Chapter Twenty-Six: Now You Know

The Nomu had latched onto Izuku with a vice-like grip, and began soaring swiftly away from the gathering of heroes. The creature's goal was simple: bring this green haired boy to Shigaraki. However, something about this boy seemed to create some sort of activity in the mindless creatures exposed brain.

"De.. Ku…" The creature would recite, causing the kidnapped greenette to whip his head up to his captor. There were only a few people in the world that could have been aware of Izuku's childhood nickname, meaning that this thing was… It was a person from his childhood. But that was impossible, this creature wasn't built like anyone he was aware of that had a quirk. But those wings…

'Wait..! It's Tanaka Oni!' Izuku thought as he began to struggle against the Nomu's grip. Tanaka had gone missing years ago, and yet this thing… This had to be him. There was no other way, these Nomu were modified humans! "Let go, Tanaka!"

The creature roared as he began to lose his grip on Izuku, but then in a flash of black and red the Nomu had been stabbed in the brain, and Izuku had been brought back down to the road safely. As the greenette stared up at his savior he was shocked to see that it was, in fact, Stain who had saved him.

However, the more concerning part about all of this was the fact that the child turned Nomu had fallen to the hands of the hero killer. Izuku had known that creature… It was able to recognize his name, a name that had only been heard by a select group of people that had known him since childhood.

"Tanaka…" Izuku mumbled as he was dropped by the Hero Killer onto the pavement beneath them. Izuku then quickly swiveled his body around to stand to his feet, preparing himself to take down Stain only to realize that the man had stopped moving, and the faces of the heroes before the two of them were those of pure fear.

Izuku slowly approached the hero killer, soon realizing that the man had fallen unconscious and would probably require medical attention. The heroes in training would fall to their knees, shocked at the display the Hero Killer had just displayed against the hero run society. The only man who would stand and face the threat that was society itself. The man who wanted to be the change he wanted to see in the world.

Izuku and the other heroes around him would come to learn that one of the hero killer's ribs had punctured his lung, incapacitating him in the midst of his display. The hero killer was prepared to stand against everyone present, rendering everyone motionless.

All of those injured would be admitted into Hosu General Hospital, spending a night to recover and to recuperate after such an eventful night. Izuku would be admitted into the hospital after his ribs had been cracked at the force of the Nomu gripping onto him. Struggling probably worsened it as well.

Now sat the three boy's present during that night against the Hero Killer, Iida, Todoroki, and Izuku Midoriya. The trio were sitting in their hospital room, just taking in the events of the prior night after waking from their anesthesia.

"Looking back now…" Izuku said, garnering the attention of the others present. "What we did was incredible. And after everything that happened… It's a miracle we're still alive." He added, sighing as he peered down at his bandaged torso. "He could've easily killed me if he wanted… No doubt he let us live."

The other two boys with him nodded in agreement, even as grim as that was, he was right. They could have easily lost their lives at any moment, but strangely enough they were alive. They had won their fight against the hero killer.

Suddenly the door to the boy's hospital room would open, revealing Gran Torino, Manual, and… A dog person? And a rather tall one at that, as he was adorned in a black suit. He seemed like a very important person.

"Oh! All the little wounded warriors are awake!" Gran Torino exclaimed as the three men entered the room. The old man then turned to Izuku as he raised an angry fist at him. "I'm still gonna chew you out, but before that you've got a visitor. Kenji Tsuragamae, Hosu's chief of police."

Izuku would attempt to rise and bow to the man, but the dog-man would raise a hand to halt him. "Please stay seated, woof." He instructed. The man inspected the three boy's, and it seemed he had a keen eye for observation as he immediately recognized the two prestigious family members before him, Iida and Todoroki. "So you're the UA students that took down the Hero Killer, woof."

'W-Woof..? What?' Izuku thought as he stared at the ridiculous man. He seemed so authoritative and powerful, and yet he was barking like a dog. How could anyone take him seriously?

