AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Hi, it's me. Before we begin I wanted to just celebrate, explain, and apologize. First, let's celebrate though. To kick it off I cannot believe that this fanfiction is a year old now. Wow, time sure flies. It feels like yesterday I sat down on my laptop and started to type away. Also, as of right now we've hit 15 reviews, 97 followers, 72 favorites, and nearly 19,000 views! That is a large number. I am surprised because I thought no one would really care for this story, but apparently they do which is absolutely amazing. I love and appreciate every one of you. Thank you, so, so, so, much.
Secondly, I'd like to explain what happened regarding the last update. So, when I said the chapter would've been done by the end of the month that obviously did not come true. I didn't mean to mislead anyone or lie to them, but things happened. What were those things? It was nothing personal, but I grew lazy and I'm sure that is clear to see given how long it takes for me to release chapters. I had trouble getting back into writing and I didn't know where to take this story. Don't get me wrong, I still love writing, MHA, IzuOcha, and this fanfiction. Speaking of getting back into writing though, I will try to be more frequent in updates. I can't promise you anything but I'll try now that I've got this chapter completed.
Thirdly (thirdly?), I'd like to apologize for leaving you all without a chapter for months. I know that some people have been waiting and I wish I would've delivered sooner, but hey now that I've got it done I can deliver now! :)
With all of that being said please enjoy the chapter! If you ever want to leave a review then please do as I love criticism - it only helps make this story better!
The last time we saw our heroes they were just about to enter their long awaited destination in search of a perfect Christmas tree! Will it be attainable?
"Mr. Kikiii!" Called out Mina, rushing forward through the snow, ahead of the others yet again.
"Wait for the rest of us!" Iida yelled, hoping that she would listen. Unfortunately, she didn't and kept moving which lead the young man to face palm. She wasn't much to listen to authority, especially him. Then again, Mina wasn't the only one who disobeyed him. It was troubling for a class president to deal with, but it's all part of the job.
As she ran, she passed by a few residents, some of which she knew and waved to with a cheery smile. Stopping and talking to them would be nice, but something had to be done first and foremost, and that was to greet someone special to her. A family friend, one she knew from her youth.
There, standing proudly while speaking to a couple who appeared to be customers, was an older man to whom Mina was racing towards. He was tall and well built for his age which appeared to be early - mid 40s, and had a very unique hairstyle. It was a dark green and looked as if it was not hair, but in fact pine-needles just like the very ones on Christmas trees. It covered his head and even made for a beard that was surprisingly well kept.
"Now, our pric -"He was just about to finish speaking, but was interrupted upon feeling a set of arms swiftly wrap around his waist. He almost lost his balance though fortunately he was able to stay upright with an attempt to keep his feet planted in the snow. It was a good thing he didn't fall considering the fact that there was a patch of ice right behind him; he needed to salt that. "H-hey, woah! Who's got ahold of me?" He asked, glancing around with a concerned expression.
That soon changed into a soft smile when he spotted a certain pink girl, one he recognized. "Ah, Mina, kiddo! It's been so long!" The man said, lifting her up with a twirl. She giggled and stepped back after having her feet placed back down into the snow. "Oh, excuse me for a moment or two." He said towards the couple with a smile. They seemed to understand and simply went to take a seat on a bench.
"Yeah! It really has." Mina was swaying her head back and forth.
"It's great seeing you. Say, what brings you in town though?" He asked, stroking his chin. Mr. Kiki already knew why she would be here given the time of year.
"Oh, you should know that!" She joked, her laughter continuing. "I'm here for one of your trees."
"One of my trees, aye? Well, I'm glad you've decided to choose one of my own to bring home!"
"Of course. You've got some of the best trees, and we're out looking for the best!" Mina complimented, believing her words to hold a strong truth.
"That's awfully nice of you to say, kiddo." Mr. Kiki said, a flushed expression now looming over his face due to the praise. It meant something to him when people he knew gave such positive reviews of his product. There were people who stopped in to shop at around this time of year who said such things as well, but he always felt the most genuine of happiness when it came from those close to him.
Glancing around, he scanned the area for her parents. She couldn't have come here alone hence why she used the term 'we', but he didn't seem to spot those familiar pink faces anywhere nearby. "Say, where are your parents? I haven't seen them in some time." He asked curiously.
"I didn't come here with them this time." Tilting her head, she gave him a cheeky smile - knowing that might've come as a surprise to him. After all, the girl and her parents traveled here in a group when it came to shopping for trees.
