Author's Note: Hey everyone! It's been two weeks, so Arc 3 begins now! I hope you guys enjoy this arc. This is where shit starts to get REAL, so I hope you're ready for this ride. Now to just pull it off correctly...
Also, if you want to get into a place with other lovers of MHA, and specifically IzuJirou stuff, come on and join this Discord server that I'm on:
/eFtmT8cTbY
We're only kind of crazy, and not at all a cult... except, we also kind of are. Anyway, yeah, join that!
I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's cross-posted on Ao3 as well. Leave a review if you want to. I welcome the feedback! See you next week.
It had been a week and a half since the group's encounter with the League of Villains, and things had been relatively normal… if anything that the group had done recently could be considered normal.
Kyouka continued her volunteer work at the music shop, instructing any who wanted a lesson as well as Todoroki who still came back.
Fumikage had been instructed fully up to what Mei thought was necessary to be out on the roads, and with their – totally not stolen – earnings from the last month or so, they were able to get a good enough quality car to support them. A great find that they had discovered was that the alleyway that they had established themselves next to was wide enough for two cars to come in and out without worry.
Mei had been teaching Fumikage, of course, but she was also working on her own things. She had worked on a few black market orders for Giran. Just because the meeting with the League of Villains fell through didn't mean that she couldn't exercise her connections and resources, after all. On top of that, she'd finished a few more miscellaneous babies that could provide good utility for her teammates.
Hitoshi and Izuku had been moving around Tokyo as their aliases, listening and gathering information. After all, they were supposed to be information brokers. They were supposed to know things. What better way to learn things about the general populace whose opinions they were seeking to change than to go out and mingle among the general populace?
That was their goal, anyway. Typically what happened, though, was they would find out that someone's boyfriend had cheated on them or that someone got fired and that their boss is being a jerk. They did some interesting tidbits here and there about some shady people hanging around different areas, but after a few nights staking those areas out, they didn't really encounter anything notable.
Himiko had been spending a lot of time with Inko recently. Getting new clothes for their new companion was the first goal that Inko had. The girl only had a single outfit for crying out loud; although, it was two if her vigilante costume counted.
Izuku sat down on the couch next to Kyouka and pulled her close to him. Everything was relatively calm today. Inko and Himiko were out on another small shopping trip and exploration adventure at the moment, Mei was working on some modifications to her newest baby: some kind of propulsion core or something. Izuku didn't know exactly what it was. Hitoshi was helping her, and Fumikage was meditating in his room. Izuku could hear Dark Shadow saying something, but he wasn't exactly sure what it was. Regardless, everything was peaceful. Finally, a day that let him relax.
That relaxation, of course, was ruined moments later as Inko bust through the door carrying Himiko through the door with her.
"M-Mom? What's wrong?" Izuku asked. He got up from the couch and pulled Kyouka up with him. He gestured for his mom to set Himiko on the couch, which she did hastily. The other members of the group quickly gathered around the couch that Himiko was just laid on.
"I'm not sure. We were shopping for some more clothes for her, and she just collapsed. I knew I couldn't take her to the hospital or else she'd just be arrested. She's been in and out of consciousness since then." Inko said as her nurse skills took over. "She looks pale, too. Moreso than she normally does."
"Does she need food? Water?" Kyouka asked, concerned.
"You said her quirk was based on blood, right?" Inko asked the group. Izuku nodded.
"I think I might have a theory." Inko said. "A lot of people with blood related quirks need it to survive like they also need food. If they don't ingest enough, it can cause some severe lapses in judgment, rash actions, insanity, and involuntary unconsciousness."
"I remember her saying something about that, but she never brought it up again… So you think this is because she hasn't had enough blood?" Kyouka asked.
"I think that could be a possible reason. There could be others, but I want to see if this one is right first. I need a knife." Inko said. Izuku rushed to the kitchen and came back with a knife for his mother. Taking the knife, Inko pressed it slightly into her palm. A few drops of blood came out of the small incision, and the change was noticeable almost immediately.
Himiko's nose twitched slightly, and a few seconds later, she bolted upright and stared at the blood on Inko's palm hungrily. She licked her lips as she continued to stare. Her cat-like pupils narrowed even further than they typically were. She looked, in a word, animalistic.
"Here, Himiko. Drink up." Inko said as she extended her palm to the young girl. As soon as the blood was within reach, Himiko pounced on it, greedily drinking the flowing blood from Inko's palm. After a few seconds, she calmed down. "Feeling better?" Inko asked.
