was the last one standing."
Izuku still had a grasp on his mentor's arm and could feel the spike of tension in his frail limb. A glance at his face revealed the blonde's gaze steadily looking forward. Not at Ms. Shimura's memorial… through Ms. Shimura's memorial. All eyes were on Toshinori now, even Mr. Senki looked rather invested.
"But thanks to her, All Might got involved."
"Wait, what?" Minetta couldn't hold back the outburst, "This lady knew All Might?"
Toshinori hummed, "I did say she had an eye for potential."
Midoriya's interest turned to revelation, his eyes going wide, "Ms. Shimura was… All Might's…"
"Wouldn't be half the man he is now without her," came out of Hokuto, a wry smile in place, "She brought a wraith out of the darkness, the Symbol of Peace put it to an end. An almost stereotypical 'student surpasses the master' story." The Aozora instructor turned and jabbed his thumb towards the memorial stone, "That's why Nana Shimura's name is here."
Izuku was floored. All of the teens appeared taken aback by the story, but only he knew that they were hearing it straight from All Might himself. Ms. Shimura was his mentor, a low key pro hero who embarked on a years long venture against some nebulous force…
The boy remembered, during those ten months of hell on Dagobah Beach, asking All Might more about One For All. The idea of a quirk that could be passed from person to person still boggled the mind even weeks after first hearing it. Toshinori had made some mention about being the eighth holder of the power, with Izuku being the prospective ninth. Nana was one of seven comrades…
Nana Shimura was the seventh holder.
… And whoever she was pursuing killed her. Her and every holder before her. Only All Might, the greatest hero the nation had ever known, had been a match.
Midoriya now had a good idea of where his idol got that scar.
Minetta was dumbfounded. From hearing about some sort of clandestine task force under the PSC, to learning about some no-name pro who just so happened to train the Symbol of Peace, his mind was reeling. His natural defense was to latch onto something familiar.
Tooru, seeing the spectrum of emotions playing out on the adjacent boy's face, would have cracked a smile at the overblown display. At least up until his eyes focused ahead, his expression sobering with concern. The invisible girl followed his gaze to Midoriya and Toshinori. The emaciated man seemed wrapped up in old sorrows, an expected reaction when visiting the grave of an old friend.
But Izuku shouldn't have looked so hollow. For whatever reason, the tale of Nana Shimura had truly shaken him. Taking initiative, Hagakure made to walk over.
Hokuto blocked her path. "Give them a minute, they'll be okay."
The girl stared up at her instructor, Mr. Senki feeling the weight of her eyes. He stood solidly in place, meeting her gaze – at least he hoped – whilst keeping a somewhat fretting Minoru in his periphery. He could hear Hatsume a bit behind him, her weight shifting as she seemed indecisive about what to do next.
Hagakure took the first step, heading in the direction of the stairs leading back down into the terminal. Her hand snatched Minetta's sleeve, the stimulus like a green light that propelled him in her wake. As Hokuto turned to follow their retreat, he settled his sights on a still Todoroki. The boy with the bi-colored hair held his gaze for an instance before moving back into the rows of spires, not a hint of his true emotions on display.
Mei was moving slowly in step behind Tooru and Minetta. The rhythmic clack-clack of her fingers sniping keys had increased in speed, but her focus was clearly off the laptop's screen, her mind preoccupied. Naota was a ways ahead of the pack, striding forth with his usual detachment. With the distractions dismissed, Hokuto himself began stepping away.
He pointedly ignored the shock of sandy blonde hair atop a permanent scowl pitched behind one of the spires closest to the waterfall stone. Mr. Senki paused mid stride, just enough to let the boy know he was aware of him, before continuing onward. Bakugo would never admit to holding his breath in that moment.
Izuku's head stayed downcast, his brow scrunched in frustrated thought. He had questions – oh boy did he have questions! But one look at his predecessor all but smacked the notion of talking into the back of his throat. The boy was at an impasse. He wanted to know the history, not just of All Might, but whatever he could about his new quirk and its origins. Hell, this sounded like stuff Izuku needed to know, considering every past holder appeared to have played some part in… whatever this was.
But his respect for Toshinori, for All Might… for his mentor stayed his tongue. This simply wasn't the time… but if not now, when?