"Eh?" The older man was indeed surprised, but a bit puzzled as well. "So you came this far without them to pick out a tree? I've got to say, your parents must be really trustin' in you this year." He said, crossing his arms as the smile which had momentarily left returned upon his face, although appearing more proud than before. "That's really mature of ya as well!"
"I'm not alone either! I brought some friends, we're looking for a tree to put in our dorm!" She explained, motioning her arm back towards the entrance where just right now came a group of nearly twenty high-school students strolling along the snow. Most of them were glancing around at the place, being quite gigantic in size. The tons of trees scattered across the snowy fields covered quite some distance. A lot of them had smiles on their faces, being quite astonished at just how many there were!
"Hey, Mina!" Called out a familiar boy in a manly voice, approaching the two of them. "You ran off on us." He said, scratching the back of his head as a small chuckle came out.
"Sorry, Eij!" She apologized, bowing her head. "I just couldn't wait to see a friend." Mina pointed at Mr. Kiki, who Kirishima now noticed. When he did the young man eyed the much older one up in down, but not in a rude way and rather a complimentary one. The adult was quite large and well built at that, not to mention his cool facial hair! To him, this met the criteria of a manly look and excited him a little.
"It's nice to meet you!" He greeted, holding his hand out to shake. "I'm Kirishima."
"Hm, I can say the same, kid." Mr. Kiki replied, shaking the red head's hand. Their first impressions of one another seemed to be positive given how they spoke to one another, which was good! Not that she was worried about it being negative, but Kirishima was a close friend and was glad to see they were getting along. "That the rest of your class, kid?"
"Oh, yeah - hey, guys!" Kirishima yelled, turning his head to face them. The rest of Class 1-A, who were still looking around, heard his call and followed. Iida, who had a stern look upon his face, jogged over towards the pink girl.
"Mina! You cannot just run ahead without everyone, especially if you are leading us! You or the rest of the class..." His lecture seemed to drone on for a while as his hands shifted places to make swift gestures every few seconds or so. As that was going down, the boy and the girl who both had a secret to tell one another were taking a glance around the tree filled area.
"Wow, Deku, there's so many trees!" Ochako said. She had never seen anything like this, it was like a winter wonderland, but more as an enchanted forest. Her eyes beamed up as the girl took it all in.
"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it." Izuku replied, nodding in agreement. His head lifted like hers, but while he did so something other than the trees caught his attention. It was the bubbly brunette. She was standing there with a smile on her soft face. As he stared Izuku could feel his cheeks start to warm up. They were beginning to flush a bright colour. "..."
Ochako had stopped looking at the trees and turned to her classmate who was staring at her with his head in the clouds. When she got a hold of his look she too exchanged a similar one, and between them was silence. Before one another could turn away or speak it was then that the two were called over. Breaking away from what they were doing, they both headed towards where the rest of the class was now gathered in a circle.
"Ah, we're all here." Iida said as he glanced around at everyone; counting to be sure of their presence. "We've decided that in order to maximize how much ground we'll cover it would be best to split us into groups." It was then that Sero, who was across from the president, raised his hand.
"Do we really need to make that big of a search for a tree?" He asked, scratching the side of his head.
"Yes, indeed we do." He smirked, pushing up his glasses. "As students of a prestigious academy such as Yuuei we are taught to strive for the best we can. Settling for any old tree wouldn't cut it which is why we must find the one most suitable." The students standing around silently listened to what he had to say.
"We're looking for a perfect tree..." Shouto coldly muttered.
'A perfect tree...' Izuku thought to himself, placing a hand on his chin. 'He's right. Yuuei does only accept the best, so finding the best tree makes sense.'
"Precisely!" Iida said back to Shouto. "We'll form groups of 4 and scatter around to search for that tree. When you believe you've found one you should report back here by the entrance." Mentioning that four people were in a group everyone looked around at one another and wondered who would be with who. Some of them weren't sure who they wanted, but others were set.
As the circle broke apart, Mineta, the shortest in the class, started to approach Momo with an eerie grin across his face. "Yaomomo... let's group up." He said, chuckling as he got closer much to girl's dismay.
"Sorry, but we've already got four!" Toru exclaimed. Beside the vice president were three other girls. Jirou, Tsuyu, and Toru.
"Man.." Mineta grumbled bitterly while walking away.
"Hey!" Bakugo yelled, directing his voice towards three students. Denki, Mina, and Kirishima who were all next to one another. "I'm grouping up with you assholes, got it?!" The presence of their loud but close friend put a smile on their faces.
"Yeah, sure man!" Kirishima was happy to see his pal getting more involved in this. It was much better compared to yesterday when he was acting like the Grinch. Yet another group had been paired up.
