Okay guys so: to thank you all for your support AND for celebrating the fact that the third season begins in less than a week from now, I've decided to post a new chapter! Yes, so soon, and no, it's not an april prank either!
Warning: Kira's language, Kira's coping mechanism and Kira's ambition.
Enjoy!
The following morning, Kira woke up on schedule. She knew she didn't have school for the next two days, but it didn't mean she could slack off. With the stunt Hagane pulled the day before, she couldn't allow herself to grow complacent with her abilities. She had already contacted Nami-sensei for a training session the next day, and she'd use today to work on basic physical efforts and control.
Her muscles were still stiff because of the strain, and so she was careful in her morning work out to stretch everything out. After ten minutes or so, she let out an heavy sigh and glanced at the clock.
It's a little passed five and a half. Talk about an ungodly hour to wake up to.
But she couldn't help it. After realizing getting up at six and a half just didn't fit her schedule any longer, she decided to wake up even earlier. It hadn't been a fun transition but now, she couldn't sleep in even if she wanted to.
Guess internal clocks are a thing, uh?
Not that she complained. It could only help, after all. Plus, if her body really needed the sleep, then she wouldn't wake up. Simple as that, really!
Opening the curtains of the single window, she took a few seconds to enjoy the faint light rising in the distance. It was still very dark, but she knew the sun would be up by the time she finished her usual jog.
Quickly changing into a more appropriate attire for running, the teen then left her room and headed outside. Once there, she stretched her arms-
"Ouch…"
Well, tried to. She had forgotten about the injury on her back. Obviously, the meds she had taken the night before had now wore off.
"I can deal with it," she muttered, shaking her head. Exhaling deeply, she then forced herself to block out the pain. "I can deal with it."
She started running.
.
.
Kira checked her time, unsatisfied. She could understand that her body was slowed down due to her surpassing the limits, but she wouldn't settle for that result. She'd try again after breakfast. After all, the only way to get better was to break passed the limits, right? Kira saw her Quirk like a bone. The more you broke it, the stronger it became.
Right now, though, she was hungry.
"Good morning, Kira-chan!"
"Good morning, Lunch-Rush!" greeted the teen. "What's for breakfast today?"
"I made your favorite!" informed gleefully the chef. He pulled out a plate, and Kira's heart missed a beat. "Pancakes with bananas, strawberries and chocolate!"
"Lunch-Rush…" she sighed happily. "You're definitely my favorite Hero."
That made him laugh, and she gratefully took the plate. They were still warm, and smelled soooo good! The ginger knew eating things like this kind of went against the purpose of her training, but she just couldn't help her sweet tooth. Plus, it's not like she'd actually manage to accumulate the fat, what with all the training she went through.
Kira took a look at the empty cafeteria. "You know, sometimes, I feel like I'm actually the only student you make breakfast for," she admitted. "I never really realized until now, but the student dorms are pretty empty, aren't they?"
"They're not empty," assured Lunch-Rush, chuckling. "Your room was simply placed on one of the higher floors, where the security is better. Most of the students live on lower floors. Plus, dorms are not only separated between boys and girls, but also grades."
"I can understand that. But still, wouldn't I have crossed paths with someone already? I mean, I see some seniors and such around, but never in the morning," she mused.
"Kira-chan, you're probably the only student I know that can wake up at five in the morning and not look dead on your feet," he joked. "I doubt you'll see many of your fellow schoolmates that have that kind of drive."
"Right, forgot about that detail," she admitted, laughing a little. Her stomach suddenly growly loudly, and her cheeks turned a little red while the Pro Hero laughed heartily. "Sorry about that. Thanks again for the food! Though you shouldn't spoil me too much, or I might get used to it."
"Anytime, Kira-chan. And don't worry, it was just a special something for your wonderful performance during the Sports Festival. Keep it up!"
"I will!"
Lunch-Rush waved, before returning to his kitchen. Smiling in anticipation, Kira wasted no time in taking a seat at the nearest table to start eating. The first bite literally melted in her mouth, and she took a second to appreciate the food. Seeing as supper wasn't offered by the school, and dinner was only served five days per week, she couldn't enjoy such amazing lunches as often as she'd like.
"He knows me too well," she snorted, only then noticing the smiling faces decorating her pancakes. "Well, Itadakimasu~"
The twinge of nostalgia she felt as she started eating was quickly pushed in the back of her mind. She knew her brother wouldn't be cooking for her for a long while, so she wouldn't bother with those parasitic thoughts.
.
.
After another run around the school grounds, Kira allowed herself to relax a little. Her time was much better than earlier this morning and, while she had beaten no record, it was still good enough for now. So, after taking a quick shower, the teen then headed to a more distant part of the grounds to practice her control. She couldn't do that inside, by risk of putting fire to the school. And of course, she couldn't do that too close to more used areas, like the entrance or the buildings in general. So, she found herself heading back to the training field, where they had done their physical tests on the first day.