"… All Might," Midoriya chanced in a breathless whisper. Their close proximity gave him confidence the man would hear it. When the teen got no response, even waiting a few seconds to be sure, he again opened his mouth to speak.
Toshinori's thin, grasping fingers fell atop his ward's scalp, flattening his unruly curls. Izuku's mouth snapped shut like the jaws of a bear trap, the boy sucking in is lips to prevent any errant leaks of sound. His trainer held his gaze on the shimmering name beneath the flowing waters.
"Not right now… we'll talk about it later."
It was more than good enough for the greenette. The hero hopeful turned his own sights on the inscribed name, pondering the life of the person who once held it.
After a good moment of no further activity, Katsuki popped himself off the towering stone behind him and made his own way through the forest of spires.
Hokuto greeted them with a smile, waving Midoriya and Toshinori over towards the open space between the first row of monuments and the descending staircase. A few students from both schools were already gathered, sharing muted conversations in tight groups. Aizawa and Nedzu were also back, the bestial principal standing rather close to the silent man.
One of the first things Izuku took note of was the absence of his two most important classmates. He made sure to do a thorough scan of the crowd in case he missed the floating female uniform or the diminutive, ball headed boy. Midoriya did notice Naota standing a ways off from the gathering, pretty much idling on the "boundary" between the monument grove and the open floor leading to the descent. He swept his gaze away quickly, not wanting to gain the other boy's attention.
This landed his sights on Kacchan. Who was openly staring at Izuku. When their eyes met, Midoriya felt himself freeze in place. Bakugo's usual heat was present, but there was something deeper in that shared gaze of theirs. It seemed like his old friend was searching for something, willing it out with his eyes alone. As time went on and he apparently wasn't getting the answer he wanted, an air of loathing began clearly setting in. Izuku tore himself away with an awkward show of scratching the back of his head, his demeanor equal parts sheepish and nervous.
He didn't see the distant Naota briefly observing the exchange.
He also definitely didn't see the hand reaching towards him, not until he swung around and stepped face first into the falling limb. The bundle of nerves he had been wound into snapped all at once, the greenette hopping back with a dog like yelp.
Osmund, coming out of his sedate state, perked up instantly at the sound.
Ochako gave a little cry of her own, coiling back before her more heroic instincts urged her to reach in with her opposite hand. As Izuku tilted backwards, destined for a fall, the UA first year blasted his front with all five fingers. Expertly, her hand closed into a tight fist, clutching up the fabric of his blazer. As Midoriya's gravity was canceled, Uraraka kept a firm hold of him.
Izuku floated upward.
"I'm so, so, sorry! Are you okay, Deku? I didn't want you to fall."
The teen balloon shook the daze away, his entire body shifting at the motion. Uraraka's hold stayed firm. When Izuku focused on the person anchoring him to the ground, his face immediately went scarlet. He looked from the gravity erasing girl to the glasses wearing boy behind her. Iida looked to be in better spirits than he had been since coming to The Orchard, but it appeared he had less of a grasp on the current situation than even Izuku himself.
Midoriya then elected the tried and true solution of simply answering the girl's question, "Fine! Perfectly fine! Couldn't be more fine!"
Osmund had arrived, now running in tight circles around Ochako's legs. From the amount of jumping going on, he desperately wanted a turn with the Midoriya balloon.
Uraraka blinked, stared into the boy's twitching eyes for a moment, then let loose a pleased smile. "Okay! That's good to hear." The girl relaxed her arm and Izuku swiftly started to rise. He "bounced" back down when her arm reached its full extension, her grip still tight as a vice.
She turned back to Iida, "What about you? Are you… gonna be okay, Iida?"
The bespectacled teen just stared at her, shifting his sights up to Midoriya, then back to Uraraka in a repeating pattern. She… did realize he was still floating, right? Did this essentially constitute unlawful detention of some kind?
You wouldn't think it looking at Midoriya. Most of the young man's limbs were limp and dangling about, but he kept his left hand clutched over his jaw. Iida could just hear the boy going on a mumbling ramble concerning… Uraraka's quirk? He seemed to be running through numerous applications of her ability, his eyes half lidded as he appeared utterly consumed in his train of thought.
Beyond the two, mingling in with the gathered students and teachers, Iida spotted his classmate Mina in a stable stance, one eye squinted and camera phone at the ready as she rapidly snapped pictures of Ochako and her "boy float." The girl kept twirling her device, apparently quite indecisive about the angle she wanted.