Classmates left and right were huddling together, but both Izuku and Ochako were still trying to find people. The boy did not have to look very far though as he saw two classmates walking towards him. It was Aoyama and Shoji who were together, but seemed to still need people.
"Bonjour, mon ami!" The french blonde greeted, striking a pose.
"Aoyama!" Izuku smiled.
"Oui. I see that you don't have anyone in your group, so we thought to allow you into ours."
"Sure!" He said, nodding his head with joy. Aoyama was a good friend of his, and even though he didn't seem to know Shoji all too well he was happy to be paired up with him.
"We've got three people and now we just need one more..." An eye sprouted from one of Shoji's arms and surveyed the area in search of others.
"Ochako has yet to find a group - let's invite her!" Aoyama started to stroll through the snow with the rest following from behind. Ochako hadn't got a chance to be in a group. Everyone around her seemed to swiftly had been paired up and she wasn't sure who to go with. It was then that she spotted the three boys approaching her.
"Oh. Hey, Deku!" She called out, waving her hand. "Do you guys need another person?"
"Indeed, madame." Aoyama stated. "We're short for one."
"I don't have a group, so I can join!"
"Of course!" He replied, his flamboyant smile growing with the new addition. Now that all of the students were seemingly paired up they could start the expedition for a perfect tree. A few of these groups started to walk off before Iida shouted; the groups having called yet again. Some groaned impatiently, wanting to get this over with while some were curious as to what he had to say this time.
"Class A, remember to meet back here when you've found a candidate." He instructed, cuffing his hands together as his voice traveled. It was then that he raised his right arm with another smile. "... And don't forget our school's motto, plus ultra!"
"Plus ultra!" They yelled all together. Then the groups started to scatter; going in separate directions. The hunt was finally on for the perfect tree. Each group was determined to find one that would meet their expectations or even go beyond that. This wouldn't be such an easy task even for a class like this. Hundreds of trees were planted across the large white fields of snow with the land stretching out for quite some time. Finding the perfect tree would be difficult like finding a needle in a haystack, but it could be done.
"Hm, which way should we go?" Izuku wasn't sure what way would be the right one. There were so many ways to go, each of them leading to different yet similar areas. "There's so much ground to cover..."
"This area over here doesn't have many people." Shoji suggested, one of his dupli-arms pointing towards the area in question. "We could search there."
"Yeah, I agree." Ochako looked off into the distance. "That looks like a good spot!"
"Then it is where we must go!" Aoyama shouted, raising his arms elegantly whilst starting to lead the way. He walked through the snow with the rest of the group behind him. When they came to the area he smirked before stopping to turn towards them.
"Why'd we stop?" Ochako asked, tilting her head.
"This place is rather large mademoiselle. It would be easier to find such a tree if we were to split up." He suggested, but almost in a manner where no one else would get their input, which is what he wanted despite it being controlling. "Myself and Shoji shalt search elsewhere." Saying that, he slid up beside him.
"Ok... We won't be that far though." Shoji said in response, turning and starting to walk the other way. Aoyama did as well, but not before turning to give a wink towards the two of them. Doing that, Ochako suddenly felt her face flush a light pink. She's seen this sort of look before. It was back during their final exam for first semester when the two were partnered. He'd brought up the possibility of her having a crush on Izuku and it spiraled from there.
At this point did she realize what he had done with splitting them apart was on purpose. Oh, that Aoyama! He was clever and it was a sly move, but she couldn't be mad - she wasn't mad. Besides, at least she could get to spend some time alone with Izuku. It might be a little awkward, but it'd be nice.
Izuku was more or less a bit confused on what Aoyama meant, but he didn't seem to be totally oblivious as his cheeks were a noticeable shade of red.
Meanwhile, one of the other groups had just begun their search as well.
"Stay behind me, assholes!" Bakugo yelled, stomping angrily through the snow. "If we're gonna find a tree before that shitty Deku does than I'm the one who should be leading!"
"Geez, man just take it easy." Denki said, twisting a finger in his ear. "This isn't supposed to be a race."
"It is to me!" He loudly replied, continuing to head through the snow. The area in which they were searching also didn't seem to have many people. That was good considering it meant Bakugo didn't have to deal with anyone trying to steal a tree he spotted. Speaking of him, he was clearly taking this quite seriously compared to everyone else. Peculiar, but definitely not out of character for him.
"If it's a race then we ought to stick together!" Kirishima said with a smirk, putting his fists together. "That way we don't get lost out here."