She glanced around. "Feels like it's been years since then…"
The teen sat on the ground. Before anything, she'd try some meditation, to relax her mind and allow easier control. She wouldn't push back her limits too much so soon, she knew better than that, but she could still work on her mental, right?
"Oh, she's already outside."
"… you're kidding, right?"
"You already know the answer to that question, Aizawa-kun."
With a deep, heavy sigh, the black-haired man made his way to the window at the pace of a slug. Looking down at the training field, he saw that the Headmaster was right, and that Suttoki was already back to training.
"There's no stopping this girl," he grunted. "Doesn't she understand the concept of rest? She needs to take a break, or else her body won't be able to keep up."
"Who can blame her, though?" replied Headmaster Nezu. "When one's life is put at risk, they cope differently. Her own coping mechanism is training, and no one can say it's a bad thing. What could have worst consequences is the expectations she has for herself. They push her towards success, yes, but… tell me, Aizawa-kun. Do you know what she does during her free time?"
"Why should I know? I don't stalk my students," he deadpanned.
"She trains," pursued the Headmaster, unperturbed. "She trains, or meditates, or even studies when she feels like it. That brings about another question, though."
Eraser Head reported his attention to the teen below. She was sitting on the grass, apparently meditating. He didn't think she'd have it in her –kids with too much energy tended to be unable to stay in place for an extended period of time, after all- but then again, with her Quirk, control wasn't just an option.
"... What does she do when she doesn't train, then?" he finally asked.
"Exactly. But… you know the answer to that question too, don't you?"
Yes. Yes, he did.
And he didn't like it one bit.
Without another word, he stormed outside.
Nezu chuckled to himself, sipping his tea. A moment later, Midnight and Present Mic stepped in.
"Hey, hey, Nezu-san! What's gotten into Aizawa?" wondered the blond, curious.
"He's going to check up on a student," shrugged innocently the Headmaster. He glanced back outside, where the teen was now practicing movements, fire joining the fray. "Watch with me?"
"Wait, is that Suttoki? She's already back to training?" gasped Present Mic, literally gluing his face to the window. "Man, these kids have some serious motivation…"
"Pay up, Mic!" grinned Midnight, extending her hand to him.
"Hai, hai…" he grunted.
"Oh, a bet?" realized the Headmaster, amused.
"I said Suttoki would start training again tomorrow," huffed the blond, handing over the money.
"And I said she'd start training again today!" The woman cheerfully took her winnings to put it in one of her pockets. "Oh, such youthfulness~!"
"Oh, look! Aizawa's out!" suddenly remarked Present Mic, getting over his loss pretty quickly.
The other two Pro Heroes looked outside where, effectively, the black-haired man was now making his way towards the ginger, who still hadn't noticed him.
"Ten says he makes her stop," announced the blond, growing interested.
"Ten says he helps her out," replied Midnight.
"Ten says he does both," cheerfully chimed in Nezu.
At that, both teachers slumped in defeat. If the Headmaster bet against them, then they had already lost. He wasn't known as a genius for nothing, after all.
Kira was about to augment the density of her flames when they suddenly dissipated, the familiar heat she felt when using her Quirk vanishing along with it. Startled, she spun on her heels and threw the first thing she could grab.
Her shoe was easily caught by her homeroom teacher, who stared at her with a blank face.
"A-Aizawa-sensei!" she gasped. "God, I'm so sorry! I didn't- I just- I thought-"
"Get yourself together, Suttoki," he rolled his eyes, walking to her. She realized he must have be the one who stopped her from using her Quirk. "What are you doing?"
She stared at him for a few seconds, unsure of what to answer. Was he hit over the head, or something? What she was doing was pretty obvious.
"Training…?"
"Why?"
"… are you asking one of your students why she's training?" she asked, confused.
"I'm asking one of my injured students why she's training," he corrected in his usual, flat tone. There was a certain harshness to it, though. He threw her back her shoe, which she caught. "You ought to know better than to always push yourself to the extreme, Suttoki."
"I'm not pushing myself," she protested, putting back her shoe on. "That's what I always do. Plus, I was barely injured! It's just a bruise, I'll get over it. I can't slack off now, of all times."
"Is it because of what happened yesterday?" he sighed, already knowing the answer to that question too.
She lowered her eyes, fists clenching at the reminder. "That man… he just waltzed in as if he owned the friggin' place. No matter how many Heroes were there, no one has been able to stop him!" Her tone rose a little. "How am I supposed to just sit on my ass when I know that someone who's that strong… who has so many tools and means to get what he wants… is after me? I… I can't be weak. Not when the threat is so real. Not when my friends could be put in danger too. Surely, you understand that!"
"I do," he assured, and she calmed down a little at that. "Doesn't make it right. Suttoki, being strong isn't just about pushing passed your limits again and again. It's also about knowing when you need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture."
