Ochako guided Momo and Todoroki through the twisting halls of the Heroes Association, passing by several busy office workers and what must have been dozens of rooms by the time they reached their destination.
After going down several floors, Ochako eventually led them to a door marked "Resource Requisition". She didn't stop and walked straight through the door into a well light office space. The room consisted of what could have been several small office spaces if there had been walls. Instead, the room was about the size of 8 cubicles, with 4 desks set up seemingly at random throughout the room. Papers littered one desk in massive stacks, held together by either large binders, paperclips, or folders. Each stack was in a large rectangular box, presumedly for sorting, but there were no labels. None of the desks were occupied, but it looked as if someone had been there recently.
Ochako walked up to the nearest desk and rummaged through some loosely stacked papers before she went to the desk with the paper stacks and started combing through folders. After about a minute of searching and Ochako mumbling to herself, she pulled out a folder labeled "Reservable Local Housing".
"This is what we need," said Ochako combing through several papers in the folder until she pulled out a specific sheet.
"I'll just need you both to sign at the bottom. I assume you will be in the same apartment?" asked Ochako holding out the paper and a pen and a sly smile on her face as she looked at Momo.
"Yes, we will." Said Todoroki without a single bit of hesitation. Hearing this only made Ochako smile wider and Momo to turn slightly pink as she looked at the paper. Avoiding the smirking face of Ochako.
After they had signed the paper, Ochako took the document back and signed her name at the top. "And now, just put it in here," said Ochako as she deposited the sheet into a small empty box located on the first desk. "And we're done!" She said brightly.
"It's that simple?" Asked Momo, surprised at the speed of the whole thing.
"Well I did skip several steps and went straight to the approval forum, but as I said earlier. No one here would question my decision, but I did put it in the box for review. That way everyone is aware." Said Ochako as she walked back out the door, with the others following behind her.
Ochako was sure that Momo was pursing her lips behind her in mild disapproval, but she knew Momo valued speed and efficiency over the long bureaucratic procedure. Even if it meant bending a few rules.
"She used to be such a stickler for rules." mused Ochako idly.
"Um, where are we going now?" asked Momo.
"Well we gotta get you two the keys for the room, unfortunately, the keys aren't here at the H.A. We will have to go to the building manager to get those." Said Ochako as she hit the button for the elevator they had walked to.
"What are the details of the room?" Asked Todoroki.
Ochako knew why he was asking. Despite the innocence of the question, she knew he wanted to know all possible entrances and exits. As well as any security systems that may be in place.
"Well, it has a single door at the front leading to the hallway. The complex was made to house heroes and built to withstand an attack or attempted break-in with ease by the way. It's made of a titanium alloy and has two different locks on it. The windows are reinforced and bullet-proof, and there isn't a balcony nor any vents leading to the outside. Soundproofing is installed on the walls facing the city, but it's only one way so you'll know if an attack happens nearby. The floors are also similarly sturdy and both the walls and flooring are reinforced with a titanium skeleton. Honestly, the complex could take a hit from a dozen rocket launchers and still be in good shape." Said Ochako listing off the features without a single pause for thought.
"Additionally, the kitchen is fully equipped and is stocked with non-perishable foods at all times. It has a living room that is attached to the kitchen and a small dining area and has two bedrooms both large enough to accommodate two people. The place also looks great, it had specially crafted carpeting that doesn't get matted and is fully liquid-resistant like a hard surface and is an incredible insulator. The lights are all dimmable, and it has every kind of major media technology you could require, and each floor has its own separate back-up generator room. It's 4 floors high by the way, and you two get to have a room at the top." Continued Ochako.
There were a few moments of surprised silence as both Momo and Todoroki were surprised at how quickly she rattled off the information without missing a beat.
"I see, it sounds like we won't have any major worries then." Said Todoroki after sorting out all the information in his head.
"If there is anything we will need, I can just make it as well." Said Momo.
By this time, they had come to the front entrance, where Ochako turned around and smiled.
"So, how do we want to get there? It's about 10 clicks to our south, has a flat roof, and looks like more like a military complex than a residential building; can't miss it."
"It has been a while since we were in school, but I think a race would help us loosen up after our trip here," said Todoroki, a competitive glint in his eyes.
