A/N:
Last one. Hahaha. A little treat for being patient with me.
Thank you, Everyone.
Anyway, shoo! Hahaha!
Chapter Eleven
"Do I really have to do this?" He asked.
"Well, you were there and you helped All Might, so yes." Shouta replied.
"I could just tell you what I know." He asked again.
"It is still different from what you know and from what I know." His Dad patiently explained.
Tsuna wrinkled his nose. "If you say so."
The brunet straightened his back as Nezu came in with Naomasa. He frankly doesn't know if he should be happy that he's not that short anymore or he's not the one at the end of the table. Either ways, he's just a guest. Someone who knows a lot of what's happening that's why the invitation extended to him.
He was getting ready that morning when his Dad received a call that both of them are being invited to attend the meeting. Of course, Tsuna pointed at himself in question, since he can't ask directly to the caller. It's not Hizashi, Nezu or Naomasa. It was Midnight. Shouta shook his head and said they'll be there. When they got to school, he was briefed by Naomasa what was the content of their last meeting. And because a lot of the teachers pointed out that he has been there all the time and he warned them about the villains' true intentions, he should be there.
He honestly doesn't want to go. He hates being the center of attention. But here he is, sitting between Shouta and Hizashi, just across Nezu and All Might. He can see the looks he's getting. From curiosity to disgruntlement. It's not his fault, thank you very much.
"Good Morning." Naomasa greeted as he went to the center. "We are here again to see what we can gather about the intruders of the academy. I already briefed Eraserhead and Sawada, so we can now begin."
"Have you found more about this man-child?" All Might inquired.
"No. No more, but that's what Sawada is here for." Naomasa gestured to him. "Sawada, please introduce yourself first."
Tsuna nodded before giving a small smile. "I am Tsunayoshi Sawada, fifteen years old, and from Class One-A."
"Your quirk please." Vlad King, the homeroom teacher of Class One-B, stated.
"My registered quirks are Dying Will and enhanced strength." He breathed.
"What do you know about the villains?" Naomasa queried, straight to the topic.
"They call themselves Villain Alliance." He relied. "They want to destroy All Might-san, that's why they invited themselves in the school. They were also the one who let in the reporters on the day before they attacked."
"Do you know more about the ring leader?"
"When I was attending Aizawa-sensei, the Black Mist called him Shigaraki Tomura." His eyes saw the miniscule movement of Nezu and All Might. "Other than he has this disintegration quirk that I think activates with the use of his five fingers since he crumbled my coat, he also has this complete control over the Noumu."
"Tomura." Naomasa nodded, taking note of the name. "Can you add more?"
"Wait. How certain are you with this?" Midnight questioned.
"The nature of my Dying Will includes hyper sensitivity. I'm always on high alert which means I have sensitive senses. In a way, you can say that I can hear things without intending to hear it. Back to what Tsukauchi-keiji asked... Well, this might not be valuable, but I think he isn't what you can call as the very boss." He answered, intuition preening and feeding him more info to connect. "He accused All Might-san of using cheats, that he didn't really become weak. He questioned himself of someone he dubbed as 'he' lied to him."
Naomasa's eyes widened a little.
"And I think he's not someone you can search at the data base too." Tsuna drummed his fingers on his lap as he thinks. "He might be famous at some back alley networks. Someone who can call out allies out of get go, just like how he stated it when he asked for All Might-san's whereabouts and threatened to kill us to bring him out. Also, if you call him man-child. I think we should go for the psychological viewpoint?"
"What do you mean?" Vlad King questioned with his arms crossing. "You can't say he's innocent in this, aren't you?"
"He said society dictates what's right and what's wrong. If we look at that in the psychological viewpoint, he might have been dictated by someone else to do what to do when he was a child. Abuse? Maybe. There's a sign of neglect too. There's probably wrong guidance, then he got tossed around until he was taken by someone who he dubbed as 'he' and grew under the care of wrong hands." He sat back and looked around. "No offense, but you're teachers. You should probably, if possibly, look at the welfare of the children around you. Heroes turn villains in some certain points."
Caramel eyes watched their reactions. Of course, his words will have their own impact. God. Being fifty plus is not recommended.
