A/N: this chapter took forever to write! Thank you guys so much for the favs, follows and reviews! Also, please check out Yellow Roses to know what happened between Hikari's and Riku's relationship! If you have time, please also read Hikari's stories to know her story better
Ironman forever: thanks!
Snickering Fox: oh my indeed!
Guest 1: Yup! That's true! Hikari's one tough cookie so she won't easily lose.
MetalQueen: The Zoo Dreamland scene was based off of the real novel, but with a touch of my plot lol. Things are getting a lot more spicy!
EvilFlower: thank you so much for the corrections!
SilverStar56: UwU Thank you so much!
Null-Drei-Acht: That's true. With all the things that happened, Nighteye would use his quirk on her. The Precepts know more than they should ;D
AmericanNidiot: lolol
Shiro Usagi Dobutsu: I'm more tempted to punch AFO—Overhaul places 2nd.
JaffaArchfiend: It's gonna be action pack and mystery filled!
Gamelover41592: thanks!
DragonBlade00: hoho! We'll see! Wink wink
Chapter 21
Support
"Earlier today, a villain attack occurred within the wildlife themed amusement park—Zoo Dreamland."
All Might stopped grading the papers to pay attention to the news. The villain activity seemed to rise up during the past few months. His grip on the red marker tightened when a thought came to mind. He didn't want to assume things, but he wondered if it has something to do with a wielder's appearance. It might be his nemesis' doing to stir up chaos and get his hands on a wielder.
"Luckily, Pro Hero Hawks and his interns were there to prevent the villain—"
The man abruptly stood up, dropping a few papers on the floor.
"What—?!" The moment he heard the name 'Hawks', he knew both Tokoyami and Leonhart would be involved. He quickly searched through the sea of papers for his cellphone, mixing the graded tests together. He was a bit unorganized when it comes to paperwork and it would just leave him with more work to organize the papers. He trusted the young pro hero's abilities, but he has to make sure his students were alright.
He pressed his phone to his ear, listening to the ring back tone with worry in his mind.
The tall man paced around his living room. Each ring made him feel uneasy, his student usually picked up his call after the first ring.
"Hello?" a voice replied from the other line.
"Young Leonhart!" All Might was relieved the girl picked up his call. "I apologize for calling you at this hour, but are you and Young Tokoyami alright?" he asked, finally stopping himself from walking all around the room.
"Yeah! We're fine! There's nothing for you to worry about!" Leonhart chirped.
"Thank goodness!" All Might sighed, a smile on his lips. He was worried his students were hurt from the attack, like the time at Fukuoka and Gunkanjima. "Young Leonhart, I can speak with Principal Nezu to let you stay in the dorm before the other students—" he began.
The pro hero glanced to look at the news, this wasn't the first time Leonhart was involved with a villain attack. Without even asking, he knew it was directed at the wielder.
Truthfully and honestly, he was worried for her safety.
Leonhart laughed. "That's sorta like special treatment." she said jokingly. "Don't worry about it! I can wait a few more days! Besides, that would ruin the fun for the other students." she replied with a carefree tone.
All Might didn't think it was something she should take lightly. "I'm serious, Young Leonhart... With all of these recent villain attacks, your safety is in jeopardy."
"Actually, there was only one planned attack—which is today."
"Leonhart."
The keyblade wielder laughed softly. "Mr. Might, I'm fine." she emphasized. Even though she insisted and reassured that she was alright, All Might didn't believe it. He was concerned for her well-being. A normal fifteen year old shouldn't spend her time being chased around by villains. "I don't wanna sound rude, but you seem to be forgetting the fact that I'm a wielder."
All Might sighed at the girl's stubbornness.
"May we talk in person?"
"Yeah, sure! We can meet up at Dagobah Beach Park in... thirty minutes?"
The blond man glanced to look at the clock.
20:35 PM
"...Of course." All Might wondered why Leonhart suggested to meet up at a place that would take her around an hour to reach from her home. There could only be two options: one, she used her quirk to get to the location faster. Or two, she was somewhere near the park. "Are you somewhere near the location?" He asked as he grabbed his wallet and keys from the coffee table.
"Sorta. I needed some time alone."
"Are you alright?" All Might stopped right beside his pick-up truck.
"I'm good!"
"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." after that, the man hung up.
Though he was in a rush to check on his student's well-being, he drove through the streets carefully. As a number one hero, he has to set an example for everyone. The streets weren't as crowded or busy as it was in day time.
When he reached the beach park, it was particularly empty. The area was dark, with only the moon and the streetlights illuminating the park. He couldn't see the brunette anywhere by the upper park. He walked closer to the railing and looked down to the dark beach. His eyes were squinted as he tried to find where his student was waiting at. He took out his phone, opting to call her to ask where she was, but he stopped when he saw someone sitting by the small gazebo.
