Chapter 5!
Woo, finally back to things. I probably won't have much to say here or even in the end notes cause this was a part of a batch update so let's just say for this story we're moving along nicely! Thanks to everyone for being so patient and I explained on Slice of Light more in depth on my absence and plans but the very short form is creative rut. I've updated Slice of Light and Time alongside this one.
User/Reviewer reaivyLS: I definitely have a pretty good idea on some of the changes that will come about with the removal of Stain's speech, both for the League and overall in general. You're right on with the idea that they won't be gaining a number of the canon members though. No worries on the ice puns! I'll do my best to get them across without cracking everything up. Glad you're enjoying the story!
User/Reviewer EndlessChains: Thanks as always for the reviews! Yeah I wanted to let the characters make their own small steps here and there as well as to let Izumi start making tracks towards her own goals and overarching agenda. She's definitely someone who works on her own time even if it's behind peoples' backs.
User/Reviewer NinjaGogeta: I'm excited to get back to Tiger's Bite as well, any Itsuka and Izumi is always best for me. Yup, Izumi is heavily in reference to Sendo from HNI as in the story I made it so he was Izumi's great great grandpa. She's relatively like him in personality, fighting style, she's from Osaka, and her family lives in and owns a candy shop.
User/Reviewer yomunot: I laughed a bunch at that. The One Piece plus overpowered series Izumis really make for a lot of fun when writing any of them interacting with other characters. Thanks as always for your reviews!
User/Reviewer AnimeFan13579: I'm for sure going to implement the bike later down the road simply not quite yet. It's one of those things that locked into my image of Aokiji so I really want to add it when I can.
User/Reviewer Logical-Tadkins: Thanks as always for your reviews! Glad you're enjoying it as I quite like this Izumi that's more proactive and has her own agenda that she's willing to work towards quietly. If there was any way to just take things out of Tenya's hands without causing too much of a fuss then Tensei was the way to go. Once I dig into and reveal more of how Izumi sees things and we get her a chance to interact with certain characters then I'll really be able to give a better image of her. Yeah, gotta keep people out of her business.
User/Reviewer Passerby: Thanks for the support, glad you're enjoying the story!
To everyone who faved, followed, or reviewed thank you so much!
Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA or the referenced power
Enjoy, more notes at the end!
Chapter 5: Hail
*Inko POV*
Inko closed the door quietly as she returned to a somewhat usual sight.
Izumi had laid right down and fallen asleep in the hallway again and the older greenette simply went about her own business knowing that her daughter would continue on unbothered. While the lazy greenette slept wherever and whenever she felt like it, Inko knew that it wasn't exactly unwarranted. Izumi probably only slept a little more than an average person as instead of having a regular schedule it meant that the younger greenette was awake at strange or random times.
Inko had woken up a number of times late at night to get water only to find light coming from under the door to her daughter's room and a faint clicking and clacking as Izumi researched at her computer. Inko had seen her daughter do this during the day as well and the ice wielding greenette would simply remain quiet as she went back and forth from the screen to a number of notebooks that were scattered at her desk. Either way, Izumi tended to spend an exorbitant, at least for her, amount of time researching things.
The mother had once tried to make sense of the notes randomly scribbled in the notebooks but for whatever reason Izumi hopped from book to book even when it came to a single thought. In all likeliness, her daughter probably got distracted for a moment and continued the thought in whatever notebook was closest to her hand but it was quite a strange way to write things down and Inko didn't know how her daughter managed to make heads or tails of a single coherent thought in the books.
Inko passed through the hallway again and between her daughter's less than soothing snores, the ice girl seemed to be making disgruntled noises as well. It wasn't surprising, Izumi tended to do so more often whenever she slept somewhere that you wouldn't exactly call comfortable but maybe there was something on her daughter's mind as well.
After perhaps half an hour, Inko could hear her daughter waking up from the living room and soon enough the younger greenette passed by the entrance with a drowsy look. Clearly still shaking off the sleepiness, Izumi yawned as she continued her path towards where the front door was. Inko could hear the girl shuffling about with her shoes before her tired voice called out.
"I'll be off," Izumi told her and Inko made her way to peek over at her daughter.
"Alright, be safe honey," the older woman urged and Izumi hummed in acknowledgement.
The ice girl strolled out and disappeared from sight as the door closed, off to who knew where.
-break-
*Shouko POV*
She wasn't sure what had possessed her to run into the shop but through slightly exerted breaths Shouko turned to the clerk.
"Was a girl around my age with green hair just in here? She's my classmate." Shouko explained hastily.
The fire and ice using girl originally had come around this area to go to a flower shop to buy something for her mother who she decided to visit for the first time in forever but she hadn't expected to catch a glimpse of Midoriya meandering about aimlessly. Shouko still had the hand warmers that her fellow ice user had left with her and beyond returning them, the dual quirk user had some things she wanted to ask the greenette.
