I do not own My Hero Academia.
This story was written with the help of another writer who wishes to remain anonymous, but has done most of the work and wishes for it to be posted here on fanfiction.
She must have cleaned the apartment ten times before Inko Midoriya had finally decided to sit down and ponder on what she had learned. She fought down the urge to dust Izuku's room and forced herself to process the truth. She had to, for she would have to tell Izuku the following day. If only it was so easy…
Inko sighed and went to the kitchen. She had kind of lost of the habit of eating when stressed, but given the last revelations she had endured, Inko had bought a few kilos of ice cream and she was making steady progress to the bottom.
How could she not? What she had learned had been simple and, by all means, rather short in terms of a tale. However, it had changed Inko's entire life for better and for worse. No, what truly bothered Inko was how it would all impact Izuku.
Thinking about her son brought a pang of guilt. She had been rather unfair to him as of late, prioritizing Izumi's form… why did it have to take a life-altering truth to realize that much?
"How am I going to tell him?" Inko wondered.
Technically, it wasn't that hard. She had already practiced what she would say many times in front of the mirror and to herself as she cleaned. However, just imagining the shock on her son…
Maybe he won't take it so bad, Inko nervously reasoned. He might even see it as a plus?
Inko wasn't sure though. Not knowing gnawed at her just as much as her wild imagination. She remained there, pondering, all while enjoying her favorite chocolate ice-cream.
Suddenly, there was a loud ping next to her. Inko blinked and picked her cell phone up. Mitsuki had written to her. There was another ping. Then another. Before Inko could finish unblocking the main screen, Mitsuki had shot a barrage of messages. Perplexed, Inko tried to hurry down the sentences before Mitsuki wrote even more.
The green-haired woman gasped.
"Oh dear," Inko gasped, staring at the screen.
Mitsuki had sent Inko an article that was being spread around the internet. The title alone made the housewife nervously gulp. Inko scrolled down, her heart clenching painfully the more she read.
"This is bad," she mumbled.
She really needed to talk to Izuku.
-.-
There were many scandals and controversies that were common place, especially involving heroes. There were always that one media rag that kept insisting said hero was having an affair with that other hero, or that some random person was actually the son or daughter of some other hero. However, never before had the likes of All Might fallen amidst them, much less by a renowned media news network. It didn't help that it appeared that many of the biggest media networks agreed on the matter, convinced for some odd reason. To most of Japan, it would appear that All Might had sired a daughter… and said daughter was related to the Rabbit Hero Miruko.
Needless to say, it was said rabbit hero who took the news the worst. That Friday evening, after a day of obnoxious classes, Miruko couldn't help but angrily pace in his apartment. She wasn't alone. Seated on one of the couches was All Might himself. Although he was rather disgruntled by the news, he wasn't taking it as badly as Miruko. Perhaps it was because he knew he wasn't the father of Izumi, whereas Miruko had had a niggling suspicion for a while.
"What the hell? This wasn't supposed to happen, damn it!" Miruko growled, ready to wring someone's neck
"Repeating that won't change anything, fluff," said a young fox girl, perhaps no older than ten, carrying a tray of tea and biscuits.
For some odd reason, the little fox girl was wearing an oversized skirt and Hawaiian green shirt, a tie lose around her neck. She almost looked like a child cosplaying as an adult. Her bushy fox tail swayed placidly from side to side as she walked towards one of the other couches, betraying her good mood. There on the couch, sat none other than Principal Nezu. He happily accepted the offered tea and a biscuit, before Z placed the tray on a tea table, taking a cup of her own and joining the white-furred being on the couch.
All Might hated doing so, but he couldn't help but glance at the wrist-bands and choker on the fox girl. There was something about them, something unnerving that suggested a lot about Z's history. They also didn't look as something a child would wear, so they truly stood out.
"Truly, this isn't a bad thing," Principal Nezu hummed, before taking a sip from the tea. The little rat-dog-bear thing smiled and turned to Z. "Ah, what a delightful tea."
