Chapter 7: Decisions.
Minutes after the USJ incident in a dark shady looking bar in an unknow location the same portal that the villains retreated in to had opened. Shigaraki came out first and stumble on to the floor, he groans in pain when he felt the cold wooden floor. Kurogiri steps out of the portal with ease along with the Nomu.
"I can't believe it, shot and stabbed in both arms and legs. Worst of all we failed to even kill All Might." The pale man groaned out as he tried to get up from the floor but stared at a lit TV "And those kid, those kids were so strong you said the Nomu was strong master but it was beaten so easily you were wrong master, so, so wrong!"
"And that brat, that little bastard humiliated me." Shigaraki narrowed his eyes in anger.
"No, we were not prepared as we thought it would be and All Might was not in the school as we hoped for." Said a voice coming from the television.
"Well at least we failed under that cheap cover name the League of Villains. More importantly where is our Nomu?" Said a second voice
"Yes, why is he not with you?" the first voice asked.
"The Nomu was killed."
"WHAT!" said the second voice "Our Nomu was killed by All Might? That's impossible All Might never kills."
"No." Kurogiri said "One of the students, he claimed to be quirkless."
"You must be joking no quirkless child can go up against our perfect creation." The second voice yelled in shock.
"If that boy hadn't killed Nomu, I could have the chance to kill All Might."
"Get over it, you have more important things to attend to and take this as a learning experience." Tomura looked at the screen intensely after what the first voice said "Now it's time you prepare yourself, gather the villainous elite take the time you need. I must continue to remain in the shadows that is why I need you to be my face. And in time Shigaraki Tomura you will be the symbol of fear. Soon everyone will tremble in fear at the sight of you."
Tomura smiled evilly "Understood Master."
The news of the USJ incident spread like wild fire. The media wasted no time and swarmed around the story like moth to a flame. Unfortunately for the U.A. students of class 1-B they were being hunted down by the news reporters. Class 1-B was under strict orders from Principal Nezu to not speak about the incident to any reporters.
It was a starless night in the still cold weather of spring. Izuku was tossing and turning in bed as the nightmares of the events of the USJ haunted him. He dreamt that he was once again in the nightmarish mind of the Nomu. Izuku can see the spirits being tortured by the very body they were in. The way they were screaming and wailing for them to be set free or be killed could be heard.
"KILL US!" Izuku shot up from his bed covered in cold sweat while panting heavily. Looking at his clock he saw it was only one in the morning. The young man went to the bathroom to wash of the cold sweat from his face. he looked at himself in the mirror before reaching for a towel and wiping his face. He looked back at the mirror and his reflection was not of his but of Kurama's.
"You okay kit?"
"That was disgustingly and horrifyingly weird." Izuku said. "I can hear them scream just like back then in the Orphanage."
"It's all right kit we can't change the past but what you can do is focus in the here and now." Kurama said
"And Cherish the memories and the bonds we made and never forget the one we lost along the way." Izuku said with a half-smile then he felt Kurama ruffling his hair in the mind scape. "Who or what could have created that thing."
"Hmm… I remember a man that used to do experiments on human before. His name was Orochimaru he has a unique jutsu that lets him steal someone's body but he is long gone." It sends tingles up Izuku's spine upon hearing the word stealing bodies.
"To you it feels like time is repeating itself."
"When you lived for thirty thousand and one years you feel everything was like yesterday." Kurama said with a shrug. "Get some rest Kit after yesterday's event you deserve to sleep in a bit. But don't forget that you have work."
Itsuka was making her way to U.A. early in the morning due to getting a call from the school student Council president. They had requested a meeting so all the class Representative were called to school. She had bump into Nirengeki not too long ago and the two were made their way to the school.
"What do you think the council want to talk about." The grey-haired teen asked.
"Not sure but it must be due to the USJ." Itsuka replied while adopting a thinking pose. "But hopefully Principal Nezu is there to give us the go ahead if they ask."
