Izuku wakes up on the morning of the festival, with a similar feeling to the Third Day of the Summer Training Camp. The air is thick and foreboding, and Izuku has learned not to ignore such feelings. So he untangles himself from his sleeping soulmate, regretfully. As he is searching for his phone, he is glad they chose to do the closing event, it will give Izuku the excuse to wander around the festival to ensure everyone's safety. He finds his phone and unlocks it.
To Shota and Shanks:
I think something is going to happen today at the festival.
He warns the teachers, so they are vigilant as well. He understands the stakes that are depending on the success of the festival. If the festival is attacked, the school could be shut down. Izuku also knows that the adoption committee is going to be in attendance, and he knows if he appears to be unsettled around Eri; she won't be allowed to be adopted by his mother. Eri would end up in a high-security research facility. Izuku growls lowly in his throat at the thought of Eri being taken away from him. His phone buzzes with an incoming message.
From Shota,
What is it, Problem Child?
To Shota and Shanks,
I feel unsettled, similar to the feeling I had before the attack on the training camp.
From Shota,
I understand, I will inform Nezu that additional security may be needed.
To Shota and Shanks,
It could be nothing, I could just be panicking because I know what's at stake if the school gets attacked again. From a strategist's perspective, it would be a perfect time to attack, if they are going to.
From Shanks,
Thank You Izuku, for informing us.
To Shota and Shanks,
Well after the disaster that happened at the training camp, I have learned not to ignore this feeling.
He spends some time staring at his phone, not realizing Katsuki is starting to wake up. Deep in thought, planning ways he can protect everyone without being involved in the fighting. So he unleashes the full range of his Observation Haki, he typically doesn't do his max range because the sensory overload is almost too much. But after the Summer Training Incident, he can handle a little discomfort, for the safety of his pack, the other students, his teachers, and the innocent civilians that will be in attendance. As his Haki spreads out, and the presence of thousands of people push into his mind, he squeezes his eyes closed, the light of the morning sun stabbing and fighting for a space in his head.
Katsuki starts to wake, a tickling sensation prickling over his skin. It takes a moment for Katsuki to recognize the feeling as his Nerds Haki. He opens his eyes, searching for his Nerd, wondering why he would be unleashing his Haki this early in the morning. Did his Nerd have another nightmare? It's possible, but Katsuki doesn't think so, usually, Izuku will wake him up if it was bad enough to disturb his sleep. So he quietly observes his Nerd. Izuku is sitting on the edge of the bed hunched in on himself, eyes tightly closed, and face morphed to show his discomfort. Katsuki carefully heats his fingers and lightly traces his Nerd's exposed back.
Izuku whimpers, "Kacchan?"
Katsuki hums an affirmative sound and then growls playfully, "Who else would it be?!"
The teasing tone of Katsuki's statement is missed by Izuku, he whimpers again, "it hurts, Kacchan."
Katsuki buries his worry that starts to bubble to the surface. He needs to approach this situation calmly and rationally. Once Izuku is calm enough he can worry and fret. So he swallows thickly, "what hurts, Nerd?"
Izuku's hands tense over his head, looking like he is trying to keep his brain from leaking out of his ears. He whimpers again, "too many, it hurts, Kacchan."
Katsuki pulls Izuku back into his bare chest, maximizing the skin-on-skin contact. Izuku shivers slightly, as his breath hitches. Katsuki hums a soothing sound to further relax his Nerd. He doesn't know why Izuku is maxing his Observation Haki's range, but he knows Izuku wouldn't do that unless there is a good reason to. So he holds the Nerd tightly to his chest until he gets used to the Sensory Overload, or the pain passes. It takes a while, but Izuku finally uncurls himself, the tension leaving his frame in shivers. Katsuki continues to hum soothingly, breathing deeply so the Nerd can feel it and mimic the dramatic breathing to further calm down.
As Izuku calms down farther and reels his Observation Haki in just a bit, he sighs out, "thank you, Kacchan."
Katsuki squeezes his Nerd a little in reassurance, "it was nothing, Nerd."
Izuku hums knowingly.
Katsuki let the worry that has been building up settle around him, "so why were you maxing out?"
Izuku smiles softly, leave it to Kacchan to just get right to the point. "I woke up feeling unsettled. Similar to the time during the training camp. Then I remembered the disaster that turned out to be. And I don't want the teachers to be caught off guard if anything happens. My range far exceeds everyone else's, so I thought if I used my full range, I could warn Aizawa and Shanks of the threat before it hits school grounds."
Katsuki hums in understanding, he knows the risks of the school being shut down if the school is attacked again. Or if another student is caught up in an attack and knowing Izuku like he does this is the only way he can help without putting the school at risk, if it were up to them, they would be patrolling the borders of the school, stopping any and all threats to the festival. But it is not just the school at risk here. Nezu and Aizawa are using the school festival to prove Eri will be in better hands here than at an institution. If anything happened on school grounds Eri will be taken away from them. Katsuki growls at the thought.
Izuku chuckles at the growl he hears, knowing Katsuki has come to the same conclusions as he has. He wiggles wanting to face his soulmate. Katsuki's grip on him tightens, not about to let Izuku move an inch. Izuku whines dramatically, "Kacchan… you can let go now." There is a pout on his face that he is sure Katsuki can hear, even if he can't see it.
Katsuki squeezes just a little tighter, stubbornly refusing to let go, "don't wanna."
"But we need to get ready, we are supposed to meet Eri and mom and the gates." Izuku tries to persuade.
Katsuki groans, he was hoping for some more time to cuddle. He pouts and slowly loosens his hold on the other teen. "Fine," he glares, "but you better make up the lost cuddle time."
Izuku smiles softly, "of course, Kacchan." Izuku wiggles out of Katsuki's hold, moving swiftly to the closet looking for a decent outfit to wear. He decides on a pair of relaxed black jeans, and a soft green button-up shirt, unbuttoned with a white t-shirt underneath. He rolls up the sleeves to his elbows, making sure his nano suit bracelets are unobstructed.
Izuku finishes dressing quickly, he decides to sit on the bed waiting for Katsuki to finish. As Katsuki rummages through their closet, Izuku closes his eyes and focuses on spreading his Haki out in a thin layer to reduce the intensity of the signatures he senses. He filters out the students milling about, he filters out the teachers that are patrolling the area. He focuses on the large crowd of people at the gates. He doesn't sense anything negative so far, but still, the feeling of unease doesn't leave him.
Katsuki's hand waves in front of his face, breaking him out of his thoughts, Izuku smiles disarmingly up at Katsuki, "Ready, Kacchan?"
"Yea, let's go make sure the extras are up." Katsuki huffs and walks out of the room declaring he is going to start on breakfast, loudly enough that Luffy cheers waking everyone up. Izuku chuckles, grabs his stuff for the day, his wallet, phone, keys, and follows Katsuki out of the suite.
After breakfast Izuku leads the pack to the main gates. He has warned the pack to stay vigilant at all times today. He orders the group to notify him immediately if anything feels off. He tells them about the unsettling feeling he woke up with, stating that he feels the same way he did before the Summer Training Camp. The others nod seriously, if Izuku is feeling unsettled it is best not to ignore the feeling.
Izuku and Katsuki decide they will take shifts maxing their Observation Haki. While Katsuki's range is not as formidable as Izuku's, it still far outreaches everyone else's. Chances are Izuku would have already locked onto a threat and would warn Katsuki to watch if the presence gets closer.
As they reach the gates Izuku pushes the unsettled feeling to the side, not dismissing the feeling, mostly letting excitement shadow the feeling. He doesn't want the adoption committee to sense that he is unsettled. He catches sight of his mom, Shanks is right next to her, and on Shanks' shoulders is a small white-haired girl.
Izuku smiles blindingly as the trio gets closer, controlling himself not to barrel down innocent bystanders. As the trio enters the gate Izuku calls excitedly, "Chimichan!"
Eri perks up at the sound of the nickname she received, she spots Izuku and Katsuki smiling blindingly at her, "Fuji! Kacchan!" She squirms on Shanks's shoulders until the man chuckles and lets her down. She runs to the two teens happily. Izuku crouches down and holds out his arms, with a large smile plastering his face.
Eri barrels into Izuku with the same intensity as the first time, clutching him tightly and burying her face into his shirt. Izuku chuckles, because, unlike last time she isn't shaking and trembling from fear, instead she is just happy to see him.
Katsuki ruffles the girl's hair, "Hey, Squirt."
Eri looks up at Katsuki, a wide almost excited look on her face, "Kacchan!" Eri squirms in Izuku's hold, reaching for Katsuki. Izuku chuckles and with a final gentle squeeze releases her. Eri latches on to Katsuki's hand.
Katsuki blushes slightly and turns his head to the side. Their commotion has bought the attention of the rest of the pack. The pack starts to crowd the trio, curiously. Katsuki growls slightly as he feels Eri tense up, "Back up. You scaring, Squirt."
Eri whimpers a small, "Kacchan?"
Kaminari pouts but backs up a bit with the rest, "I thought no one but Izuku can call you Kacchan?" its asked accusingly.
Katsuki growls, "She has mine and the Nerd's permission to call me that."
Kaminari waves his hands in surrender, he bows in front of the girl, "I'm sorry, Eri. I was just excited to meet you. Blasty and Izuku have told us a lot about you."
"Blasty?" Eri questions with a finger on her chin.
Izuku chuckles, "It's another nickname for Kacchan."
Eri looks at Izuku still confused, "I thought his nickname was Kacchan?"
Izuku ruffles the girl's hair, "Kacchan is the nickname I gave Kacchan. Noone but me and you can call him that. Blasty is a nickname Ace gave Kacchan."
Katsuki huffs, "people can have multiple nicknames. The nerd gave you Chimichan, right?"
Eri nods, "Un"
Katsuki smiles, "and I call you, Squirt. That can also be a nickname."
Eri ponders this new information, "so I have two nicknames?"
Izuku nods, "that is right Chimichan. A nickname is a fun name people use for their closest friends or special people."
Kaminari clears his throat, "What does "Chimichan" mean?"
"Little wolf," Izuku hums, "I made it up using the first three letters of Chisana and the last two letters of Okami."
Kaminari brightens, "Ohh that is an awesome nickname, Eri." Then his face turns sour, "I only get called Sparky or Pikachu."
"Pikachu?" Eri asks confused, not knowing the meaning of the name.
Izuku hums, "It's a cute electric mouse from a cartoon that was really popular while we were growing up."
"Cartoon?" Again Eri is confused.
"Ah right," Izuku ponders how to explain it. He pulls out his phone and shows her a small picture of the cute Pokémon.
Eri's eyes brighten, "it's so cute." It almost sounds like a gush, but it is not quite there yet.
Izuku smiles, "how about during our next visit we watch the show together."
Eri nods as close to enthused as she could get.
Katsuki ruffles around for a moment before he grins triumphantly and holds his hands behind his back. "Squirt," Katsuki calls, gaining the girl's attention, Katsuki smiles warmly at her, "I brought you something."
"Kacchan brought me something?" Eri asks confused.