Iida looked back to Uraraka, "Yes… Yes, I am fine now."
The sound of his voice drew Izuku out of his ruminations. "Oh yeah, you have been pretty… stiff since we got here."
His words drew a little, distressed sound out of Ochako. Osmund had ceased his physical efforts, sitting on his rump amongst the teens, his tail wagging in joy.
Iida sobered, reclaiming a bit of that distance he'd held since their arrival at Shepard's Station. But then he seemed to halt himself, freezing in place as he was readying a response. The boy took a short moment to, apparently, think over how to proceed.
The quiet teen shut his eyes, released a breath, and then relaxed his posture. The look he returned to Izuku after was far more casual, if a little tired. "Just family matters…" Tenya trailed off after that, not sharing further.
Midoriya offered a nod, bringing the conversation to an end. He could connect the dots well enough to understand. Beside – and slightly below – him, Uraraka shed the tension off of her shoulders. This brought Iida's focus back onto his classmate, where it remained for a silent period.
"So," the bespectacled teen began, "are you… going to let Midoriya down now?"
Ochako cocked her head, allowed her thought wheel to start spinning again, and then let her cheeks run scarlet. "Yes! Oh my God, yes! I am so sorry!"
Between the girl's reaction and his own clarification of their current circumstance, Midoriya went into similar verbal meltdown, "It's fine! It's fine! I wasn't even paying attention!"
Uraraka reached up with her free hand and took hold of Izuku's slacks. With two handholds, she brought the boy down and properly righted him. Releasing his shirt, she then walked both hands down his leggings, couching down as he marched her grip towards his shins.
She was so preoccupied with this task that Uraraka failed to realize the "image" she was presenting. Izuku, upon gazing down at the top of her head, worked things out pretty quickly. But, being Izuku, the awkward boy instantly froze up, unable to voice his distress beyond a weak, high pitched squeal. A similar problem plagued Tenya, though the boy's inability to reproach was due to how unbelievably blatant the display was.
Mina was probably the slowest observer to show a reaction. This was out of sheer disbelief that such prime material was all but falling into her lap at the moment. From her perspective, she was looking at Midoriya's back, Ochako crouched in front of him, her face at waist level and hidden on the other side of his body, with her hands fisted in the fabric of his pants. It couldn't get more golden if there were sound effects.
"Release."
Ashido was snapping photos at near triple the rate of before, simply ignoring the physical impossibility of such a feat.
This finally tipped off Uraraka, whose eyes snapped open as she launched herself back, bouncing off of Iida's rigid frame. Osmund stared up at the stunned Midoriya, patiently panting. This lasted about two seconds before the vibrant pup belted out a sharp bark, shocking Izuku back into reality. Osmund pawed at the teen's legs, prompting the automated response of him reaching down and scooping the little dog into his arms.
Just as planned.
Izuku wasn't sure when Minetta had arrived. He only noticed the boy when he sailed a tiny shoe into the greenette's heel. The shot wasn't exactly painful, just enough to get Midoriya to do a double take. Minoru turned away from him, babbling on in some incomprehensible whisper about how unfair life was. Hagakure was beside Iida, helping him support Uraraka.
"Everybody back? Bring it in people!"
Quite eager for an escape, Midoriya swiftly departed towards their beckoning instructor. Seeing as Izuku most certainly "owed him" for having all the luck, Minoru sprang up the taller boy's back in rapid order, reclaiming his old throne atop the hero hopeful's left shoulder. Osmund sent a threatening growl towards the miniature teen, clearly upset at the thought of any seat standing higher than his own. Minetta almost felt cowed enough to vacate his position.
The two supporting Uraraka carted her over to the masses, ignoring her protests right up until they were in amongst the crowd. As Iida immediately launched into lecture mode about situational awareness and "how a young lady should take greater care in presenting herself," Tooru's unseen arm snaked around the pink girl's trembling shoulders. The surprise ripped Mina out of her silent laughter.
Having a headless girl's uniform seize you was unnerving. Having such done whilst you were cycling through the now thousands of shots you'd taken of a close friend being awkward around a boy – culminating in images that could easily be construed as her "working him over" – was pretty damn terrifying. That all came to a head when the space where a head would be issued a stern command.
"You will give me your contact information. And then you share those pictures with me. All of them."
