After a heavy climax, I believe in having some wind-down time.
This is a slow burn story because I like to explore the characters more and see how this shit affects them.
My Hero Academia Untold: The Fafnir Knight (Remastered Edition)
Saga I: Dusk
Arc II: The Incident
Chapter XXIII: Aftermath II
"True friends are those who came into your life, saw the most negative part of you, but are not ready to leave you, no matter how contagious you are to them."
― Michael Bassey Johnson, The Infinity Sign
Izuku sat in the darkness sitting by what seemed to be a small campfire that flickered and cracked. It was a cold, dark, and lonely place, surrounded by whispers and shadows that danced to the tune of the flames. He was tired and aching in pain.
"Too strong...much too strong," spoke a low, raspy voice that echoed in the darkness, invisible but nearby.
"Bind the Devil," said another voice, this one smoky, yet cold.
"But let the Dragon be free," spoke a softer, gentler voice.
"No way the little guy could hold this all power now, not with this thing within him." Spoke another with a strange funky rhythm.
The flames began to part, splitting down the middle, revealing eight figures covered in shadow on a small hill with glowing yellow eyes and a shimmer of colored lights behind each shadow. At the base of the hill was an emerald-colored dragon with blood-red eyes bound by what seemed to be a rainbow of chains.
"His strength is enough. It has to be enough."
ROAR
Izuku felt a chill run down his spine. He motioned to move, only to find himself covered in the darkness that covered him up to his mouth. His movement was restricted; he could not speak but could still look behind him. He saw a mountain of skulls with either golden-yellow or ruby-red eyes within their hollow sockets, with five figures that dotted it from top to bottom.
The first at the very top sat as the source of the darkness with one ruby right eye and one golden left eye. He was seated upon a massive black and gold throne, this figure had the most wicked smile.
The second figure was kneeling next to the first's left-hand side; this one seemed more familiar. Lanky and tall, cloaked in shadow with angry blood-red eyes.
The third stood at the opposite end of the second figure. Standing tall, on the right-hand side of the first figure. This one was clad in jet black armor with somber golden-yellow eyes barely visible from under his helm.
At the base of this bony mountain, directly below the kneeling figure, was a taller, older individual dressed in a smart suit and a bright white tooth grin. This one had mischievous, blood-red eyes.
And finally, the shortest shadow seemed to be curled up on a make-shift throne of bones at the base of the mountain, directly below the figure with the black armor, her golden cat-like eyes staring with curiosity.
Dark laughter began to fill the air, stirring the four to look down at him. However, a thin veil of dark mist fell between them as they did. Another figure clad in jet-black armor appeared, walking between them. Seemingly shielding Izuku from their collective gaze.
ROAR
"He is the last of us; One For All would be too strong from here on in." The raspy voice spoke again.
"Our powers will keep the Devil at bay, but at a cost." The cold smoky voice spoke again.
"But we will continue to let the Dragon roam free, releasing the Devil only when needed." The gentle voice spoke again.
"You got that, little man? We will keep the bad part of you here, but you cannot get our powers now." The funky voice spoke again.
Izuku seemed so confused by everything; where was he?
Who was everyone here?
What was going on?
What other powers?
"In time, he will understand." Spoke a raw and somber voice, a familiar voice.
"For now, my boy. It is time for you to go. We will be seeing you again soon." The soft voice spoke on last time.
Izuku wanted to stop them and ask what was happening, but the shadow that covered his mouth prevented him from speaking. When he tried moving closer to them instead, the floor beneath him suddenly gave way, and he fell into the depths. He wanted to scream as he fell, trying desperately to grab at anything to stop himself, yet he failed and continued to fall.
"I think he's coming too."
Izuku jerked awake with a shout, sweating and breathing hard. He didn't even have a moment to realize where he was when he suddenly felt a set of arms wrap tightly around him.
"IZUKU!" Inko cried, embracing her son and crying hard into his shoulder.
"Mom?" Izuku managed to say as he struggled to breathe from the bone-crushing hug. His vision was slowly coming together as he managed to gain his barrings.
"I was so worried about you when I saw the news!" Inko sobbed, resisting Izuku's efforts to try and break free from her grasp.
"Inko, honey, let Izu breathe for a moment. I think he still might be lost on where is right now," said Mitsuki as she began drawing up the curtains of Izuku's hospital room bed. Inko squeaked when she realized that Mitsuki was right and slowly released Izuku.
Izuku's mind was foggy, unable to recall what happened earlier.
"Where am I, mom?" Izuku asked as the last thing he could recall was arriving at the USJ with his class. As he looked around, however, he could piece together some idea of what might have happened.
"Where is everyone? Did something happen?" Izuku followed up, now fully aware that he was in the hospital. "Did something happen during training?"
"You don't remember Izuku?" Inko questioned, voice refilling with concern.
"The last thing I remember was going to the USJ for training...I think?" Izuku answered, unsure of himself.
"Villains attacked you guys at the training site, Izu," Mitsuki answered quietly, flinching when she saw Izuku's face become pale at her words. Immediately Izuku began shooting questions at a mile a minute.
"Villains?! How?! Is everyone okay? Where's Eri?! Ochako and-?"
"Izu, one at a time!" Mitsuki snapped, making Izuku go silent.
"I'm sorry..."
"No, I'm the one who is sorry, Izu, but we need a chance to give you the answers you want," Mitsuki answered slightly more bashfully. She wasn't for speaking to Izuku like that in front of Inko. However, the Midoriya matriarch still seemed more focused on her son's well-being.