Katsuki doesn't bother explaining it, he just smiles "pick a hand, Left? Or Right?"
"Right," Eri answers still confused.
Katsuki shows his right hand, in his hand is a caramel apple, he holds it out for Eri to take. Eri holds the treat reverently, shocked. The apple underneath the caramel is a bright red, the caramel is slightly melted and thick on the apple. "For me?" Eri asks for confirmation.
Izuku and Katsuki smile at the girl. Katsuki reveals his other hand, and another Candied Apple is in view. He hands it over to the Nerd. Izuku's eyes sparkle just as brightly as Eri's. "Thank you Kacchan," Izuku cheers. Izuku turns back to Eri, "shall we check out the festival while we eat our treats?"
Eri nods in a daze, she takes a tentative lick of the caramel, "it's so sweet," she exclaims. She holds onto Katsuki's hand again, as they walk through the festival. As she finishes her treat, the other members of the pack notice she has calmed down. But they don't want to overwhelm her again, so they all take turns introducing themselves to her.
Mina crouches in front of Eri, "Hello Eri, my name is Mina, but you can call me Pinky if you want."
Eri guesses this is another nickname, so she nods, "Pinky."
Mina smiles, but there is something sad, grateful, and happy in her gaze, "Eri, I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?" Eri tilts her head to the side.
"For being brave enough to help Izuku." Mina states.
"Oh," something sad in Eri's gaze, "but Fuji saved me."
Mina nods, "he did. But I watched the battle on the news, and you were so brave. You helped Izuku make sure there were no lasting injuries."
"I was scared," Eri whispers softly.
Mina smiles reassuringly, "I bet. But you can't be brave unless you are scared. Everyone that was there was scared too, I bet. Even Fuji, even Blasty was scared. But you were all brave, and because of that the rescue was a success."
"Oh," Eri looks down, not knowing how she should feel. These emotions are new to her, she feels like she should cry, but she doesn't feel sad, so she settles for confusion. Izuku picks her up and lets her cling to him.
"Come on Chimichan, let's go check out some of the games," Izuku laughs. "I'll teach you how to play some of them. And then we can defeat Kacchan."
"Defeat Kacchan?" Eri questions
Izuku smirks, "Kacchan is too good at these games, I can't defeat him on my own." Izuku chuckles at Katsuki's glare, "Will you help me defeat Kacchan?"
Eri thinks about it for a couple of moments, face turning serious as she nods. There is a determined spark in her eyes as she glances at Katsuki. "I will try."
Katsuki smirks, "you're on, Squirt."
Izuku laughs gleefully and starts to bolt to the different game stands. There are games like darts, ring toss, water gun games, and fishing games. Izuku spends a few moments at each of the games explaining the concept of the game. Eri nods and follows along, an excited gleam in her eyes as Izuku mutters the science and theory behind each game.
They win the strength test. Izuku lets Eri pick any prize she wants. Eri considers the different toys and knickknacks, there is a lot of cute stuffed animals, some dolls, and other things. But Eri as a hard time choosing. But then the student manning the game moves a giant giraffe stuffed animal. Eri sees a small silver wolf with a crescent moon on its forehead. And for some reason the toy feels familiar, so she points at it.
Izuku smiles as he tells the student the toy Eri picked out, he hands it to the girl while calling his thanks to the student. "Here you go, Eri."
"Thank you, Fuji." Eri reverently holds the new stuffed animal.
She hears chuckles and coos coming from the other people that are hanging out with them. Luffy bounds over to her, "what's its name?"
Eri looks at him confused, "Name?"
Luffy's smile widens, "Well we have to call the wolf something."
Eri still looks confused, "but it's a toy." She states as if she is questioning Luffy's intelligence, not really understanding the significance of giving a toy a name.
Luffy hums trying to think of a way to explain it to her, without sounding judgmental. There is smoke coming out of his ears with his thinking. Kirishima panics and moves to get his soulmate to stop thinking so hard before he hurts himself. Shoto chuckles as he approaches, "it is a toy." Eri nods, Shoto smiles at her, "but sometimes toys are special."
"Special? How?" Eri ponders.
"Well, some toys have special powers to chase away loneliness." Shoto states wisely, "and sometimes, even a toy can be a friend. You can talk to it, cuddle it, and play with it. Sometimes, just cuddling with a toy can make you feel happy."
"Like a friend?" Eri questions.
"Exactly like a friend," Shoto smiles softly. "And what did Fuji say that we give our special friends?"
Eri's eyes widen in understanding, "A nickname!"
Shoto nods, "we also need something to call it. Because if it is your friend, then it's our friend too."
Eri hums, "What should I name it?"
Izuku smiles warmly at the scene in front of him, Shoto is such a softie. He hangs back with Katsuki as he watches Shoto brainstorm names for a stuffed animal.
Shoto hums, "Well first we need to find out if the wolf is a boy or a girl."
Eri hums seriously, "a girl." She states like it is obvious.
Shoto nods like he knew that already. Completely accepting the wolf is a girl. He hums, "now we need to think of a good name for her. Something that matches her personality. Is she a strong wolf?"
Eri nods, "strong like Fuji."
Shoto accepts this, "ok that is really strong. So we know she is a nice wolf, and she is super strong like Fuji. What else is she? What does she like?"
Eri hums thoughtfully, she looks at the small wolf in her arms, "She's from the moon." She points to the crescent moon of the wolf's forehead. Shoto nods along, Eri considers, "we can call her moon."
Shoto chuckles, "what about a name that means moon, like Mei, or Akari?"
Eri considers for a moment, "I like Mei."
Shoto smiles softly at the girl, "Mei is a beautiful name, I think it fits her."
Eri hugs her new toy, her eyes beaming happily towards Shoto.
Shoto hums, "let's go introduce Mei to the others." Shoto leads the girl to the others of the pack, under the watchful eyes of Izuku and Katsuki. Izuku takes a moment to scan the perimeter of the school. His Haki washes over all his packmates, cataloging their safety and attendance. Then his Haki trails over Shanks and his mother, they are hovering close by but far enough away to let Eri hang out with the pack. Shanks flares his Haki in response to Izuku's. Izuku hums and continues his search, he doesn't feel anything suspicious on the school grounds. He pushes his range farther out, there is a worrying signature on the far reaches of his Haki. But that far out he can't tell what their intentions are. It could be a low-ranked villain committing a crime. He makes a note of the signature and decides to keep looking out for it.
Eri bounds up to Katsuki and Izuku, showing them her wolf, "Mei is happy to meet so many new friends. Thank you for winning her for me."
Izuku chuckles down at the girl, "I'm glad she was able to make so many new friends." He crouches down in front of Eri, "now, you have to promise me, you both will look out for each other."
Eri nods determinedly, "I will!"
Izuku chuckles, "Well then, shall we go check out a couple more games?"
Eri nods, "yeah! And we can get a friend for Mei!"
Katsuki pouts playfully, "this time you need to help me beat the Nerd!"
Eri gasps, "huh?"
Izuku laughs heartily, "Kacchan wants you to play with him. If I keep getting your help, he won't win."
Eri nods, "ok."
Katsuki smirks competitively at Izuku, "be prepared for a butt-kicking, Nerd!"
Izuku cackles playfully evil, "I will never let you win. Mei's friends are all mine!"
Eri gasps, "No! I'll save them all!"
Izuku smiles down at her, "You are welcome to try, Little Hero. But I won't make it easy for you." He challenges Eri.
Katsuki growls, "Let's do this, Squirt!"
Eri nods, "with Mei's help, we will save all her friends!"
Katsuki chuckles, loving how motivated Eri is in their game. He leads her over to a game he is really good at. The concept of the game is to fill the balloon with water until it bursts. Katsuki picks up Eri and sprints to the game, Izuku is hot on his heels. He lays the money down for himself and Eri.
Izuku laughs as he recruits Shoto's help in winning the competition. Shoto looks at him confused. Izuku chuckles, "I have a plan." He whispers his plan to Shoto. Shoto nods along eagerly.
As Izuku and Shoto reach the game, Shoto sits on Eri's side, Izuku sits on Katsuki's side. At the sound of the starting bell, Izuku smirks dangerously. He turns his water gun to the side and pressed the trigger spraying Katsuki, "Take this, Kacchan!"
Katsuki sputters, "Nerd! That's playing dirty!"
Shoto aims his gun to shoot Eri's target making the balloon fill faster. A pop followed by a splash sounds and the water guns turn off. Shoto looks over at Izuku and Katsuki with a smug, satisfied expression on his face. Izuku gasps playfully wounded, "Shoto, you traitor!"
Shoto cackles, "This was the plan all along. I couldn't let Mei's friends be in your evil clutches."
Eri brightens as she finds another wolf, this one has a small Sun on its forehead. This time she doesn't need Shoto to help her name the toy. She shows it to Katsuki, "Look, his name is Sunny. He's Mei's brother."
After Shoto's betrayal, the rest of the Pack team up with Eri to win her toys. By the time everyone has had a turn winning something for Eri, the sun has started its early evening descent. Their fun is interrupted by a loud growl. By now most of the pack are used to this sound, so they finish up their game. Eri looks at the group confused and a little scared. Shoto ruffles her hair, "Fuji is hungry." He states, "Shall we take a break so we can try some of the foods?"
Eri nods, but still flashes a concerned look to Izuku. Izuku pats her on the head, "we have been running around for a few hours. How about we grab Shanks and mom, so we can go eat?"
Katsuki hums next to Izuku, "Ma will be happy you have made new friends."
Eri nods accepting the suggestion. If she thinks about it, she is pretty hungry, she is still getting used to asking for food when she is hungry, instead of having to wait until Overhaul or her guard remembered to feed her. She always thought the food was bland anyway, mostly rice and bread. The liquid she was given when her throat was dry was clear and tasteless. The hospital food had a bit more taste, but not much. The doctors didn't want to upset her stomach. But that Candy Apple that Kacchan gave her, was sweet, the liquid from the apple tasted a lot better than the clear, tasteless liquid she used to get.
Izuku hurries over to his mom and Shanks, "Mom!" He calls, getting the woman's attention.
"What is it, Izuku?" Inko frets.
Izuku smiles, "we are going to check out the food stalls. Is there anything Eri is not supposed to have?"
Inko hums, "the doctors didn't mention any food restrictions. However, we don't know if she is allergic to anything. So better play it safe and stay away from common food allergens like peanuts and shellfish."
Izuku nods following along, "Ok, do you both want to join us?"
Inko nods, "we would love to." And she pulls Shanks along with her. Shanks gets close to Eri, as she babbles and answers questions about her new toys to the members of Izuku's pack. Katsuki watches over the girl like a hawk, ready to swoop in and defend his own. Shanks swoops in behind the girl and lifts her up onto his shoulders, ignoring the warning growl from Katsuki. Eri squeaks in surprise and latches onto Shanks' hair.
Shanks giggles at her reaction, "I thought you would be able to see better from up here."
