"If the hero killer is following his pattern we know where he'll show up next. And we'll be there to stop him. We're taking a work trip to Hosu."
"Yes, sir!"
They had been prepared to move to Hosu as soon as the workload at the agency lightened enough to allow Endeavor the time to investigate the hero killer, a good thing, too, considering the state of the city.
Hosu was in absolute chaos. Heroes were being overrun by villains very much like the villain Nomu they'd encountered at the USJ. Many had wings and each of them was as indestructible as the Nomu Miko had come to fear. The air was hot and thick with smoke which only made her ill at ease. Endeavor himself was unaffected by the chaos and Miko once again reminded that he was a hero quite worthy of his rank. She felt lucky to have spent a few days already quite literally living and breathing hero life prior to being here. Working amongst the heroes rekindled a confidence in the girl that she hadn't felt since going to UA. The sight of the Nomu's unnerved her, but they were the least of her problems.
Endeavor would take care of them. She was sure of it.
The boy next to her, Shoto, was much better at visibly keeping composure, at least in the presence of his father. Miko was sure her grandmother would admonish her if she didn't do the same, especially as the city burned around her. She did her best to keep her eyes from wandering.
From their place behind him, Miko strode confidently, her chin upwards and her shoulders back. During her stay, she had unconsciously begun to mimic Endeavor's persona, taking in his proud (let's be real— arrogant) persona, and adopting it into her own self. She had nowhere near the kind of presence he had, nor the respect, but she was familiar with haughtiness and she thrived under his unforgiving, expectant 'teaching'. Her mentor made it known very early on she was by no means his student. Her purpose? Simply a reminder of his son's failings and a reason to follow him. His dismissal of her startled her, but only served to make her push harder to be acknowledged, greedy for his wisdom.
Wrought with imposter's syndrome, she hoped that this internship would be the call to arms she needed to help fulfill her promise to Riko. And it was, at least a little. She was wary now that she knew of his history with his family— disgusted and unable to process how a hero could have done such things to the people he was supposed to protect, because truly, how could he? But Shoto was absolutely right about his father's ability to be a great hero.
(Could he truly be called a hero after having done those things?)
Endeavor headed straight towards an open square. In front of them, a hero, small and old, battled with a Nomu. He was exceptionally fast as he jet around the monster, attacking with kicks swift enough to create after images of himself. It was impressive, but she was sure she'd never seen him before. He was doing his best to keep a Nomu from a pair of frightened civilians who were, in turn, doing their best to scramble away from the villain.
He was caught off guard when bright orange flames swallowed the Nomu. The muscles at his back rippled as he strode forward, effectively silencing the screams of the civilians nearby. She followed dutifully.
"I was looking for the elusive Hero Killer, but this thing will have to do. Thanks, old timer. I'm afraid I don't know you, but I can handle this from here on out."
"It's you." Even the old hero was impressed.
Miko straightened as more civilians began to take note of their savior. "Whoa look…"
"Why's he in Hosu?" They whispered.
Endeavor, hearing the murmurs of the few bystanders still not evacuated, scoffed. Miko could picture his haughty expression. She'd definitely seen it enough time over the internship to become familiar enough to conjure the image un-willfully. "Hmph. Isn't it obvious? I came because I'm a hero."
She hated how cool he was.
She straightened even further when Endeavor called out to her, pointing to a broken fire hydrant that was gushing highly pressurized water. "Put out the fires," he said. She was surprised but pleased to note that she'd managed to convince him that she wasn't completely useless during her stay at his agency alongside his son. Her brows furrowed to signal yes, she was taking this seriously, but the left side of her mouth wanted to quirk. "Sir!"
Miko was quick to move, swiftly taking in their surroundings, identifying the worst of the fires, the ones most likely to spread, and directed the gushing water towards the flames. The building still burned but she managed to keep it at bay until she heard someone shout.
"Shit, the car's gonna blow!" No, no, no, no, no! She could see flames getting closer to the gas tank as it dripped dangerously. Turning on the heel of her foot, she spun quickly, redirecting the torrents of water to put up a sturdy wall against the side of the car when the flames hit the gas tank and ignited in a fiery explosion. She didn't manage to completely dome the car, but her wall held against the blast, keeping the damage to a minimum. Sweat began rolling down her forehead and into the corner of her eye. Being surrounded by so much heat was making her tired, she thought. Blinking away the sting, she dropped the still standing water wall over the burning car, though it kept burning.