Himiko nodded sheepishly and backed away from the hand. "Sorry…"
"Himiko, can I ask you a question?" Himiko nodded. "How long has it been since you've gotten a full meal of blood?" Inko asked.
"It's been… It's been since I met all of you…" Himiko admitted, hanging her head.
"Himiko, you know that's dangerous for you, right?" Inko asked, the concern obvious on her face.
"I… I didn't want to take it from people…" Himiko hugged herself tightly. "I used to attack people for their blood… I don't want to do that anymore. I can't ask anyone to give me theirs… I can't take advantage of my friends like that… I've been holding out and trying to be okay." She started to shake, and Izuku saw a tear start to stream down her face. "I want to be good." She whispered. "Please… don't leave me… I'll be good. I want to be good…" At this point, she was curled up into a ball on the couch and shaking rather intensely. She just kept repeating the same phrase over and over again: "I want to be good."
"Himiko… You are good." Izuku said. "You've already helped us tremendously. And we're more than friends. Us here? We're family." Izuku said, gesturing to everyone. He pointed at Kyouka. "Except for you. You're not my family, that would be weird. Anyway." He turned back to Himiko. "We're your family now. Better than that neglectful mother of yours." Himiko kept shaking slightly.
At this moment, Fumikage stepped forward. "I know that we have already stated this to you before, but if you need blood to survive, let me help you. I will provide blood for you." Himiko stopped shaking and looked up at Fumikage in shock. "I cannot give too much because of the fatigue that can come with it, but I can still give some. You have to tell us when you need it."
"We don't know how long it takes before you start having problems because of a lack of blood consumption." Mei said. "We know that it may be hard to believe because of everything that's happened, but we want to help."
"It would be cool to have some elements of surprise during fights, too. Turning into us and confusing them would be rockin'." Kyouka said.
"Come. We shall supply you." Fumikage said as he extended his hand towards Himiko. She shakily took it and stood up. Fumikage led her over to the table and sat her down, bringing a chair next to her, which he promptly sat down in as well.
"Th-Thank you…" Himiko whispered.
"But of course. We are family, like Izuku said. Whenever you're ready." Fumikage said, angling his neck towards the girl.
Himiko slowly leaned forward and bit into Fumikage's neck and began to drink. Fumikage shivered slightly at the feeling. It wasn't bad per se, but he definitely wasn't used to it. After about twenty seconds, Himiko stopped drinking and Fumikage stood up… Only to be replaced by Mei in the chair.
"Meimei? What are you doing?" Himiko asked.
"I'm helping too! I said I would help when you first joined us, and here you are recovering from passing out. Because of our failures." Mei said adamantly. "So drink!"
Mei complied. After Mei, Hitoshi, Kyouka, and finally Izuku each let Himiko drink some of their blood. Afterwards, she told everyone what their blood tastes like. Apparently, everyone's blood tasted different.
Fumikage's blood tasted dark and rich. Somewhat bitter. Close to dark chocolate. Mei's tasted somewhat like bubblegum, but also had some gritty and earthy tones. Hitoshi's blood tasted somewhat standard, but there were hints of a bunch of different tastes. Kyouka's blood tasted somewhat floral. Hints of lavender specifically. Izuku's blood was the sweetest tasting out of all of them.
This was news to all of them, as they had never thought about the flavor of their blood. Nor did they think it could taste like anything but iron. They'd still take it, though. If that's what Himiko said.
Afterwards, Himiko quickly fell asleep, but before she did, she managed to whisper her thanks to everyone. She passed out on the couch, and Inko eventually took her to her new room and laid her down on the bed.
She came out shortly after. "She's seeming to adjust well, all things considered."
"I know what you mean." Izuku said. "I was expecting it to be a bit harder. From what she said, she's been hunting people with Stain for a while."
"She seems to have a somewhat addictive and obsessive personality." Inko said.
"You think that's what is helping us?" Kyouka asked.
"It very well could be. She speaks of Stain in high regard." Fumikage said. "And the last thing he said before being taken in was that we are true heroes."
"So her obsession moved from Stain to us…" Hitoshi said quietly. "So she wants to be like us, and she wants to help us."
"I mean, it makes sense…" Mei said. "It's easy to easily attach yourself to things when you've gone years with nothing."
"We'll do better with her moving forward." Izuku said, standing up from the chair he had been sitting in. "We'll give her reasons for being with us. We'll make it so that this is worth it for her. This is why we're doing this. For people like us. For people like her. We can't afford to fail."
