GUYS! I am SO SORRY!
You know that scene, where Kota sack smashes Izuku with the force of an angry god? That was basically my life for the last four months.
Seriously, I am so, so, so, SO sorry for such a long delay. One thing happened after another... and I won't lie, I lost my writing mojo for a bit because of it. I humbly apologize if the next couple of chapters aren't up to par with the others, and I apologize again if it feels like the tires are just spinning in the mud. Hopefully, with the chapters to come, I can get back in the groove and get this story up and running again.
Moving on: Season Four has started! Woo! And even though it CLEARLY favors 1A, my 1B kiddos are finally getting a bit of the spot light! Here's to hoping that we can keep the 1B appreciation train rolling!
As always, there will be an author's note at the end if you want to read it.
Thank you, everyone, for your your patience and your support; words cannot describe how much they mean to me.
I do not own My Hero Academia.
Setsuna awoke to the sound of some seriously angry lecturing.
"-ABSOLUTELY FOOLISH- "
"-R-Recovery Girl, I-I'm s-s-s-so- "
"-COMPLETELY RECKLESS- "
"-I-I-I didn't mean for T-Tokage-san- "
"-IMBECILIC IDEA! MIDORIYA-KUN, DO YOU REALIZE WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED?! AND NOT JUST TO HER, BOY, TO KAMIKIRI-KUN AS WELL!?"
"-I-I know I-I m-messed up big time- "
"'MESSED UP BIG TIME'?! NO, BOY, THIS IS FAR FROM A 'MESS UP'! A 'MESS UP' IS WHEN YOU ACCIDENTALLY BREAK SIX RIBS, A COLLARBONE, A SCAPULA, AND A COUPLE FINGERS DURING THE COURSE OF A SINGULAR TRAINING EXERCISE! -"
"-B-B-But Tokage-san's going to be ok, r-right Recovery Girl? Just like Kamikiri-san is?"
Setsuna quietly groaned as her world slowly came back into focus. Her head reeled with the nasty migraine that was usually present after intensive use of her quirk, and her right hip was riddled with so much stabbing pain that it made her entire leg feel numb.
Something shifted next to her before a gentle hand laid itself on her arm.
"Hey there, sleepyhead. Did you enjoy your nap?"
"...Nnnnnngggggggggg…"
A quiet chuckle escaped from the person next to her, and the hand on her arm tightened comfortably. The voice she knew so well continued to whisper as the other two voices continued their 'discussion' a few meters away.
"How're you feeling, Setsi? Recovery Girl said she couldn't heal you up too much, but she was able to provide some high-quality painkillers. She also mentioned that the usual migraine you get from… you know… overdoing it... might be a little worse this time around. But, she gave you medicine for that too. Both should be kicking in soon if they haven't already."
Even with her eyes closed, Setsuna could still feel the reproachful look being sent her way. She didn't really want to deal with a lecture right now though, so she decided to redirect the conversation.
"… Maaaaaan… these are some stroooong painkillers… can't even... feel my leg right now…"
There was a slight pause as her friend considered her next words. "Weeeeellll… a-ah… you see- "
"You can't feel your leg because you don't have a leg at the moment, Tokage-chan."
The flat, elderly voice that spoke was definitely the one that had woken her up. This time around, her voice was filled with concern instead of scorn, and came from the other side of where Itsuka's voice came from.
A sudden commotion came from the foot of her bed, and it sounded like tables and chairs were being toppled over and shoved aside. The next thing she knew, she was hearing his ragged breath and frantic words over the noise of all his rattling.
"Tokage-san! Are you ok!? I'm- I'm so sorry, I-I didn't mean -! "
"Enough, young man. While I appreciate your concern for your classmate, I need to properly exam her now that she's awake," the elderly woman cut in over him. "Go on, dearie; get back into your own bed. We'll finish our conversation afterwards, understood?"
"… I-I understand, Recovery Girl…" Izuku said glumly. The sound of his receding footsteps signaled his obedience and displayed his reluctance.
"Tokage-chan, can you open your eyes for me, dearie?"
Setsuna let out another low groan but complied, squinting into the dim light of the nurse's office as she cracked open her eyes.
She was met with the sight of a relieved pair of teal eyes to her left, and an elderly pair of analytical ones to her right. She blinked a couple of times before attempting to sit up, but a strong hand across her torso prevented her from doing so. At the same time, Recovery Girl came closer to exam her patient.
"Now, now, dearie. Don't move around too much, ok? Kendo-chan, would you mind getting the curtains?"
"Yes ma'am."
As the redhead moved to do as she asked, Setsuna flipped her blankets over to verify with her eyes what she had heard with her ears.
And sure enough, she was missing her entire right leg from the hip down.
She let out a soft whistle at the sight before her, feeling her head throb a bit in retaliation. Seeing little pieces of her body missing here and there was something she was… sort of used to, but the absence of an entire limb was a first. She could already tell that healing from this was going to be a bitch and a half of a task to complete.
"Dearie?"
Setsuna jerked her head up to see the doctor in the middle of checking her vitals and looking at her with an expectant expression. With a blink, she shook her head, biting back another groan at the sudden movement as she did, and sent the doctor an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Recovery Girl, I was, uh… distracted. Did you say something?"
Recovery Girl nodded and continued on with her examination. "Yes, dearie, I did. This is more to cover my bases, but you are aware of why your entire leg is missing, right Tokage-chan?"
Setsuna felt the all too familiar presence of a set of teal eyes boring into her skull, and she couldn't help the cringe that came with her answer.