"Thanks! This one is my favorite, Imperial grey" Chirpily said the little girl.
All Might had to stifle a chuckle at the way Miruko glared at the casually talking fox girl and Principal, ignoring her entirely.
"My, what an expensive taste," mused the Principal.
"That was how I was raised," mused Z. She turned to Miruko, rolling her eyes at the angry rabbit hero. "Will you stop that, fluff? It is not that bad!"
"That's because you aren't being the media's favorite chewing toy!" Miruko exclaimed, only to point at her secretary. "And stop looking so happy about this!"
"What's there not to be happy about?" Z said, tilting her head with childish cuteness. "People back at home will forget all about how you admonished a quirkless kid. Everyone now believes you came here to spend time with your niece. Isn't this better?"
"I don't even know if we are even related!" Miruko shouted, infuriated. "For God's sake, Z, I didn't become a hero for all this media crap and neither did the lil' bunny!"
"That's right. Young Izumi has gone through enough without adding all of this nonsense," harrumphed All Might.
The number one hero wasn't sure how to feel about the whole thing. He already felt bad enough by indirectly piling on young Midoriya's emotional plate without adding more burdens. He was, however, intrigued about the potential link between Miruko and young Midoriya. All Might glanced at his phone, looking at the many pictures that accompanied the scandalous new article.
"It was unavoidable. You all know fans. They love imagining connections between their favorite people. Anyone who saw a rabbit girl like Izumi was bound to start conjuring imagined blood-ties. And do you know what? This is great," remarked a smirking Z. "Just think about the polls, fluff."
"You are missing the point," Miruko growled.
Both Z and Nezu took a sip from their cups, exuding an air of calmness and confidence that was grating on the nerves of the already annoyed rabbit hero.
"You are making this look worse than it actually is," said Z with another roll of her eyes.
"It's bad enough that I need to leave a place because a bunch of assholes were throwing a childish temper tantrum, but this is getting worse! The idea is to have things blow over not explode to kingdom come!" Hissed Miruko.
Z sighed and lowered her cup, shaking her head.
"What do you want me to do, Rumi?" Z asked. "The people have already made up their mind and… well… I can't blame them. They came a good damn case about Izumi being related to you. Maybe…" she trailed off, offering a shy smile "…they aren't entirely wrong, at least in your case fluff."
"Didn't you say that Izumi looked a lot like your aunt?" pointed out All Might.
He gestured at his cell phone. Could there actually be credence to some of these claims? Those pictures… when Miruko had said Izumi looked like her aunt, he had thought she had meant it in some general sense, perhaps as two full rabbit mutant quirk users would. It was not so uncommon (albeit still rare) for two completely unrelated people to develop parallel yet similar quirks. He could have never imagined Izumi looking almost identical to said aunt.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean anything!" Rumi exclaimed. "How do we lose track of a family member? My family is really into – y'know – the whole big happy family shtick. For Christ's sake, my dad still sends postcards to this asshole of a second cousin of his."
"The accountant?" Z guessed.
"The same one," Miruko nodded.
"Man, now that's one piece of work," Z hummed in agreement.
All Might raised an eyebrow at the little girl. Just how well did Miruko's secretary know the Rabbit Hero's family? And why? As he pondered on that question, the little fox girl kept talking.
"Stuff happens, fluff" shrugged Z. "Just take the win, Rumi. Let the media hounds grasp on air as if it is the case. It will all blow over eventually. At best, someone put the groundwork to discover some long-missed relative of yours. At worse, this is the media spreading fake news as per usual."
"Indeed, you should truly be seeing the bright side to all of this," Nezu nodded.
"I don't think there is anything good coming out of this for Izumi," All Might pointed out.
"I'll admit this entire situation won't do poor Izumi any favors. Sadly, we were going to reach a similar crossroads ever since both your quirk and Izumi's are so similar," Nezu said, sending a meaningful look towards All Might.
