Fuyuko Aneko: Androgynous Business girl, overly energized and bossy, quirk is sibling telepathy with her twin brother
Fuyuko Kyodai: Androgynous Gen Ed boy, apathetic and weak-willed, quirk is sibling telepathy with his twin sister
The door to 1-A is... quite huge.
Izuku finds himself staring outside the door admiring just how large it was because he was stalling. Yes, he was big enough to admit it. It had been a great idea at the time, baking nearly twelve dozen cookies with his mom yesterday morning with the intention of handing them out to 1-A but now that he's actually here, he was doubting himself. After the week they've had, the last thing those hero kids probably want is to see the quirkless kid in General Education.
And besides all that, he still doesn't know if Kacchan will be coming in today. Izuku had stopped by his house twice yesterday to check on him. The first time Kacchan had been asleep and the second time he'd refused to see Izuku. Kacchan would be crazy to be in school barely a day after his injuries but somehow Izuku suspects he'll be there anyway. And what would Kacchan do if he saw Izuku, especially after their disastrous encounter in the cafeteria?
That's the question that has Izuku hovering outside 1-A's homeroom early on a Wednesday morning.
"Excuse me, do you need help?" a light voice says from behind him. Izuku turns and hears a delighted little gasp. "Oh it's you! From the entrance exam!" Izuku catches sight of bouncing brown hair and a friendly smile and he blushes from head to toe. It was the friendly girl he'd almost knocked over in front of the Heroics exam entrance. She pops before him with a bright smile.
"Yep, it's me, I uh remember you too," Izuku grins back awkwardly. "Uh sorry about what happened, back then but-but I'm uh glad to see you passed the exam."
"Oh don't worry about it, I run into people all the time," the girl says with a cute little chuckle. "I'm happy to see you got into Yuuei too. I can't believe I haven't seen you around, are you in 1-B?"
"Oh no, I uh well, I went for the General exam and that's where I am now, class 1-C. I mean I'm sure it's not nearly as exciting as your class is but it's nice, I like it." Izuku babbles, feeling his face heat up as he continues to embarrass himself. "I um," Izuku swallows nervously and looks at her cute face which only doubles his nervousness. Oh boy. He shakily holds out the box containing the cookies.
"I-I heard about what happened the other day, with um USJ not that I thought you'd uh forgotten or anything. But my mom and I baked a bunch of cookies and I thought it might be nice to share some with you guys. A-as a bit of a pick-me-up," Izuku stammers. Luckily, the nice girl doesn't seem bothered by the fact that he's making a fool of himself.
"That is so sweet of you! Thank you so much! Everyone will love that! Oh, I don't think we've been properly introduced, I'm Uraraka Ochako! Here let me lighten your load a little." She says, brushing her fingers on the side of the box, instantly lightening it as she takes the box out of his hands. He thinks back to when he started floating at the entrance exam and a lightbulb goes off in his head.
"Zero Gravity!" Izuku says out loud only to backtrack. "Uh not that you wouldn't know the name of your own quirk, I uh," he fiddles awkwardly with his hands and looks away. "I'm Midoriya Izuku," he finishes lamely.
"Well it's nice to officially meet you," Uraraka says cheerily, shifting the box's hold in her arms. "There's still some time until homeroom begins, why don't you say hi to everyone?" she says as she slides opens the enormous door. Izuku shakes his head and backs up.
"N-no, I don't want to," have a confrontation with Kacchan, "bother anyone. I just wanted to drop that off. Besides, I need to get back to my own classroom. It was nice seeing you again, Uraraka!" He says with a wave, turning to head back to 1-C when the weight in his coat pocket stops him.
"Oh wait, one more thing," he tells Uraraka, digging into his pocket. "Please give these ones to Kac- uh Bakugou, they're cinnamon, his favorite," Izuku says as he deposits the small baggie on top of the box.
"Bakugou was pretty beat up the other day," Uraraka says with a little frown. "I don't think he'll be in for a few more days but I can save them for when he's back."
"You don't know Kacchan then," Izuku says with a wry smile. "He'd crawl here using only his teeth if he had to." The warning bell rings above him. "I hope you enjoy the cookies, maybe I'll see you around!" He says with a wave as he begins the long sprint back towards the General Education department. He reaches the door to 1-C just as the final bell rings.
"Sorry, I was-" Izuku says in between panting breaths.
