I am back home from college and ready to actually start writing this fic again.
Chapter 82: Day of Days
Reflector shoved her way through the crowd of heroes. Small, muttering conversations were going on all around the spacious briefing room. They all pretty much knew why they were here, and there was a nervous tension.
Reflector was having a difficult time keeping her rage under the surface. She couldn't believe what one of the Commission agents had just told her, after pulling her aside outside the room. Her students, Hagakure and Shoji, sent on an assassination mission? Not only that, but without any professional backup…she was not allowed to go with them. And they expected her to just accept that?
They knew what they were doing, too. They ordered all the students back to UA and knew I wouldn't be able to contact them before the operation starts. It made Reflector seethe. Killing Twice would be an extremely difficult task even for a professional stealth hero like herself…for the kids, it was unthinkable. Once again, the Commission was only taking the Quirks attached to the people into account, not the people themselves. They saw Hagakure's invisibility and saw a useful tool, not a young girl. It was worse than inhumane; it was illogical. How could they possibly expect her to succeed?
She was so focused on her wrathful thoughts she almost ran smack-dab into another hero, a man with orange hair and the sort of easy grin she wanted to wipe right off with a punch.
"Sorry," she grunted, nevertheless.
The man's smile faded as he saw the look on her face. "Oh, don't…worry about it…" he trailed off.
"Wait." Reflector blinked. "You're Switcheroo, aren't you?"
"Yes. I believe we worked together on the factory raid last year, though not directly."
"Ah." Reflector hardly remembered that, in all honesty. She knew this guy could switch the placements of objects by touching them…and, hadn't he mentored a UA student or two, as well?
The two of them both looked toward the center of the room, where Commission agents stood around a circular table, surrounded by the pro heroes. They were still preparing the briefing.
"Lots of heroes here," Switcheroo muttered, "but still not enough."
Reflector looked around. "Surely this isn't everyone. None of the top 10 are here. And neither are any of the UA teacher heroes."
The mention of UA made Switcheroo raise an eyebrow. "The Commission seems to be holding UA back. I wonder why that is."
"Because UA is too flashy, and makes the public actually feel safe," Reflector grunted through gritted teeth. "The Commission has always been great at doing things counter to its main objective. It doesn't want Nezu and company to do their job better than them. It had to deal with that enough when All Might was still around."
Switcheroo sighed. "But they'll still use the students when the time comes."
"Oh, of course they will. Don't even get me started." Reflector looked at him with a small amount of interest. "Who did you mentor?"
"Ashido, from 1A. Pink skin, horns. She went to Mirko for her work study instead." He shrugged. "Not too bitter about that. Anyone could see who the clear choice was there."
"I saw her and that warping boy on the television," said Reflector. "That floating apartment incident. They did well." She looked back to the center of the room. "Those kids are our future. Have you seen the streets lately, Switcheroo? The last two weeks have been silent. Like a wasteland. The entire country has locked up their homes and is holding their breath. The next generation are the only ones who can bring hope back to the public. And the Commission wants to throw their lives away like soldiers in this massive battle."
"I understand what you mean," Switcheroo said, frowning. "But at the same time…I really don't think we can do it without them, strangely enough. The UA kids especially. They understand the enemy better than we do. They've had the most encounters with them. Then when you take the generational Quirk acceleration theory into account…besides, a lot of them likely would hate to be left out."
Reflector was slightly irritated by his opinion, but of course, he didn't know what the Commission were forcing two of the kids to do. She opened her mouth to let out a measured retort, but then, the agents in the center called for everyone's attention.
The projector in the center of the table lit up, putting two flickering 3D models up in the room, hovering beneath the ceiling.
"This is Iwate Hospital," one of the agents said, pointing to the model on the left. "This is where the train from last week's battle was headed. The Paranormal Liberation Front has moved all their biomedical equipment and personnel to this location. That includes any leftover manufactured Quirks or Low Nomu not neutralized in the last battle, the two high-profile scientist targets…and, supposedly, Tomura Shigaraki himself."
Muttering all over the room. "How do you know it's that hospital?" a hero asked.
