Chapter 20: Promises in the Making

The fact that Penny was able to fall asleep amazed even her, given her emotional turmoil over her friend, whom she hadn't seen since the day before. Speaking of whom…Penny rises up from her comfy green cot, with her Hello Kitty plush clutched in her arm, and reaches for her smartphone to send a text to Tenya while rubbing the sleep out of her eye. Less than three minutes later, he texted back.

Tenya: Good morning.

Penny breathed out a sigh. Thank goodness Tenya answered. Was it still too short for Penny's liking? Sure. But, as long as Tenya answered…

Still…she wanted to see Tenya again.

Penny gets up to be ready for the day. Once done, she heads out to the main lobby of the General's temporary office. She was about to knock on the office door when she heard another voice.

"...time is running out, General, and soon the Hero Killer will move on to another city." The voice was calm, even while delivering urgent intel.

"We're so close…I'll appoint more heroes for tonight's patrol. You'll soon be dreamwalking shortly, yes?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then I won't keep you any longer. Have a nice rest."

"Of course. Have a good day, sir."

Penny moves from the door when she hears footsteps coming. Opening the door appears to be a young adult with long silver hair and lavender eyes exiting the General's office. They have light purple nail polish on their fingernails. Their outfit consists of loose light purple long sleeves with their shoulders exposed, baggy white trousers with a black sash that holds three golden keys, and high heel black boots. In addition to their attire, they wear a big light lavender mage hat with three black feathers on it and a black fabric collar with two gold rings around it.

"Nightmare Hunter," Penny identified.

"I'm technically off duty now. My name is Shion Zaiden," Shion said, removing their hat.

"Oh. Right. I'm sorry, Mx. Zaiden."

"It's alright. You weren't aware."

"Are you going to rest for the day?" asked Penny.

"More or less. Even when I am asleep, I'm still working," Shion said.

"That's right…your Quirk," Penny said. Shion nods. "I see…" Her eyes trail to the ground.

"Is something wrong?" Shion asked.

"I-It…It's nothing," Penny said. She hiccups. "Nothing you should worry about." She hiccups again. Penny felt her cheeks burn with nervousness, hoping the hero doesn't see through her lie and ask questions.

If Shion did, they weren't making it known.

"Very well. Have a good day," Shion said before taking their leave.

Penny looks at the now closed office door. She walks over to knock on it.

"Come in," Ironwood said. The man smiled warmly as Penny entered the office. "Oh, good morning, Penny. I hope you are ready for the day?"

"I am, sir...Mr. General?"

"Hm?"

"May I make a request?"

Similar to yesterday, Ruby and Maria got breakfast on the go and returned to the shabby building.

"Good morning and we're back with–WHOA!" Ruby exclaimed as Maria pulled her back in time before Izuku nearly bumped into her while sparring.

"S-Sorry, Rose!" Izuku apologized.

"Look at this mess," Maria said with a shake of her head at the state of the lobby. "You do realize there is a backyard, right?"

"Too much risk for property damage," Gran Torino responded. Something falls and crashes.

"...What is this then?" Maria questioned.

"A work in progress."

Maria shakes her head. "Anyways…eat up, chicos. You two are in for a busy day!"

"More training?" the kids asked. Maria shakes her head.

"Nope. Sightseeing!"

"What?"

"They're here for training, Calavera. Not vacationing!" Gran Torino chastised.

"Oh, why not? It's not everyday a couple of kids are able to tour Agasu," Maria said.

"There's nothing here to be impressed by."

"It's a different scenery," Maria smiled. "Besides, they are here for a few more days. Why not dedicate this one for a little R&R? They deserve it."

"...Fine. Whatever," Gran Torino grumbled.

Izuku watched the man walk upstairs. "Is…this okay?"

"If you're worried about Torino, it's fine. He'll get over it," Maria said. "As for you two, I can accompany the two of you for this outing."

"Are you sure? You were up all night training Rose. Shouldn't you rest?" Izuku asked.

"Oh, mi dulce niño. You remind me so much of Toshinori," Maria said, patting his arm.