The blond man carefully made his way across the beach with only his cell phone as his source of light. As he drew closer, it was indeed Leonhart.
"Good evening, Mr. Yagi!" Leonhart greeted, looking over her shoulder when she noticed the flashlight from behind. She was wearing a hoodie with the hood pulled down—possibly to make it easy for him to recognize her.
All Might took a seat beside her. "Good evening, Young Leonhart." he returned the greeting. He noticed that there was a lack of a police officer or a pro hero. The teachers agreed that a pro or an officer should follow Leonhart for her own protection until she moved into the dorm—the same goes with Tokoyami. "Did you come here by sneaking out? I didn't see anyone besides yourself." he asked.
"I ditched the pro hero back at home, he didn't even notice me sneaking out the window!" Leonhart said with a big proud grin. She cleared her throat when she noticed the look he was giving her. "Err... well... so... What do you want to talk about?" she asked, trying to change the topic.
"We'll get to that later, but now—" All Might turned around on his seat slightly to face the brunette who followed him. The man sighed softly, no matter what, she was still a high-schooler. "Tell me what's bothering you, And I don't accept any 'I'm alright' answer without a proper reason." he said rather sternly, stopping her from answering.
Leonhart closed her mouth, pursing her lips in a frown, debating whether or not to tell him what was really bothering her.
"I'm... thinking of resigning from UA."
That shocked the pro hero.
"Young Le—"
Before he could even say something, the brunette stood up. "It's just—I can't you know? I just can't let those villains put everyone in danger! All because they want to get their grubby dirty hands on the keyblade!" she began to ramble angrily, letting out all of her frustration. He watched her pace back and forth, talking continuously about how she was mad at herself for putting her friends in danger. "The League of Villains—not to mention this new organization are after the keyblade! It's only a matter of time until they discover about Riku too." she sat back down on the bench, her hands covering her face.
All Might perfectly understood the girl's feelings. A hero's path was always filled with danger. He gingerly raised his hand to comfort her.
"That's why... That's why I hope you understand my decision." Leonhart ran her hand down her face before facing him. Even in the dim lighting, he could see her expression. Her eyes showed many emotions. They showed worry, concern, fear, but also hesitance. "After today's attack at Zoo Dreamland... I'm convinced I would be putting my friends' lives in danger if I continue—"
All Might's hand on her shoulder made her stop her rambles.
"Young Leonhart, please calm yourself first." All Might instructed for the girl to take a few deep breaths and let it out. He went through the breathing exercise with her and waited for a few more seconds to talk. He didn't want her to quit and just give up on her dreams. She wanted to become a hero and raised the wielders' image to the public. "Now, what would you do if you decide to quit the Hero Course?" he asked.
Leonhart took a deep breath. "I'll go back to my Master... Train and stop the Heartless."
All Might didn't like that idea either. "The same Master who let you join a war?" he balled his other hand up into a fist, his brows furrowed and teeth gritted together. He realized it now. He didn't fully trust her Master, a full-grown adult letting a child join a war—a war. It was absurd. "Young Leonhart—I understand your worries, but I cannot let you go back to someone who let a child fight in a war." his electric blue eyes stared at her with fire.
He doesn't have any relationship or authority to the wielders' affairs, but no child should ever go through a terrifying event.
"It was unavoidable." Leonhart looked away, staring at the vast horizon. The feeling of sadness waved off from her eyes. All Might could tell the events that happened within the war wasn't a pleasant memory—though when was war a memory someone wished to remember? "We were destined to fight no matter how much we try to prevent it from happening. If we don't face them... then they would go after someone else. We did it to stop Xehanort for good—so everything didn't reset and disappear."
"You had a choice to reject."
"It was my choice to join." She turned to look at him, placing her hand over her heart, a determined and fierce look across her eyes.
At that point, All Might saw himself in her.
She reminded him of himself from six years ago.
"What awaits you then... is an unspeakably gruesome death!"
"And it's for the world's sake... that I am here, Nighteye."
All Might closed his eyes, his hands crossed. The memory hit him like a ton of bricks. He realized how he sounded just like Nighteye when he was trying to convince him to retire. He wanted nothing more than to protect his students, and after listening to Leonhart's words and strong determination, he couldn't help but rethink his words.
The pro hero took a deep breath and exhaled softly. "Young Leonhart, I apologize for my words earlier." he said, smiling a little at the brunette who blinked in confusion. She gave a nod to his apology and waited for him to continue. Truly, she didn't understand why he apologized to her. "I didn't realize how I was pressuring you."
Leonhart stare at him, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, but she didn't cut him off.
"As a pro hero, I don't want you to see you get hurt." All Might stood up, buffing up into his muscle form, his usual grin was replaced with a frown. He didn't want to see children sacrificing their youth to fight—that was his duty as a pro hero. He became a pro hero to reassure and bring smiles to peoples' faces. "And as a teacher, I don't want to see you give up yours dreams." he placed his hand on her shoulder, the frown turning to a smile.