"Enough, just get in your seat, this announcement especially concerns you." Chiura-sensei says with a dismissive wave, waiting for Izuku to stumble over to his seat and settle for a moment before continuing. "I'm sure you're all aware that the Yuuei Sports Festival is just around the corner. In two weeks, the lines between departments will become broken down and blurred as you will stand beside Business, Support and Heroics students and compete on live television."
"It's something of an open secret," Sensei continues on passively, "that hero class 1-A has an available spot and the teachers will be actively scouting for someone to fill that position. I've worked with Aizawa before and he may be a stickler but he's reliable. This isn't an opportunity that happens very often, the chances of this happening again in your high school career are minimal." Izuku sits up straighter as he feels his teacher's hard gaze land on him.
"Midoriya, Shinsou," Sensei says, "both of you have the ambition to become heroes and this Festival is your best chance. I said at the start of this semester that transfers don't happen often and that's because so few are capable of it." Chiura-sensei smiles and it's not exactly a warm smile but instead fills Izuku with a fiery passion. "All you have to do is make a good showing at the Sports Festival and, if I feel you've earned it, I'll give both of you a recommendation. So train hard, this could be your hero academia."
"You can do it, Midoriya," a voice speaks up. It's Fuyuko at the front of the class, he's turned around in his seat to smile at Izuku. "You show those hero kids what the quirkless can accomplish."
"Yeah, fight on Izu-kun!" Kyoshi says with an enthusiastic pump into the air. "You too Hito-kun! You can do it!"
"Make 1-C proud," Motome says with a small little smile. "Show them what you're made of."
"Kick their ass, Midoriya!" Kamoto shouts, banging on his desk a few times. "Put those punks in their place with your sick martial arts moves and show us a real good time!" And pretty soon the whole class is clapping and cheering them on. Chiura-sensei, normally so quick to silence any unauthorized talking, just stands there with a knowing smile on his face.
Izuku finds his face getting hot and even worse, his eyes getting wet. He sure has come far in a month, in a year. Fuyuko had been too embarrassed to speak to him a week ago, Kamoto had been making fun of him on the first day of school. Even Shinsou, who'd started the school year angry and isolated, looks around at the cheers being sent his way.
Patrick and Taketsu are grinning and throwing in their own congratulatory words. Even Korudo, who Izuku would expect to be sullen has a warm look on his face as he claps his hands together.
"Thank you everyone," Izuku blubbers. "Seriously, your support, you have no idea what this means to me." He scrubs at his face, trying to pull himself together. "I'm going to do my best, I'm going to shoot for the very top and let the world know what the quirkless are capable of." He continues in a much steadier voice, trying to make his voice heard above the cheers.
Yes, he was going to use this positive synergy and shoot all the way for the moon. But what was that saying? Even if you miss the moon, you'll still land amongst the stars. He was going to give it everything he had, and then some, at the Sports Festival. But it wouldn't be the worst thing, he thinks looking around at his classmates fondly, if he stayed right where he was among friends.
XxX
The two weeks leading up to the Sports Festival seem to go by in a blur but, looking back, Izuku doesn't think he could have done anything more to prepare.
He spent his class periods robotically taking notes even while he mentally compiled strategies and worked through plans on how to defeat any quirk he came across.
He even took some time to talk to his other classmates in 1-C, a few of them coming over to wish him luck during lunch or throughout the day. To think Izuku started the school year feeling out of place and now people were voluntarily seeking out his company.
Aneko had stopped by their table once or twice as well, just as much a whirlwind as she had been the first time. She'd done good work promoting excitement for their performance in the Festival. In addition, she also gave Izuku some more tips on how to refine his image. A couple of her suggestions were a bit out there but she was right in that if he wanted attention, he had to grab it with his own two hands.
Only a few days after USJ he got the call from Hatsume that his equipment was ready to be picked up and tested out. The bō staff she'd created, the one he'd painstakingly described and workshopped with her, came out better than he could have ever dreamed. It was 134 cm in length, perfectly measured to suit his size.
It was made up of a mix of steel and tungsten to make a weapon that could stand up against most physical attacks along with inconel which was incredibly heat resistant should Izuku find himself up against Kacchan. Part of the bō was collapsible meaning he could easily strap it to his back when he wasn't using it. He'd asked Hatsume to add some gripping material to the middle half to allow for easier handling. He'd flipped it around experimentally, testing the weight and it felt good, like an old friend.
