Ochako awoke that Friday morning early and the immediate thought that came to mind was that today was the day that she would finally be able to meet the rest of her classmates. Even if they hadn't been part of Class-1A for a few years now, it always felt strange to think of them all collectively as anything other than 1A. So, with spirits higher than they'd been since the wedding, she practically leapt out of her bed and started getting ready.
She wasn't due to arrive until around one o'clock, so she decided to head to the roof and practice on her multi-force gravity application training. She had learned the hard way that trying brute force would only split her head in half, so she tried a different tactic. She took it slow, starting with 2 differing applications she worked her way up until it became impossible to maintain. Then started again at 2 applications, and increased the amount of force of each application. By the time it was coming up on one o'clock, she was confident she could handle two applications at once on a single object. This meant she could make smoother movements with her controlled objects. She would keep practicing until she could handle up to four at once. She figured at four she could do basically anything she might want. She would also have to work on increasing the propagation distance of her touch. This would let her affect objects at a greater distance and also let her have increased awareness of her surroundings. She couldn't actually feel her affected objects with her 5 senses, it was more like she had a 6th sense that gave her information about the object. Where it was in space and what that object might be touching for instance. It wasn't like she could see through them, but whenever she tried to explain the sensation to others, words failed her. It was the tried and true adage of "how do you explain color to someone who can't see?" Eventually, she just gave up trying.
After heading back inside, showering, changing, and getting ready for the reunion she decided to head out to the Yaoyorozu estate. It took her only a few minutes to reach the Yaoyorozu estate, despite being 12 kilometers away from her apartment if you went by the roads. Flying did have its advantages after all.
She landed in front of the gates and pressed the intercom. Barely seconds after she pressed it the gates swung open for her. So she started walking down the path towards the mansion, shaking her head at the lavish flower gardens and topiary gardens mixed in with the flowers. The place seemed to become grander by the year. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't a bit envious.
When she got to the front door, she discovered it was already open. So she walked in and looked around for anyone. She didn't see anyone in the foyer so she figured everyone was probably in the back at the pool area. She started to head that way and hoped she didn't get lost on the way there. She had only been in the building twice before the war broke out, and the layout was mostly hazy. Eventually though, after getting turned around once she managed to find herself in the pool area at last.
The place was downright amazing, it was clear a lot of work had been done to get it ready for the reunion. The place was decorated in the colors of U.A. with some ornate streamers stretching between the lampposts positioned along the left and right side of the pool area. At the corners of the house to Ochako's left and right when she walked out the door, two large cherry blossom tree's stood stretching their branches upwards and towards the pool area creating a large shaded area; benches were scattered about the shaded area and under the tree's. The house was actually positioned on a slightly higher elevation than most of the city nearby, so when Ochako walked out of the doors into the pool area she could actually see the wilderness and mountains in the distance which only served to make the estate even more incredible.
Tables were set up in one section that she figured would hold food during the party with a large round table set up in the dead center of the area before the pool where everyone would sit. They weren't exactly a large class anymore so the table size felt a bit cozy, which suited Ochako just fine. As she looked around impressed at the work that had been done, she spotted Momo, Todoroki, Tsuyu, and Bakugo. Ashido and Kirishima she wasn't surprised to see weren't here yet, while they had both just come in after a long trip yesterday they both loved to sleep in when they could get away with it. She imagined they would show up round the same time as the others. She had gotten word last night that the rest had gotten into town yesterday night.
No sooner had Ochako taken everything in, than she saw Momo waving at her from where they were all sitting under one of the branches on some benches.
"Hey everyone! How's it goin so far?" she asked.
"Well with all preparations wrapped up, it's just been waiting for people to arrive. The chefs are working at getting all the food prepared so until Akasuki tells us the food is ready it's just going to be hanging out until then." Replied Momo, as Ochako took a bench seat adjacent to Bakugo.
"Well, hopefully, we won't hafta wait too long. I can't wait to see everyone!" Said Ochako brightly.
