Kirishima and Mina walked into the familiar office of Nezu. Nezu was seated in his seat, looking over documents a grim expression on his face. Or so he guessed, Nezu's animal features made it difficult to guess sometimes.
"Please take a seat," Nezu said to the two of them as they entered.
When they were seated, Nezu continued.
"I called you because it was very important. As you are painfully aware, your failure to disclose information regarding Toru Hagakure has been under investigation." Nezu said paws clasped together in front of him.
Kirishima felt Mina's hand grip his painfully.
"I have argued to the best of my ability that your failure is not as serious as they made it out to be, but the fact remains that if you had come forward, certain things might have been avoided. At the very least, you would not have been injured." Nezu continued.
Kirishima felt Mina start to tremble.
"I have managed to persuade them not to have you arrested, but there were insistent on some form of punishment. So... I am afraid I must ask you to hand over your hero license." Nezu asked gravely.
It felt like he'd just been sucker punched, he felt breathless, and when he looked at Mina he saw she had gone pale, and he feared she may be sick.
"This is the best I could do. I'm sorry." Nezu said, and he sounded genuinely pained.
Still shell-shocked, Mina put a shaky hand into her pocket and pulled out her wallet. She looked down at her license and then slowly withdrew it. Then looking as if she might faint, dropped it on Nezu's desk.
Nezu took her license and put it in his desk.
"It's not permanent, but it will be a very long time until you are reinstated. I'm sorry I couldn't do more." Nezu said.
"You... you did the best you could..." Mina managed to say, then she stood up and walked out of the office, Kirishima behind her.
Kirishima awoke gradually, he habitually reached out for Mina but when he couldn't feel her he opened his eyes. The bed was empty, and by the looks of it, she hadn't stayed in bed long. Panic shot through him and his adrenaline started pumping. He scrambled out of bed and not bothering to dress ran into the living room. No sign of her, he checked the bathroom to equal futility. He ran back into the living room, his panic increasing when he felt a draft. He looked to the door leading to the balcony and saw it was cracked open and Mina sitting on a chair. He let out a sigh of relief and took a few moments to calm himself before heading to the door and opening it.
Mina didn't react at all to his presence, just continued to gaze out across the city in the early morning in her night clothes. He pulled up a chair and moved it beside her, and took a seat.
"How long have you been out here?" He asked, leaning forward to look at her face.
She was completely expressionless, just a blank look on her face as if she wasn't all there.
"dunno..." she mumbled.
"Well come inside and let's get something to eat," Kirishima said reaching and taking one of her hands.
She didn't resist him, but she was like a robot. Mechanically going about her routine with no variation or deviation. Eventually, she went and laid down on the couch, and with nothing else, he went and laid down with her. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her close. He was both relieved and happy to feel her snuggle into him.
They stayed that way for a while, and he idly played with her hair, just trying to ensure she knew she wasn't alone.
"You know, I was in love with you for a long time. When we finally got together during the war, it fulfilled a fantasy of mine. When the war was over, I dreamt of more with you. I dreamt of us sleeping together, living together, and being a normal couple. I dreamt of us being heroes together, side by side, just like in the war. Then we did, we got an apartment together, and I couldn't be happier. Then before I could even fantasize about it, you proposed to me. We both knew deep down its what we both wanted. A lot of people thought we'd rushed into it, we'd only been dating for a few years and were in the middle of a war. But we'd known each other for so long before then, it didn't feel like only a few years. You told me it would be the greatest regret of your life if you didn't at least ask. I knew the real reason though, what if one of us died before you asked." She said suddenly curling up a little.
"I dreamed of what the future would bring after that. So many wonderful dreams... but now that's impossible," she said then she turned around to face him, her face a wash of agony and despair.
"I won't ever be able to have children, I'm not even a hero anymore, and all those students... it's all my fault... why... how can you stand to be around me? I'm not even a woman anymore... So why are you staying?" she asked desperately, tears in her eyes.
Kirishima felt tears form in his own eyes and he wrapped himself tighter around her and pulled her into him. He put a hand on her head and put his face in her hair.
"Please... don't say that... please don't... I love you, I love you so much. I know it hurts, but no matter how much it hurts, I won't leave you alone. I will never leave you, I love you even if we can't have children. This isn't your fault, it's mine. I couldn't protect you, I wasn't there to be your shield. It's all my quirk is good for and it didn't even matter. I'm the failure..." He said, now crying into her hair.
Mina clutched him desperately and started shaking while she cried into him as well. They turned into a shaking, sobbing mess, neither able to speak for a long while. After what felt like an eternity, they eventually exhausted themselves unable to cry anymore.
"We'll get through this, we'll get through this, we'll get through this..." He started mumbling over and over again.
He had to keep saying it, otherwise, he feared it might not be true.
Bakugo rubbed his eyes and tried to focus. Yet, no matter how he tried to look at it, he just couldn't read whatever the hell the document was saying. He tossed it on the table in annoyance and then plopped down on his couch, rubbing his eyes again.