The number one hero slowly nodded in understanding. People were bound to notice the connection between Izumi's immeasurable strength and fighting style to his own, especially with the media craving such conspiratorial ties between hero generations. It didn't help Izumi was a complete unknown that came out of nowhere. People loved running all sorts of theories and conspiracies with such individuals.
"But more importantly: the Sports Festival!" Happily said Nezu.
"The Sports Festival?" Miruko and All Might repeated, confused.
"Yes! With this news, a whole lot of people will want to attend! Everyone will pay a fortune to witness the alleged daughter of All Might and niece of Miruko in action!" Nezu proclaimed. "I will be able to double the entrance fee or even triple it."
"Or maybe even more!" Z said with a wide grin and greedy eyes. Her green eyes were almost shining with glee and All Might could have sworn she was salivating. "Ooh, think about the merchandize."
"And the media exclusives!" the secretary and Principal said in unison with the same happy faces and terrifying glint in their eyes.
All Might could only watch at the two, pondering if perhaps there weren't more blood-ties yet to be discovered within U.A.'s premises.
"Better yet, I might finally manage to bury the public's misconception that Shiketsu High is anywhere as good as U.A." cackled Nezu. "I will teach everyone who's the best Hero School in all of Japan once and for all!"
All Might (and Miruko) could only shiver as the Principal started laughing like a sadistic villain at the thought of one-upping the rival school. Z, for her part, merely drunk her tea, her bushy tail waggling in joy.
"Stop enjoying this," hissed Miruko.
"Sorry, fluff," said Z with a taunting smirk. "Can't help it."
Miruko scowled, and Z chuckled, amused.
All Might was about to reach for a cup of tea, only to notice Z's form smoothly stretch and grow from the corner of her eyes. The transformation was so seamless and fast, All Might barely had time to glance at her mid-change. When he turned to look at Miruko's secretary, he was baffled to find a young woman, on her early twenties, with the same crimson hair and bright green eyes as the child that had been sitting there. Differently from any other form of Z, All Might had never seen one that was androgynous. The lack of an adam's apple and the slightly wider hips (as well as slight bumps on her chest) suggested that she was a boyish looking girl rather than a feminine boy.
Could that be Z's true form? All Might wondered. He scratched his head. Does she even have a true form?
At the moment, Z no longer looked amused. Her tail wrapped over her lap and the secretary leaned forward, frowning. She looked rather serious and somber.
"I am actually a bit curious. The media really went out of its way with this investigation," hummed the woman. "They got pictures of Miruko's family, and even found a few images of Izumi shopping clothes."
All Might bit back a laugh. There were only to pictures of Izumi: one of them was a thoroughly embarrassed Izumi clad in a yellow summer dress, and another of Izumi resting her head against a table, both taken at a mall. If All Might had to guess, it probably happened around the time Inko Midoriya took her son for female clothing a little time before the start of school. In both pictures, Izumi looked flustered and ready to die of shame at the spot. That and Izumi was beyond adorable. No wonder someone had taken a picture of her.
And just like that, the cackling Nezu stopped his scary laughter and got serious.
"Yes… they were rather thorough," said Nezu. "If this investigation had happened after the Sports festival, when Izumi would have first made her appearance to the public, I would have understood journalists investigating this. Izumi's power is reminiscent to All Might's, and many people can reduce bare similarities, like Izumi and Rumi sharing lagomorph-related quirks, to familial bonds. What I do not understand is how Izumi, someone who by all means and purposes has yet to make any public displays, was the target of such a thorough investigation."
"The entrance exam perhaps? The fact Izumi took down the Zero Pointer in such a manner could have risen suspicions," All Might suggested.
"Perhaps, but so far none of the entrance exam images or information has been leaked to the public. I trust the chosen judges, and they are all tied to confidentiality agreements. We even go after social media leaks, and rather efficiently at that, otherwise many people would know how to gain points during the entrance exam," Nezu explained.
That was a good point All Might had forgotten. U.A. had long excelled keeping the whole deal of the Hero Points a secret, and for good reason. If people knew that they didn't need to be physically strong and only act heroically, most wouldn't bother training and displaying their prowess, or their true nature when in face of danger.