"A tip from a trusted source," an agent answered. "Infrared scans of the hospital reveal an extensive network of tunnels beneath the first floor, which go unmentioned in any official document related to the building's certification or lease. Now, at first glance, this seems to be the far simpler of the two targets, but many factors remain unknown. As such, the force sent here will be the smaller of the two but contain heroes of higher rank. Endeavor will lead the operation, along with Mirko, Crust, and Ryukyu."
"None of them are here, though!" another hero called.
"That's correct. They will receive personal briefings. You will all receive a file containing your assignment afterward. A small number of heroes will infiltrate the hospital. Unlike at the mansion, the PLF is unaware we know of this location, and we can take them by surprise. The larger number, including any students currently working under the heroes of this operation, will be focused on evacuating the surrounding area. We have reason to believe that if Shigaraki joins the battle, the level of destruction could exceed Kamino Ward."
That caused a good deal of gasping and whispering. "What about the mansion, then?" someone finally asked.
"Around sixty-five percent of our forces will be headed there. The highest-ranked heroes will be the Lurkers, who will lead the operation." The projection zoomed in on the mansion where Dabi had sent his video of Hawks being murdered…where hundreds, possibly thousands of PLF members lurked. "Our info on the layout of this building is limited. We also expect to meet significant resistance, as they have been anticipating this assault. This includes high-profile villains such as Dabi, Twice, and the giant spotted at the train attack. As such, the front lines will be occupied by heroes with zone-clearing Quirks, while the more specialized and technical heroes will follow from behind."
No mention of whether or not we are allowed to use lethal force, Reflector thought resentfully. If they say nothing at all, they maintain plausible deniability if any villains end up getting killed. And mark my words, there will be casualties.
"You may notice that many other heroes are not here," an agent announced. "It is reasonable to assume that anyone you notice the absence of either has a very specialized job that will require a separate briefing, or is going to participate in one of the numerous smaller regional raids we will be performing on the same day." The projection zoomed out to a map of Japan. "The PLF has several smaller bases located around the country. Our analysts have concluded that these bases represent less than five percent of the threat posed in total by the PLF, and as such, they will be dealt with accordingly. If you are here, then you need not worry about them."
The man turned the projection off. "Once again, you will all receive a file detailing your role and position. We begin at 0900 hours, two days from now. Understood? Dismissed."
…
Doko Katayama stood in the support lab in his hero costume, holding his arms out away from his sides. Midoriya warned me this chick was handsy, but…seriously, what's her problem?
"This material is nice!" Mei Hatsume commented, running her hands up his side. She was actually hooking wiring up to his costume, so why was she turning it into something weird?
Doko shivered in annoyance and glanced at Power Loader, who was standing off to the side. "Can you control your student at least a little bit, please?" he asked in a forced voice.
"Hatsume!" Power Loader barked. "What did we talk about?"
"Sensei, how am I supposed to stay out of his personal space when I'm literally attaching equipment to him?!" Mei asked, her voice somewhere around his hip as she continued to run her hands downward.
"You could at least make the manner in which you invade it less…invasive!" Power Loader countered. Recovery Girl, to his left, put her face in her hand with a sigh.
Doko looked at Nezu, who was standing on his other side on top of a table. "You said this stuff wouldn't get in my way," he said.
"And I meant it!" the furry principal promised. "Once we get the wiring lined up with the fiber of your costume, you shouldn't feel a thing." Meanwhile, Hatsume was down near his shoes.
"Are you sure this is going to work, Nezu?" Power Loader asked nervously. "I mean, Hatsume and I produced what you desired pretty faithfully…but…"
"It has to work!" Hatsume interrupted excitedly. "It's a baby of mine, after all! C'mon Sensei, aren't you at least a little excited to see what's in another dimension?"
Doko glared at the pink-haired girl. He'd been ambivalent toward her before, but now decided that he straight-up didn't like her at all. "You don't want to see what's in there, I can promise you that," he warned her.
"No one will be seeing anything," said Nezu. "Every time Katayama warps, the system will take in as much data as possible in the millisecond that it is present inside the void. That data will be displayed on the scanner-" he nodded to the watch-like device on Katayama's wrist. "-and will be sent remotely to our computers here at the school."