He made a mental note to call someone about the print they were using for these documents. They were almost impossible to read, he'd only been able to work out a few of the characters before giving up entirely. It had been like this for a few days, he'd been having to squint quite a bit recently. He checked his phone for the time and realized he needed to leave.
He hurriedly got up from the couch and put on some proper clothes then left his apartment. He went out to the front and waited, and before long, a car rolled up. He opened a door and clambered inside.
"Thanks for the ride," he said.
"No problem, ribbit," Tsu said.
"How are things at the school?" Bakugo asked.
"Not bad, Nezu is getting around to hiring more teachers now that we've cleaned up most of the campus. Once he has the teachers filled in, he plans on opening the school in another month." Tsu said happily.
"How about you though? When do you plan on leaving?" Tsu asked.
"Three days, I've been away too long already. I should have left last week." He said, watching the busy streets go by.
Tsu glanced at Bakugo, a small frown on her face as if she was weighing a question in her mind.
"Bakugo, if you don't mind me asking, have you ever thought about dating?" She finally asked.
Bakugo didn't react at all and she was wondering if he had been lost in his own thoughts before he sighed and rubbed his face.
"We both know why that would be difficult. The only reason why people haven't been snooping into my affairs is that I'm in Mufustafu, and there is more important stuff to report on. Once I go back though, It'll be back to Dynamite, the most explosive piece of news around." Bakugo said, mockingly.
Tsu couldn't help but smile, Bakugo didn't make jokes often and it was a sign he was finally getting back to normal. Though the smile quickly faded as she realized that her life would get a lot more public once things settled down more and people realized she was seeing Tokoyami.
"Have you though? Sorry if I'm being nosey but I've always felt you were a bit lonely over in that city by yourself.
Bakugo let out a "Tch," of annoyance, crossed his arms, and continued to look out the window. "Spare me the older sister shit." He said annoyed.
"Sorry,"
A few seconds later though Bakugo mumbled out, "I guess it would be nice though."
Tsu smiled, and it stayed there as she parked the car in front of Ochako's place. Ochako opened the door, got in, and then they were off.
"How are you feeling?" Tsu asked Ochako.
"Pretty good, it's been steady improvements." She said brightly. "What about you Bakugo?"
"I'm fine." He said.
They continued to talk for a bit, but eventually, Tsu stopped the car in front of the hospital.
"Thanks for the ride," Ochako said.
"Yeah, thanks," Bakugo said.
They got out of the car and Tsu continued on to the school.
Bakugo and Ochako walked into the hospital, and after a few minutes, they were each shown to small rooms for their routine examinations. Bakugo sat down with a nurse and he started running through a series of basic motor skills, reflex, and other various physical exams.
"Well, physically you seem to be fine. Notice any abnormal mental fluctuations? Mood swings, bouts of depression, or instances of disassociation?" The nurse asked, pen ready.
"None that I can tell, but I have had trouble reading as of late." He said.
"Vision impairment? How severe?" the nurse asked making a note.
"Nothing serious, I just find it difficult to read mostly." He said shrugging.
"Vision problems aren't uncommon for survivors of lightning strikes. Let's run you through a test." The nurse said, getting up and leaving the room.
After a few minutes, she came back with a small board.
"You'll need to see an optician for anything more specific, but this will do for now." the nurse said, holding up the board.
The nurse ran him through a series of simple vision tests, and by the end, it was clear there was a problem.
"Personally I think it highly likely you will need glasses. I can't say how strong they will need to be, but the problems don't seem to extend to distant targets. My guess is reading glasses." The nurse said, putting the board aside and making notes on the clipboard.
"You're free to go, I just need to wrap this up." The nurse said.
Bakugo stood up and took his leave, meeting up with Ochako just outside.
"You were in there for longer than usual, anything wrong?" she asked.
"Vision problems told me I might need reading glasses," Bakugo growled.
Ochako stared at him for a moment, clearly thinking before nodding.
"I think you'll look good in glasses, it'll make you look a nerd." She said, before jumping backward with a laugh as Bakugo made to lunge at her.
"Keep laughing and we'll see who has the last laugh in a minute," Bakugo warned, glaring at her.
"All right, all right," Ochako said laughing holding her hands up in mock surrender.
"You have become insufferable as of late, you and Deku both," Bakugo said, massaging a temple.
"Then I guess I'd better go," Ochako said still smiling.
"You'd better," Bakugo said, still glaring at her.
"I gotta head to the H.A., what about you?" she asked,
"I got my own business. I'll see you later." Bakugo said, taking out his phone to call a cab.
Ten minutes later Bakuog walked into All Might park, his feet taking him down his usual route.
He'd lost track of how many times he'd come here over the years. Before too much longer he stood at the start of the long obsidian memorial. He walked slowly alongside it, eyes going over the lists of names.