"Oh, don't worry about getting lost, Eij!" Mina replied, giggling. "I know Mr. Kiki's lot like the back of my hand. You're right though about sticking together; we're a team!"
"Yeah!"
"Whatever." Bakugo grumbled. "Just keep up, got it?" He pushed forward through the snow with a strong head; filled with determination. The young fiery blonde was going to find that tree first. He had to and nothing was going to stop him!
On the other side of the forest, Izuku and Ochako were still in search. The two of them had walked a considerable distance since splitting up but have yet to find a perfect tree. What even could be described as a perfect tree? It was proving much more difficult than originally believed to search for something such as this.
"Hey, what about this one, Deku?" Ochako asked, pointing towards a tall, dark tree resting in the snow. Izuku approached her and went about analyzing it. After about a minute or so he drew a conclusion.
"Hm, no.." He said, shaking his head. "It's of good size, but the pines are thinning out." A closer look at this tree backed up the boy's statement. While great in length it didn't seem to be in too good of a shape. As Izuku had made note of, the pines were indeed thinning out. One could tell by how scattered they were all across the snowy ground. He let out a soft sigh and lowered his head. "Finding a perfect tree is a lot harder than I thought."
"Yeah, you're right..." Ochako nodded her head. There was a look of defeat that fell upon her face. She noticed a similar look in her friend. With that, in the flash of a second the girl changed her expression and spoke up. "But we can't give up yet, Deku!" She raised her fist towards the air.
Hearing the tone shift in her voice, Izuku lifted his head and glanced towards her. Seeing the look of resolve upon her face caused his spirits to be elevated. "You're right!"
"Come on, let's keep going!" She cheerily yelled, turning to move through the snow. With a smile, Izuku followed her. The two of them ran down the pathway; watching out for a tree. As they ran the girl couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't sure why she was, but she was.
They eventually came across a clearing that had curved into that of a circle. The snow was flat and it was obvious that no one had been around here. The two of them were a bit far away from everyone else it seemed. The thought of that hadn't crossed their minds, in fact nothing was - at least not now as the two stopped in their tracks.
There, in the middle of the clearing stood a large, bright tree. It glistened in the light as snow fell against it's healthy green pines. The sight of the tree took the kids by surprise, and they didn't speak at first due to it's beauty. If there was such a thing as a perfect tree then this would come close if not just perfect. "Wow..." Ochako said softly. "Deku, this tree is.."
"Yeah," He replied, walking forward through the snow. This tree was amazing. The boy slowly approached the tree and raised his hand. Izuku was about to rest it against it's bark when suddenly...
"Out of the way!" A loud and familiar shout took him off guard. He backed up and turned towards the direction of the noise. That was when he spotted young Bakugo, making his way through; his quirk propelling him through the air.
"Aah, Kacchan!" Izuku screamed, bouncing back just as he passed by. Bakugo made a swift landing through the snow and smiled menacingly as he hit the ground. He then turned and saw Izuku. Only then did his smile fade away.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing here, Deku?!" Bakugo asked, shouting in his face.
"I-I was just searching for a tree!" He nervously replied, tugging on the collar of his coat.
"If you're thinkin' about taking that one back then forget it! I saw it first!"
"Cut it out!" Ochako walked up and stepped in between the two; facing Bakugo with an annoyed look. "We got here first."
"You want to try me, round-face?!" Bakugo said loudly, a small explosion igniting from the palm of his hand. It was then that three more faces emerged from behind. Mina, Kirishima, and Denki had finally caught up to him.
"Hey, slow down!" Denki called out, sounding out of breath. He seemed a little tired, in fact they all seemed a little tired. They walked up towards the three of them. "Oh, hey, looks like you guys found this one too. Beautiful, right?"
"Rrgh, we found it first!" Bakugo interjected before either of the two could speak; sounding more furious than before.
"Hey, let's not fight about the tree." Kirishima stepped closer towards them. "Even though we were racing I guess it doesn't really matter about who found it first. Either way if it's good enough we'll all be taking it back."
"Yeah, and we don't win or lose anything for finding it." Mina chimed in.
".. Fine." Bakugo calmed down, putting his hands in his pockets.
"We should probably get back to Iida about this spot, right?" Denki suggested, turning towards the group. They agreed and started to head back towards where everyone was going to meet up. Before all of them got too far Ochako felt a hand reach for her arm. She turned and saw Mina grinning, pulling her back.
"Hey, so.." Mina said excitedly. "What were you and Izuku doing searching together, hm? Planning on asking him out a bit earlier?!"
"Wha-?!" Ochako felt her face fill up with a blush yet again. "N-no, it wasn't anything like that! We just split up from our group earlier!"