"But they found witnesses of the exam," Z remarked.
"And would you have believed Izumi is related to All Might from witnesses alone, teenagers at that?" Nezu countered.
"Actually… no. There are a lot of attention seekers who claim to be related to All Might," Z hummed.
"There are?" All Might and Miruko squawked.
Nezu and Z ignored the two.
"This article claims that a reliable source found out that my quirk very closely resembles Izumi's," All Might said, eyeing the article once again. "This means someone must have seen her quirk in action, and that person is trusted by the media. HNN wouldn't be so adamant on sharing these lies otherwise."
"Those fake news?" Scoffed Miruko. "They spew whatever nonsense they are told."
"HNN is a respectable source of news," All Might harrumphed.
"Yeah, right," huffed Miruko and Z.
"It really doesn't help Izumi is in the Secret Identity Program. That's almost like throwing honey over the girl and not expecting her to be hounded by bears," pointed out Z.
"But that's the thing, very few people outside the school should even know that Izumi exists," Nezu insisted. "Those who did see her outside U.A. wouldn't have been able to know she made it into U.A. either, much less anything regarding her quirk."
There was a moment of silence.
"Could there be a leak? Maybe a student who gave the media enough intel? Perhaps someone in the General Studies course who resents Izumi making it to the hero course?" All Might proposed.
"Again, whoever informed the media must have provided more than a simple statement or hint. These journalists must have had a very strong lead to even consider coming anywhere near my students," Nezu said. He didn't sound angry, but his tone had an edge to it.
"Maybe someone secretly recorded the entrance exam?" Z wondered.
Nezu appeared to consider it, only to shake his head. "I believe that there is another explanation… but I will review the entrance exam recordings."
"You think these journalists were already convinced about Miruko's ties to Izumi?" All Might wondered.
"And yours," added a disgruntled Miruko.
All Might scratched his head. What could he have done to convince anyone that he somehow fathered a rabbit girl?
"I think so. This article and investigation happened rather quickly, a suggestion that they already had a strong idea where to look at, and as you said, whoever their source is, the media must trust it implicitly. This suggests prior knowledge of Izumi to a degree, from her powers to her looks being similar to those of Miruko's family, gathered by one of their own, a journalist of some caliber more than competent enough to get that information without rising any of my suspicions," Nezu hummed, thoughtful.
"That's another thing. Few people know my family. I mean, they all live in the boonies, in the middle of nowhere, and they've gotten really cranky on outsiders since I reached the Top Ten," Miruko said with a frown. "What happened? Some idiot thought just because the lil' bunny and I both have rabbit quirks we were related?"
"That is what I find interesting. Then again, perhaps I am wrong," Nezu said.
Doubtful, thought All Might. Of all the people All Might had known, Nezu was the few people who were rarely, if ever wrong.
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud beeping and a recorded voice, one that was yelling angrily for everyone to hear. All eyes turned to Miruko, who warily pulled out a phone, glaring at the screen while the ringtone kept on pestering the other occupants of the room.
"I will destroy you! I will destroy you!" the cell phone repeated.
All Might sweatdropped. What manner of ringtone was that? Then again, his wasn't that much better, was it?
"Speak of the devil and he shall come," Miruko groaned. "Just what I freaking needed! This is why this is terrible!"
"What is it fluff?" Wondered Z, only to raise an eyebrow. "And who exactly can contact you directly without going through me?" She asked with a pout and folding her arms.
"Who else, slick? My god-damn family!" Moaned Miruko, pulling her hair in exasperation. "Grandpa is coming here… and he's no doubt bringing hell with him!"
-.-
What Miruko did not know was that there was someone else angrily pacing, much like she had been. In fact, said person was just as frustrated as the Rabbit Hero, if perhaps not more so. Ochaco Uraraka could only quietly sit on her bed as her rabbit friend went from one side of the bedroom to the next, distraught and fuming.