"Miko!" Shoto persuades Miko to follow Midoriya's location. "We have to go." He held up his phone. "I think Midoriya might be in trouble."
She blinked incomprehensibly. "Midoriya? He's here?" He nodded grimly, mouth set into a thin frown.
"I don't know why, but we should hurry," he urged. Everything still burned around them and the villains were proving too much for the pros to fight off and capture. They had to stay. "We can't leave, Shoto," she argued.
"Our classmate is in trouble. He wouldn't send mysterious messages like this out of nowhere." He moved closer to her, "The pros have their hands full here. We'll help him now and send for pros once we're sure he's alright." Miko bit her lip. The pros were definitely overwhelmed, but was it not her responsibility to use her quirk to help them any way she could? She thought back to Midoriya. He didn't seem the type to send random texts like that and if he was in trouble, there was likely no one around while the villains were taking all the limelight.
Shoto picked up on her decision before she voiced it to him and led her to the location his phone's GPS sent them to. Endeavor tried to stop them, and Miko almost stopped at his demands, but Shoto brushed his father off and took off with a quick glance back at Miko. Hesitating, she contemplated her actions.
She took off.
Racing after him, it wasn't hard catching up to Shoto, and he didn't acknowledge her when she caught him. He shouted directions to her, occasionally looking down at his hand held map where it took them to a dark alleyway a few minutes away from their drop point. As they neared, they could see four figures, one that was undoubtedly Midoriya and the other which had to be the elusive Hero Killer: Stain. The criminal was nearing a person on the floor, a severely chipped blade ready to pierce through them. She recognized that white armor. "It's Iida!" She shouted. Shoto sent a huge blast of fire at the hero killer, saving Iida from a painful, bloody death.
The Killer dodged easily but backed away. Miko hardened her stance as they stood in front of him. This was it. Stain's voice was lamenting, "Someone else to get in my way. Today's been full of distractions." Miko and Shoto stood their ground at the end of the alley, prepared to battle. She made sure to be at his right side. She still resented his power, but she had to acknowledge that that was the best formation they had against someone like Stain. She could still use his ice to support.
Like a sidekick.
No, she had to do more than that, be more than that. She had to.
The alley was far enough away from the fires. Musty and rank, lines of dumpsters surrounded by piles of black trash bags. Shoto, grim-faced and serious called out to their classmate, "Midoriya, you need to give more details in times like this. I was almost too late to stop this guy." He held up his cell phone showing the location Midoriya sent, the same way he did earlier with her.
Still, on the ground, Iida could barely speak, "You too, Todoroki? Tsukikawa?"
Miko spared him a glance, hiding her worry at the sight of his fallen form. "It's Hydra when I'm on the job."
Midoriya seemed relieved to see them, at least. "How'd you guys get here? Hold on, you're using your left side?"
"How'd we get here? Good question."
"Try to send more than just your specific location, next time you call for help." Miko interrupted.
Shoto glanced at Midoriya but kept on facing Stain. "You're not one to send cryptic messages without a reason, are you? So we figured you were in trouble and asking for help." He sent an ice attack to separate Stain from the pro hero slumped against the alley wall and Midoriya who was frozen in place. The move did little to relieve the tension in the air even as he rushed the Killer. "Everything's okay, the pro heroes will be here any minute." Todoroki flung a blast of fire at him. "You're just what they said you were. But you won't be taking any more lives, Hero Killer."
From his place on the ground, Midoriya sent a warning to her partner. "Todoroki! Hydra! You can't let that guy get your blood." Blood, huh? That is actually kind of disgusting. "I—I think he controls his enemies' actions by swallowing it! That's how he got us!"
Shoto turned to her slightly. "He ingests blood to keep people from moving."
Miko's face hardened at the news. It was gross, but all they had to do was keep him away long enough to get Iida and that pro away from the scene. "Explains the blades. It shouldn't be a problem, just have to keep distance."
Staring at Stain across from them, Miko was reminded once again that in during her time under Endeavor that her fighting style left a lot to be desired. Her body liked to move in quick, strong, flowing movements; holding herself in uncommon, impractical, positions for as long as she could before getting bored or flipping through the air at impossible heights. Tricks too pretty and too useless to actually use in a fight.