Eri settles and nods, still not used to this. But she feels light and carefree, for once the shadow of fear can't touch her today. Inko starts to put all her toys away, but Eri holds out her hand to stop her before she pulls her hand back and bites her lip. Izuku catches the action and subtly stops his mom.
"Chimichan, do you want to hold onto one of your new toys?" Izuku asks gently.
Eri nods but refuses to ask for one. Thinking Izuku is just going to pick one for her that wasn't already put away.
Izuku smiles warmly at Eri, "Which one?"
Eri looks at Izuku shocked not expecting to get a choice, she hums in thought, "Mei?" She asks unsure because Mei is already in the bag and put away.
Still, Izuku smiles fishing through the bag, "of course, Chimichan." With a triumphant sound, he holds the toy up. "Here you go."
Eri clutches onto the toy, she blushes shyly, "Thank you Fuji."
Izuku nods and pats her back, "Come on let's go eat."
Eri nods smiling a small unconscious smile. Burying her face into her toy. She was right the fear can't get to her here. Nothing bad has happened to her, the doctors were nice and asked her permission before they did anything to her. They explained what they were doing, and even gave her a warning when something was going to hurt. She had her blood taken and the doctor calmed her down as she panicked. He reassured her that they were only running some tests to make sure she is healthy. That was the only time that took blood from her, it didn't hurt, but she was afraid they would start Overhaul's treatment on her again.
She is broken out of her thoughts by a loud excited shout, "Sanji!" Izuku calls.
A blonde with swirly eyebrows perks up from behind a serving cart. "What can I do for you?"
Izuku hums, "Sanji, this is Eri." He points to the little girl.
Sanji looks at the girl, "oh? It's a pleasure to meet you Eri-Chwan. What can I get started for such a pretty little lady?"
Izuku chuckles at Eri's confused expression, he decides to help her, "we rescued her during the overhaul raid. She has been in the hospital since. The doctors didn't give us any food restrictions. How about something kid-friendly, tasty, but easy on the stomach?"
Sanji hums, "I know just the thing."
Sanji disappears to prepare his dish. Izuku chuckles at the man and leads the group to a section of set-out tables, making sure there are enough spots open for everyone. It doesn't take too long before an almost buffet is in front of them. There is fried rice, pork cutlets, an assortment of grilled meats, different veggies, and some lightly seasoned grilled chicken with French Fries on the table. Sanji huffs for a second, moving to Eri's side to take her drink order first.
"What can I get you to drink, Eri-Chwan?" Sanji asks.
Eri hums unsure, she doesn't know the names of things. Izuku whispers something in Sanji's ear, and his hair shadows his eyes. Eri curls into herself thinking she somehow made the nice man mad. Sanji pulls himself together after receiving a firm elbow from Izuku. He puts his smile back on his face, "How about I make you a special drink?"
"Special Drink?" Eri questions.
Sanji nods, and pulls out a small notebook, "What type of fruits do you like?"
Eri hums, "Apples."
Sanji nods, "Anything else?"
Eri doesn't know so she shakes her head.
Sanji nods again, "that is perfectly fine Eri-Chwan. I will get started on your drink right away." He stops himself from sprinting into his kitchen, forcing himself to take the other teens' and adults' drink orders. Most ask for water and soda. Sanji decides he will grab a couple of pitchers of different sodas and let them serve themselves.
Sanji disappears again for a few moments. He comes back out with a tray of drinks. His surprise drink is hidden behind the pitchers of dark soda. He places the pitchers down first before he walks over to Eri. He placed the drink in front of Eri, "Here you are, Eri-Chwan!"
Eri's eyes sparkle as she looks at the drink. It looks a lot different than the clear, tasteless, liquid she had before. There is small bubbles in the drink, and it's topped with some sort of foam at the top. The foam has some of that stuff that was on the apple Kacchan gave her drizzled on top. To top it all off there is a wedge of apple standing up in a small scoop of caramel. "This is for me?"
Sanji smiles at her, "give it a try. If you don't like it, I will make something else for you."
Eri nods, she hesitantly reaches for the glass. She is mesmerized by the tiny bubbles clinging to the side of the glass. She takes a sip, the drink is fizzy, the bubbles pop in her mouth. The drink tastes like the apple Kacchan gave her, there is a small hint of Caramel mixed into the drink, but it doesn't take away from the refreshing taste of apples. She giggles as she takes another sip, the fizzy bubbles tickling her belly as she swallows.
Sanji's eyes soften, "Do you like it, Eri-Chwan?"
Eri nods at the man, "It's sweet. Like candy apples."
Sanji smiles softly at her, "that is great. The next time you visit I'll make you another one."
Eri nods and quickly returns her attention to her drink. This is way better than that other liquid she was given. Izuku chuckles fondly at her, "Chimichan, I know the drink is delicious. But you should eat something."
Eri pouts.
Katsuki grins in a challenge, "you'll get a stomachache if you eat nothing but sugar. You can continue your drink after you have eaten a little. Okay?"
Eri considers the suggestion and nods, "Okay, Kacchan."
Katsuki blushes embarrassed, grumbles something under his breath that sounds like "Danm adorable."
The others near him hear the grumbling but wisely keep their mouths shut, Katsuki has been doing so well today not exploding or threatening them. And they think it is because he doesn't want to scare Eri. But they will not look a gift horse in the mouth and decide not to tease their Explosive Bomberanian in front of Eri. Izuku chuckles at his soulmate's embarrassment, he evilly wonders what Kacchan would let them get away with if Izuku and Eri team up together.
He considers convincing Eri to beg with him for Katsudon, it is hard enough for Katsuki to resist Izuku's pout, he can imagine it would be impossible for Katsuki to resist Eri's big watery doe-like eyes. Katsuki glares at him, already knowing Izuku is going to use this softness for Eri against him. Izuku smiles at him innocently.
Eri misses the exchanged looks between the two, instead, she talks about the different games she played today. Too distracted to notice Katsuki putting vegetables on her plate. She eats them without complaint and continues telling Shanks and Inko about her day so far. After the food is polished off, Izuku waves his hand in front of Eri's face to get the girl's attention. He smiles at her, "shall we go check out some of the other events?"
"Other events?" Eri perks up.
Izuku nods, "each class is putting on a different show or event for the guests. There's a fashion show, a play, even a magic show I think."
Eri nods excitedly, "let's go!" she cheers. She pauses in her excitement, "what are Fuji and Kacchan doing for the festival?"
Izuku smirks playfully, "it's a surprise. We have to wait until it is dark out to do ours."
Eri pouts not knowing what the surprise is, but her disappointment wanes quickly as the other events pop into her mind. She supposes, if she has to wait until it is dark out for the surprise she might as well enjoy the other performances.
The first event is the fashion show, Eri's eye glitter in amazement at the pretty dresses and outfits she sees. The women are so pretty, they look like the princesses Eri has heard from her bedtime stories. That was from a time before everything started to hurt so bad before her curse came in and she needed to be treated so she wouldn't rewind people. That was when her dad used to read to her at night, about magical castles, princes, and princesses. Eri claps along with everyone else as the contestants showcase their outfits. In Eri's opinion, each outfit is beautiful.
The second event she experiences is what Izuku called a play. He explained it like a movie, but the actions are played in front of you instead of on a screen. Eri is still confused because she doesn't really remember or know what a movie is. But she thinks she understands the concept of it, like a story she can see. She didn't really understand what was going on, but there was a forbidden love story, and a dragon, some warriors, and an epic battle. Eri was just impressed with the energy to truly follow along, but it was entertaining. Eri clapped at the end because everyone else was.
As they go through the rest of the festival events, they get to see the different shows and events. Every once in a while, Izuku flares his Haki out as far as he can, the same unsettled feeling has not left him at all today. As the sun starts to set Izuku and the pack meets up with Aizawa. Aizawa and Kakashi are patrolling the festival together. Aizawa stops in front of the pack, Shanks nods in greeting, "how's it going, Aizawa, Kakashi?"
"Nothing threatening so far, just some pesky reporters trying to get in again." Aizawa huffs.
Izuku smiles relieved, "does this mean our show can still go on?"
Aizawa hums, "sure, Nezu approved of it already."
Izuku's smile widens, "Alright, we are gonna go set up. You'll stay with Eri right?"
Aizawa ruffles Izuku's head, "of course, Problem Child."
Izuku fidgets, "you'll make sure she can see it right?"
Aizawa huffs, "yes, problem child."
Izuku huffs relieved, then a panicked look takes over his face, Aizawa glares at him. "Get going, problem child. You have a show to do."
Shanks laughs at Izuku's worry, "knock them dead, Izuku!"
Izuku nods and resettles himself, "ok, yeah, ok… everything will be fine." He turns to Eri, "when the sun goes down, look at the sky."
Eri nods confused but she supposes she is going to have to wait for a couple more moments. Izuku laughs as he runs off to the setup, they created yesterday. The ninja is already there keeping guard over the equipment. By Izuku's calculations, they have maybe 15 minutes left before the Sun complete sets. He spends the rest of the time getting everyone in position.
The entire student body is gathered in a field waiting for Principal Nezu to perform the closing ceremony. No one knows what to expect as the schedule and map didn't give them any information, just that it was mandatory to be there at the designated time. The third years have speculated that it is probably to perform a headcount of the attendees. The Sun completely sets bathing the crowd in darkness for a few moments. It is silent as the crowd stands confused, waiting for something to happen. Murmurs and whispers of irritation ripple from the crowd.
Eri pays no mind to the murmurs or whispers, Izuku told her to look at the sky when the Sun sets. She sits on Shanks' shoulders confused but patiently waiting. A couple of pops sound, and the crowd goes quiet, in confusion. The sound is similar to far-away gunshots.
Just as panic is about to set in, the sky erupts in an explosion of color. Greens, purples, reds, blues, whites, and yellows. An impressive display of color painting the sky like an inky black canvas. After the first wave of color dies out, there is a lengthy pause. The third years voicing their surprise, because they have never had a fireworks show during the festival before.
Music quietly starts to play, gaining in volume, silencing the crowd once more. Different colors of lightning follow the sounds of the music. When the bass drops the sky explodes in color again. This continues for the entire song. As the song dies down, the colors and lightning stop. There is a couple of moments of silence as the smoke fades. As each song plays the exploding colors continue to accentuate the beats of the music, as the lightning dances to the tune of the different songs.
The next song begins with a bang, and the colors paint the sky perfectly in time with it. This time the colors linger for a few moments, then another loud bang sounds as two dragons erupt out of the colors. One dragon is made of water and the other dragon is made of fire. The two dragons circle and dance in rhythm to the music. Flying above the crowd during their dance. There is no lightning during this song and the dragons steal all the crowd's attention. The bass is still accentuated by the sky exploding in colors, painting the dragons in flickering colors. As the song comes to an end the dragons slow to a stop. At the sound of the last note the water dragon freezes solid for a second before it explodes in different colors of sparkling shards of Ice. The fire dragon explodes in a spectacular eruption of colors.