"To answer your questions in order Izu. They're not sure yet as the police and staff still investigating, everyone from UA is alive, but some of your classmates are here in the hospital too. Eri's also here, unharmed and sleeping in her room with Ryūko watching over her, and as for Pink Cheeks, she's either still at UA or her place." Mitsuki began answering before Inko stepped in.
"There's something else Izuku...everyone knows now about our connection with your father."
Izuku's eyes widened, as his grip tightened on his sheets. He must have overused his quirk, which also explained his foggy memory again. Still, in doing so, their secret was out now; fear was already beginning to settle in. He knew that Katsuki would back him, but what about everyone at UA?
What was their reaction? What was Ochako's reaction? His first real friend since Katsuki, would she be mad for keeping his secret from her? Would she be scared of him now? Would he need to drop out from UA? What about Eri? Would she need to leave them?
Izuku didn't notice that while he was lost in his thoughts, tears had begun running down his face.
Dabi sat on his futon with a small laptop on his legs, writing a quick update for the suits that had gotten him stuck here. It had been a strange few weeks for the aloof man. He had moved into a nicer apartment thanks to the...generous funds that the league provided him for the Overhaul job.
But it also helped with his current assignment, which was proving to be a mystery on her own.
'Now, how the fuck do I write this without repeating myself? Can't bullshit my way out of these essays.' He thought to himself with a dark chuckle. Progress reports were a pain when you have nothing to update from the last one, his current task for the league...Babysitting.
Dabi was still trying his best to expand on the report when he heard a gentle rapping of his bedroom door. Without batting an eye, the young man swiftly closed the laptop and hid it under his futon. He rose, stretching his limbs, and breathed a casual yawn, acting as if he had just woken up from a nap.
"I'm coming; hold on a moment," He answered as he drew closer to the door, opening to find his guest, holding up a notepad right up to his face.
"Dabi, I'm hungry." It said, as the blonde with innocent-looking golden cat-like eyes holding it held a slight pout on her face. Dabi looked at his charge with a small chuckle.
"Alright, Toga, just give me a second, and we'll go out again. Let me just put something a little more decent. The last thing I want is people looking at me funny with all these scars." He motioned the burns that lined his arms and face as he wore a simple white short sleeve shirt and pants. Himiko tilted her head, looking puzzled, before giving him a simple nod and making her retreat back into the living room.
Himiko Toga had been one hell of a mystery for Dabi. When they had first met, he seriously thought the girl may have been mentally challenged when he was first saddled with her. However, despite not being able to communicate because her vocal cords seemed to have been severed. If the long scar across her neck was any indication. She had proved clever when they played games to entertain themselves.
His task from the League was simple, keep her happy, fed, and away from people as humanly possible, for their safety, not hers. It seemed almost ironic that villains would be so concerned by the possible damage the girl could apparently do to the general public.
Still, Himiko seemed stable enough to be in public without freaking out.
The only time he had learned to keep his guard up was when the warp villain Kurogiri would appear to take her away from him for a couple of hours. Only for the two to return with her looking very sickly, pale, and far more violent for the first few hours. Then she would return to being docile and passive again once she recovered from whatever procedure that had been done to her.
As Dabi finished getting dressed, he had to remind himself to get her to checked out by a doctor. It had to be someone in the underground who wouldn't ask questions and would answer any of his questions about her. As much as he personally didn't want to invade her privacy, he knew the suits who held his leash wouldn't give a fuck.
They wanted answers, and they would get them one way or another.
"Maybe I can arrange something with them, just got to make her that I got her free and that I won't get an unexpected visit from her dear uncle." He quietly said to himself as Himiko had more than once referred to the black mist villain as 'Uncle Kuro.'
Once Dabi was dressed and ready, he walked out of his bedroom to join Himiko, who sitting on the tiny couch the apartment came with. Himiko had taken over the cushy seat, preferring it to the bed that Dabi had bought for her. Considering that Dabi didn't even use the damn thing. He didn't mind when she had taken it for herself while adding several stuffed animals to it.
"The Incident and the revelation behind it has put into question the very point of the volatile quirk laws..." He heard a voice from the TV say; Dabi was never one for politics, and as he thought about it now...neither was Himiko.
"Ready to go?" He asked the young blonde, who was sitting up with a concerned look as she watched the TV.
"What's wrong?" Dabi asked before looking at the screen. It was the local news with the bright headline flashing on the screen. A news anchor was currently speaking with a local political talking head.
"Several members of the Neocon movement have all declined requests for interviews as an emergency party meeting has been called. Seemingly to address this apparent failure of the law they have placed so much faith on."
BREAKING NEWS
Attack on UA!
The Heir of Disaster found?!
Dabi looked at the screen and took a moment to process what he saw on the screen.
"Ah...shit."
"Ah, shit."
Katsuki said to himself silently, or as silently as he could with the amount of blistering anger that was brewing under him at the moment, as he read the news on his phone. The lad's hands were bound stiffly by the paramedics since Recovery Girl had been dispatched to the hospital to treat those who had gotten the worst of it.
For the first years who hadn't been sent to the hospital, being treated at the nurse's office, or taking statements with the police. They were all currently waiting in one of the large multi-purpose rooms. Waiting for their next set of instructions. Despite how many there were, the room was hushed, with most sounds being made were either silent sobs, quiet eating, or whispered one-lined conversations.