"Definitely, we need to try to do this sort of thing more often in the future. It's nice to be able to relax and catch up with everyone, ribbit." Said Tsu.
At that, Todoroki, Momo, and Tsu all got caught up in discussing the logistics of a recurring event every year. Ochako didn't have too much interest in the topic, but she couldn't help but notice that Bakugo had been looking subdued the entire time she had been here. It was unusual, to say the least.
"Hey Bakugo, you okay? You're looking pretty distant." She asked.
Bakugo just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. His agitation was evident as he leaned back and just stared at the sky. "I keep thinking of him, that vigilante, The Hunter. It was his damn eyes, he had the same eyes a lot of heroes had by the end of the war. Ever since then I've been thinking back to those times."
Ochako may not have seen The Hunter, but she knew all too well what Bakugo was talking about. By the time the war had ended, most of the heroes that had participated had quit, retired, vanished, or committed suicide. All of them had the same eyes though, eyes you could take one look at and know that what was left was merely a shell of a person.
"If anything though, his eyes were a lot closer to what yours were like." continued Bakugo.
She felt a chill run down her spine at that. If she was honest she didn't remember a lot of what happened specifically during the tail end of the war. Blurry images, distorted sounds, but most clearly of all were the screams and the blood that had followed in her wake. Desperately seeking conflict, desperately seeking enemies to punish, to exterminate like insects. It was as if she had been stuck in a dream, only waking when there had been no more enemies to exterminate, and when she had met Dr. Amida.
"He's consumed by his desire to hunt down and punish villains and criminals alike. He wants to see them suffer and begin to know the pain and suffering he's suffered at their hands. He was even devoted enough to even seek out one of the most notorious villains and apprentice himself to him so that he could best learn how to fight them, and how to fight heroes as well if they get in his way. But, he must still have something left that is anchoring him to morality. His avoidance of life-threatening injuries, a testament to the fact he still has a conscience; however twisted and warped it may be." Ochako said quietly, flashing back to her past self and how she had felt during the war.
Bakugo didn't say anything, so they lapsed into silence as they just paid vague attention to the conversation of Momo, Todoroki, and Tsu.
Eventually, though, Bakugo gave a growling sigh, "Can't believe I'm agreeing with him, but I reckon Nezu's right. We shouldn't kill him, in a lot of ways he's no different than how you, me, or a dozen other heroes were like back then. After seeing his eyes, I think that if I or we killed him, I'd dream of his face at night too."
"After the reunion, we can all sit down and plan out how to capture him, but for now let's try to forget all that and just focus on the party shall we?" Said Ochako, mustering up all her joy and trying to pump herself up.
Bakugo stood up and with his classic aggressive smile said to the group, "All right, where are those bastards. If they don't show up soon I'll go drag them here myself."
Ochako just laughed, there was no doubt in her mind that he would do exactly that.
It took another 10 minutes for other people to start to arrive. Mina and Kirishima were the first to arrive naturally. Mina hugged everyone and was practically bouncing as she pestered all of them for the latest. Kirishima gave Ochako a bone-crushing hug while laughing uproariously and then proceeded to do the same for everyone except Bakugo. Kirishima merely gave him a hand shake but from the expression on each of their faces, it was clear they were trying to see who could give the strongest handshake, or crush the other's hand; Ochako wasn't entirely sure.
But before they could get into any serious conversation they were suddenly joined by Jirou, and to everyone's surprise, she was dragging a positively quivering Denki Kaminari. Whether that was because of nerves or excitement though was anyone's guess, though Ochako suspected it was probably both.
Ochako hadn't seen either Jirou or Kaminari for the longest period of time out of everyone. Neither Jirou nor Denki were able to make it to the wedding, instead, they had video-called everyone. This was mostly due to Kaminari's condition, Kaminari had lost a majority of his memories and mental faculties after he had absorbed and then released an entire powerplants worth of energy into the sky to prevent all of them, and a large majority of other heroes and personnel from being wiped out by Zeus. The villains had laid a trap for them, and like moths, to a flame, they'd gathered together in one convenient spot. It would have ended the war, with the heroes losing and Shigaraki taking over Japan.