"… Yes ma'am…"
"Good, good…"
"… Yeah, you better be aware…"
Setsuna couldn't help but roll her eyes. "For cryin' out loud, Itsuka, it was an accident- "
"An accident you should have known to prevent in the first place, Setsuna!"
"Ladies."
"…Sorry, ma'am…"
"… Sorry…"
The rest of Recovery Girl's examination went on for a few more minutes in relative silence, and Setsuna's migraine seemed to plateau and dull in the meantime. Because of the nature of her patient's quirk, the elderly doctor made sure to include tests of cognitive functionality and neural operation- asking her questions like 'when is your birthday?' and making her do stuff like touch her nose with her pinky- before she finished with another thorough check up on the area around her missing limb. Right as Recovery Girl finished up her evaluation with a few jotted notes (and looking much more relaxed than when she started), the final bell of the day began to ring.
Setsuna never noticed how Itsuka grew a little more anxious at the sound, and had begun to cast worried glances her way.
"Ok, Tokage-chan, you're cleared to go! I'll get you some crutches, and you can be on your way! Feel free to return them whenever your leg fully regenerates."
"About that, Recovery Girl… is there a reason you haven't used your quirk to speed up my healing? This looks like it'll, uh… take a while."
The doctor hesitated for a moment as she stood up before deciding to sit back down, placing her clipboard neatly on her lap as she did. "Well, before I answer, let me ask you this: do you understand how your own regeneration works?"
Setsuna blinked in surprise at the question before her eyes turned upward in thought. "Weeeell… I know I have two different types of regeneration. One that focuses on reconnecting my body, and another that regrows it. My mom believes that the first type is always active, as a supporting element of my ability to split myself. But… my dad… a-always said that the second type was tricky. He always said it would only apply to the parts of my body that I've separated… and he always warned me about the dangers of getting hurt before I split myself…"
Itsuka, who had been in the middle of quickly readying her friend's school uniform on the bed, paused slightly as she heard the slight change in tone of her voice. She looked up to make sure her friend was ok, only to find the last dregs of melancholy slide off Setsuna's face as she continued her chat with the heroine. Her lips thinned a bit and her eyes grew downcast, and she returned to her task at hand.
"I also know through experience that, whenever the second type becomes active, I can't split myself until I'm fully regenerated. Both of my parents think it has something to do with resource drain, and how my body automatically prioritizes restoration over everything else. Or, um… something…"
Recovery Girl smiled at the young woman as she nodded in approval. "Exactly so. It seems you have an excellent grasp on the inner workings of your quirk, young lady! I'm glad- it makes this much easier to explain."
"My quirk works by accelerating the healing process of a normal human to extraordinary degrees. However, it requires massive amounts of stored macronutrients within the recipient's body to fuel that acceleration. Essentially, it forces those stored macronutrients to break apart and rearrange themselves as the recipient's body requires."
"Your automatic regeneration, I believe, works by rapidly replicating your missing cells using already living tissue, similar to how stem cell therapy works. But your regrowth regeneration takes this a step further- it completely rebuilds what is missing from scratch by cannibalizing your body, turning it into the genetic material you need, and accelerating its growth using the food stores you have available. And many of your body's food stores- "
"-contain the same macronutrients my body needs to fuel your power, as do the parts that my body cannibalizes."
Recovery Girl's smile grew as she nodded sagely. "Precisely."
"So… basically… if you used your quirk on me, our two quirks would compete for resources… and I would end up worse for wear as little to no healing occurs… man, no wonder I'm always tired and hungry whenever my body's regenerating…"
"That has nothing to do with your regeneration, Setsi. You're just a lazy glutton."
"… What was that, Little Miss It's-My-Cheat-Day-Don't-Judge-Me?"
Recovery Girl chuckled lightly at their friendly banter. She cleared her throat to regain their attention, and both young women turned back towards her once more. "Your assumptions are correct, dearie. It also doesn't help that I can't regrow any missing body parts with my quirk either."
Setsuna snapped her fingers as she blew out a breath in disappointment. "Dang it…"
Recovery Girl reached out to gently pat the arm of her patient. "If it's any consolation, Tokage-chan, from what I've gathered of your examination and your medical files, you should be back to walking on your own two feet by this time tomorrow. That's pretty fast for regeneration and healing-based quirks!"
"… Hooraaay."
Itsuka slapped the other girl's upper arm in response to her sarcasm, and the elderly nurse let out a hearty chortle at her expense. As her patient snapped at her friend, Recovery Girl spoke above the noise as she leapt off her stool.
"I'll be right back with your crutches, some pain killers, and some migraine medication; you'll be free to go afterwards, Tokage-chan. In the meantime... Kendo-chan, would you be so kind to help her get back into her school uniform?"
As Itsuka gave a cheery response over her friend's antics, the elderly heroine turned and left through the curtain. Almost immediately, the two young women heard her scold the other occupant in the room. "Midoriya-kun! What are you doing out of bed!?"
As the boy quickly stammered out an excuse, Setsuna turned to her friend, who she just realized was now fully dressed in her school uniform. "Sooooo… how long was I out for?"
"Little more than half an hour. Which is super surprising, since you thought it was ok to split yourself into twenty-four different pieces." Setsuna decided to ignore the extra bite on the tail end of her friend's testy sentence as she watched her open up an empty costume case. "You gonna change or what?"
"~Well, well!~ Someone's anxious to see me in my panties- "
Whap!
"Jesus, what is up your ass, Itsuka?!" Setsuna snapped as she rubbed the sore spot on her upper arm that her friend just socked.