"Do I…what's he like? At my age, I mean. Gran Torino had told me about his training, but…I want to know more," Izuku said. "All Might had told me he was once Quirkless before he was given One for All and he had said that I reminded him of himself as a kid."

"Well, I do see that," Maria said. "Toshinori was always kind at heart and had always wanted to be a hero, despite being Quirkless. He had so much drive, which was strengthened from the crime rates at the time. In fact, he was orphaned at a very young age because of it."

"Really?" Izuku asked. Maria nodded.

"Such losses became the fuel he needed to become the hero he is today. He wanted to give the people of this country a peaceful life, one that he was robbed of at a young age. And his work paid off, and it extended further out into the world."

"Uncle Toshi…" Ruby muttered. To lose both parents…It made Ruby wonder if that was part of the reason Toshinori saw Summer as a sister. Was it because he lacked a family of his own? "...What about…my mom? Yang and I only knew of our dad's parents back in China, but I've never heard anything about my mom's parents."

"I believe they are alive. As for where they are, I don't know. Maybe somewhere in the UK," Maria said. Rather dismissively, Ruby noticed. "Well, we've spent enough time down on memory. Let's save the rest for later. Now, what's the plan for your outing? Would you like for me to call someone?"

"Actually, I know someone who lives in Agasu. She could come with us while you rest," Ruby said. "If she has the time for it, maybe."

"Oh, really? And who might that be?" Maria asked.

"There is a pattern to the Hero Killer's crimes," Tenya thought as he paroused through some notes he took in a notepad. "He would attack four heroes before moving on to another city. He's already taken down two more since attacking my brother." His fingers tightened on the notepad, threatening to wrinkle and even tear the paper. "Tonight might be my last chance…"

"Tenya?" Tenya looks up to see Manuel giving him a stern look. "...How about you have the morning off."

"...What?"

"As you know that I am aware of your interest in being here in the first place: the Hero Killer, Stain," Manuel said. Yes. Tenya was aware. Manuel had revealed it after their short meeting with Ironwood and Penny the day before yesterday. "I think, to help you keep your mind off of it, a moment of unwind might be helpful."

It could…the thing is though, Tenya didn't want to unwind.

He wanted revenge.

"I see…Are you going to accompany me by any chance?" Tenya wondered.

"At a distance, yes." Figures. Tenya knew that Manuel wouldn't just leave him to his devices at the time. "But, someone wanted to spend time with you."

"Who?"

"Me."

"...Polendina?" Tenya was surprised to see Penny coming into the office. She wasn't wearing her hero costume, instead wearing casual clothing for a simple day trip.

"And a good morning to you too, Tenya," Penny said with a giggle. "I asked the General if I could spend the morning with a friend and he said I could as long as I keep an eye on my surroundings."

Tenya looked at her and for a moment, he felt…frustrated. He didn't have time for leisure and Penny was making it difficult. He wanted to tell her 'no'. That he was too busy. But…

'Hello! My name is Tenya Iida! What's yours?'

'...I don't know…'

"I…" Tenya sighed before forcing up a smile. "...I'll be happy to spend time with you."

Penny beamed brightly. "Sensational! I know this little shop nearby we can go to!" Penny said. "I'll wait for you in the lobby."

Once she was out of the room, Tenya dropped his smile to an agonizing frown.

"Damn it, Polendina…"

Manuel watched him.

By the time Gran Torino returned to the main room, Izuku and Ruby had left, leaving Maria alone at the table.

"The brats are gone for the time being, huh?"

"Sí."

"Is it wise to let them go out alone?"

"Rose has someone to accompany them and I have my network keeping a close eye on them," Maria said. She has her phone nearby. "I know what you're going to say."

"Then you know how and why I do what I do," Gran Torino said. "And here you are, again, interfering with progress."

"Oh, like how you tried to do the same to Toshinori?" Maria frowned.

"You know why I did what I had to do," Gran Torino said. "The boy's heart is too damn big. And it looks like Midoriya has it too. The world…is just too damn cruel for bleeding hearts like that." He glares at Maria. "And you babying them isn't helping."