The young woman behind the counter seemed surprised but nodded, "yeah, messy green hair? It's only been a couple minutes since she left. Came in and bought something weird and left."
"Something weird?" Shouko wondered aloud and the other woman elaborated.
"Yeah, it was some kind of pin," the clerk continued on, "uh, it was like a striped pink and dark blue and had a circle in the middle I think? I figured it was something old since this is a second-hand shop, not too sure what exactly it was though." the woman explained but a thought struck her, "your classmate seemed pretty taken with it I think."
Shouko wasn't sure what to think of the information considering that this was Midoriya but it was somewhat interesting nonetheless, "Ah, thanks for letting me know."
"You can probably still catch up to her if you go now," the clerk offered and Shouko gave her thanks again as she exited.
She wouldn't be able to find the greenette since once Midoriya disappeared then she was gone and the red and white haired girl still had her own things to do. Eventually Shouko would see the greenette at school so for now she could at least be patient. Continuing on her way, Shouko had bought the flowers that Fuyumi and Natsuo had told her their mother liked and arrived at the hospital that the woman was in. She couldn't shake the nervousness from the moment of asking about her mother, to the walk through the halls, and of course up to the point of standing outside of her door. Shouko's hand faltered as she went for the doorknob but she took a deep breath and braced herself as she entered.
Her mother slowly turned towards the opened door and their eyes locked as Shouko tried to keep her expression even. She had wanted to visit her mother sooner but the dual quirked girl hadn't been quite ready prior to the workplace training. Her mother seemed almost astonished to see her and Shouko did her best to force out her words.
"I-I can use my quirk now," the red and white haired girl managed to say a bit awkwardly, "I'm going to be a hero too, one you can be proud of." Shouko explained and her mother smiled while tears pooled at the older woman's eyes.
"Can you come here Shouko?" the white haired woman asked and the girl hesitantly made her way over to where her mother was sitting. Slowly but tenderly, her mother embraced her, "I'm already proud of you but what matters is that you be someone that's proud of yourself."
"Mom I-" the girl tried but the woman carefully released her and stared up at her with a smile.
"I'm so sorry for what I did Shouko." Her mother's smile weakened as she began to cry and Shouko realized that this was something that the woman wanted to say directly to her for a long time.
-break-
Shouko had promised her mother that she'd visit again soon and the girl felt much lighter having finally been able to see and speak with her.
While relieved about being able to see her mother, Shouko's thoughts also turned to her workplace training. It had been...eye opening to say the least and both in a positive and perhaps negative way. She had learned a lot of things and of course that included how heroes, and hero society, operated but because of that she also caught a glimpse of what she would call backdoor dealings. She knew that her father was displeased with taking the credit for the Hero Killer's capture when he hadn't actually done it but it seemed necessary and it didn't look like the first time he, or the other heroes, had been forced to deal with something like this.
It had made Shouko wonder what other information never made it into the public and just what type of reactions they would stir up if stuff like this did make it to see the light of day. It spanned more than just heroes too as the police had been a part of the decision on limiting what information was given and what kind of story would be given out. Did this happen often? Was this a common event or common knowledge amongst heroes? Shouko wasn't quite sure what she thought of that if that was the case but she could admit that depending on the circumstances that perhaps it could be needed.
She would find the answer for herself eventually.
-break-
School had resumed and Shouko found the greenette laying down on a bench outside during lunch.
Midoriya may have had her sleeping mask on but the red and white haired girl was somewhat certain that she wasn't asleep or had just woken up as she approached.
"I spoke to my mother," Shouko told her plainly and Midoriya, her back towards the dual quirk user, wordlessly raised her arm and pointed towards the end of the bench as she drew her legs up.
Shouko sat down and Midoriya piped up quietly, "went well I suppose?"
"Yeah," the red and white haired girl replied back simply, "I can even use my flames now too," she reported to her fellow ice user, remembering the green haired girl's disappointed look from during the Sport's Festival.
"Then that's good," Midoriya responded and Shouko didn't mind the lack of words from the other girl.
"Yes." Shouko stated as she looked up at the sky and leaned back.
It seemed that neither of them had much to say, maybe they didn't have to say anything else, and instead the two remained there silently. Shouko knew that the greenette wasn't asleep, she'd be snoring if she was, but the red and white haired girl didn't bring the fact up. The two quietly stayed in the other's presence for a while longer until Shouko broke the silence.
"Your hand warmers," the dual quirk user offered as she passed them over and Midoriya used a thumb to push up one side of her sleeping mask.
"Didn't feel like keeping them?" the greenette questioned, "I don't exactly need them."
Shouko smiled a little to herself, "I don't either."
Midoriya took the returned items before lowering her mask again, "my, my, that's good huh."
"Thanks," Shouko acknowledged and the comfortable silence between them returned.
Eventually, the call that class was going to start soon rang and the fire and ice wielding girl stood up, "let's head back then." Shouko told the other ice girl but all she was answered back with was an audible snore.