"You know exactly what is up my- no, wait-! "
"Aaaaah, you forgot to lube up your butt-plug, didn't yo- mhm! "
A slightly enlarged hand engulfed Setsuna's entire face. Through the gap between her friend's fingers, she saw Itsuka's face scrunch up in irritation as teal eyes shimmered with anger and worry.
"Quit making stupid jokes about this, Setsuna! This is serious! Twenty-four pieces, with thirteen at once under control?! Getting in the direct path of an insanely powerful area of effect attack?! Reforming yourself instantly, after everything you subjected your body to?! What the heck were you thinking?!"
The green haired girl clawed at the hand on her face, and with a little bit of difficulty, got it off to reveal a glare of her own. She blew the hair out of her face as she responded hotly to Itsuka's provoking.
"What I was thinking, Itsuka, was about Izuku's and my own success! In case you forgot, both of our opponents possessed quirks that were hard counters to mine! I couldn't do anything except parlor tricks against Tetsutetsu, and Kamikiri was starting to anticipate my attacks while I barely evaded his! And, in case you didn't notice, those two maniacs have a freakin' hard on for fighting Izuku! He's smart, but he couldn't breathe to save his life during the second half of our fight; having twenty-four pieces- with thirteen at once under my control- was a necessity!"
Itsuka didn't back down; she never did when it came to caring for those she loved. Still though… she couldn't help but think how odd her answer was.
"That does not make it ok," she hissed, "And what do you have to say about the finger flick? And the reforming?"
"Ah… W-Wel- uh... I-I, uh…"
Setsuna suddenly felt reaaally small under her sister's gaze, and she found herself looking away with a flush on her cheeks. She just knew her sister was about to have a field day with this tidbit of trivia...
"I, uh… didn't… know… that he was, uh… gonnadothat…"
Itsuka's eyes flew open as she sputtered out her disbelief. Were her ears deceiving her? Did Little Miss I-Have-A-Plan-For-Everything-So-Don't-Wander-Off-The-Path-I've-Clearly-Set-Out really just… allow something random and crazy to happen right in front of her?!
"Y-You… You… What?!- " she paused as she watched, but couldn't hear, her sister saying something else in a quiet voice. "Wait, what was that last part again?"
"… I-I was excited we won… s-so, uh… I… kinda forgot… to reform correctly?..."
Flabbergasted would have probably been the closest word to describe what Itsuka was feeling right now, though it still wouldn't be quite right. The tomboy could only stare at her friend as her jaw hung loosely, too stunned to help Setsuna wiggle her way towards the foot of the bed now that she was free from her scrutiny.
Her friend's performance and responses were… an outlier to the norm. And proving to be a lot for Itsuka's brain to process.
She had expected Setsuna to take the most pragmatic, successful route to victory, even if the actions to pull it off were a little cold-hearted. She was expecting her friend to have kept herself well-hidden as she pulled the strings from the shadows, just as a chess player would. She was expecting her sister to use her quirk moderately and responsibly, as the two of them were the only ones in the school who knew what happened if she went too far. And she was definitely expecting more of a leader/follower style of teamwork, not the partnership she witnessed growing between them every time she glanced towards the back of that basement.
With just about anybody she works with, Setsuna usually does one of two things: not give a damn at all what happens and do the bare minimum, or slide into the role of a micromanaging leader. As far as Itsuka knew, she was the only person that Setsuna actually worked with on equal terms.
So, imagine her surprise when she watched Setsuna ask for her partner's opinion on multiple ideas for their detailed plan, and not only listen, but deeply consider the words that were whispered back to her. Even from a distance, even without being as good a lip reader as her sister, Itsuka could tell through their body language that whatever plan they were creating- together- was going to be something she needed to see for herself.
And then… that final match had happened like it did, and Itsuka was at a genuine loss for words because of it. For example, when Midoriya broke through the wall after his attack on Kamikiri, Itsuka full-on expected Setsuna to make a mad dash for the bomb and leave her partner to deal with the fallout. But, when she witnessed her friend face the bladed teen head on- while defending her teammate- Itsuka found herself slapping her cheeks to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
To cap it off, Setsuna just freely admitted to forgetting an integral part of her quirk! Reforming is arguably the backbone of Lizard Tail Splitter; if it's not done right, it can seriously mess up her body. There are specific rules that she has to follow when she reforms to ensure her safety, rules that Setsuna had to discover the hard way through some painful, gruesome lessons. These rules often force her to prioritize self-preservation above anything else, which is why, in Itsuka's eyes, people often assume that Setsuna is an incredibly selfish person (Granted, she is quite a selfish person, just not as much of one that people tend to think).
And during today's exercise, Setsuna all but threw those rules of self-preservation out the window, just to help out someone she barely knew… It was like…
… It was like her best friend had actually wanted to be a hero today, with all the saving and coordinating and trusting she did with Midoriya…
… And against Itsuka's better judgement, it brought hope into her heart for her friend.
She was brought out of her stupor when she heard the curtain around Setsuna's bed begin to slide open. Scrambling over to get in front of her in case she fell, Itsuka quietly scolded her sister. "Setsuna! What're you doing?! Don't move around so much, ok?- "
"Shh! Shh, shhh!" a gleeful smile spread on the wily girl's lips as she placed a finger in front of them.
"Don't 'Shush!' me, you need to get changed! -"
"No, seriously! Just listen Itsi!"
Reluctantly, the redhead quieted enough to listen and ended up hearing… muttering?
Snickering into her hand, Setsuna whispered mischievously to her sister. "He's doing the thing! He's doing the thing!"
"Who's doing what now? -"
Itsuka got her answer when the other girl reached out to fully open the curtains. She didn't quite know what to expect, and at a glance, everything seemed normal. However, it quickly became one of those scenes where, the longer you looked, the more you realized that something was off.