It seemed like very little wanted to be said without an update.
They were all spread out on soft mats, with some food carts on the opposite end of the entranceway. This room was initially supposed to serve as their break room when their training was done. Right now, however, it felt more like a prison.
'Goddamnit,' Katsuki thought to himself as he read the headline. 'Someone let the news know, Izuku's been found out.'
Katsuki wanted to rage to find out who ratted out his best friend's identity as there was no way the teachers would have done such a thing. His first instinct was to blame Ryu. Then he remembered that Ryu was one of those transported to the hospital, having been unconscious during the final battle.
Yet, there was still the chance he could have done it if he had awakened in the hospital and had his phone on him.
Then, there was Ochako. Fucking hell, that girl had proven to be something else in that fight. Still, Katsuki hadn't seen her since she beat the ever-loving shit out of the Yakuza fuck-wit who tried taking Eri when Izuku collapsed. Yet he remembered the fear on her face when it was all over.
She was also one of the few who hadn't returned from giving the police a statement. Now that she knew the truth, there was still a chance that she could have been the one who ratted Izuku out, especially if the apartment got raided. She was the only one at UA who knew where Izuku lived aside from himself...well as far as he knew.
However, he also knew that there could easily be others. He could feel eyes on him from time to time; after all, it was no secret that Katsuki and Izuku were best friends and that Katsuki must have known the truth from his comments during the final battle.
As he continued reading the article for clues for the rat, his phone began to buzz; a text message from Yū popped up.
Mt. Bitch (Yū): Katsu, Inko, and your mom are at the hospital to check up on Izuku and Eri. I'll be picking you up, and we'll do Plan C.
Now that they knew that someone had leaked Izuku's name, they had to follow one of the plans. Plan C was one of those said emergency plans that the two families had made in case of such a scenario. His dad would remain at home, while he and Yū would hold down the Midoriya household until they got the all-clear.
Katsuki shuddered as he remembered the first apartment Izuku had.
It had been broken into and destroyed if it wasn't for Ryūko, who had happened to be patrolling nearby. The man who had done it was a guy who had lost one of his siblings during the Draco Knight incident and wanted revenge. Katsuki was about to type up his response when the room door opened. Revealing Tenya and Shouto back in their regular uniforms and accompanied by one of The Big Five: Mezou Shouji, who was still wearing his hero costume.
Everyone's attention had focused on Mezou, who made his way to the empty podium.
"I have an update for all of you. Once I am finished, I can answer some questions for you, but keep in mind that I may not be able to answer all of them due to privacy reasons." The tall boy began saying as he started the update they had been waiting for so long. "First: School has been suspended until the start of next week. Second: Mr. Hound Dog and some of his assistants will be providing counseling for everyone upon your return, UA will also provide additional mental health support if needed, but the first round of counseling will be mandatory for everyone, including for the rest of the Big Five and myself."
Mezou paused for a moment. Giving them a chance to ask any questions they had to try. Best to ease some of the concerns of the students who started making specific facial reactions when hearing the word counseling. When no questions came, he continued with the announcement.
"Third: For your safety, you will be released from school when your parent and or guardian comes to pick you up. Suppose yours is not available to retrieve you. In that case, the police will provide an escort for you, and it is recommended that you stay in your homes until tomorrow...that is all."
The silence was the answer for a few moments until hands began to be raised. Mezou began mentally taking count of the hands raised and answering each the best he could.
"Yes, Kirishima?"
"What's the status of everyone in the hospital?" Eijirou asked shakily as Mina held his hand. They both had red puffy eyes from their time crying when the cavalry arrived to start their rescue. Mezou hummed and saw some hands go down when Eijirou asked. He had updates, but it knew it was better not to go into too much detail.
"Everyone is alive. All of the teachers are expected to make full recoveries. However, Mr. Vlad may be absent while he gets fitted with a prosthetic arm. Kendou, Asui, Komori, and Amajiki are all recovering and have reported being in stable condition," he answered, avoiding mentioning Izuku.
"What about Kasei?" Tōru's voice piped up as she just returned wearing her school uniform.
"And Springfield?!" Mina interjected her concerns.
At the mention of Alex, Mezou looked down for a moment. As the foreigner was his friend and teammate, so it was difficult to answer. He had overheard the teachers talking about what happened to him before he had been given his task. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on the conversation, but after seeing how downcast the staff had been, he didn't blame them.
They would learn the truth sooner or later; finally, he answered with a painful frown hidden under his face mask.
"From what I know, both of them are still in surgery and are still listed in critical condition."
He didn't say that both students only had a meager survival rate.
The room went completely silent; they had all made out alive so far, but would that luck hold?
Everyone who had been in the Downpour and Conflagration Zones kept their silent prayers and best wishes to the two still fighting for their lives. The general mood of the room that had already been down only got worse. And it was only going to get worse with the next question when Mezou called on the next person.
"Mizuoji."
Shino stood up, his face darkened. "I think we need to address the giant elephant in the room."
Mezou internally flinched but outwardly kept calm, knowing the next few moments could become highly volatile.
"Midoriya is Draco Knight's son...right?" If the room had been silent before, now the sound level had reached the point of complete stillness, as it seemed like everyone had inhaled and held their collective breath. "Do not even try to lie to us; the news is already all over it."
Katsuki was about to rise and start yelling at the boy when someone else rose to the occasion.