So Kaminari had become regarded as a hero among heroes, but because he had still been unknown at the time he had managed to avoid most of the media attention. Ever since then, Jirou had done everything in her power to remain with him and had only been forced to participate in a few conflicts throughout the war. All thanks again to Nezu who cared deeply for his students; Jirou also didn't have a disposition suited towards the conflict which was another factor in Nezu's decision to keep her away from the conflict.
Kaminari's appearance was actually the most unchanged out of everyone. Being in a hospital, away from the conflict and the stresses it brought had meant he had grown in a relatively static way. His hair was longer, stuck up a bit more than it did in school, and to her mild surprise part of his hair was put back in a very small ponytail.
"Not bad... good work Jirou." Thought Ochako
Jirou on the other hand was a bit different, she had grown quite a bit since school. A few inches taller, undeniably more beautiful, and a new sense of maturity seemed to radiate off her. Caring for Kaminari must have been challenging in its own way Ochako supposed. Jirou had also put her hair up in a high ponytail while retaining the same style of bangs she had in school. Likely she didn't want to alter her appearance too drastically, to aid in Kaminari's memory. Being around the familiar had likely been one of Jirou's plans for his recovery.
"Jirou! Denki! I can't believe you're both here!" Squealed Mina, who dashed forward and wrapped Jirou in a hug.
"It's great to see you, Mina!" Said Jirou who returned the hug.
Mina then turned to Denki and pounced on him next, "Denki! How have you been! How's your memory?" she asked after giving him a blessedly shorter hug.
Denki smiled and then a look of concentration came over him, "Your Mina Ashido," he said confidently, then he turned to look at everyone else. He went down the list one by one naming people until he got to Yaoyorozu and Ochako and then he faltered.
"You're... Ochako...?" He said pointing to Yaoyorozu.
She shook her head, "No I'm Momo Yaoyorozu, and that's Ochako Uraraka," Momo said pointing to Ochako who was next to her.
Denki's hopeful face fell, and Ochako felt a wave of pity pass over her as she saw Denki struggling. She could only imagine what it must be like in his shoes, surrounded by people he knows, but not necessarily remembering his interactions with everyone. Seeing Denki here though must mean that he was sufficiently recovered to be able to be left on his own. In truth, most of the class didn't receive a lot of news regarding his condition, between the war, their work, and Jirou's general disconnect from everyone, all most of them knew was that he had been making steady progress in regaining his memories.
"Hey, it's all right Denki. You're still working on it and it's not like you had the opportunity to see them before now. Don't let it get to you, let's all just focus on having fun all right?" Said Jirou.
"Don't sweat it, man! One step at a time, you've gotten back a majority of memories now, right? Just take it slow and steady and enjoy yourself!" Said Kirishima giving Kaminari a reassuring pat on the back.
The reassurances seemed to raise his spirits, "Yeah!" Said Kaminari suddenly upbeat. "Let's get this party started!"
"Well, the food should be ready in another half an hour. " Said Momo. "Let's save the real party for when everyone is here and we have already eaten. We are still waiting on Shinsou and Tokoyami after all."
Kaminari looked a little deflated at that, so they all decided to sit down and just chat until the last two people arrived.
"So what have you two been doing lately?" Momo asked Jirou and Kaminari.
"I work mostly at the H.A. branch in my area, which gives me more time to look after Denki. I'll occasionally go out in the field when I'm needed, but for the most part, our area is under relatively good control. The U.N. ships a lot of its aid through the port so reconstruction efforts have been progressing well. It's estimated the whole place will be done in about another year." Said Jirou.
"I have appointments with a memory doctor every day and we go through exercises, watch videos, and a whole bunch of other stuff. That occupies most of my daytime, along with some training from Electroplant. Apparently, he was one of the heroes sent over from overseas since he has some extended family in Japan and knows the language. Though, understanding him is a pain sometimes. But when I'm not busy with that stuff, Jirou and I will do some recordings! It's awesome! Jirou is amazing at the guitar!" Said Kaminari excitedly.
