Chapter 71:

"You excited?" Zach asked Kirishima as they talked in the kitchen on the first floor of their dorm. "I'm a bit nervous myself," he admitted, though he did not look it as he kept cooking his ramen with a calm expression on his face.

"Yeah I'm pretty pumped for it," Kirishima said. He took a sip from his protein shake and then leaned back on the counter behind him. "Definitely ready to get in some fights this next week. Bet you'll see me on the news in no time, beating all the villains who cross me," Kirishima said it with a sharp-toothed grin, but then he leaned back his head more and lowered his shake to the counter at his side. "Probably going to run into some League of Villains guys. So many of them now, right?" Kirishima remarked.

Zach started nodding but turned to his friend with a semi-serious look as it seemed to him like Kirishima was trying to ask something. There were a couple of villains in particular who were on Kirishima's mind, and seeing Zach look at him expectantly he decided to ask about them. "Those guys at VTS," Kirishima began. Zach's eyes widened a bit as Kirishima brought them up, as he had been thinking a lot about them himself just earlier that day. "I figure I could totally run into them during the internship. Shooter, and Hydro, right?"

Zach nodded again and then hummed to himself. He turned off the stove and started putting the seasoning packets into his ramen, and he said while glancing back at Kirishima, "Hydro's really strong. I'd say definitely use Unbreakable right away if you go up against him. I helped-" Zach paused and then turned back to his cup. I helped recruit him. That's not something I can say aloud. "I saw him when he first entered the League, and he's no joke." Shigaraki said his power came close to Ganeshi. Although he never got utilized that much since I took him out of the picture, could he actually be as big a problem? Fuck, he'll be after me too. Zach's eyes got a little darker, then he distracted himself with something that really did not make him feel better, "Be more careful of Shooter though."

Kirishima nodded his head as he thought about the man with long blond hair who had been a pretty intimidating villain that day. Zach pulled apart a pair of chopsticks and started eating his ramen, but he spoke while he did, "K-Blaster's shots seemed to be more powerful, considering you took damage while hardened from them, and you didn't really from Shooter's. Shooter is definitely dangerous though. Nch munch, slrrrp," Zach slurped up some noodles and then put his ramen down for a second as it was still really hot. "He was one of the first guys who joined right when they started expanding. He was in charge of the VTS mission, his aim is renowned among the villains, and he's smart too. I thought it was because he's intelligent, that he was so dangerous. It's why I had to be so careful at VTS."

"Heh, but we outsmarted him," Kirishima said with a grin that Zach returned to him thinking about the show they put on so he could get Shooter to drop his guard. "He's probably a little sore over that," Kirishima added. Zach nodded in agreement, but Kirishima smirked and finished, "I'll be careful if he shows up for revenge though. You do the same, yeah?"

"Yeah," Zach agreed. "Let's send him back to jail."

Zach lifted back up his ramen and Kirishima took a determined sip from his shake. "Hey look," Kirishima lowered his cup and motioned towards the front door of the dorm across the building. Zach turned and looked over the counter, past the tables and the sitting area to the door where a group of four just walked inside.

The two of them started heading over while the four walked straight to the couches and collapsed onto them. Aoyama dropped on the couch closest to the door with his hands down on his stomach and a sick look on his face. Koda sat next to him rubbing at his throat and then rubbing at his knuckles on the hand he rubbed his throat with that were all red though not wrapped like the ones on his other hand. The other two fell onto the middle couch, Ojiro dropping first and then the invisible girl with him dropping at his side and letting out a long exhausted sigh while resting her head on his left shoulder.

"Whoa," Kirishima said as he came up behind the middle couch. "I thought you guys were just going for an info session?"