"And what if Midoriya is Draco Knight's son? I do not see an issue with it." Tenya shot back with a stern look on his face.
"You are joking?! I know you were not there during the battle! You did not see what...that...beast could do!" Shino shouted out, face full of anger. "I lost my brother when his father went berserk six years ago! And after seeing that his son is very much that same, do you expect me to just forget that?! To work with the guy when he could go the same way one day?! What is to stop him if he ever turned on us?!"
What he didn't know was that there were others in the class who had lost family in the incident as well.
"First, I am sorry about your loss, and yes, you are correct. I was not at the USJ for the battle as I was getting help as ordered. However, Shouto here," he motioned to his best friend.
"Let me know what happened and from what I gathered on my own. The only reason any of you were not harmed by the real monster was because of my Class Representative: Izuku Midoriya had taken up the fight when no one could." Tenya answered coolly, refusing to back down from what he viewed as slander against his friend and classmate. s"I can not speak for Midoriya, but I can say that the sins of the father are not the sins of the son. I do not know who else may have lost family during that incident six years ago. Still, regardless of what happened, Midoriya himself is not to blame! You surely can see reason in that!?"
"Did you know about Midoriya's berserker status, nerd? I heard Eraserhead mention it to Midnight during the fight!" Togaru spoke up equally angry, but for a slightly different reason. "There is a special place for people with that type of defect. They get listed as Probationary Students, so why the fuck is that me and three others are listed for our quirks when THAT LITTLE SHIT LITERALLY LOST CONTROL AND LOOKED LIKE HE WANTED TO KILL THE GUY WHEN HE WAS DOWN!?"
Everyone looked around as Katsuki and Fumikage froze when they heard the words: Probationary Students. This was still not common knowledge, and neither still wanted their status as probationary students revealed.
"Mizuoji, Kamakiri! Please, my friends, that's enough!" Jurota exclaimed, trying to calm down his classmates.
"YOU! YOU SHOULD BE PISSED AS WELL, SHISHIDA! YOU'RE ONE OF US! HOW COULD YOU DEFEND THIS?" Togaru continued rounding on his classmate, who looked shocked and ashamed that he had just been outed to the rest of his classmates.
"How dare you out your fellow classmate like that!" Tenya snapped, taking a few steps forward.
"That was completely uncalled for! What you say about yourself is your business, but do not drag down others with you! And while I now suspect that some of the others you mentioned may be in Class A. I warn you now, you will not call them out, or we will be settling this outside." Tenya proclaimed, surprising everyone else in the room that he would threaten someone. For Tenya, he saw Togaru's outburst as a betrayal, and there were few things that he could never tolerate. Betrayal was at the top of that shortlist. Shouto looked surprised, though he knew that Tenya had his limits.
"We all just made it out of a critical situation alive, with two of us currently still fighting desperately for their lives instead of worrying about them. You focus on trying to blame a past event on someone else who had nothing to do with it, have you no respect?!" Tenya continued staring down at both Shino and Togaru.
"I lost my mom during the Draco Knight incident six years ago and I don't blame Midoriya." A quiet voice spoke up; the room collectively turn to find the source of the voice.
In the corner of the room was Minoru Mineta sitting next to Ibarra Shiozaki who was helping him to completely bandage his head up as none of his hair orbs even being able to manifest due to having used so many during the Overhaul fight. The short boy was tired and drained; yet he stood, looking like he was trying to hold back tears.
"He's been a good guy to us, and as Iida said earlier, he saved us!" Minoru piped up as Ibarra, with a gentle hand on his shoulders, silently motioned for him to sit back down so she could continue her work.
Shino looked away in disgust at these words and stood down in silence with one final glare at Tenya, anger still evident on his face. Mezou seeing the chance to defuse the situation spoke up, channeling his voice like he had seen Alex do before when he needed to get people's attention.
"That's enough," Mezou called out firmly louder than his usual tone," to answer the original question."
"Yes, Midoriya is Draco Knight's son. And for the record, Kamagiri. Everyone in the Big Five knew the truth. Including about Midoriya's possible backlash," he answered, gaining looks of surprise from everyone in the room, Katsuki included.
'They fucking knew?!'
"We had solutions if the situation ever came to it," Mezou continued with the confidence of a seasoned student. "Finally, the reason Midoriya wasn't on the list was simple. Because up to this point, Midoriya had displayed no indication that he had inherited that feature of his powers. Until now. While in your case, you had a solid record of lashing out and one case of assault that was dropped for you to even take the entrance exam."
Mezou usually would have never revealed such a thing. Still, it was a small consolation for Jurota's exposure as Togaru was now forced to sit down. The point has been made crystal clear to him. However, he wasn't finished with Tenya. He knew that he had meant well, but he could not nor would not, show favoritism.
"And Iida, never threaten anyone like that in front of me again. I will let it slide today as we are all stressed and emotional, but I will not tolerate it further, understand? Do it again, and I will be forced to report you."
Tenya quickly stood to attention before answering. "Yes, sir. Please forgive my rudeness."
"I would ask you all to drop the subject from the conversation, but that would be pointless." Mezou continued feeling exhausted, wondering if this is how Eraserhead felt when teaching. "However, Iida was correct in a few things. To blame Midoriya for something he had no control over in the past is unfair. If you all wish to become heroes, take caution in your interactions regarding your future cooperation. You never know when someone will arrive to back you up, and it is better to be at least at amiable terms rather than hostile ones."