"That's our leader for you." Hitoshi said. "If anyone could turn this situation into a motivational speech, it would be him."
"Well thank you, Hitoshi!" Izuku said with a smile.
"Or Mei. Or Kyouka. Or Fumikage. Hell, I could too." Hitoshi continued.
"Piss off." Izuku punched Hitoshi in the arm.
"Just being honest." Hitoshi shrugged with a smile.
"Regardless, we have even more reason now." Izuku continued. "Everyone do their best!"
"Yes sir!"
Izuku stepped away from the group and opened the door to outside. He took a deep breath and took a few steps outside, but before he could get too far, a hand grabbed his shoulder. Turning back, he saw his mother with a smile on her face.
"Izuku. I just… I'm glad that you have these people and this goal."
"Thanks, mom." Izuku chuckled slightly.
"I'm serious! It's so nice seeing you with your friends. I'm so happy for you, and I am so excited for your future." Inko's eyes began to water.
"It's okay, mom. No need to get too emotional. I'm just doing what needs to be done."
"How can I not get emotional when my baby is changing the world?" Inko asked.
"I haven't changed too much yet. And it's not just me. We all have parts to play in this." Izuku rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.
"You've done more than you think, Izuku. Take my word for it. People are talking about you guys everywhere. They're excited to see what you do next. I am too. Be safe, but I know that you can change the world. If only your father were here. I'm sure he'd be proud of you too."
"I still don't know what happened to him." Izuku said, his face now downtrodden. "One day, he just… stopped writing to us."
"You know your father was a busy man. He… well, I think something happened to him. He was hurt or possibly killed. His last letter to me said that his past was catching up with him. The police looked for weeks. We didn't see anything. I'm sorry that you didn't have the life that your father and I wanted for you, but I'm glad you have this purpose now."
"Thank you, mom… thank you." Izuku smiled brightly.
"You're more than welcome. I love you."
"I love you too, mom."
"Good, now go enjoy that walk you were about to go on."
"Thanks. I'll see you later." Izuku said, turning around again.
"Be safe!"
"Don't worry, I will be." With a single smile back over his shoulder, Izuku started walking out into Sangenjaya.
"So Shouta, have you done any more research into these vigilantes?" Nezu asked from his position at the apex of all of UA's teachers.
"Yes, sir. Your assertion was correct about them most likely being children." Shouta stood up as he spoke.
"And you got your ass handed to you by said children?" Midnight asked with a shit-eating grin on her face.
"When was the last time that you took on six highly skilled combatants that work better as a group than most pro heroes, Kayama?" Shouta asked.
"I-" She started, only to be interrupted by Shouta.
"No, you haven't. The last time you faced more than three combatants at a time was two years ago, and your quirk is made for crowd control!" Shouta growled.
Nezu raised his paw, stopping the conversation between the two. "I'm glad my theory has been proven to be correct. I had high hopes for that one. Now, anything else, Shouta?"
"Their numbers have grown, as you should all know if you've read any of my reports. Not only do they have the five that showed themselves in the video they put up, but there is also a 6th combatant member whose name I have yet to learn. Additionally, the leader, Snake Eyes, spoke of another person by the name of Prometheus. At this point, they have an app that replicates itself to any nearby mobile devices. By this point in time, I'm sure you've noticed it on your phones as well as the fact that if you remove it, it will continue to redownload itself. This has opened up an avenue for the public to interact with them. They haven't done much with it yet, but I'm sure they have big plans for it. Finally, they have shown that they have access to some of UA's server information by finding out some of my missions and, typically, beating me to them. That is all, thank you." Shouta finished his speech and sat down. There was no way that he was going to tell them that they set up a line of communication between them and him specifically. That would bring up more questions than he had the time or patience to answer.
"Wonderful information, Shouta. We've looked into the app, and we haven't yet identified the origin or how the app replicates itself, but once we do, we'll be putting countermeasures in place to stop the spread of the app." Nezu said.
"And what of attempts to capture them? Have we found out who they are?" Snipe asked.
"No, we haven't." Shouta answered. "Unfortunately, they've covered their tracks with their identities."
"Speaking of identities, you said they were kids. Do you have any ideas of which hero school didn't accept them?" Cementoss asked.
"Considering that our database of applicants was wiped, including applicants in classes aside from the hero course, I assume that it was ours that didn't accept them." Nezu stated.
Shouta stopped. He hadn't thought about that possibility. He hadn't thought that they had been IA applicants. That they could have been rejected because of him. He was a rather harsh grader. Especially for the hero entrance exam. If it was him… Shouta's vision swam, and he sat down quickly.
