Countdown to Reality
1. Have fun reading!
2. I hope you still are into this story. I am! I sooo want to publish next chapter, it has been in my mind for so long! but not yet, not yet...
3. I love Star Wars. Lucky me. It's necessary to find places names in MHA!
Day 3. Past Mid-day. Countdown: 19: 14: 43
Kirishima had a weird feeling. He knew he was still lying down on the lab table, and he could still see the bare lightbulb through a thick fog. Yet, his mind was not present.
His mind was still in their classroom, where he was taking a sheet of paper out of Iida-san's hands, and waving at Mina and Jiro leaving with their teacher.
Or maybe he was back in the gym changing rooms, Kaminari by his side, his friend putting something back into Bakugo's locker. The memories were switching too fast to tell, overlapping with the lightbulb.
The lab was not silent. He could hear someone cursing loudly, giving orders, but the only words reaching his ears were Kaminari's.
"Don't you want to know what it says?"
Weird. Kaminari was not in the lab. He was in the changing room. Was Kirishima also there? No. He was in the lab. Anyway, Kaminari awaited an answer, so he did give it to him.
"You did what?!" He shrieked, and the startled voices in the lab went quiet for a second. "He is going to kill you, you know that, right?!"
Ha! That place was not the changing room or the lab, after all! It was their dorm's kitchen. He could see the pans, the glasses, the chopsticks, and the microwave. Why had he not noticed before? When did the room shift?
Bakugo's face changed colors instantly, and in a non-good way. Kirishima could already smell a mix of sweat-sweet-nitroglycerin in the air, and he literally jumped between them.
Bakugo's presence in the lab was strange, but everything was strange.
Kaminari should never have read that paper, and more importantly, he should have kept his findings secret. Instead, he had loudly joked about its contents in front of everyone.
That was not manly.
A burning scent slowly submerged the entire room. The contents of the microwave had burned to crisps with the surge of electricity. Kaminari tried to save their diner while Tsuyu-chan and Sato joined Kirishima to prevent a murder.
So many of his classmates were in that lab! Was the lab in U.A.? If that was the case, why was Chisaki at U.A.? Maybe he should tell a teacher there was a villain at school…
Chisaki was not in the living room with them, though. Just in the lab. But the lab was in the living room…? Or was it the living room being in the lab?
So confusing.
There was Bakugo, seething and reading another piece of paper just next to Kirishima. There was Kaminari, giggling with Hagakure, both wondering how to clean the microwave. There was Aoyama, looking sick. There was Tsuyu, standing by Uraraka. She was folding and unfolding her paper, putting it in and out of her pockets… and then Aizawa entered.
He should tell Aizawa that Chisaki was in the lab! Aizawa would do something about it, and help him retrieve Eri!
However, their teacher was telling them all to shut up, Kirishima included. They did with great, super great difficulty. Midoriya was back – when had he left? – And the bus was leaving – Which bus? – And the grandma was talking – Which grandma? – And Bakugo wanted to be first – this somehow made sense, even if he could not tell what he actually volunteered for – and there was a flash of light…
They were back in a classroom. It was nighttime, past bedtime. There was not a light outside. All Might was there with Aizawa and principal Nezu…this was weird. Why was he wearing his pajamas in a classroom?
Maybe it was just a nightmare, a good old dream, hence the pajamas.
Anyway…ha. He was back in the corridor, waving at Mina and Jiro, at the start of the never-ending loop of dream.
From: Hagakure-san
My boss knows where Todoroki-kun and Mina are!
Endoa forest, and she says the best way is through the Shiromaru station
I think there is a bus
Maybe a JR train as well
Let me google it
Bakugo was standing in the line to get the cinema tickets, next to Deku. His mother was watching from afar. She was not going to leave until they safely entered. Not minding her overwhelming anxieties, he focused back on the text messages with Deku reading above is elbow.
From: Hagakure-san
There is
Endoa is accessible through a JR + bus
…
"Where the hell is that?" He loudly grunted.