In addition, Hatsume really outdid herself with his protective gear. She'd modified some biker's gloves but with additional protection and heat buffers. There were steel tips in his knuckles meaning he could really pack a punch with these things. Same with his steel lined boots, designed to give his kicks additional weight but also for added shock absorption. He was really impressed with her idea to add small cleats in the tread should also prevent him from slipping on uneven terrain.
In some way, it felt like he was cheating to have such specialized equipment but Izuku recognized that he was already at a massive disadvantage without a quirk and all this did was even the playing field a bit. Hatsume herself was planning on using the Festival to show off all the other crazy inventions she'd made over the semester. When he'd asked how he could possibly repay her for her incredible work, she'd just waved him off and told him to put her 'babies' to good use. That, he'd told her, wouldn't be a problem.
Izuku trained with his weapon endlessly, throwing it around before and after school, twirling and twisting it in his living room to gain familiarity and dexterity. The bō was heavier than the wooden staffs Izuku was used to, but he'd built up his muscles over the past year and adapted to the weight easily enough. He swung and flipped and lunged for hours and hours until the bō felt like an extension of his own arms, until he felt ready to take on the whole world with it.
He'd practiced a few times with the gloves and boots too but never with his friends. It was humbling to realize how much more dangerous his accessories made him, how easy it would be to break bones or cause serious damage with a kick or a punch. Izuku worried about it, late at night as he wondered just how badly he wanted that open hero spot. Yes, he wanted to win but he didn't want his victory to come at the cost of someone else's safety.
"It's easy to learn how to hurt people, Midoriya," Rikimaru-shishou said when Izuku had brought it up once during their training sessions. "It's another thing entirely to disable without harming, which is the true goal of martial arts. So many people, like that bully of yours, only see fighting as a show of strength. But you see the art as a way to save, rather than hurt, others. Your kind nature is one of your better points but in a serious fight it can also be a weakness."
"I know," Izuku said, dodging his master's attacks with his bō. "You know how badly I want to prove myself and I know I'm capable of being a strong opponent but I'm also afraid. These weapons, my training; I could really hurt someone with them. How do I know how much is okay?" Rikimaru-shishou smirked and stopped his attack.
"Of course the quirkless kid would ask me that," Shishou said with a wry grin. "Learning to regulate your power so it doesn't hurt yourself or others is the first lesson most people with quirks learn, especially the dangerous ones. I can't tell you how many times when I was a kid I got stuck to the ground, unable to move and unable to figure out how to regulate my power."
"So how did you learn?" Izuku asked.
"Practice and a knowledge of myself and my body. You need to look hard at yourself and ask how far you are willing to go to get what you want. It's easier said than done, I admit, and I can guarantee you that in the heat of battle, your priorities are going to shift when your dream and maybe even your life is on the line," Shishou assured him.
"But how do I-"
"You'll just know, kid. Look at your opponent and how they're faring. You'll know when you're going too hard or being too soft. That's all I can tell you, Midoriya. Use your head, listen to your gut and use both of them to make the right choice. I wouldn't get too worked up over it, everyone knows this is just a high school tournament. Besides, Yuuei has some of the best medical facilities if you do happen to crack a few heads," Rikimaru-shishou said with a wink.
"I don't want-" Izuku began only to have his staff wrenched out of his hand and used to knock him off his feet. He blinked dazedly from the floor, feeling the sting of his own weapon being used against him.
"Like I said, your kindness is also your weakness," Shishou knelt down, still holding onto his bō. "Don't you ever forget that you will be a lamb in a den of lions. I admire your desire not to hurt others but you will be the weakest link out there and you will have to be tough and you may even have to be vicious just to stay afloat, do you hear me?"
Izuku frowned and aimed a quick kick at his master's face, it wasn't intended to land but it did make him withdraw slightly which gave Izuku the room to sit up and deliver a more powerful blow to the man's side. While Rikimaru-shishou was dealing with the hit; his grip on the staff slackened, giving Izuku the opportunity to steal it back and put one of the dulled edges at the older man's neck.
"Yeah, I hear you," Izuku replied cheekily as he settled into a strong stance, ready for whatever counterattacks his tricky master had up his sleeve.
