AN: I be lazy. I be mad lazy. Sorry.
Enjoy.
Chapter 8: One's Perspective
Awkward. The both of them. Their inability to speak to each other sparked a sort of competition in the silence between them. Whoever was the first to attempt to break the tense atmosphere would wound up as the loser with their unspoken rules. Neither side wanted to give in because both had entirely different purposes in doing so.
Katsuki Bakugo had a simple reason for his behavior. He didn't like Maruki at all, and the more he showed up around Bakugo in any variation, the worst that stance got. In his eyes, Maruki was an anomaly the academy brought in as an indirect attack on Bakugo himself. There was barely any information about this man and absolutely no records of any sort of history of him being a hero. That was Bakugo's first annoyance of Maruki. He wanted to make sure every faculty member was up to snuff to be useful in his goal to becoming number one, and Maruki served no purpose to him in his eyes. Just a nobody that somehow got past the low acceptance rate for U.A, yet he was involving himself more with Bakugo's class than he would've liked.
But this man had dared to restrain him so harshly at the training grounds. An act Bakugo wouldn't hold lightly. If it was someone like Aizawa, then he'd at least acknowledge that he was a man with the merit and prestige to do such a thing to him. Instead, he got an absolute nobody that effortlessly stopped him in his tracks. That humiliation stuck to him like glue, and it got harder and harder to move on from it with each passing moment. And if that wasn't enough, to hear that he and Midoriya were getting along sent his blazing fury into a bigger hellfire of anger.
Maruki, on the other hand, experienced a variety of emotions whenever he looked upon Bakugo. Disappointment, irritation, and hesitance. Maruki has only met the boy once before, and it wasn't the nicest introduction for either of them. The hostility exuding from him reminded Maruki all too well of just what type of person he was dealing with. He was someone who didn't want Maruki's help no matter what, someone that would defy him to the very end regardless of what Maruki would have to say, someone that only wishes to challenge Maruki to prove themselves better than him. He reminded him of the one and only detective prince that vehemently opposed him in the past.
Maruki was dealing with a Goro Akechi situation, and he still didn't know how to handle such a challenge.
He knew this wasn't the same situation as before. This wasn't some grand debate that would be battled out with which side's resolution was stronger than the other. This was a minor scuttle between a teen being too arrogant for his own good and an adult doing his best to steer him right. Maruki knows this all, yet he couldn't find the words to even start this ticking time bomb in front of him.
Bakugo only grew agitated when the time kept passing by with nothing happening. As much as he wanted Maruki to be the first to engage, he couldn't stand having to sit around any longer than he had to. There were more important things he'd rather not miss if he kept up his defiance in giving Maruki what he wanted.
"Stop wasting my time here. I don't have time to deal with trash. I got better things to do," Bakugo growled. He was about ready to blow right out of his seat and dash out the office door, but the mood in the room drastically shifted alongside Maruki. Bakugo knew he hit a nerve, and his toothy grin started to grow ever so slightly when he saw Maruki react the way he did.
"Trash? That's how you describe it? You seem to associate a lot of things with that word. Even other people..." Maruki slowly let out. His hands clasped together on top of his desk while he kept himself composed.
"Do you understand how powerful words can be, Bakugo? Comments such as those can be taken a lot more literally than you probably think they do. You understand the saying, right? If you have nothing nice to say, then don't say it at all."
Bakugo's grin shifted to a frown as he clicked his teeth in response.
"You're an adult, right? How the hell can you be saying bullshit like that to me?! I'm not a kid y'know! I'm way above shitters like that damn Deku, and the others, I'll be the number one hero before you know it!" Bakugo kicked on the desk in front of him as his seat pushed back away from it. He quickly stood up and started to take his leave.
"I don't have time to deal with this crappy drama Deku is trying to stir. I had enough with that bastard!" Bakugo yelled as he reached for the door handle to leave Maruki's office. That was until he had retracted it back quickly before it got smacked away with the tentacle that sprouted from the ground. It readily swayed side-to-side as it was prepared to act at any moment.
Bakugo's palm had sparks dance around it as the heat in the room was already rising with his power gathering in his hands.
"You've gotta be shittin' me...!" Bakugo seethed as he glared back dangerously at Maruki's still sitting form.
Maruki didn't have many options to choose from. He didn't doubt his abilities to subdue Bakugo, but even getting to the point where he would potentially face off with Bakugo was a clear reflection of just how horrible he was at his job.
'It's not like he was cooperating in the first place...' Maruki thought while observing Bakugo intently.
'There's so much to unpack, but I doubt I could keep him here all day. I need to cut to the chase, quick.' Maruki took a deep breath as he steadied his gaze at Bakugo's furious glare.