"What kind of Symbol of Peace throws around the cold shoulder, hm?" Maria challenged. "Don't you remember that conversation we had all those years ago. After we lost Nana?"

…Of course, he did…

"What the hell are you doing, Calavera? We were in the middle of training!" a young, 30-something year old Gran Torino frowned at the equally aged Maria Calavera, her silver colored eyes intact at the time.

"Doyle wanted to see his friend and Toshinori could use the break," Maria answered, undeterred by her friend's anger. "It's been a while since the two saw each other, not after what happened to Nana…and what happened to Doyle."

"Toshinori's got no time for a break. Not while All for One is still on the prowl," Gran Torino said with seriousness. "The boy's got one more month before he can graduate and get the hell out of here and out of that madman's reach! Your constant meddling is gonna reverse all progress!"

"Oh, and you running him to the ground is beneficial?" Maria challenged.

"His kind heart is the problem. He can't have that with men like All for One around."

"Being kind is not a weakness, Sorahiko! You can't keep doing this to him!"

"He's still soft, Calavera. He still cries at the top of a hat!"

"He's still mourning, pendejo!" Maria shouted. Tears started to well in her eyes…as did Gran Torino's. "And so are we. And you using him as a punching bag to cover up your own grief is not helping in the matter."

The man was quick to wipe them off. "...This world is cruel and Toshinori needs to remember that. It wasn't kind to him before…and it wasn't kind to him now…"

"And he will," Maria said, brushing her tears off. "But, he…"

"'...should also remember how beautiful it truly is. So that way he'd always remind himself why he has become a hero'," Gran Torino recited.

"To always look at the world with jaded eyes would only hurt a healing soul," Maria said. "One must balance the bad with good. And I think it's time you remember that, Sorahiko Torino. Just imagine how Nana would've felt if the future Symbol of Peace was just an empty shell of a man who could no longer smile. Who had only seen evil in the world."

"...I do. Everyday…ever since Toshinori's injury…"

"And now, such destiny is befalling on Midoriya, who is still a child, experiencing the world," Maria said. "So, why not let the boy dream a little while longer?"

"And what about Summer's daughter? Like how the boy wishes to be like All Might, the girl wishes to be like her mother and you know better than anyone what the life of an underground hero is like," Gran Torino said. "And you saw what it did to Silver Line…to Summer Rose."

"...I plan to."

"...Well then, let's hope the world allows that."

"Where are we going, Rose?" Izuku asked Ruby as they walked down the street, dressed in their regular clothes.

"We're meeting up with the person I was talking about," Ruby replied.

"Oh. So, they're available to show us around?"

"Yep! Oh! There she is at the cafe!" Ruby said, spotting a woman with long, dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and holding on to a blue stroller. "Hey, Saphron!"

The woman smiles at her and moves her stroller around in front of her. "Ruby! Look who's here, Adrian~."

"Hey. And a hello to you too, Adrian," Ruby greeted the little toddler in the stroller. The child was dark skinned with short black hair and brown eyes. He wears a white and blue long-sleeved shirt with denim overalls and white socks. The toddler cooed happily at Ruby. "Thanks for doing this, Saph."

"It's no trouble at all, Ruby," Saphron said.

"And before I forget." Ruby moved so Izuku could be in Saphron's view. "This is Izuku Midoriya. A classmate of mine and Jaune's. Midoriya, this is Saphron Cotta-Arc. She's one of Jaune's sisters."

Izuku nervously holds out his hand to her, deeply hoping it wasn't sweaty, even after wiping it on his pant leg. "Nice t-to meet you."

Saphron takes the hand for a shake, aware how stiff it is, but shaked it nevertheless. "Yeah! You're one of the 3rd place winners!" Saphron recognized. She grimaces a little and lets go of Izuku's hand. "You kept…breaking your fingers."

"Um…yeah. Sorry about that," Izuku apologized, remembering Mineta's comments about his fight against Todoroki. "I'm sure that it looked a little brutal for you to watch. I-I don't blame you if you had to turn off your TV." He looks at Adrian. "...Especially if you had a kid watching."