"You know, I think that's first time you've ever been able to best me," Shishou said, not looking all that upset. "Keep up that attitude and those kids are going to fold like paper under you." He shook his head slowly with a proud smile on his face. "You know a year ago, I'd have said it was next to impossible for a quirkless kid to be a hero but I'll be damned if you haven't convinced me. You go out there Midoriya and you show the world what you showed me."
"I will Shishou," Izuku responded, for once free of tears because he was too full of passion to feel anything but steady. If his master thought he could do it, then all Izuku had to do is go out and prove it. "I won't let you down."
"Oh I don't believe you will," Shishou smirked. "Now show me a little more of that attitude young man. I want to see what those punks are going to face in the ring." Izuku grinned back and threw himself into the attack.
XxX
"I can't believe how fast that time went," Taketsu says, looking a little panicked. "Can you believe the Sports Festival is tomorrow?" Hitoshi can't help but give her an annoyed look. He likes Taketsu well enough, she's smart and she has a wicked sense of humor but her tendency to be all talk and no action was a little grating at times. Oh well, he supposes not everyone could be as crazy driven as Midoriya.
"It's fine, you'll be fine," Midoriya says with a cheerful smile. "We've all been working very hard and I'm sure we'll do well. Even Shinsou has learned how to throw a proper punch," he adds cheekily.
Now Hitoshi would have taken offense in the past, taken Midoriya's comment as a sign of disrespect but he lets it slide. He's learned a lot in the past two weeks about how people work and how their company can be enjoyable and aggravating in equal part.
"It's a miracle and maybe one of these days you'll stop falling for my quirk," Hitoshi retorts causing both Takamitsu and Taketsu to snicker to themselves. "Come on, school's over but I have somewhere I need to go first."
"What am I supposed to do? Not answer you at all? How will we be friends if I can't talk to-" Hitoshi activates his quirk and Midoriya freezes. Korudo groans as he waves his hand in front the Midoriya's face.
"Doesn't that get old after a while? It's like taking candy from a small child, there's no honor in it," Korudo comments.
"Put your stuff away and pick up your bag, Midoriya," Hitoshi commands as he also gathers his things. "If he doesn't want to be brainwashed then he should learn to be quiet."
"It's called being nice, Shinsou, you could learn something from it." Taketsu says with a disapproving look but there's an amused tilt to her mouth that hadn't been there previously. A lot has changed in the last two weeks and he can't say it's all been bad. "Now cut it out so we can leave, where did you need to go anyway?"
"You guys don't have to come but I'm checking out 1-A," Hitoshi announces as he frees Midoriya who's looking down at the bag in his hands like he has no idea how it got there. "They're the ones to beat this year, the ones who were attacked by villains the second week of school," he says as they walk out of their classroom. "Maybe you should come too, Midoriya, after all, you're going to need all the advantages you can get."
"I'll go," Midoriya adds, once again seemingly unaffected by the fact that Shinsou just took over his body. "Not just to see the class but I also want to check in on Kacchan too. His cast came off last week but I'm still worried about him fighting so soon after his injury."
"Remind me again, this is the same Kacchan who tried to fry you in the cafeteria the first week? The one who starts screaming like he's possessed if he sees you in the hall?" Korudo asks like he's afraid of the answer.
"We have a complicated relationship," Midoriya says casually. Midoriya... has terrible taste in friends, present company included.
"You're a mess," Korudo sighs, echoing Hitoshi's thoughts. "Just avoid that freak in the Festival tomorrow, okay? There's going to be a lot going on and we won't always be there to help you out. Who knows what that maniac will do if given half a chance."
"He's not going to hurt me and I keep telling you, I don't need you guys to babysit me," Midoriya remarks testily. "Kacchan used to bully me a lot in the past but we've moved beyond that, we're both different now."
"Yeah, but does he know that?" Korudo says, pointing on ahead to the huge crowd gathered around class 1-A. Looks like Hitoshi wasn't the only one who'd thought about scoping out the competition. And sure enough, front and center, is Midoriya's childhood friend standing imperiously in front of the crowd.
"It's pointless to try so why don't you piss off, you goddamn mob," the blond bully spits out causing the kids both inside and outside the classroom to start yelling at him. Jeez what an asshole, what does Midoriya even see in him?
"Kacchan, why do you have to escalate every situation?" Midoriya moans quietly under his breath.