"But I don't have time for this!" she retorted, shaking her head. "Who knows when he'll come back? Who knows who he's going to attack next? Who knows what'll happen, and when, and- and who knows if you'll even be around when that happens?" Her breathing was ragged, she was trying her hardest not to let her anger get the best of her, but Aizawa could easily see the sparks flying from the tips of her fingers. "I can't always rely on others, Aizawa-sensei. I told Ren yesterday, and now I'm telling you: I need to be strong enough to protect myself, and to protect those around me. I can't keep thinking 'Heroes will keep me safe' when we both know very well that it's just a smoke screen. Being under protection is all well and good, but I can't keep hiding behind others any longer. I just… I can't."
The Pro Hero stared at his student for a moment. Suttoki Kira was more than probably one of the best students of his class. Hard working, determined, great Quirk and most of all, a positivity that could match All Might's. She just didn't know how to let go, and that was both her strength and her weakness. However, now that he looked closer… he realized how much of it was actually an act. She played the part with her friends so as not to worry them, kept on smiling and cracking jokes and cheering them on without saying anything about how she truly felt. By doing all that, though, she only isolated herself even more.
And, be it physically or mentally, an isolated person was the easiest target for Villains and scum of the likes.
Well, we can't have that, can we?
"Suttoki. Come with me."
"W-what?"
He didn't repeat himself, though, simply leaving the field. At first startled by this sudden return to reality, the teen then quickly grabbed her training bag before running after him.
"A-Aizawa-sensei! Wait! Where are we going? We- Aizawa-sensei!"
"So… who won?"
"Who do you think?" Midnight rolled her eyes, handing the money over to the Headmaster.
"Well, she stopped… but he left with her… Oh, alright, alright!" Giving up, Present Mic too gave the money.
Chuckling softly, the Headmaster tucked away his winnings, and sipped some more of his tea.
Aizawa-kun… you really are a softie when it comes to your students, aren't you?
.
.
Kira was extremely confused.
One moment she was training, the next she was leaving the school grounds with her homeroom teacher. She had quickly changed into casual clothes before going out, but in all of the time it took to get ready and leave, Aizawa-sensei hadn't answered a single question.
"What if I don't want to go?" she remarked, still following him.
"Then I drag you there."
"Charming."
The ginger really thought that bugging him about it would make him gave up and answer her, but he obviously had an incredibly high tolerance for annoying people. When she asked about it, he had simply replied by pointing out he was working with Present Mic and All Might.
That was a very legit answer, if you asked Kira.
"Hey! Suttoki Kira-san!"
The teen flinched, before looking over at the source of the call. It was a man, eating on a terrace with a woman- surely his wife. He waved cheerfully, and the woman beamed at her.
"You were great at the Sports Festival! Good work!" she remarked with a thumbs up.
"R-right… Thanks!"
They quickly disappeared from sight, and the ginger sighed. Her teacher seemed as unperturbed as ever though, with all the bandages covering him, it was kind of hard to read his expressions.
"That was weird," she mused.
"You made a big impression during the festival," he shrugged, turning to the right. They stopped at the light. "And you're easily noticed, so of course people would recognize you."
…
…
…
"Can I borrow some of your bandages?"
"No."
"Meanie."
.
.
"So… you dragged me all of the way from the academy… to go to a pet shop?"
"Just get inside already. You're drawing attention."
She rolled her eyes, but obeyed. Seriously, at that point, it wasn't worth fighting about. She was just even more confused than before. Why would her teacher –who could be a downright asshole when he wanted to- bring her to a pet shop, of all places?
"Go take a look around, I have to talk with the manager," he ordered, already walking away.
"Okay?"
He was gone in a flash. The teen shrugged, deciding to make the most of this opportunity. It had been a while since she left the school grounds, after all, and even more so for such a trivial matter.
Her attention was instantly caught by the numerous cats in the back. She had always been a cat person, after all, and the only reason why she never had one was because Ren was allergic.
"Aw…" She crouched before one of the windows. On the other side was a cute, orange cat. "Hello there, cutie-pie…"
He stared at her for a second, before looking away to ignore her, and she laughed a little. It really was a cat reaction. There suddenly was a 'bump' from one of the higher cages. Curious, she rose back to her feet, and found herself face to face with a kitty. He was really small, surely a baby, and he was of a warm brown, with deep green eyes.
"What-"
She then realized that there were two other cats in the cage. The second one was beige, with red yes, while the third one was completely white, with pale blue eyes.
"They're babies, but not from the same litter…" she mused.
The one with the beige fur suddenly hissed at the first she had seen, apparently angry. The other cat simply ran at him and tackled him, obviously trying to play. He was instantly shoved off by the angry kitty. The third was just watching it happen, seemingly not about to intervene.
"Why do I have a weird feeling of déjà-vu?" she sweatdropped.
"Oh, they caught your attention?"
The ginger jumped, before looking over at the woman that had appeared next to her. She obviously had a mutation Quirk, if the whiskers were anything to go by.