The room went silent once again.
Katsuki was somewhere between pleased and ashamed that he couldn't get a word in; he knew that acting out now could only worsen the situation, not just for himself but also for Izuku. Still, he had to admit that his respect for Tenya grew today. He looked around and saw a mixed reaction around the classroom, it seemed like some people were still making up their minds on Izuku, and only time would tell.
Kyouka entered the spare recovery room to check up on Denki since Momo had gone back to check up on everyone else. It had been one hell of the day, to say the least. Nothing like she had expected when they were first heading out to the USJ.
'Then again, who expected UA to get invaded?' She thought to herself as she moved along some of the privacy walls, spotting the blond sitting on one of the cots staring at his phone with the strangest expression. It seemed like somewhere between sadness and anger. Then again, she knew that he had been one of the ones who had been actively hunted by the villains.
Hell, one of his friends was currently in the hospital, still in the red. She couldn't blame him if he was mad about it.
"You okay, Kaminari?" She asked, making Denki look up at her standing there with a water bottle for him.
His expression instantly warmed a bit, but still, he didn't answer right away; instead, it seemed like he was looking for the right thing to say. After a moment or two, he finally answered.
"I dunno, to be honest," he said with a long tired sigh, bringing up the lock screen on the phone and looking at the picture displayed before taking the bottle from her with a small thanks. "Where's Yaoyorozu?"
"She had to go check up on everyone back in the multi-purpose room; while I'm just waiting for my dad to pick me up. You waiting for your folks to pick you up, too?" Kyouka asked, taking a seat across from him while taking a quick drink from the bottle.
"Nah, I already know that I'm gonna have to get an escort home," Denki answered as he shook his head.
"I've just been wondering...Why were we being hunted?" Denki questioned, putting down the bottle while still looking at the screen. "I know they were bad guys, but they were really gunning for some of us. Now Kasei is in the hospital, everyone's been shaken up, angry, and then there is Midoriya...I mean damn, ya know?"
Kyouka gave him a stiff nod; she didn't know the best way to answer the guy. She had accidentally learned from the statements she overheard that everyone who had been hunted was targeted because they had yellow eyes. She knew it must have sucked for him; since she wasn't one for the limelight, especially not that kind of limelight.
It didn't help that Kyouka didn't know the trio of Denki, Ryu, and Minoru all that well yet. As they seemed like immature perverts from their earlier conversations at lunch. The goofy showboating types that tried to get in easy and coast through their classwork, hoping that their Quirks would be enough.
Yet she had been proven wrong about all three. Each member of the trio had stepped up during the USJ incident and proved to everyone that they had been here to become heroes despite their more casual, easy-going demeanor. They had risked life and limb to save/help others in need.
She had been wrong, and that was a hard pill to swallow.
Kyouka was still trying to find the words to answer him when she heard a buzzing sound coming from Denki's pocket and saw him pull out another phone. It threw her off why he had a second phone. She watched as he typed up a text message before looking back at her.
"Looks like my uncle is coming to pick me up instead," Denki said with a slight dry laugh, only to spot the questioning look on Kyouka's face. "What's up?"
"Why do you have two phones?" She asked, still puzzled. Denki paused for a moment, his mouth slightly open, before closing, and answered by showing her the lock screen display of the first phone.
"This one isn't mine," Denki answered.
"It belongs to Kasei. I was planning to see him at the hospital and hopefully give it back to him." His face turned gloomy, "but I guess the picture threw me off...I didn't mean to see it, but Kasei never mentioned that he had siblings, nor have I ever seen him smile like that."
Kyouka looked at the picture. It was of Ryu seated with three other kids, all younger than him.
The oldest was a boy with reddish-brown hair and eyes, and two girls; the middle child had dark lavender hair and bright violet eyes, while the youngest was a sickly looking redhead with bright green eyes. They seemingly gathered in an enormous group hug.
Each looking at the camera with bright smiles on their faces, with Ryu sporting the biggest, dumbest grin ever plastered on his face.
'Who would have thought Kasei could look so...happy?' Kyouka observed with a sad face. Her first impression of the aloof boy was someone who tried too hard to be cool. Often sporting a grin or a self-satisfied smirk rather than a straight smile that she could see on him now.
Yet, that didn't stop her heart from sinking as she looked at the picture.
'Kasei's family is probably worried sick about him, assuming that UA already contacted them.'
At the very least, Kyouka might have finally figured out the right things to say to a guy like Denki in a time like this.
"I think Kasei will pull through; something tells me you guys are too stubborn to die like that," said Kyouka, trying her hand at humor. It wasn't her strong suit, but something told her that Denki was the type to appreciate the effort at least and was proven right when Denki gave her a slight chuckle.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Kasei doesn't seem like the type to go down, not without a real fight. We have our reps to think about, right?"
Kyouka rolled her eyes but had a smirk on her face as well. "Whatever you say, Wheyman."
Kai Doumeki wasn't sure how to react to the situation he was facing. He was sitting calmly, while the room was in a chaotic uproar of men each trying to point the blame at the other. He had been called to the emergency with most of the top leadership of the Neocon movement.
Hideyoshi was utterly livid, which Kai had to admit was turning into one of the most amusing sights he had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. The man was throwing one of the biggest temper tantrums like a small child, ranting and raving at several of his underlings.