Then he stopped in front of the part that memorialized those lost in 1A. Now with three names added to the bottom.
Denki Kaminari
Kyoka Jiro
Hitoshi Shinso
"I'm sorry. I failed you, I swore I wouldn't lose anyone else, and I couldn't live up to that." He said quietly.
Then he moved on until he stood in front of the statue of All Might. There was one other person present, smoking a cigarette while sitting on a bench facing the statue.
"Some hero I turned out to be, I couldn't even keep those closest to me alive. I... failed you." Bakugo whispered.
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, you're only human. You can only do so much." Said the figure sitting on the bench just ahead of Bakugo.
The figure turned to face Bakugo and he realized that it was Naomasa in civilian clothes. He gestured for Bakugo to take the seat next to him. After a brief moment of hesitation, Bakugo went and sat down next to him.
"Everyone likes to put All Might on a pedestal, as some kind of paragon who could do no wrong and who never failed. People forget that All Might was still human and that for every person he saved, there was someone else he couldn't save. It's a hard truth to accept, but you can't save everyone. Gods know All Might struggled to accept that; he had the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he couldn't bear the thought of not living up to that." Naomasa said, staring up at the statue.
"In the end, no matter how strong he was, he was still just a man. Don't forget that." Naomasa said, taking one last drag before standing up and leaving.
Izuku stood staring at himself in the mirror, feeling distinctly out of place. It felt so unnatural to be wearing... nice clothes. He hadn't touched such clothes in years, and they had needed a thorough washing to get the dust out of them.
After giving himself one last once over, he decided it was good enough. He grabbed everything he would need and then left his apartment. He headed down to the parking lot and waited for his ride.
Eventually, a small car pulled up beside him and he clambered inside.
"Thanks for giving me a ride," Izuku said.
"Glad to help, so how are you feeling?" Tsuyu asked.
"To be honest, I don't feel like I deserve this." He said, nervously massaging the scars on his right hand.
"It's... definitely unconventional, but Nezu has always been a bit eccentric in his own way." Tsuyu said.
"But... me?" Izuku asked.
"Nezu doesn't hire people he doesn't trust," Tsu said shrugging.
When that failed to ease his nerves, Tsu couldn't help but smile, reminded of her own first day working at U.A.
"You'll be fine, you aren't teaching, just helping for now. It was the same for me when I first started. I helped the actual teachers for a while, then I started tutoring, and now I'm an actual teacher." Tsu said, trying to ease Izuku's worries.
The rest of the drive went by in a blur, and before he knew it, they were at U.A. He got out of the car and looked up at the towering school building. It looked completely different in the daytime, and he couldn't help but feel a little in awe. He stood mesmerized by the sight until Tsu called him. With a start, he jogged to catch up with her.
When they got to the doors to the entire however he stopped once more and looked back up.
"You know, I spent the entirety of my childhood wanting to come here. To be trained at the best school in the world for heroics, to be trained by All Might himself, to become a hero. Of course, that wasn't possible since I'm quirkless. I eventually accepted it would never happen, but... here I am. Not as a student, but as a staff member and I think... I think I prefer this." He said a smile coming to him.
He looked down to see Tsu smiling warmly at him, the door held open for him. He took a deep breath and walked inside. Tsu guided him through the halls and he passed several students who gave him curious looks. Eventually, Tsu lead him down a flight of stairs and stopped in front of a pair of steel doors.
"Well, here we are, the Support Course Development Studio," she said.
Izuku gulped and then opened the nearest door. He stepped inside and his eyes went wide. The room was large and every wall was lined with tools and machinery of all different kinds. Tables were everywhere and the center tables were outfitted with a variety of chemical apparatuses. Izuku walked deeper into the room, trying to take it all in.
"Ah, you must be Izuku Midoriya!" Came a voice to his right.
Izuku turned and saw none other than David Shield walking towards him, drying his hands with a towel.
"Yes!" Izuku said, giving him a bow while David extended his hand for a handshake. Izuku hastily shook his hand.
"Haha, sorry, too many years on I-Island. It just became a habit to go for a handshake instead." David said seeing Izuku become flustered.
"My name is David Shield, it'll be a pleasure working with you," David said brightly.
"Likewise!" Izuku said excitedly.
"Now before we get started, I need to tell you that Nezu told me everything," David said, becoming more serious.
"E- Everything?" Izuku repeated nervously.
"Yes, but I have no intention of judging you. I trust Nezu, and if he thinks you deserve to be here then that's good enough for me. You also don't need to worry about it slipping out, I knew of All Might's condition long before it went public. The only I care about right now is seeing what you can do. Before even that though, I want to you tell me all about yourself and your experience. Leave nothing out and take however long you want, there are no classes for me today, it's all about getting settled in." David said smiling.
He led Izuku to a table and the two of them pulled out two stools and sat down.
"Well... if I'm starting at the beginning then I guess I'd better start when I first met All Might..."