Momo merely giggled at the sight, years of competing with Bakugo had rubbed off on Todoroki, even if he didn't realize it. Ochako meanwhile, did some stretching, and after doing a few small hops turned towards the direction of the building. Momo, for her part, materialized her gear for speedy traversal in urban areas on her body directly. She hardly felt the dip in her lipid supply for her commonly used gear anymore. Another upside is that she could use powerful but delicate tech and replace it near instantly if the need arose without making a dent in her lipid levels. She had grown incredibly efficient with her lipid use over the years and was proud of it. Momo also started to hear a small whine coming from Shoto. It started building slowly and he got into a ready stance, as did Momo.
Ochako got into a launching position like Shoto and activated her quirk. She felt the gravity around her body vanish and warp, preparing to accommodate the incoming shift. Downward gravity increasingly pressed down upon her just as gravity flowing upwards started to build as well. Resulting in gravitational equilibrium.
Momo materialized a small orb in her hand and threw it into the air and got into a ready stance.
Some passing onlooker stopped and stared at them strangely, the growing sound of a jet engine whine also caused even more people to look over at their location. The orb Momo threw into the air suddenly started beeping and with a small flash of red light, the race began.
Todoroki's left side burst into sudden flame and in a small puff of flames and a small but high pitched noise, he rocketed away straight up. creating a face shield of clear-ice around his head in the process of take-off. He had developed the method of storing energy for sudden bursts of movements to keep pace in battle. The noise was him just showing off, he liked to shock civilians and inspire awe in children. He took his role as a role-model to children very seriously and wanted to inspire them when he could do so safely. On a good day, he looked like a burning line of fire streaking through the sky. Much like his father had years ago.
Momo, on the other hand, felt the sudden pressure as her suit kicked itself into gear. The propulsion system attached to her shoulder blades and feet spewed out burning air as she left a burning line of thermal energy in her wake. Becoming a veritable missile in the air and with perfect maneuverability. She tore after Shoto and Ochako, keeping pace with both. The helmet she had made giving her excellent vision without the problem of air resistance to hamper her sight.
Ochako however, felt the gravitational shift. Her body suddenly started lifting upwards and with increasing speed and no air resistance she saw the scenery going by in a blur. The force of gravity affecting her body directly was hers to manipulate at will and she truly felt like she was flying at moments like this. She relished the feeling of being like a bird and soaring through the skies without any resistance. This is what freedom felt like.
Aizawa meanwhile, was on a nearby roof looking over the city, planning his route when he saw two dots of red streaking away from the H.A. building. Fearing a surprise attack had occurred in the minutes he had been away, he put on his goggles and zoomed in on the specs. He relaxed and berated himself for being jumpy when he noticed it was only Yaoyorozu, Shoto, and Uraraka flying through the sky. He watched as Momo started to fall behind more and more often, eventually leaving the primary racers as Ochako and Todoroki. It was a close thing, but he could tell that Ochako was slowly but steadily increasing in speed. He was about to look away and roll his eyes at his old student's antics when he noticed Yaoyorozu suddenly explode and catch back-up to Shoto. She grasped hold of his right side, and suddenly their figures became blurry as they became one massive ball of fire streaking through the sky at an unbelievable speed. Surpassing Ochako quickly and starting to aim down towards their destination ahead of them. He smiled and approved of the teamwork shown. He turned away and started out on his patrol.
Ochako blinked as a massive spear of fire pelted past her all of a sudden and started closing in on the apartment complex. The sight of Momo and Todoroki combining together to increase speed took her off guard.
"Fine, if you want to play hardball, then game on." She thought as she spiked her gravitational force.
Her speed suddenly increased and as she altered her area of gravitational manipulation to create a wind channel around her body to reduce drag. She cut through the air even easier than before. Like a bullet, she quickly caught up to the two combined heroes and looked over just as they did, clearly surprised. Ochako grinned and focused back on the target just ahead and kept pushing herself further, the other two right beside her.
Then in one explosive impact of fire and gravity, they were on the roof. A massive blast of fire billowing outward from the roof and small ice crystals being thrown dozens of feet in all directions because of the massive gravitational blast that emanated from Ochako as she reduced speed almost all at once. The other two had pulled ahead at the last second, but because they had to deaccelerate at a slower rate the end result was that of a tie so far anyone could tell.
Momo released her vice grip on Todoroki and gave him a quick kiss. She turned around to face Ochako but she felt a spike of concern after she saw Ochako on her hands and knees taking deep breaths. "Ochako! Are you okay? Did we hurt you on accident?" she said, looking Ochako over for injuries but finding none.