Mei finally backed off of him and nodded to admire her handiwork, her golden eyes gleaming. "It's all set!" she said, giving Power Loader a thumbs up. "Turn 'er on!"
Power Loader moved to a computer station and typed something in. Immediately, Doko felt a strange sensation wash over his body…but then it subsided. "That felt weird for a second," he commented, looking back at Nezu. "Is it on?"
"Should be." The principal looked to Recovery Girl, who was holding a portable tablet. The tablet was showing rising graphs and lines, and rhythmic beeping sounds could be heard.
"Biometric data coming in," the old lady said. "I can see all of the boy's bodily processes."
"Wow," Doko said flatly. "Embarrassing."
She deadpanned at him, and then said, "Try for a warp. Let's see what happens."
Doko took a deep breath, and simply warped forward once. He actually warped through Hatsume, who gasped in surprise.
He looked back at the three teachers after he was done. Nothing had felt different at all. Business as usual.
But both Recovery Girl and Power Loader were staring at their displays in alarm, as several things flashed and beeped.
Nezu hopped down off the table. "What have we got?"
"Atmospheric composition," Power Loader reported. "Inside the void there are some recognizable compounds…lots of carbon dioxide as far as I can see. But there's other things as well that I don't recognize at all. Possible that they don't even exist on the periodic table."
"Is it okay to be talking about this with her in the room?" Doko asked, nodding to Hatsume.
Power Loader gave him a look, then waved a hand. "She will forget literally all of this within ten minutes."
"It's true," Mei added helpfully.
Nezu looked to Recovery Girl. "What about your data?"
"Several of the boy's body systems received infinitesimal spikes and dips," she said. "It seems the place is not necessarily habitable for long periods of time, like outer space. One might need an astronaut suit to explore it, if such a thing could even be done."
"That doesn't sound right," Doko said. "I have physically stayed there for a few minutes before." When I spoke to Kurogiri for the last time. "And I was fine."
Recovery Girl gave him a concerned look. "It must have been some kind of mirage, or perhaps we need more data to understand."
"This is terrifying," Power Loader said frankly, still staring at his screen. "This is beyond anything I'm prepared to deal with right now."
"We don't have to continue our research immediately," said Nezu. "The battle is tomorrow. The boy will use his Quirk a lot tomorrow, and every time he does our computers will gather more data. Maybe by the end of the day our system will contain the solution to the problem."
Wouldn't that be convenient, Doko thought, dealing with the PLF and the monsters in one fell swoop. He doubted it would happen, though.
"Speaking of the battle being tomorrow…" Recovery Girl turned back to Doko. "You should be getting ready."
…
The sun was setting to the west of UA, far too early in the students' minds.
The mood in the Class A common room was quiet and subdued.
Momo and Jiro were sitting together on the couch with their arms around one another.
Kirishima and Sero spoke in hushed voices behind the kitchen counter.
Shinso and Mina played with Eri quietly on the carpet.
All Might, Midoriya, and Bakugo had just come back to the dorm, but All Might remained on the stoop outside and sat down to watch the sunset. The two boys walked in without him.
Midoriya walked up to Kirishima and Sero and joined their conversation. "...know I'm going with Nighteye, but…"
Doko stopped and joined them as well, intrigued.
"What is it?" he asked.
The three boys turned to him. "We were just talking about how we know that we're all going with our respective mentor heroes tomorrow, just not…where," Kirishima said.
"The villains have a ton of bases all over the country, right?" commented Sero. "What if our class gets all split up…"
"I'll have Amajiki-senpai, at least…"
"And I'll be with Shiozaki, but…"
"And I'll have Togata," said Midoriya. "Come on, guys. We've all been split up before, like at the yakuza raid…Sero, you weren't there, but you did fight Gentle Criminal."
"This is bigger than anything we've done before, though," Sero protested. "I just wish we knew more about what we were doing…"
Doko couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Because of his tip about Iwate Hospital, he was the reason the battle was happening tomorrow and not, say, a few weeks from now. But no amount of time could psychologically prepare us for this…at least, no amount of time that we can afford to waste. It's now or never.