The chief of police would then explain the situation to them, informing them of the status of the now defeated Hero Killer, as well as informing them of just how illegal what they did the night prior was. However, he would let the incident slip and write it off as Endeavor defeating Stain instead of the three UA students. Though that did bring some annoyance to the dual haired boy, Shouto Todoroki.

Izuku would soon after pull the chief aside, and inform him of his findings with the missing child, "Oni Tanaka.". The boy had gone missing at the age of 8, and was presumed dead after the search party was ended. But this would only set in stone the evidence of how the Nomu were, in fact, genetically altered human beings.

Soon enough, the chief of police would leave, and Izuku would exit the room he shared with Todoroki and Iida after getting a phone call from Kyouka Jirou herself, most likely overly worried for the greenette. Though, she had every right to worry, as Izuku had nearly lost his life once more after rushing into danger again. It was like that shit was just as attracted to him as she was.

"H-Hello?" Izuku would question through the phone before he heard the girl on the other end take a deep breath. The boy would quirk a brow at this before he soon would come to realize why she was doing so.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME IZUKU!? I'VE BEEN WORRIED SINCE I SAW THE HEADLINES LAST NIGHT!" Kyouka yelled through the phone, causing Izuku to hold the phone a few inches away from his ear so as to not damage his ear drums. She was usually a quiet girl, but if she wanted to she could rival Present Mic for sure. "Seriously Izuku, are you kidding me!? The Hero Killer!? HE HAS KILLER IN HIS NAME!"

"L-Listen, Kyouka-" Izuku tried to interrupt before once more being silenced by the girl's booming voice.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT! Izuku you could have died! What would I do without you!? Did you even think about that!?" She questioned, pausing to take a break, just so that he could try and come up with a response. When she heard a deafening silence she decided to continue. "Izuku… I know that you're doing what you think is right, but I don't want to keep hearing about you getting hurt, or worse, you dying. Please just be more careful, I don't want to lose you…"

Izuku would look down as he held the phone up to his ear and exhaled. Truly he didn't know how to respond, because he knew that he couldn't lie to her. He couldn't tell her that he could be more careful because being a hero was all about acting reckless so that the people felt safe and protected. He would sure as hell sacrifice himself if it meant saving even a single life, and he knew that he couldn't tell her that because that wasn't what she wanted to hear. So he only had one thing he could respond with.

"I'll try."

The internships would eventually come to an end, and even though Izuku's had been filled with strife and conflict, he was thrilled to have been able to accomplish what he could. Though the weight of his battle against the Hero Killer would still linger in the back of his mind, haunting him as he looked back on both Stain's ideals, and the boy turned Nomu.

"You alright, kid?" Gran Torino would question as the two of them sat outside of his rundown "home". Izuku would snap out of his thoughts as he whipped his head up to face the short old man.

"U-Um, yeah… Th-Thanks for everything, Gran Torino. I've learned a lot under your care, a-and I appreciate everything you've done for me." Izuku proclaimed, bowing slightly out of respect for Gran Torino's teachings. And while most of the time they spent together was just mindless bickering and battle training, Izuku did, in fact, learn a lot. He gained some experience of the sacrifices you need to make in order to be a hero.

Izuku would then turn and walk off towards the train station, he needed to get back to meet up with the others just so that Aizawa could make sure everyone got home safe, but was soon called once more by Gran Torino.

"Hey, kid!" The old man would call, forcing Izuku to turn around to face him as he had that silly dumb face he made when he was about to act senile. "Who are you, again!?"

Izuku would smile, shaking his head as he turned back around to continue his walk away from the man. He seemed much more confident than when he initially arrived, and that brought a smirk to the old man's face.

"The name's Deku. The Emerald Savior." Izuku would exclaim, pride laced in his voice as he walked off, briefcase in hand, and his backpack slung over his shoulder. Gran Torino would exhale in relief as he watched the boy walk off to his next destination.