"Yeah…speaking of, this is Adrian," Saphron introduced, the toddler now gnawing on a teething ring. "My son."

Izuku kneels down and gives the toddler a friendly smile. "Hi, Adrian. My name is Izuku. It's nice to meet you." Izuku sees the teething ring, noticing its yellow color and very familiar looking 'antenna'. "Oh, cool is that an All Might teething ring? I bet it feels good on your gums, huh?" Ruby smiled at this. Just a moment ago, he was very nervous meeting Saphron, but that seemed to change with Adrian. Izuku appeared to be good with kids. It reminded her of Toshinori as All Might when she was a kid.

Maria was right. Izuku was a lot like Toshinori…and she could feel a hint of suspension over Izuku's parental figure.

Little Adrian looks up at Izuku and takes out his toy…to give Izuku the dirtiest of looks a toddler could muster. Such a look caught Izuku off guard.

"Um…"

Ruby noticed the look. "Whoa. That's one heck of an evil look there."

"I didn't know babies could make this look," Izuku said, feeling a little unnerved. What made it more unsettling was how much it reminded Izuku of Bakugo.

"Oh!" Saphron couldn't help but laugh a little. "I think I know what's going on."

"What?" Ruby asked.

An amused grin plastered itself on Saphron's face. "Okay, so, Adrian was really excited to see his uncle on the big screen, right? He was very happy when Jaune advanced all the way up to the one-on-one competition…which was when Jaune got beat by Midoriya. Terra and I thought that Adrian was gonna cry over the loss, so imagine our surprise when we saw Adrian giving the screen the evil eye." Saphron tries to contain her laugh. "So, every time Midoriya appeared on screen, Adrian would have this look." Ruby joins in on the laughing.

"...Oh," Izuku said, rising back up.

"Awwww…he's all pouty because you beat his uncle," Ruby cooed. Izuku gives her a light glare, a first in their friendship. Ruby was amused all the same.

"I'm really sorry, Midoriya. We didn't expect such a reaction," Saphron said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. "Don't worry, I'm sure he'll warm up to you eventually."

"I hope…" Izuku said, glancing down at the child, who was still glaring at him. Izuku decides to move himself out of view of the toddler.

"Ahem. Okay, let's get this tour on the go!" Saphron said. "I've got sights to show you two that Ruby hasn't seen yet!"

"Okay!"

"Follow me!"

As the four headed down the street, they didn't know they were being watched by someone, sitting at one of the cafe's outdoor tables, drinking tea. The person had their face obscured by the hood of their purple hoodie, with the slight exception of their yellow, cat-like eyes, and their black tail swished back and forth.

"I saw this shop while out on patrol with Mr. General and I thought about how interesting it was," Penny said as she and Tenya entered the said shop. "It sells collectibles and antiques and they all looked really neat." She picks one off a shelf and shows it to him. "Like this one. Isn't it just adorable?" It was a cute looking frog mug. It reminded Tenya of Tsuyu.

"...Yes. It is," he said, his tone lacking his spiritedness.

"This mug reminds me of Ms. Tsuyu Asui. She was a very formidable opponent at the Sports Festival," Penny said, looking at the mug. "I wonder if I should get this for her…would that be weird?"

"Probably," Tenya said absently, not really listening as he looked at a different shelf. His eyes wandered around until they landed on a small, decorative bush plant. It was simple with no defining thing about it…it reminded Tenya of Izuku.

'We're friends…right?'

Penny puts the mug back and spots another item catching her interest. "Look at this, Tenya! It reminds me of Ruby!" It was a glass bobble containing a rose and loose petals scattered around, attached to a silver colored stand and a rose-colored ribbon wrapped around it.

"...I can…see that," Tenya said.

"You know…Ruby might be the only person who understands you," Penny said.

"...What?"

"Wasn't it her sister who was also attacked and hurt by a villain?"

That's right. Yang Xiao Long lost an arm to a terrorist named Adam Taurus.

'By the way, she's doing okay.'

…However…

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Maria Calavera (La Cazadora)

Quirk: ?

"?"