He also couldn't actually tell them about the hospital. He was fairly certain that he himself would be sent there, and that his father would be there. Then again, that might make them just as likely to keep me away from it. But it also really depended on where they sent Mirko. Wherever she went, he and Mina would have to follow.
Shinso looked up from Eri at them. "I wish I could go with you all," he said. "I'm gonna feel useless holed up here all by myself…"
"Didn't you pass your exam? You have a license now, dude," Kirishima said.
"Yeah, but I don't have a work study like all of you. You need to be attached to a pro hero or agency in order to go."
"Erm…" Eri spoke up, and the five boys all looked at her with concern. "Where are you all talking about…going, exactly?"
Both Doko and Sero opened their mouths, then looked at each other nervously. How were they supposed to answer her? Then, Midoriya leaned down in front of her.
"We have a very important hero mission to go on," he told her.
"Important mission…" she swallowed. "Like, when you came to rescue me?"
Midoriya nodded. "And do you remember how well that went? No one got hurt or killed. We're gonna try our best to replicate those same results, alright Eri?"
Eri stared at him for a moment, then furrowed her eyebrows, putting on a sort of angry face. "You better," she huffed.
Mina, who was sitting nearby, giggled a bit. "C'mon Eri, let's do some more of this game." She scooted forward, distracting the young girl again.
Midoriya stood back up and rejoined Doko behind the counter. "Is it just me, or has her horn gotten a little bigger?" the green-haired boy mumbled.
Doko gave it a long look. He was somewhat distracted by how motherly Mina looked playing with the girl, but now that Midoriya mentioned it…
"I think so, yeah. She seems happy and calm enough, so it's probably nothing."
"But she may not be happy and calm after tomorrow," Midoriya muttered.
Doko glared at his friend. "Midoriya. Here's what you're not gonna do. You're not going to do something stupid and sacrificial tomorrow just because your heart tells you to, alright? What we need for this operation is cool-headedness. I grew impulsive during the train battle and it backfired. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Midoriya nodded, very slowly. "But it shouldn't even have to be sacrificial," he said. Sero and Kirishima had moved off, so they were no longer listening. "All Might hardly ever broke a sweat doing these amazing feats for years. I still can't use all of my power without risk of serious injury, and adding all these other Quirks I'm gonna get on top of that…" he shuddered. "I just don't want things to escalate to where we end up being massively out of our depth."
"They won't," Doko promised. "We'll be swift and catch 'em by surprise, alright?" He punched Midoriya softly on the shoulder and then turned away. "Stay focused, Midoriya. I'm gonna head upstairs." He looked over at Mina, still on the carpet, and raised an expectant eyebrow.
She gazed at him softly, running her fingers through Eri's hair. "I'll be up shortly," she told him.
Doko nodded and went up the stairs.
On the landing, he ran into Tsuyu, who was talking in a hushed voice into her phone, one hand over her ear. "Mmhmm. Yes, ribbit. I love you too. Hang in there. Good-bye."
She noticed Doko as she hung up. "Err, sorry," Doko said quickly, lowering his gaze and blushing. "I didn't mean to intrude…"
"It's fine. It was just my family, ribbit."
"Ah." Doko remembered something. "You have two younger siblings, don't you…?"
"Yes. A brother and sister. Ribbit."
"Are they…erm…in any of the evacuation zones…?"
"No. Thank goodness."
"My family is." He didn't know why he blurted it, but he did.
Tsuyu's eyes widened. "But, Dokkun…I thought they were…"
"Not related to me? Abusive? Yeah, I know. But Akane is there too, and I still think of her as my little sister…"
Tsuyu swallowed. Doko wondered if she was thinking about how she might feel if her little siblings were in the line of fire.
"Well," she croaked, "let's not get too distracted, though."
"Right. I, umm…I'm gonna head on upstairs. I think we have to get moving pretty early in the morning, so…"
They both went silent. It was uncomfortable. Unsaid questions and fears hung in the air.