The keyblade wielder couldn't help but return the smile.
"I swore on my life, I will protect my students." All Might raise his hand, balling it up into a fist. All For One and his League of Villains nor the new organization or any other villains would never lay a hand on Leonhart, Miyano and his students when he's around. "I understand your feelings, but I want you to rethink your decision one more time."
Leonhart nodded. "Alright."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Monday, UA
"Leonhart... Is Leonhart here?"
'Late again.' Aizawa glanced to look at the seat at the back. It was empty. He was actually getting tired of the girl's tardiness. He was glad that the dorms were only five minutes away from the school. If she was still late to class even after moving into the dorm, she was pushing her luck.
The pro hero sighed, an irritated expression across his face. Leonhart was almost always late for homeroom. She would either come within the ten minutes or after the morning homeroom was over. She would just have to ask someone about the important announcements. "Let's begin homeroom." he said and the whole class quieted down.
"Please pass the agreement forms to the front, make sure it's already filled and signed by your parents before you pass it." Aizawa told, watching as his students rummage their bags to take out the forms. The students sitting on the front row took the papers to him and he checked through all of them. "As you all know, on Thursday, UA will pick up your belongings from your house and deliver it to the dorms before you move in."
"The moving date is set this Friday. During these two days, there would be no classes." Aizawa said and he could already see the happy looks across his students faces at the mention of 'no classes'. He sighed softly. Teenagers will always be teenagers, he thought. "You would also have the weekend off. Use your time to adjust to your new surroundings." a few students nodded at his words.
He jogged the papers to align them, holding it in his hands. "Lessons will resume normally by next week. Don't forget that today's schedule along with Tuesday's and Wednesday's are different." he reminded and jabbed his thumb to the printed schedule, taped to the board. "That is all."
As in on cue, the bell rang, signaling homeroom was over.
'Leonhart's still not showing up.' Aizawa tucked the papers under his arm as he walked towards the door and exited the classroom. He waited by the door for the girl to arrive and scold her for being late.
Iida pushed his glasses up. "Leonhart's tardiness should not be an example!"
"Well, at least with the dorms, she won't be late again!" Uraraka giggled, patting the back of Iida's chair to calm him down.
Ashido glanced to look at the door. "But Hikari's pretty late today, huh?" she swiveled around to look at the girl sitting behind her.
Asui croaked, placing a finger beside her lips. "Perhaps she's sick?"
"Oh yeah! Didn't you guys go to Zoo Dreamland together?" Kaminari snapped his fingers, turning around in his seat to face Tokoyami who tilted his head up to look at him. "I saw it on the news! Man, I'm so jealous! Even when the internship's over, you guys get all the action!" he pouted with his arms crossed over his chest.
"It's not all fun and games dealing with villains, Kaminari." Yaoyorozu chided and Kaminari gave a sheepish look in return before apologizing to the bird boy. The black-haired girl turned to look at the bird boy, a concern look across her eyes. "I hope you and Leonhart are alright, Tokoyami."
Tokoyami gave a nod. "We are. Thank you for your concern." he answered simply. He understood if Leonhart choose to skip the lesson to rest, but he didn't understand why she didn't inform either of her classmates to rely the information to their teacher. "At least we had fun." he said to Kaminari.
"Whoa! Tokoyami and the word 'fun' together?! That's something you don't hear every day!"
"Yeah!"
"Did you guys take pictures? Show 'em!"
While class A continued their conversation, Aizawa decided to leave.
The pro hero heard the news about Zoo Dreamland. He also received a phone call from Hawks, who explained the event in detail. The villains arranged the attack to happen within the haunted house. Even with the number three hero, they were bold enough to proceed with the attack. They didn't take his students nor did they cause any injuries, but he was certain the attack wasn't going to be the last.
His boots clicked against the floor as he made his way back to the teachers' office. On his way, he passed by Midnight who greeted him to which he replied with a simple grunt.
The man walked inside the room and took a marker, writing Leonhart's name on the absent list on the white board. Before her name was another, a student in the Support division by the name of Hatsume Mei. The reason for the student's absence was because she caught the cold. For Leonhart, he left it on blank.
"A student is absent in your class?" Present Mic asked as Aizawa approached his desk. "Not that much of a shock since you're so hard on them." he joked, grinning from ear to ear.
Aizawa placed the papers on his desk, pulling out his chair to sit down. "It's Leonhart, probably just late... again." across from him, the tall skinny man stiffened. He narrowed his eyes at the man's sudden odd behavior.
"Oh! Not that much of a shocker then." Present Mic chuckled.
