A/N: So, it seems quite a few of you are excited by my new plot idea, and boy am I glad you are, cause I've been itching to write more about it! I won't talk anymore, as there's not much to say, so, enjoy Chapter 42!
P.S, I've just finished the chapter, and wanted to say I've had lots of personal things going on, including my second year at university coming up very soon, so sorry for the time it's taken to update this story.
Toga's eye glistened with excitement as she sat on a bench outside the large arena. There were a few other couples and families hanging around here too this evening, enjoying ice cream, picnics and other little things like that beneath the slowly setting sun.
At the exit of the facility, however, was the only reason Toga had come all the way here in the first place. Class 1-A, and more importantly, Izuku Midoriya. Oh Izuku, how she longed to go and speak to him. His face was almost glowing, either from the incredible sunset, or the face he was holding what looked to be his Provisional Licence in his hand.
Toga felt a strange feeling of pride well up within her being, and her smile grew a little more. He had such an amazing smile. It was so passionate and full, ear to ear with joy. Oh, how she longed to share that feeling with him. All she felt now, amongst the butterflies and slight envy, was a distinct feeling of protectiveness. At his sides, stood not only the brunette girl she'd run into during the Vanguard Action Squad's first mission but also some pink-skinned alien girl she'd never seen before
This girl was clinging to Izuku's arm- to her Izuku's arm! It made the hairs on her neck stand on end, not that there was anything she could do about it. Right now, she was like an animal in a Zoo; a preditor, looking across the grounds at her pray, so close, but so far, locked away behind a thick glass pane she could never get through.
That was unless she could find another way out of the enclosure, and into his. It almost felt like a sort of tunnel vision forming from where she sat, to Izuku, slowly filtering out the rest of Class 1-A, so in the end, all she could see, was him.
To think they were all so close, and the step up this would give the league if she could knock a few of them out, here and now, would be a large one indeed. But, this was a private matter, and Toga wasn't one to mix private matters up with work matters. Besides, the League didn't deserve a boost like that anyway.
All she could think of right now was how to find a chance to speak to Izuku directly, without any of these sidekicks getting in their way. Of course, if she were to really hit things off with him, she'd have to learn to get along with all his friends, which seemed to be most, if not everyone in the class, but right now, they were obstacles she needed to overcome.
What to do, what to do... She sang to herself, bringing her thumb up to her mouth and gently holding it between her teeth, her sharp canine teeth showing as her lips curled into a small smile. Following them back to U.A would be the easiest thing to do, but how would she do it. There was no way in hell she was going to run after a coach if they were getting collected that way.
Then, she remembered a little something she'd collected on the day they attacked the Training Camp, and the thought only broadened the smile on her unsettlingly innocent face. Blood, from the brunette that was currently walking at Izuku's side. If she could play her cards like never before, she could snake her way onto the bus and right through their defences.
"All this trouble for Hero scum..." She could hear Shigaraki's hushed, creepy voice disapproving her desires already. He would never understand though, none of them would.
With a stoic expression, she reached into the little backpack she had hanging from one shoulder and removed a small foam cup from it. It was wrapped in tissue to protect it, and her bag in case it leaked, and through the clear plastic lid, the crimson liquid from the brunette could be seen. It was only a small amount, filling the little cup by about a quarter. However, that was enough for Toga to do what she had to, to get to their coach.
All she had to do, was avoid her as best she could, and fool the tired minds of the Class and its teacher, who she was more concerned about by a long shot. If they managed to figure her out.
So, pulling the plastic lid from the cup, she lifted it to her lips and began drinking. She never really liked the taste of blood, especially not in the amounts she had to drink it in. However, after all these years, she could only really taste the subtle changes. Some peoples blood was sweeter than others, some was thicker and some was boring and bland.
This girls blood was sweet and kind. It was almost like she could feel her determination and strong will; a typical hero. Toga loved the feeling of her body changing and deforming to the bodies of others. It felt like a really good stretch, but she looked like a completely different person when she opened her eyes again.
She felt slightly stronger than before, and lighter on her feet. It was a really good feeling.