The grin Mina adopted was downright ruthless.
The classes gathered around, Mr. Senki standing front and center at the top of the staircase with Aizawa and Nedzu idling a bit to the side. Toshinori stood amongst the teens, like a tree in a field of grass. Naota had made his way to the front of the audience, looking on with a fair degree of attention. Bakugo and Kirishima stood next to him, the latter trying to engage both boys as both proceeded to dismiss him in their own ways. Which boiled down to Naota stone walling the interactions whilst Katsuki ground his teeth and called the red head an idiot numerous times.
Kisuke proudly marched through the loose grouping of students like he was on parade. From the way his arms were swinging, he was sorely missing the presence of a baton to twirl. Ikaruga followed behind, her hand held absent as instead one was occupied escorting the bouncing curls of Fujiko to the front of the audience. The spider girl looked incredibly unamused, possibly because her shorter charge was mimicking Kisuke's exaggerated motions, hers more akin to those of a small child doing a poor imitation of a parade man's march.
Ikaruga had happened herself in the midst of two fools…
Izuku stopped his approach right next to Hatsume who had closed her notebook and had the device tucked under one arm. That meant she had one free hand which Osmund was happy to take advantage of, his single excite yip signaling the dreaded inventor to turn towards him. He leapt from a startled Midoriya's grasp with upmost confidence, his bravery rewarded as Mei quickly snatched the pup out of the air and drew him into her chest.
Pressed into her generous bust and showered in cutesy praise, Osmund managed the puppy equivalent of a cocky smirk towards the diminutive grape head perched on Midoriya's back. Minetta looked like he was ready to burst a blood vessel at the sheer audacity.
Hokuto cast a lingering gaze over the crowd of hero course students assembled before him. Toshinori offered a wave when his eyes settled on the older man, prompting a snort from the Aozora instructor. "Alright people… I trust this lesson kind of speaks for itself?" The absolute silence that followed said more than any words.
"Heroics is a profession where you regularly walk the tightrope between order and catastrophe. As this place demonstrates, even our most hallowed defenders are as mortal as anyone else. Sometimes people don't come home, and that's just looking at the one's commemorated by this memorial. Just think of how many rank and file sidekicks and 'street sweepers' there are who lose their lives in the line of duty and then remain nameless in our memories."
Izuku swallowed. It was a sobering thought, one that swept through the crowd like a dark mist. He could feel Minetta trembling against his frame, the boy's breathing uneven.
All attention was on Mr. Senki. None, not even Hagakure with how solemn the mood had become, took notice of the figure stalking slowly up behind them. Aizawa perked but Nedzu gave his leggings a tight tug. There was no sin greater than ruining a surprise.
"We've been over some heavy stuff today and this last stop is the veritable bedrock of it all. I don't mean to bring the wind out of your sails and leave you disillusioned, but I do advocate for a more realistic view of our profession and the one's with the courage to undertake it.
"That said, the one last thing I want to present is kind of the big bow that wraps all these other things up. For that, I have one last guest speaker."
Almost the moment Hokuto uttered the last syllable of his sentence, Izuku felt a pair of arms wrap around under his arms. At once a chin laid itself on the shoulder opposite Minetta, a puff of teal/violet hair brushing against the right side of his face.
"I hope you didn't think you were safe just because you left middle school."
The spike of fear Izuku had felt gave way in an instant to recognition and a sudden breath of excitement. Turning partially to the speaker, and then having to spit out a bit of teal/magenta hair that got in his mouth, the greenette exclaimed, "Ms. Takami!"
"Bin~go," the woman lilted, unhooking him from her grasp as she drifted backwards.
The crowd that had been focused on Mr. Senki did a swift about face at the newcomer, Hagakure in particular looking rather off put at being snuck up on. Bakugo had by far the best reaction, his eyes going wide as dinner plates before he abruptly turned his head in he opposite direction, squaring his shoulders and hunching slightly to decrease his profile. Only being at the now-back of the gathering saved him from the scrutiny of his classmates, Kirishima in particular.
Takami, catching sight of her former student with brutal ease, thew up a hand and started waving wildly, "Little Katsuki is here too! Hello Little Katsu~!" If she had been anyone else, Bakugo may have been tempted to explode her.