"Yeah, the last thing we want is to accidently say something we might regret." They continue to walk to their destination until Nirengeki noticed a very noticeable patch of curly green hair.
"Isn't that Uzumaki." Nirengeki pointed at the young man. Itsuka looked up from her phone and saw said teen hiding behind a tree.
"What is he doing here?" Itsuka asked while her vice rep shrugged. The young man sensed two familiar chakra signatures approaching him, prompting the young man to look behind him. He put his finger where his lip should be, gesturing them to stay silent and they head over to the tree he was hiding behind.
"Uzumaki what are you doing here? And why are you hiding?" The grey-haired teen asked while whispering.
"Well, I got a very last-minute call from the student council. As for your other question it's the press." Izuku whispered back. Itsuka and Nirengeki took a peek and sure enough the News press was waiting at the front gate again. "I'm not sure how but they managed to find out about the meeting."
"Couldn't you just sneak pass them?" Itsuka asked with a raised eye brow. "You are a self-proclaimed ninja."
"Yeah, but I'm planning to take the long route around them. So, I'll see you guys in the council room in an hour or so?" Itsuka gave him a deadpanned look before dragging him by the collar. "Come on! I don't want to go early! Shoda help me." Izuku whined like a child.
"Technically you did put Kendo in that position." Nirengeki chuckle. "And as class vice rep I would advise you to suck it up."
"Coming through." Itsuka said as she and her friends push through the news crew.
"Not until we get our interview!" A news reporter said.
"You're the students from 1-B."
"Can you give us any statements on the USJ?" Some of them shove a mic close to Itsuka and Nirengeki.
"Please just one statement."
Just then everyone suddenly felt the atmosphere around them changer and it was getting hard to breathe. Their legs shaken at this mysterious force as if something bad was about to happen to all of them. If anyone would have noticed the sensation of dread was being emanated by the green haired teen. Like the reporters moved away letting the three teens pass, the young man took a deep breath before releasing the killer intend.
"What was that strange feeling." Nirengeki asked while wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"I have no idea." Itsuka said unknow to the teens Izuku let out a sigh not wanting them to know what he used.
"Yeah, that was kind of strange." Izuku said acting as if he was not the culprit.
Once they reached the student council room the three of them were shock to see how it looked like. The room look like one that a government official and politicians would go to. 'The council room looks like a diet assembly.' Itsuka thought after looking around the meeting room.
"So, Kendo were you class rep in your old school?" Asked Nirengeki.
"No, I was just captain of my judo club." Itsuka replied "Never knew U.A. would have a council room like this, my old school was just an average size class room that's about it."
"What about you Uzumaki?" Nirengeki asked.
"Me? Oh no, I'm not brave enough for politics or clubs. I was busy training with my sensei and doing my part time." Izuku said "What about you?"
"I did I was vice president of the council but just for a few months before I had to move." Nirengeki answered. Then one person the two teens noticed taking a seat next to their booth it was the teen from the Entrance exam and a girl with black hair tied in a pony tail with a long hair bang.
"Greeting I am Ida Tenya Vice Representative of class 1-A." The young man said "And this is Yaoyorozu Momo Representative of class 1-A."
"Hello it's nice to meet you." The young woman bowed slightly.
"I'm Kendo Itsuka class rep of 1-B this is Shoda Nirengeki our vice rep." She gestured to the grey-haired teen and then she turned to the masked teen "And this is Uzumaki Izuku our classmate."
"I have to ask are you part of a delinquent group?" Iida narrowed his eyes at Izuku who doesn't seem to care.
"I'm sorry?" Izuku cocked an eyebrow at Tenya's question.
"You wearing that symbol on your forehead are you in a gang if so, please remove it." Tenya gave Izuku a disgusted look. "It is unfitting for a hero course student to be affiliated with a gang."