However, now, so was on a timer, and she had to get to that bus, and hide somewhere no-one could find her, before the time ran out. Then again, if there were U.A teachers waiting by the coach, there's no way they wouldn't notice two of the same brunette
Maybe she could wait until they'd already boarded, then make her way on afterwards. If she was quick, she could take a seat on the opposite side of the bus to the real girl. If anyone asked, she could just say she needed the bathroom or something
The more Toga thought about it, the riskier this felt. However, she loved that feeling of risk, and she'd found that being in a pinch put her brain into overdrive, and she performed much better. All she had to do, was go for it. And go for it, she did.
Toga's stomach had been tied in knots the entire way to U.A. She'd gotten onto the bus just fine, much easier than she expected, but her transformation timer was running low, and she had to move fast.
The coach almost seemed like it was moving at a crawl through the gates of U.A, but once it had, Toga couldn't help but feel a wave of wonder come over her. It had changed so much in the year that'd passed since she applied to study here. Most noticeable of these changes was the extra security walls around the school itself, and now the expansive campus and dorm building sitting on the outskirts.
It was beautiful and made Toga even more jealous that she couldn't be a part of this. The hissing of the busses breaks, and the jolt of it coming to a stop pulled the blonde villain from her thoughts.
Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror, Toga felt a little panic arouse within her. She'd already begun changing back to her normal self. Her eyes were no longer hazel, but emerald green and her fangs were beginning to reform in her mouth. As soon as the door opened, she'd make a run for it. She couldn't afford to wait around any longer than she had too, because time was growing very limited now.
Luckily, it didn't take too long after stopping, for the bus doors to open, and once they had, she ran for it, her skin false skin beginning to melt away. She thanked her lucky stars that most of Class 1-A was asleep on the ride home. If it wasn't for the fact that they'd all be worn to their cores from the exam, she'd have been spotted for sure.
She scolded herself mentally for going through with such a haphazard plan but didn't worry about it too much. All that mattered, was that she was on U.A ground, and she could finally have herself a one-on-one encounter with Izuku Midoriya.
She didn't think getting him alone would be too hard either. From what she'd seen of the greenette, he seemed like the kind of person who strived to help all those around him, so if she played the part of looking like a lost student on a taster day, then she was willing to bet money that it'd get his attention.
The more time passed, the more she realised how stupid her plan was. She'd not really thought out any of it, and yet, so far, it'd worked so well, although that was mostly down to sheer dumb luck.
Finally, after taking shelter behind one of the dorm buildings, Toga's second skin had completely melted away, and she was standing in her own body again. Letting out a mischievous giggle, Toga slowly peered from around the corner and back towards the bus. A slightly miffed looking Shota Aizawa came off first, looking around cautiously, before making his way towards the single building nearest the school; a dorm for the teachers, perhaps.
Shortly after him, followed Class 1-A. The Transformation Quirk user-watched closely for the greenette, a small twinge of annoyance coming over her every time someone emerged that wasn't him.
Then, when he finally did emerge, he was holding hands with that same alien looking girl from before. Oh, how it annoyed her, seeing him holding hands with someone that wasn't her.
How would she get them away from each other? It's not like she could call after him and pretend to be some fan of his... Not that she wasn't. If she did that, then there was almost a one hundred percent chance that the girl he seemed to be dating would follow him like a lost puppy.
Then, as Toga thought this, the pink-skinned girl let go of his hand, and ran off ahead towards the brunette and her other friends, leaving Izuku alone, at the back of the group.
Firing a glance over her shoulder, Toga had to check and make sure there wasn't some sort of Fairy God Mother sitting on her shoulder. Perhaps today was just one of those very rare days, where everything goes right.
"E-Excuse me!" She called, trying not to be loud so everyone could hear her, but loud enough that Izuku would know she was calling him. He stopped in his tracks and quickly looked over his shoulder, an adorably inquisitive expression on his little face.
"You're Izuku Midoriya, right?" She asked with fake curiosity, excitement bubbling up inside her as she got closer and closer to him.