"Aizawa," All Might stood up from his seat, slightly leaning forward with a hand covering his mouth. Aizawa answered with a grunt and stared at him with an irritated look. "May I have a word with you in private?" he whispered, but Present Mic heard it.
Present Mic let out a dramatic gasp and feigned he was hurt. "What's this? A secret?! What is it?" he asked, switching from Japanese to English. He nudged the black-haired man with his elbow, a teasing grin across his lips.
Aizawa ignored his friend's outburst and stood up, "Fine." he shoved his hands inside his pockets as he dragged his feet across the room to the door.
All Might followed him from behind, tossing Present Mic an apologetic look when the man complained that he wanted to be let in the secret conversation too. The number one hero lead Aizawa to an empty corner, glancing left and right to make sure the coast was clear.
"Well?"
"It's about Young Leonhart." All Might began as he rubbed the back of his neck out of slight guilt. Aizawa raised an eyebrow at his words. "I was the one who told her to take a rest." he admitted, lowering his head.
Aizawa's left eye twitched. "What?" he could already feel a headache coming. He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling loudly. "Explain."
All Might sighed as well. "Young Leonhart was stressed. I thought she deserved to take it easy to think about her decision." he explained. He saw her homeroom teacher blink in confusion at his explanation. After the conversation he had with Leonhart yesterday, he told her to take it easy to refresh and rethink her decision. His gaze became serious as he got to the main point. "She wanted to quit from UA."
Aizawa's eyes widened. "You... Is this a joke?"
The blond man shook his head. "I'm afraid not." He knew Leonhart was serious about her decision. He didn't know whether she would change her decision or not by the end of the day. They just have to accept whatever choice she made. "She was afraid if she continues, she would just bring harm to the other students."
"That girl—" Aizawa sighed loudly, clicking his tongue in annoyance. He pulled out his phone, looking through his students' contact numbers. He called Leonhart's number, but she didn't pick up the call. "The police watching her didn't report anything out of the ordinary—regardless if she decided to skip or not, they would've contacted the school." he said, cancelling the call.
All Might gave a nod. "That's correct..." He pulled out his phone as well, deciding to give the Leonhart household a call. He pressed the phone to his ear, waiting for the other end to pick up.
"Hello? This is the Leonhart's household,"
The number one pro hero buffed up into his muscle form. "Young Miyano, this is All Might speaking!"
"Oh, Mr. Might, how can I help you?"
"I was wondering if Young Leonhart is still at home. Her homeroom teacher would like to speak with her."
Miyano sounded surprised, "Hikari's not at school? She left early today—"
All Might's eyes widened. "She's not at home?"
"No."
The two pro heroes exchanged looks and they nodded at each other. They quickly rushed to the Principal's office. "I see. Thank you, Young Miyano. We'll be sure to find Young Leonhart."
"I'll keep you updated on my end as well."
They reached the Principal's office in no time.
"Oh, hey~ Long time no see, Mr. Number One!" The number three hero greeted casually when he saw the buff blond coming through the door like a normal person. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the look across the pros' faces. It looked like they weren't that happy to see him. "What's with those faces? Aren't you supposed to be happy to see me?" he joked, stretching his arms out on the back of the couch.
"Leonhart's missing." Aizawa said seriously, making Hawks frown.
"Oh dear..." Principal Nezu blinked, keeping his voice calm.
Hawks sat on the edge, losing his carefree attitude. "What do you mean? I was the one who watched her walk through the gates with my very own eyes." he said. He was the one who kept watch on his intern all the way from her house to the school—without her noticing of course.
"She wasn't in homeroom and her friend told us she wasn't at home either."
"So? You guys are worrying too much! Maybe she's just visiting the bathroom." Hawks said, trying to calm the two pros from going on a search party for his intern.
Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "You don't understand."
"What Aizawa meant to say was: we haven't informed you the reason yet," All Might stood in between the two, breaking the intense stare down. Hawks raised his shoulders and motioned for him to continue. "Young Leonhart wanted to quit UA."
Hawks blinked, his jaw slacked. "That's—Okay, I wasn't expecting that." he suddenly remembered the conversation he had with his intern. She looked like she wanted to say something, but when he asked what it was, she said she would tell him next time. "So, a search party? Let's do it—" he stood up and clapped his hands.
A phone call... is here!
A phone call... is here!
Aizawa's eye twitched at the annoying ringtone.
All Might immediately picked up his phone. "Yes, hello? Ah, Young Miyano!" he wasn't expecting a call so soon from Leonhart's friend. His eyes widened and relief washed over his expression. "You've found Young Leonhart? That's great news!"
"May I?" Principal reached his hand out to All Might.
All Might gave a nod. "Young Miyano, the principal would like to speak with you." he said before passing his phone to the mouse.
"Greetings, Miyano!" Principal Nezu said cheerfully.