Hokuto, ever the social hero, speared through the student herd to reach their newest guest. Arms spread wide like a gameshow presenter, the red shirted man began a grand rotation around the woman, "Boys and girls, for your viewing pleasure, Yuzu Takami…"
The emphasis on words was quite intentional. Besides the tie-dye hair, Ms. Takami was a literal mess of colors. The leather half jacket she was wearing was a gradient of hues, running from hot orange at the top to a cool burgundy at the bottom. The fur lining peaking over her shoulders was fucking pink…
Her undershirt was a loose cotton thing that seemed to depict the noon sky, solid blue with white poofs all throughout. And those pants were just terrible, a shimmering azure fabric with a persistent scale pattern. It was like someone found an off color alligator and decided its skin was destined for fashion… absolute madness.
Takami took her most dramatic bow, one arm curving beneath her as the other stretched out towards the ceiling. All the while Hokuto completed his orbit, stepping off to the side as the notable lack of applause continued to play out. The rather chromatic woman allowed the moment to drag on for an almost daunting period of time before sharply drawing her stance upright. Despite the utter lack of support from her listeners, the brightest grin lit up her features.
"Indeed. But please, in this context, Dr. Takami would be more appropriate."
Even looking away from the woman, Katsuki suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. She would notice and he really didn't want anymore of her focus. Izuku, on the other hand, just looked more and more excited seeing one of his favorite people again. Tooru picked up on this pretty quickly.
"Midori, you know this lady?"
Izuku presented his classmate with his biggest smile. "Sure! Ms. Ta-" Midoriya froze at the sudden rush of malevolence. He could almost feel the face splitting grin, clenched eyes, and deathly aura radiating into his flank. "-Dr. Takami," the wave of malice faded, "was our counselor back in middle school, Kacchan and me."
The mention of his name made the blonde bomber flinch. Now Kirishima was trying to console him, which just made Bakugo grit his teeth tighter.
Hagakure tossed a curious gaze between the boy and She-of-Many-Colors. "Okay… but what is she doing here?"
Midoriya raised a finger that was promptly snapped up in Takami's grip, "Uh-uh Mr. Midoriya, I'll be doing the presentating, if you don't mind."
The middle school therapist looked out upon the mass of teenagers, "Now then, I'm sure your other fabulous chaperons," at this, Hokuto beamed to the crowd, "have drilled in the simple truth that being a pro hero makes you neither infallible nor invulnerable. I know that's easy to understand right now, but when you've got a nation's worth of people praising your name and you're given near free license to use your quirks to their full potential, those thoughts can get a little muddled."
Takami reached into that abominable coat of hers and pulled out a stack of cards, shifting one into Izuku's hands with the dexterity of an expert dealer. Then she started a path through the gathered students, "As my dear former patient blurted out with such zeal, I'm a counselor by trade, I look after the emotional and mental well being of others."
She made fast progress through the throng of teens, flicking cards left and right with swift precision. Ikaruga snatched her own out of midair. Kisuke's flew high and ricocheted off his considerable pompadour, the spider girl's free hand lashing out to catch it as well. There was a brief rustling beneath the bottom of the brunette's top before Fujiko raised her own hand and caught a card between two fingers. Kisuke whistled before pinching his card out of a stunned Ikaruga's grasp.
Izuku, with Minoru glancing over his shoulder, read over the rigid slip of paper, noting Dr. Takami's name, an address, phone number, and hours of operation. He sent his old confidant a curious look which she returned with a quick wink.
"And as a more recent development, I've gone semi-independent!"
Mr. Senki threw up his arm and stepped into frame in front of her, "To sum things up, the principal of Aozora has brokered a 'freelance agreement' with the good doctor for her to operate as an out of facility therapist. As far as you students are concerned, the school itself will be footing the bill for any services you require of her."
Dr. Takami jabbed two fingers into the space beneath Hokuto's left armpit. An even pitched bzzt sound pushed through her teeth and the brunette with one strand of blonde leapt away like a startled cat. Osmund offered the puppy equivalent of laughter, earning him further head pats from an enraptured Mei.
The freelance counselor reclaimed center stage. "Barring some people's lack of patience," she sent a withering glance towards a somewhat nervous Hokuto, "I'll be happy to work with you."
A hand rose. Takami nodded towards the boy with the spiky red hair, Eijiro roused to action by Bakugo's poor response to the woman. "Why's the other school relying on you? Don't they have an in-house therapist? Aozora's becoming a pretty big name in the hero community, aren't they?"