"Okay Mr stick up your ass firstly, don't assume that I am in a gang. Secondly it a symbol that represents long life." Izuku said with narrowed eyes and cross his arms.
"By the way is it true that your class has a quirkless degenerate?" Momo asked which cause 1-B class reps to look at the direction of their classmate.
"Yes, why do you ask?" Izuku answered.
"I was wondering why would U.A. allow such filth in our school." Momo stated while Tenya nodded agreeing to her statements.
"Surely scum like them shouldn't enter to U.A. let alone the hero course." Tenya stated both Itsuka and Nirengeki looked at one another and watched 1-A class reps slowly dig their graves.
"Really why is that?" Izuku replied.
"He is at the bottom of the food chain without a quirk he is nothing but a hindrance."
"And try as he like, he would be useless when facing a villain." Momo added in.
"Question what has quirkless people done to you?" Izuku asked politely with a slight hint of edge in his voice
"…"
"Tell me Ida-san Yaoyorozu-san has quirkless people blame you for anything?"
"No."
"Has quirkless people… I don't know hate you for no apparent reason?"
"No."
"Then why do you hate quirkless people when they did nothing wrong to you?"
"…"
"So, we should repeat the past? Hundreds of years ago when the age of quirks was still so young quirkless people hate people with quirks. But yet quirkless people slowly came to like them and see them as heroes. Now that people with quirks out number quirkless people you can now act as the superior beings?"
"We are not superior beings we are the perfect beings." Momo said with Tenya agreeing with the young woman.
"Perfect being you said? Well, I got some bad news for you. In this world nothing truly perfect exists. It may be a cliché after all but it's the way things are." Nirengeki mouthed wow when he heard him. "That is why ordinary people try to achieve perfection, it's because of infatuation. But one day you are going to have to ask yourself what is perfection. My answer to you is nothing. Not. A. Single. Thing."
"The truth is I hate perfection, if something is truly perfect then that's it. You reached the bottom line, there is no room for imagination, no space for intelligence or ability or improvement! Do you understand? Perfection is nothing but a dead end, a condition of hopelessness. Always strive to be better than anything that came before you, but never perfect."
"But that's the kind of people we are, I guess. We take joy in trying to exceed our grasp and trying to reach for something that in the end, you need to admit may in fact be unreachable. In other words, you may think that you're perfect but you are wrong. The moment you talked about perfection; you embraced an impossible concept."
"Holy cow that was something." Nirengeki said making Itsuka nod.
"Well, it is true my sensei had taught me to always adapt and strive to be better than those who had come before us."
"If my grandmother is still around, she would have a nice long talk on philosophy with your sensei." Itsuka said
Momo was furious at the teen "Why do y-" Momo was cut off when the door opened revealing the student council president of U.A.
"I apologise for our tardiness but the principal has things to discuss." The student council president said as he made his way to his seat.
"Firstly, I would like to welcome the first-year representatives. Though you all have been recently elected but I apologise for calling all of you here in such short notice. I am Natsume Tomoharu of class 3-B and the president of this student council."
"To my left is vice president Takatsuki Kanade of class 3-A." Tomoharu noticed some one raising a hand. A girl with Periwinkle hair held up her hand like a child trying to get the attention of the teacher "Yes Nejire?" Tomoharu asked with an all-knowing look.
"What brings us here and what happened in the USJ? And why does 1-B have an extra person with them? Can I bring Yuyu here as well?"
"Nejire please calm down we will explain once we are done with the pleasantries." Kanade chimed at her classmate; the blue haired girl pouted before sitting down. "Now why not introductions?"
"Today's topic is about the USJ incident." Tomoharu announce "We will have to ask Uzumaki Izuku of class 1-B to take the stand."
Izuku let out a sigh of frustration 'If it's to ridicule me for killing the Nomu they better have a good argument.' The young man stood up from his seat. "Before that I want to ask do you have permission from Principal Nezu. The last thing I want is the Principal coming after me."