Ojiro started shaking his head, and he rose his right arm and rubbed his hand under his right eye where a bruise was forming. Koda shook his head too and looked down at the floor, and Aoyama let out a groan. Zach lifted his eyebrows and started feeling bad for the group in front of him. Hagakure rose her head to look back at the two behind her, but she spoke a little louder as Mineta and Ashido were also walking towards the couch area from elsewhere on the first floor. "The 'introductory' session," Hagakure put up air quotes with her invisible hands that her friends figured out from her sleeves' movement and emphasis on 'introductory.' She continued, "Consisted of Mother Russia 'explaining' all the different training methods we'll be doing this week."

"And by 'explaining,'" Aoyama started, and the top half of his face got shadowed lines over it like he was thinking back on something horrible. "She means fighting bears."

"Not really," Ojiro added at the confused and shocked looks on the others' faces. "But if Koda wasn't there, I wouldn't put it past her to throw some bears at us."

The four who were not at the training sweatdropped, and then Mineta smirked which Zach saw and chuckled to himself over. Guess he's glad he made the choice. I was really surprised. I thought he was "procrastinating" over his agency choice because he was ultimately going to stay behind. I didn't think he had the resolve to stay here at all actually, but he hasn't said a thing about pulling out of the hero course or anything. That's pretty cool, Mineta. Zach turned from the short boy and down to the couch in front of him and his friend with blond hair and a thick tail.

"I'm still surprised you're staying back, Ojiro," Ashido said, running around the couches and dropping on Ojiro's other side as Hagakure. "Didn't Airman give you an offer?"

Ojiro nodded his head slowly, and Zach glanced towards Ashido with a hesitant look. Not really nice asking the people staying behind that. I thought we all just knew not to do that. He saw Kirishima also looking at Ashido oddly like he was wondering how she did not have more poise than that. Though I thought Ojiro was going to go as well. He talked about it that first day like he was going to.

"Yeah," Ojiro said, and he could see the pink girl next to him lifting her eyebrows wondering what made him change his mind. "What Zach said was true though," Ojiro said, glancing back to his left at Zach who tried thinking fast on what Ojiro could be referring to. "It's not much safer here at U.A. than out there," Ojiro remarked.

Aoyama gulped, and Koda stopped rubbing his knuckles to instead stare at them nervously. The girl leaning on Ojiro pulled back a little too, glancing to her right at him with a smile on her face that no one else could see. Zach just got confused though by Ojiro's answer as it did not make any sense to him. I'd get staying back here if they're scared it's more dangerous out there, but the opposite?

Ojiro looked to be trying not to elaborate any further, but Ashido asked him in confusion, "Then why wouldn't you go?"

Ojiro lifted his right hand and scratched the bottom of his cheek with a nervous look. "Well," he glanced to his left with a small smile at the girl whose pink cheeks could not be seen by the others. "I, didn't want Toru to be scared I'd be hurt out there… and if here's really not all that safe," he scratched his cheek again and then lowered his hand while finishing in a softer voice, "I want to protect-"

"Eeeee!" Ashido leaned forward out of her seat and practically squealed at how cute that sounded.

Kirishima crossed his arms with a grin across his face while most of the others looked at Ojiro in surprise. "That's so manly," Kirishima said in an approving tone, making Ojiro sweatdrop as saying it out loud felt like the opposite. Ashido started talking rapidly to Hagakure across the front of Ojiro, and Ojiro got an even more embarrassed look at how they were talking about him.

Mineta stopped looking over in so much surprise, and he just crossed his own arms though without smiling like Kirishima. "Dang," he snapped his fingers with a frustrated look on his face as he looked at the floor. "Ojiro's so lucky." I could learn a few things! Mineta looked back up towards the boy in between the girls who were talking about how great he was.

Aoyama frowned more himself, looking down at his stomach with a hesitant look on his face. The less people who were staying behind just because they were afraid, the worse it felt to be one of those people. At the Sports Festival though, he thought, and in his eyes he saw three villains in front of him. He watched as they injected themselves with Trigger, and their bodies morphed, and they roared like monsters at him. And even before it, he thought back on the Villain Training Simulator, and on the training forest before then. Aoyama glanced towards Zach as he thought about those two events, then he looked down again in an even more upset way. But Zach's still going out there, even after all they did to him. I- I want to be that brave. A dazzling hero wouldn't stay behind because he's too scared. I had fifty offers!