"What Young Sawada said is true." All Might voiced. "Something might have gone wrong in those years he got brought up. Children are vulnerable."
"That will be wishful thinking, All Might. We cannot help those who have done wrong." Vlad King denied.
"Then maybe a vigilante can do it." Tsuna shrugged. "After all, vigilante can be called as villain or hero."
"You can't be sure of that." Snipe argued.
"Then what Shigaraki said about society labeling us as villains and heroes might be true." He rebutted. "If they weren't labeled as 'villains', they will probably get the help they could get. They'll be just people with quirks. No more heroes, no more villains. No more discrimination. Just plain old police and criminals. You do wrong, you get captured, you go to jail, you serve life sentence and you go out after. If there are vigilantes out there, it will always be for the sake of both parties. They help the police capture the criminals. They help the criminals become good people. Or they help the criminals escape the police. They help the police as their spies, intercepting evil plans. Those who cannot be forgiven will be killed. Done."
Silence. The expressions he can read all gave out astonishment.
Caramel eyes looked up to the clock. "If you'll excuse me, I'm late for my class."
"You may go, Sawada." Nezu permitted, talking for the first time.
Tsuna stood up, took his bag and bowed a little before going out. He looked back to Hizashi who nodded, saying he'll take care of Shouta. He went out with eyes watching his back. After closing the door behind him, he slumped and brought a hand down to his face. He started to stalk the hallway to go to his class.
He should probably try and get some info about Shigaraki Tomura too. See if All Might's speculation about being able to help the man-child is possible. And probably apologize for calling him hypocrite too. He was wrong in that.
All Might didn't know what to think. To think that All for One got a hold of such a child. What did he do now? Corrupt him? Taint an innocent child to grow to someone who will submit to his wishes? Maybe he already did. Since Shigaraki already believed him. That heroes are not heroes. That their philosophy is the right thing.
His head snapped for the door when a series of knocks resounded in the room. He permitted the person to come in, and the door slid open to reveal Tsunayoshi Sawada. The young man looks winded. He probably came as soon as possible after helping his father eat lunch. But even if he looks troubled, the way he presented himself with confidence, power and arrogance is still intact.
He is rather fascinated with the young man. They almost have the same power, except his is One for All while the brunet has enhanced strength. Other than that, the latter has this unique ability that is registered as his second quirk, but is not considered by the teen as a quirk. If he met him earlier like Mirio Togata, he could've been his successor too. He is someone loved by the people around him.
The first time he encountered the young man was three years ago, somewhere in a flood disaster. He remembered hearing a teen barking orders to both authorities and civilians alike while patting three kids that were surrounding him. Not one kid cried in his presence, all looking up to him and watching people hustle around. He didn't really registered the young man as someone unusual. Because when he saw how he smiled to the children and assured them that everything will be alright, he too felt that everything will be alright.
The next few years, he heard a vigilante helping heroes save people they couldn't protect. Sometimes, the heroes don't need to evacuate people from the vicinity or the building. The vigilante will be there to do the job for them, leading the people away from the site and ushering them to stay low as possible whenever villains are the source of the attack. And then, one evening last year, a mother pregnant for her child approached him and asked him if he knows a hero who has caramel eyes and brown hair with an assuring smile. The first he recalled was the child he encountered three years ago. But that was impossible, isn't it? And more people asked him.
To think that a fourteen year old child could influence people with his simple assurance and a smile. He was like a commander, demanding attention and exuding power that could rival the Symbol of Peace. What's more is his power of words. Every word he says, there's a sense to it. No contradiction. One question can be answered by a fact. One askance can be clarified to utmost satisfaction. It's like he knows what to do and what to say. His views about vigilante have some senses. Vigilante is a neutral party. They can help the heroes or the villains. Someone who is not a civilian that can make a change in the world while not governed by the laws.
"I'm sorry, All Might-san." The brunet apologized as he entered the room, closed the door behind him and locked it. "Oh wait. Do you want me to lock it?"
"It is alright, Young Sawada. Prevention is better than cure, as they said it." He dismissed. He got rewarded with a shy smile. "Please, take a seat."
The brunet took a seat across from him. "May I know what you need me for, All Might-san? And please call me Tsuna. I don't really like the formalities."