"Damn that brat! How did he get past the policy without at least being on probation?!" The man demanded to the other senior party members, several of whom were scrambling to look up the wording, trying to find loopholes. Anything to find out how Izuku Midoriya had slipped through the cracks of one of the most significant pieces of legislation that the Neocons had ever sponsored.
The biggest irony was the law's poster boy: his late father, Hisashi Midoriya.
"The damned media has managed to turn the tables on us!" The elder statesmen continued to rail, throwing papers and books in the air. Kai had to lean his head to the right to dodge an incoming book that flew past him and struck a junior member who had been standing behind him in the stomach.
"Sir, we've already done a solid check! Everything was done by the book!" One of the members exclaimed desperately before being struck in the face by a large, faux-leather-bound book.
"HORSESHIT! AND YOU!" Hideyoshi roared, now pointing an old, gnarled finger at Kai, who simply looked at the man with a bored expression on his face. Yet, internally, he was struggling with keeping his barring so as not to just burst out in laughter at the man.
"Why didn't you mention this before!? You were at the exams!"
Kai took a quick look at his wristwatch. His wife, Saya should already be at Ryu's bedside watching over him, so he wanted to make this quick. Kai decided to simply give the man a shrug of his shoulders.
"Simple, it didn't seem important to mention."
Hideyoshi seemed entirely floored by the response. "What in the hell does that mean, Doumeki!?"
"I thought the same as you," Kai answered lazily as he leaned into his right hand.
"The law you had placed so much stock in would take care of it. Yet now it seems I was mistaken, which I am more than man enough to admit." Kai said ever so casually with the smallest dash of snark in his voice.
The room went quiet, all of the party leaders now looking at the two, some with anger at Kai's audacity, others nervous about how their leader would react. Hideyoshi wasn't amused; he stood straight and began fixing up his jacket. The man turned to look at everyone else in the room and barked out his order.
"Out, now. And find a way out of this goddamn mess on the double!"
Everyone except for Kai began to stand and rapidly made for the exit. Some gave quick bows of respect that were simply waved off by the elder statesman. Once they were alone, Hideyoshi sat back down, stewing in his thoughts before trying to approach the man differently.
"What's the status of my investment?"
Kai blinked in confusion for a moment until he realized what he meant.
Ryu.
The boy was simply considered an asset to Hideyoshi, nothing more, nothing less.
"He is out of surgery, but still unconscious. The doctors are giving him about a 30% chance right about now," Kai answered as his face formed a frown. It was true that he didn't like the boy. Still, he didn't dehumanize him either...especially not after hearing some of the statements gathered from the students he helped save.
Hideyoshi leaned back into his chair, sinking deep within the soft cushions. "Well, if he dies, that could be one way we could spin this back in our favor."
Kai didn't feel his fists subconsciously clench themselves. 'Just how far are you willing to go, old man?'
"Or it could bite the movement in the ass if the media starts digging into his past should he die. Need I remind you about former Representative Saito?" Kai continued trying to reason with the man.
"The brat is a bastard son of a whore, nothing more, besides the surname he gave himself should provide enough cover from his father's disgrace," Hideyoshi answered dismissively.
Kai was about to retort when he stopped himself; something about what Hideyoshi just said gave him pause.
Hideyoshi, however, continued his rant.
"Besides his death wouldn't be the worst thing, aside from the spin we could cook up, his life insurance would kick in. The funds will go back to the orphanage he came from. Still, nothing stops us from securing the funds ourselves and donating them on behalf of the movement."
That was the breaking point for Kai. He was fine dirtying his own hands with his actions, but he still had limits. It had been jarring enough when he had to witness Ryu sign his life up so quickly when the adoption was done almost a year ago.
"Is there anything else, sir?" Kai asked, trying to keep his composure. Hideyoshi frowned, displeased with the reaction he was receiving. "Only this, Doumeki. I know we haven't seen eye-to-eye as of late, but I also have to remind you that you have been with us all the way, ever since you sold out Draco Knight to us. We burn you burn, so stop trying to place yourself on the high ground here. I know that forcing the adoption on you didn't help; I get it. But remember, this is all for the sake of building a more fair and even Japan, especially if we ever want to fix the problem that all of these damned clowns who call themselves Pro-Heroes cause."
'Once upon a time, I actually used to believe that,' Kai thought as he rose from his seat. "If that is all, then sir, and if you do not mind, I'll be taking my leave to meet with my wife at the hospital."
Hideyoshi looked at the man before he gave a wheezing laugh. "Then give my regards to Saya, Kai."
Kai stopped for a moment...he could have punched the man at that moment for the way he so rudely addressed them. Yet he knew that the man was trying to simply egg him on. Instead, after a quick deep breath, he simply kept walking out of the office.
It was time to see his ward. 'Sometimes...I wish I had never gotten involved with this...damn you, boy...goddamn it, Hisashi...'
"I'm fine, ma. I got to kick some serious villain butt!" Said Ochako over the phone, managing to hold on to it despite the awkward way her hands had been bandaged. "I'm plann' on visiting him soon. Tomorrow I think."
Ochako had been sent back to her apartment after giving her statement to the police. Not being given a chance to say bye to anyone from class. The police had only allowed her the time to get changed and gather her things. Leaving her desperate to know how everyone was doing, especially Izuku and Eri.
"I swear, ma, it could have been much worse...yeah, it's like daddy said! Don't believe what the media is saying. He saved us, no question." Ochako paused before throwing a bit of humor at her mother. "But he had a lil' help from me and a few others. I had a big ol' sword, ma!"