"Good morning, Sir." the boy named Miyano greeted politely. "I apologize if Hikari has caused all of you so much trouble so early in the morning..."
"Not at all! We just wanted to make sure all of our students reach the school safely." Principal Nezu said. He walked around the room to the floor to ceiling window, glancing out the window to look at the dorms. "I was informed that Leonhart wanted to resign from UA—is this true?" he asked.
"She—actually, we've been thinking about it." Miyano admitted. "Her grandfather is against the idea. We talked about it, but the final decision goes to her and her family."
"I see, that is true. Perhaps we should organize a consultation for Leonhart and her family?" The mouse offered, placing one of his hand behind his back. "I understand it may seem hard, but it's for Leonhart's own safety."
"I'm not really sure... Her parents are away at the moment, but I'll pass on the message."
Again. The Leonharts were always away when the school wanted to talk to them. The only time they were able to contact her parents, was the time they appeared in the Sports Festival.
"Thank you, Miyano." Principal Nezu said.
"No problem."
The mouse gave the phone back to All Might, who continued the conversation. "Young Miyano, can you please inform us the location where Young Leonhart is?"
Miyano chuckled. "That won't be necessary."
The pro hero blinked.
"She's safe, I can assure you that."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Twilight Town
"Do you want me to start making the soup, little chef?"
A blue furred rat nodded his head before continuing what he was doing.
"Gotcha!" Sora grinned as he carried the ingredients to the soup station.
He placed the box full of fresh vegetables on the table and stretched his back, sighing when his back popped. It was just like any other day since he started to work at Le Grand Bistrot in Twilight Town. He would help Remy with preparations for the restaurant's dishes. He took the knife from the knife holder and began to chop the vegetables.
Aside from his status as a keyblade wielder, he was interested to continue his profession in culinary. He always thought cooking was hard and a pain to do every day, but after learning from Remy, he actually has a passion for cooking. His favorite would be baking desserts. Speaking of desserts, he received a picture from his sister yesterday.
An apple pie.
'I should try to bake that!' Sora smiled to himself at the thought.
While Sora decided to take a break from being a wielder, his little sister and his best friend continued in that path. Axel, Roxas and Xion decided they wanted to live their lives normally in Twilight Town—though they did say they would be willing to help if something were to threaten the worlds' balance. He was now a keyblade master too, but he wanted to try a little something else before going back to traveling the worlds.
"'Ey, Sora! C'mere and take a break! Someone's here to see 'ya!" the voice of his boss, Scrooge McDuck was heard.
The brunet turned around and a huge smile appeared on his lips.
"Hikari!" Sora shouted happily at the sight of his little sister by the kitchen's entrance. She returned the smile with a smile of her own. He rushed around the kitchen to reach her.
Hikari held her hand up, stopping his from continuing. "Whoa! Watch the knife!"
"Oh yeah!" Sora gave a sheepish look before he placed the knife down at another station near the door. Hikari shook her head, chuckling at her brother's clumsiness. Before she knew it, his arms were wrapped around her, embracing her in a big warm hug. He moved her side to side, not releasing the hug. "I missed you so much! You've gotten taller—oh man! I'm still shorter than you!" he pulled apart and stared at his sister with a pout.
"Sora, I visited you like two weeks ago." Hikari kept on smiling, she couldn't help it.
Sora crossed his arms, pouting childishly. "Not frequent enough, ya know."
"Right, right... Oh! I got you guys some oranges!" Hikari held up a basket of oranges. Remy looked happy with the gift and the girl placed the basket on the counter for the little chef to inspect the ripeness. "They're from the Kingdom of Corona." she leaned down, whispering to the rat who nodded his head, giving a thumbs up.
Remy was one of the few residents in Twilight Town who knew the existence of other worlds since Scrooge was the one who found him. The World Order rule was still valid. It was there to keep the bad people from going out and messing with other worlds. Without a good reason, taking someone out of their original world was a big no.
"Thanks!"
"I'll leave ya lads alone. Be sure to be back in an hour! We have to prepare and open up the bistro!" Scrooge said, chuckling. Remy nodded his head in return.
"Roger that!" Sora gave a salute and went to the staff room to change quickly. He was back a minute later—with a black t-shirt replacing the usual white uniform. He took her out through the backdoor, waving his hand at Remy's direction. "How's Rapunzel and Eugene doing?" he asked, smiling.
"Great! They actually took me around town." Hikari excitedly told her day. She skipped school to freshen up, clearing her mind. The Kingdom of Corona was just the place she was looking for. The warm welcome Rapunzel and Eugene gave made her forget all of her problems.
"How's school?" Sora asked and Hikari groaned. He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head as they both took a seat by one of the benches. He placed the drinks he bought between them as Hikari slouched. "That bad, huh?"