Zach could see the frustration on Koda and Aoyama's faces, and he wondered if Hagakure looked that way too. She tried to sound upset that Ojiro was blaming it on her, but he countered that Mother Russia's training was going to be intense too so he was still getting stuff out of the week. She really did not sound that mad anyway though, more touched at his staying than anything. That is, really awesome. Ojiro's too cool, Zach thought with a smile replacing the surprised look on his face. He must really care about her. Having people that you care about that much, is really nice. I don't really… A face appeared in his mind that made him gulp and a bead of sweat to form on the side of his face.

I've been, thinking about her a lot recently, Zach thought while glancing up at the ceiling. The dark-haired girl in his mind was smiling as he imagined her, and it made Zach start thinking about what he had pondered right after waking up from death when talking with Monoma. He gulped again and then looked down while trying to shake those thoughts from his head. I decided to focus on being a hero. Until this world is better than it was, I, I want to focus on…

In the corner of Zach's eyes he saw a pair of girls coming out of the stairwell over to his left. He started turning that way and saw Jirou and Yaoyorozu walking into the common room, and his heart rate started speeding up at the sight of the tall bubbly girl who looked right towards him before anyone else. She looked straight towards him and he smiled while trying hard not to gulp after making eye contact. His smile dipped down a little though as she did not return it, and he got confused but turned to Kirishima when his red-haired friend said something to him. He was grateful to Kirishima for giving him the excuse to look away, though he was panicking as he nodded at his friend, Why didn't she smile? Did I do something? What did I do?! I'm about to leave for a week, and what if while we're gone she- or, or what if she's just mad at me the whole time? Is she mad? What did I do?

Zach saw Kirishima getting a confused look on his face and he knew his expression much have been betraying him. He hopped in and changed the subject to something about their internships to make it seem like that was what he was preoccupied by, but he spotted Yaoyorozu looking towards him in his peripheral vision and it made his heart pound so much harder at that look on her face. Zach felt such a frustrated feeling as he got a pang in his chest. I don't want to leave things, like this.

This was a terrible idea! Zach thought in complete panic, though his face was doing a better job at hiding that feeling. He sat at the edge of his bed, and his ability to keep a straight face made the girl sitting on his desk chair feel a little confused and nervous.

"What did you, want to talk about?" Yaoyorozu questioned. The sky outside Zach's blinds was dark, but the two sat in his illuminated room with a strange tension between them that Zach only now realized had been there since the Sports Festival.

We haven't really talked one on one since I… Is that it? I thought maybe, she had stuff she wanted to talk about with me too! That's why I asked if she wanted to talk- but I, I don't know how to do this! "Yeah," Zach started, then thought in panic, That wasn't a yes or no question! "I just, I thought you had something- or, I wanted to talk." Yaoyorozu lost a bit of the nervous look on her face, a small smile forming as Zach apparently was nervous after all. Zach felt relieved at the sight of that smile too, and he just said, "Is something up? I feel like, we haven't talked much. Lately."

Yaoyorozu wanted to smile that he was asking her, but the things she did want to talk to him about were ones she could not smile thinking about. Her mouth dipped down a little at the corners. How do I just ask, something like… "Zach," she began quietly. She hesitated, then she nodded at him and said, "I am sorry if I have been distant- I just, have questions…" Zach tried not to frown at her right away at the sound of that. He expected that her questions, the things she had to say, were going to be the same that everyone had been asking him about.