Tsuyu swayed back and forth on the landing, and then, she did something totally unexpected. She leaned forward, and kissed Doko on the cheek.
His eyebrows shot up, and he reached up and touched the spot where she'd pecked. She leaned back and gave him a genuine smile, not a blush in sight. "Thank you, Dokkun," she said. "For being my friend. Ribbit."
Doko smiled. He felt tears threatening to rise up in his eyes, but he forced them down. "Don't mention it," he said. "I thank you, as well…" he wasn't sure how to continue, so he began to walk away.
Then, he turned back.
"I don't know if you ever get to hear this, but you deserve it. It'd be difficult to find a better friend to have at your side than Tsuyu Asui. I mean that. So, from the bottom of my heart…thanks."
She sniffled, and nodded, almost dismissing him. "Good night, Dokkun."
"Good night, Tsu."
…
All Might sat alone on the stoop, but he heard someone walking up behind him.
"What're you doing out in the cold?" Aizawa asked.
"Thinking," Toshinori answered. He'd just met with Young Midoriya about the next Quirk he might possibly inherit. His master Nana's Quirk, Float. Will he be prepared…?
Midoriya had also been surprisingly willful about another thing: he wanted to tell his girlfriend about One for All before tomorrow. All Might had given him permission, mainly because he no longer believed that One for All was his secret to hold. It is Midoriya's and solely Midoriya's. He can tell whoever he likes. It had been Bakugo who'd surprisingly argued against the idea more. Toshinori had to wonder what the reason for that was. But it would do no good to dwell on it.
"How's Eri?" he asked Aizawa.
"Inside, playing with Shinso and Ashido. I, erm…plan to start training her soon. After tomorrow, I mean."
Toshinori smiled a little. "I can help."
"I appreciate that." Unsaid was what All Might had really meant. I can help, but I can also take over for you if you get killed out there tomorrow. The two men had enough of an understanding without saying it aloud.
Aizawa blew warm air into his hands, and then asked, "What is it? You look paler than usual."
Toshinori looked up at the winter night sky. "I've decided to keep on living," he said.
"Huh?"
"I feel like I'm powerless so often," he continued. "Whenever I see the students grow, I feel so frustrated that I can't do anything for them."
Aizawa sighed and sat down. "Can't cure a workaholic, I guess."
"Worka-?"
"You kept the country on its feet for decades. The shock of coming down from that is getting to you."
"Harsh."
"There is still plenty you can do for the students, Yagi. You can live, you can be present. For a lot of people…that's all the push they need."
…
Izuku was only half-surprised to see Nejire already waiting for him in his room when he got there. "Sneaking in again?" he commented.
She giggled and sat down on his bed. "Well, tonight of all nights, you're gonna need some company," she said.
"Nejire," he said, seriously. "I…I have something to tell you…"
Her face fell. In that moment, he saw naked fear go across it. She thinks I might split up with her before the battle. Izuku had never found it easy to tell when people truly cared about him, after such a nightmare of a childhood. But Nejire made it very easy to understand. That fear on her face…what else could it mean?
"It's not what you think," he said. "I want to keep being with you, Nejire. This is still my first relationship and I'm not too sure where things are headed, but…if we make it through the day, I'd like nothing more than to just settle down with you and not worry about everything ever again. It frightens me how much I want that."
Nejire's hand brushed his cheek. She tilted her head. "Why does that worry you?"
"Well, umm…" he suddenly looked her in the eye, surprising himself with something. He'd never actually asked her this question, had he? "Nejire, why did you want to become a hero?"
"Hmm." She did not immediately answer the question with her usual bounciness. She seemed to really, somberly consider it. "Mostly because of my Quirk, I guess. I wanted to learn to control it better, and hero school seemed like the best way to do that."
How unique. And interesting. "So…" Izuku swallowed. "To you…"
"...That future you describe where you and I just settle down sounds really really nice," she finished for him. "But…I'm not naive, Izuku. And I know you aren't either. It would be silly to assume that peace will be forever achieved after tomorrow. And…we are in a high school relationship. Those don't always last forever. Not to mention that…while yes, I don't have this insane drive to be a hero, I will still do my duty as one. And I know that you have that insane drive…"
"Yes," Izuku said, "but you don't know why."