"You don't know the half of it..." Hikari blew a raspberry. She wanted to see Sora, not just because she missed him, but she also wanted to talk to him about her problems. The main problems was... she didn't want to tell Sora the truth since it would make him worry. Other than Riku and Ienzo, she wanted to keep the mission a secret. With Riku around, she was positive they can handle it. "Can you believe we're almost at finals?! It just feels like we had midterms yesterday!" she lied, covering her face with her hands.
Sora patted his sister's shoulder. "There, there... You can get through it, I mean—Hayner did." he chuckled.
Hikari sighed, averting her gaze to look at him. "...not to mention the school's going to be a boarding school now." she said with a frown on her lips. "It's gonna be harder to visit you guys and I'm like—Should I just quit or should I just continue? Such dilemma!" she said dramatically, trying to hide her worries.
The elder brunet hummed in thought. "Well... What do you want to do?"
'I want to continue, but it's just gonna bring danger to them all.' was what Hikari wanted to say, but she couldn't say it. She closed her eyes. She had to admit, she enjoyed the days she spent at UA with her new classmates. As much as she disliked the idea of studying the materials and doing tests, she liked the feeling to be back to school.
Sora smiled. "You're having second thoughts about it." he said and Hikari turned to look at him with her lips parted slightly open. He took the canned drink he bought from the vending machine and offered it for her to take. "You were always quick to make a decision. So, now... seeing you having second thoughts, I think it's something worth considering." he opened the lid.
"And besides! Riku's there with you right? I'm glad he's there to make sure you're okay!" Sora grinned and he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You can visit us anytime. I'm sure the school will let you visit your family."
That's right.
Riku... She was worried about his safety because the League of Villains and the new organization might find out about him soon, but what was there to worry about? Riku was named a keyblade master way before her—he was stronger and very much capable of handling things on his own if the situation goes awry.
What she should worry about was UA.
UA didn't have any protection against Heartless. The villains would still go after her friends, regardless if she decided to quit or not.
Hikari sighed softly, a smile appearing on her lips.
"Yeah, thanks, Sora." finally they toast.
Bzzzt Bzzzt
"Go ahead and pick it up!"
Hikari nodded her head and picked up the call. "Hey, Ochako—"
"Hikari! You finally picked up!" the bubbly voice from the other end sighed in relief. "I was beginning to get worried since you didn't reply or pick up the calls."
"Sorry, sorry! I was feeling a bit under the weather..." Hikari trailed off, averting her eyes to look at Sora who motioned his hand for her to continue the call. She has seen the messages and calls, but she didn't have time to reply to all of them since she was with Rapunzel and Eugene through the whole morning and noon. "Anyway, what's up?"
"Oh! We have handouts from Mr. Mic! I was thinking about delivering it to you—"
Hikari was touched, Uraraka who was pretty cheap when it comes to money, was willing to deliver handouts to her home which was four stations away. "Don't worry about it! You can give it to me tomorrow at school. Thank you though."
"Okay! Get well soon, okay? Oh, Iida and Deku also said get well soon!" Uraraka chirped happily.
"Thank you, guys. I'll see you all tomorrow."
"Bye-bye, Hikari!"
The brunette stared at her phone, a smile on her lips when she looked over the chats. They were from her classmates, asking where she went. She had told Shinsou she wasn't going to school since it was their regular training day. As for her teachers and classmates—she didn't tell them anything about it. She felt bad for keeping them in the dark.
"I'm glad you've found some nice friends." Sora grinned and his sister nodded in reply. "I've been meaning to ask you this... So, you skipped school?"
Hikari almost chocked from her drink. "Uh... Yeah? But it was for a good reason!" she defended.
The brunet laughed. "Of course, of course!" he knew there seemed to be a lot going inside Hikari's mind. He wasn't blind when it comes to reading his sister. Balancing her duty as a Keyblade Master and a student was a hard thing to do. On one side, she has to protect the worlds. And on the other side, she has to focus on her studies. He was proud of her nonetheless. "Well, wanna help me around the kitchen? Little Chef could need another pair of helping hands!" he stood up, a goofy grin across his face.
His sister returned his grin. "Only if Little Chef spare us some of those desserts!"
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"I'm home!"
Hikari came back with a box full of desserts, her heart and mind at ease.
Riku peeked through the corner, greeting his friend. "Welcome back!" the boy didn't look annoyed in the slightest. She never told him where she went for the day. She fooled him and everyone by switching with a Jestabocky. She came into the kitchen to put the desserts into the fridge. "Did you enjoy your day?" he asked.
"Uh... yeah?" Hikari answered as she closed the fridge. She was a bit suspicious at his tone.
"Your teacher called this morning."
Hikari stiffened. "And...? What did he say?" she asked hesitantly.