"Don't know. Check it out. By the way…do you have cash?" Deku replied, searching through the contents of his yellow backpack.
That thing was oversized in Bakugo's opinion. Since the previous year, he wondered if the nerd was constantly carrying around his entire creepy notebook collection. For once, the bag was exempt of books and papers, and instead, filed with clothes. Scarfs apparently made it hard for him to find his wallet.
"No. You pay for the stupid movie tickets." He shot back.
Deku sighed. "I mean, we also need money for the train."
"And I meant you pay for both the stupid cinema and the fucking train." He clarified, switching to a maps-app while Invisible-girl was typing.
There was indeed a train then a bus to Shiromaru station (ten houses and one road, that was all there was besides the bus stop), but the Endoa forest was a kilometers-wide piece of land, trapped between other forests. It even had no clear borders with several very tree-covered mountains.
Finding someone in there was not going to be possible. Bakugo went back to the messages.
From: Midoriya Izuku
That's half Tokyo' size, go buy some fucking eyes! Go get more details!
…
"Hey, don't be rude using my phone!" Deku protested, but it was their turn to buy the tickets.
He did not try to have the phone back, and instead, smiled politely at the woman behind the cinema entrance desk.
From: Hagakure-san
She also said they must be between Yaju forest and Mount Kumotori
"Kacchan, I need your ID."
Bakugo detached his eyes from the map of Endoa forest. The cashier was staring. Well, to be precise on his description of her gaze, she had her eyes stuck on his hair.
Bakugo would have really loved to engage in a staring contest with her fat-looking, fucking-bitchy old excuse of a face, but he had better things to do.
"Are you a foreigner?" She asked while he searched his pocket.
"Are you stupid?" He snapped back, slamming the miss-perfect-fake-ID onto the desk. "Do your fucking underpaid job and shut up."
She looked baffled, Deku suddenly looked panicked, and he looked back at the phone quite satisfied with himself.
Idiots should always shut up.
From: Yaoyorozu-san
Yaju?
Like our summer camp Yaju, Beast forest?
From: Kaminari-san
Do you know many forests named like that?
Why would they go there?
Not our best escape performance btw
…
Just saying
Don't kill me please
I did not mean it
...
From: Yaoyorozu-san
Technically, Hagakure-san did not say they are in Yaju forest. They seem to be just near it. It is a coincidence.
From: Hagakure-san
Ooooooo God I am stupid
I did not put 2 and 2 together guys
I have other bad news
It makes more sense, like bad news sense
From: Kaminari-kun
Me too.
Got bad news for you:
I'm typing from a police car
"FROM WHERE?!" Bakugo half screamed, covering the cashier's voice.
She had started to lecture him on how "underpaid" jobs were important, and on how an ass he was. Not interesting.
"I bet if there is one of us that's going to die, it's him." Bakugo growled.
"Kacchan, please apologize, or she won't sell us any tickets!"
Deku was Deku, useless as always, not even able to get tickets on his fucking own. For a second, Bakugo put the phone away.
What a stupid-looking woman.
"Give us the fucking tickets, and we will never see each other again. Hurry the fuck up."
Idiot looking and overpaid, after all. She should have already given the tickets. Deku apologized again, bowing so low is large forehead almost hit the cashier's desk.
Anyway.
From: Hagakure-san
FROM WHERE
From: Yaoyorozu-san
Kaminari-san, please explain, we are extremely worried.
From: Midoriya Izuku
Icy hot had all the fucking spotlight and you needed to steal it, Dunce face?! Die alone, and in fucking silence
From: Kaminari-kun
I am not in trouble! They found we in the ruin of Todoroki's house, and I said I skipped school
So they asked me a couple of questions, and now they have just called my parents
And my teachers
And I m good for a ride to high school
So it's bad news because I can't come with you to Endoa forest unless I zap everyone
From: Yaoyorozu-san
Don't do that
From: Hagakure-san
Don't
From: Midoriya Izuku
DON'T
I will Kill you
Deku handed him out a ticket, and very nervously made sign to go inside the cinema to escape the ferocious remarks of the cashier. He also waved at Bakugo's mother and half-tried to push him out of the queue.