"It's not that good..." muttered Jirou, clearly embarrassed while she played with her jacks.
"Oh! I know! We should totally play for you all at some point while we're here!" Said Kaminari.
"Wha- no!" Said Jirou, now starting to go a bit red.
"Kaminari's right though, you are really good with music! The Festival was amazing back in the day!" Said Kirishima, now excited himself.
"Maybe at some point in the future, but let's not get ourselves carried away here. Besides, I doubt they even brought their instruments with them." Interjected Momo, rescuing Jirou from her growing embarrassment.
"Oh... right, no instruments." Said Kaminari with a laugh.
Jirou was about to say something when suddenly a voice came from the entrance,
"I hope we aren't late."
Everyone looked over and saw Tokoyami walking over with Shinsou behind him. The two of them stopped right at the ring of benches.
"You are not late at all! In fact, the food should be ready soon so your timing is perfect." Said Momo brightly.
"Excellent, I was worried that we might have arrived too late. There was a small landslide on the road here so it took us a while to get it all sorted out." Said Tokoyami.
The two of them went to sit down, Shinsou sat down at the bench adjacent to Bakugo and Ochako while Tokoyami went and sat down next to Tsu. Tokoyami hadn't really changed from the last time Ochako had seen him. He had reached "maturity" as he called it during the war and had stated that due to his animal DNA he was unlikely to change much even in his old age. Granted it only applied to his head, but it meant we would retain his intimidating appearance for decades to come. While he had become a tad taller and broader overall, his head had undergone the most changes. His feathers had lengthened some, his head actually grown in slight size and become more hawk-like overall, gaining a more pronounced hook and sharper point, his beaks color had also darkened into a burnished gold on the lighter side with the very end of it turning black entirely. Contrary to what almost everyone had believed (Tokoyami included) his bird-like features were actually more in line with that of a Black Hawk from the subtropic areas of the Asian continent rather than that of a crow or blackbird as everyone had assumed.
He was rather intimidating all told, and factor in his motifs of darkness he had truly come to embody his moniker as The Jet-Black Hero. He also had a different moniker though, and he fits it just as well as his original. Though few knew of it outside of a select few (the class of course being included in that list). The Black Death, the hero foremostly skilled in assassination, espionage, and stealth. He had become Hawk's successor in every way possible and had likely surpassed him at this point.
Shinsou was identical to Tokoyami in that both of them were well trained in espionage and stealth, though Shinso was purposefully much less well known. He disliked the training he had been given but also saw the need for it. He would often aid Tokoyami in his missions but kept his involvement in such operations as minimal as possible. He always put his greatest effort into proving that, despite his quirk and its stigma, he could be every bit the hero as anyone else. He really was quite impressive, his drive and dedication to his childhood dream were second to none and he was very well respected because of it. If people ever found out that he was essentially a spy as well as a hero, it would undo all of his work in an instant.
Unlike Tokoyami though, Shinsou had grown quite a bit. He now sported a faint chin strap style beard with a goatee which was a bit unusual at first, but everyone had grown accustomed to it eventually. His hair was just as unruly and wild as it had been in high school, just longer and with the slightest hints of a side part. He had also grown several inches and was now on par with Bakugo in terms of muscle density. He also had a large claw mark scar between his right ear and eye that stretched down to his collar bone. The wound had been bad, and if not for Yaoyorozu giving him quick temporary stitching and Todoroki's fire and ice to slow the bleeding he would have bled out in only a few minutes.
"All right! Let's get this party going! So who's up for a swim before food?" Asked Kaminari who'd apparently gotten fired up at seeing everyone now assembled.
"I'm game, get some fun in and wear ourselves out some, so we're starving when the foods ready." Said Kirishima joining in.