"They thought you were missing or something." Riku said in amusement, covering his chuckle with a fist. Truthfully, he was impressed Hikari could fool the number three hero. After being told that she wasn't at school, he immediately checked his phone. There was a short text from her—thirty minutes after she left school, saying that she wanted to visit the Kingdom of Corona and Twilight Town for 'a mission purpose'. He didn't know when she switched with a Jestabocky, but he was indeed impressed. "I have to admit, I expected you to skip school once in a while, but I never expected you to do it in front of the number three."
"Not exactly in front, but—wait, you're not mad?" Hikari narrowed her eyes at him.
"Nope." Riku stood up from his seat.
The brunette's eyes followed him. "Where are you going?"
"Let's spar. It's been awhile since we do it, right?"
"You ARE mad!"
Nonetheless, Hikari followed him out.
They walked through the streets. It was around 11PM when Hikari returned to the City of Heroes. The neighborhood was quiet and empty. She couldn't see anyone following them either. When Riku used Flow Motion, Hikari followed suit. They easily maneuvered their way around town without catching any unwanted attention.
In less than ten minutes, they arrived at a small park.
"We're... sparring at a park? Seriously? It's sandy." Hikari glanced around, finding the park empty. Most of the ground was covered in sand—in hopes of kids not hurting themselves when they fall over.
"Yeah. We sparred a lot at the beach when we were kids and you didn't complain, so why complain now?" Riku glanced over his shoulder, tossing her one of the wooden swords he summoned. "Any rules you want to set?" he asked.
"No kicking sand into the opponent's eyes!" Hikari quickly said, raising her hand.
Riku laughed as he raised the wooden sword above his head, positioning himself to his signature fighting stance. "No magic too."
Hikari pouted, but didn't complain.
"First one to let go of the sword loses."
"Ready? Start!"
They both rushed towards each other and their wooden swords clashed against each other. Hikari pushed all of her strength into her sword, shoving Riku off of her blade. Riku took a step back and quickly moved his sword downwards. Hikari moved sideways, barely missing the hit. She jumped over his arm when he swung his sword to the right.
The brunette landed on the sand in a crouching position and raised the sword to block the incoming attack from above. She stretched her leg out, opting throw her friend's balance off. He saw through her tactic and jumped back the moment she did a leg-sweep. She charged low at him, swinging the fake blade around and suddenly combining her attacks with hand-to-hand. She spun, using her right heel as a pivot and her left heel to perform a reverse roundhouse kick.
Riku leaned his head back, missing the foot by a hair's breadth. Hikari quickly swung her blade and so did Riku, the two of them blocking the attack outwards. The silver-haired teen broke the standstill and delivered a kick, to which the brunette avoided.
"Ack! Wait! I got sand in my eyes!" Hikari raised her sword as her free hand rubbed furiously at her eyes.
"I'm not going to stop!" Riku charged forward. He swung the sword to knock the brunette's sword away.
She had her eyes completely shut, but her reaction was quick. She dodged the attack and used the end of the hilt to hit Riku's wrist. His grip around the sword loosened and she quickly threw him off of her shoulder, making him drop the sword first. The boy landed on the ground with a grunt, the wooden sword landing beside him.
"Ugh... Was that throw necessary?" Riku asked as he sat up, ruffling his own hair to get rid of the sand.
Hikari opened her eyes, squinting at him. "I feel like you deserved it." she huffed. He heard him stood up and then taking her hand to guide her towards the swings. She sat down and felt him leave her side. He returned to her a minute later, pressing a cold bottle of water to her cheek. "Thanks." she said as she took the bottle to wash her face.
The brunette took a deep breath.
"Sorry for troubling you." she apologized, glancing over to look at the silver-haired teen. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Mr. Aizawa must've asked you a lot of questions about my absence. I didn't mean to skip school. I just... wanted some time to think."
Riku's expression softened. "Hikari, you don't have to think about this alone. Ienzo and I—and even All Might are here to help." he patted her shoulder, a smile on his lips.
Hikari returned the smile and raised her fist, fist-bumping with Riku. "I know..."
"You're strong. Don't ever doubt yourself, okay?"
"Well, I just beat you in a spar—"
"You little—!"
They shared a laugh.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Hikari stood at the sidewalk, waiting for the signal to turn green. She was woken up early by Riku, though as much as she wanted to skip school to help, she has a few things to clear up with her teacher. The letter she has to submit was inside her bag—signed and ready to be given to her homeroom teacher. The strange thing about today, she couldn't find anyone watching over her. She was actually glad they decided to drop the security.
Cring cring
"Well, well, look who decided to show up." the sound of a bicycle's bell, followed by a lazy voice greeting her was heard. She turned around and saw her purple-haired friend stopping right beside her. "G'morning, Ms. Foreigner." he said as he got down from his bicycle.
"Morning!"