The train ride home would be long, with Izuku even nearly falling asleep at some points due to his lack of sleeping for the past few days. That night against the hero killer had really strained him mentally, and for the past few days he had been losing sleep due to nightmares and stress. Luckily, however, he'd be back home. Even better, he'd be back with Kyouka.

Izuku, however, couldn't remove the lingering thoughts of that night, and just how horrid it really was. Not only that, but messages of Stain's convictions began to spread like wildfire, and was all the rave on social media. Izuku really had no escape from that man, the man who saved his life, and yet wanted to end him all the same.

Izuku then jerked forward in his seat as the train began to come to a halt. He was deep in thought, and half asleep so that jerk was quite the harsh awakening. Soon the train came to a full stop and the passengers were allowed to exit the train onto their designated station. Izuku would be one of the first to leave as he didn't have much on his person to begin with, and he was just frantic to get out and stretch his legs after such a long train ride.

Izuku would walk off of the train, sighing in relief as he felt his legs get more room then they had during that entire train ride. The greenette had definitely been through a lot, but finally being home put a smile on his face. Suddenly, however, the greenette would hear footsteps rushing towards him, and as he turned to face the nearing object he would be tackled, nearly falling over, and enveloped in a tight embrace.

Izuku blushed, embarrassed by the fact he was just tackle-hugged by someone, before he actually realized who exactly just assaulted him. It was Kyouka, and she was embracing the boy as tightly as she could, afraid that he would disappear if she let go. Izuku quickly returned her embrace after hearing her quiet sniffles of trying to hold back her tears. Just like Izuku had been through a lot, so had she. She had been worried sick for the boy, fearing that he would have been seriously injured. (Though, she really shouldn't be hugging him as his ribcage was what was hurting the most).

Izuku would bear through the pain as much as he could, hugging the girl as tightly as he could in return just to tell her that he was here. He was alright, and he wasn't going to go anywhere. Though, eventually he would have to pull away as the pain was becoming too much to bear.

"Hey Kyo… I'm alright..." He whispered into her ear, placing a gentle kiss atop her head before continuing. "But I won't be if you keep crushing my ribs. That's where I got hurt..."

Kyouka quickly removed herself from the boy, guilt washing over her as she had been hurting him. "A-Ah! S-Sorry, I-I've just-" She tried to stutter out, before Izuku patted her on the head. That would be all she needed to quell her worries, for as long as Izuku was here and alive, she could be by his side.

"Don't apologize. I-I should be sorry for worrying you… I really missed you, K-Kyouka." Izuku stated, grasping onto her hands and rubbing his scarred thumb over her knuckles. "A-And you were right, I should have thought about the end result… I'll try my hardest not to rush into grave danger like that again."

Kyouka then sighed and hung her head down. "You know you can't keep that promise… Just try to stay alive, okay? Above just being a hero, y-you're… You're my hero too." She stated, looking back up to the boy with a flushed face. As the words left her mouth she could see some sort of light in his eyes shine through, almost as if she had breathed life into him herself.

Izuku felt his face heat up, and he quickly cupped her face with his hands. "Kyouka that has got to be the cutest thing you've said to me. It made me want to break up with you just so I could ask you out again." He stated, with conviction that seemed almost unbefitting of the greenette. Kyouka failed to hold back her laugh at just how serious her little nerd was. It was honestly really heartwarming.

"Pfft- I-Izuku, I can't take you seriously when you say that! Hahaha!" The girl stated, pulling Izuku's hands off of her face as she laughed at his romantically dorky response. "But… It makes me happy to hear that. Let's get going alright? I demand cuddles for the rest of the day." She continued, doing a cute little pout as she informed Izuku on their plans for the rest of the evening.

The greenette would smile warmly at his girlfriend. She had some strange ability to always bring happiness into the darkest moments in his life, and after the Stain incident he really needed that. He needed her more than anything, and he was always more than happy to comply with her cuddle demands.

"I don't really have a choice do I?" He'd question, using his free hand to grasp onto her own, interlocking their fingers as they started their walk to Izuku's place. Kyouka grinned gleefully as she turned to look back at her green-haired companion.