Jenny, the torture, my mind breaking. I never wanted everyone to know these things. I never wanted- "What were you and Spinner talking about, while you were fighting?" Yaoyorozu asked. Zach's eyes opened wide, and his chest ached as she asked something no one else had asked him about but was even worse. No, Zach thought, his eyes getting darker and depressed while looking back into hers. She hesitated after seeing that look, then she continued anyway while leaning forward, "You were so angry with him, and I just want to know what it is the two of you were talking about."

"It was," Zach started. He left his mouth open to continue, but then he closed it and his eyes shifted away from the girl in front of him. I can't. "I, it was nothing," Zach said softly. Yaoyorozu's eyes opened wide, then she held her hands tightly on her knees as Zach deflected. "Spinner was just, I knew the things I could tell him to get him frustrated…" Zach's eyes closed halfway and he felt his chest aching at what he was saying aloud. It's not a lie. I, I knew… But, but that's not it. I can't do this, Momo. Not to you.

That's not true, Zach, Momo Yaoyorozu thought while looking back at the boy whose room she was in late at night the night before they were all leaving for their internships. I know it's not. I was right there beside you. "I have to face him…" "Spinner's like that…" "I want to know, Spinner! What happened to her?! What did you do?!" She closed her eyes tightly as she recalled the genuine anger and hatred on Zach's face that day while yelling those things at the villain.

"Why-" Yaoyorozu started, and Zach looked back only to lean his head away with his eyes widening in pain at Yaoyorozu's look. "Why won't you tell me the things on your mind?" Momo asked. Zach bit down and pressed his lips together to hide how hard he was clenching his teeth. "Why are, you always so secretive? And only with me?" Zach's eyes started to widen more, his breath speeding up at what she was asking him. Yaoyorozu leaned forward at that look on his face that was confirming what she thought. "Is, it because you're lying to the others?"

Zach tried to make his eyes go back to their normal size and he turned his head away. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. Nooo! I knew this was going to happen! I, I tried so hard not to lie to you, but that was stupid! It was obvious you were going to figure it out. You're too smart! I, I can't do this though. I can't just- Zach spun back as Yaoyorozu got up from her seat.

"I'm sorry," Yaoyorozu said, shaking her head and looking down. I shouldn't have pried, since he seems to want to distance from me. Why text me then? I don't, it doesn't- "I'll just go," she whispered.

She thinks I don't want to talk to her! Why am I doing this?! Zach's face covered in a regretful look the moment Yaoyorozu turned her head from him to the door. I don't want you to leave! I don't, want things to go on like this, not with her. "I don't," Zach started. Yaoyorozu paused where she was, and Zach's lips shook for a second before he steadied his look and just whispered towards her, "I don't, want things to go on like this. But I-" Yaoyorozu turned her head and looked towards Zach. She had a regretful look on her face too as she had hated turning away and heading for the door as soon as she had started doing it. Zach pursed his lips hard, then he said in a soft voice, "What Spinner and I were talking about, is my biggest regret."

Zach closed his eyes for a second, then he opened them and looked into Yaoyorozu's soft gray eyes. "Everything else I'm regretful over were combinations of different choices. All different events building up on top of each other including ones I had no control over, leading to terrible things happening. But one choice, one decision I made was just in the moment. It was my decision, and a woman died because of it." Zach looked so painfully up into Yaoyorozu's eyes, and she walked back to the chair and sat in front of Zach again.

Yaoyorozu had a softer look in her eyes as she sat down. Should I say he does not have to continue? His biggest regret. I, I want you to be able to talk to me. I want you to know you can talk to me. No matter what it is you think you've done. "How?" She just whispered.

Zach gulped. I don't know, if I can do this. His eyes shook as he looked back at her, then he whispered, "I don't even-" He paused, then he lowered his gaze from her and down to the floor between them. "The night I escaped," Zach began in a quiet voice. "I, wasn't in my… I was shattered into a million pieces." Momo's heart started pounding as she thought about those videos she saw during the Sports Festival, especially the latest one when his hair was longest and he screamed madly 'Not Lifebringer' over and over. Zach continued while closing his eyes tightly as he knew what she must have been thinking of, "I was so, so scared. And then all of a sudden, I was holding a gun, pointing it at this woman's head."