Hitoshi has only known Midoriya for about a month, been friendly with him for even less but still that stupidly naïve idiot has grown on him. His drive to succeed despite his setbacks, his ability to switch from ruthless to kind in an instant and the incredible fact that he still willingly opens his mouth to Hitoshi despite suffering the consequences time and again. Hitoshi would never say it outloud, but he's got a lot of respect for Midoriya. Maybe that's why when that red-eyed bully catches sight of Midoriya in the crowd, Hitoshi steps forward.
"I came to see what you hero kids are made of but I had no idea you were so arrogant," Hitoshi says above the din of the crowd, nudging his way through. "Are all the Heroics students as bad as you, Kacchan?" he teases, drawing the bully's attention away from Midoriya and onto him. "I'm disappointed, really I am."
"There's lots of kids who end up in General Education or the other departments because they failed the entrance exam. And based on the results of the Sports Festival, people can possible be transferred into Heroics," Hitoshi thinks of himself while he speaks, of his own ambitions, but also Midoriya who has worked harder than anyone just to be on equal footing. He then looks at this bully, his face a snarl of anger and pride, who doesn't deserve to hold a spot in Heroics.
"And the reverse is also true. So maybe I am here to scope out the competition but a Gen Ed kid like me is also thinking, 'why don't I pull the rug out from under these hero students while they're riding high? This," Hitoshi concludes with a smirk, "is a declaration of war."
"Yeah," Korudo says, pushing through the crowd to stand beside him in solidarity. "Just because you've tussled with villains doesn't mean you should get comfy. Class 1-C, and everyone else, is coming for you and you had better be prepared." Pretty soon, even more kids were making their declarations known, from class 1-B all the way down to a couple of other Gen Ed kids from other classes.
"Out of my way, extras," Midoriya's Kacchan sneers, trying to get through the crowd even as Hitoshi spotted Midoriya and Taketsu coming in closer out of the corner of his eye. Oh that wasn't going to end well at all.
"Hey man, what did you just do?" A voice from within 1-A shouts. "Stop getting the haters all up in our grill!"
"It doesn't matter," the bully says, "none of that matters once you're at the-" It looks like he's spotted Midoriya. Shinsou is pushing his way through the crowd to intervene if necessary. This close, Hitoshi can see the ugly scars on Kacchan's right hand from the attack at USJ. He frowns, he isn't going to start something in this big of a crowd, is he?
"K-k-kacchan!" Midoriya squeaks, already tensed and ready for a confrontation despite his supposed nerves. Takamitsu and Korudo, always on Midoriya protection duty, look ready to jump in themselves. "I'm uh I'm glad to see you're doing better. Did you get the cookies I made for you? They were uh your favorite."
For a moment, it looks like Kacchan is going to explode like he did that time in the cafeteria. Instead, the blond stalks forward and roughly brushes past Midoriya.
"Stay out of my goddamn way tomorrow, Deku or I'll fucking crush you." He says in a surprisingly calm voice before pushing his way through the crowd and then begins to walk down the hall.
Midoriya stares after him with a thoughtful but powerfully determined face. Hitoshi can't help but smirk, whatever happens, tomorrow should prove interesting at least. After all, anything could happen when Midoriya set his mind to something. The hero kids have no idea what was coming their way.
XxX
Toshinori is trying his best to get out of the school unnoticed. Because he's in his true form, the students don't pay him any mind but the Principal and Recovery Girl have been nagging him about his health and recklessness and he's just not in the mood for that right now. His time with One For All has diminished significantly since the attack at USJ plus he's been spitting up more blood than usual and gotten noticeably weaker.
He rubs absentmindedly at his chest which has paining him more often than not. It's getting harder even to do basic things, he's had to cancel so many of his classes already and he fears he'll have to stop entirely before the semester is even over. He's so tired, he just wants some peace.
"Yagi-san!" he starts and clutches at his chest as Young Midoriya bounces before him with worried eyes. "Ah, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you, are you alright?"
"Yes, yes, perfectly fine my boy," Toshinori says behind his fist as he quickly wipes the blood away from his mouth. "It's good to see you again. I trust you're ready for the Festival?"
"I am," Young Midoriya nods confidently. "I know it will be difficult for someone like me but I'm going to go out there and give it everything I have with no regrets."
"Someone like you?" Toshinori questions.