"There's much to be discussed here, Bakugo. You and I both know that the faster we talk this out, the sooner we can both proceed to other matters. So I ask you this. Why have you acted the way you have toward Midoriya?" Bakugo's anger couldn't have grown more at this point. He was basically at his boiling point, but some restraint was put upon his end as he really didn't want to cause too much trouble this early on into the school year.
'Even if he's a nobody, he's got at least some approval from the higher-ups here from this damn school. And his power isn't some one-trick shit I can ignore...dammit!' Bakugo quickly snapped at Maruki as he turned his glare forward as he kept standing in front of the office door.
"Deku this, Deku that! Why is everyone so damn eager with that worm?! If you wanna talk about him so much, bring him here yourself! Because I thought you wanted to talk about me, not him..." Bakugo trailed off, hating every bit of where this was going. Maruki was apt to pick up such cues.
'There are some clear...inferiority issues coming from Bakugo. I imagine Midoriya's sudden quirk caused quite a shift to his perspective. I need to explore that. I need to actually explore more of who Bakugo really is.' Maruki thought as he tried to roadmap an optimal way to pursue this.
"I see...I'm sorry if that's how it came across to you. But it seems all of the trouble with you always stems from Midoriya. I've heard his side of how you've treated him. I don't have doubts about whether they're true or not. But I can't quite wrap my head around why they happened. You mind elaborating for me?" Maruki was doing his best to get something from the teen, but he only got more bark from him.
"Tch...you really expect me to play along with some nobody trying so hard to act too nice for his job? In fact, let me ask you something. Who the hell do you think you are? As far as I can tell, you're nothing, and I mean nothing literally. You're not complete trash if you got power like that to mess around with, but you ain't got shit for cred in being a hero. How the hell did you even get this job?" Bakugo once again looked back slightly as he was waiting for Maruki to reveal some critical secret as to why a person with no records and great power all of a sudden became one of the world's greatest academy's counselors.
"If I answer your question, will you answer mine?" Bakugo's interest grew more than he thought it would at Maruki's proposal. Bakugo calmed down from his rage and finally felt like there would be some worth in this meeting.
"Sure thing. You tell me your whole deal, and I'll tell you whatever. Deal?" Bakugo couldn't care less about what Maruki asked him; if he didn't like the question, he would bull shit through it. Who's to say he had to be truthful?
"You first." Bakugo declared as Maruki nodded his head in compliance as he took a deep breath to help him focus on his answer.
"Who the hell am I, you ask? Well, I'm Takuto Maruki. I'm around twenty-three years old. I went to college to study and train to become a counselor. After I graduated and gained my license, I suddenly discovered that I had a quirk. That came with me wanting to pursue the career path of being a hero instead of my original direction. After some training, I made waves in making this power of mine something I can be proud of right now. After some convincing and a recommendation from a friend I met along the way, I applied to U.A. I got the job here as a counselor. In a way to help combine my old path and my new one. Since then, I've done my best to strive for my dreams. With all the successes and failures on the way." Maruki finished satisfied with how he answered Bakugo's question. He looked up to see how the boy felt, and he could barely hide his amusement at the amount of anger and shock plastered all over his face.
"You...are...shittin' me...right?!" Bakugo could barely make out the words as his voice was shaky with how mad he was once again.
"No, I am not. And would you kindly refrain from using such language? It could sound inappropriate if a student walking by were to overhear." Maruki felt quite accomplished to throw Bakugo entirely off his game. Despite Bakugo's fuming state, the situation was probably at its calmest point since they've started the meeting. Maruki was beginning to get confident, and he wanted to press on to ensure control of the conversation. But before he could get a chance to, Bakugo started muttering in a disturbingly low tone.
"Why...why are there so goddamn many of you!" Maruki's game plan for the rest of the meeting was thrown out the window as he focused all of his attention on Bakugo's shaking form. He immediately knew that the situation had turned delicate, and he carefully chose his words to try and defuse this bomb in front of him.
"What do you mean by that?" Maruki asked short and concisely. Despite his quick effort to contain Bakugo's fury, an explosion of emotions poured out from the teen as he pointed a finger at the man and started on his tirade.
"You! All of you! That damn Deku! Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, even that Ilda guy! How come you all show up all of a sudden! Deku was nothing but trash compared to me, and now all of a sudden, he's got the power to even dare go against me? And you...how can a guy get a quirk so damn powerful so late and hold me back like I was nothing!? Where the hell did you all come from!" Bakugo went over and slammed his fists on Maruki's desk as bits of explosions broke bits of the wood of the top. Maruki kept still and let the troubled teen explode with all of his furies.