"Isn't this good news? I mean, maybe you do have a relative in Miruko… that would be awesome, right?" Ochaco tentatively said. "And if people believe you are All Might's daughter, then that means you'll get all sorts of offers and opportunities."
"I do not want to be falsely given more privileges. I've already been fortunate to be given a whole lot more than I deserve… and All Might and Miruko deserve better than a scandal. Miruko already has enough on her plate and- and this will probably upset her family…" said Izumi, "…not matter if it is true or false."
Ochaco couldn't help but smile at that. Leave it to Izumi to worry about adults instead of herself.
"I don't even know how they managed to link All Might to me like this," Izumi wondered, plopping on the bed besides the brunette.
"Wait, so there is a connection between the two?" Ochaco asked, surprised.
"I – ehm – well…" Izumi spluttered.
Ochaco's jaw dropped. No way!
"Really?" Ochaco said, eyes promising to pop out their sockets. "You and All Might know each other? How?"
Izumi groaned. Her shoulders slumped, defeated.
"Y-yes, w-we know each other but- but don't tell anyone, alright? People will get worse if they knew."
Ochaco nodded, wide-eyed.
"He… he actually trained me. He wasted - I mean, spent – a lot of time on me, actually. It is all thanks to him that I managed to make it to U.A." admitted Izumi. "Without him, I wouldn't have made the cut."
"Really?" Ochaco gasped. "The number one hero was your personal trainer?"
Izumi just twiddled her thumbs.
"No wonder you are so awesome!" Laughed Ochaco.
Izumi ducked her head, thoroughly embarrassed.
"I guess someone must have seen you and come to the wrong conclusions. I mean, don't get me wrong, your quirks are way too similar but if someone saw you two hanging out together, training… it is no wonder someone might have believed you are related!" Ochaco trailed off with a grin. "All Might has never been seen training teenagers like that!"
"But that's the thing! No one saw us! I am absolutely certain!" Izumi exclaimed. "And no one was supposed to have seen me use my power in public!"
"Then how does the media know you have similar quirks?" Ochaco wondered.
"I don't know! Maybe- maybe a journalist sneaked into U.A.?" proposed Izumi.
"Last time that happened the entire school went into high alert," rebutted Ochaco.
Izumi nodded, conceding the point. She had forgotten about that experience.
"Izumi, this article is still a lot of guesswork. I mean, the part between you and Miruko being related is way more believable," Ochaco said, staring at the picture of Miruko's aunt. Was it wrong for her to believe that said Izumi was way prettier than her older doppelganger? "But all that stuff with All Might? There's no way to prove it. I have no idea why they are convinced, though."
"It must be the whole Secret Identity thing. There hasn't been a Pro-Hero with a secret identity in U.A. since All Might himself," said Izumi. "And for good reason. It is thanks to All Might that few to no powerful hero need to hide their identity."
"I guess that between you being a complete unknown, having All Might's power… oh, and the fact All Might himself of all people joined the school just when you entered!" Ochaco gasped at the realization. "That's it!"
Izumi's eyes widened, only to groan and lean back onto Ochaco's bed.
"People think All Might became a teacher for me," whined Izumi.
"You must admit, people really found the whole All Might becoming a high school teacher a bit weird and a bit out of nowhere," pointed out the brunette. "This whole family thing probably makes a lot of sense to people now."
Ochaco sheepishly chuckled as she realized something else.
"The same applies to Miruko, right? Knowing her and her personality, everyone must have been curious as to why Miruko chose to start teaching in U.A. I mean, yeah, maybe it was as a publicity stunt after the whole controversy with that fan she yelled at, but I think people will prefer this reason, especially her fans" Ochaco said.
Izumi could only groan given how it all made sense in a weird sort of way.
"Hey, it's fine, Izumi" Ochaco said with a smile. She laid on the bed, staring at Izumi. "Look, has anything changed? Does this discovery make you a different person?"
Izumi hesitantly shook her head, staring at the ceiling.
"No but-" Izumi mumbled only to be interrupted.