"Can't you be polite for ten seconds?!" Deku exclaimed once the doors closed in his back, handing him back his ID. "I had to give her more money because you wouldn't apologize! Now if there is not enough for the train, you deal with it!"
"Shut up and read. I'll look for the emergency exit, so my mom won't see us bail out."
Deku took back his phone, and Bakugo quickly found their escape route. When he turned back, Deku was looking a bit green… well greener that usual.
"Stupid Pikachu his not in trouble." Bakugo said, sighing. "He'll make it."
Deku stared at him as he had earlier, when he had explained there was invisible-Aizawa in the street. "…you haven't read the last messages. The ones about Hagakure's bad news." He concluded after an awkward pause, and showed the screen back to Bakugo.
From Hagakure-san:
Kaminari take care, but my bad news is real bad news guys
My Boss, she works with the League, or the League works for her
I am not sure
But what I am sure of is: she wants Todoroki-san and Ashido-san, and she has plans for them, involving a drug or something. I don't have details.
And she has sent at least Himiko Toga and the fire guy after them
Or some versions of them
They look weird
…
"Kacchan."
"Yaju forest, the League." He spelled slowly, heart beating faster.
"The history is not the same," Deku blurted out, even greener, "We are not even the same day and… history is different, but what if some patterns repeat themselves… are you sure you want to come? We… we know how it is supposed to end."
That pause was even more awkward, but shorter. A few very unpleasant memories of that forest, of the League and of Deku screaming flashed before his eyes.
"This is not our summer trip, and I am coming, asshole."
Yaoyorozu breathed out, closing her eyes, and rose from her seat, letting the teacher know she was too tired to pursue the lessons of the day. She opened her eyes again to check if she had his approval – she briefly wondered what would have happened if she had not – and she left the study hall.
As soon as she was out of sight, she ran the faster she could without risking bumping into furniture. She stopped by her room, grabbed sport clothes – a sport bra and shorts, not perfect, but it was the closest she had to her costume – , changed, and she was back running in no time. Hagakure's message was like the spark of energy and hope she needed.
Her brain was suddenly pumping with ideas and solutions. A little positivity was the only thing it needed to be back to work.
Getting to Todoroki-san and Ashido-san was only step one of solving their issue, and she knew that others would most likely be faster than she would.
Step two was probably a fighting-escaping-running-away step. In case it would not be avoidable, she also believed Midoriya and Bakugo could do well on their own.
What they could not do well without her were the steps after that, the aftermath of their rescue. They needed discreet transportation and a hiding place.
That was her part.
She stopped by her father's office, checked her hair in a mirror, and inwardly rehearsed of few sentences. Then, hoping he was not working elsewhere, she knocked on the door.
After few seconds, she entered.
On a second thought, she should have changed after speaking with her father. The room, with its grand fireplace, its Renaissance-desk imported from France and its crystal chandelier was not somewhere she felt comfortable wearing almost nothing. Her father even raised an inquiring eyebrow at her unfitting outfit.
"I was about to do some physical exercise to refresh my thoughts after the last history lesson," she declared, blushing, "and then, father, I remembered I wanted to ask something."
He checked his watch first, and Yaoyorozu waited patiently, hiding how in a hurry she was.
"Do tell." He finally told her.
"May I invite some friends to stay over for the weekend? We could take the Guest House in the garden. I wouldn't want us to make too much noise."
"How many friends?"
"Three or four, five at worse." She estimated, hoping her father had the same interest in her friends' names as in her other hobbies.
"Boys or girls?"
She knew there was a correct and wrong answer to that question. Yet, lying on that point would probably create more problems than anything: she could not afford having someone coming in to check if it was a girl-only party.
"Both, actually. I plan on having the boys sleep in the living room of the guesthouse and us, girls, in the room."