"Nope! You can't escape me!"

The two would arrive at Midoriya's residence shortly after their departure, both teens being glad that they wouldn't have to return to school until the next day. It just meant that the two could spend the rest of the day indulging in one another and relaxing before they returned to the stressful life of trying to be a hero.

Izuku opened the door to the apartment, "Mom! I'm home, and I brought Kyouka!" He'd call out to his mother. After a few seconds of silence he inferred that she wasn't actually home, most likely out running errands or something. "Guess she isn't home… Are you hungry or anything?" Izuku questioned, turning to Kyouka who had removed her shoes before stepping through the entrance of the apartment.

"Actually yeah, I'm starving." Kyouka stated, gripping onto Izuku's collar and getting on her toes so that she could reach the boy's lips. Izuku was surprised by her actions, but soon came around and began to return the girl's passionate display of affection.

Izuku would wrap his arms around her waist, drawing her in closer as he rubbed the small of her back. Kyouka could feel herself shiver against Izuku's hand caressing her back, before Izuku pulled away from the kiss. Being short of breath he blushed and looked to the door of his room.

"W-We really shouldn't be doing this out here… M-My mom might come home." Izuku stammered, though his actions didn't match his words. He continued to hold onto her firmly, keeping her body pressed up against his own in some form of a need to keep her close to him. After being separated for a few days they were essentially craving this togetherness. "I-I'd rather she not see this kind of thing…" He continued, nodding to his door, though his eyes would linger over Kyoukas. Emerald green would meet Onyx black, and for some reason the two of them couldn't look away.

Kyouka would be the first to break out of the trance and nod. "Y-Yeah, um… You're k-kinda holding me in place, though…" She informed, causing Izuku to quickly release her from his embrace. Kyouka would realize just how cold she felt when she wasn't pressed up against, or even just in close proximity to Izuku. It was as if she was missing some strange giant heat pillow; after getting so used to it's warmth it just felt so odd without it.

The teens would thereafter enter Izuku's bedroom, it was just as it was when she first saw his room. A few All Might posters and figures, a few band posters, and a purple duvet- Wait, it was green last time. He had changed it to a purple one to remind him of his girlfriend, and if he was being honest it helped him sleep whenever he used it.

Kyouka and Izuku would remove their bags, and their school's blazers, just to get more comfortable. As Izuku removed his tie, Kyouka would plop herself down onto Izuku's bed. You really could tell that he hadn't been here for a few days due to how cold his bed had felt.

"You've been staring at my bed for a while. Y-You okay?" Izuku questioned, walking over as he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. Kyouka didn't know why, but she found the action strangely enticing. Kyouka blushed at her own thoughts, and turned her head away from the greenette which only provoked him to question her further. "Kyouka, what's wrong?" He'd continue, standing in front of her and leaning closer to her face.

"You're just… Izuku, you're attractive." She states, turning back to face him. "And don't you dare try to stutter out some insecure response about you being plain because I will fight you. You're fucking hot, and I swear I don't know how to handle it."

Izuku's face bursted with heat, looking like it was damn near steaming, and his heart began to beat loudly in his chest. Never had he been described as "Hot", instead he'd be known as "Plain" or "average looking". However, hearing it straight from Kyouka had caused a surge of confidence in Izuku, a strange feeling of… Well, he couldn't exactly describe what it was. All he knew was that he wanted to see more of Kyouka getting flustered.

"O-Oh… Is that so?" Izuku said, leaning closer to her ear. He noticed that she shivered as he reached a closer proximity. "Do you like it when I'm close to you like this?"

Kyouka began to lean away from Izuku, yet he would follow after her until she was laid onto his bed, pinned by Izuku's strong arms on either side of her head. He then leaned in close once more, locking eyes with her as she shivered beneath him. She could feel some strange sensation rise within her, something she had never really felt from Izuku until now, but the feeling was… Oddly pleasant. It was as if having him hovering above her like this was leaving her with this odd warmth in her body.