Nejire blinked. He could see, in her blue eyes, something barely being held back. It's her curiosity. She's known I've been hiding something from her this whole time. It might be why she was drawn to me in the first place. Well, he was about to reveal it.
"The reason this desire to just settle down and rest is so scary to me is because…I carry a bigger burden than just the profession of hero. I have to be the next Symbol of Peace, Nejire. My Quirk is All Might's Quirk. He passed it on to me and entrusted me to succeed him."
…
Hanta Sero had left his classmates behind in the common room and gone out into the cold. He looked at the message again. It was from Ibara.
Ibara: Can you come here, please?
He walked up to the Class B dorm and knocked on the door. Kendo let him in, as she'd done so before. "Here to hang out with Shiozaki?"
He nodded.
The mood in this common room was much the same as his own. The Class B kids were all sullen and silent. Others were absent entirely. It was strange seeing who desired company in times like this, and who desired solitude. I suppose Ibara is the latter. His heart raced.
He got to her room, which was slightly ajar as it had been many times before, and closed it behind him. Ibara was sitting somewhat formally on her bed, watching him. She seemed pale and nervous about something.
Hanta walked over, and gave her a hug. He didn't really know what was going on, but he wanted to make her feel comfortable. At least as comfortable as they could feel tonight.
She returned it, but still shook. "Hanta…" she muttered, quietly.
"It's okay, Ibara. I'm here. We can do something to take your mind off of it if you want. We can play cards or watch something or…"
"No," she interrupted.
Hanta broke the hug, and leaned back a little. He blinked, fully confident that he actually had no idea what was going on after all. "Ibara…?" he questioned.
She leaned forward again, and put her face against his chest, as if terrified to meet his eyes. "I want to…do something else," she said in a very small voice. "Something I'm not sure I'm allowed to do. But I don't know if we'll ever get the chance again."
Hanta gulped, the realization coming down upon him like a cold splash of water. "Oh…I see."
He gently took Ibara by the shoulders and pushed her back off his chest, so they could face each other again. She was still trembling, and looked at him with terrified eyes.
"Do…do you not want to?" she muttered. "I heard that b-boys are usually…usually in the mood, so…"
Hanta shook his head. "It's not that! It's…well…I do want to, Ibara. I want to do it with you. But…maybe not like this. You're shaking so much, I just…"
"No," she interrupted him again. "No." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if calming herself down. "Please, Hanta. I…" Her eyes opened again. "I would like to."
Hanta nodded, and leaned in to kiss her. Her arms went around his shoulders, and they leaned back onto the bed. From there, the rest was as natural as growing a garden.
…
Kirishima, Bakugo, Momo, Jiro, Todoroki, and Tokoyami were all sitting in the common room quietly. No one was speaking, but they were all appreciating each other's presence. The tension was thick. The sun had completely set outside.
Shinso returned to the room and sat down next to Tokoyami. "Eri's been put to bed," he said in a hushed voice. "Aizawa also went back up to the school. He told me to tell you all to get some rest as well."
"Let's stay a bit longer," Momo murmured. Her arm was still around Jiro.
Shinso gave her a concerned look, then nodded.
After a minute, Uraraka and Ojiro appeared from outside. Both of them were sweaty and in workout clothes.
Bakugo raised an eyebrow. "Damn, you two were getting last-minute training in?"
They exchanged a glance. "Well yeah, but…"
"...It was more to distract ourselves, than anything."
"Damn," Bakugo clicked his teeth. "That would have been a good idea. We should've gone too, Kirishima. Or maybe even you, Half-and-Half."
"Why don't I get to be called by my real name?" Todoroki asked flatly.
Bakugo huffed and looked back to the two who'd just entered. "Well, you two may as well come sit down and make yourselves comfortable. We're having a merry fuckin' time in here. It's like a wake."
"Hush," Jiro told him.
"Bite me, Ears."