"Mhm, sure." Mina nodded, sounding unconvinced. "Who's idea was it to split up?"
"I-it was Aoyama!"
"Aoyama knows?!" She asked, surprised.
"Yeah," Ochako said, breathing in to calm down. "He's known for a while..." She recalled back again to the practical tests. Somehow he had figured it out and without much trouble it seemed. She was unsure how he had known, but from that point on it wasn't any use denying it. The look the girl had on her face in response said it all.
"Whaaat?!" Mina let out. "He knew all this time and didn't say anything?!"
"Hey, hurry up!" Shouted Kirishima, who albeit the last one in the group of boys was still far ahead of them. The two girls let the conversation go and quickly ran through the snow to catch up. As they headed out
It didn't take long for the students to arrive back. Most of the groups were gathered around, talking to one another as they waited for everyone else. There were a few still out there, but not very many - perhaps one or two. The voting would start soon, and the sooner the better, the day having grown colder as time passed. Izuku glanced around and suddenly remembered about Aoyama and Shoji! How could he have forgotten about his friends like that?! He was going to notify Ochako about their problem, but then he spotted the two of them together standing around.
"Aoyama, Shoji!" Izuku called out, getting their attention. It also got a hold of Ochako's as she followed the boy who was now walking towards them.
"Bonjour!" Aoyama said happily.
"We're sorry for leaving you!" He said, bowing his head for a quick apology.
"Don't worry about it." A pair of lips formed on one of Shoji's arms. "We were the ones who left you."
"Oui, but enough! Did you happen to find a tree?"
"Yeah, we found an amazing one!" Ochako yelled, throwing her fist in the air.
"Magnifique!"
Some more time passed and finally were all of the groups together. Their searches were over and now could they begin the process of voting. After speaking with Mr. Kiki, Iida stepped into the middle of the students and called out to them.
"Class 1A! Please gather around as we begin." The students formed a crowd in front of Iida and let him speak. He spoke for a brief period of time before urging them all to follow. And they did. One by one did the class president let all the different groups show them the trees that they had found. All of them were quite splendid, and Mr. Kiki found himself impressed that these kids held such fine taste.
When it came to Bakugo's group Denki was the one to speak up. "Oh, yeah do we have a good one. We found it earlier over here with these guys." He pointed to both Izuku and Ochako despite Bakugo's annoyed look on his face. The group lead the others to the clearing where the tree laid. Upon walking up to it they heard some 'Oooh' s and 'aaah' s. "Awesome, right?"
"Indeed, this was a wonderful find." Iida said. Then, he turned towards the class. "Ok, Class 1A! We'll take our votes now. When I call out a tree you favour I'd like you to raise your hand." Then, the voting finally took place. Some of the trees received few votes and some more, but the one that received the most was the one they were standing next to right now. "Then that settles it. Class 1A, I present to you our Christmas tree!" He motioned his arm towards it. The students cheered and clapped. Bakugo's group celebrated their 'victory' together happily. Bakugo himself was also glad that their tree had been chosen, but still showed some annoyance upon having Izuku thrown in with them.
He then turned to Mr. Kiki. "Excuse me sir, how much will this cost?"
"Hm?" The tall man raised an eyebrow and stroked his chin. "Well, tell you what, I'll give you this one on the house!"
"I-I, are you sure?" Iida asked, being caught off guard by his generous offer.
"Of course! Call this a gift to Yuuei for treating my Mina ever-so-well." He replied, giving out a hearty laugh. Mina ran up and hugged him tightly.
"Aah, thank you!" She said, squealing with joy.
"Heh, it's no problem kiddo." Mr. Kiki patted her on the head, being careful of her horns, and looked at Iida. "I'll have it delivered to you in a few days at max!"
"Perfect!" Iida joyously smiled, bowing his head. "Thank you very much, sir. We are grateful for your kindness." He stood straight again and turned to Class 1A. "Everyone, it seems that our search is over. We should all be heading back to the train station now. Please, follow me!" Indeed, their search definitely was over. It'd been quite a while since Class A had set out on their journey. Instead of it being a cold afternoon like it once was it now seemed to be that of a cool evening. The sky was a bright red and shortly the sun would be setting.
Now, with the day ending, Class A set off for the train station; waving goodbye towards the kind man they'd met along the way. With the perfect tree having now been found and soon to be in their home the students felt a wave of happiness overcome them. It was beginning to look a lot more like Christmas, and they still had so much time left to enjoy it. What will await them next? Who is to know, but you will soon find out!