"I have power...I know I do. Yet ever since the entrance exams, everything started getting so damn difficult. I didn't think anyone was on my level. I didn't think I'd have this much trouble at the get-go. I've been practicing and training for so long. I was the best, the peak, the one everyone knew would make it big. Yet now, all of a sudden, it feels like...like... everyone is getting so damn powerful out of nowhere while I just have to sit and watch!" Bakugo was raring to actually explode as his palms sparked more violently than ever before. Maruki knew now was the time to finally do his job.
'Power...it always comes down to that in his mind.' Maruki thought before speaking out.
"Power is only one piece to a whole in this journey. Believe me, I understand the value of strength and how it can aid in your path for your dreams. Yet without resolve or a will to pursue what you wish to obtain, or commitment to learn, then you're nothing but a prisoner to your own mind." Maruki interjected, granting him a Bakugo staring at him confusingly.
"As I've said before. I've only recently obtained this strength of mine. And though I've cultivated it to be this strong, I lack so much more in my pursuit to become a true hero. I couldn't do it before, so I'll make sure I won't repeat my mistakes again..." Maruki barely managed to let out the last bit as he reigned in the memories of the peak of his delusion.
"We're in the same boat, you know. Even if I am older than you, even if you had your powers when you were younger, we both know next to nothing about being heroes. Those that you've named may have good qualities to them that you see as unfair, but we all hit a wall eventually. You just hit yours sooner than others. They're not perfect. No one is. The ideal is impossible no matter how much we dream of it being a reality. But if we truly go forward and move together, we both can obtain our dreams. Maybe we can even reach farther than we initially set for ourselves. Instead of shooting for the moon, maybe we can reach out and stand on the stars." Maruki finished as Bakugo looked on with his eyes wide and mouth agape.
Bakugo couldn't describe what he felt after Maruki's words. But he was sure that what he saw in Maruki's eyes was genuine. Their determination invoked something in Bakugo as he couldn't wrap his mind around the feeling of being somewhat inspired. He'd never admit it, but he was sort of glad to have come and seen Maruki.
Bakugo quickly pushed down those emotions as he scoffed and shook his head in frustration.
"Damn...you talk too much," Bakugo said, though his tone was considerably less hostile than ever before.
"I believe it's my job to be talking this much. So you better get used to it." Bakugo raised an eyebrow to Maruki as he was back to being irritated with the man.
"Get used to it?! What the hell are you on about." Bakugo questioned as Maruki sighed tiredly.
"Well, as much as I think we've made progress in breaking the ice between us. I don't think we've covered anything at all that involves the original matter at hand." Bakugo scoffed once again as he knew what Maruki was implying.
"You're really gonna continue dragging me here with that Deku shit? If that's the case, then maybe I'll go and tell the rest of the school that U.A hired some jobber from the streets. Most of them think you're some secret hero that only the higher-ups know about. Still, if they find out the truth, then it doesn't matter if you're certified to have this job; if you don't have the credibility of a hero as a faculty member, then you automatically get labeled as a fraud by most kids here. So, how about dropping the idea of bringing me here again and letting me go?" Bakugo smirked cockily at Maruki as he went lean back on his chair and comb-over his hair with one hand. Bakugo felt like he finally got the man, but Maruki quickly retorted.
"Go ahead," Bakugo was understandably starting to fume again as Maruki continued.
"If what you say is true, then I'm not worried at all. In fact, that would make my work a lot more manageable. Regardless of how someone perceives me, if they truly wish for help, they'll come to me regardless of their opinion. Those are the students I wish to support the most. Go ahead and tell them all. I don't mind." Maruki finished swiftly. Bakugo let go of the matter as he turned around and made his way toward the door.
"Whatever, I've spent too much time here. I'm out." Before Bakugo could leave, Maruki cleared his throat to catch Bakugo's attention.
"Excuse me, Bakugo, but I believe you owe me an answer to one of my questions. We had a deal remember?" Bakugo clicked his teeth as he looked over his shoulders and huffed in annoyance.
"Hurry up with it then. I don't want to miss the bus."
"Of course. Bakugo, in your honest opinion. Do you truly believe that you are the best student in your class?" Bakugo's body locked up as his eyes grew wide with the question. Maruki kept eye contact with the boy as Bakugo narrowed his stare in response before turning away and responding.
"No...not yet." Maruki smiled as he could feel Bakugo's resolve strengthen. He knew that something was genuinely gained for both of them from their first session.