The doctor never wavered from her good mood, "The answer to that is two fold. On one hand… sometimes it's easier talking to somebody outside your circumstances. Not always viable to confide in a person who we see casually on the daily."
A few heads nodded at that, the UA attendees in particular. Aizawa had given them flat directions towards Hound Dog in the event that any issues – tangible or otherwise – came up in their schooling, daily lives, or state of being. And while it was nice having a dedicated member of staff qualified to support them as well as his being an accomplished pro in his own right, some could see where that may lead to awkward discussions. Speaking to someone removed from all that did have its merits.
"Second is that I was offered a position in-house. Turned it down, not feelin' the vibe of working under an institution anymore."
That drew some questioning gazes, the most intense of which coming from Izuku and Katsuki.
Throwing up her arms and crossing them behind her head, Takami declared, "Feel free to come see me during those hours of operation I laid out. Any other time, call the number and I'll see what I can do. That goes for you UA brats too, I'll just send Nedzu the bill afterwards."
The mouse/dog/bear gave his little paw a twirl, flicking one of Dr. Takami's business cards into view between his digits. "Oh, I'm sure we can have a nice chat about all that later. But yes students, feel free to seek outside help if it makes you feel more comfortable."
Takami bowed to the strange mammal, straightening before she continued, "And for added ease," the woman thrust her thumb back over her shoulder, pointing through the Orchard's massive windows to one of the high rises resting across the street, "my office is literally right next door. You can't ask for easier access than that."
Before any questions could be asked, Aizawa pushed past a still shaken Hokuto and started to elaborate, "For those of you unaware, most of the train lines and a few bus routes that come through Shepard's Station are free for students. As long as you have your school ID, you can ride anytime."
The chromatic doctor piped up, "This place is a pretty major transport hub and sees a lot of traffic during rush hours, but things stay fairly moderate on off-times and there's a good amount of shops and eateries within a few blocks. Plus, this spot gets a lot of hero patrols so there tends to be a lot less chaos if you ever want a place to hang out and unwind. Allowing yourself to relax now and then can be just as important as training and study. You can have that bit of advice for free!"
With that, the good doctor clapped her palms together. The sound was louder than it had any right to be and again Katsuki had to suppress the need to twitch. Aside from Toshinori, none of the adults appeared anywhere near as phased as the students, their eyes all looking towards the still silent Mr. Senki. The man still looked a little taken aback.
Osmund wiggled free of Hatsume's grasp, scrunching up his tiny body in preparation. Nedzu grinned openly as the little pup bounded from the girl's arms, taking a terrific leap from the young engineer to his frazzled owner. In particular, he was aiming for the man's head.
Puppy paws wrapped around Hokuto's skull as Osmund clutched his front onto the teacher's face. The man pitched backwards, catching himself at an angle that would make a limbo champion smile. Osmund's tail gave him a furious beating around his neck and cheeks.
Naota planted a hand against his teacher's upper back. Somehow, he had crossed from the back of the group to the front without anyone's notice. Tooru looked completely taken aback, bewildered by the fact that now two people had maintained stealth in her presence.
The silver haired boy then threw his instructor into an upright position. He'd used a fair bit more force than necessary, ending with the man stumbling forth before toppling forward. Mr. Senki landed on hands and knees, Osmund still happily whipping his tail across the man's features.
Naota continued to stand nearby, stoic as his teacher was laid out on hands and knees, almost prostrated before him. It was apparent, even if not on his face, that the boy took a good deal of joy in all this.
Hokuto raised his head, his canine mask still wagging away, and panned his head slowly across the crowd in front of him. This in spite of the fact that he obviously couldn't see a thing with Osmund in the way. After a long moment of this, he graced them with his closing statement.
"Alright, that's enough for today. Fuck off people."
Katsuki spat out a bark of laughter, already stomping down the stairs at a swift march.
The opening sequence which I spent so much time bitching about in the intro was originally a much longer segment highlighting some characterization for the UA teens and their interactions with our more steady cast. I scrapped that pretty quick because we'd already spent more than enough time on public transportation and I wanted things to move along. Finding a balance between keeping things from dragging and still making an amusing scene was a lot more of a challenge than I was banking on and that ended with me putting this chapter on the backburner up until just two weeks ago.