"Oh well," the boy ducks his head a little before making eye contact again, "I'm quirkless you see." He chuckles and rubs at his neck, "it must sound kind of silly to you, a quirkless kid trying to be a hero but it's been my dream since I was a kid. After USJ, I'm more determined than ever to be someone who saves others, even in small ways."
Toshinori wonders if it's just him or if everyone is just as surprised by Young Midoriya. The boy shuffles his feet a little bit at the scrutiny but otherwise holds his ground. It had been hard being quirkless when he was a boy. He can't imagine how difficult it must be nowadays when quirks are so much more prevalent. What fortitude it must take to not only to live with that label but to own it.
"Some might call it silly," Toshinori says with a smile, "but I think it's brave to follow your dreams despite adversity."
"Brave," the young man mutters to himself before standing up straighter. "I guess it is in a way. Thank you, Yagi-san. I don't know how it'll go tomorrow but at least I'll know I didn't back down."
"I'll be rooting for you," Toshinori says sincerely. "I don't want to keep you, young man. Enjoy your day and be sure to get plenty of rest for tomorrow."
"I will," Young Midoriya chirps. "Also, this uh may be a little weird but you haven't by any chance seen All Might around? I've been um looking for him since the semester began. I overheard someone say he was over this way so..." Toshinori coughs into his fist at the unexpected question, suddenly very conscious of his, All Might's, yellow suit.
"Ah I'm sorry but I believe he left already, you know saving people and such," Toshinori lies awkwardly, looking up at the ceiling uncomfortably. "But he'll be at the Sports Festival tomorrow, I hear he'll be the one giving out the medals."
"I guess I'll just have to win a medal then," Young Midoriya says in a joking tone but his eyes convey how absolutely serious he is. Toshinori wants to grin, this boy was not someone who should be underestimated. "Well my mom's probably waiting on me, it was good seeing you again, Yagi-san," Young Midoriya says with a wave as he disappears into the crowd.
"You show them, young man," Toshinori says quietly to himself, "for us quirkless boys."
XxX
It was finally here, Izuku's one and maybe only chance to make it into Yuuei's hero department. Well, it would be here tomorrow. It's only 10 pm but he's already ready for bed as he needs to be up extra early tomorrow. Izuku finishes working through his nightly stretches even though he didn't train today but the routine is relaxing in it's familiarity.
In a way, he's almost calm despite his nervousness which is the opposite of how much of a wreck he was before the entrance exam. He'd tossed and turned for hours then but now Izuku feels steady as a rock as he crawls into his bed, his normal anxiety strangely muted.
Maybe it's because he's grown a lot these past couple of weeks, become happier with himself and more confident in his capabilities. Even if he had more time to train, Izuku doesn't think he could be any more prepared than he is now. He has to be, he has a lot of people supporting him: his mom, Taketsu, Patrick, Korudo, Shinsou. Then there was Chiura-sensei and Rikimaru-shishou and even Kacchan has inspired Izuku in his own way.
Before the entrance exam, Izuku had been beating himself up for not trying to take the Heroics test. While he can't say he knows how his life would have turned out had he gone for Heroics, he thinks he made the right decision going into General Education. He doesn't regret any of the time he spent in that class, getting to know all those wonderful people.
The All Might poster on the wall next to him grins widely, his strong, powerful arms resting on his hips as he strikes a heroic pose. Izuku still hasn't seen the hero in person yet but maybe tomorrow, if he's lucky, he'll get the chance to ask the question that's always burning in the back of his mind. All he has to do is beat all of the kids in Heroics, not to mention General Education, Business and Support. He smirks to himself, for the sake of his dream, he'd take on the Number One himself.
"Wait for me All Might, I'm coming. I'm not big or strong like you and I can't do all the things the other students will be able to do but I'm through letting other people tell me what I can and can't do. Wait for me, I'll make you proud, I promise." With that said, Izuku turns over in his bed and quickly falls asleep and when he dreams, he dreams of victory.
Hey all! Thank you everyone for sticking around this far. I'm rather fond of this chapter despite being another set-up chapter because it's kind of a stop gap to see how far Izuku has progressed since the start. I know those early chapters were a bit slow but golly I feel taking to the time to build up the characters really pays off in the next few chapters.
As a note, this will be the last day of twice weekly updates. I go back to school tomorrow and I'll be quite busy in my final semester so I can't keep up with twice a week edits. I think I'll keep Sunday updates for now but if there's a day you like better, let me know!