— Affiliation: Pro Underground Hero

— Birthday: 10/19 (Libra)

— Height: 115 cm

— Blood Type: AB

— Likes: Cashews

— Color: Baharroth Blue (59C8CC)

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Sorahiko Torino (Gran Torino)

Quirk: Jet

"Grants the user the ability to expel air from open holes on the soles of their feet."

— Affiliation: Pro Hero

— Birthday: 1/28 (Aquarius)

— Height: 120 cm

— Blood Type: B

— Likes: Taiyaki, Oversleeping

— Color: Mellow Yellow (F8DE7E)

{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}

Ruby sneezes into her handkerchief.

"Rose? You okay?" Izuku asked.

Ruby wipes her nose with a sniff. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just got a tickle."

"So, where do you guys want to go first?" Saphron asked as she pushed along her son's stroller.

"I wanna get something for Yang. She always brought me something from her internships and patrols," Ruby said.

"She still likes sports, right?" Saphron asked. "There's a sportswear store nearby."

"That's perfect! You wanna go there, Midoriya?" Ruby asked.

"Sure! I can probably find something to help me with my training," Izuku replied.

"You know what? I've been needing to get myself a new jacket for when I go jogging. It gets chilly in the morning."

"Hearing you guys talk about training is making me feel all pumped up!" Saphron smiled. "In fact, for the past few days, I've been thinking about doing morning walks."

"That sounds like a great idea," Izuku said. "It keeps both your body and mind healthy."

"In that case, I'd better get some gear for jogging too." Saphron looks down at her son. "And maybe I could find something matchy-matchy with my wittle man." Adrian giggled. "Let's go!"

"Right!"

The group headed on over to the store. Inside, they head on over to wherever they wished to be to find what they are looking for. After finding something for her sister, Ruby goes on to look for a jacket. Perhaps a windbreaker one. However, none of the women's jackets suited her interests and went on over to the mens' section. She scanned around until she spotted one. It was a windbreaker jacket with a silver gray and a dark navy design. Upon closer inspection, Ruby recognized the design.

It was modeled after Ingenium, Tensei Iida.

'…due to the severity of the attack, Ingenium was rendered paralyzed from the waist down, tragically ending his heroic career…'

'I thank you, Rose, but you needn't worry.'

Ruby paroused through the Ingenium jackets to find a size that suits her. Luckily, she does. When she did, she looked at another size…

…one that was twice, maybe thrice, her size.

Some time later, they are at a food court for some lunch, their purchases next to them. Ruby picks at her food with a fork, just moving it around. She picks up her phone to see her text messages from Penny.

Penny: Tenya and I are having an outing. Everything is okay.

Ruby sighs to herself.

"Rose?" Izuku asked. Saphron was gone with Adrian to do baby business.

"...Am I a good friend to Iida?" Ruby wondered.

"Why are you asking that?"

"Because I went through the same thing, right?" Ruby said. "When Yang got hurt, I was…in shock. I would've never imagined it could happen to her…but it did. And that was back in February. I kept my thoughts and feelings on the matter to myself all the way up to April, until the day of the battle trial."

Izuku thought back when they reunited after the day after the entrance exam and low Ruby was because of what happened to Yang. He remembered wanting Ruby to talk about it, but she didn't want to and he wanted to respect her wishes.

"...It's frustratingly familiar…" Ruby said, her eyes mirroring her feelings. "It's reminding me of what happened to Jaune…"

" I sometimes wonder why people insist on keeping burdens to themselves to suffer alone? I know that I am no different, but I can't help but wonder…" Izuku said.

"If I were to take a guess, I'd say to not have others to worry about it," Ruby said. There was a look in her eyes that Izuku noticed, but couldn't quite identify. "Regardless if it's a big deal or not, even if it's nothing personal, some people just…don't want to burden others."

"I guess…that's where the meddling comes in," Izuku said.

"Huh?" What Izuku said reminded Ruby of what Toshinori said back during the Sports Festival, after the Izuku v Todoroki match.

'You two...are a couple of meddlers.'

"Uncle Toshi said something about that…what does that mean?" Ruby asked.