Sitting up on the bed before them was their classmate, back in his own school uniform... most of his school uniform.
His blazer was off and draped over the bed he was using, revealing the extent of his injuries from less than an hour ago. His right arm was bandaged and in a sling, his chest was wrapped in a brace, and a few fingers were heavily wrapped up on his left hand.
It took Itsuka a moment to realize that his injuries weren't the only thing that made his appearance disheveled: his shirt was unbuttoned and untucked (which revealed his undershirt and chest brace), one of his shoes wasn't on, he somehow tied his tie so that it had three tails, and the knee pads of his costume had been placed on top of his trousers. But that was just his clothes: the boy himself was hunched over a brand new notebook on a rolling table, his eyes looking a little red and zipping so fast through it that it gave him a manic look. That look was only amplified by the sound of his rapid muttering through the healing fingers of his hand.
-done more research on her regeneration, this could have been avoided. No, the whole idea was risky in the first place, I just got incredibly lucky that my power didn't spike like it did in the grip test redo. But still! I had the wrong assumption of her abilities, and it cost her a leg- literally! There are definitely limitations and specific rules to her regeneration that I didn't account for. I just automatically assumed her power was fast acting only from the times I've seen her reform her body after splitting it, so of course I should have known that there were other variables in play. I also should have realized that her smaller pieces, while extremely mobile and fast, are incredibly fragile should they get hit. And she did get hit, by me. She could have been crippled from my actions, from my mistakes, what the heck was I thinking?! What a stupid, risky idea-
"~Awwwww!~ Do you have an entry for me in your stalker notebooks too, Izuku?"
The boy, so absorbed in his self-reflection, jumped at her words. He winced a bit as he turned towards her, his eyes growing wide and wet and his face showing with visibly relief.
"Tokage-san! You're ok!" No sooner had the words left his mouth did he begin to scramble off the bed as quickly as he could, tripping over his missing shoe and the rolling table as he did.
"Suuuuure am! Was that an awesome win or what, my dude!" Setsuna's beamed as she held her hands over her head for a double high five as the boy drew nearer. Before he could get too close though, Itsuka took a step in between them to intervene.
"Easy there, Midoriya-kun," she began, holding out her hands to placate the freckled boy as he approached.
The boy began to worriedly babble in front of her, waving around the arm not in a sling and accidentally exposing the chest wrap and undershirt that lay underneath as he tried to form sentences. Amidst Itsuka's attempts to get him to relax, she could have sworn she heard a voice say, "Niiiiice…" from behind her. When she whipped her head around to ogle at her friend though, Setsuna casually gestured to the boy's bandages.
"I said 'he's probably gonna need some ice.'"
Itsuka blinked a couple times as Izuku calmed down enough to finally form sentences again. "O-O-Oh, no, R-Recovery Girl said I-I should be fine by the morning, but are you sure you're ok, Tokage-san? You were- you looked like… y-you were in so much p-pain…"
Without another prompt, the images and scenes that had been replaying in his head for the past half hour began to do so once more...
The moment All Might had announced their victory, his partner had begun to holler up a storm of excitement, bounding up to him with her body still in pieces. At the time, his body was still screaming in agony, and his senses were still numb as blood rushed around in his ears. He couldn't quite make out what she was saying, but with her right in front of him, he clearly saw everything.
Her smile, so warm and happy, never wavered as she jabbered on without a care in the world. She had been grabbing onto his arms, shaking him around in celebration and excitement, when all her pieces moved at once to come together and reform into her body.
But... the moment she had fully reformed, her grip had tightened to the point where her nails had dug into his forearms, and her breath shuddered out like she had been plunged into cold water. He felt his stomach drop and his eyes widen as every iota of his body began to scream 'something is wrong!'…
...And all he could do was helplessly watch as her entire right leg- still covered in torn pieces of white capture tape- splintered and separated from the rest of her body.
This wasn't like she had just activated her quirk, where her pieces could move and have a life of their own. All her leg did was fall onto the floor with a sickening squelch, the sound only made more pronounced by the sudden pouring of blood, like water out of a broken dam. Thankfully, her stump had stopped bleeding almost immediately, but her detached leg began to rapidly decompose right before his eyes, her thigh crumbling into nothing far faster than the rest of it.
His eyes were drawn away from her fallen appendage when he felt the death-grip on his arms slacken considerably. Her face had become chalk-white, her eyes clouded over, her breathing irregular, and her body started to tremble uncontrollably. A few pitiful whimpers of pain escaped from her throat as she softly cried out, "F-F-Fuuuck…"
And the next thing Izuku knew, Setsuna had begun to pass out standing up, and he was moving to catch her as she fell to her side. His mind had shoved his pain straight into a corner of his mind as he acted on instinct, picking her up and running out of the room as fast as he could. That was when All Might had appeared- before he had even reached the staircase- to gently pry the unconscious girl out of his arms and bring her towards the nurse's office.
Izuku did his best to hurry after them, his mind in a million places as his feet pounded into the pavement and his chest throbbed from the exertion.
All he could think about was how it was her right leg that had fallen to pieces right in front of him… the same right leg she had used to capture their two opponents…
… The same right leg that he had asked to get into the crossfire of his attack without meaning to…
Which meant that this… was entirely his fault…
"We really appreciate your concern, Midoriya-kun," Itsuka said gently, drawing his attention from the scenes and thoughts that refused to stop replaying in his mind. She had turned away from her friend and back to the boy, her teal eyes kind but firm as she took in his demeanor. "But Setsuna needs to get changed here pretty soon- "
"Come oooooon! Don't be so smotherly, Itsiiii!" Setsuna whined from behind her, much to Itsuka's chagrin. "We didn't even get a chance to properly celebrate our win- "
"Yeah, and that's entirely your own fault, Setsi," Itsuka said with a roll of her eyes before she sternly addressed her friend with a point of her finger. "Seriously. You need. To get. Changed."