The crowd is stunned, silent for several moments before they erupt in loud cheering. Whistles, hoot, and laughter erupt out of the crowd. Eri sits wide-eyed on Shanks' shoulders. Still processing the colors and the pretty dragons. It's a delayed reaction but she too cheers and laughs as the feelings of happiness bubble out of her.
Nezu takes the stage, "What a spectacular performance!"
The crowd cheers their agreement.
Nezu was going to have the boys come up to the stage for recognition, but before he can he gets a brief clipped message from a panicked Izuku. It is unclear what Izuku was trying to get out, but Nezu managed to get one word out of the teen, "Evacuate!" he turns back to the crowd, "This performance concludes this festival. All families are welcome to stick around until 10 pm to say their goodbyes to the students. Please do not wander off as we still have patrols in the area. Have a wonderful evening and thank you for joining us for this special occasion."
He makes sure hound dog, and Ectoplasm keep the students and family members in the courtyard. Getting affirming nods from the two, he makes his way toward where Izuku and his group were performing their show.
***Behind the scenes***
As the two dragons explode in color, smoke floods the area. Izuku stretches his observation Haki out and releases his feathers. The amount of smoke produced is not in compliance with the amount of fire produced. And Izuku is already on edge, but he pauses confused because the presence he is sensing shouldn't be in this world.
He poises his feathers to attack as soon as he can get a clear look at the person in the smoke. It should be impossible for this man to be here. Then the overwhelming smell of iron hits him. He uses his wings to blast the smoke away. Laying on the ground is a man with white unruly hair, punctured with several rebar-looking spikes in his body. Next to the man is a large toad, well large by normal standards, but Izuku can tell this toad is a summon. The toad is small compared to Gamabunta, and old, radiating an ancient sort of wisdom.
Naruto gasps, "Pervy-Sage?" Confusion and disbelief stopped him from speaking any louder than a hoarse whisper.
Izuku jumps into action, directing Naruto to try and wake up the toad. He has Kacchan, and Kirishima hold down the injured man. Denki, Ace, Shoto, Sasuke, Neji, and Lee are directed to carefully start removing the spikes. He directs Luffy to run and get Law and recovery girl, as he sends a frantic message over his headset. He flares his healing around the man and the Toad, pushing everything he can into the man. For several agonizing minutes, everything is quiet. Jiraiya is no longer bleeding, but Izuku can't be sure of any internal injuries. A blue orb spreads out over the area, Law switches his place with a rock, bringing Recovery Girl with him.
Law observes the injured man, scans his wound, and quickly sets to work. He removes bone fragments and foreign substances from the man's body. He directs Izuku to heal areas that are still bleeding. After ensuring the man's injuries are no longer life-threatening, Recovery Girl approaches. She can't get a read on the man's stamina levels so she is reluctant to use her quirk on him.
The frog croaks in Naruto's grasp, waking due to Izuku's healing. "Naruto-boy?"
Naruto releases a wounded sound, "Pa? what happened to Pervy Sage?"
Pa doesn't seem to hear Naruto, a small, relieved smile on his face, "it worked, Jiraiya-boy." He closes his eyes again, "Please, save him."
Nezu and Kakashi break through the trees, startling the group. Kakashi looks over the scene, "What happened?" Naruto tries to explain but he is confused, he doesn't know how the Sage and his God Father ended up where they are. The rest of the group there ignore the ninja, focusing on Law and Izuku healing the man.
Nezu sighs, "we won't get information out of them right now. All we can do is wait until they are healed enough to be moved."
Law's room dissipates, and Izuku's flames die down. Izuku sighs exhaustion weighing his words down, "I have done all I can. He should be out of the danger zone, but I don't think he is going to wake for a couple of days."
Recovery Girl sighs, "I would off my med-bay for their recovery. However, it would be hard to explain their arrival and origins here if anyone happens to need my assistance."
Kakashi hums, "They can recover in my room."
Nezu eyes the masked ninja, "Are you sure? It may be a few days before you can get your room back."
Kakashi nods but doesn't say anything. Nezu figures the man is going to stay with Aizawa for the time being. He nods accepting the arrangement, "Izuku, fly them over to the ninja's barracks. Go fast and don't stop for anything."
Izuku nods and shifts into Fuji form, waiting for the others to load Jiraiya and the Toad on his back. The others get comfortable and Nezu leaps onto his head and holds on. Katsuki pops small explosions to tell him everyone is on. Izuku turns his fire black, so he is not seen, and takes off toward the Ninja's barracks. Kakashi directs him to his window and opens it from the outside. Katsuki leaps off Fuji's back with Jiraiya in his hold and follows Kakashi's directions to the man's bed. Naruto follows with the small toad, placing the Toad down next to the Sage. He is reluctant to leave, and he flinches as a heavy hand plops on his shoulder.
Naruto looks up to piercing red eyes, his eyes fill with tears. His breath hitches as he holds in his cries. Katsuki huffs gently, "Trust the Nerd, he won't let your Pervy Sage die."
Naruto nods but doesn't show any signs of moving anytime soon. Katsuki pulls the teen into a hug, "he will wake up in a couple of days, then we can find out what happened to him." Naruto moves into his hold easily, clutching onto Katsuki's form.
His tears finally start to fall, "he's my only family. I can't lose him too." Naruto whispers anguished.
Katsuki nods, "The Nerd will do everything in his power to make sure you don't lose your family. But sitting here isn't going to make him wake up any faster. You need your rest, and if the Pervy Sage is going to recover he needs his rest."
Naruto nods, "can I visit him tomorrow?"
Katsuki nods, "of course. So come on, let's go to the others."
Naruto lets himself be steered out of the door, Kakashi waits for the two, "Izuku and the others are in the training room waiting for you. I have already informed the Hokage."
Katsuki nods and continues to steer Naruto down the halls and through the cafeteria. He leads the shocked Naruto to the training room. Izuku has a troubled look on his face, and Katsuki needs to know what that look is for. So his eyes look around for someone who can comfort Naruto so he can talk to Izuku without putting Naruto through more stress. His eyes fall on Sasuke, who still has his Sharingan activated in his shock. And Shikamaru, Naruto's soulmate crouches against the wall with his fingers tented in a way Katsuki has seen when the Lazy genius is thinking. He steers Naruto over to the Genius, "Shady," Katsuki calls out.
Shikamaru glances at the call of his nickname from the explosive blonde. He spots the teen, leading a clearly distraught Naruto over to him. Shikamaru stops all thoughts and possible causes for Jiraiya's condition and appearance. He allows Katsuki to place Naruto in his hold, the explosive teen is gentle with the Distraught teen. And Naruto immediately clutches onto Shikamaru with a whimper. Shikamaru strokes Naruto's back, forcing the male to calm down.
Katsuki lingers for a moment, still concerned over Naruto. But he doesn't need to worry because he is clearly in good hands, and Shikamaru immediately offers comfort. He turns his attention to his Nerd and meanders over to him. Neji hovers nearby.
"Nerd?" Katsuki calls. There is a haunted look in Izuku's eyes as he looks at Katsuki.
A whimper builds in his throat, "it's happening."
"What's happening, Nerd?" Katsuki pushes.
"I have already seen this. Though it is playing slightly different than in my visions. I won't know for sure until I talk to Tsunade to find out what mission Jiraiya was on. But if I am correct the Leaf is about to be attacked by Pain." Izuku explains.
"Already? I thought we still had time to train before we need to face Pain." Katsuki hums. "Is it possible that the visions are happening before they are supposed to?"
Izuku hums, "it's possible, but it is impossible to know for sure since I don't recall any dates. All I can say is Naruto had access to Sage Mode. I don't know how long Sage Mode takes to master, but he hasn't even started it yet."
Neji hums, "That is probably why the Fukasaku is here."
"The Toad?" Katsuki questions.
Neji nods, "when Jiraiya goes into Sage Mode, he has Fukasaku and Shima on his shoulders to access the ability." Neji ponders, "well that is what we are taught."
Izuku hums consideringly, "Ok, all we can do is wait until Jiraiya and Fukasaku wake up. I will give them another round of healing tomorrow."
Katsuki nods agreeing, "we should notify Kakashi, about the possibility of Pains attack. Maybe he can warn the Hokage."
Izuku ponders, "I don't think it is likely for Jiraiya to wake up tonight, but it is possible. Naruto is too worked up to sit there all night. The rest of the pack is scared. Kacchan, what if Jiraiya wakes up alone?"
"I don't think Kakashi will allow the man to wake up alone. He will probably keep a clone there." Katsuki reassures.
Izuku nods, "yeah, you are probably right."
Katsuki senses the tension in Izuku's frame, "come on, the others are counting on us to be strong."
Izuku nods again, he takes a few moments to settle his emotions, "yeah, ok. They can be scared if both of us are strong."
Katsuki smirks, "So let's do what we do best."
"Are you going to shift as well?" Izuku asks curiously.
Katsuki considers letting Fenrir out, he doesn't feel like Fenrir will rampage so he nods, "yeah if the ninjas are joining us, then it will be too cramped for just Fuji. We should let Aizawa, and Shanks know."
Izuku whines, "I wanted to see Eri again tonight, wanted to see if she finally smiled."
Shanks comes into the Ninjas' dorms and heads to the training room following Aizawa. Inko and Eri trailing behind them. When he got the warning that Izuku was feeling unsettled he spread his Haki out over the school grounds for the entire day. So he felt the moment Jiraiya popped into this world, basically at Izuku's feet. Keeping Izuku in his senses, he followed them to the Ninja's dorms. He waits until Jiraiya is put into a room and is left alone before he brings Eri and Inko into the Dorms. He doesn't want Eri to see whatever Jiraiya looked like to make Izuku panic so hard.
As he enters the training room he takes in the solemn atmosphere, the worry, and fear is heavy in the air dampening the light and carefree attitude they should have. Izuku and Katsuki stand off to the side in quiet conversation. The former Class 1-A students are hovering anxiously around the Ninja. Naruto has a vacant disbelieving expression on his face as Shikamaru tries to comfort him. Sasuke hovers close by because even though he was never close to the Sage, he recognizes the feeling of loss in his best friend's gaze.
He makes his way over to Shoto and Ace, wanting Eri distracted for a moment. Shoto smiles softly down at Eri. "How did you like your surprise?"
And that was all it took to get Eri to excitedly tell Shoto her experience. How the dragons were scary at first, but after noticing they were just dancing, she thought they were beautiful. Shoto leads the girl over to the others, lets her cling to him in her shyness. Shanks smiles warmly at the scene, Eri is happy and none the wiser of what happened.
Shanks tells Inko he is going to talk with the others, tells her something doesn't feel right, and he will let her know what is going on when he finds out. She nods, and reluctantly lets Shanks go, choosing to stay with Eri and the other packmates. Izuku waves him over, fear evident in his eyes.
Shanks steels his features, he needs to be strong for them, "What happened?"
Izuku takes a shaky breath, "I'm not sure." He hums, "but I remember this happening."
Shanks eyes widen, "you've seen this?"
Izuku hums again, "not quite like this."
Kakashi and Aizawa make their presence known, "what do you mean?"
Izuku looks down in thought, "in my visions, Jiraiya is supposed to die. I need to find out what mission he was on to be sure."