"You are the same Izumi that rescued me from the Zero Pointer, the same Izumi that made it as Class Rep, even the same Izumi that is constantly groped – eh, hugged, yes, that's what I meant – by Momo," Ochaco said. "You're…"
…the same cute ball of fluff and power I befriended, she mentally added, her cheeks gaining a tinge of pink with that thought.
"I… I guess," Izumi nodded, a small smile gracing her face as she turned towards her friend. "Still, why can I have something go my way for once?"
Ochaco tilted her head, confused. From her point of view, Izumi had quite a lot of things going for her.
"Everyone will probably believe this article and treat me differently," Izumi said. "I just… I just want to- to be… ehm… me."
Izumi's face fell, looking sorrowful and despondent. Ochaco frowned, perplexed. Could this be due to Izumi being stuck in the Secret Identity Program? Maybe she was struggling with keeping so much of herself secret. Ochaco felt her hurt wrench painfully at the thought of her friend enduring so much for the sake of her career.
"That hasn't changed. I am sure the guys at our class might be a bit annoying at first, but they are pretty nice," Ochaco said, only to scowl. "Except Bakugo…"
"Oh God, Bakugo is going to blow a gasket over this," whined Izumi.
"To be fair, that guy sure has a short fuse for most things," joked Ochaco. "Why would he mind, though? It really is none of his business whether you are related or not to Miruko…" she frowned as she thought about it "…or do you think he will throw a fit because some people claim you are related to All Might?"
"Knowing him, he might just be pissed that a little bunny girl like me has anything to do with All Might," Izumi said.
Ochaco could see that there was more to it than that. In fact, she got the distinct impression Izumi knew Bakugo a lot more than she would have liked. What was someone as kind as Izumi doing anywhere near that asshole? She could only guess.
"Well, who cares about that guy," Ochaco said, turning to look upwards.
And so the two stared at the ceiling, lying side by side.
"You know, Ochaco… thanks," Izumi said all of a sudden.
Ochaco blinked and turned to her friend, confused. They faced one another.
"For – ehm – being a good friend and all," Izumi elaborated with a shy smile.
Ochaco grinned, her heart fluttering.
"It is no problem, really," Ochaco said. "That's what friends are for, right?"
I am not into boys.
Ochaco blinked, recalling those words once again. The girl stared at Izumi and, rather slowly, it suddenly sunk to her how the entire situation would look like for an outsider. There they were, two girls, sharing a bed, in the privacy of their room and in what looked like a rather intimate moment for the two… Needless to say, Ochaco's face started burning by just imagining the possibilities.
"You alright?" Izumi asked, confused.
"Yes! Yes, I'm fine! Of course I am!" Laughed Ochaco, springing out of the bed and with her face burning an intense shade of red.
Stupid imagination, stop conjuring images of me and Izumi d-doing stuff! Ochaco swore, only to groan as yet more embarrassing scenarios flashed across her mind, making her only more flustered.
Izumi just stared at her, bewildered, only to shrug.
"Will you two kiss already?"
"Yeah, we are waiting for some action here!"
Ochaco and Izumi snapped their heads to the wall behind them, only to glance at each other. Their gazes met, and for a moment their eyes locked. Chocolate brown eyes pierced into Izumi's amethyst eyes.
Kiss? They both thought.
They snapped their heads away, now both of them blushing.
"Mina! Toru! What are you doing eavesdropping on us?!" Ochaco exclaimed, her face ready to burst from blood overflow.
"Waiting for the good part!" replied Ashido through the wall.
"It-it isn't like that!" Izumi shouted, unable to look at Ochaco.
There was suddenly the sound of a door being slammed open.
"Hey, what do you think you are doing?" By the sounds of it, Yaoyorozu had just burst into the room.
"Nothing!" Ashido and Hagakure said in unison.
"I warned you against eavesdropping on them!" Yaoyorozu said in her full rich-girl persona. Oh dear, someone had gotten into real trouble now.
"Quick, they are making a run for it!" Jiro's voice echoed through the wall, joining the fray.
"Ribbit!" exclaimed Asui, apparently also there.