Uraraka made a half-smile and took the empty loveseat. "It'll be nice to chill for a moment, I guess," she said.
Shinso was on the floor next to her. "You should have called me up," he told her. "So we could have a rematch."
"You'd have to rematch both of us," Ojiro told the brainwashing boy testily…and then awkwardly joined Uraraka in the loveseat.
Bakugo raised an eyebrow. "Dammit, not you two as well."
"Oh no, we're not!"
"Uhh…"
"Yeah, yeah." He waved a dismissive hand, and then looked at Tokoyami. "At least you haven't gotten hitched with anybody yet, birdbrain. You ever feel like we're the last sane ones here?"
"All the time," Tokoyami intoned solemnly.
"Hey!" Kirishima protested. "I'm single, too!"
"What are we all talking about?" another voice asked.
Everyone looked up in surprise. Iida had appeared.
"Oh great," Bakugo complained. "Now it really is a fuckin' wake."
"You really ought to watch your language," Iida admonished. He looked over at Momo. "Yaoyorozu, has he been speaking in this manner all evening?"
"Well, he wasn't speaking at all until a minute ago," Momo responded in a tired voice, not even looking in Iida's direction. "But yeah, I guess."
Iida facepalmed. Uraraka giggled a little. "Yaomomo, you're like a wine mom on a Sunday night right now."
Momo smiled wryly. "That obvious, huh? Well, my wife here has certainly loosened me up a little." She squeezed Jiro affectionately. The rocker girl blushed, and Bakugo rolled his eyes again.
Ojiro looked up at Iida. "Isn't this the part where you tell us all to hurry up and go to bed, or something?"
Iida took his glasses off and sat down in the last empty chair. "I am hardly as much of a stick in the mud as you think," he commented in a quieter voice. "I understand how everyone must be feeling right now. I am feeling much the same way."
No one spoke. Kirishima shifted in his seat. Todoroki looked down at the floor.
"Perhaps…" Iida swallowed. "Perhaps it would do us well to reminisce a bit. Does anyone have a favorite memory of the past school year they'd like to share?"
Another minute or two of silence.
Iida sighed and put his glasses back on. "Maybe it was silly suggestion after all, then…"
"No, I have one," Jiro interrupted quietly.
Iida smiled, pleased. "Well then, go ahead."
"I don't want to mention anything with Momo, because that feels like cheating, but…" She looked over at Tokoyami. "When we went to the mall, and you and I went into the emo store and looked at some weird shit. That was fun. I wish…I wish we could do that again sometime."
Tokoyami nodded solemnly. "That was a good memory indeed. If I had to pick one, I would say when Sato made that ziti for everyone. That was the best meal I've had in a long, long time."
"That ziti was good," Ojiro muttered in agreement. "I think my best memory was, umm…probably fighting Mirko, with Katayama and you." He looked at Uraraka when he said you. "It was so satisfying to actually win against her, even if I wasn't that useful…"
"You were," Uraraka insisted. "That fight would have to be up there for me as well, as good memories go. But I think my absolute favorite time was…the sports festival. The energy that day was unmatched. None of us knew each other that well yet, but I think that made it better. We all felt like we had something to prove. Maybe we'll never have such a fire lit under us again." Her eyelids lowered sadly at the end of her statement.
After that, that was another long period of silence.
Then, Shinso spoke up. "Mine is the sports festival too, but a specific moment," he said. "After I lost to Midoriya, my classmates all supported me from the stands. They reassured me that it was fine and that I was…I was the hero of general studies, for even standing up and fighting." He smiled, entrenched in his own memory. "That was when I knew I could move forward to my dream."
"Mine is from the other festival, the more recent one," Momo said. "The concert. It just went so well…it made my heart soar. And that was when I realized I had a crush on Jiro."
"I would also say the cultural festival," Todoroki commented. "It was a good, complete day all around. I was grateful to have spent it with you all."
Uraraka snorted.
He blinked. "Is something funny?"
"No, it's not, it's just…" she paused. "Sorry. That was just such a Todoroki way to answer the question."
"Gonna have to agree there," Kirishima said, smiling.