"I'm the owner of the shop, you can just call me Bunny," she greeted cheerfully. "You're Suttoki Kira, right? You were awesome at the Sports Festival. My kids just can't stop talking about your fight in the semi-finals."
"Ah ah, thanks… You said you were the owner, right?" The woman nodded, and Kira looked back to the three cats. "I was just wondering… why are they in the same cage? They're obviously from different litters…"
"We ran out of cages when we first got them," admitted Bunny, somewhat sheepishly. She rubbed the back of her head. "They started living together right off the bat and now, if we try to separate them… Well, let's just say, it gets kind of messy."
"I see."
"Do you like them?"
"Uh? Yeah, they're really cute. I love cats, you know? But I don't-"
"Great! I'll get everything ready!"
"Wait, what?"
But the whiskered woman was already gone. Blinking a few times, the girl then looked back to the three kittens.
They weren't there anymore, though.
"Uh? Uh!?" She checked through the window once. Twice. They really weren't there anymore. "What?"
"I'm back~!" Kira jumped again as Bunny suddenly appeared next to her, a large box in her hands.
"B-Bunny-san! The cats, they're gone! They just-"
"What are you talking about, silly?" laughed the owner. She lifted the box a little higher, and only then did Kira notice the faint hissing that could be heard from inside of it. "They're all here! And now… here you go!"
The ginger couldn't do anything as the woman shoved the box in her arms. Stumbling a little under the sudden weight, she then shot her a panicked look.
"W-wait! I can't just take the cats! I don't have time to take care of them! I don't even have the money to pay for them! I don't-"
"The school pays for it," Aizawa-sensei was suddenly back next to her. He glanced at the box. "Three of them, really? Oh well, whatever works. Come on, let's go."
"But-"
Kira blinked.
Kira startled.
Kira gasped.
Because Kira was suddenly outside of the shop.
"See you later, Kira-chan~!" Bunny waved before slamming the door shut.
There was a moment of silence. Then, Kira looked at her teacher, mildly terrified.
"What… just happened?"
"Bunny's Quirk is super-speed. The whiskers are just because she finds them cute. Now come on, we're going back to the school."
As he started walking away, the ginger gritted her teeth. She was confused and still slightly under shock and damn it, she wanted answers.
"No. No, I'm not coming," she snapped, and the teacher stopped in his tracks. "I want answers, Aizawa-sensei! What… what the hell is going on!?"
"Suttoki…" He slowly turned around. Once he was facing her, she gulped a little. He wasn't in the mood to repeat himself, that much was obvious despite him being completely mummified. "Look. These cats will require care, and attention, and time. They're your responsibility now, so you better get used to them already."
"B-but I don't have time! I told you before, I-"
"Then make it. Adapt your training schedule. As of now, these cats are your priority. You can focus on training once you've found a way to balance them and your studies. Also, you can't just bring them back here. I've already warned Bunny not to take them back. And if you do try to get rid of them… Well, I'll have you in detention each and every day until he end of the school year. Have I made myself clear?"
"… that's abusing your power."
"I'm the teacher. Deal with it."
On that note, he started walking again. Kira stared at his retreating back for a few seconds, before shaking her head and running to catch up with him.
She tried to ignore the small smile that tried to twist her lips.
.
.
Once they got back, Aizawa-sensei wasted no time in abandoning her. Forced to carry both the box with the cats and the different basic products her teacher had purchased in the meantime –where he put the bags on their way back, she had no fricking idea-, it took her a while before finally reaching her room.
Once inside, she dropped the bags on the floor, before placing the box on the table. As soon as she let go of it, though, it started shaking. Obviously, the cats were done before dragged around for the day.
"Well, no backing out now." Already feeling a headache coming, she then opened it.
Instantly, she had to avoid the flying beige cat. He had jumped at her, claws out and ready to draw blood. It swiftly landed on its paws and turned around, hissing loudly.
"What the hell?" she cursed, heart beating fast. "You scared me, you jerk! Are you trying to rip my eyes out or something?"
The cat hissed yet again. She glared at him, not backing down. After a moment, the animal calmed down somewhat, and took a step back, now wary. She sighed, before crouching down to be at a closer level.
"Look, I don't want us to hate each other," she assured. "This is your new home, alright? So, why don't we try to be friends?"
She extended her hand to him, hoping he would stop seeing her as a threat and actually start to act with some civility. After a few more seconds, the cat hesitantly started approaching. He flinched a few times when she shifted in place, but kept on moving. When he was finally in reach, he sniffed her opened palm. Then, he softly licked her finger.
"Aw, there you go. You see? That wasn't so- ow! You son of bitch!"
She pulled away and the cat jumped onto the couch. He comfortably settled down, obviously satisfied, and the ginger gaped at her now bleeding finger.
"You bit me, you damn savage! What was that for?"
He simply flicked his tail at her, obviously done, and she huffed angrily.