"You will never stop me!" Cackled Ashido. "Run, Toru, Run!"
Ochaco and Izumi could only stand there, dumbfounded, as they heard quite the commotion on the next room. It sounded as if there was quite a scuffle over there.
PAM. BLAM. "Oy, you aren't going anywhere!" SLAM. CRASH. "Argh!" PAM. BANG. "Hey, watch it!" SWISH. "Gotcha!" SLIP "Ha, in your dreams!"
After a good minute of absolute noisy chaos, there was silence.
"That will teach you not to mess with Izumi's privacy," harrumphed a haughty Yaoyorozu.
There was the odd sound of something being dragged across the ground and what sounded like the groans of two tied up and gagged girls. Ochaco could only wonder what a protective (if not outright possessive) Yaoyorozu could have done to Ashido and Hagakure (not that Ochaco minded that much).
"You can go on doing – ehm – whatever you were doing now!" Yaoyorozu happily said, back to her chirpy persona.
"Geez, it isn't like they are making out or anything," Izumi managed to hear from Jiro on the next room, differently from Ochaco.
With that concluded, Ochaco and Izumi awkwardly stood there, separate and unable to face each other.
"S-so…" Izumi said, shyly twiddling her thumbs. "Th-that happened, huh?"
"Yeah," awkwardly chuckled Ochaco.
They glanced at each other, only to avert their gazes.
"So…" Izumi tried again.
"So…" Ochaco said, biting her lips.
"D-do you want to do something?" Izumi asked.
"Yes! Lets!" Ochaco said, thankful for the opportunity to break the awkwardness between the two.
I'm not into boys.
Ochaco almost squawked as once again remembered those words. Why couldn't her mind keep quiet about that? Why did her head keep echoing what Izumi had accidentally confessed earlier that day? And why the hell was she too darn giddy about it?!
"But what could we do?" Izumi wondered, oblivious to her friend's current state.
Izumi and Ochaco looked at each other. Apparently, they clearly thought of the same thing, for their faces burned hot once again and they looked away, embarrassed.
"N-nothing outside, I guess, given – you know – everything," mumbled Izumi. "M-maybe… check if there is any TVs available downstairs and maybe watch something?"
Ochaco bit her lower lip. The two girls, watching a movie by themselves? True, they would be on the open, free for other girls to join in. However, the invitation still sounded special in Ochaco's mind, something akin to… well… a date? No, she was reading too much into it, wasn't she?
"Yeah, let us just…" Ochaco nodded, smiling at Izumi "…enjoy this day, alright? It really sucked, didn't it?"
"Urgh, no kidding," Izumi said, a smile of her own facing Ochaco. "I just hope tomorrow is better."
"Don't jinx it," Ochaco joked.
The two girls shared a chuckle, before leaving the bedroom. The world might have gotten a tad crazier for Izumi, but at least she could count on Ochaco. The brunette, on the other hand, was really starting to discover just how badly she was crushing on the rabbit girl...
-.-
All around Japan, people were reacting in different ways. Most people dismissed the claim as hearsay, whereas others went insane with the revelation. The internet, especially the All Might forums, went crazy, lost in a frenzy of disbelief. For the most part, the people of Japan were strangely glad to hear that there could be another All Might in the future.
Pro-Heroes weren't sure how to react. Some on the higher ranks swore, cursing the fact that the number one position would no doubt be lost to them. Others were relieved that there would be someone capable of taking the mantle of Symbol of Peace. Villains on the other hand hoped it was all entirely speculation. One All Might was bad enough without having to add a second one… and one related to Miruko at that.
It was in one particular bar, however, where a certain young man took the news differently from most people. The bar itself was small yet not necessary lacking. There were a wide variety of beverages behind the barman and the place had everything a proper bar would hope to have. There was even a jukebox.
This man, white-haired and red-eyes, reacted to the news with a grin of all things, a wide creepy grin filled with hatred. At a simple glance, anyone could tell he was not entirely sane. His name was Tomura Shigaraki, and he was not just any person.