Even training under her father, a renowned martial artist, committing to learning how to fight was a struggle. She'd managed to scrape by thus far because, with the exception of Todoroki and Bakugo, everyone in was on a pretty level playing field in terms of combat and she relied heavily on her quirk. Now, however, staring at Stain and his multitude of knives and swords, she knew she'd have to stick her guns and fight. Holding him off was unlikely even with her quirk.
Stain threw a knife at Shoto faster than she was able to block with a wave of water, cutting into his cheek and rushing them before either of them could keep him away. "You have good friends, Ingenium. Or you did!" He swung at Shoto, blocked only momentarily by the ice Miko frantically augmented with her own quirk, though it didn't hinder him as he grabbed the boy by his front, pulling him in to lick at the small cut on his face. Shoto quickly fired his flames, forcing the killer to leap away and catch the sword he discarded mid-air, slicing through Shoto's defensive ice barriers.
Iida's pained voice drifted towards their ears. "Just stop it. Why are you doing this? His fight is with me! I inherited my brother's name. I'm the one who should stop him. The Hero Killer is mine!"
Neither the girl nor Shoto were impressed. Neither sparing the boy a glance as they continued to fend of swings from Stain's blades. Shoto addressed him when Miko refused, "You're Ingenium now? Strange. The Ingenium I knew before never had a look like that on his face. You've got a dark side. Guess my family isn't the only one."
The Hero Killer continued attacking relentlessly, throwing knives and swinging at them while he jumped across the walls, intent on getting their blood. He forced Miko to adapt to his quick movements, and never once letting up. He forced Shoto and Miko to pull up a massive wall of ice to give them some form of reprieve. The silver haired girl began growing more and more frustrated with constantly being on the defensive as they hid behind their wall, and screamed out to her classmates, "Cut the crap and focus on the enemy in front of you!" Running headfirst into the ice, she slipped inside and used the melted ice to extend the whips on her arms, intent on catching Stain off guard and give the boys enough time to slip away. Her attack was immediately rendered useless as he cut through the entire ice defense and she was forced to quickly maneuver herself away from his swings to avoid his blades.
She took pleasure in the fact that he was surprised to see her in the middle of the ice and chunks of it seemed to float as she took in her surroundings. She immediately phased the ice to water and used it to attack at him at different points, but he was quick to dodge every attack. Fervently, she coated herself in water, letting it snake down her arms into whips, ready to defend. The situation was grim, all they managed so far was acting as a nuisance to the Killer and they were nowhere near able to attempt a rescue. Midoriya, Iida, and the pro were still paralyzed on the ground and neither she nor Shoto were good enough to incapacity Stain. From across them, he licked his lips, eyeing them dangerously. "You two are good," he appraised them. Her turquoise eyes widened when Stain cut her cheek with a throwing knife. "Unlike him!"
Miko's heart seized in her throat as she watched the Killer reach for Iida's still form, and she lashed out when a green blur flashed across the alley and pushed Stain away from the boy's prone body. He spoke up eagerly, "I'm not sure why, but I'm able to move now!" Miko was glad for his interference.
"A time limit then," she decided.
Weakly, the fallen hero groaned, "No. That kid shoulda been the last one to be freed." Something was limiting Stain's quirk.
"Midoriya dodge!" Shoto kept throwing more ice attacks to keep the Killer at bay. Nothing they could do in a fight gave them an advantage. They best they had was staying away from him. "We have to keep our eyes on him. He's a better fighter, we can't afford to be blind to keep our distance," Miko said. Even with Midoriya's newfound movement, the situation was getting worse by the minute.
"He swallows a person's blood to freeze them, but I was the one freed first," Midoriya took a moment to ponder aloud. Miko was only glad Stain was giving them the time to think, but didn't take her eyes off him. His eyes seemed to gleam even in the darkness, his short nose giving his face an eerie demonic effect. "His quirk could be less effective the more people he uses it on. The amount ingested could play into how long it works. Or there could even be a different based on—"
"Blood type," Miko interrupted. Of course, it made sense. "If it's the last one, my blood type is B," the pro spoke up tiredly. She and Iida were both type A and Midoriya was O. Miko looked at Iida. He'd been out for a long time, and Native even longer. She'd have to be careful not to let her blood get in Stain's mouth or they'd be in even worse trouble.
"So you figured it out. Bravo. Very impressive."
"It doesn't really help us that much to know how his quirk works though."
"I thought we could hurry and carry those two out of here, but it's no good. He's too fast. He can avoid fire and ice. I'd have to leave myself unguarded."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm here then," she cut in, hastily licking her lips. They'd have to work quickly. Her endurance had improved during her internship, but if her lips were beginning to chap then she was slowly going to lose more and more energy.