Zach clenched his eyes shut tighter and shook his head at the girl in front of him. "I," he started again while she stared at him in shock at what he was saying. "I was so scared, of what would happen if I didn't do it. That Spinner would bring me back to Shigaraki so the torture could continue, or he would kill everyone in Class A, or do even more unspeakable things that my imagination had run wild with while I was in that room."

But you didn't, Yaoyorozu thought to herself. She would have been scared of what he was going to say next if she had not heard that conversation with him and Spinner. Hearing it amazed her now though, Even afraid of all that, how did you- "But then, how did you get out of that situation?" Yaoyorozu asked in confusion, though keeping her voice soft and understanding.

"I saw," Zach whispered. He opened his eyes and looked into Momo's, and he lifted his left hand and rubbed the side of his head with it at the image he just imagined. "I saw, sheer terror on her face, as I held a shaking gun to her forehead." His face had so much regret on it that Yaoyorozu immediately regretted bringing the conversation up at all. Zach's expression made it look like he was in constant pain, and his left hand up against his temple he slid down and grabbed himself by the chest with. "And I decided in that instant to run. I aimed the gun at the latches on the box on my right hand and fired. I turned Nightmare and swept a Death Wind at the villains all around me to keep them back. Then I, shot her handcuffs. I dropped her the gun." Zach bit down and had such an angry look on his face as he said these things aloud for the first time.

Zach's hands started shaking, his right hand violently at his side and his left curling tighter into his t-shirt. "And I ran," he whispered. Zach closed his eyes and Yaoyorozu started breathing faster, her heart pounding as she stared at the boy in front of her who looked to be in so much pain because of that. No, she thought, leaning back in her chair. That can't be- your, biggest… This is your biggest, regret? Out of everything that happened to you?! Yaoyorozu started breathing faster as Zach clenched his eyes tighter while whispering, "I don't remember what I told her. I don't even remember, but it was something like she needed to escape without me. Because I was gone. I ran, as fast as I could. Leapt out of a second story window…"

Zach reached his right hand up and rubbed his upper left arm, the scar around it that ached with phantom pain so much worse than the others. He sniffled once to hold back any tears, and he lowered his hand from his arm while biting down in anger. He cursed at himself for feeling so bad about that night when someone else had lost their life. "I should have done more," he said, looking down between his feet and shaking his head as he imagined how Yaoyorozu must have been looking at him. "I should have tried fighting all those villains, and saved her too. I, I never even knew her name," he whispered in an even more pained voice. "She called out for 'Lifebringer' though when I was there, and she looked like a nice person. It seemed like it at least, considering how she looked at me when I responded, with 'Not Lifebringer.' The hope, she must have-"

He brought his left hand up again and quickly rubbed once over his eyes before lowering his arm with an angry look on his face still. "Spinner said they killed her, and I didn't do anything to stop it. I just ran. I, I knew, that she was dead. I had known for a while, but I couldn't believe it." He admitted this while looking back up into Yaoyorozu's eyes, and he felt a bit of confusion at her expression as he said these things aloud. "Even though I knew that if she wasn't dead, she was probably in an even worse situation, maybe being tortured like me or turned into a villain. I just didn't want to think about it though. And then seeing Spinner…"

Momo got up from in front of him, and she stepped forward before turning around and sitting back on Zach's bed. She sat on his right side, and Zach pulled his right arm in front of him to put his right hand on the inside of his thigh and away from her for safety. As he did that though, the girl next to him who was three inches taller spoke softly to him, "It's alright. It's not your fault." He turned to her and looked into her eyes with his own going wide. She tried giving him a supportive smile though, and she said, "You were trying to survive-"

"But I can't just survive," Zach cut in. "If I'm a hero," he finished, his hands clenching again while he turned his gaze from Yaoyorozu the other direction towards his window. "Heroes, wouldn't leave someone behind like that."