"Yes, we do."
"Alright then." Izuku stated before clearing his throat. "I am Uzumaki Izuku of the hero course class 1-B. I hereby make the following report to the U.A. student council. The event that took place in the USJ…" Izuku proceeded to tell them everything in the USJ of course leaving out the fact that a certain fox that was inside of him.
"An All Might killing creature are you certain." Tomoharu asked.
"Yes, the pale man… Shigaraki if I'm not mistaken, he calls them Nomu. it's unknown if they have a designation or not but if they have two there is a likely chance, they might have more of them." With the statement said and done the council room went up in mummers amongst the students,
"Tell me what is your quirk?"
"I don't have one, I am quirkless." This shocked everyone in the council except of 1-B who already knew of this information. The council erupt into whispers, shock to hear such a person to be in the class.
"You're trying to tell me a quirkless bastard like you actually fought something that was meant to kill All Might."
"These are all lies made by 1-B."
"Get rid of him! He doesn't belong here!"
"SHUT UP!" Everyone stopped and saw 1-B representative stood up from her seat. "None of you were there so stop making accusations. Secondly if it wasn't for Uzumaki, we wouldn't be standing here!"
"You got no proof!"
"I have video proof." Nirengeki got off his seat spoke up. "This was taken from my camera." Nirengeki took out a flesh drive and connect it to the many USB ports on their desk. The teen played the file and everyone heard Izuku's little self-sacrificing speech which shocked everyone.
"Surely, there was another choice then killing it." Tenya glared at Izuku.
"You think I wouldn't have chosen other options?" Izuku spoke up with an are you kidding me look. "I would have but that thing would have killed everyone if I had not stopped it. You also saw the condition of my two classmates and two of our teachers plus All Might arriving late is also another factor."
"You could have hold it off until back up arrives." Tenya stated with malice.
"Oh, I'm sorry I should have waited for back up to arrive." Izuku said in a sarcastic tone before looking at the rep next to him. "By the time the teachers arrived they would be saving a bunch of dead corpses. Or maybe you try fighting an All Might killing machine and see how you like fighting something like that."
"Alright that is enough you two." Tomoharu said prompting the two teens to stop shouting.
"But-"
"But nothing Ida-san and that's final. Uzumaki-san did what he had to do; we do not condone the idea of killing." The student council president said.
"Let me ask you this, if one of you actually have the guts to look me in the eye and tell me how you should take on a creature with multiple quirks that consist of regeneration, superspeed, superstrength and a side of shock absorption by all means I'm up to hearing your plan."
"Do you hear that?" Izuku said "That eerie silence? that would have been us on the ground as cold dead corpse. And besides, that Nomu was genetically enhanced."
"What do you mean?"
"Someone made that thing in a lab or use their quirk."
"That's impossible."
"We live in a world full of quirks with capabilities unknown to us." Izuku stated with a hint of go screw yourself in his voice. "It may or may not be impossible, but please by all means do tell me how did it get multiple quirks? Last, I check quirks don't get transfer from blood. If that were to happen people that gets blood transfusions would have gain an additional quirk. Or in quirkless people terms gaining a quirk." Once again mummering erupted amongst the council.
"Order, order." Tomoharu called out. "I take back my earlier statement the next order of business is the sports festival should we proceed with it or not."
"Usually at a time like this it's a little complex." Itsuka answered with her arms crossed. "With the whole USJ incident there is a lot more factors to put in."
"It is true at the same time we can't just cancel it." Nirengeki said "It is during the festival we get to shine."
"What do you think Uzumaki? What's your perspective in this?" Itsuka asked
"I say we postpone it for a month." Izuku stated calmly to his class rep. "That would give the student from the different course ample of time to train their quirks and time needed preparing for the sports festival. With the added bonus for the school to do a complete security overhaul and prep time for additional security during the festival."