"All Might believes that meddling into a business that you're not a part of is the essence of a hero," Izuku said.

Ruby scoffed halfheartedly. "I'm not much of a meddler."

Izuku smiles. "If I recall, didn't you do exactly that during the battle trial?"

A tiny grin spread on Ruby's face at the memory. "...Yeah…"

The light of the late morning sun shined down, a bit of it reflected on Ruby's protected card of Ingenium, hanging off her backpack.

After their lunch and Saphron returns, it was time to head back to the apartment complex. On their way, Ruby spots a game store nearby.

"You can go in there if you want," Saphron said.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"Ruby, I made a promise and I'm sticking to it," Saphron insisted. "Go ahead inside! I need to talk to Terra about dinner tonight, anyways."

"Oh, okay. Are you gonna wait too, Midoriya?" Ruby asked him.

"I saw a bookstore nearby. I think I'm gonna head in there," Izuku said, gesturing to a store down across the street. It said Tukson's Book Trade.

"In that case, I'm waiting here," Saphron said, taking a seat on a bench.

With that, they split off.

Ruby headed into the game store, going straight for the front counter. "Um, excuse me?"

"How can I help you?" the clerk asked.

"Can I please get the new copy of Final Fantasy IIV Remake?" Ruby asked politely.

The clerk looked at her suspiciously. "...May I see your ID card?"

Ruby glowered a little. Does she really look younger for her age? Still, she reached for her wallet to take out the card and handed it to the clerk.

"...Well, everything seems to be in order and…" Realization was evident in his eyes. "Ruby Rose? Wait, aren't you the kid from the Sports Festival?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. I am."

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you! You did so amazing against that Todoroki kid!"

A tint of red manifested on Ruby's cheeks from the praise. "Thanks!"

"Let me see if there is a copy in the back. Which do you prefer? PS4 or PS5?"

"PS5."

"Okay. Please, feel free to look around while you wait."

While the clerk went to look, Ruby walked over to the shelves containing more PS5 games, unaware of the person next to her. She only noticed him when he accidentally dropped a case when he was trying to put it back.

"Oh!" Ruby reaches down to hand the case to the person. "Here you go."

"Thank you," the person, a man, asked. The man looked reptilian, like a gecko, with medium length lavender hair and dressed in a light colored hoodie, slacks and shoes.

He looked…tired.

"Are you okay, sir?" Ruby found herself asking. The gecko man only looked at her with a glazed gaze, like he almost wasn't there, before speaking.

"It's nothing." The man walks away. When he did, Ruby saw a poster promoting a game called 'the Ruined King.'

She gasped. "No way! League of Legends is getting an RPG? That's so cool!"

The man paused and turned to face her with a surprised look. "You like League of Legends?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. My sister and I play it all the time! One of my favorite champions is Kayn…mainly because he wields a scythe."

The man seemed amused by her. "Is that right?" Then, he seemed to have a conflicted look. "...I'll be going."

"Huh? O-Oh, okay," Ruby said as the man walked off. "Did I…say something weird?"

Meanwhile, in the bookstore…

Izuku scanned through the shelves containing books on heroes…of course.

As he did, a book he didn't expect to find grabbed his attention.

Silver Line: The Mysterious Life and Death of a Hero's Shadow

By Myōshi Senogi

The cover of the book was an artist's rendition of the cloaked hero in white, surrounded by white petals.

A book about…Silver Line? About Ruby's mom?

In all the times that Izuku had tried to find information on Silver Line, never had he come across this title. He checked the date it was published.

"Six years ago…This was before I made that entry," Izuku said. "How did I miss this?"

"It's probably because it's the only one of its kind. I've heard rumors around the book community about it. Apparently, there were only ten copies made," a young woman beside him said. Izuku faces her. She wore a purple hoodie, its hood covering her head, black leggings that gradient to purple downwards, and low-heeled ankle boots. Her long, black tail swished around. She turns to him, revealing to him her amber yellow eyes. "Having such a rare book fits this store's slogan perfectly."

"Yeah…" Izuku said. He looks at the book again. "This might be…the only copy?"

"Thinking about getting it?"