"Our best option is to hold until the pros arrive and avoid close combat."
"I'll distract him while you support from behind. Tsukikawa can take Iida and Native to safety."
"No, you know you've already lost way too much blood," Miko pointed to Midoriya's abdomen. "I'll distract him while you take them out of here. Shoto, you can support from behind. Sound like a plan?"
"You want us to take a pretty big risk. Okay. We can protect them."
"Two against one huh? This fight won't be easy."
Midoriya already had Iida and Native gathered in his arms and across his back, waiting for the signal to run. From his place on Midoriya's back, Iida called out pitifully. "You have to run. I can't watch this!"
"You wanna make your brother proud?" Miko's heart stilled at the sound of those words, wild eyes turned to Shoto. Her promise to Riko flashed briefly through her mind. "Then stand up and be Ingenium. Become the hero he wanted you to be!" He wasn't speaking to her, not at all, but she couldn't help but take those words heart. She'd make Riko proud and she—
"Gak!" In the moment she turned to look at Shoto, Stain had ambushed her and grabbed her around the throat. Her toes scraped against the alley's floor and he leered down at her. "You got distracted, little girl," he rasped. "You're better than those two I cut down, but you're not a real hero, are you?" She could faintly hear Shoto call out her name. Consciousness slipping, she hoped Midoriya, Iida, and the pro made a run for it while Stain kept himself distracted with her. She felt Stain jump with her still in his grasp to avoid ice Shoto sent their way, a useless attempt to free her.
She could see the blood from Native and Iida's wounds pooled around them and she noted that this was not how she wanted to die. Cut down when she finally, finally, found the resolve to be a real hero. Suffocated at the hands of a criminal before she even fulfill her promise. Stain's grip around her throat was crushing and she kicked her feet out, clawing at his wrist, trying desperately to relieve the pressure to get some oxygen in her lungs. He crushed her larynx like she was nothing more than an irritating inconvenience, holding her at an arm's length to avoid her kicks.
"Better to cut you down now to get you out of the way," he sighed. "If you hadn't gotten in my way, I would've let you live, kid."
Her vision continued to blur when she saw him unsheathe yet another knife from his pocket. Miko was desperate to breathe, Stain's knife came towards her in what felt like slow motion and she finally let go.
The water encasing her arms dropped and she could feel the blood mixing as she shoved it all at Stain, hoping to cut him in return. His hand ripped itself away from her throat and she took no satisfaction in the look of alarm in his eyes as he was forcefully backed away from her person to avoid the attack. She collapsed to the ground, falling into the messy pool of blood and water, taking greedy gulps of air, coughing and hacking heavily to relieve the strain on her throat until she hoarsely ground out, "I don't care nor do I need to be praiseworthy in the eyes of a murderer. I made a promise that I swore to keep and there is nothing that will keep me from becoming the greatest hero!"
He was unimpressed as ever at the intense righteous glare she sent him, meeting her with an even glare of his own. Baring her teeth and growling out her next words, for the people you killed and the people of this country, "I won't let you get away with this!"
He took a step closer to her as he appraised her. "Tough words little girl. Maybe you aren't so bad after all. But like I said, no one changes and you haven't done anything to convince me otherwise."
Miko gulped. After everything she'd been through, she wasn't about to let this zealot get in her head. She would be a hero, no matter what anyone said. She's finally started believing in herself, finally wanted to take her promise seriously, to take the mantle from Riko and be a real hero. One she could truly be proud of. All the time, effort, reflection, and dedication that went into building herself up as a hero, she was going to begin doubting herself again.
She continued to glare at him from her position on the ground. Wincing at the pain in her throat as she spoke. "It's true that my reason for becoming a hero was selfish. But fighting you makes me want to protect others for real, and not just for the sake of my promise. I'll be a true hero, no matter what you say about me!"
Stain's frown was chilling as he gripped a new sword. "Too little, too late. You're still in my way!" he taunted before he grabbed her by the shoulder and slashed across her torso, slicing from her right hip to her left shoulder. Her eyes widened disbelievingly, feeling the squelch of her skin being cut cleanly through, blood beginning to pool at the site of her wound, before the sword was abruptly pulled away, blood following behind it in a vibrant spray. Stain lifted the blade to his lips, licking at her blood easily, and she felt his quirk activating.