"That's a good idea." Itsuka said "Plus it would give us time to prepare ourselves." Once they have made their choice the student council president spoke up.
"1-A your decision?"
"We motion for a week." Momo announced. "The sooner the festival goes through the faster we can focus our attention on our studies."
"1-B?"
"We motioned for a month that way students from other courses have time to prepare themselves and the school will have time to tighten up security."
"We will take it into consideration now 1-C."
"We agree with 1-B hero course students has experience so a month will do just fine."
After the meeting Izuku had disappeared and Nirengeki had headed home leaving the ginger to her own fruitions. "Hmm I wonder where in Musutafu have good coffee." Itsuka scrolled through her phone and saw a five star rive café not far from her location. She had followed the direction to a café called the Yukihira Café. She entered the café and was greeted by the manager.
"Irasshaimase, please take a seat one of our waiters will be with you shortly." The manager is a woman with short brown hair and amber eyes. She wears a suit with a vest that shows of her figure and D cup breast.
Itsuka took a table near the window not for long a waiter came. "In the meantime, you can browse our menu." The manager handed Itsuka a menu.
"Thank you."
"You're most welcome." The woman smiled before leaving the ginger to her decision. "Zu-chan you have someone at your booth."
Itsuka didn't look up from the menu when the waiter arrived. "So, what would it be Kendo-Ojousama?" Shock by hearing her last name the ginger looked up from her menu and saw her masked classmate wearing a dark blue uniform with a white apron around his waist. "Yo." He greeted with a raised hand.
"Uzumaki? You work here?" Itsuka asked with a shock tone.
"Yes, I work here." Izuku replied with a light chuckle "I had to quickly make it back for the remainder of my shift."
"Yukihira… hey wait a minute didn't we ate at a Yukihira Restaurant yesterday?" Itsuka asked remembering the sneaky ninja paying for their meal.
"Yukihira has two different branch one is a normal restaurant that we ate at last night that is located conveniently across the street." Izuku pointed out side at the Yukihira restaurant that was across the street. "This is a café branch I usually get thrown back and forth whenever one of their staff members calls in sick and I got an employee discount."
"Well since you work here what do you recommend?" Itsuka asked.
"Hmm… Since you came all the way here for a very long and boring meeting that I slept half way through. I would suggest something to help you destress… Black Coffee and for our special today is hamburger stake."
"Then I'll have those." Izuku wrote the order down and left her table.
'Well at least I know where his brewing skills comes from.' Itsuka thought when she had started siphoning off his coffee. Which she took great joy of slowly drinking the coffee much to the young man's dismay. She waited for her drink but someone had decided to sit in front of her. "Umm can I help you manager-san?"
"Your Izuku's classmate, yes? I overheard your conversation."
"Yes, why do you want to know."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Yukihira Shion the owner of the Yukihira café branch. My husband is the owner of the restaurant branch." The woman stated.
"Oh, what can I help you with?"
"I want to ask you a few questions. How is Izuku doing in school? Is he making friends?"
"He's doing fine in class and made some friends; He is very kind to other even when…"
"They hate him." Shion finished making Itsuka nod. "That's no surprise." Shion turns to the left and saw her worker brewing coffee. "Izuku is always working so hard form the past three years. Never once took a day off unless we force him too."
Itsuka chuckled a little "You sound more like a concern mother then his boss… wait you said tree years."
"He's been working here since he was thirteen, apparently, he found a loophole in the law of working consent."
"How?"
"It's was a few years back when I was closing up the shop for the day. I was about to leave until this thug came out of nowhere and tried to attack me. I screamed for help of course and to my luck Izuku was passing by when he heard me. My husband came and tried to offer Izuku a reward but all he asked is if we know anyone is looking to hire." Shion said remembering the events that took place.
"You can imagine me and my husband's shock when Izuku said he was quirkless."
"But wouldn't that coincide with child labour laws?"