Ochako merely stayed on her hands and knees and took deep shuddering breaths. She could feel the tell-tale signs of very faint nausea but the fiery explosion and heat of Todoroki's deceleration had triggered her memories of the fire. She felt hot all over and was shaking. Then she suddenly felt a cool feeling emanating from between her shoulder blades and the heat she had been feeling passed. She took two more deep breaths and stood up.
She turned around and saw Todoroki standing behind her, icy mist emanating slightly from his right hand. "Thanks."
"I'm sorry," replied Todoroki looking pained. He guessed what had happened, his fire had likely made her flashback to the fire. Combine it with the fact that it was the anniversary of the fire and he wasn't surprised he had accidentally triggered her trauma. Even if you knew it was illogical given the situation.
"Are you okay?" Asked Momo
"Yeah, I'm fine now. Let's just get you all into your apartment. And don't worry about it Todoroki, it wasn't your fault." Said Ochako, turning and dropping off the building.
"I should have been aware of what my fire might have caused." Despite his neutral tone, Momo could tell that he was troubled over what had just happened.
"Don't let it get to you, normally she would have been fine but today is the anniversary of the event. For the next few days, I imagine it will be on her mind often. So don't let it bother you." Said Momo, grabbing his hand and giving it a light squeeze.
"Your right, as usual." Said Todoroki with a light sigh.
Together the two of them dropped off the roof and landed on the ground. They were right in front of the main entrance and could see Ochako at the front desk talking to the person manning it. They walked forward, opened the door, and as they approached the desk, the person they presumed to be the apartment manager got up and went into a back room.
"I talked to the manager and explained everything, she's getting the keys to the apartment now." Said Ochako.
"Thanks again for the help Ochako, it's nice to have this taken care of so quickly." Said Momo.
"It's no trouble beats hanging around the H.A. offices all day or going on a short patrol. Besides, getting the chance to talk to you both before things start getting complicated is nice." Said Ochako brightly.
At that moment, the manager walked back out and stopped at the sight of two of the top heroes, obviously shocked to see people akin to celebrities in her lobby.
"Ah, thanks for the keys. Did you remember to get mine?" asked Ochako, reaching out and picking the keys out of the manager's hands.
"Ye-yes, here are your keys." Replied the manager, reaching into a drawer and handing a pair of personalized pink keys to Ochako.
"Thanks for your help Yumi! We'll let you know if anything happens." Said Ochako, turning and walking down the hallway to the staircase.
Momo and Todoroki followed Ochako down the hall and to a staircase leading up.
"The building doesn't use elevators, safer that way." Said Ochako starting up the industrial style staircase.
"What did you mean by "your keys" earlier. Are you staying here as well?" Asked Todoroki.
"I don't always stay here, but I have a room I frequent often whenever I want a change of pace so the manager had a pair of custom keys made for me. I also told her to be ready to have a bunch of new heroes show up. With the operation we will be doing in the future, best she has some advanced warning. Since I'm involved as well, I figured I might as well stay in the same place as everyone else will be once they arrive. It'll be just like being back at the U.A. dorms." Said Ochako with a laugh remembering all the antics they had gotten up to at the dorms.
Todoroki didn't respond, his curiosity was satisfied and he couldn't help but smile as he remembered better times. They reached the 4th floor and the hallway in contrast to the industrial metal staircase was akin to a hotel. The carpeted and wallpapered hallway was very nice and it was clear that expenses were not spared in the construction of the complex.
Ochako led them to the 4th room on the right and opened the door.
"Welcome to your new quarters for the foreseeable future. I'm sure you'll be quite satisfied."
The room was as described by Ochako earlier, but it was clear that comfort was also a priority when making the complex, not just security and durability. The furniture was well-made and the materials were top of the line, as was everything else the apartment was made out of. Even Momo, who grew up in a rich upper-class lifestyle was impressed with the place.
After Momo and Todoroki had settled in reasonably well, the three of them sat down in the living room with cups of coffee or tea in Ochako's case.
"So how have things been these past few months? We haven't had the chance to see you since the wedding." Asked Momo who had settled down next to Todoroki
"They've been going very well, I was cleared to start going out on small patrols a few months back, so I've been going out on patrols a few times a week. During the day it's usually pretty quiet, but I have only started going out on night patrols recently. Though, even those have been pretty quiet, fortunately." replied Ochako.