Paralyzed in a pool of her own blood very much like how Iida was when she and Shoto came to answer Midoriya's vague distress call. She could hear the boys calling to each other trying to come up with an attack a short distance away from her. Frowning, she called out to them, "Idiots…you should've run and gotten pros."
"Don't worry, Tsukikawa. Just hold on!"
"Where's that hero?" They didn't respond and all Miko could see was Stain's hunched figure. If she could just, hold on a little longer, she might be able to help, if only a little. Quirks were like muscles, she thought. Muscles surrounded by aqueous liquids like water, if she could just— get herself to move, but it was useless. Stain's quirk had paralyzed her and she couldn't move the water of her own body to try to help. Her chapped lips had already cracked and begun to bleed too, and for all her built up endurance, struggling against his quirk tired her more than she could handle. Hatefully, she raised her gaze to the Killer. If she couldn't move her own body maybe she could just…hold onto him…keep him away from the boys a little longer…She watched Stain halt in his movements just for a moment, remaining absolutely still, before her head fell heavily against the pavement and she blacked out.
A pained groan sounded from the bed closest to the room's door, alerting the other occupants of their roommates' arousal from a heavily sedated slumber. "Tsukikawa you're awake!" Miko opened her eyes to see Iida and Shoto gathered around her bedside and Midoriya eagerly sitting up in his bed across from her. She had tight bandaged around her entire torso, and an IV attached to her left arm. Faintly, she noted that her hair was down and the sheets her thick silver strands rested on were damp. How wonderful, she thought ruefully; and in front of her classmates too.
"The doctors said your injuries weren't as bad as they looked. The only reason you were bleeding so much is because your quirk makes your blood a lot thinner than normal. But you're gonna be totally fine! Though they did say that the cut you got was deep enough to scar…" Miko scowled. Of course that stupid psycho would have cut her deep enough to leave his mark on her. Now every time she looks in the mirror she'll be reminded of that encounter, with a bitter taste in her mouth.
The door slid open, revealing the tiny pro she and Todoroki had seen fighting off a Nomu when they first arrived in Hosu with Endeavor. "Oh, so the injured youngins are awake."
"Gran Torino!"
"And Manual too…"
Gran Torino turned to Midoriya, "Idiot! I could yell at you for hours right now!"
"Yeah I'm sorry-"
His mentor cut off his apology brusquely. "But before I do, you've got a visitor. This is Hosu's chief of police: Kenji Tsuragamae." Miko didn't bother even pretending like she was going to sit up. Midoriya did though. "No, please, stay seated. Woof."
He looked them over cooly. "So you're the UA students who brought down the hero killer huh?"
"We are," Todoroki said. Miko couldn't help but feel like she'd have to be excluded from that statement, considering she passed out before they could actually take him into custody.
"Stain has some serious injuries," good, Miko thought vindictively. He deserves it for all the scars he's left us. "Severe burns and several broken bones." His voice began to take on a subtle admonishing tone that made Miko stiffen uncomfortably.
"Right now he's in the hospital under strict guard, woof. Here's a lesson you should've already learned: When quirks became the norm, the police sought to maintain the status quo. They decided they wouldn't use quirks as weapons. That's where heroes came in, they could do what we couldn't— if they were licensed, of course, woof. It would be impossible for the police to condone the use of deadly quirks."
"After all, we're here to stop such harm from being done. The only reason pros can use their powers now is because of the strict code of ethics that the early heroes chose to abide by. That's why it's against the law for uncertified people to use their quirk to cause injury. Whether you are up against the hero killer or not none of you had the authority to harm the villain. That means the three of you and your supervisors should receive harsh punishments for this gross abuse of your powers."
Miko kept her chin up, refusing to bow her head no matter how tempted she was after Chief Tsuragamae's harsh tongue lashing, willing herself to not even fist the flimsy hospital blanket. She'd take his reprimanding with every ounce of grace she could muster, no matter how much it shamed her.
She looked sharply to Shoto when he spoke up abruptly. "Now wait a minute. If Iida hadn't stepped in, Native would've been murdered. And if not for Midoriya, both of them would be dead. No one else even realized that Hero Killer was in Hosu. Are you saying we should've just stood by and watched people die?" Todoroki growled.
Even when Shoto unknowingly voiced her thoughts, she couldn't help but glare at him for talking back. Chief Tsuragamae felt similarly.
"So it's okay to break the law as long as it goes your way?"