"...I want to…" His gut told him to get it. Who knows if he'll have another chance. And…maybe it might hold a clue on what happened to her. "Her death…had affected a lot of people." Toshinori, Ruby, her father, Yang…

'Not even her sidekicks knew.'

…and now, apparently, Aizawa, Midnight, and Present Mic.

"Maybe…maybe there's something in here that might have a clue," Izuku said. "And maybe it might give some level of closure? I don't know. I guess that depends how this goes."

"That's very sweet of you," the young woman said. "You cared for a lot of people."

Izuku blushed a little. "I try."

The woman smiled. "Keep doing it then." She walks away.

Izuku takes the book, plus another, and heads on over to the front counter, currently manned by an anthropomorphic puma, to make his purchase.

Once he exited, he noticed something flowing in the air before landing in front of him on the sidewalk. It was a long, really long, black ribbon.

"Hm?" Izuku bends down to pick up the ribbon. "Where did this–?"

"Hey, Midoriya! It's time to go back!" Ruby shouted from down the street.

"I'll be right there!"

The mystery woman stood behind him. "Please, keep an eye on Ruby for me."

"Huh?" Izuku turns to see no one behind him anymore. "Who…was that?"

Izuku looks down at the black ribbon in his hand. The fabric didn't feel like a regular ribbon…In fact, it reminded him of Aizawa's capture scarf, 2-inches in width, thick and reinforced despite easy manipulation.

Curious, Izuku puts the ribbon in his bag and meets back up with Ruby and Saphron.

"Thank you for spending time with me, Tenya," Penny said as they returned to the General's office building.

"You're welcome…now that you are back, I'll be on my way," Tenya said, turning to leave.

"Tenya, wait," Penny said. Tenya stops. "Can you make a promise with me?"

Tenya turns his head. "...And what promise is that?"

"Don't go after the Hero Killer."

Tenya turns around to face her with a neutral, yet tense, expression. Penny, on the other hand, looked serious.

"I know why you are here, Tenya, and that is why I want you to make a promise with me." Penny holds out her pinkie to Tenya. "A pinkie promise." A hint of plead mixed with her stern stare. "I mean it, Tenya. Please, think about your brother."

"...I am thinking about my brother."

When the pair returned, Ruby headed up for her nap while Izuku trained. Several hours went by and when Ruby woke up, she learned that Gran Torino and Izuku are going to join her and Maria on their way to Shibuya for some night action.

Now, they are riding a train, heading for Shibuya.

"It'll be nightfall by the time we arrive, so we might as well make ourselves comfortable," Maria said, seated next to Gran Torino with Ruby and Izuku behind them, looking over Izuku's notes.

Izuku and Ruby stood up to look over at their mentors. "Is that okay?" Izuku asked. There was a pen nestled behind his ear.

"There'd be more skirmishes, so it would be more fun," Gran Torino said.

"More fun, huh?" Izuku said, looking nervous.

"Perhaps you could learn to be more aware of your surroundings," Maria said. "Such as your pen falling off your ear."

"Huh?" Before Izuku acted, the pen in his ear started to fall. Without looking, Maria caught it.

[Maria Calavera! Hero name: La Cazadora! Her Quirk: Preflexes! It allows her to sense and react before something happens!]

"A useful Quirk to have," Maria said, handing Izuku back his pen. "But nowhere near as impressive as today's Quirks."

"I wouldn't say that," Izuku said. "Your Quirk allows you to react faster to upcoming attacks. That's a technique that took a lot of heroes years to master and you got it since your Quirk manifested."

"Really, the only other person who could surpass Calavera's abilities is the Symbol of Peace himself," Gran Torino said.

"Praise from you, Gran Torino? Has hell frozen over?" joked Maria. "Next thing I'll know, Cordovin gives me a compliment."

"Cordovin?" Izuku echoed.

"Head of security at Haneda airport," Maria answered.

"Is she a friend?" Ruby asked.

"I wouldn't really call us…friends," Maria said awkwardly.

"Acquaintances?" Izuku asked.

"Not quite."

"Colleagues?" Ruby asked.