Kakashi makes a confused sound, "Tell me your visions."
Izuku nods, "Jiraiya is supposed to infiltrate the Rain Village. He is supposed to find out information on Pain and when he is going to attack the leaf. In my visions, Jiraiya is thrown off because the body Pain uses is supposed to be his dead student. He also wasn't expecting Pain to be able to control 6 bodies that are all connected through sight. Jiraiya is wounded heavily and falls into a lake where he drowns. The Toad that was with him, returns to the Hokage with a message on his back. He takes Naruto to start Sage training, and Pain attacks the leaf."
Kakashi hums, "I have already informed Tsunade that Jiraiya is here. I think Fukasaku reversed summoned himself and Jiraiya to Naruto, hoping he would be able to get them help."
Izuku nods, "it makes sense, there is no other way Jiraiya would have been able to come here. Let Tsunade know I'm going to talk to her tomorrow. I don't know how long after Jiraiya's death, Pain attacks. But he is going to want information on Naruto and the other Hosts. Not to mention two hosts should be in the leaf already, they will be in danger." Izuku breaks off with a whine, "I can stop him, I can save them."
Katsuki crowds Izuku, "we will Nerd. But there is nothing we can do until Jiraiya wakes up."
"I know Kacchan," Izuku sags as Katsuki runs his fingers over his mark. "It is also possible this is all coincidence. Jiraiya may not have been on that mission yet. I don't know when this was originally supposed to happen." Izuku sighs as the tension leaves his body, "we will figure this out tomorrow. For now, the pack needs to be comforted."
Shanks nods, "before you shift, you should see Eri."
Izuku brightens, "Eri is here?"
Shanks smiles as Izuku is able to push his worry down to focus on Eri. "Yea she wanted to see you before we head home."
Izuku nods, eyes scanning the group for his Chimichan. He spots her talking to Shoto, little arms waving excitedly as she recounts the firework show. Izuku can sense Overhaul's shadow over the girl snapping and fading as excitement and happiness take over. Fuji wants to come out and cuddle with her, but Izuku pushes down the urge to shift. He will wait until the final decision of where she is going to live comes out. He pulls Katsuki towards the others, shouting, "Chimichan!"
Eri looks up excitedly, "Fuji! Kacchan!"
Izuku laughs as the girl collides with him, "did you like the festival?"
Eri looks up at him smile wide, and real, "yes! I want to do it again!"
Izuku smiles reassuringly, "the next time you visit, I'll have something fun planned for you. I will show you how we made the pretty colors in the sky."
Eri's eyes brighten, "really?!"
Izuku pats her head, "of course, Chimichan."
Eri yawns as the excitement of the day leaves her, the promise of visiting Izuku and Katsuki again settling her down. Inko chuckles as she moves to pick up the girl. She smiles at Izuku, "we should know the final decision in a couple of days. The hospital still has a few more tests they want to run. They want to make sure that her years of neglect and abuse didn't result in permanent damage. Her malnutrition is slowly being repaired, but she will always be a little shorter than her agemates."
Izuku nods as he looks at the falling asleep Eri, "if the decision is favorable, she will have no issues in her diet." Izuku smiles softly, "Kacchan will make sure of it."
Inko flashes worried eyes to Shanks, then back to Izuku, "Something happened, right? At the end of your performance? Shanks got stiff and a few seconds later he started to lead us here."
Izuku frowns, "I'm not too sure what happened, myself. But one of our contacts in the Elemental Nations arrived injured."
"Oh dear," Inko gasps. "Will they be alright?"
"He will live," Izuku sighs. "But I don't think he will wake up for at least a couple of days."
"I see," Inko sighs. "That's good that he'll survive." She moves to hug her boy, "Izuku, be safe."
Izuku returns his mother's hug, "I will."
She squeezes a bit tighter, mindful of the sleeping Eri in her hold. She sighs as she releases her hold, "I'm going to grab Shanks and return Eri to the hospital. Call me when you can."
Izuku nods and releases his hold on his mom, "I will." She nods at him and turns to drag Shanks out with her. With his mom, and Eri gone, Izuku starts to shift. The others of the pack notice the shifting and a sense of relief flood the training room. Katsuki shifts as well, laying down with Fuji, as their packmates settle around them. It doesn't take long for Fuji's warmth, and Fenrir's fiercely protective form to lull the packmates into a relaxed state.
Naruto is still in shaky disbelief; his God Father might die. If Izuku is correct, he should have died. He briefly wonders, if the difference in vision and reality is because now Jiraiya knows Izuku, where before he didn't. But still regardless of the reasons Naruto is glad he won't lose his last family. Shikamaru is a comforting weight behind him, mindlessly tracing his mark, further settling Naruto's heightened emotions. Naruto greedily soaks in the comfort freely given to him. Sasuke is close to him, offering Naruto his silent support. Ace, Shoto, Luffy, and Kirishima are close enough to him that he can feel the natural increased body heat from the fire users, but far enough away to not smother him. He relaxes further, knowing whatever happens he is not alone anymore.
Izuku and Katsuki stay awake and alert for the entire night, Izuku keeps his senses fully open on the entire building. He keeps most of his observation Haki on Jiraiya and the toad, ready to spring into action should their condition worsens. Kakashi has a shadow clone close to Jiraiya watching the man, while the real Katsuki is with Aizawa keeping watch over the pack. The rest of the night passes without another incident.
As morning arrives, Izuku nudges Ace and Shoto, as they are the closest pack members to him. They jolt awake confused until they recognize where they are and who woke them. Izuku whimpers as he gets their attention, hoping to convey his want to shift. They have witnessed this action before and detangle themselves from the rest of the pile. They slowly start to wake up the others.
As the pack moves away from Izuku and Katsuki, both wolves morph into their human forms. Aizawa and Kakashi approach the two newly transformed teens, telling the others to go get breakfast.
Aizawa clears his throat as Izuku and Katsuki reign in their instincts, "Morning, Problem Children."
Izuku stretches, "Morning Aniki, Kashi, what can I do for you?"
Kakashi speaks up, "The toad woke up last night."
Izuku straightens up, "is he ok, does he need additional healing? Did he mention what happened?"
Kakashi sighs, "he is fine as far as I can tell. I couldn't tell what he was saying, all I got from him was a repeated mantra of, "the real one is not among them." Then he went back to sleep."
Izuku starts to mutter, "what did he mean by that? Could it be that Nagato didn't make an appearance? Or was this mission unrelated?" Before he can spiral down into endless questions, a thought occurs to him, "I need to speak with Tsunade."
Aizawa glares, "you will get breakfast first with the others. We will go to the new classroom, fill everyone in and go from there."
"But" Izuku starts to argue but is cut off by Aizawa's glare intensifying.
"No buts," Aizawa begins before his face softens and he lets out a sigh, "I understand you are worried, but without all the information we can't do anything yet. While we wait for the Toad and Jiraiya to wake up, let's fill in Shinso."
Izuku pouts but nods in agreeance, "Ok, Aniki."
Aizawa softens his face into a small smile, "everything will work out. Even if you get confirmation from Tsunade about what Jiraiya's mission was, we still need to wait for him to wake. We will need all the information we can get. So go eat breakfast, and report to the new classroom. We don't know when we will have another moment like this."
Izuku sighs, "you're right, Aniki." Izuku lets Katsuki drag him out of the training room. There is not enough time for Katsuki to make them breakfast, so he leads Izuku to the cafeteria. If there is anyone's cooking, he trusts to make healthy food for his Nerd, it's Sanji. So he drags his Nerd with him, following the scents of food he can pick up.
The normal breakfast chaos that follows the group everywhere they go, is subdued, instead, a heavy atmosphere lingers around them. Ace doesn't goad Katsuki this morning, and that is probably the loudest sign that something happened. Luffy isn't eating his weight in meat, instead, settling for a normal amount of food, eating at a normal pace. The ninja silently consumes their meals, even Lee, who has been non-stop vibrating in excitement every time he is around the pack is quietly eating his food. Izuku wishes he can lift this heavy feeling of his packmates, but he can do nothing to soothe the uncertainty everyone is feeling.
So after breakfast, Izuku leads the group to the new classroom. Aizawa and Kakashi meet them there in a few minutes. Trailing behind the two teachers is Tokoyami, Shoji, Shinso, and Kato. Izuku can sense apprehension and confusion rising up in the new arrivals. For Kato, the apprehension stems from the heavy feeling he can feel around his friends. For Tokoyami, and Shoji it comes from the shock that this is really happening.
Shinso was eating breakfast in the cafeteria, alone as usual. People are still apprehensive to associate with him. Knowing of his mind control quirk, the fear of what he can do with such a quirk prevents most people from wanting to associate with him. He remembers when he got his quirk, he was already written off as villainous. The kids in his class would blame his quirk making them do bad things when they got caught. But he wanted to be a hero, wanted to change everyone's views on mental quirks. He wanted to walk through the golden gates at U.A. because he couldn't help what he dreamed to be.
So he tried out at the Entrance Exam, he got a few points in the practical portion. But without using his quirk on others to have them get points for him, well it just wasn't going to happen. He was resigned to that fate; sure he was going to be crushed under the weight of a three-pointer. But he didn't, in fact as he closed his eyes waiting for impact, he felt like he was flying. His shoulder hurt, his arms mangled from trying to block attacks, most likely broken beyond repair. But then a sensation of warmth and comfort flooded around him, mending his shattered arms in just a few agonizing moments. And as quick as it happened, before he could even thank his savior, he was already zooming to another section of the exam site to help someone else. All he got was a glimpse of bright green eyes, black-green hair, and bright green, fluffy-looking wings.
So he vowed to himself, he would train, get better for the Sports Festival, show everyone he had what it takes to move to the heroics class. He was not expecting to be eliminated in the first round. Sure he knew he wasn't going to win but he was sure he was going to win his first match. But he ended up being matched with Izuku Midoriya, the survivor of the U.S.J. Incident, the Rumored Beast of Class 1-A. He was expecting just to take control of his mind and make him walk out, not wanting to confront him physically. But Izuku managed to break out of his hold, and that has never happened before. And when Izuku broke out of his hold, he was expecting the teen to be the vicious beast he heard rumors about. But to Shinso's surprise, Izuku only used enough strength to prove to Shinso, he needs to work on his physical abilities. After the match, he was not expecting Izuku to strike a conversation with him. Typically, when people find out he can control their minds after answering one of his questions, they will never speak to him again. But Izuku showed no fear, no hesitation in asking him why he wanted to be a hero. Izuku accepted his answer with a serious nod like he understood Shinso's pain and struggles. But how could that be? Izuku has a very flashy, extremely helpful quirk, basically a free ticket to the good life.
But in Izuku's gaze there was something, not like pity, but understanding and hopeful. Accepting Shinso in a way no one else has dared to since his quirk manifested. And before they moved into the dorms, Izuku always had a kind smile for him, always a gentle wave beckoning him to come closer. But he resisted, couldn't believe Izuku would want anything to do with him. They were in two different worlds, they wouldn't work together, won't train together. But then, then the Kamino Ward incident happened, watching the news, seeing his Hero fall, seeing Izuku's wolf form flying overhead to save a student in the middle of the chaos. It put things in perspective, brought hope to the forefront of his mind, and maybe all he needed was someone to support him, help him achieve his dream of being a hero.