"But sir, isn't it a hero's job to save people?" Todoroki pushed.
"We're not though," Miko sighed, making sure he caught her hard look. "At least not in the eyes of the law— that's the point." It took a conscious effort not to hang her head in shame.
"This is why you're not a full fledged pro yet. It's obvious UA and Endeavor haven't been teaching you near enough. What a shame."
Todoroki started for the chief, "You damned mutt."
Miko frowned, moving to stand to keep him from attacking the chief. "Shoto, hold on a minute. You can't just-"
"At least that's the official police statement." All four students blanched. "For me, I'm grateful for what you did last night. We can't endorse you of course, or give you any credit without giving you legal trouble, but there may be a way to amend all that."
He called to someone past their door, "Lady Shinoda."
The door opened with a snap. "Hello, children." Himiko Shinoda's whole being commanded the room's attention. Dressed impeccably in formal kimono, as she always did, her small figure stood tall and proud, commanding more respect from the teenagers in the room than the chief did. Her gaze was fierce, mouth set in a thin line, and her hands we replaced covertly behind her back.
The teens stood straighter as she assessed them with hard, critical eyes. Beneath that, Midoriya could see something dancing her ruby gaze, and he was reminded immediately of a girl with the same kind of jewel-like eyes, turquoise instead of red, and guessed that this woman was who Tsukikawa inherited her unyielding pride, unbowed and unbent. He snuck a glance at said girl and was shocked to see her eyes lowered to the ground even with her shoulders squared and her chin raised in the air. It didn't bode well for them if even straight-backed Tsukikawa had to submit to this woman.
"Lady Shinoda has graciously offered to take you on as volunteers for the Shinoda Hospitals' annual fundraising banquet," Chief Tsuragamae introduced.
The old woman stepped forward to introduce herself. "I am Shinoda Hospitals' chief executive officer, Himiko Shinoda. This banquet in particular is an especially important business venture for the hospital. We've been looking into developing our own tech in collaboration with some support companies." She gave them another once over as she paused.
"I've spoken with Chief Tsuragamae and considering your actions yesterday night we both think this is a suitable reward and punishment enough so you remember you're not licensed heroes. Yet." The corner of her mouth twitched as each teen in front of her bristled under her words. "It's also a good show of support for my hero granddaughter," she smirked as she gestured to her Miko who barely had enough will-power to meet her heavy gaze and the curious stares of her classmates. "I hope you don't disappoint, little snake. Be sure to explain what's expected of them. Oh, and be prepared for a lengthy tea chat when you get home."
With that, the adults left them alone in their recovery room. Miko visibly deflated against her pillows as her grandmother left, sagging into her mattress. "Mah, how does she always find out?" There was no way to avoid the judgment, her grandmother already found out and no doubt the rest of the family knew as well. This is so troublesome.
Someone cleared their throat, but the sole female of their group paid it no mind, continuing to grumbling soundlessly to herself on her bed. The boys glanced at each other warily for a moment, but Iida was the first to speak. "So, Tsukikawa, that was your grandmother? What did she mean by bringing us up to speed with the banquet?"
She slowly slid from her thought, sighing as she looked to the window overlooking the city. "As an heir, my cousins and I are obligated to participate in hospital related events. This is both to show strong family unity and a means to garner support from investors and those already working with us— staff and patient alike."
"So you all work with pubic relations?" Shoto asked.
Miko shrugged, "It's a little more than that, but that's all you three need to worry about." She turned to Iida. "From what I've seen from you, class rep, you'll probably have the least trouble falling into the role my grandmother's asking you guys to fill." He seemed a little surprised but humbly bowed his head. "It's my duty to uphold the Iida family name. Now more than ever," he said somberly. Miko bit her lip a bit. She did believe in his ability, but seeing him place this much responsibility on his shoulders reminded her too much of the weight she herself carries for her family's sake.
The room quieted awkwardly. Of all the things to say at a time like this, Miko thought. Not that I can blame him.
Thankfully, Shoto's cellphone rang and he excused himself from the room to answer. Glancing to the empty pitcher at her bedside, Miko turned to Midoriya, noticing her was already getting up. "Do you think you can ask the nurses for more water?" The IV had brought her back to normal levels, but she wanted a break from everyone in the room after all the tension.
"Uh, yeah, of course! I'll be back soon."