Maybe she'd just leave this hopeless girl.
-break-
*Eraserhead POV*
It didn't take a lot to figure out that there was more to the Hero Killer's arrest than what was reported.
Considering the mystery and fear surrounding the villain, the number of heroes he had been able to kill, and of course Endeavor's obvious displeasure, Shouta knew that there had been some circumstances regarding the capture. It wasn't as if he didn't know that hero society had moments that were hushed up for a number of reasons but what had gotten him interested in the current topic was that he knew Midoriya had gone to Manual in Hosu. Other than having better offers, 1-A's homeroom teacher saw no other faults with the choice since Manual was both a fine hero as well as that he had a water quirk and could impart knowledge of how it could affect building structures which could be useful to the greenette whose ice would be melted when removed.
Shouta doubted that the green haired girl had done something like this considering how she only operated out of obligation as well as the fact that her quirk tended to make a mess of things but regardless the man had checked in with Manual. While the hero had admitted that they had briefly been separated, apparently Midoriya had gone to the nearest evacuation zone to provide assistance and there had been other heroes and civilians who had been able to confirm the fact.
Midoriya couldn't have been involved with the Hero Killer.
Even with that thought, Shouta was keeping his eye on her as surprising things continued to happen in regards to her and the erasing hero scowled at the paper before him as he listed out the pairings for the upcoming tests. It had already been decided by the staff that there would be a change to the upcoming tests thanks to the very slowly growing number of villain incidents and the even slower growing notoriety of the League of Villains. While a surge in villainy wasn't the current case, it very well could become something like that and it was better to prepare the students for that possibility.
The issue now was that while Midoriya relied on the use of her quirk, Shouta was unsure that he would be able to lock her down. While the black haired hero knew he could trap Todoroki, who had started using her flames recently, Midoriya's utility, lack of freezing drawback, and the scale at which she could attack made all the difference.
The tired hero heard the door to the staff room slide open and a surprised voice perked up, "still working this late Aizawa?"
"Settling the pairs for the tests early," the eraser answered back, not diverting his attention at all.
Yagi, the man in his civilian form, hummed at his words and took a seat at his own desk, "stuck on something?"
Shouta turned his eyes up to the man and an idea struck him, "not anymore."
"Well, that's good then," the new teacher replied, "if you don't mind me asking, who was it?" the blonde questioned curiously.
"Midoriya," Shouta stated flatly, a nod and look of understanding coming from the other teacher, "I'll entrust her and Bakugo to you but I have an additional request."
Yagi raised an eyebrow at that, "what do you need then?"
"Midoriya," the erasing hero turned his chair towards the other man and leaned forward seriously, "even if it means not letting her escape I want you to really push her."
The tall blonde seemed put off by the request, "isn't that already the point of the change in test format?" he wondered back but Shouta shook his head.
"I mean I explicitly want you to force Midoriya farther than what she's shown she's capable of," the erasing hero explained, "each time she's proven that she's much better than what everyone's previously thought and if she's still holding back at this stage then that needs to be addressed."
Shouta watched as the man mulled over the request but the other hero eventually agreed to his wishes and Shouta couldn't help but feel a touch doubtful of himself for slightly lying. While the feeling inside of him was only a small one...
He was growing suspicious of Midoriya.
-break-
*All For One POV*
The results had been a bit disappointing he had to admit.
The man had hoped that the Hero Killer would make for a better stepping stone for Tomura but things didn't always go as intended. While there was the suspected connection between Stain and the League, there had been no opportunity for the public to realize Stain's creed and ambitions therefore giving Tomura nothing to steal for his own. The League of Villains was still just a group without substance at this point and Tomura also hadn't learned anything from the event.
While wonderfully warped, that child was incapable at his current stage and had nothing to build off of that could rally people to him. He would stand to only pick up stragglers that while perhaps having potential had no way to grow into something bigger, something encompassing.
He would need to either speed up his plans or find a way to have his body hold out a touch longer. There was much to do and less room to accommodate setbacks so a slightly drastic change in plans might prove necessary soon enough.
There was still much for Tomura to learn from him.
Notes and Stuff
A number of things happening in this chapter. I did kind of bounce around with the POVs that kinda focused on Izumi, some of Shouko, and then just things in general.
I wonder how much people learn about this Izumi with the small thoughts from the other characters as well as some of the details I place here and there. On the other hand, I want to keep having this small bouts of progress for Shouko despite the strange things revolving around Izumi.
Hopefully the story continues to go in an enjoyable direction for everyone as I'm pretty set on most of the places it's heading as well as certain changes here and there. I need to get myself into an action writing mood too as we're going to come up on the end of term tests and with All Might being against Izumi and Bakugo then I want to really get into things.
Had a brief moment at the end with AFO and I'll keep going with some of the things that have and will differ thanks to Izumi's interference with the whole Stain situation. I think I've got a good idea later on especially.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to more updates from me!