"Very well. I'll be seeing you at another time then. In the meantime, why don't we both work hard in our paths to become true heroes? Until then, farewell." Bakugo didn't say anything more to Maruki as he exited the office promptly after Maruki said his goodbye.
Maruki let out a breath of relief as he leaned back very far on his chair with his hands clasp together.
"What a morning...I wonder what Aizawa is up to..." The sudden remembrance of the night before left a lot of bad feelings in Maruki as he got up and went to exit his office.
"I should find out what's wrong between us. I don't like whatever happened last night." Maruki muttered as he headed out of his office, hoping to make up with Aizawa.
I gently opened the faculty office as I walked and found a couple of the staff minding their own business. None even paid me any mind as I walked around in search of Aizawa. I walked around aimlessly until I found an empty desk with a Shota Aizawa nameplate neatly on top.
"He's probably teaching his class right now...best not disturb him," I muttered. I went to turn toward the exit until I came face-to-face with a man that soon blew my ears out.
"WATCHA' DOIN' THERE, CREEPER!" I instinctively covered my ears as I winced at the loud and abrupt voice that belonged to this admittedly odd-looking man.
A tall slim man with that craziest hairdo added at least two extra feet on his already tall stature. He wore almost all black to his jacket, pants, and big boots. His main standout piece of apparel had to be these speaker-looking things around his neck alongside his bright orange-tinted glasses and a big smile greeting me.
"Creeper? Aw man, is that how I've been looking like searching for that man?" I sighed out loud as the man stood firm, awaiting an answer.
"Yes, yes you have!" The man said as I scratched the back of my head with a tinge of embarrassment.
"I didn't mean to come off in that way. I was just searching for Mr. Aizawa. I'd like to...talk over some things with him." I didn't elaborate any further as the man pinched and twisted one end of his admittedly small mustache.
"Shota? What biz do you got with him?"
"Well, we just have some sort of matter going on between us. And I'd like to clear the air and see what I did wrong..." The man smirked after he heard my plight as he chuckled out loud.
"Oh! I see now. Aizawa giving the cold and aloof schtick toward ya, eh? You don't have to worry about something like that with that guy. Aizawa being an ass to a new company is a staple of his ya know." The man smiled brightly as he confidently stood with expressive arms, gestures flailing about every time he spoke.
"Really? But even so, it definitely feels like there's something I did that bothered him. I still wish to speak with him regardless." I voiced out, earning me a slight grin from the emotive man that almost blew my eardrums out not too long ago.
"Well, then why don't you go ahead and meet him then? He went out over to the U.S.J. for some rescuing exercises with Thirteen, if I remember correctly. You'll catch him over there." I was glad to know where Aizawa was. Still, I was also curious about the man that was kind of an Aizawa aficionado.
"Is that so? Then I'll head over there now. If you don't mind, could you tell where the U.S.J is at?"
"Why, of course! You'd need to head out of campus that way and walk for a couple of hours! It's that simple!" The man said so quickly as I was left deterred by his direction giving. He simply pointed behind him in an extravagant style and posed like he was in a photo op.
"A-a couple hours by foot? Off-campus even!? Is there any faster way to get there? Like some sort of train or bus, I can take-"
"Nope!" I was soon cut off as he continued, "I doubt you could convince the principal to lend you anything if you're just going to talk with ol' Shota. I'd say you should wait for him to get back. But if you really want to see him, then you better get walking! They should still be there if you start now!" The words he gave me left me with nothing as I decided to give up on getting any more help from this man.
"I should get going then...but if you don't mind me asking. Who are you? And how do you know Aizawa so well?" I asked as he returned to standing normally as he grinned at my query.
"I'm Present Mic! But you can just call me Yamada. And let's just say that I have the luxurious title of being one of Shota's very, very, few friends!" The man exclaimed proudly as I didn't know whether he was complimenting himself or insulting Aizawa. More than likely, it was both.
"Very well, Yamada. Thank you, and I hope we can get along." I bowed as I made my way out of the office.
As I started making my way out of the academy and toward the direction Present Mic sent me. And without a second that, I was on my way to the U.S.J.
Not even ten minutes after my walk along a long dirt path with trees sprawling out on both sides of me did I have a thought. A thought that made me stop in my tracks as I looked behind me toward where I could barely see the academy.
What was that thought exactly? Well...
'I'm a terrible counselor...and to an extent a bad faculty member...' Only now have I noticed how easily and readily I was to leave my post as I was heading off to this honestly selfish quest of mine to make amends with Aizawa. I made sure to lock my office and leave a box on a table with paper and pen for students to write on. If there was ever a case where I was absent, and someone wanted to see me, then something like that would help students reach me better when I'm out.