"Warmer."

Ruby and Izuku exchange glances. "...Enemies?"

"That's the one!" Maria confirmed. "I used to come here through Haneda whenever I visited. You bring cashews on one flight and suddenly you're placed on the additional screening list for life!" Izuku and Ruby ducked behind the back rest when Maria got a tempered crazed look on her face.

"You're still mad about that?" Gran Torino wondered. "I'd rather not hear the two of you go at it again."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. Maybe she's dead," Maria said with a hopeful glimmer in her cybernetic eyes. Ruby and Izuku decided not to press any further and sat back down. Ruby looked out and saw a sign, telling them that Hosu was coming up.

"Looks like we're about to reach Hosu…" Ruby said.

"Hm…" Izuku said. He takes out his phone to send a text to Tenya.

Ruby hears a ding from her own phone. "Oh! A message from Yang!"

Yang: How's it going, sis? Another night of training?

Me: Yeah. Midoriya's coming this time around.

Ruby thinks for a moment before texting again.

Me: Can I ask you something?

Yang: Shoot.

Me: If I were to try and hunt down Adam Taurus for hurting you, how would you feel about that?

It took about a minute before Yang replied.

Yang: I wouldn't be happy. In fact, I might punch you for attempting it. I love you, Ruby, and I don't want you to do something so foolish. Yeah, I hate Taurus for what he did, but that doesn't mean I want you to take revenge for me.

Yang: Besides, last I checked, revenge isn't exactly heroic. It comes with much too high a cost.

Yang: You said you're with Midoriya, right? I want a pic of the two of you.

Ruby quirked a brow at the request.

Me: Why?

Yang: I just do. Please?

Ruby shrugged. "Hey, Midoriya, wanna take a–" She stopped when she saw Izuku starring at his phone with concern. "Midoriya?"

"...Iida hasn't answered yet," he said. "Up 'til now, he'd answer a text message after reading it in less than three minutes. It's past that now and nothing. I even text Po–Penny, but even she's having a hard time."

"Maybe he's asleep?" Ruby pondered.

"Yeah…maybe…" Izuku puts his phone away. "We're you about to say something?"

"Yang wanted a picture of the two of us, but it's fine if you don't want to do it at the moment!"

"It's fine."

"You sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, maybe…maybe it could help us keep our minds off of it."

"Okay…Oh! I have an idea! Let's put our hoods on!" Ruby said. "It'll look so cool!"

Izuku nodded. "Alright." They pulled their hoods over, moved close together, and smiled for the phone camera. They move apart after the flash.

"Let's see…Aaaah! We look so cool!" Ruby squealed with glee.

"Really?" Izuku asked, removing his hood.

"Yeah. Now I'm gonna send…and done!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Hey, did a building explode or something?" a passenger said from the other side.

"I see fire and smoke!"

"What's going on?" Izuku wondered. Maria suddenly removes herself from her seat and runs, surprisingly fast for her age, over to a couple a few seats up and grabs them and pulls them off their seats.

"What are you do–?!" Maria suddenly pulls them away again before–

*CRASH*

Screams of terror raid the kids' ears as they saw a pro hero was launched into the train. The hero got up to fight back, but was grabbed by the head by a large, pale green hand and was slammed into the floor.

And emerging from the smoke was a familiar sight to Ruby and Izuku.

"Is that…?" Ruby started to say in shock.

"A Nomu?!" she and Izuku exclaimed.

Shigaraki grinned at the chaos unfolding in front of him. At various points in Hosu were there pillars of smoke billowing from the carnage caused by the Nomus he set loose.

"I need to build up my presence, right Fall?" he asked, even though Cinder wasn't there, his only company being Kurogiri and Roman. "I'd say this is a good start after the Hero Killer annoyed me."

Roman sighed and frowned. "This is gonna end splendidly."

Chapter 21: A Mad Ideal

Things are escalating now!

I have recently learned who's voicing Roman for the English Dub of Ice Queendom…It's the guy who voiced Aizawa.

I'm still in the process of drawing an art request, but I am still taking some if anyone is interested! ^^