"You say that I'm attractive, but when I'm this close to you… You're like a work of art. You've always left me speechless… Honestly, I feel lucky to even be this close to you." He admitted, whispering into her ear and sending more tingles down her spine. "And what about you? Do you want me to move away?"

Izuku found himself unconsciously focusing on her neck, slowly moving close enough for her to feel his breath on her skin. Kyouka was confused, concerned even because… She did enjoy this. She liked having him overtop of her like this and whispering such gentle words to her. It made her heart throb with passion, and yet there remained a gentle tightness on her heart. Another foreign feeling that she couldn't describe.

"No…" She said, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck. She could feel Izuku suddenly make contact with her neck, but she dared not push him off of her. After everything that had happened during the internships she just wanted Izuku. Nothing more, nothing less. "Stay, please." She whispered breathlessly as Izuku gently kissed her neck.

The greenette had no idea what was coming over him, but seeing Kyouka like this had ignited some sort of craving within him. He kissed her neck again causing Kyouka to whimper beneath him. She gripped on to the greenettes soft hair as he slowly trailed a line of gentle kisses up her neck, eventually finding his way up to her lips.

Izuku captured her lips with his own as he brought one of his free hands up to the spot on her neck that he had just kissed, his hands gently caressing her. Kyouka would moan as Izuku ran his tongue over the girl's mouth, allowing him entry into her mouth.

Kyouka hadn't seen Izuku this aggressive since the Sports Festival, but once again she found herself completely at the greenettes' mercy. But she enjoyed it, she enjoyed him completely losing his usual cute and shy nature because of her. Because of what she could do to bring that out of him. He was so entranced by her and her alone, and it made her heart melt.

"Mm~.. Izuku…" She'd cry out as the greenette rubbed a hand up and down her waist. This, being the farthest they had ever gone, had left Kyouka feeling so confused on what was happening- Or rather what she wanted to happen. It was beginning to feel like they were moving too fast, or as if Izuku was letting out some deeper feeling with his actions. "Wait, Izuku~... Stop for a second." She requested, lightly pushing Izuku off of her, being tempted to go back in for another kiss at his entranced gaze.

"W-What..? D-Did I-" Izuku started, before a finger was held up to his lips. She already knew he was about to ask if he had done something to make her uncomfortable, but that was never the case. If anything that was probably the most exhilarating thing that she had experienced with Izuku, and she couldn't have been happier.

"N-No, not at all. It's just…" She started, using her hands to cup the boy's face. "S-Something's bothering you, isn't it? Whenever you get this frantic while we're-" She cleared her throat. "Intimate, something's wrong. So what is it?"

Izuku froze, his eyes averted her gaze as he bit his lip and seemed to be experiencing some sort of internal struggle. He soon turned back to face her, and sighed. "I-I can't tell you… I want to, but I was told not to." He stated, averting her gaze once more. "All I need right now is you. All I want right now is to be here with you."

Kyouka felt torn between pressing the matter, and simply just complying. On one hand she knew that she shouldn't push the matter and risk him getting uncomfortable, but on the other she wanted to help him. She could tell that whatever was on his mind was disturbing him. In the end she'd have to relent as she could tell that he wouldn't tell her no matter what she tried.

The purplette would pull Izuku down beside her with a sigh and pull him into a tight embrace, practically shoving herself into his chest. The scent of his maple cologne would waft into her nose and she'd release a breath that she didn't realize she was holding. For now being here with him was all she could do to help him overcome whatever was bothering him.

Though she worked wonders.

And that's chapter 26!

In this chapter we have Izuku learning about the true nature of the Nomu's.

He also begins to realize just how much he's putting at risk each time he goes out to try and do a heroic deed. He's causing Kyouka to wonder if even really cares about what happens to himself.

Though in the end they do make up... Is it enough to stop the issue in itself? That's a question to be answered later on.

So I hope you guys enjoy, and stay tuned to find out!

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