"Yeah, ma...I know...I love you too, we'll talk again soon, bye ma." Ochako hung up with a sigh as she slumped on her bed. The whole incident seemed to have gone on for so long. While the aftermath was going by so fast, it almost gave her whiplash.
She looked at her phone again...she wanted to call Izuku or Inko...but was it the right time to call them?
Especially with the media being how it is right now, would it be appropriate? Should she give them space?
Or do they need her support now more than ever? She didn't have the answer, and it was starting to drive her a bit crazy.
Her thoughts returned to that movement when the battle had been all but won when the nightmare ended.
Ochako held on to Eri tightly as the final shock wave died and Overhaul had returned to normal. She felt the pain and nausea as her stomach cramped tightly, protesting to any more moment lest she throws up. The price she had to pay for her darling quirk use, shifting a considerable amount of weight rapidly within a brief period, had proved taxing.
ROAR!
The sounds of Izuku's cries shook the floor. Ochako forced herself to look up at the scene was slowly becoming visible through her cracked visor. Her ears still painfully ringing from the sound of Izuku's last attack. She could see even from here that Izuku was heavily injured. His hands -or claws, to be more accurate were bloody and raw, with red streams flowing freely from his wounds.
He was shaking and twitching, almost struggling to remain standing with every step he took forward towards his foe.
Ochako felt herself turn as Eri began moving and getting up independently. Breaking from Ochako's hold with a look of determination she had never seen on the young girl before. Ochako tried to call out to her, trying to stop her. But even the thought of opening her mouth threatened to release the contents of her stomach.
ROAR!
The ground shook again; Izuku's cries sounded so painful. Izuku must be in so much pain for him to sound like that, as she slowly managed to lift herself. As she did, she also felt Eri finally slip from her grasp and began running toward Izuku with something in her hand, something that Ochako hadn't noticed before. It took a moment for Ochako to process what was happening until Eri was already out of her reach.
"Eri!" She managed to breathe out, nausea be damned. Ochako felt the adrenaline pumping into her as she gained a second wind to start following her.
"Hurry move!" She heard someone else say, unsure who exactly since her focus was on the situation in front of her. She saw Izuku turn and reach for Eri. For a split second, Ochako had to admit she was scared when she saw those blood-red eyes surrounded by darkness. Yet...just as fast as they appeared and with a simple blink, Izuku's eyes became green and bloodshot before closing.
Eri had almost reached Izuku when he suddenly fell with a flash, his body turning back to normal. His wounds that had been inflicted during his shifted state, opening wider as his body shrank back to its typical size. A side effect was a cloud of blood that seemed to burst from Izuku just before collapsing to the ground. The sight made Eri scream, seeing Izuku fall right in front of her.
Ochako continued to run toward them, only to see the man that Izuku had fought, trying to take advantage of the situation, and reached for Eri, who had started to back away from him. The sight made Ochako pump her legs harder, trying to close the distance before it was too late, and for a moment, Ochako thought it was too late when she saw the man touch her. Only for him to scream as he began clutching at his neck.
Eri had managed to stab him with something that she would later learn; it had been one of Ryu's EQ pens effectively stopping the man from being able to use his quirk. That didn't stop him from striking Eri with the back of his hand. And it was that was the moment when Ochako decided right then and there to return the favor.
The moment Ochako reached a temporarily de-powered Overhaul was when the man had to relearn what fear meant all over again. As Ochako simply proceeded to beat the ever-loving shit out of the man. Striking him repeatedly with her fists until both her hands and his face were left bloody and raw.
Finally, she slapped him hard across the face making him float before making her last move.
"SHIFT MAX OUTPUT! RELEASE!" She said, making Overhaul slam into the ground by shifting his weight hard enough to leave an indent of his body on the floor. It was only once the man was utterly still.
Ochako could finally let loose the build-up of vomit she had been fighting back thanks to the adrenaline that was finally leaving her. She ended up throwing up on top of Overhaul's unconscious body, not that she cared about that. When she finished, she collapsed backward, seeing that Eri was reaching for Izuku, with an angry red mark on her face, from where Overhaul had hit her.
The ground by Izuku was pooling rapidly with blood, dirtying Eri's already stained clothes. Ochako barely had any strength left to reach her; the last thing she saw before waking up in the nurse's office was Eri starting to glow.
Now she was here back in her apartment, while they were in the hospital.
Ochako sat back up, to hell with it. She would check if they needed space or needed support. Either way, regardless of the answer either; she would respect their choice. Ochako nervously brought Inko's contact number and started the call. Her heart was pounding with nerves as she heard it ring without answering. After what seemed like an hour, the phone was answered despite being only a few seconds at most.
"Mrs. Midoriya? It's me." Ochako began saying doing her best to keep her voice steady and not trying to sound nervous.
"You got the right number, Pink Cheeks, but Inko is checking on Eri and left her phone here." A familiar voice said over the phone, making Ochako mentally facepalm herself with a realization that should have been painfully obvious to her now.
The Bakugou family must have known the truth as well. Given how close the two are, how could she have not realized that sooner?!
"Hello, Mrs. Bakugou," Ochako answered her.
"Why did you call?"
Ochako pouted; this call was meant for Inko, not Mitsuki. Still, she knew not to shake the boat with the Bakugou family, especially given how much like mother and son were. However, Ochako still felt like it wasn't any of Mitsuki's business. Yet, since Mitsuki had been trusted enough by the Midoriya family, Ochako decided to bite the bullet and tell her the truth.