Toshinori can't help the side of his lips from quirking in an amused smile. "You and your Dad are different."
"It can't be helped. But we have our similarities too." Tsuna smiled.
"Yes indeed." He agrees before sighing. "I called you here to explain my form, Young Tsuna. Right now, the Symbol of Peace is at his limit. My body cannot take the toll of my quirk, resulting to many surgeries to the point that my stomach is removed and my eyes became as they are. I still have the origin of my injury, still engraved in my body."
"Then how can you go back and forth to your All Might persona?"
"Before the USJ attack, I had three hours to be in my form everyday. After the attack and fighting the Noumu, it got reduced to fifty minutes." He explained patiently.
He watched the child look down to his clasped hands in a contemplative look. "Is there no cure?"
"None. Even Recovery Girl's quirk cannot do anything."
"You can eat then?"
"Minimal."
The brunet sighed. "If only..."
"You do not need to concern yourself with me, Young Tsuna." The teen looked up to him. "My time is almost at its end."
"Is that the reason why you took in Izuku? You won't train a random quirkless child if you're not making him your successor."
"He is." He answered. "He is the successor of my legacy. We are currently searching to how his body can take on my quirk."
They basked in the silence as he let the brunet digest the information.
"Thank you for telling me this, All Might-san." Tsuna expressed. "It's an honor to be trusted."
"You are the reason why I'm still alive right now. You and Young Midoriya." He stated with gratitude. "You have my thanks."
"All Might-san." He blinked when those caramel eyes flashed orange. "It may not be of help, but please remember that everything will be alright. Your problem now may make you struggle, but you will go through with it and make you stronger."
The words resounded so loud in his mind. Toshinori felt his gut drop as his shoulders slumped. His heart pounded and before he knew it, he spilled what's on his mind. He spilled everything to the teen. From his past, his current life, his fear. Even about All for One and his predecessor.
He couldn't explain how it goes. All he felt was warmth, acceptance, and understanding after staring at those warm caramel eyes all the time. It was like he was being pulled into an embrace, telling him that he doesn't have to be strong anymore. That... That he is safe. That he can cry all he wants, he can shout all he can, and he can be weak until it's there. But there's this strong feeling too, that the warmth will linger until he doesn't want it anymore.
"Sometimes, you have to let people look out for you too, All Might-san." Tsuna advised, taking something from his pocket and handing it to him. A handkerchief. "Heroes may save others, but who will save heroes too?"
"Heroes, as well." He sobbed, using the handkerchief to wipe his cheeks.
"Maybe." The brunet entertained. "You see, I've thought about a lot of things since I come in here. All Might-san, please never tell a kid that he can't be a hero."
Toshinori winced. He thinks he knew about that.
"I know you know who I'm talking about. I can understand your sentiments, and it shouldn't be brought up. But I want you to know that once you don't believe anymore, you don't trust yourself as time goes on too. I... I know a person who had a lot of ups and downs too. He almost lost the will to fight. To live. So when he couldn't believe in himself, he also stopped believing to anything and anyone anymore. It's like living became a chore to him."
Toshinori marvelled the look of nostalgia on the teen.
"But one day, someone told him a theory. Told him that once he stopped believing to himself and to the world, it will cause a butterfly effect. It will be like a curse, flying off and affecting his surrounding. Knowing that it will become possible because he knew it really will, he tried looking to the beauty of others with the help of those around him. He said we should appreciate little things in a way to believe again. Child's naivety, a peaceful environment, buzzing city and the contented smiles. And that's what made you believe again, right? When you saw Izuku run for Katsuki and smiled despite the danger?"
He nodded, remembering the smile he saw that made his heart pound and the blood in his veins run with the vigor and excitement.
"Little things." The child bobbed his head in agreement before letting out a breath. "I think I need to apologize to Shigaraki too."
"Ha?" He can't help uttering in surprise. "What for?!"
"For calling him hypocrite. I should've tried to look harder of the reason why he hated the society and the heroes. There's always a reason why people do things. And it's up to us to change that. To make them feel, see and believe that there's a true light in the dark world. To be there for them until they can stand for themselves and come back again to say that they lived." The teen chuckled. "Sounds superficial, right?"