When he moved into the dorms, he was not expecting to be put in the Heights Alliance building. He thought he would be with the other general education students. But he was placed in a room with Denki, saw the way Izuku was gentle with his excitable suitemate. Always greeting Shinso with a smile, not like the fake wobbly smiles he is used to, but genuinely happy to see him. So he trained at night in the gym, watched Luffy and Kirishima sparing, tried to learn, tried to have something to fall back on when his quirk wasn't enough. But having no one to spar with him, or help him in his quest to get stronger, he couldn't get stronger on his own. He wanted to reach out to Luffy or Kirishima, maybe they would be willing to spar with him, give him pointers on areas he could improve on. But something stopped him, something old and nearly forgotten, ugly and unchanging, thoughts of the past, looks of distrust, and well he wouldn't be able to bear that again. So he never asked, just observed, took notes, and tried to imitate and put moves his body isn't made for into practice.
So while sitting alone at his table, looking through the notes he took on Luffy's fighting style, he was not expecting the famously lazy teacher of Class 1-A to sit across from him. Shota Aizawa, Eraser Head, perpetually lazy and constantly tired, known for expelling students on a whim, sat across from him with his face unreadable. Shinso waited with bated breath, is the teacher going to expel him? Is taking notes on other students' fighting styles grounds for expulsion? Shinso doesn't know, but Aizawa has a reputation of expelling students first before asking questions. But Aizawa doesn't say anything, continues to observe him, it takes a few moments for Shinso to realize Aizawa isn't watching him, he's looking at the notebook.
Shinso gulps, "Can I help you, Sensei?"
Aizawa looks up at him, hums softly, "you want to get stronger?"
Shinso is so thrown off by the question, unsure if it is rhetorical or not, but still he nods. He ignores the buzzing in his mind wanting to take control of Aizawa, just to sate his curiosity of what the Teacher wants with him. Doing that impulsive action is sure to get him expelled. During his thoughts, he didn't realize Aizawa snatched his notebook and starts to flip through it.
Aizawa makes a sound, similar to an impressive whistle, as he flips through the notebook. He flashes Shinso a look, terrifying, thrilling, promising, as he smirks, "Follow me."
Shinso doesn't know what came over him, or what compelled him to follow the insane teacher. But he nods grabs his tray and follows Aizawa out of the cafeteria. Aizawa leads him through hallways, past the Gen. Ed. Classes, past the business, and support classes. So he wonders if Aizawa is bringing him to the Hero course. They're near the Hero wing, getting closer to Class 1-B, and Shinso thinks this can't possibly be happening. But Aizawa keeps walking past Class 1-B, Shinso's heart stops as they approach Class 1-A, but Aizawa doesn't stop. The teacher waves two other students over, Tokoyami and Shoji. They fall in step behind Shinso, just as confused as he is. The first bell rings, and Shinso has a fleeting thought he is going to be late for his class. But then he glances at the back of Aizawa's head and decides, it probably won't negatively affect him, since he is with a teacher. They are still walking when the late bell rings through the halls. But still, Aizawa doesn't stop, doesn't falter in his steps. He leads them outside the main building to a building off in the back, almost secluded from everything else. Shinso thinks this is where the guards have been staying. Aizawa leads them to a massive tree, only then stopping in front of a militia-dressed man, sitting under the tree reading a book.
The Masked man looks up and makes eye contact with the Teacher. There is almost something soft in Aizawa's voice, "you ready?"
The Man nods, "let's get going, shall we?"
Aizawa nods and leads the group back to the main building, past the Hero Courses. There is a hallway, Shinso doesn't remember being there before, Aizawa leads them down it. It is a long hallway, takes about 3 minutes to reach the door at the end. Aizawa opens the door, and to Shinso's shock, there is people already here. Some people Shinso recognizes, others do not look familiar and are dressed in similar uniforms to the Masked man. Shinso raises an eyebrow, confusion evident on his face.
Izuku smirks at him, something feral, promising, thrilling, more terrifying than Aizawa's smirk as he stands confidently in front of the new arrivals, "Welcome to the Underground Course."
Shinso finds the ability to speak a little delayed, "underground course?"
Izuku's face turns serious as he explains the purpose of this underground course. And Shinso doesn't know if he can believe what he is told, but he trusts Izuku, doesn't have a reason not to. And the looks on the other people's faces scream urgency and truth as he absorbs the information given to him. His disbelief spikes as Izuku starts to tell him about fruits, that these fruits have the ability to grant powers. That Izuku finally explains that he understands not having a hero-worthy quirk because he was born quirkless, until he found a fruit on the beach and ate it, only to be gifted with Fuji. Gifted with the power to be a hero, to keep his promise.
Shinso is about to dispute Izuku's explanation, about to yell and rage at him because he doesn't understand, he's confused, and how dare Izuku take advantage of that. Well, he was, until Shanks came in with a bag and dumped a bunch of fruit on the table. Strange fruit, Shinso has never seen before. So now Shinso's confusion rapidly turns to curiosity. And Izuku drops another bombshell on him, revealing secrets Shinso didn't even know the teen had. There's another power, one everyone can use? Then why hasn't he seen it, why does no one know of this power? Izuku smirks at him, ensuring him that Shinso has seen it. At Shinso's confusion, Izuku grins, "it's how I got out of your mind control." And that is another mystery solved, where Shinso didn't even know there was a mystery. Izuku goes on to say that particular power is rare, not everyone can use that power. But he holds up a hand to stop Shinso from arguing. He explains the power he was talking about, the one everyone, if trained properly can use. It's the power that turns Aizawa's scarf black, allows Katsuki to land hits on Ace. This power allows Izuku's feathers to pierce through the toughest of materials.
Shinso reluctantly believes them, sees no reason not to, not after Izuku's quick demonstration. And he is still shocked, because even if Izuku is explaining all this, Shinso doesn't even know where to begin to train it. Then Izuku smirks at him again, full of teeth and promise, terrifying, and thrilling, "Are you ready, Shinso?" At Shinso's confused look, Izuku's smirk widens, something feral and dangerous, "I'm going to make you into a hero!" Izuku declares like it is God's will. And maybe it is, so Shinso does the only thing he can at this moment, he returns Izuku's grin, with a determined smirk of his own. And Izuku studies him, green eyes glowing intently, causing a shiver to race down his spine as Izuku studies his soul, his conviction, his heart and declares with a nod, "then we train."
And the heavy, oppressing, commanding atmosphere lifts off them, as Izuku turns to Shanks. "Shanks, can I get the book?"
Shanks nods, to Shinso's shock, completely trusting of Izuku's judgment. He hands over a large book to Izuku. Izuku hums as he flits through it, muttering too fast for Shinso to even begin to make sense out of it. Shinso watches as Izuku separates the Fruits into three separate piles. Then he pulls out his notebook and rips out a few pages, placing them in front of each fruit. Shinso looks at the fruit closest to him, it's a pitch-black fruit, with an almost glittery sheen to it. Shinso inspects the fruit more, looking at the paper Izuku put in front of it, it is called the Shadow Fruit, it allows the user to create, travel through, and manipulate shadows. Seems perfect for an upcoming underground hero. There is a list of names under the information on the page. He sees his name and Shikamaru Nara under potential users.
He looks at the other fruits, there is a greyish green pear-shaped fruit. Looking at the page he reads this fruit is called the Ninja fruit. Basically, this fruit allows the user to be able to use their inner energy, or Chi as a weapon. Able to mold it to control elements to a certain degree. His name is also under potential users. He looks for any other fruits that have his name under potential users, he doesn't find any.
He looks at Izuku, wanting to know what the teen is thinking. What does Izuku mean by potential users? Is he offering Shinso power? But how is Shinso going to train it? Which one should he consume? Izuku hums as he finishes sorting the ten or so fruits, "Ok, I have separated the fruits according to type." Izuku begins, "There are three types of devil fruits, the first is Logia. Logia-type fruits, allow the consumer to create, control, and be that element. Ace ate the Fire Logia Fruit, he is fire, he can create, and control most types of fire. He can only control natural fire. He can not control my fire because my fire comes from the Spirit realm. This brings me to the next type of Devil Fruit, the Zoan. These fruits allow the consumer to transform into that model. There are three Subtypes of Zoan devil fruits. The first being natural types, cats, dogs, monkeys, ETC. The next type is the Mythical type, beings that have never existed, like the phoenix, dragons, etc. The last type is the ancient types, Gods, Demons, Spirit Beasts. Etc. My wolf is an Ancient Type, I consumed the Spirit Wolf, model: Fuji. My fruit is different from the other Ancient Fruits because mine and Fuji's souls are one. Fuji is the Spirit God of life, he has full control over life and death, if a soul is still on this plane of existence, I can bring people back to life. I can make a soul pass on. I can even destroy a soul. As I said before, Ace's control of fire does not work on me because it's Soul Fire."
"What do you mean bringing people back to life? Like Zombies?" Shinso asks.
Izuku hums, putting his finger to his chin as he thinks of how to explain his ability, "not Zombies. Its similar to a defibrillator, but infinitely more powerful. Fuji's power over souls allows me to see the ones that did not pass on to the afterlife. Typically, if the person died of natural causes, like old age, sickness, they would pass on immediately, I won't be able to bring them back. If someone is murdered, died in a car accident, or storm, etc. their souls linger for about 2 hours, and if I am near the soul's body, I can revive them and heal all injuries. There are certain instances where the soul tethers itself to a living person. Committing Suicide will bar a person's soul from ever moving on. If the soul doesn't tether themselves to something, or someone; they can be lost in Limbo. For the ones that are tethered to something, theoretically, if I am near a body without a soul, I can put that soul into the body and give them a second chance at life. Basically, if I can see the soul and have a vessel to put it in, I can. But they won't be Zombies, it will just be like they didn't die at all."
"Wow," Shinso gasps. He didn't think Fuji was that powerful, he thought he could only heal. But he supposes he understands, Izuku not telling anyone the full capabilities of his powers. Shinso knows exactly what the Hero Commission would do for a power like that. He has spent some time of his own in a research facility where they constantly studied his quirk, ran tests on him, all sorts of experiments on the capabilities of his quirk. He doesn't want anyone to experience that. Perhaps morbidly he pictures Izuku going through extensive experiments and tests. But Izuku is strong he would refuse the experiments, fight for his freedom, he would resist. And Shinso doesn't think it would be enough, he knows how much information they have on mental quirks. Particularly, the control and manipulation types. And he knows the research facilities have a few of those types on the payroll. They are not afraid to use them, either. And then they would force Izuku to comply with whatever they want him to. Nothing good; that's for sure.