"I wanted to know how Izuku and Eri are doing...and if I can possibly stop by to visit?"
"They both doing fine, and both are napping right now...but that isn't my concern, girl. My concern now is you."
Ochako didn't like Mitsuki's tone but decided not to back down.
"What do you mean?"
"You want to visit? Even after seeing the news? After knowing that we had kept you in the dark the whole time? I have a tough time believing that unless you were working an angle."
Ochako felt a twitch of anger running down her body. She could understand why Mitsuki was being defensive, but it seemed unfair to judge her like that. Ochako decided to double down. If there was anything she learned from Katsuki was that he viewed backing down as a sign of weakness.
It was a philosophy that she disagreed with, but she suspected that Mitsuki would most likely feel the same way.
"Yes. Even after seeing the news, because I know Izuku, the real Izuku, not the Izuku that the media is trying to sell to everyone else," Ochako started up, feeling more and more confident with every word. "As for keeping the secret...I kind of figured it out on my own, to be honest...I saw his quirk in full during the battle trial, and then I looked up an old staff picture of Draco Knight's agency."
"It had Mrs. Midoriya and Ryūkyū featured on it...I never said anything because I was scared of rocking the boat...and to be honest...I've always been a Draco Knight fangirl." Ochako finished up, turning red as she admitted that last part.
Mitsuki went silent, making Ochako nervous as she didn't know if it was a good or bad sign.
"Okay, now I know you're full of shit," Mitsuki said with a laugh. "It takes guts to confess that last bit to a stranger knowing Hisashi's reputation."
Ochako jumped at the revelation. Draco Knight's first name had been Hisashi but still did not appreciate being called a liar or "full of shit," as she beautifully put it.
"I'm not lying! It's the truth!" Ochako proclaimed, refusing to back down.
Mitsuki laughed again, but this time she said something that surprised her.
"Okay then. I want proof of your fangirl status, and it better be special physical proof, so no basic toys or posters. I want something substantial, but here is the twist. I'm not the one who will be judging."
Ochako stood there with a smirk growing on her face; she had the perfect thing hanging on her wall right in front of her. A limited-edition item so rare that only 20 were ever made.
"Tomorrow, you'll go to Izu's apartment. Katsuki and Yū are there. Show him your proof, and if he decides to believe you, you win. And I will concede with a complete apology unless you want to back out no-."
"Challenge accepted then," Ochako answered with confidence. "I will be seeing you tomorrow, and I will expect that apology from you, Mrs. Bakugou."
Ochako might have laughed if she could have seen the look on Mitsuki's face at the moment. It was stuck somewhere between stunned and angry but may have also contained begrudging respect for the lass who decided not to back down.
'Looks like Izu picked a real winner here.'
"Then I'll see you tomorrow, Uraraka."
"If I must," Ochako japed, making the elder Bakugou laugh.
And with that, Ochako hung up, stuck somewhere between irked and sad. It was annoying that she had to do this dumb challenge, but Ochako could see the other side. Mitsuki cared dearly for Inko and Izuku to the point that she did this to people. What had the Midoriyas been through to get to this point?
Still, now that Ochako was sure that if she could get the approval, her support would be more than welcomed, which was enough for her. Ochako was worn out from the day's events and decided to have a light dinner, skip her workout, shower, and hit the hay early. She looked at the medal that hung on her wall.
Aside from being the proof she needed, Ochako had an idea to make tomorrow maybe a little more special.
Eri walked again with Izuku and Ochako by her side, going on another picnic like before. This time, Eri walked in fear of him, of that man appearing again.
The dream had been just like before; they had arrived at that same beautiful lake, only this time, there were no ducks to be found in the water. As the trio began to break out the yummy food. Eri began to cry, feeling that same fear as before when she finally saw him again. Overhaul was reaching for Izuku and Ochako behind them, reaching out hands un-gloved, going for the kill.
She was about to scream when she heard Overhaul scream instead. Eri looked up, and instead of the two being dead like before. They were now standing up in their hero costumes fighting back, and when it seemed like Overhaul would strike back.
He had been pushed back again with help; Eri turned around and saw all of Class 1-A surrounding her, protecting her just like Izuku had promised. Katsuki blasted him with his explosions, Ryu and Shouto blasted him with fire; Momo blasted him with a canon. Everyone pushed him back until he was forced to retreat; the sky was no longer dark. And the picnic continued with everyone else joining in for the first time. Eri felt her mouth curve upward.
At the hospital, Inko had noticed Eri had begun to stir and fidget in her sleep, remembering that this could have been the start of one of her night terrors. Inko's fears seemed confirmed when she saw tears running down her face and was about to call the nurse.
When Eri simply stopped and settled back into the bed with a sigh, leaving Inko stunned when she saw Eri smiling in her sleep for the very first time.
Authors Commentary
This was a heavy, character-driven chapter. These actually tend to be my favorite chapters to write that isn't Izuocha+ Eri fluff. Because I can fucking write Izuocha+Eri fluff in my sleep and enjoy every second of it.
There is something special when trying to gauge a realistic reaction and response for these characters. As much as I try to do my best to interpret these characters in this unique scenario.
I always fear making these characters become out of character since they are not my original creations.
Compared that to the OCs whose personalities are completely up to me since I am their creator.