"Now I get why you're so familiar," she grunted, going to grab a tissue. The wound wasn't actually hurting that bad, but it was still bleeding. "I've got an asshole of your kind in my class. You know what? I'll call you Spikey. You two look too much alike to pass up the opportunity."
Satisfied with the name, the ginger then decided to forget about him for now to focus on the other two kittens. Pulling a first one out, she found herself staring into pale, blue eyes.
"… Shiro. Cliché, but it fits," she nodded, gently putting it down. The cat stared at her for a moment, before leisurely walking away. "… Weird cat…"
Shaking her head, she pulled out the last of the kittens. It was the one with the deep, green eyes. As soon as she grabbed him, he started licking her injured finger, as if to make it better. She laughed a little at that.
"Aw, you're sweet! You know, I think you're my favorite," she told him. "… I'll call you Deku! Yup, that fits perfectly!"
The cat purred, rubbing his head against her. Smiling, she kept on petting him, heading for the couch. Spikey hissed at her when she sat down, but she ignored him and kept on petting Deku. After a few seconds, the beige cat grumpily returned to his occupation – otherwise said, doing nothing. After a while, Shiro obviously decided that he liked her enough to come and sleep on her.
Then, she chuckled a little. "Funny. I named one of you after my best friend and the other as my greatest rival." She then sweatdropped, realizing something. "Wait, that's actually kind of sad."
Deku simply kept on purring, Shiro simply kept on sleeping, and Spikey simply kept on sulking.
.
.
"… You bought her cats."
"The school paid for it."
"… Cats. Aizawa, you brought your student to the pet shop to get her cats."
Eraser Head wanted to hit his head against his desk. If it wasn't for his injuries, he probably would have done so.
He'd never hear the end of it.
.
.
The next day, Kira found herself forced to cancel with Nami-sensei. Spikey was a literal devil and wrecked her stuff, Deku just wouldn't stop following her, and Shiro kept on disappearing to God knows where, which scared her each and every time. She couldn't just leave them alone, who knew what they'd do?
"Maybe I could try to meditate…" she sighed, sitting on her bed.
She closed her eyes.
Breath in. Breath out. Breath-
'BANG!' 'SCRATCH!' 'RIP!' 'CLANG!' 'CLANG!' 'CLANG!'
A hiss echoed. There was a pitiful meow.
"Ugh, who am I kidding!?" Kira snapped, heading for the kitchen where all the ruckus came from.
Training would have to wait a little longer.
.
.
"Alright, class. Today, we'll-"
The door suddenly slammed open, letting enter Kira. She was even more disheveled than usual, and she had obviously ran all the way to the class.
"S-sorry I'm late!" she apologized. "I-I got… kind of held back…"
Her classmates chuckled at that, and Izuku could only smile as his friend quickly went to her seat, red from embarrassment. It had been a while since she last made one of her remarked entrance, after all.
"Anyway… We're having a special Hero informatics class today," announced the teacher. The ginger noticed how his bandages were now gone, but didn't comment on it. "Code names. You'll be coming up with Hero names."
There was a moment of silence.
"WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING EXCITING!"
Aizawa-sensei activated his Quirk, scaring the crap out of everyone. The students instantly calmed down, not wanting to face his wrath.
"This is related to the Pro Hero draft picks I mentioned the other day," he pursued. "The drafts begin in earnest in the second and third years, after students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the Pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often cancelled if that interest dies down by graduation."
"So we'll have to prove ourselves once we get picked, uh?" wondered Uraraka.
"That's right. And here are the totals for those with offers."
On the blackboard suddenly appeared the results. Obviously, not all of the students managed to get offers, but Kira was more focused on a very important point.
"Ah!" she exclaimed. "I beat you, Spikey!"
"Fuck off, Carrot!"
Todoroki had received 4 123 offers, which was incredible. Kira was just behind him, with 3 923 offers, and Katsuki was right after her, with 3 556 offers.
"Suttoki, don't provoke him. Bakugo, watch your temper," warned the teacher, before gesturing to the three names at the top. "In other years, it's been more spread out, but all eyes were on these three this year."
"Gah, there's such a big difference!" exclaimed Kaminari, defeated.
"Those Pros don't know a good thing when they see one," huffed Aoyama.
"Todoroki's first… Kira's second… and Bakugo's third…?" read Jiro.
"It's the complete opposite of their placement in the Sports Festival," pointed out Kirishima.
"I guess some people are too scared to ask for a guy who had to be restrained on the podium," sweatdropped Sero.
"WHAT'RE THE PROS SCARED OF!?" snapped Katsuki.
Kira simply couldn't say anything, genuinely happy and proud. She knew she had done well during the tournament, but she still hadn't expected to be so sought after.
It was… a nice surprise, really.
"Keeping these results in mind…" Aizawa-sensei brought back the attention. "Whether or not anyone asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with Pros."
"Internships?"