Setsuna completely ignored her, waving off the tomboy's fingers as they poked her in the face with each word. Instead, she leaned her body to the side to address her partner as she jovially threw her hands in the air again. "Hey you! ~Stalker with the cute freckles!~ Are you really about to leave me hanging over here?!"
Izuku's lip wobbled just a little in response to her carefree attitude. The arm not in a sling came up to roughly wipe away his unshed tears before he bowed low and deep, and Setsuna felt her smile falter a little at the scene. With his head still down, he began his apology.
"I'm- I'm so, so sorry, Tokage-san- "
"Izuku- "
"No! S-Seriously! This is all my fault! You- You got hurt! Because of me! Both you and Kamikiri-san got really hurt today because- because of my thoughtless actions! You- You trusted me, and, and, and you lost a leg because you did! -"
"Technically... I only lost a thigh. My calf and foot just, uh… fell apart, because they had nothing to reconnect to. Really though, it's fine!" she gave a small dismissive wave as her smile grew again. "That's just a downside to my quirk- "
"It's not fine, Tokage-san!," Izuku began to visibly shake and his voice began to wobble again as he slowly straightened up to face her. "You were- you were in so much pain- I put you through so much pain- that you passed out the moment our match ended! –"
"-Oh- Oh! No, no no, you didn't- ah, well, uh, it's... complicated to explain... but basically, the reason all that happened was because it was my fault, not yours! -"
"- But- But even then, I should never have asked you to put yourself in that position! –"
"...Dude." Setsuna's smile had now finally slid off her face and her eyebrows began to furrow. "I agreed to your plan! Besides, it's not like you didn't agree to do crazy things either, Izuku! –"
"- Crazy?! What I asked you to do was downright dangerous!" The freckled boy's good hand began to run through his wild hair as his fidgeting worsened, his eyes looking anywhere he could but at his eyebrow twitching partner. "I-I-I-I should have asked you to keep those pieces in-in reserve! Instead of directly behind him! –"
"- Stoooop thinking about the 'what ifs', man! Seriously, that plan was amazing for having pulled it out of your ass like that! -"
"- We-We should have resorted to Plan Five, like we agreed to earlier! You- You even tried to get me to follow it, I'm so sorry- "
"- Plan Five was in ruins the moment Kamikiri set his eyes on you. Neither of us accounted for how aggressive he could be, and I was barely slowing him down as is- "
"- I-I could have helped you! I should have helped you! But- but then I got injured and all I did was slow you down- "
"- Slow- 'Slow me down?!' Are you nuts!? You were keeping up despite everything busted in your body! Seriously, you were amazing! If anything, I should be apologizing to you - uh, sorry, by the way- because I pushed for the fast-action plan despite your many warnings! And look what happened to your body because of it! -"
"- I-I-It's not your fault, Tokage-san! The fast-action plan would have worked flawlessly if I hadn't lost control of my quirk - "
"- And your last second plan would have been perfect if my quirk didn't have stupidly picky limitations that only I know how to account for! So stop trying to take all the blame, damn it! -"
"- Kendo-san even specifically asked me to not do anything reckless- "
"- Ok, to be fair, I hardly ever listen to her. So I think you're golden! -"
"- I could have lost control of my quirk! -"
"- But you didn't! –"
"- It could have gone so wrong, so fast!- "
"- For the last time, nothing went wrong!- "
"- It did! You lost a leg! –"
"- It! Will! Regrow!- "
"- Goodness gracious, what is going on in here?!"
Both teenagers, unaware that their conversation had gradually grown in volume, flinched at the sharpness of the elderly heroine's voice as she returned to the room while pushing a cart inside. Itsuka, who had observed the two of them in quiet curiosity and who had, somehow, become all but forgotten in their squabble took the opportunity to chime in.
"Jeez, you two... Talk about having a slight disagreement... "
"...My thoughts exactly, dearie," the nurse said dryly as she pushed the cart adjacent to Setsuna's bed. When it was in the optimal position for her, she snatched her cane- which lay on top- and whipped it around to point the needle-like end at the freckled boy. He jumped backwards in surprise as she brandished it in front of his face like a rapier. "Young Man. What, are you doing, out of bed?"
Izuku, still looking incredibly guilty, glanced between the Healing Hero and his still exasperated partner before turning away and mumbling an answer for the both of them. "I just… I just wanted to say I'm sorry- "
"-For the last time, Izuk-mmmmm!"
Itsuka's patience had finally worn thin; her hand had enlarged enough to completely wrap around the lower half of her friend's head. As the green haired girl whipped an angry set of eyes towards her muzzler, Itsuka gave the boy a forced smile. "Sorry about all that Midoriya-kun, Setsuna doesn't quite know the meaning of the word 'tact'. I'll keep her quiet so that you can say what you need to say. And you," she rounded towards her friend who was clearly trying to escape her hold. "Quit trying to bite and lick my hand, danggit, you know that doesn't work!"
"Mmm vmmm mh msss Mmmmma!"
"Just… let him say his piece, ok? Then, you can say yours, and once you're done, put this conversation behind you guys. Oh, uh… is that... fine by you, Recovery Girl?" Itsuka asked the heroine hesitantly.