'Then again, the internet exists. They could just send me an email...' Slowly the flaws of my makeshift mailbox were showing up in my mind as I made sure to walk a little faster toward this long dirt road I found myself on.
A few more minutes passed as I started to enjoy the tranquil walk through nature. It was pretty lovely clearing my head and simply enjoying the environment.
That is until I notice a giant dust storm far ahead of me and fastly approaching me. The speed at which it was getting toward me was terrific as it, little by little, started getting closer.
"What the..." I muttered as the speeding figure was now only a couple of hundred feet from me, and it had no sign of stopping.
I started focusing my mind on the ground as I made two portals at opposite ends of each other on this dirt road. Large and wide tentacles popped out from them as they both went and met in the middle to combine and make this sort of blanket in front of me.
I made sure to make them incredibly rubbery and thick as the figure soon enough had slammed into my wall. It started stretching the sheet far back as it traveled deep into it before being shot back from its bounciness and tumbling on the ground. I endured the physical toll it took to suppress such speeds as I dismissed the portals and ran over to the boy frantically, trying to get up and start running again.
Tenya Iida, the boy that had carried Midoriya to my office with that Uraraka girl. He started up what were engines on his feet as a look of despair was displayed on his face. Before he could take off, I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him out of it as his sights finally landed on me. He must've been tunnel visioning firmly if he was going to just shrug off his sudden stop and run again.
"Iida, are you okay? Why are you running so fast from the U.S.J? What's the matter?" The erratic and crazed look on his face left a bad feeling in my gut as I noticed that he looked as white as a ghost. He also had sweat all over him as he was having trouble taking in deep breaths with a state of panic. He soon looked up and realized it was me as his eyes widened.
"Doctor..." It was as if it was only now that he noticed me as I helped him on his feet while he caught his bearings from getting sidelined with my makeshift blockade.
"Doctor...the U.S.J...it's...it's..." Iida was having difficulty getting any words out as I started regretting stopping him so abruptly.
"Iida! You don't have to explain it to me. Just answer me this. Is your class in trouble in the U.S.J?" Iida slowly nodded as he was starting to calm down.
"Villains...I have to tell the teachers! They're depending on me! Doctor! You-" I couldn't hear the last bit of what Iida had to say. Because by that time, I was already in the air, soaring as I was swinging my way at top speed down the dirt road.
A sort of switch flipped in me as I heard the word villain. I don't really have the words to describe this deep and visceral emotion dwelling in me when it happened. I just knew that by the time I got there. I wasn't going to be the same man I thought I was before.
I was going to be a hero.
I was going to die. Not that I minded that, really. But it would've been a meaningless death If I couldn't save them in the process.
Villains showed up in a place like the Unforeseen Simulation Joint in hopes of catching All-Might and destroying him. A place in a sort of dead zone for U.A that they utilized to stage a cruddy ambush on a bunch of kids and two unprepared heroes. If All-Might were here, I wouldn't have a doubt in my mind to keep fighting. But the sad truth is that he wasn't, and so now here I am, drenched in my own blood as I was face-first into the ground as I could hear that Midoriya give out a grand punch toward those villain scum. Only to later hear his cries as that monster probably got the one-up him.
He wasn't bad at all. He had so much promise. A kid that even the great All-Might had started paying attention toward, which was understandable with how he would be the following user for One-For-All.
Speaking of people, All-Might has an eye for. Takuto Maruki. What a guy. He was just as impressive as the Midioriya, maybe even more so with how scary his power was. I never felt more helpless in my life, but I had some sense of closure knowing that a beast like him would be around after I was gone...
I probably shouldn't think like that. No one should die here, not before me anyways. I'd be damned if I weren't the first to go. But the sad truth is that I wasn't enough. In terms of how I ended up now and my potential, I was always doomed to just not be enough. I'm no All-Might, I'm no Midoriya, and I'm damn well no Maruki.
This is why when I opened my eyes and saw that man standing in front of me, I knew that it was okay to not strive and be like them because people like me weren't destined for all that power. We weren't destined for all that madness that came from their immense power. We're to just sit back and watch greatness unfold.
"What...bullshit..."
Maruki was just in time when he arrived. They paid him no mind as he slipped through a broken window at the top of the U.S.J.
Confusion struck the villains when tentacles popped out of the water and dragged Midoriya and his friends down below. The suddenness made the monster of a villain, Nomu, lose grip as Shigaraki started to pay attention to the man standing in front of the near-beaten-to-death hero Eraser Head. The tentacles then flew the three students into the air as another sprouted mid-air and caught them. Slowly it extended downward to place them back on land as they retreated within the portals, leaving no trace behind.