Sometimes writer's block gets us bad...
Couple of references here to go through. Shepard's Station is a pretty clear cut Mass Effect reference, I don't think it even needs any clarification. I do like transport hubs as an environment so we'll probably see this place again... possibly more than once.
I feel like places like The Memorial Orchard should be fairly standard in modern hero society, especially with the way people elevate the profession and those who hold it. I like the idea of this "artificial forest" surrounded by actual plantlife, more of my environmental preferences shining through.
There's little meaning behind the couple hero names that Izuku recognizes while passing through The Orchard. Kiba and Kyoko Izumi are the names I picked out for Kouta's parents (not sure if they have canon names, don't really care to look) and the theme there was... names that begin with "K". Seriously, point one percent of thought in that.
Aiko Toyatomi's alias, Swordbirth, is a reference to Highschool DXD, it being the name of the sacred gear held by Kiba Yuuto at the start of the series. Yes, that's also where I got the name for Kouta's father... Her cleaving a building in half is an image straight out of One Piece's siege of Enies Lobby.
The whole thing with Stalwart's death at the "Siege of the Twelth Precinct" is a nod to he movie Assault on Precinct Thirteen. Throwing this out there in case anyone feels inspired, but I would love to read a My Hero Academia take on the plot of that movie.
Crimson Riot's memorial has some more Mass Effect flavor thrown in. Urdnot is the clan name of Rex and Grunt, your Krogan crewmates throughout the original trilogy: any disaster that could take down the manliest hero deserves a suitable namesake. The ending blip of "he held the line" is ripped from one of the most iconic moments towards the end of the first game. If you don't know it... words just don't do it justice.
Fujiko is a character I'd debated adding since chapter four, there was supposed to be a whole minor scene with her making her own way through the teen crush on opening day at Aozora that I cut just to keep my writing momentum going. I decided to slide her in here so I could have her introduction be somewhat poignant. Fujiko's first name comes from Fujiko Mine of Lupin III fame and her last she shares with Fudo Nomura, the main character of Armed Girl's Machiavellism (accent on the "no," please).
A big part of this chapter is getting Izuku "up to speed" somewhat on the history of One For All. It always irked me how clueless he was about Nana's very existence (in the anime, he isn't even aware All Might's mentor was a woman) what with how much Yagi seems to revere her in some ways. I also wanted a way for the information to be conveyed that would lend itself towards showing Izuku's attention to detail, ven if in a small way. Toshinori's story has just enough relevant information for someone "in the know" to pick up on the actual narrative whilst still maintaining a fair degree of truth.
Aizawa's moment is a nod to the Vigilantes series that runs adjacent to the main MHA. You already know who's name he's looking at...
Operations is the slang term I'm using for the PSC's more underhanded methods. I do feel like hero society would turn a blind eye to the shadier dealings of their protectors so long as the outcomes are more often positive than negative. Whether or not that will last in this world remains to be seen.
The bit with Uraraka on her knees hit me all at once - I instantly added three pages worth of content on that gag alone. I hope Mina appreciates the lengths I go to for her amusement.
Iida comes from a long line of heroes, in his own words. I imagine they'd have a section all their own in a place like this, almost like a memorial tomb of sorts. This probably isn't his first time here, but it never gets any easier. Decided since they aren't as close in this universe that Midoriya would stay largely out of his business. Wanted Ochako to go along to show some solidarity to her friend/classmate, and it was also a convenient way to clear her out of the more intimate reveal with Izuku and Toshinori later - main cast only, please.
Speaking of main cast, do note that Tooru and Minoru are not present when Toshinori and Izuku come back to the gathering at the stairs towards the end of the chapter. It'll be relevant far into the future, I'm sure.
Takami comes back! And we get her first name! I have to throw this out there before I explode: the name Yuzu comes straight from one of my friend's dogs. If they ever read this... you're welcome.
This end bit was another part that I wanted to make longer but I think this entire segment, these last three chapters in general, have been dragging me down. I only have so much "wisdom" to dish out all at once and by the end of this I was just done with it. Apologies if this translated into lacking content, but I just needed to get myself over that finish line even if I had to crawl there.
That said, we've reached the end of our "field trip" chapters.
Next time... we're gonna get into some actual plot. Yes, after all of this, now we are ready to bring in the actual conflict of this story. Get ready for December, we got new faces to meet...