"N-No." He blinked his eyes and shook his head. "Even I had a wishful thought like that."
"Then maybe we're fools." Tsuna snickered before sighing. "Miracles happen. I believe that."
Toshinori's heart pounded. Yeah. Maybe- "Yeah. I hope it happens soon."
"Then maybe, villains will be the saving graces of heroes someday too."
Toshinori spluttered and that made the teen laugh.
After the talk to Tsuna, All Might felt like his shoulders went lighter. His heart feels unburdened. It's like he can move more freely unlike the days before. Years even. When he went to his classes, he never felt strained. He could even smile freely.
"You look glowing." All the staff looked at him when Present Mic pointed that out.
They're inside the staff room, doing some last checks before going home. The bell rang since awhile ago and the students went out of their classes since.
"Oh yeah. All Might looks lighter too!" Midnight commented from her seat.
Toshinori smiled pleasantly. "Thank you."
"What came upon that?" Nezu, who visited the staff room that afternoon, queried while holding his cup of tea.
"I had a talk with a young man." He answered. He noticed the shared gaze between Eraserhead and Present Mic while Nezu's brows quirked with interest.
"Then the vigilante strikes again." Nezu chuckled. "Such child."
"Oh. Is it Sawada?" Cementoss guessed. "He's quite a remarkable student. He knows a lot of literature."
Toshinori noticed how Present Mic poke Eraserhead at the side. The receiver only stared at the paper on his table.
"He hates Math, but he can answer really well. I think he's competing against Bakugou, Iida, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu and Midoriya." Ectoplasm remarked. "He has the tendency to groan in the middle of a quiz and mutter about it as a pain in the hide."
Another jab on Eraserhead's side.
"I suddenly want to talk to that kid. He looks someone who can't be taken lightly. His words in the conference were like punches on our guts." Midnight hummed.
"Absolutely not." They all looked at Eraserhead who rejected the notion. "Tsuna will not come any closer to you."
"Oi oi. You kept your son away from me for eleven years." Midnight complained. "You let him meet Hizashi, while you hid him away from me! That is not right! I have the rights to meet my godson!"
"It's not my fault that Hizashi came as soon as possible when he heard that I took him in." Eraserhead dismissed. "And no. You can't meet him."
"You cannot stop me!" Midnight threatened.
Nezu and All Might looked at each other.
"Maybe you should wait until the festival is over, Kayama." Nezu offered. "You'll have to see how great he is at first hand."
"Fine." Midnight huffed while crossing her arms. "Let's see if he is that great."
They watched Eraserhead smirk. "I should fire him up then. My son is not someone who will want to disappoint me."
Toshinori chuckled when Midnight tried to attack Eraserhead, who was rolled away by Present Mic since he was sitting in a swivel chair. The other staffs looked baffled with the information they heard. Well, even he, the All Might, was shocked when he saw the interaction between Eraserhead and Tsuna. The way the teen looked after the hero is like a family through and through. The respect, gratitude and bright aura even baffle him.
All of them looked at the door when a series of knock resounded. It opened and a familiar brunet came in. Tsuna's eyes swiftly surveyed the room before he bowed.
"Good Afternoon." He greeted.
"Good Afternoon, Tsuna." Nezu greeted back for all of them. "Is it that time already?"
"Yes." The brunet replied, smiling a little before it turned to a full beam when his eyes went to his parent. "What do you want me to carry, Dad?"
"The papers." Eraserhead nodded to the papers on his table.
Tsuna went closer and took all of them before putting them inside his bag. "No more?"
The father shook his head. "No more."
"I'll be visiting later." Present Mic informed by his seat. "I'm bringing cake."
"For the heck of it?" The brunet queried, amused.
"For the heck of it." Present Mic grinned.
"We can pair that with ice cream. Alright. Let's go, Dad. We have a meal to prepare."
"Can't we just not feed Hizashi?"
"Can we just be not mean? According to some philosophers, having visitors often is a blessing. Who knows, we might get more lucky."
"Fine."
The two bantered as they went out. But before Tsuna close the door, he turned to him bowed and beamed a goodbye. Toshinori felt like he was attacked by the sun rays. Good thing he wasn't the only who felt like that.