"Interesting...but you're no All-Might," Shigaraki said, as he stared intently at the newcomer that was Maruki.
Maruki didn't respond as he gave them one look over before putting his attention back to Aizawa. Maruki bent over and placed one hand on the back of Aizawa's head and snapped his fingers with the other. The magical green and white energy that flowed through Aizawa still left him astonished as he slowly got up and wiped off the blood on his face.
"Looks like I barely made it here. Sorry about that." Maruki smiled at Aizawa, which the man didn't acknowledge as he started dusting himself off.
"You shouldn't have wasted that on me. You should've saved it for something useful...like yourself." Maruki's smile faded as he pursed his lips and stared at Aizawa upsettingly. Aizawa noticed as he started rolling his neck.
"What? Just telling the truth. Cause now you have two more goes, and that monster over there is gonna need you at your best." Aizawa pointed over toward Nomu as Maruki huffed in irritation at Aizawa as he turned around to face the villains.
"Don't worry too much about that, Aizawa. I still have three uses left." Maruki stated as Aizawa stared daggers at the back of Maruki's head.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Maruki took some time to stare down the villains as Shigarki's curiosity was getting the best of him as he didn't sick Nomu on Maruki...yet.
"Let's say that our few scuttles have helped quite a lot, Aizawa. No matter how you feel about me, I'll always be grateful for what I've learned and obtained with what we had experienced together. Just know that every accomplishment I make, It'll be all thanks to those that have helped me on the way. And you're no exceptions. So, thank you, Aizawa. Let me show you just how much you've helped me." Maruki finished as Aizawa knew that was his cue to leave. But he couldn't help but think upon those words as he started limping away.
Nomu almost sprung up and made way for the damaged man. But was stopped by Shigaraki sticking his hand out as an order to stop.
"I have a feeling he's someone that we should observe more. That man may not be All-Might, but he's definitely not someone we can overlook." Shigaraki mumbled as the itch on his neck grew more intense the more he looked onto Maruki.
"You don't look like a hero, mister. I've never seen one dress so informally before. A scientist, maybe? But with the power to open portals and summon those tentacles like that? What a villainous quirk." Shigaraki said as Maruki glared at the man with deep resentment as Nomu eagerly observed him.
"Sorry to disappoint you. You've must have been waiting for All-Might all this time, I reckon? Sadly, I'm not him. But matter not. I am here. And I'll make sure you understand that your actions have repercussions." Maruki promptly notified them as Shigaraki couldn't help scratching himself intensely at this point.
"That look...why are you giving me such a look..." He muttered.
"What kind of hero are you?" Shigaraki asked as Maruki didn't falter in their little staredown.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm no hero. At least, not yet. But in the meantime..." One big portal emerged in front of Maruki on the ground. His whole demeanor shifted as he readied himself and summoned his Rabbit Feet.
"I'll fight you as you did with everyone else..." Maruki then snapped his fingers as a pure green light shined over him as he shot after Shigarki, "Like an animal!"
And much to their surprise. Maruki had landed the first blow.
The day before...
I couldn't help but think over what had happened with Aizawa. It was so sudden with how he'd gone up and left me there by myself. I could feel the anger and frustration, but not one clue why he was feeling that way.
'Was I too harsh? Should I have not gotten so serious back there? Sure it wasn't that even of a playing ground by the end of it, yet I couldn't help myself from not holding back when I got in that...zone.' I thought as I tumbled about in the little shack I still lived in. Until I get my first paycheck from U.A., I'm still gonna kick it out in my humble abode while doing my job.
'No time to think about it too much. Time to get some shut-eye...' It took some time, but I was nearly ready to succumb and leave this stressful day behind me.
That is until she started calling me.
It was like sirens were going off, warning me of imminent danger was coming my way as my phone rang.
I weighed the pros and cons of answering the phone and ultimately decided that if I ignored her, I would guarantee a rough meeting in the future. She would never let this down.
Steeling my nerves and kissing goodbye any chance of a restful night's sleep. I picked up my phone and answered as I spoke groggily into the receiver.
"Hello-" I instinctively moved the phone away from my ear as Rumi started shouting as usual.
"Oi cub scout! It's been a while, huh? You miss your senpai at all~," Rumi started blaring through the speakers. I didn't pay mind to the last part as I sighed tiredly.
"It's been, at most, two days. I'm starting to think you actually miss me more." I said as Rumi chuckled.
"Aw, how did you know? I can't leave my protege unattended. If I don't give you attention, then you'll fall for the next pretty lady you see." My cheeks flushed as I gritted my teeth with her teasing.