"That would be the correct but apparently Izuku here found a small problem with that law that allowed him to work part time."
"You see… Ibaraki prefecture split into two during 21XX forming what we know as Musutafu prefecture and the City of Musutafu was created. There are many schools in Musutafu almost making the city an academic city so they allowed children above 13 to work of course with shorten time. But about twenty years back the city was no longer an academic city."
"That still doesn't explain much."
"Long story short they forgot to change the child labour law." Izuku placed a cup of coffee on the table. "So, in order not to get in trouble I work in the kitchen as a dish washer and occasionally help the chef prepare the ingredients and cook." Itsuka took out her phone and used a search engine to find the law. She read the article and found out he was telling the truth.
"Wow your right."
Izuku just shrugged "When you live alone you need to learn things." The young man heard a bell before going over to get Itsuka's food.
"Yukihira-san do you know of Uzumaki's sensei?"
"You mean Kyu-chan." Shion said unknowingly made Izuku let out an unnoticeable chuckle. One side of eye turn red with slits and took a knife. Izuku struggled to keep Kurama from throwing the knife until he used his free hand to stop it.
"Easy now Kurama!"
"Let go! She dares call me the great Kurama! Kyu-Chan! when I told her not to!"
"He comes by every now and then to eat and to make sure Izuku is not over working. Why do you ask?"
"Oh, it's nothing I just thought that Uzumaki is making up stories of his sensei." Itsuka said
"Here's your food now as for you." Izuku turn to his boss. "Don't you have paperwork?"
"Aww don't be mean Izuku."
"Yeah, yeah you say that so you can use something to tease me."
"Bingo." Izuku rolled his eyes and went back to the counter. Itsuka could see the dynamic between the two rather than boss or a mother it was a big sister looking out for her little brother.
"Umm… Yukihira-san I know this might be prying too much but has Uzumaki ever talked about anything that involves…"
"Deleting himself?" Itsuka nodded lightly as if she was walking on thin ice. "Trust me in this day and age what quirkless person hasn't."
"Your quirkless aren't you Yukihira-san."
"100% no quirk gene, I open up the café so that people regardless if they have a quirk or not. People can just come in and enjoy the food and beverages that we provide." Shion said "I have two rules in the café, the first is enjoy the food and beverages. Rule two, absolutely no causing trouble and rule three quirk or quirkless respect one another. I unfortunately had a run in with Zu-chan foster brother and his lackies, I had to black list them."
"Wow that's very kind of you to do this."
"Thank you, from what I've seen a lot of people are affected by a lot of things that includes their quirk. I should leave you to your food." The manager left the ginger who couldn't help but to admire the smell of the burger stake.
"Itadakimas" Itsuka tasted buds was attacked by the delicious taste of the hamburger stake 'I got to come here more often this is so good and the coffee so great!'
In Chiba, Itsuka was laying on her bed staring at the ceiling. It was 11pm and she has not gone to sleep due to the word continue to replay in her. 'How can someone come to terms like that?' Then she heard a knock on the door she took notice that the door was opening.
"Nee-nee are you a sleep?"
"What's the matter Hifumi it's late you have school tomorrow."
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Hifumi asked politely
"Sure, come on in." Hifumi closed the door and climbed into her sister's bed. She placed her pillow next to Itsuka's before lying next to her older sister.
"So, what bring my little sister here?" Itsuka asked
"I thought since you had that scary day at school you might have problem sleeping." Itsuka let out a small chuckle.
"Isn't the older sibling always look out for the youngest sibling."
"The tables have turned." Hifumi stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Say Hifumi?"
"Yeah."
"Has anyone been bullying you in school?" The expression on Hifumi's could easily tell the older Kendo that it is happening. "If you have any problems, please don't hesitate to tell me or mom you hear me." Hifumi nodded before cuddling with her sister. 'I won't let anything happen to you I promise.' Then the thought of Izuku came into her mind and a plan start forming in her head.