"Aa. At USJ, you already got to experience combat with real Villains, but it will still be meaningful training for you to see Pros at work firsthand," explained the black-haired man.
"So that explains the Hero names!" understood Sato.
"Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" added Uraraka.
"Well, those Hero names are still temporary," tempered the teacher. "Though you have to be serious about it. If you're not-"
"You'll have hell to pay later!"
The door slid open, letting enter none other than Midnight. That instantly got most of the males' attention, and Kira sighed internally.
Boys…
"Because a lot of Hero names used by students become recognized by society," pursued the woman. "And so they end up becoming professional Hero names!"
"M-Midnight!"
"Well, that's how it is. Midnight is here to make sure you names are acceptable, for that very reason," concluded their teacher. He then grabbed the sleeping bag from under his desk. "I can't do stuff like that. When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future, and you can get closer to it. That is what it means when they say 'names and nature often agree'. Like 'All Might', for example."
Boards and pens started being passed through the students. Aizawa-sensei went to sleep, and Midnight simply settled at his desk while the students thought it over. It was probably the most silent moment this class had ever lived through. Hell, even Katsuki wasn't saying a word!
A name, uh?
Like most kids, she often thought about a Hero name. First because it was fun, then because her dream became clearer, later because she simply knew she'd need a name as a Hero and now… now, she actually had to choose one. As said, it wasn't anything official, but she had a feeling hers would be.
The people already knew her. The Heroes already knew her. The Villains already knew her, too.
But what… what can I choose?
Obviously something in link with her powers. Maybe a color too? No, it was overused. Something to describe her abilities? No, too tacky.
She wanted to become a Hero so that she could help those who couldn't help themselves. She wanted to become a Hero so that she could use her Quirk for a greater cause than herself. She wanted to become a Hero for justice, one that people would look up to, one that, when said people saw her, they'd think: 'She's here. We're safe, now.'
She wanted her name to have an impact, both on those she defended and on those that confronted her. She wanted her enemies to think: 'Fuck, we're screwed' when she arrived. She wanted a name that would both inspire and scare, but that also represented herself. Her ambition. Her dreams.
She wanted the name of a true Hero.
Maybe…
She started writing.
.
.
"Okay, let's start presenting names, starting with those who are ready," announced Midnight.
Most students were shocked, not expecting to have to present their names to their fellow classmates. Aoyama however wasn't affected, and walked with confidence to the front of the class.
"Here I go…" He lifted his board for all to see. "The Shining Hero: I Can Not Stop Twinkling! Which means: you can't stop my sparkles!"
It's a sentence! Mentally screamed the whole class.
Midnight grabbed his board, and started writing over it. "It'll be easier to use if you take out the 'I' and shorten the 'can not' to 'can't'."
Which basically gave Can't Stop Twinkling.
"You're right, mademoiselle," agreed Aoyama, pleased.
All of the students sweatdropped at that. None of them actually expected it to be accepted. As Aoyama returned to his seat, Ashido jumped on her feet and ran at the front of the class.
"Alright, I'm next!" she exclaimed. "Hero name: Alien Queen!"
"A-Are you trying for the thing with acidic blood?" paled Midnight. "I wouldn't if I were you!"
"Dang it…" muttered the pink girl, returning to her place.
"Then, may I go next?" asked Tsuyu, raising her hand.
"Go right ahead, Tsu-chan!"
Nodding, the green-haired girl quickly went to stand before the class. "I've had this in mind ever since I was in elementary school. Rainy Season Hero: Froppy."
"That's so cute!" cooed the Pro Hero. "It seems friendly. I like it! It's a great example of a name that everyone will love!"
Considering the first two were rather ridiculous, the rest of the class was relieved to see one that actually made sense, and started cheering. Then, Kirishima took her place at the front.
"Then I'll got too! Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!"
"You're paying homage to the Chivalrous Hero: 'Crimson Riot', aren't you?" mused Midnight.
"Yeah. It's pretty old fashioned, but the Hero image I'm going for is Crimson himself," admitted the red-haired boy.
"If you're bearing a name you admire, it'll come with that much more pressure," warned Midnight, though apparently proud.
"I'm prepared for that," assured the boy, serious.
Accepting the name, Midnight sent him back to his place with a pad on the back and an approving smile. As the red-haired boy returned, Kira grinned at him, and bumped her fist against his.
"So cool, Red Two!"
"Thanks! Have you found yours, yet?" he asked, curious.
"Sure. I'm just waiting to see the others'," she admitted.
"Oh, what is it? Come on, show me!"
"… nope."
He mimicked being stabbed in the heart, making her laugh.
"Man, you're lucky…" sighed Kaminari. "I haven't thought of a name yet…"
Jiro tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Why don't I give you one? How about 'Jamming-yay'?"
"Ooh! It's like Hemmingway, who wrote A Farewell to Arms!" remarked the blond. "Sounds smart! It's cool!"