"Take your time," Miko nodded. A beat of silence passed between the silver haired girl and the bespectacled boy next to her. The event's following the Hosu incident blurred through Miko's mind, though one thing persisted. That sense of desperation she felt when she desperately tried to pull on the liquid running through Stain's body to keep him from hurting her classmates. No, they're more than classmates at this point. She had always done such a great job of forgetting unwanted details, pushing away her pain and anxieties. To have it thrown back into her face in an already terrifying moment just made the whole event worse.
She had only done it once before— they were just children when it happened. During Riko's terrible, horribly terrifying stays at their hospital, Miko had been a friendly but lonesome child and was occasionally joined by children stuck in the same unfortunate position as her: waiting for a loved one to die.
It went unsaid, but Miko knew that Riko's health was slowly getting worse, still, once a week, her mother liked to make the situation seem normal by putting their hair into twin buns atop their heads, and Miko knew just how much work her mother put into doing her hair in the morning, so she was always careful to make sure her hair was kept neat and clean when she came home. It just so happened that Bun Day fell on hospital visits.
Once a week, like clockwork, a little boy with dark messy hair would walk by her, break the earth beneath their feet as he stormed into the hospital's Peace Garden, and pull out her buns if felt so inclined. It really depended on his mood that day.
Miko hated this boy's guts. Hated his stupid face, how he would be nice one day, act like her friend when they met at her hospital garden, bonding over a mutual understanding of sick loved ones, and then take out his frustrations or sadness or anger or whatever negative emotion he was feeling at the time on her. Pulling out her hair on the one, most special day— the day her mother spent time out of her morning doing her hair.
That day, however, he took it too far, and she'd had enough. She laid on the ground, buns pulled apart and messy, foot twisted and stuck between cracks of broken earth, broken by that stupid boy with a stupid face. Behind him was a girl with the same messy dark hair and spiked teeth, she looked worried, but otherwise remained where she stood behind that stupid boy with his stupid face.
"Just go away! You're always here being a nuisance!" He yelled at her. The girl behind him was trying unsuccessfully to pull him away. Tears hadn't yet fallen from her turquoise eyes, but they were close. He'd stormed in more forcefully than she'd ever seen, and whilst stomping into the garden, had shifted the earth so her ankle twisted painfully when it moved out from under her. She was struggling between the pain in her ankle and the sharp words her "friend" threw at her. After weeks of his hot and cold attitude, she couldn't handle the humiliation, and combined with the pain radiating from her now swollen ankle, she lost control of her Quirk.
He had moved to pull at her loose hair, eager to take his frustration out on her. She yelled at him to stop and held up her hand to defend herself. When nothing happened for a few seconds, her quivering face peeked up to see him frozen mid-grab above her with a terrified look on his face. "Wh-what's happening? Why can't I move?"
Unbeknownst to him, Miko had managed to call upon the water in his body. She felt it inside him, running beneath his skin. Feel all the power she held in her grasp, and she fainted.
She couldn't remember what happened after that, besides waking up to a completely different person hovering over her. Actually, she wondered how that ball of walking sunshine was doing…
Taking the time to reflect now, she realized that the reason why she feinted, both back then and yesterday, was probably because it was so much harder to control water molecules she either couldn't see (re: visualize) or wasn't immediately and readily available in the external environment. Still, she had no desire to try it again. It was dangerous messing with people's bodies like that and even practicing it was risky.
She glanced back at Iida. He was somber as he was a few minutes ago, she winced internally. She could understand the pressure he was feeling, especially considering that he's taken his brother's mantle as Ingenium. He has big shoes to fill, she sympathized. She knew all about that, for better or worse. She kept looking at him, but took too long trying to find the right words to say to Iida that would comfort him or show him that she could understand what he was feeling, at least as much as she'd let him in on her personal dilemmas. "Iida I-"
Right as she opened her mouth to speak to him, two doctors bustled in with energy neither she nor Iida were feeling. The two doctors separated to treat the two teens.
"Oh! Good to see you're awake, Tsukikawa-san. Lady Shinoda will be glad to hear it." Beneath her lashes, Miko peered at the older woman checking her blood pressure with the precision of a professional. She had a kind face and heavy lines around her mouth that suggested a no-nonsense personality that Miko had long since associated with doctors. "She's already been through," she told her mildly.
"I'm sure she was very happy to see you."
Miko withheld a snort. They were all the way out in Hosu and she still couldn't escape her grandmother's influence. The doctor chuckled from above her. "She said you were moody." Turquoise eyes shifted sharply. "Excuse me?"