Then all Shinso can think about is losing those real smiles aimed at him. Losing one of the only people that have no fear of talking to him. Even knowing the risks, Shinso used to think it is because Izuku is confident he can break out if Shinso decided to control his mind. But he didn't feel any confidence, or smugness coming from Izuku. All he felt was the lack of fear and trust, and it took a long time for Shinso to believe someone like that could exist; does exist. And Shinso spirals down, imagining Izuku not existing in his life anymore. And something in him panics, and it hurts. Because he doesn't want to imagine losing those smiles, the kind words the few time they spoke, the open, trusting gaze Izuku gives him. He wouldn't be able to bear it.
Why does his chest feel tight?
Why can't he get enough oxygen?
Why is his heart beating so fast, and erratically?
Why is he shaking?
Why does every sound feel so loud, but muffled like he is underwater?
Oh, this must be a panic attack. Shinso doesn't remember ever having a panic attack before. And he doesn't know how to calm down. All that is in his mind is thoughts of losing Izuku, and that is making Shinso's problem worse. And he feels like he is going to die, he thinks his heart is going to explode. Well, that is if he doesn't suffocate first.
Then all of a sudden, a wave of gentle heat blankets him. Wraps around him, and he thinks it's caressing him. Then he is pulled somewhere, where is he going? Why doesn't he fight them off? His head lands on something soft but firm. And there is fingers in his hair, a strong heartbeat under his ear, breaking through the water in his ears. His head moves steadily with the motions of exaggerated breaths. And Shinso feels his chest loosening, a little more oxygen filling his lungs. So he focuses on the rising and falling of the chest his head is on. His heart no longer feels like it is going to explode, he doesn't feel like he is drowning. And as the water leaves his ears, he can hear gentle whispering in his ear. Praising him, telling him he is doing so good. Good at what? Shinso isn't sure, but it is helping to calm him down. Numbers are whispered in his ear 1-2-3-4 accentuating the exaggerated breaths. Shinso copies the breathing, receiving more praise from the person helping him.
He starts to struggle, wanting to get up off his knees and back away from the person helping him. But the warmth wrapped around him intensifies, relaxing all his muscles, and basically making him melt into a puddle of goo. He goes completely boneless against the person holding him. The fingers are back in his hair, mindlessly stroking his head. It takes a few moments to open his eyes, huh when did he close them? That would explain why it is so dark.
The first thing he sees is green. Around him, warming him, comforting him. Shinso notices he is in the same spot where he last remembered being, just on his knees. He wonders when he got on his knees, and why is he practically hugging someone. He lifts his head off the person's chest, only to come face to face with the soft small smile of one Izuku Midoriya. And this is a smile that he would die to protect if that is what it took. And he knows whatever it takes he will make sure the Hero Commission never finds out the full capabilities of Izuku, and if they do, he will lay his life down to make sure they never get their hands on him. He also knows, as he is right now, he is not strong enough to protect this impossibly selfless teen.
He feels a warmth wrapped around his arm, so he looks. There is a green tail wrapped snuggly around his wrist. He moves to touch it, it is soft, softer than Shinso believes vicious beasts shouldn't allow themselves to be. But there is nothing vicious about Izuku Midoriya, only protective over those he cares about. And somehow, Shinso believes he is one of them. Probably has been since the sports festival. He has seen Midoriya around, witnessed his actions around his classmates. The smiles Izuku shares with the people in this room are kind, caring, real, and happy. The smiles he greats the rest of the world are tight, guarded, and almost fake.
Izuku's glowing green eyes study him, see into his soul and he smiles genuinely, "are you feeling better, Hitoshi?"
Shinso blinks confused for a moment, what did he do to earn a smile like that? He doesn't know, but he decides it doesn't matter right now. "Yeah, I think so. Thank you, Midoriya," Shinso responds in a whisper. He blushes as he realizes he is still holding onto Izuku like his life depends on it. He releases his grip with haste, sputtering and mumbling his apologies.
Izuku laughs, not mockingly, or degrading him in any way, just laughs. "It's fine Shinso."
Shinso nods, because there is nothing, he can say to that. He is embarrassed, and still possibly in shock. But Izuku loosens his hold on Shinso, and he misses the warmth. He manages to push down the pout forming at losing such comfort. Not used to it and wants to soak in it as long as he is allowed to do so. But with his mobility back he can observe the others in the classroom, most of them look worried. Even Bakugo, the resident bomb-boy with a personality more explosive than his quirk, looks worried. How can a person everyone calls a rabid dog off his leash pull a face that looks equally sad as it does worried? And Shinso thinks Bakugo might just be worried about Izuku. But Bakugo's wolf-like ears are drooped in sadness, tail reaching toward the duo still on the floor. What shocks Shinso, is the tail goes past Midoriya and wraps around his other wrist, lightly, with care. And Shinso is confused, so he flashes a questioning look toward Bakugo.
To Shinso's surprise, Bakugo grumbles something under his breath with a whiny undertone, and he turns his head to the side with a faint blush staining his cheeks and ears.
There is laughter coming from behind the two wolves. The flame user, Shinso remembers his name to be Ace, laughs and teases Bakugo, calling him a softie. And perhaps more surprising than the two wolves wrapping their tail around him, Bakugo doesn't retaliate in a way Shinso believes he should. Instead of exploding, Bakugo just glares, blush rising and darkening, but he doesn't dispute, doesn't deny that he is a softie.
Izuku must sense his confusion because he chuckles lightly, fondly, "Kacchan's new to sharing his soul with a wolf."
Shinso makes a questioning sound and starts rambling about how is Bakugo new at being a wolf. But then he thinks back during the time after USJ when he made his declaration of war, if he remembers correctly, Bakugo didn't have a tail then. He also thinks back to the Sports festival, he doesn't remember Bakugo having wolf features than either. In fact, it wasn't until recently that he has noticed the change, possible since they moved into the dorms.
Izuku chuckles at his rambling and decides to give Shinso a break, "Fuji manipulated the soulmate ability to give Kacchan access to his Spirit Animal."
"Why," Shinso breathes out.
Izuku hums, "one reason is that the threat we face, the Calamity, we will need all the help we can get. The other reason and perhaps the most important one is because Kacchan's spirit animal is Fuji's mate. Though Fuji didn't know that until Kacchan's wolf woke up."
Shinso looks at Izuku in awed disbelief, "you're 15 right?"
Izuku looks at Shinso like he is judging the teen's intelligence, "yes, I'm 15."
Shinso breathes out, "and your soulmate bond is already so powerful Bakugo can use the Soulmate ability already?"
Izuku chuckles again, now understanding why Shinso is so confused. "Yes, Kacchan and I have known we were soulmates since we were five. Our Soulmate bond is so strong, Kacchan can use my quirk outside of life and death battles."
Shinso looks confused, "Quirk? I thought you said you were quirkless."
Izuku blushes, "right I didn't get that part of my explanation. I was born and diagnosed as quirkless. I ate Fuji's fruit to gain his power. When I was nine, All Might, Shanks, and Aizawa were facing All for One and were injured really badly. I saved All Might's and Shanks' lives that day. For over a year, All Might needed extensive treatment, multiple healing sessions with Fuji to recover as much as he did. All Might had a quirk named One for All, this quirk is special, able to be passed down through the generations regardless of familial ties. The original holder of One for All was the Quirkless little brother of All for One. All for One has the ability to steal and give people quirks, most of the time the person he gives quirks to become mindless beasts, like the Nomu. All for One gave his brother a stockpiling quirk. It turns out that the little brother was not quirkless, he just had a useless quirk. The little brother's quirk allowed him to pass down his quirk. The stockpiling quirk and the little brother's quirk merged into One for All. There have been 8 users before me to have the quirk, and every time it is passed down it gets stronger. All Might was the eighth user of the Quirk, and when it came time to find a successor, he saw something in me, that made him believe I would be the best person to succeed him."
Something like understanding and a small amount of recognition flashes in Shinso's gaze, "so that is why you have a similar feeling to All Might."
"What do you mean?" Izuku questions.
"The sports festival, you broke your fingers to get out of my mind control. When you flicked your fingers, for the briefest moment it felt like All Might." Shinso explains.
"Oh," Izuku rubs the back of his neck, "Ojiro warned me about your quirk, I'll admit I wanted to experience it. When I was walking out of the arena, I tried just my Conqueror's Haki to break out. But then I remembered Ojiro saying when he got nudged in the second round he snapped out of your hold. I figured that pain was the key to breaking out of your quirk. Conqueror's Haki allowed me to be able to use OFA in a short intense burst to break out."
"So you knew you could have lost the fight?" Shinso asks puzzled.
Izuku nods, "I did."
"Then why? Why did you let me brainwash you?" Shinso asks shakily, not sure if he wants to know the answer.
"Curiosity, mostly." Izuku states, "but then I remembered you from the entrance exam, remembered how injured you were because your quirk wasn't effective against robots. And I remembered thinking, a mind control quirk would be a great quirk to be a hero. So I wanted you to show off a bit. It didn't matter to me if I lost, I know my own strength. If I really wanted to, I could have won all my matches in seconds, but I thought if anyone deserves to get a chance to move to the hero's course. Well, it should be you."
Shinso still looks confused, "So if you didn't care if you won or not, then why did you break out? Why didn't you let me win?"
Izuku hums again, "There are a couple of reasons, one being that Shoto needed to be taught a lesson on being stubborn." Izuku flashes a smirk to the hot and cold teen, getting a sheepish, guilty-sounding sorry in return. "And I need to show you that having a mind control quirk is great and all, but to be a hero you need more than just luck on your side. I was trying to see what you would do if your opponent managed to break out of your hold. I wanted to see if you had anything to fall back on. When I realized you didn't, I tried to show you that while your quirk is definitely strong enough to be in the hero course, you are too weak physically."
Shinso glares at nothing in particular, "I have been trying to get stronger."
Izuku looks curious, "what are your training methods? Who is your sparring partner?"
Shinso looks down at the ground, "I don't have a sparing partner. I have been spending the nights in the training room watching Luffy and Kirishima spar. I thought if I could study their fighting styles, I could alter it to suit me."
Izuku looks at Shinso intently, "why didn't you ask them to spar?"
Shinso looks at Izuku like he has grown another head, "because, after people find out about my quirk, they avoid me. Refuse to talk to me, or train with me because they are afraid, I will take control of their minds. I didn't want them to look at me the same way everyone else did. I thought if I asked and they said no, they wouldn't spar in front of me again, I would lose my only chance to get stronger."
Izuku whimpers, "Oh, Shinso." There is something sad in his gaze, "I'm sorry you thought that." Then Izuku smirks at him, "if you want people to spar with, you can spar with us."
"But what about my quirk?" Shinso asks in disbelief.
"Doesn't matter," Izuku smirks promising, "if any of us can't get out of your hold, then we need to train more." He holds his hand out in a deal gesture, "So what do you say? Will you let us help you?"
Shinso looks at the hand in disbelief, not really sure if what he is seeing is reality or something his brain conjured up on the rare occasion that he actually sleeps. But he thinks about what is being offered, studies Izuku for any malicious intent behind the offer. But all he sees is a genuine desire to help him get stronger, so he shakes the hand with a smirk of his own, "Deal."