"Is something wrong, Aizawa?" All Might spoke for the first time this meeting.
"If that's the case, then we did this to ourselves." Shouts said, his face blank as he stared straight forward.
"Yes, an unfortunate circumstance." Nezu said. "It's very likely that they could have been students here and done incredible work; however, at least one of them didn't get in, and we have to deal with it. They're obviously incredibly intelligent as a group. I am excited for this battle of minds between them and myself." He stepped onto the desk in front of everyone. "I will figure them out!" Nezu started to cackle. A few of the other teachers grimaced, but Shouta simply sat there, still in disbelief. After a few seconds of laughter, Nezu settled down and sat down in his chair. "Now, moving forward, we must discuss the training camp over the summer."
"The League of Villains and also this new vigilante group are quite concerning. The hero classes shouldn't have their training on campus anymore. There are too many threats here." Kayama said.
"We could always ask the Pussycats for help." Snipe offered. "They got that massive plot 'o land that's in the middle of nowhere. We could always send 'em there."
"Well, Kan? What do you think about that?" Nezu asked.
"I think it could work." Sekijiro Kan said, speaking for the first time this meeting. "We can't let any of the students know the location until they get there, though. As concerning as this Scietas Requiem group is for some of you, I'm not as worried about them as Aizawa is. I'm more worried about the League of Villains. The fact that they showed up to 1-A's activity in the USJ means that they have information about us; more than the vigilante group does. Keeping information out of the League's grasp is more important than this new group. We'll take things as they come, but we must protect the children."
"You do make some good points. As it stands, the League of Villains has been much more dangerous as a whole, as they are actually causing damage, whereas this vigilante group is merely doing hero work without a license." Cementoss agreed.
"Aizawa? Your opinion?" Nezu asked.
Aizawa shook his head to bring him out of his musings after being addressed. "I would be fine with having them train with the Wild Wild Pussycats. They've shown themselves to be capable and dependable. It would be logical." He agreed.
"Wonderful. Tell your classes about the training camp and remind them about the upcoming final exams. Remember that we must not tell the students the location of this camp." Nezu instructed.
"Yes, sir." Everyone at the meeting began to stand.
"Oh, and if Shouta, Kayama, and Hizashi could stay after, that would be great." Nezu finished.
A few of the other teachers snickered on the way out.
"What are you, in kindergarten? We're supposed to be teachers here." Kayama said under her breath as they left.
"Hey, maybe if you say it louder next time, people might actually take your advice. You know… because they can hear you." Hizashi said.
"That's enough, you two." Nezu said.
"What are we doing here, Principal Nezu?" Shouta asked.
"Thank you for asking! Kayama and Hizashi: our beloved Eraserhead here has been requesting help for quite some time with this group, and I believe that I may have found the perfect assistance for him!"
"You wouldn't." Kayama said with narrowed eyes.
"I would." Nezu smiled. "You two will be helping him on his next mission that could involve the Societas Requiem group."
"You little shit!" Kayama said, throwing her hands up.
Nezu chuckled. "Yes, I am."
"It's not that bad, Nemuri!" Hizashi stated. "We can see if what Shouta here is saying is true or not! And that would be super cool."
"I like the enthusiasm!" Nezu said with a smile on his face.
"Yeah!" Hizashi said. He took up a rather flamboyant stance in front of the other two. "ARE YOU READY?"
"Quiet down, Mic." Shouta said, shaking his head. "Principal Nezu, thank you for the assistance. The fight could be much better for us with the help of these two. We will get to work immediately with finding a way to encounter them."
"Excellent work!" Nezu clapped his hands together. "I expect either great work or a thrilling tale of cat and mouse that, while fruitful, ultimately ends in defeat."
"You have so much faith in us." Kayama rolled her eyes.
"It's not that. I just have a lot of faith in them, and none of us are aware of their true potential. Now, you are dismissed."
"Yes, sir." The three of them said.
As soon as they left the office, Kayama huffed in annoyance. "Great, now I have to help you with a night op. A lady needs her beauty sleep, you know."
"Then you should be fine." Hizashi said coyly.
Kayama just huffed again and sped off away from them.
Shouta took his phone out and began to type a message on his phone.
We Dem Bois
Shouta Aizawa: I would like to meet with you some night this week. When are you able?
Snake Eyes: Name a time and place. We'll be there.
Shouta smiled to himself. An ambush wouldn't be too hard to pull off.