The nurse simply grunted and waved her hand dismissively as she pulled up a chair to dress Setsuna's leg with a special stump sock, one that was flexible enough to adhere to people with unusual anatomies or were prone to changing shape. "That's fine, that's fine, just speak through the curtain please. I need to peel off Tokage-chan's costume to put this sock on. Midoriya-kun, when you're done talking to the young ladies, get back into your bed. Remember, we have much to discuss before I discharge you."
"Y-Yes, Recovery Girl, I-I understand…"
The heroine nodded and gestured for Itsuka to close the curtains, and the redhead obliged with her other hand. Once the curtains had blocked the two sides from view, Recovery Girl went to work as Izuku hesitantly cleared his throat.
Izuku took a deep breath, unsure where to begin or what to say. After a short pause though, his mouth began to move before he had realized it, kick-starting his brain to catch up. "I'm, uh… I-I'm sorry, Tokage-san. First, for that argument just now; I-I-I don't even know h-how that happened, but- but I'm sorry it did. I-I wasn't, uh… I wasn't trying to, y-ya know… I'm sorry…"
He found himself looking away from the curtain, scratching the back of his head uncomfortably as his shoulders slowly slumped. Even though the vague silhouettes were much easier to talk to, the rest of what he wanted to say still had a little trouble flowing out of him. "And, uh… I'm… I know you said it's fine. I-I know you said what happened isn't my fault… But honestly, it kind of is. A-At least some of it. But… But, I just wanted to say…"
"I just wanted to say that I will get stronger and faster and better, so that I won't cause as much trouble for you, and others. I-I'll find a way to control my quirk, so that something like this doesn't happen again, to- to you or to anyone else! And if we… If you ever want to team up again, I-I won't slow you down anymore, I promise! And- And I'll create better plans too!" Somehow, he found himself looking straight at the silhouettes once more, his good hand clenched into a determined fist as his eyes burned with resolve.
"I'll be someone you can rely on, Tokage-san! I swear!"
There was a slight pause after he spoke where all that could be heard was the soft rustles of clothes and movement. After a couple seconds of silence, he began to fidget a bit before he spoke up tentatively once more. "O-Oh, um, I'm done now. I just- I just wanted to say sorry… I hope you feel better soon, Tokage-san."
Setsuna glared expectantly at Itsuka until the redhead slowly shrunk her hand and released her muzzle. After taking a moment to work out her jaw, the green-haired girl turned her attention towards the boy on the other side of the curtain. "Ok Izuku, I listened to you, so listen to me too, alright?"
She bit her lip as she fought down a wince. The nurse's fingers had just brushed around the area of her super sensitive stump, where she was placing a protective cup over the slowly growing appendage. But, she wasn't quiet for too long- she had words to say, and her mouth wasn't going to wait for her brain to catch up.
"First off, I don't know why you're so worried about that 'argument' we had," she began, not knowing if he could see her like she could him as she placed air quotes around the word. "But, look, like… You have your opinions, I have mine. And clearly, we're both too stubborn for our own good. Sooooo, yeah. I guess, uh… don't worry about it?" She looked to her sister to see if that was the right thing to say. Itsuka simply held both hands up and shook her head, with an eyebrow hitched coolly in response.
With a shrug, the green haired girl continued on. "Second, seriously, man, quit beating yourself up about my leg; it's not your fault. This happens a lot more than you'd think (even though I've never lost an entire limb before…) and it'll be as good as new in no time! And third, of course I want to partner up with you again, dumby! We. Kicked. So much! As- uh," she cast a quick glance towards the nurse who was now dressing her leg in gauze, "butt! We kicked so much butt today! I cannot wait for the day you can use your quirk without breaking your body! -"
"-If only the same can be said about you," muttered Itsuka with a half-hearted glare as she helped the other girl wiggle out of her costume. Obviously, Setsuna decided to ignore her.
"-Because seriously! What you can do with it right now, with so little control, is already amazing! So, uh… yeah…" The green-haired haired girl's smile grew again once more, and a subtle dusting of pink unknowingly appeared on her cheeks. "Do what you can to catch up! We'll save our better plans until then, and you better believe that I'll be relying on you even more when we do!"
Just like before, for a few moments, all that could be heard was the sound of Recovery Girl working away. This time, however, a few sniffles were included into the silence, and from behind the curtain a wobbly response could be heard.
"Y-You got it! I'll do my best, Tokage-san!"
For whatever reason, Setsuna felt a… prickling sensation, on her cheeks. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was still noticeable. And her throat had suddenly gone... weirdly dry. Brushing some hair behind her ear, she cleared her throat and lamely finished what she had to say.
"I, um… yeah. I said my piece."
"Good job hon, I'm so proud of you," Itsuka said drolly as she thumped her friend's back none too gently, much to Setsuna's irritation. The redhead had been watching her friend closely the entire time, and what she saw… well, she filed it away for another day. There were much more important things to worry about at the moment.
Itsuka dropped her friend's uniform onto her lap. "Now, get changed –"
"-Good God Itsuka, what is your deal?! This is like the fifth time-"
"Setsuna!" Itsuka cried out as her eyes widened with shock and concern. She grabbed her friend's shoulder to give her a little shake as she all but exclaimed, "It's Wednesday!"
All fight and stubbornness left the lizard-like girl immediately; her face blanched, and suddenly, it was getting a little hard to breathe for her. She started to frantically move around in an effort to take off the rest of her costume, but Recovery Girl steadied her with firm hands. "Dearie, please hold still for just a little longer. I'm almost done, ok?"