"I wish we could just have a break from all this fighting. It's been a long four years. Even if it's supposed to be all over, it seems like there is a never-ending stream of villains." Todoroki sounded exhausted to Ochako. Though she could understand, even after the league had been dismantled, villains and new organizations rose out of its ashes all the time. This was the primary reason why she hadn't seen any of her classmates in a few months. To make matters worse, the more popular and powerful the hero, the more they were worked.
"It puts things into perspective just how strong a presence All Might was. When he was alive, only the organization headed by AFO was a threat. Though Chisaki would have become a threat in time regardless, his mere presence was enough to deter the rise of most new villains." Said Momo leaning back into the couch, a thoughtful look on her face.
Ochako had, had, similar thoughts, but All Might was the stuff of legend. A figure you only ever saw once per century, if that even. A figure in the making since the birth of quirks itself.
"It's going to be difficult holding things together without a symbol like him being around but we're just going to have to manage. It's not like we don't have strong people either. You two and Bakugo are enough of a presence to cause most villains to surrender on the spot." pointed out Ochako.
"Don't sell yourself short, your a fantastic hero and I wouldn't want to fight you. Neither would Bakugo I'm sure. Especially if you were... well." Said Todoroki not finishing the statement.
Ochako sighed, she knew many people didn't agree with her decision regarding it. It was a useful tool, but it wasn't without its dangers. "I won't use it again, and it would be for the best if it never saw the light of day again. I'm not the same person I was back then, I just want to be a normal hero and try to atone for all that I've done." Said Ochako bitterly, as she looked down into her distorted reflection from the tea.
Momo got up and bending down to be level with Ochako, held Ochako's hands around the cup.
"You don't have any reason to feel guilty. Many of us are no better, but we did what had to be done to protect civilians. The aftermath isn't easy, and it wasn't easy for any of us. Not even Bakugo."
"I know, but I can't help it. I hate myself for it, but more than anything I'm terrified knowing that if I had to. I... I might do it again." her hands on the cup shook as she all but whispered the truth.
"It terrifies me as well, Shoto too, but as you said, if we have too, we will. That's why we have to keep fighting and making this country safe. We have to do everything we can to ensure that we never have to make those kinds of choices again." Said Momo with quiet confidence.
Ochako nodded at that and after they had all finished their drinks they continued to talk about more mundane things.
Sometime later, after they had all had lunch ordered from a nearby sandwich shop. Ochako realized it was about time she got going. She had a long-standing appointment to attend to, and she would never allow herself to miss it.
"It was great seeing you two and catching up on things." Said Ochako getting up from her seat. She was in a much better mood than she had been in at the start.
"Same with us, we were glad to hear you were managing all right. Especially after everything that's happened in the last four years," replied Momo getting up from her spot as well.
"Tsuyu coming by and visiting frequently has been a huge help. I don't know how things would have turned out if she weren't around. Of course visits from the others helped as well, but Tsuyu always had the most time available to her so she was able to come by about once or twice a week." said Ochako packing her things back into her wallet, then stowing that into her pants pocket.
"I wish we could come by more frequently, but at least we have the reunion coming up next week. Unless this whole thing with Zeus comes to a head in the next 14 days, it will be nice to see everyone together again. The wedding was nice, but it was too short. I don't even think Kirishima and Ashido have had the chance to take a break for anything even remotely resembling a honeymoon since the wedding." Momo sighed in an exhausted and sad voice.
Frankly, Ochako was impressed that the wedding had even happened to begin with. The number of strings that had to have been pulled by both of them and their former teachers was astounding. The lack of a real break since then though just served to highlight how far society had to go until it stabilized. Until all the ruined sectors in cities across the nation were taken care of, she doubted that the criminal elements would really start to recede in any major way. The ruined sectors were their havens, with removal, and repair of the ruined sectors progressing slowly because of it.
With a sudden thought coming to her, she said, "We should go on a patrol some time, it would be a good time to both talk some more and get some exercise in. I don't go on enough them for my liking, it gets really lonely sometimes going out alone on patrols." she finished on a depressing note.
"Of course! that sounds like a great idea! We are going to have to familiarize ourselves with the city again anyway. We haven't actually been in Mufustafu for any decent length of time in almost 3 years." Said Momo brightly.
"How does tomorrow night sound? That's when I was planning on going on one," replied Ochako as she made her way to the door and opened it.
"That will work," said Todoroki in his deadpan way of speaking.
"Sounds like a plan! see you two tomorrow! It was fun seeing you guys!" said Ochako as she started walking backward down the hallway.
"See you tomorrow!" called out Momo to the departing Ochako.