"I-I am... Who're you?" He asked sweetly, turning to face her fully, an anxious and faint blush on his cheeks. He gave her shivers. How could one boy be this cute!
"Hi! M-My name's Toga, Toga Himiko!" She beamed, putting one hand behind her back and holding the other out to shake his, leaning in with a big toothy grin on her face. He looked taken aback by this but accepted the handshake without a second thought.
"I see, Toga Himiko." He smiled to himself.
It gave her butterflies even more energy, hearing him say her name.
"Was there something you needed from me? I don't think I've seen you around before..." He added, cocking his head a little, frowning curiously.
"No, I just wanted to be close to you." She smirked her sharp teeth on show. Izuku's expression fell and his eyes grew slightly wider. Toga giggled, a giddy feeling making her stomach tingle. He fired a glance over his shoulder, before looking back down at her, nervously.
"Uhhh..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, staring at her. "I see... H-How did you get into the grounds? The security is pretty harsh now." He said. Toga responded almost too quickly, nearly cutting the greenette.
"I have my ways," She smirked, before turning around and grabbing Izuku hand quite tightly. "C'mon," She continued. "Let's go somewhere more private." She grinned, skipping off towards a gravel track that led from the path, between two dorm buildings and into the surrounding woodland.
This gravel track was lit with shining black street lamps, and with a knotted stomach, Izuku watched as Toga flashed in and out of sight under their directed shafts of light.
"S-S, Toga... Do you study at a different Hero School or... Where are you from?" He asked, trying his best to make casual conversation with the unnerving stranger. Toga didn't say anything for a moment, firing a glance over her shoulder at him. What would she say to him? Something inside her said she could trust him and tell him the truth about her and her experience with U.A, but could she really take that risk?
"I'm from here, in Tokyo." She responded vaguely, tightening her grip on his hand. As the two rounded a corner, a bench below a large, thick sycamore tree came into view, illuminated by a streetlight that was slightly covered by the canopy of the tree.
"I see..." He muttered, looking over his shoulder again. Toga wasn't even really listening to Izuku. Her stomach was doing somersaults, and her whole body felt light as she clutched his hand.
Stopping Izuku, pushed Izuku to sit on the bench, before sitting close at his side, still holding his hand like her life depended on it.
"I-I really shouldn't be out right now... I-It's getting late and I'm very tired..." He stuttered, but Toga only tightened her grip. She had him now, and she didn't want to let him go.
"No." She said stubbornly. She wasn't looking at him but was instead staring directly ahead of her, her expression unchanged.
"Is everything alright?" He asked again.
"Can a villain become a hero?" She asked suddenly, cautiously looking up at Izuku from the corner of her eye. He looked at her, sideways. Clearly what she'd said hadn't quite sunk in yet.
Toga repeated herself.
"Can a villain become a hero?"
"I heard what you said..." Izuku muttered in reply, not looking at her, but down at the gravel path. "I just don't really know what to say..." He added.
She stared at him, and he stared down at the floor, resting on his knees and bringing his hand to his mouth, concerned and thoughtful.
"Who are you, really?" He asked, his tone become more stoic. He looked confident, and cold, a foreign face that was very disconcerting to the girl sitting at his side. She hesitated greatly in saying anything else, but she knew much better than to try and run away. She hadn't thought this far ahead in any way at all. The furthest she'd gotten with this plan, was getting into U.A. Nothing after that.
"Just for a moment, you're not who you really are, and I'm not a Hero... We're just two normal people, having a conversation." He said, calmly. He again sounded much different than before, a gentle expression on his face.
"You can trust me." He added calmly.
Can I really? Midoriya? She asked herself. She wanted to so badly, but being realistic, could she?
"You're a villain, aren't you; working for the league." He stated. He sounded so sure of what he was saying that she felt there was no way she could deny it. It felt as though he was looking right through her.
So, she nodded. She didn't have the guts to look him in the eyes. She felt so far from her normal self to the point she literally felt beside herself. Izuku looked just as dumbfounded as she felt though, however, her expression remained cold and full of shame.