"So All Might has a little girl, huh?" said the man with his rough voice, sounding as if with a dry throat.
The barman, a man made of black-mist and clad in a fine attire for his role at the place, paused his cleaning. Whereas Shigaraki appeared to be rather lacking in regards to sanity, Kurogiri seemed to exude an air of patience. At the moment, the barman studied his charge. He had long known the young man, and he knew that tone very well.
"…oh, this is precious," hissed Shigaraki.
His grin was too wide and distorted. The chapped lips didn't help, nor his hateful red eyes. The way he revealed all of his teeth didn't do him any favors either. No, Shigaraki induced shivers whenever he was happy, or excited. At the moment, though, Kurogiri knew that the young man felt more than just joy.
"She'll die, just like her pathetic father," spat Shigaraki.
Kurogiri lowered the glass he was cleaning and addressed the young man. He had to step in before Shigaraki started one of his fits of rage.
"Tomura, the master-" Kurogiri started saying.
"I don't care!" Interrupted Shigaraki. "I want her gone. One All Might is bad enough without a miserable second one to pop up and replaced the first one!"
His hands flexed, an old habit back when he would started destroying everything around him. Lesser men would have hesitated in telling Shigaraki off. Kurogiri, though, wasn't a man per se.
"Our master demanded patience, Tomura," Kurogiri said. "Your plan shall take place when the time is right."
"Now is the time," Shigaraki insisted.
Kurogiri was ready to rebut the impatient young man, when all of a sudden there was a soft beep. Both of them knew what that mean. Their heads snapped towards the source, a small screen meant for video-calls. There was no image, but the caller's voice could be heard.
"Master," Kurogiri respectfully said.
"Master, so good you've decided to call. I have a proposition, master!" Shigaraki, ever the impertinent man, giddily said.
"Kurogiri, Tomura… I had expected this would happen," the voice of the caller was dark and reserved, yet gentle. It was rather creepy, actually, with hints of malice. "I take it you have heard the latest bout of rumor mill?"
"Yes! All Might has breed, apparently," Shigaraki spat with disgust. He smiled once again, delighted by thoughts of pain and suffering on a certain rabbit girl. "This is our chance, master. We can break the Number One Hero, bring him down from his high and mighty façade!"
The master didn't say anything.
"I can't wait to see the despair on that bastard's face… the suffering… that will teach him," Shigaraki appeared to lose grip of reality, lost on his desire to make the number one hero agonize. "And when we break All Might, we'll give him mercy by finishing him off! The world will see their hero torn apart before being disintegrated. Please, master, allow me to go ahead with the attack!"
The master took a moment to ponder, before he finally replied.
"You are still gathering men and resources, Tomura," calmly replied the master. "Do you truly think you have enough for an attack?"
"All Might is already weak enough. What will one week or two months change? Moreover, our weapon was already designed for All Might!" Scoffed Shigaraki.
"There is a possibility the school still expects something after your little show from the other day," softly said the master.
Kurogiri, who understood the whims of his master, could easily tell that his master was not entirely pleased with Shigaraki's little escapade. Unfortunately, when Shigaraki heard that All Might had started teaching in U.A., he went on a rampage and demanded to be taken to U.A. His actions were rash and foolish, promising to undo all of the master's hard work. Sadly, Kurogiri lived to serve, and serve he did.
"I will not fail, master!" Said Shigaraki, too sure of himself. "All Might will fall, and so will his stupid daughter. When I am through with them, they will be mere dust in the wind…"
He snickered, apparently pleased with that last sentence.
"We'll see about that," hummed the master, "but perhaps this will be an enlightening experience for you."
Shigaraki's already wide smile could only widen, all while Kurogiri worried.
"Very well, Tomura, you have my blessing," the master said. "I hope you learn from this, no matter the outcome. This is, after all, entirely for you to grow and mature."
Much to Kurogiri's chagrin, the elated young man broke into one of his foolish cackling sessions.
"Oh, but master, I won't be the one learning… I'll be the one teaching the world a lesson!"