Her father nodded, as if he knew to trust her – which he did. Yaoyorozu thanked him, and them, pretended to head back to her exercising schedule. She left the office, then the house, and escaped through the main gates, pretending to go running.
"I will probably be back with my friends," She informed the security officer in charge, "By car."
The man looked surprised, but she had no reason to explain herself to her fake-servants, so she did not.
She ran along the street, until stopping in front of a nice rental car shop. With a smile, she created a nice trendy expensive jacket out of thin air and a new ID for herself with a birthdate making it legal for her to drive.
With a smile, she entered the car shop, and asked for a car with tinted windows.
…Honestly, the loops were really getting boring.
…was it the eighty-third or eighty-second time he was watching that memory?
…Kirishima was sitting in the classroom, at night, and Midoriya almost fell off his chair and… loop again.
Except it did not happen. The loop did not restart and the memory continued to unfold. He could feel his real body and someone talking next to him. But he couldn't open his eyes to reality.
Aizawa entered the classroom. This was new. Usually when he was in the night-classroom-scene, Aizawa had already arrived. Behind him, Nezu and All Might followed.
"Sit down." Aizawa yawned to the students.
"How is everyone?!" Uraraka asked first. Then it was Kaminari's turn: "Tell us!" Next was Midoriya, Yaoyorozu and himself, all asking the same question. Aizawa sighed, and they all sat down, except for Kaminari, who was looking at his feet.
"Everyone is alive." Aizawa reassured them, but there was no sign of relief in the room.
Kaminari was frozen-still. He looked younger than usual, because of the Pikachu-styled pajamas he wore. Principal Nezu circled their teacher very slowly, but before he could said something as well, Hagakure pushed her chair so hard it hit the wall.
"Sensei! It is not just his fault! It's mine as well! If I had not… I was stupid… it was mean, I was mean, I am not worth being a hero! I… I… I think I won't… I won't stay at U…"
Nezu put a paw on her invisible leg, and she burst into tears. Meanwhile, Kaminari was looking so hard at the floor he was probably about to dig a hole in it with just his eyesight.
Kirishima was not feeling sorry at all. He sat there, next to Uraraka, and the only thing he could feel was… anger?
"Children, your actions… were misguided, but I won't accept any resignation. You are future heros. We need you to undo what has been done. We need you all."
Aizawa patted Kaminari's shoulder briefly, forcing him to take a seat.
"I know none of you two meant to provoke any of this. I does not mean there would not be consequences, but you are students, and I am still responsible for you all. Now don't make me repeat a third time." Their teacher declared.
All Might had used that short speech-spare-time to stare at Midoriya so intensely that Kirishima had no idea how Midoriya could actually not look away. His classmate then voiced silent words towards him: "I-AM-GOING", then, he turned back to Aizawa.
That's when the old lady entered the classroom.
She was small, grey-haired, a little Recovery-girl like. She had fine clothes, and a discrete pearl neckless. She had a good-grandmother vibe, except for the bandage on the right side of her face and on the back of her hand. It looked painful. Yaoyorozu put a hand in front of her mouth and Kaminari looked about to cry.
"I am fine." She said.
He had met her already. This was not the first time. Kirishima tried hard to remember where they could have met, under which circumstances, but that memory looked like one of the missing ones.
"We have little time," the old woman reminded Aizawa. "According to my calculation, we have thirty minutes. Give them the new instructions…"
Aizawa looked at the new stack of papers in his hands and while handing it out said: "…remember. Lives are at stake. If you have some doubts…"
"I…I don't feel like I can." Someone admitted.
All heads turned as one. Midoriya almost fell off his chair, having turned too quickly… blond hair and...
"Eri, stop."
Chisaki must had been standing at the other end of the room or something, as Kirishima heard footsteps. A small hand also retracted from his face.
"Hey kid, wake up." Chisaki said, shaking his shoulder.
"I need to see the end." He replied, clinging to the memory.
"The end?"
"Just one more minute…, I have to read…"