"Why are you telling me this, Toga? What possessed you to confess yourself to me; a trainee hero." He asked, still keeping himself calm, even though she could see in his face that he was unsettled.
"Talk about shooting myself in the foot." She giggled. Izuku didn't say anything, and she let out a sigh. "You're different... I felt I could tell you about what's happened to me because you're nothing like other heroes I've seen before..." She said.
"I don't want to be a villain anymore... I never did, it's just... That bastard Nezu turned me away because my Quirk wasn't up to his standards. I was spiteful and childish... But I don't know if I can change now... Not after everything I've done." She explained, putting on a fake smile that quickly died away again.
"I should turn you in, you know," Izuku stated after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. This conversation had come so far from what she'd wanted it to be... She dropped herself right into shark-infested water and had no way of getting out.
"Yeah..." She mumbled.
"How can you prove to me you want to change? For all I know, you're trying to get behind enemy lines and tear us down from the inside. I saw you, during the attack on the Forest Training Camp. You're with the League." He said, not even as a question, but a sure statement. His stone expression was unchanging, and he looked down at Toga with severity in his eyes.
"I know when Shigaraki Tomura is planning to bring All For One back, and kill All Might. I know lots that could give you all the upper hand against him and the others." She said, although part of her was screaming to not say anything more.
"You have friends there I'm sure. Do you really want to do that to them?" He asked. She could see what he was doing; trying to pry under her skin and poke at her most sensitive parts, trying to break her, but Toga had always been stubborn, and it wasn't like she'd been put up to this. This was a change that she wanted. She wanted to prove to everyone that she wasn't the monster everyone had always made her out to be.
"They're bad people... just like me, but they don't want to change. I don't want to hurt people anymore, it feels like I'm betraying myself every time I do, but it's so hard. After being told so many times that I could never be a hero, after being torn down by everyone I held dearest, I felt I could never change the fate that had been handed to me." She explained, staring down at the floor the entire time, before finally looking up to the greenette.
"But you... You seem to be able to shatter all expectations and give everything you've got. You can twist your fates because I've seen it with my own eyes, when you battled Muscular."
Izuku stared down at her, a little lost for words. The whole time she spoke she kept perfect eye contact; unblinking, not shaken by how hard he was trying to push her comfort zone. All Izuku ever wanted was to make everyone happy, and give everyone hope that the future was brighter. However, that question; "Can a villain become a hero". It felt like one he simply couldn't answer.
"Please, Izuku... You're my only hope. You can take me to the principal, or All Might, or anyone. I'll-" She stopped, looking shaken by what she was about to say.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out with a sigh, she looked into his eyes with burning passion, turning to face him.
"I'll tell them everything."
Izuku couldn't say a word. After all, what was there he could really say to her.
"Please... I want to be a hero too..." She whimpered, grabbing his wrist tightly. He flinched a little, ready to push her off if she tried anything, but she didn't. She sat there, teary-eyed and staring up at him, pleading with him desperately to help give her this chance.
It felt wrong on every level. Letting a villain through the walls of the fortress that was U.A, and letting her see all these trainee and professional heroes at their most comfortable. It wasn't just himself he was putting at risk, it was everyone else.
She would see everyone's true feelings and personalities like no members of the public really would anymore. It was almost like giving classified government documents to random people on the streets.
"I don't think you realise the risks that this brings to us... I can't just-." He started before Toga cut him off.
"No! I understand! I never expected to just be allowed to re-apply anyway... I just... I really don't want to be looked down on by everyone. I don't want people to be scared of me anymore, or to hate me anymore... I just wanna be happy, and make others happy too... Like you do..." She muttered, her enthusiasm quickly falling away as the tears welling in her eyes began falling down her cheeks.
Izuku stayed silent, looking at her as she silently sobbed, slowly losing her strength and falling into him, crying into his chest. What was he doing...? If it got out that she was a villain too early, then it'd be prison for her for god only knows how long.
The only person he trusted enough to help him with this, was All Might. Eventually, he'd tell Mina, if she ever did get accepted into U.A, but until All Might and Nezu accepted her request, then this would be similar to keeping his Quirk a secret.