That was all the galvanizing the rest of them needed, so they all split off to go get changed. The mansion had locker rooms built nearby the pool, so they didn't have to walk far. Ochako however, took her time. Apart from Tsu, Nezu, Aizawa, Dr. Okimi, and her therapist Dr. Kouta, no one else just how extensive her scarring really was. Most of the class believed that Ochako had scarring from the event that had killed her parents and nearly her, and from the numerous battles she had been a part of. Apart from some scars on her hands and the burn scars that reached upwards towards her right ear, no one had seen the true extent of the scars which were obscured by her clothes. So Ochako had no intentions of relieving them of this belief; if the rest of them knew it would undoubtedly cause a shift in their perception of her. She didn't want to worry any of them, and so pretended that she needed to use the restroom first.
She waited until everyone had trickled out, before coming out of the restroom and opening the locker that held her wetsuit. Using conventional swimsuits for women was out of the question, so she had opted for a wetsuit rather than what others normally wore. Tsu was apparently fond of them as well and had taken to wearing them, though she apparently had a custom suit made that meshed with her quirk. She was thankful to Tsu for introducing them to her in the first place. So she quickly donned her suit and left to join the others.
As she left the locker room she could see that everyone else had already gotten into the pool, not everyone was being as bombastic as Mina was, but for the most part, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Ochako went over to where Tsu, Jirou, Momo, Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Shinsou were, and let herself sink into the water beside them.
"So what's Mina's game plan?" she asked the group at large.
"For the moment she seems to be trying to get some of us in on some underwater football. Though with food being so close to being ready I don't think anyone's game for it quite yet, mostly everyone seems to be socializing for now." Replied Tsu.
"Looks like the four over there plan on something though." Said Jirou jabbing a finger over to where Mina, Kirishima, Denki, and Bakugo had started to throw water bombs at each other. Where Mina had produced those from none of them had a clue.
"So, what's everybody been up to as of late?" Asked Ochako.
"I've been teaching over at U.A. and at the local pool more recently, ribbit. There are a few students who have some water-based quirks, and others join in to get experience in marine environments. I even have a student with a heat ray quirk who wants to try and expand it towards a steam ray version." Said Tsuyu.
"That reminds me, I've been meaning to ask but do you think Nezu would be open to the idea of members of our class giving out extra-curricular lessons?" Said Momo suddenly.
Tsuyu seemed to mull it over for a second before replying "I think so, with a lot of heroes out helping rebuild the country or keep illegal elements under control the school definitely has fewer teachers than it did when we were students. Even if you wouldn't be permanent fixtures, extra one-time lessons would help a lot of students develop their quirks."
"I imagine Nezu wants to get as many new heroes out as possible to help replenish our numbers. Momo and I have had more than a few weeks where we get very little sleep. More heroes would help in lessening the burden many of us have to carry." Said Todoroki
"What have you two doin?" Asked Ochako.
"Lately, it's been trying to weed out a new drug lord that's popped up. We think he came over from China, a possible power move by one of the Triads. Feeling things out, seeing how susceptible we might be to expansion." Said Todoroki grimly.
"When we left, he'd started distributing "enhancers" likely produced by the Triad as well. We're not sure if they actually work or not, but the local H.A. branch has asked the government to send over some soldiers to aid in policing until they get a handle on everything." Added Momo.
"We've actually run into a similar problem down south. Except it's one of the old defunct Yakuza groups from pre-quirks trying to make a comeback. They've started clashing with the local gangs, trying to dissolve and absorb them." Said Tokoyami who had started to drift on top of the water with Dark Shadow lounging on top of him. (Dark Shadow hadn't been particularly fond of water ever since Tokoyami had almost drowned when a small dam burst)
"I wonder if Dark Shadow has weight..." The thought randomly drifted through Ochako's mind.
"For the moment, the H.A. has been using Tokoyami and me for intel gathering. We aren't entirely sure where the Yakuza group has been operating out of, but I imagine we'll be sent in once we know where they are." Added Shinso.