"I certainly wouldn't! What do you take me for?"
"A man that will fall for any pretty lady that gives you attention? I thought I was clear on that?" She said in a deadpan tone.
"W-whatever..." I gave as I knew that I had no luck in defending myself when it came to this type of thing.
"Oh! That reminds! Promise me you won't get with anyone! Okay!? You can't be having that kind of distraction if you're trying to be a hero this late into the game. So promise, okay!?" Rumi demanded as I was confused as to why she would make one.
"What? Why do I have to promise something like that?" I asked, confused.
"Promise!" She replied, completely disregarding my question.
"But-!"
"PROMISE!" She said louder as I gave in once more.
"Fine! Not like I would look for someone...not now...maybe not ever..." I mumbled the last bit, but Rumi sounded wholly content with my promise as the conversation went cold. There wasn't much for me to bring up, and it wasn't long before we actually did talk with one another. A couple of seconds of dead air went by before Rumi became a psychic out of nowhere.
"Something's troubling ya. What is it?" She asked upfront, and I was taken aback by how she managed to figure it out, but I chalked it up to me being really easy for her to read.
"It's nothing much...I just got into a fight with someone, and I don't know what I did wrong."
"Hey! What did I say about trying to get with other girls?!" I shook my head at this apparent misunderstanding as I tried to clear it up.
"It's not a girl Rumi. It's a guy!" I said, hoping to clear the confusion, which led to another misunderstanding.
"Oh...I didn't know you...well, swung that way." Rumi started. I already knew where she was going with this, and I tried to clear it up.
"Wait wait wait! Not like that-"
"I mean, it's cool and all. I respect it. You know this one time I-"
"Not like that, Rumi!" I yelled, which earned me a small chuckle from Rumi.
"I'm messing with you, cub scout. C'mon, tell me the deets." Rumi calmly asked as I explained what had happened with Aizawa.
"Okay...so you just kicked Eraser Head's ass like that? No wonder he's pissed! But I'm more impressed than anything! You've officially graduated from cub scout to...I'll think of something later." Rumi spoke enthusiastically as I was still feeling guilty about the whole situation. I knew she wouldn't be much in this department, but I'm sure she could help me with my next problem. If it should even be considered one.
"Yeah...I knew you were no help with that. But I do have one question for you." I started as Rumi went quiet. I took it as a sign to go on as I started asking her.
"When you fight Rumi. Do you ever...zone out? Like, you're in the middle of it all and getting really into it, but you just stop noticing that you aren't really...caring? You don't hold back any punches; you just go?" Silence from the other line spelled nothing but bad news as I knew what I said wasn't normal. I could deduce that it wasn't, but maybe it was like a hero thing. Apparently, it wasn't.
"Maruki...what you just describe...it's actually kinda dangerous. Has this happened every time you've fought?" Rumi's concern was both endearing and frightening at the same time.
"I guess every spar I've had with Aizawa, there was some semblance of it there one way or another. It was just terrible this time around." Rumi took some time to process what I said as I recalled every sparring session with Aizawa. And I could remember specific points where I just went way too far. She is right. It's most certainly dangerous.
"I'll explain it the way I can describe it. What you experienced is something every hero potentially encounters when fighting with a villain. But it's something villains constantly delve into, from what I could gather. I call it. The Den." The no-nonsense tone of her voice left me yearning from when this call first started out, but I need to know what precisely this state of mind is.
"So, in short, it's a villain thing." I bluntly laid out, to which Rumi responded with a heavy sigh.
"It's not necessarily purely a 'villain' thing, but from what all the other heroes and I experienced, it's definitely something most of the bigger bads kinda dwell themselves in. Let me explain," I eagerly sat up and listened intently as Rumi started.
"Many heroes got all kinds of ways they approach explaining that mentality. For me, I saw it as The Den. The Den is this cave, a really dark one. One that anyone can enter if they wish to. Bones are left scattered at its entrance, the inside filled with all sorts of roars, hisses, and rumbling within. If you enter The Den, you then accept a mindset of kill or be killed. What you become once you embrace what's inside is pure savagery. You become an animal, and maybe even a beast. The Den doesn't spare no one, as all is fair in such dark and violent area." I sat with the explanation a bit as I tried relating the description with what I had felt at the time with Aizawa.
'Kill or be killed...was that the lengths I went with Aizawa?' I recalled the interview and how I almost hit Aizawa with the [God's Hand]. Then the second fight, which was a lot more tamer, the playing ground was indeed even that time.
But tonight...by the end of it, I was just humiliating him. My power had all the advantage, and his quirk couldn't suppress me at all. It was too one-sided to consider a spar. Yet was it going to get bad enough where I would kill him?