Where would she stay though? How would she eat? There were too many things that could go wrong in this scenario, but it wasn't his place to deny someone's dream, even if it was for a villain to become a hero. If anyone was in a position to decide that, it was Nezu and All Might.
"Look, Toga. If you really are being honest with me about this, then I'll take you to see All Might now..." He started. Toga took her head from his chest and looked up at him with wide eyes; her mouth hanging slightly open.
"But, if you try anything, neither myself nor All Might will hesitate to send you to the proper authorities." He added quickly, keeping his stern expression.
"Alright, I won't..." She responded quickly. There was no point in thanking Izuku just yet, because if she was turned away, then she'd basically turned herself in, and she'd end up behind bars. However, this was something she'd thought about, and it was a sacrifice she was willing to make to try and change her fate, just as Izuku had changed his.
"Okay. Come with me then, I'll take you to All Might." Izuku muttered, clearly troubled by the situation, which she understood. Anyone would be shaken if they were in his position. She'd never heard of a villain wanting to become a hero before, so maybe she was the first.
It took about five minutes to walk to the opposite end of the road and to arrive at the Teachers dorm. It was slightly larger than the student's dorms but looked almost identical besides that. There were two large, round picnic tables on the left side of the small front lawn, and on the right were a handful of sunbathing chairs, some of which had been moved to the opposite side.
"Here we are." Izuku addressed Toga, who'd been sticking close to his side the entire way here. "If a long, black-haired man answers the door, let me do the talking..." Izuku added quickly.
"Mr Aizawa definitely won't handle this very well..." He muttered to himself, clearing his throat and knocking on the large wooden door. The two of them stood in silence for a few seconds, Toga shifting uncomfortably as she stepped a bit closer to him.
"Finally, a bulky form cast a looming shadow in the small square windows of the doors, before they were pulled open to reveal All Might, standing there still in his white shirt and navy trousers, his tie hanging untied around his neck.
"Oh, young Midoriya!" He exclaimed happily before his smiling face fell to one of confusion.
"Who is this you've brought with you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the two. He could feel Toga almost touching him now. This must be the first time she's seen All Might so close.
"Sorry, All Might, I know it's really late, but there's something I-..." He started, before firing a glance over his shoulder. "We... need to talk to you about." He explained. All Might looked between Izuku, then Toga, then back to Izuku again.
"I see... Alright." He said, pulling his tie from around his neck and carefully placing it on the hanger by the door before leaving, closing the door behind him.
Izuku and Toga watched him walk down the steps and onto the path leading back onto the road before quickly following after him. Izuku could almost feel Toga's anxiety and he understood why. He felt similarly, but towards her. She was a member of the League of Villains, nothing in him felt trusting in what she'd said, but he had to take her word for it.
If she was really telling the truth, not only could this benefit her greatly, but if they could get any intel on the League of Villains, it would give them a much better chance of defeating them, or at least preparing for when All For One strikes.
He was somewhat worried as to what would happen to Toga if she was refused. She'd cried to him about this dream of hers, and that hit quite close to Izuku on a personal level, but whether they were crocodile tears or not was another question. He wanted to trust her, but it went against what every fibre of his being was telling him.
This conversation, however, would decide it for sure. If she did share any intel on the League, and it turned out to be true, it would prove that she really wasn't here just to pry behind their defences. There was a lot on the line for this, and Izuku didn't feel that this would be very successful, but in the off chance that it was, he was prepared to have Toga as his responsibility;
This whole situation felt like something from a dream. He'd never once heard of a villain wanting to become a hero, but by what Toga had told him, she didn't really want to be a villain in the first place. It was more of a heat of the moment decision that she felt she had to live with after taking it too far.
So far, Toga would only be a liability to the school, and the most likely outcome would be that she would be turned in, but there was always that one-off chance that this really worked. If it did, he knew the whole class would welcome her with open arms, but there was a lot about this situation that made Izuku uneasy. The chances of success were very slim, and he wasn't going to get his hopes up, not that he was in the first place.