Shinsou raised an eyebrow. "You... seem different." he commented when he felt the aura around his friend changed. She seemed more confident and determined. The smile on her lips made him question himself about what made her changed during the past few days. He didn't actually saw her or her parents during the assembly. His mother has been pestering him to introduce his friend when he refused. He could only hear the gossip his classmates were talking about: Leonhart came with a young man—a handsome young man.
Hikari glanced to look at him. "Really?"
Shinsou hummed, giving a so-so gesture. "Sorta. You feeling better?" he asked, changing the topic slightly. Just like her classmates, he was still under the impression she was feeling unwell yesterday. While in fact, she was actually travelling to another world, picking fruits and helping a rat run a gourmet kitchen.
"Better than ever." The brunette replied, grinning from ear to ear. "Did you train by yourself? Or did you decided to ditch 'cause I wasn't there?" she teased, nudging his arm with her elbow.
The purple-haired boy clicked his tongue. "Yeah right—" he said sarcastically, averting his eyes to look at his right. His eyes blinked when a red feather drifted down from the sky. The two of them looked up to the sky, spotting a red-winged hero flying by—though, the alarms didn't activate when he passed through the school's area. "That guy's been coming here since yesterday. I wonder what your mentor is up to." he sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Hikari frowned. She talked about it with Riku and Ienzo—about telling the heroes involved with the Gunkanjima mission of her identity as a wielder. She thought about the pros and cons. They might be able to help them with investigation and giving full access to restricted areas legally. Ienzo thought it was a good idea, but Riku thought they needed to think it through one more time about what they should tell.
"See you later then," Shinsou raised his hand, parting ways when he reached the floor to his classroom.
The brunette returned the gesture. "Yeah!"
"L—Leonhart! Good morning!"
"Oh, Midoriya! Morning!" Hikari turned around to greet the green-haired teen. He was standing behind her, his posture stiff and straight as if he was feeling nervous. The boy was always worried for her—she could already see it in his eyes when his eyebrows knitted together in worry.
"How are you feeling?" Midoriya asked as they walked together towards class.
"I'm feeling great! Thanks for asking." Hikari replied. "Oh! What did I miss? I got most of the announcements from Ochako, but for the lessons... not that much."
Midoriya smiled. "Other than the handout Mr. Mic gave us, there's nothing much."
"It's us who's been missing a lot of things!" another voice greeted boisterously. The two of them glanced over their shoulders to see their classmates, Ashido and Asui. They greeted the two girls, but Ashido marched towards them with a frown. She stood in front of Hikari who just raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with Midoriya when she didn't get what her classmate meant. "Why didn't you tell me you have a boyfriend!" she huffed out, placing her hands on her hips with an accusingly look across her face.
Hikari gave a confused look while Midoriya blushed—even though it didn't involve him at all, the topic was embarrassing to be discussed in front of a boy. "Boyfriend? I do?"
Ashido nodded furiously. "Duh! That cutie who was with you during the assembly? He's super handsome!"
Realization hit Hikari. Her mouth was opened in an O-shape. "Riku? You mean Riku?" she snorted, covering her mouth to stop herself from bursting out in laughter. At some point, she does have a crush on him. She realized it a little few months before she took her Mark of Mastery Exam. Sadly, she didn't get to confess her feelings as Riku confessed to another. She was heartbroken—of course, but she got over her childish crush. She never did tell him the truth. She admired his bravery and strength, perhaps that's why she liked him. "He's just a friend and besides, he already has a girlfriend." she smiled, clearing things up with her friends.
"I see," Asui croaked, returning Hikari's smile as Midoriya backed away slightly, giving some distance between him and the girls to respect their privacy. "You two must be really close friends then."
"I've known him since I was in diapers." Hikari laughed. She didn't want to ruin their friendship over some romance. "We train a lot together and things would just be awkward if things don't work out." she admitted.
"Train? Is he a pro hero?" Midoriya asked curiously. "He seemed a bit older than us."
"Well, not exactly. He helps run a dojo back at our hometown." The brunette replied and Midoriya nodded his head at the information. Riku's status as a keyblade wielder was still unknown to the heroes and the villains. He could still move freely—unlike her who enrolled into a hero school. She thought it was a good thing the heroes and villains were focusing on her. Riku can move as freely as he wants since all the attention was away from him.
"Can you introduce me to your other handsome friends?" The pink-haired alien clung onto the brunette's arm, puckering her lips out in a pout.
"I guess." Hikari laughed, taking Ashido's comment as a joke. "We better get to class if we don't want to be late."
Midoriya walked behind the three girls who began to chat idly. Iida, Todoroki and himself were asked by Aizawa to keep what Stain said about Hikari as a secret. He didn't know what a wielder is—or what a key can do. He had searched information online and found so little about it.
There was something—he knew there was something Hikari was hiding and he didn't want to be too late to reach her.
He wasn't going to let the same thing happen twice.