"Y-Y-Yes ma'am…" Setsuna turned her fearful eyes towards her sister, who was busy putting away her gloves, boot, and mask back into her case. "I-Itsuka, what time is it- "
"Don't worry about that, ok? –"
"B-But my bag! My case- "
"I got your bag right here," Itsuka soothed, nodding towards her bedside, "and as for your case… here, let me ask Midoriya."
Itsuka slipped out from behind the curtain to find the boy sitting on his bed once more, his feet dangling off the edge and his nose once again casually buried into one of his notebooks.
"Hey, Midoriya-kun?" Itsuka approached him, lightly reaching out to touch his shoulder. "I hate to ask you this, but would you mind returning Setsuna's costume case back to the classroom for her? She really needs to be somewhere, and anything that helps to save some time would be greatly appreciated."
Jumping slightly from her gentle touch, he looked up from his notebook in surprise. "O-Oh. Uh, yeah, I-I don't mind Kendo-san."
She gave him a grateful smile, to which Izuku flushed and shied away from. "Thanks, Midoriya! You're a lifesaver!"
As she turned to head back to the other side of the curtain, he hesitantly called out to her once more. Mid-step, she turned back around to see the boy had gotten up from his bed to extend a bow to her as well.
"I-I'm really sorry for today Kendo-san. For, for being reckless and… and hurting your friend…"
Itsuka took a moment to look him over, taking the time to study him without any interference. Sure, she had been… a little concerned with their team-up; Setsuna has a tricky quirk, and can be… difficult to deal with. Sometimes. And Midoriya seemed like a nice guy and all, but the power he wields is downright terrifying. Deep in her gut, she knew something was bound to happen, no matter how well they had planned for it- and that wasn't going to end well.
But despite her reservations, she felt her eyes soften from the determination it took to control that power, the efforts he made to limit the collateral damage- to himself, to others, and to property. And despite her misgivings, she felt a kind smile grow on her face as she recalled his honest expressions and remembered his genuine words from the past half hour or so.
She had a good feeling about him. A feeling that said he was a wonderful person who was only trying to do his best to become better. She liked people like that, and honestly, good people like him are hard to come by in this world.
So in an effort to ease the heart of this good person in front of her, she reached out to lightly brush her hands against his upper arms. He flinched at the contact, but Itsuka's gentle touch coaxed him to stand back up and look at her.
"You didn't do it on purpose, Midoriya-kun. And, I know you tried your hardest to prevent this from happening. That's really all anyone, myself included, could ever hope for, so… even though it does suck that Setsi will be recovering over the next day or so, there's no way I can be mad at you. Thank you for trying, thank you for considering the words of someone you don't even know that well, and thank you, so much, for taking steps to immediately bring Setsuna to Recovery Girl yourself." She let go of his arms to bow deeply before him, and Izuku found himself flushing a little deeper as he looked away.
"I was… I was just… r-really worried a-and- "
"I know," Istuka said with a soft smile as she stood back up. "I know. Thank you for caring."
There was a comfortable silence as she watched him take in her words. Before it stretched out for too long though, Itsuka felt her smile widen a little more as she replayed their match in her head again. "I gotta say, Midoriya… I was really impressed with your performance today!"
"…Y-You… were?..."
"Of course! You kept up with Setsuna, of all people, and you pulled off some pretty slick moves! And! It looked like you had a lot better handle on your quirk this time around!" Itsuka said earnestly, gently punching his arm and making the boy stutter and fidget from the compliments.
"A-Ah, it-it was, it was- y-you know it felt like I was, I was s-standing still the entire time, Tokage-san did all the work, I-I mean, I-I barely did much, and, and, and besides, my quirk went out of control in the end, I-I-I don't think I'd have been as good if K-Kan Sensei didn't force m-me to take supplemental classes, and, and if All Mi-mi- myyyyyy, uh, my, uh... "
Izuku froze as he suddenly realized what he had been about to say, and his mind scrambled to find something, anything to smooth over his sentence as he sputtered to a stop. He prayed for his little mishap to go unnoticed. Thankfully, the gods were kind, and the other girl was speaking her own thoughts right as he finished stumbling over his words.
"Did it… really feel that way to you? Like, you were only standing still, not contributing?" Itsuka asked, tilting her head in concern. After a moment, he nodded shyly and hesitantly, which brought a thoughtful frown to her face.
"Ya know… sometimes, the way we see things from our point of view can be clouded by what are brain tells us to think. That's why there are mirrors everywhere you look in dojos and gyms around the world! It helps give you a different point of view as you work out, which really helps with honing techniques and correcting mistakes."
"Before I left, All Might had mentioned that we would be reviewing the battle trial footage when we were done changing. And Ibara just sent me a text saying that Kan Sensei had offered to continue the reviews with anyone who wanted to stay after the bell. So… why don't you pop on in there for a little bit when you drop off the costumes, and see for yourself how well you did?"
Izuku considered it for a moment before he nodded slowly in interest. Suddenly, Itsuka's eyes lit up in realization. "Wait, you said Kan Sensei is making you take supplemental classes, right? Is that to help control your quirk?"
"O-Oh… uh, y-yeah, it is…"
An idea formed in her head which caused her smile to brighten and her eyes to shine with purpose. "Hey, why don't I help you out too? We both have quirks that give us a nice little boost to strength; I'm sure there's something I could help you out with!"
"O-Oh!" Izuku's face flushed once more, touched by her proposition and her kindness. "I-I-I couldn't ask… I-I don't want to b-bother you-"
"It wouldn't be a bother at all!" she said excitedly, waving aside his concerns. "We're all on the same team, right? And you're trying to get better, right? I can help with that! That is what heroes are supposed to do, after all: help those who need it!"