Yaoyorozu stared at the back of Zach's head in surprise that he would not take her acceptance. Zach turned back and looked into her eyes again, and he shook his head at her. "I'll never make that mistake again," he said strongly. I needed this. I needed, to say it. Avoiding the topic. Trying to not think about it, because of how much I regret it. It hurts more. I need to accept it, accept how I feel about it too. Zach lifted up his arm and he rubbed his eyes quickly, but this time as he lowered it he was not frowning angrily. Zach gave the girl in front of him a smile, Even though it hurts, I have to smile. To show I'm alright. That's what heroes do after all. "I'm glad, I could share it with you," he said while smiling at the surprised girl on his side who went a little wider-eyed before smiling at him back.

"I couldn't tell anyone that before," he added softer. I thought too badly of myself because of it. I couldn't tell anyone, not Softy, not Kaminari or Midoriya either. I've told Kaminari so many secrets now, Midoriya some too, but even if Momo doesn't know as much as them… Zach kept smiling at the girl in front of him who finally had a genuine smile as she looked back at him, looking so happy that he was glad to share his secret with her. The fear that he had been pushing her away, or that he would never stop being so secretive with her, she felt like she was worried for nothing and just felt a flutter in her chest at Zach's smile back at her. Zach felt a wave of relief at the relieved look on her face too, and he thought, I trust her in a different way. Things, I really wouldn't talk about with the two of them. With anyone. Or, well, I can't think about sharing them with anyone, except for you.

A/N Thanks for reading. Zach and Momo centric chapter before the internship arc really gets started. Zach comes to terms with what he considered his biggest regret, some of Class A are staying back for the arc, others are preparing themselves for fights with villains! Currently writing the internship arc and it's pretty fun, I'll try to get out the next chapters (longer ones) in the next couple of days. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and leave a review telling me what you think or predictions for the upcoming arc!

IntricateHummingbird chapter 1 . Sep 1

Heeeey one of the first to review again. Actually first this time. Also, because you showed us that cult-ish video that Zach watched on Stain's ideals and that girl coming to him seemingly obsessed, are you saying there might be a secret cult worshipping Zach's power? Ooooooh, that would be interesting

I don't know? Is that what I'm saying? Won't spoil anything but like the guesses, we'll see if any of it's true!

Shade11224 chapter 70 . Sep 1

I feel like his regret is coming across too strong considering how unemotionally attached he should be to the her considering he only saw her for a minute or two and then went straight to running for his life. On that topic he's being weirdly immature about his stalker, like the fact he won't even talk to her is strongly out of character.

To Zach it's doesn't matter how much he knew her, but the fact that he left her to die. This chapter fleshes out more why he was feeling so regretful so hope you got why he felt that way. As for his stalker, I mean he tried talking for a little but when you get Toga vibes from someone, it's time to run the f*** away. I think he's spent enough time around crazy people... well, actually we'll see. Who knows when/if Zach decides to confront her again, and maybe what his reasons for trying to avoid her might have been?

Guest chapter 70 . Sep 1

Is Zach still short?

Depends. 5'6" isn't bad for a 16 year old. (kinda rough though when Momo's so tall though XD ).

Momozaki chapter 70 . Sep 2

Great chapter! That Present Mic scene just made me sad man T_T Why do you have to do this
"Even when she's crying...she's" - You fucking tease. When's this emotionally unstable life saver going to kiss the bubbly creation hero?
That ending scene though...Dude can never get a break can he?

;( Didn't even get a word in from him but i'm glad the mention alone got to you (sorry 'bout that though). A lot of ZachxMomo this chapter, as well as maybe the break you were looking for in regards to the end scene of what he was thinking about last chapter. Momozaki almost hit a rough patch this chapter, but it looks like things have worked out for... well, I'll just end the response here. XD Thanks for the reviews guys, and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!