"Hehe. I used to work for your grandma, Tsukikawa-san. I left Shinoda Hospitals a few years ago to care for my mother here in Hosu." She removed the IV from her arm. "I know she acts like she knows everything, but I only know her by pure coincidence. Don't look so suspicious!"
The silver haired teen chuckled along with the doctor as she finished her check up. "Your blood pressure's back up to normal and so's your temperature. Your blood is unusually thin, but you're somehow not dying 24/7 so try not to get cut up so badly next time. Transfusions did their job this time so we have no reason to keep you here. You're free to go home." She left without much celebration.
Sighing wearily, Miko kicked the blanket off her legs and swung them off the side of the bed. Grateful for the cool air on her skin, she removed the flimsy socks the staff had put on her upon her arrival, and placed her bare feet on the cool tiles. Her legs still gelt heavy as she pushed off the bed the same way they taught patients in her family's hospital, and the sudden rush that went through her left her slightly woozy, but she stood.
Looking back at Iida with a half grin, she was eager to show off but dropped it quickly when she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?"
"Don't worry Tsukikawa. We should wait until the others get back."
The shorter girl chose not to question his cryptic answer, choosing instead to stretch her limbs before suddenly remembering that she owned a cellphone. She scrambled for it, scrolling through a long list of notifications from her family before clearing each and every single one of them until she got to two certain names.
A light chuckle left her lips as she read the messages. One from Kirishima and another from Jirou, both asking her about her internship with Shoto and the mysterious message they got yesterday from Midoriya. Did they all get his weird message?
She was busy responding to both her friends when Shoto and Midoriya came back from wherever they were. Iida was quick to inform them of his doctor's concern for his current situation and needless to say Miko was pissed at the boy's stupidity.
"Blessings from Benten, are all younger siblings so stupid?!" she grouched. The bespectacled boy was at risk of losing mobility in his injured arm, which could be repaired with a critical surgery, that would also conveniently improve his stats as a hero in training, but he was going to refuse it to remind him of his mistake in the alley against Stain; and no matter what logic she said to him, he refused to see reason.
Midoriya stammered, "Ah— um— well, I wouldn't know! I'm an only child myself!"
"Kohaku would never be this stupid," she muttered, physically turning away from the conversation. Iida remained silent.
"Oh, do you have a younger sibling too, Tsukikawa?"
She eyed the green haired boy carefully. "Yes, and she's an absolute angel. She would surely never do something as silly as letting herself stay injured when there were options for her to get better to punish herself." Her gaze darkened and Iida glanced away as if she struck him. "If she did I would never forgive her."
"You two must be close! Considering how well you're talking about her, I mean."
"I guess so."
She couldn't believe his idiocy. Here he was, with the opportunity to improve his hero ability, but he refused it to punish himself for being human. A tattoo could do the same job, she thought angrily.
Tired of her thoughts, she distracted herself with chatter. "So what happened after Stain paralyzed me?"
They explained the events after she passed out, but they all quieted when they heard Shoto quietly whisper to himself, "Am I the hand crusher or something?" And simultaneously burst out laughing.
Despite her previous ire, something about his dumbfounded and pained question made her shake with laughter, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say!"
Once their laughter calmed down, and they settled to catch their breath, Midoriya left once again to go to the bathroom and Miko decided she still had to say something to Iida after berating him earlier. "Hey, Shoto, do you think you could grab me a melon pan from a vending machine or something? I'm awful hungry."
Miko sat quietly before Iida, her back to him. Silently contemplating how to best approach the topic, she decided the best way was to just blurt out her thoughts. "Hey, Iida," she called out softly, "you still have your brother. He may no longer be Ingenium or be the same, but he's still alive. Please don't forget that." She thought about Riko, and how she would never get the chance to live out her dream.
"And even if I think it's stupid of you not to get the surgery done, I'll support you."
Having said her thoughts, she kept turned to her water pitcher and poured herself a glass as if she had said nothing at all.
Iida's reply stayed waiting on the tip of his tongue. She had left before he could even respond, but even if she hadn't he wasn't sure he would have had anything to say. Her voice was quiet in a way he hadn't quite heard it before, somber, as if she had experienced a personal loss in the events surrounding the Hero Killer. To his knowledge, none of her family was attacked during the sprees. Perhaps there was more to her solemn words than he could ever know.
Thank you for caring, Tsukikawa.