"Rumi, you said that you become an animal, but you also said a beast. What's the difference in that?" I asked, wondering what category I fit in.
"Alrighty, here's the rundown for that. Heroes can become animals but never beasts. Why is that? If a hero ever becomes a beast, they forfeit every right to call themselves a hero. An animal gets their food from outside The Den and only goes in The Den when they have no choice. When they have no shelter but the Den. They fight for their right to stay safe inside the Den, nothing more. The beasts...they don't need to do what the animals do. They eat within the Den. Beasts eat animals and other beasts. They thrive there, and they never want to leave. It's a way of saying the beasts are way too deep and that they can't get out. The day a hero thrives off The Den is when they aren't a hero anymore. Does that sound familiar to you?" Rumi finished as I pondered the question.
"I don't know, really. Animals go to The Den because they have to. Beasts, on the other hand, well, they want to stay in The Den. And well for me..." I had a hard time articulating what I gained from that mindset. I can't pinpoint if I need The Den or want it.
"Rumi, I need you, to be honest with me. What if I say I benefited from The Den. What does that tell you?"
"Hmm...in what way exactly?" Rumi's voice was deathly serious as I tried to explain what I felt when in that state of mind.
"In a way, when I'm in that trance, that state of mind, I feel liberated. I feel as if everything clicks, and I'm at my best. But I don't necessarily enjoy it because I fight better. I benefit from the experience and knowledge I gain. Everything is so clear when I go to that place. I know just what to do and how to execute it well. But it doesn't feel bad during it or after it. What does that say about me." I stopped and patiently waited as Rumi took her time to try and decipher a mess of an explanation I gave. I don't truly understand what I gain from it. But there is no question that I gain something when I fight in that mindset.
"Congratulations, Maruki, you've officially added a third creature to the Den. The goddamn psychopath." I sighed at her joking manner, but I knew that what I told her wasn't something to brush off so quickly.
"Look, is it so hard to believe that someone can benefit from The Den without entirely falling victim to it?"
"Yes, Maruki, yes." Rumi bluntly stated as I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Okay, okay, I get I'm some damn narcissist that thinks he's special to completely circumvent the rules of a mentality that breeds villains! I get it now...I'm no fit to be a hero..." I could feel the negative thoughts bursting into my mind as the what-ifs scenarios with Aizawa flooded my brain.
"But, who knows. It's just something that we heroes kinda made up to justify some things." Rumi casually inputted as I left my sad state to question why I even listen to this woman.
"So what? That whole Den talk was for nothing?!" I asked incredulously, feeling like I had just wasted my night's sleep.
"What? No! It's totally legit with all heroes. It's just the way you explained how you experienced it is seriously weird. But it's not cut and dry like that. The human mind is all kinds of jacked up, you know? So I suggest for a weirdo like you, you shouldn't use The Den as your interpretation for it." I raised an eyebrow about what she was getting at as she continued.
"Think of it like The Sea. You can dip your toe in, but anything more, and you're just done for."
"Rumi, that's basically the same thing as to what we just discussed." I groaned.
"Well, it's easier to say to dip your toe in The Sea than to walk in The Den. Just...try not to rely on it, Maruki. Even if you dip your toe in, if you're not careful, then the next thing you know, you're drowning." I nodded my head in agreement as I sighed tiredly once more. Rumi did the same.
"Yep, we're calling it tonight. All that mental psychology-type stuff just ain't my thang. I'll catch ya later, Taku."
"Taku? Is that what you're calling me now?" I asked as I could already visualize Rumi shrugging her shoulders.
"I guess. You call me Rumi all the goddamn time. I feel like I should have a four-letter nickname for you at least." She explained as I chuckled at her reasoning.
"Really? At this point, me calling you by your first name, and you giving me a pet name. People might think we were dating or something. Haha!" I laughed as the other line got silent.
"Uh...Rumi? You there?" I asked as I got a brief response from her.
"Goodnight." It was quick and rushed as she hung up the call. I couldn't help but have the goofiest smile on my face as I knew that would get her.
'All night of her teasing me, and when I do it once, she can't handle it! Score one for Maruki!' I proudly thought as my last-minute victory felt nice.
'I guess even Rumi has her own weaknesses. But I wonder why that's what gets her...' I thought as I drifted off to sleep. Thinking more about The Den. As I could see it perfectly in my mind.
If there are animals and beasts there clawing and ripping each other apart. Then I'll be the hunter that punishes those who partake.
I'll be the monster among beasts.
AN: I suck, sorry. Also, stay safe out there. Real crazy world we live in right now.