"No…" Jiro muffled her laughs behind her hand. "It's because even though you're strong… you always end up as a dumbass that keeps saying 'yay'…"
Kira snorted at that, and the two girls high-fived while the poor boy whined in the background. Jiro then sauntered to the front of the class.
"The Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack," she presented.
"That's good! Next!"
It kept on going for a while. Most of the students managed to find good names for themselves, all approved by Midnight. Or at least, until Katsuki came up.
"King Explosion Murder!"
"Your probably shouldn't use something like that," replied Midnight.
"Why not!?"
"You should be Explosion Boy!" proposed Kirishima.
"Shut up, Weird Hair!"
He however returned to his place to find another name. Kira shook her head, a little exasperated. Did he really expect such a name to be accepted? It sounded way too Villain-ish.
"Choosing Hero names is going more smoothly than I thought it would!" remarked the Pro Hero. "All that's left is Bakugo, who needs to rethink his idea, Iida and Suttoki. And also Midoriya, right?"
Tenya got up, and slowly made his way to the front of the class. Once there, though, he only presented his own name.
"You're using your first name too?" Todoroki had done the same earlier. "Alright, then. No worries! You can still find one later! And now… Midoriya, Suttoki? Any of you ready?"
The two of them exchanged a glance. Both had found their names, after all.
"I'll go first, then," announced Izuku. It's gotta be this.
He went to face everyone, and took a short breath, before presenting his name. A wave of shock washed over the rest of the students.
"M-Midoriya…"
"You sure about that?"
"You might be called that forever, you know!"
"Yeah. I… I didn't like this name until now. But someone changed the meaning of it, and that had a huge impact on me," explained the green-haired boy. "It made me really happy. So… this is my Hero name!"
"D-DEKU!?"
Everyone jumped at the sudden exclamation, eyes going over to the ginger. She had jumped to her feet, her chair scrapping on the floor loudly enough to wake Aizawa-sensei up.
"H-hai…?" Is she mad at me?
The ginger froze, only realizing now her reaction. Then, she flushed in embarrassment, and chuckled nervously.
"No, no, it's not… It's just… Ugh." With a sigh, she pulled something from her bag… Or rather, she pulled out a cat...? "His name's Deku. The little shit apparently got in my bag this morning, and I only noticed him now. Sorry about that."
Incredulous, the students could only laugh. She rubbed the back of her hair sheepishly as Deku –the cat- purred and rubbed his head against her hand.
"Alright, alright, calm down everyone," chuckled Midnight, apparently finding the ridiculous situation as amusing. "Suttoki, please make sure it doesn't happen again. That aside, have you found your name, yet?"
"… Yeah. Yeah, I did."
She grabbed Deku and handed him over to Kirishima. The cat instantly took a liking to the red-haired boy, who was well-forced to pet him. Smiling a little, she then exchanged places with Izuku, who shook his head at her.
"That's so you, Kicchan."
"What can I say? He loves me," she shrugged.
He snorted at that, taking back his seat. The ginger then went to stand before the whole class and, without any hesitation, turned over her board for all to see.
"The Fiery Hero: Spitfire."
There was a moment of silence that followed her announcement. Most of the students easily remembered where they had last heard that name.
::
"See you soon, little spitfire~"
::
"Kicchan… is it really okay?" worried Izuku. "This name-"
"I know. This name is the one that that monster gave me," she confirmed, surprisingly calm. "And that's also my Hero name."
"B-but why?" protested Mineta, failing to understand. "I don't get it! You hate him, don't you? Why would you pick the name he gave you, then?"
"I do hate him. But…" She chuckled to herself. "You know, the actual definition of the word 'spitfire' describes someone wild, honest, strong emotionally and spiritually, someone that you don't want as your enemy… Honestly, I think that describes my character pretty well."
"So you're deciding based on the word itself, not on the emotional meaning behind it?" questioned Iida.
"Partly, yes. But the truth is… Look. Whether I like it or not, I am who I am today mostly because of him. What I've been through, what I've done, what I will do…" She took a deep breath, before offering a determined smile to her classmates. "He's the one who made me this way, and it's surely the greatest mistake he has ever made. I have the drive to fight because of people like him. I have gained the strength I have today because of him. I am growing stronger because of him. And now? I will take the name he has given me, and beat him with it. I will bear that name proudly, because I will be the one giving it a meaning. Not him." Then, smirking a little smugly, the teen tilted her head to a dumbstruck Midnight. "Good enough for you?"
"It's… it's perfect!" Anime tears started running down the woman's face. "So beautiful, such youthfulness~"
"R-right…"
The show was over. Picking up her writing board, the ginger then quickly made her way back to her seat. Once there, Kirishima ruffled her hair, before handing Deku back to her.
"And I thought I had been cool," he remarked.
"Please. Everyone knows I'm the coolest person you'll ever meet," she rolled her eyes.