As Izuku's mind tried to comprehend and make sense of the fact that one of his classmates was offering to help him (like, actually offering… to help him…), the curtains on the other side of the room flew open.
Recovery Girl was seen giving her charge some medicine and some instructions as Setsuna rapidly nodded along, her school uniform an absolute wrinkled mess. As the nurse handed over the medicine, the girl was scrambling to get up, placing her crutches under her armpits and her bag on her shoulders as she did.
Itsuka began to quickly walk backwards towards her friend. "I'm sorry, Midoriya-kun, I have to go. But think on it, ok? I would be more than happy to help!"
Izuku watched on as she turned to help her friend stand up, all the while the older woman discharged her patient with a smile. "Ok, Tokage-chan, you should be all set! Come see me as soon as your leg fully regrows, or if you have any complications in the meantime. And Kendo-chan!" She addressed the tomboy, turning slightly and leaning forward on her cane as she did. "Be sure to tell your father I say hello! I'll be sure to visit within the next couple weeks."
"Of course, ma'am!," Itsuka beamed at her as Setsuna took her first shaky steps towards the door. "I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you again!"
"Thanks again for your help, Recovery Girl!" Setsuna said over the clacking of her crutches, prompting the redhead to follow swiftly behind. As she got to the door, she paused long enough to look over her shoulder, send a toothy smile, and call out to her partner one last time before she left the room.
"See ya later Izuku! You were really awesome today!"
"Byyyyye Midoriya-kun, we'll see you tomorrow!" Itsuka said as she waved goodbye, hot on her friend's heels. "Thanks again for taking care of her costume! And have a good evening, Recovery Girl!"
The room became noticeably silent as Izuku hesitantly waved back, watching his classmates walk as fast as they could out the door. He didn't realize that the elderly heroine had pulled her cart right next to his bed until she spoke quietly, with unnerving seriousness.
"Midoriya-kun…"
Izuku turned back to the nurse, jumping slightly as he took in the look on her face. Her gaze bored into him, her expression shockingly unreadable. "…Y-Yes, Recovery Girl?..."
"…Did you…" Uncertainty and worry flashed across her features for a brief moment. "I know… there are times as a hero where you have to partner up, and you need to inform your team of what you're capable of. But… did you… say anything suspicious, about your quirk? To Tokage-chan, in particular?"
"N-No ma'am! I-I only told her what All Might and I had come up with yesterday! I swear!"
"And that is?..."
"Super Strength that messes me up when I use it!"
Recovery Girl looked into his eyes for a moment longer before she nodded and breathed out a subtle sigh of relief. "Ok… ok, that's fine. We can work with that. But, listen well, Midoriya-kun…" her gnarled hand reached out for his arm and gripped it tightly. Izuku involuntarily gulped as her eyes sent a level, pleading look to him, and he couldn't help but lean in as she all but whispered her next words.
"I'm not sure how much All Might has told you, but for years he has been quite adamant in keeping the truth about your quirk under wraps. I'll let the oaf tell you the finer details, but if you aim to follow in his footsteps, then you need to take the same precautions."
"You need to be extra mindful of what you tell others about your quirk, Midoriya-kun… especially around someone like Tokage-chan…"
Izuku couldn't help the look of visible confusion that had worked its way onto his face.
He understood why Recovery Girl had given him that warning; even when he was missing the finer details, he knew enough to know that One for All could redefine the way the world views quirks. It certainly did for him when he was quirkless- he could only imagine what it could mean to others. Izuku had no intention of telling anybody anything about One for All, especially when it was one of All Might's biggest secrets. He hadn't even told his mom a single word about it!...
… So why on Earth was Tokage specifically being mentioned?
He was about to voice his question when Recovery Girl continued on with her explanation, divulging the truth as she knew it...
... And all Izuku could do was turn his head towards the door that his partner had just left through, replaying every interaction he had with her in his mind as his head swarmed with dozens of thoughts.
Author's Note!
First and Foremost: Dennis, the guest reviewer! If you're reading this, then please send me a PM the moment you create an account! You left an awesome review, and I'd like to thank you personally for it! Seriously, my dude, from the bottom of my heart: Thank you.
One thing that I absolutely love is when a manga, anime, show, etc. PROPERLY explains how a power/technique works in their universe. For example, metalbending works because an Earthbender isn't bending the metal itself, but the Earth impurities within it. The Law of Equivalent Exchange is what dictates the effects of all alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist, and the only way to bend that rule is with the use of a Philosopher's Stone.
I could go on, but the point I'm trying to make is that when a unique power is properly explained, it can enrich the story around it. I love that MHA has such a diverse array of quirks in its world, but I hate how most of it boils down to something simple like, "mAkE sKiN hArD!" or "MaKe HaNd BiG!" So, I decided to create a little lore for each quirk in this story, even the simple ones like Big Fist and Steel, in the hopes of creating limitations that the characters have to overcome and/or work with. With that in mind, how did you guys like my adaptation of Heal and what I've revealed so far about Lizard Tail Splitter?
I won't lie, writing this chapter and the next felt like I was beating my head against a wall. I couldn't think of what to actually write about for the conclusion, but at the same time, it just felt wrong to skip over it and go straight into the USJ. (Which, by the way, I have fully drafted. All I have left to do is edit the entire thing and it should be good to go!) Hopefully, a little bit of fluff, mystery, and tension was enough to smooth out the rougher edges of this chapter.
Thank you all, so much, for your continued support, and for all the patience you have granted me. I'll be sure to repay it with more chapters to come.