Bakugo sighed. "And what about your best memory, huh Kirishima?"
Kirishima grinned. "That's easy. Fighting alongside you at the USJ."
Bakugo's eyes widened, and the faintest blush crossed his cheeks. Uraraka, Jiro, and Momo all giggled. Shinso managed a quiet chuckle.
"Fine," Bakugo grumbled. "I guess mine was eating those big meals at the stupid training camp with everyone. That was the last good thing that ever fuckin' happened, to be honest. Since I got my dumbass captured right after that."
Ochaco was surprised. I thought he was much more hung up about that. To be able to casually mention it now…he's made real progress on his mental state. "I remember that," she said aloud. "Preparing the meals with everyone, I mean. I complimented you on using a knife, and you got really pissed for some reason."
"I still stand by that," Bakugo said, annoyed. "How can someone be bad at using a knife?"
Kirishima, still grinning, turned back to Iida. "Well, class rep? What about your own answer to your question?"
"I hate to cop out, but I do not think I can answer it completely specifically." Iida looked over directly at Todoroki. "All I will say is that it was a moment in which I was woefully misguided, and two close friends of mine saved me."
Todoroki smiled. Something meaningful passed between the two of them.
Another minute or two of silence came and went, but this was a comfortable silence.
Shinso nodded at Jiro's acoustic guitar, which was leaning against the seat next to her. "Maybe you should sing us something?" he suggested.
Jiro raised an eyebrow, and then snuggled closer into Momo. "I'm a bit tired for that, I think," she said. "Sorry. It is a good idea."
"Can anyone else sing?" Momo asked randomly, lifting her head a little, looking around the room. "Kirishima?"
"I can, but you'll be wishing you were already in the fight instead."
"Bakugo?"
"Fuck no, Ponytail."
From there, everyone looked at Ojiro, who shook his head nervously, then Uraraka…
...Tokoyami picked the guitar up, and strummed it.
I sense this silhouette who's standing vigil growing very sore, he sang, in a haunting, surprising voice. Goosebumps crawled up Uraraka's arms.
Just one moment more…
Before I close the curtain, fate uncertain, spirit to the dark…
Endlessly apart.
Todoroki uncrossed his arms and relaxed. His grey eye shimmered.
Can I fall into the ocean?
Send my soul into the sea?
Kirishima watched with admiration. Bakugo leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
No distant echoes haunting me.
No further phantoms will I see.
The silence held eternally.
Jiro nestled her head into Momo's neck.
The guitar strumming intensified.
But what if the silence was broken by the ones you've loved?
Incredibly present with heavenly breath to wake you up.
With nothing left to poison the portrait of who I've become…
Only elation remains, protecting us from this never-ending night…
In the rooms above them, Midoriya and Nejire slept. Sero and Shiozaki did the same, in the building across the way. Other students prepared to sleep. Eri dozed soundly. Aizawa sighed and set his goggles down by his nightstand, ready to grab in the morning. All Might laid his head against the pillow, a sad expression on his face.
Dear apparition while my senses last…
Is absolution far too much to ask?
Will you forgive a truly troubled past…
The silver lining still remains, the sights I've left to see…
So trust that with this end…
A new beginning's waiting patiently.
Tokoyami continued to strum the tune for another minute or two, before setting the guitar down, and leaving to go upstairs silently. The rest followed one or two at a time after that, saying nothing.
…
Doko and Mina laid together on his bed, facing each other, their noses nearly touching.
"Do you think you're gonna see your father again tomorrow?" she asked.
"I'm not sure. We go wherever Mirko does."
"Well, it's either him or the giant." Mina's yellow eyes swam with determination. "If I see him again, I won't freeze. I mean it."
"I believe you," Doko said with a soft smile. "Whatever happens…I'm glad you're in my life, Mina Ashido. I love you."
"I love you too, Doko." She leaned in and kissed him, and kept her eyes closed when she leaned away. They both fell asleep.
…
The next morning…all heroes disappeared from the city.
…
The song is A Beginning by The Dear Hunter. I do not own it.
Next chapter:
Chapter 83: Paranormal Liberation War