He choked out a laugh at that, though didn't disagree. The girl then glanced over at Izuku, who offered her a thumbs up. She returned the favor, feeling oddly… calm. At peace, if you will. Looking back at the name she had written, she couldn't stop the smile from stretching her lips.
Spitfire, uh?
I really like it.
"Okay, now that everyone's decided on their Hero names, we'll go back to talking about the internships," announced Aizawa-sensei, back from his nap. "They will last for a week. As for where you'll have them… those who had offers from Pros, you will be given your own lists, so you can choose from those yourself. Those who didn't have offers will choose from among forty Agencies around the country that will be accepting our interns. They all work in different places and have different specialties."
"For example, Thirteen would be focused on rescues from accidents and disasters more than fighting Villains," explained Midnight.
"Think carefully before you choose," added Eraser Head.
"Hai!"
Papers with all of the information were passed amongst the students.
"Turn in your choices before the weekend. Class dismissed."
"W-wait!" protested Kaminari. "We've only got two days!?"
"Make your decision efficiently."
At that, both Pro Heroes left the class. Kira sweatdropped a little at their nonchalant attitude, before checking over her own list. There were many, many papers, and she wondered if she really had to read them all.
Not really. Just find the one you're looking for.
Because really, there was only one Agency she could actually go to, right? And of course, she had received a request. She knew she'd get one from him for sure, no way he'd pass up the opportunity to have one over the girl who sassed him like probably no one ever sassed him before.
And while I really hate giving him the satisfaction of accepting… It's the only path I can choose. I mean, I could go for Death Arms or Backdraft, those two really tried to support me after all, but I need concrete training for my Quirk.
For that, who better than the number two Hero, who's Quirk is almost the same?
"Ugh, why him?"
Let's go with the one for whom the term 'daddy issues' was surely invented.
Just fucking great.
Kira knocked to the teachers' room. "Aizawa-sensei?"
"Come in."
The teen obeyed, shutting the door close behind her. She then went to the man's desk, and handed over her paper. He took it without even looking at her choice.
"You sure about that?"
"Y-you didn't even read it!" she protested. "How do you know which one I chose?"
"Because it's the most logical choice. You're not academically smart, Suttoki, but you're far from stupid. That's the best option you had."
"… I'll take that as a compliment," she sweatdropped, before shaking her head. "Anyway! There's another reason I came here. It's very important!"
That finally caught his attention somewhat, and he barely looked up from his work to acknowledge her request. She slammed her hands on his desk to lean closer.
"You need to take care of Spikey, Deku and Shiro while I'm gone!"
"… what the hell are you talking about."
"The cats!" she precised, annoyed. "You know, the ones you forced me to adopt? I can't exactly take them with me to my internship. So, you have to take care of them for me!"
"No. Don't you have your brother?"
"He's allergic. And so is Nao-san! You're basically the only one I can ask," she insisted. "Plus, it's because of you that I have them in the first place! You could at least show some responsibility."
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"No."
"… Even if I promise to not be late for a whole month?"
"We both know that won't happen."
"Even if I promise to keep utterly silent and not make my usual, lovable, sarcastic remarks during all of your classes for said month?"
"… tempting, but still no."
"Oh, come on!" she protested, growing desperate. "I didn't even want cats in the first place! And now, look at that!"
She pulled Deku out of her bag. She had been forced to drag him around for the day and, while it was kind of funny to pet him during class, it still wasn't exactly allowed.
She placed him on his desk, and the cat sat down, staring at her teacher.
"Look at this little cutie," she cooed, petting his head. He instantly started purring. "See? He's super sweet! You can't say no to such cuteness, can you?"
Aizawa stared at the cat.
The cat stared at Aizawa.
"Ugh, fine," he gave in, already regretting his choice. "But only this once, Suttoki. I'm a busy man, you know? I need to-"
"Sleep?" she raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Torture other students? Sleep again?"
"Maybe I should have taken you up on that earlier offer after all," he groaned.
"But you didn't!" she cheerfully replied, now happy. She picked Deku up, and started heading for the exit. "I'll drop them off the day of the internships! Thank you!"
The door slammed shut behind her, and the man hit his head against the desk.
Repetitively.
Blood King and Snipe, who had assisted to the whole exchange, glanced at each other with mild confusion.
"… what just happened?" finally asked the homeroom teacher of Class 1-B.
"I honestly have no idea."
Okay, so I know this might look weird. I mean, Eraser Head getting cats or Kira? But think about this: Aizawa is basically Class 1-A's dad, he's really protective too (don't try to fight me on this lol) and he really looks out after them, even if in his own way. But why cats? Well, as said in this chapter, cats require care and attention. Kira won't be able to train as much if she has to take care of them.
So, otherwise said, he forced her to get a hobby.
Can anyone guess who the cats were based after? Not that it's diffulct or anything, ah, ah. And also, what do you guys think of Kira's Hero name?
Anyway, I hope you liked it, and look forward to the Internships!
Plus Ultra!