"Geez... sounds like you all have had it pretty rough. We've not had much activity where I and Denki am located, but we've had some smuggler problems as of late. I don't do much though apart from reconnaissance and support for the more front-line heroes and SAT." Said Jirou with a slight grimace.
"What about here? I can't imagine it's been easy either." Asked Tokoyami, glancing over to Tsu.
"It's not been too bad, with the U.A. and one of the H.A.'s major branches being located here it's discouraged a lot of major crime. Though, things have been escalating since people have started to figure out that we have one of the most extensive ruined sectors of any city and that we are understaffed. There've also been three major developments very recently, but we'll be going into detail on that after the reunion I expect." Said Ochako, avoiding the topic of Zeus, Stain, and The Hunter until the reunion was over. She didn't want to taint the gathering by souring everyone's mood.
Todoroki opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when a water bomb came speeding out of nowhere to beam Ochako in the side of the head. Everyone in the group just stared in surprise at Ochako who had gone crashing into the water from the impact for a few seconds before turning as one to look at Kirishima who just gave a nervous laugh.
"Sorry... wasn't watching where I was aiming when I tried to hit Bakugo... hehe..." his voice trailed off and he turned pale.
The group turned again to look at Ochako who was standing on top of the water with the water bomb floating next to her and look of pure evil on her features.
"I think you dropped this Kirishima..." Said Ochako, and she thrust her arm forward.
The water bomb ripped through the air towards Kirishima who ducked at the last second. The water bomb sped over his head and hit Bakugo dead center of the forehead. The hit was so unexpected that Bakugo fell back into the water where he didn't emerge.
There was dead silence for a few seconds before the water exploded and Bakugo emerged, a psychotic grin on his face as he roared "YOU'RE IN FOR IT NOW ROUND-FACE!" then he sent the two water bombs in his hands towards Ochako with small blasts, who caught them in her hands and redirected them behind her. There were two simultaneous wet smacks and a crash of water as the redirected water bombs hit Todoroki and Tokoyami at the same time.
Ochako noticed then that a suspiciously copious number of water bombs had started drifting across the pool. She glanced over at Mina who had the smuggest, most triumphant, smile Ochako had ever seen on her face. Ochako had a brief moment to realize that they had all been played by Mina before another water bomb hit Ochako directly in the chest causing her to fall over into the water.
All hell broke loose at that point and before long sides had been formed and the Olympic-sized pool had been turned into a battlefield. Each side had formed barricades to protect their area and Momo had even made advanced water weapons to make things more interesting. Smoke lazily hung in the air from the multitude of explosions and had formed a sort of fog wall between the three factions.
Ochako was perched behind a large ice wall Todoroki had formed at one point that Ochako's faction had appropriated for their own defenses. She looked over at Tsu and Tokoyami who were similarly positioned next to her and nodded. The other two nodded back and Tsu slipped into the water without noise, while Tokoyami and Ochako slowly rose into the air each possessing a cadre of water bombs. Ochako had her supply floating around her while Tokoyami had Dark Shadow create a pocket to hold his in.
They slowly and carefully flew overtop to just between the area that separated Mina's and Momo's groups and were able to look below at them both. They waited for Tsu to make her move while they took aim. Then there was a sudden commotion from Momo's group and the two of them sent their payloads toward their targets. Ochako sent water bombs pelting into and around the two groups while Tokoyami did the same, Dark Shadow on the other hand zipped down to the barricades each side had erected and with two massive swipes of his hands utterly destroyed them. Then they retreated back to their barricade and all three watched as Momo's and Mina's groups descended into total open water warfare.
The three of them were ready to pounce when an opportunity presented itself when everyone in the pool suddenly heard a distinct bell noise. The fighting came to an abrupt halt as everyone turned towards the exit of the pool and made out a figure in fine dress.
"The food is ready, I suggest you all put your 'fun' on hold for now." Said the butler.
It took a few seconds for everyone to register the words but eventually, they all started out of the pool. They were all breathing heavily and they all had broad grins on their faces as they all started chatting about the pitched battle that had been raging for the past hour.