Izuku's smirk turns into a blinding smile, "ok, first we need to figure out a fighting style you can use. Your body is not made for any of our fighting styles. Our quirks and Devil Fruits are offensive, and they augment our fighting styles. I could teach you different styles of Martial Arts, Haki, and Swordsmanship." Izuku starts to mutter too fast for Shinso to keep up. He looks up at the other former class 1-A students in fear that he broke Izuku.
Bakugo chops Izuku out of his muttering with a sigh, exasperated, "you lost him, Nerd."
Izuku's eyes clear as he ponders something, then he excitedly chirps, "Oh I know, the devil fruits. If you ate one you would have an offensive power that would compliment your quirk."
Shinso considers this for a moment, Izuku has already explained the weaknesses of consuming a devil fruit. He will be weak to water, but that doesn't really bother him. Also, Haki has the ability to bypass Devil Fruit defenses. But then again if he doesn't consume a fruit his offensive capabilities will always be limited. So the question is which one should he consume. He considers the two fruits Izuku recommended for him. The shadow fruit, and the ninja fruit, both have promising capabilities. But he doesn't know how to train them to their full potential.
Izuku senses Shinso's confusion and hesitance, "I have chosen three fruits I think would be perfect for you. It all depends on what type of fighter you want to be."
Shinso hums, "I wouldn't even know where to begin training these abilities."
Izuku smiles, "that is where we come in." At Shinso's confused look Izuku explains, "The shadow fruit is a Logia, like Ace's fire, Asui's water, and Sabo's Iron Sand. If you consume this fruit, you will essentially be Shadows. You will be able to control, create, and turn into Shadows. Ace, Sabo, and Asui will be working with you to teach you how to turn intangible at will. As for the Shadow Manipulation part of the fruit, Shikamaru can use Shadows to fight, he can give you some pointers on how to manipulate them."
Shinso nods but waits until the other two fruits are explained before he decides.
Izuku continues, "The Ninja fruit, is a Zoan. Basically, it will allow you to use your Chi, or Chakra to manipulate most elements. I am not sure how different the Ninja fruit is, compared to the Ninja in the Elemental Nations. But typically a person's Chakra affinity falls into one of five categories, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, and Lightning. However, just because your Elemental Affinity is Wind, it doesn't mean you can't learn to use another element. There is also pure Chakra Manipulation that does not use an element. If you consume this fruit, we will all help you, I can teach you weapons, Lee can teach you taijutsu, and Kakashi can help you figure out what element your Chakra is entuned to. Once we figure that out, we can partner you with someone of the same element."
Izuku lets that information soak in, Shinso nods in understanding. If he consumes this fruit, he will have multiple people available to help him train. Shinso nods for Izuku to continue.
Izuku hums, "This fruit is not physically with me at the moment. My contacts that are still in the Grandline found this fruit. But it is a Paramecia called the storage fruit. Basically, this fruit will allow you to make pocket dimensions. These pocket dimensions will allow you to store anything you possibly could, rations for our missions, weapons, gear. While it is not an offensive power, it is still very useful. You will be learning Haki, and any weapon you could possibly want to be trained in. Aizawa doesn't have an offensive quirk or a devil fruit, and sure he is not the strongest fighter out there, but that is the beauty of having pack. I will never force my pack to fight on their own. So which one do you want?"
Shinso hums, "they all have potential. They are all pretty useful as well. Which one do you recommend?"
Izuku puts his finger to his chin, "personally for you, I would choose the ninja fruit."
"What are your reasonings?" Shinso asks curiously.
"Shikamaru, he is a Ninja able to manipulate shadows and use his shadows as a weapon. I think the best person for the Shadow Fruit is Shikamaru because it would only enhance his Shadow Possession. If you are proficient at sealing Jutsu, then you could essentially mimic the storage devil fruit. Seals are meant to store, contain, and trap a force, when triggered they will release that force. You can make barriers that are impenetrable, with the right seal you can contain a God. Sealing is only limited to your imagination and ability. If you consume the Ninja fruit, you could learn Sealing, and whatever affinity your chakra is, you will have control over that element. You could make infinite clones of yourself, well based on how much chakra you have."
Katsuki hums, "That's assuming the ninja fruit acts the same as the Ninja from the Elemental Nations."
Izuku nods in understanding, "according to the book, the Ninja fruit allows the user to use his spiritual energy to manipulate the elements. Either way, the ninja fruit would not only be the easiest to train, but it would offer Shinso more options for offense and defense."
"I agree," Shinso nods. "I'll take the Ninja Fruit."
Izuku nods and holds out the fruit for Shinso to take. Shinso takes the fruit and holds it in his hand, he takes a moment to settle his uncertainty that this is real. He is really about to get a hero-worthy power, people actually want to train with him, help him get stronger. And there really is nothing to think about or consider as he brings the fruit to his lips. He takes a bite, coughs as the taste of wet ash bursts on his tongue. He wasn't expecting that, the fruit is very misleading. It looks juicy and being a fruit Shinso though it would at least be a little sweet. Shinso takes another bite, the taste is bitter, even the old trick of covering one's nose does nothing to dampen the horrid taste. As he gulps down the last of the fruit, he notices the other classmates, that have devil Fruits, look at him in sympathy.
While Izuku was focusing on Shinso; Katsuki, Ace, and Luffy explain things to Tokoyami and Shoji. Izuku recommended the Ancient Zoan fruits, Huginn and Muninn, all-seeing and all-hearing birds of Odin. Katsuki growled when Ace relayed the information to Tokoyami. And while they are not offensive fruits, they would be extremely helpful when they face Calamity. If they could hear and see everything on the different battlefields, then Tokoyami can notify Izuku where the most injured people are.
Izuku also mentioned there is an Impundulu fruit, which would turn him into a Lightning Bird, and the firebird of Amaterasu. These would be great offensive devil fruits, extremely destructive as well. The Amaterasu Bird is a falcon entirely made of inextinguishable flame, with the ability to create and control those flames. Obviously, the Impundulu is capable of creating and controlling storms. Izuku does not have these fruits on hand at the moment, but he said there is a chance they could get their hands on them when they go into the Grandline.
Tokoyami thinks both options are equally helpful. Both options would be devastating in the enemy's hands. So Tokoyami politely declines a fruit at this time. "I will need to think about it." Tokoyami states without hesitation.
Ace looks at him confused, "Why?"
Tokoyami hums, "I can see the usefulness of both options, but I can also see the devastation these fruits can cause in the hands of the enemy. I will wait until we can find the other two fruits to decide."
Katsuki nods, "Since we have these two in our possession right now, it makes sense to wait. The Ravens of Odin won't take much to train them. And if we find the other two that would give you an offensive ability."
Izuku bounds over with Shinso in tow, "Fumikage, did you decide what option to go with?"
Tokoyami looks at Izuku, "I have decided I will wait for now."
"I see," Izuku nods. Already feeling Tokoyami's thoughts on the matter and agreeing with them. He smiles widely, "Shinso choose the Ninja fruit."
Katsuki hums, "Let's go train then, Nerd."
Izuku nods, "Kakashi is already gathering the other adult ninja to meet us in the training room. He is going to bring some Chakra paper to see if it will react with Shinso's energy."
Izuku starts to herd the group out of the classroom, luckily, they do not need to pass the other classes because there is a door to the outside at the far end of their hallway. Now that Shinso, Tokoyami, and Shoji have been fully caught up to speed, there is nothing else for Izuku's mind to focus on. His mind turns to thoughts of Jiraiya and thoughts of them having to fight Pain soon.
Izuku wonders how this is going to turn out. Naruto has shut down, almost moving on autopilot. Izuku wants his Sunny brother back, but he understands the shock the teen is going through. Izuku throws his senses out feeling in the direction of Jiraiya and the Toad, he feels something almost alert and panicked, and he stops walking. "Kacchan?"
Katsuki looks at his Nerd, confusion on his face, "What is it, Nerd?"
"Take the others to the training ground, I'm going to check on Jiraiya." There is an almost commanding edge to his voice. Something doesn't feel right, Jiraiya should still be unconscious, and the toad woke up earlier according to Kakashi. So there should be no reason for the panic he feels. "Let Kakashi know I'm taking Naruto."
Katsuki nods sensing the urgency in his Nerds tone. He leads the others off to the training ground. Izuku watches them go, He stops Naruto with a hand on his arm, "Come with me."
Naruto follows Izuku obediently, his eyes gaining a little of his normal brightness back. "Do you think Pervy Sage will be ok?"
Izuku stops walking and turns around to face a vulnerable-looking Naruto, he places his hand on the teen's shoulder in comfort. "Naruto, look at me," the teen obeys hesitantly looking up at Izuku with tear-filled eyes. Izuku softens his face, and pulls the teen in for a hug, "I promise, I won't let Jiraiya die."
Naruto wants to struggle, wants to question Izuku's sure tone because there is always a chance Izuku is wrong, "What if…"
Izuku bops Naruto on the top of the head, "have you forgotten my abilities, Naruto?" Izuku asks a challenge. "Do you think I wouldn't try everything in my power to make sure your God Father survives? Don't you think if I brought back someone who has been dead for 15 years, that I could save Jiraiya?"
Naruto sags in defeat, his argument and relentless what if's dying on his tongue. "Thank you, Izuku."
Izuku holds the teen a little tighter, "no problem, Naruto. Now let's go see if we can speed up his healing, Shall we?"
Naruto nods excitedly, hopeful, and follows Izuku to their dorms. The rest of the walk is silent, but the heavy feeling of doubt and grief has lifted. He chances a glance at Izuku, the teen's ears flick, listening to everything around him. Izuku's tails sway in confusion, and his brows furrowed to show he is thinking. Naruto wants to ask why Izuku looks confused, but then Kakashi's door is in front of him, and the thoughts of Izuku fade to the back of his mind.
Izuku lightly taps on the door, the door opens revealing a clone of Kakashi. The clone waves them inside.
Kakashi's clone hums, "I was just about to dispel myself to let Kakashi know Jiraiya is waking."
Izuku snaps his gaze to the clone, "Are you sure?"
The clone nods, "he has been twitching and mumbling for the last few minutes."
Izuku nods and makes his way over to the bed where Jiraiya lays. He activates his healing and hovers his hands over the man's chest. He doesn't feel anything wrong with the man, his breathing is normal, heartbeat is strong if a little fast. That is to be expected since Jiraiya has just been in a traumatic experience. Izuku turns to the clone, "there is nothing physically wrong with him. All his injuries are healed, and his vitals look and sound good."
The clone nods, "When will he wake up?"
Izuku hums, "it's hard to say for sure. Could be in a few seconds, could take a few hours. Though I am certain he will wake sometime today."
The clone accepts the information, "you are going to stay here with him?"
Izuku nods, "of course. Send Kakashi up here, it might be best if there is someone he knows around. For now, I have Naruto with me in case he wakes up before Kakashi gets here."
The clone nods again as he pops out of existence. Silence falls over the room, both teens lost in their own thoughts.
