"What?"
Temari stared at her mentor in shock, they were standing in UA, Nezu and Aizawa standing behind the number one hero as he spoke.
"Principal Nezu and Aizawa agreed that you were ready." All Might said gently. Your control over One For All has improved in leaps and bounds-"
"-but I can't use a hundred percent!"
"Can't you?"
Temari glared at Aizawa as the man stepped forward, "the scars from your arm were from you rapidly pulling back your punch when fighting todoroki, up until that point I'm almost certain you were using a hundred percent."
"I…I'm just a first year student." She muttered, her entire body shaking, "I can't possibly-"
"You would only be getting your provisional license." Nezu interrupted, "the fact of the matter is, All-Might won't be around forever, and you already have a good handle on the power."
"It's not like we're asking you to be a full blown pro." Aizawa droned, "we're already toying with the idea of letting the first year classes try for them next semester, you'll be getting yours a couple months early, as a final exam.'
"This is pretty big." All-Might Said, interrupting the conversation, "why don't we put a hold on it for now?"
"Temari!'
Temari jumped a bit as she looked up, giving a strained smile when Jirou walked over, "Where's your count?" She asked, making the girl roll her eyes.
"Last I checked still asleep, after I went home he had to help Toga with something. He was still asleep when I called him an hour ago."
"You'd think he'd want to be back for school."
"He said he'd be here." She said with a shrug, "you alright?" She asked worriedly, eyebrows furrowing a bit, "no offense but you look like hammered shit."
"Gee, thanks." Temari scoffed, stepping off the train as the UA stop
"You know what I mean." Jirou said, nudging her, "wanna talk about it?"
"...not yet." She said softly.
"I'm here if you need me." Jirou told her firmly, "with all the crazy shit going on we'll need…you're fucking kidding me."
Temari looked at her in concern, then followed the rocker's gaze down the street and began laughing.
Sato was walking down the sidewalk, having a spirited conversation with Ojiro and Tokoyami, which was a bit odd but not outright weird.
Except for a certain familiar green sleeping bag slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"That's one way to do it." Temari snickered while Jirou huffed.
"Hey guys!' Sato greeted, waving his arm and making the bundled up vampire grumble in his sleep, "how was your weekend?"
"As good as it can get," temari sighed, then grinned, "so he's got you being his transport?"
"Poor little guy looked tuckered out." Sato laughed, "I offered, he went for it!"
"The darkness was active in the twilight hours." Tokoyami said seriously.
"No shit." Jirou said dryly as they began walking, "please let this be the weirdest thing that happens today."
It wasn't.
Approaching the UA gates was surreal, as a veritable sea of black stood in front of it, people of all shapes in size dressed in leather and spikes, long hair dyed a myriad of dark colors dotted the crowd, along with signs providing support for a certain dark lord.
"No-life king!" They cheered as Sato approached, several pointing and whispering excitedly at seeing the green sleeping bag.
"This is…a bit disconcerting." Ojiro chuckled nervously as they walked through the crowd that parted as they went, many bowed or cowtow'd to Izuku, who peered out of his sleeping bag for a few moments before closing the zipper fully.
"His gaze fell upon me!" One of the crowd cried out reverently falling to his knees in a deep kowtow, "my dark lord!"
Suddenly there was a camera in their face, a man in a nice suit and long black hair dyed red at the ends stepped forward, the skull rings on his finger clanking against his Mike as he turned his intense purple eyes on the group of students, "Good evening," he said, his voice deep and rich, the tone even throughout, "I am Asmodeus Slim, with the Midnight Muse, we would like to interview the No-Life King, his majesty, Count Midoriya."
The sleeping bag shifted a bit, Sato set Izuku down as the boy zipped the bag open to peer out, red eyes flashing and freezing those in front of him in place, only Asmodeus Slim was unaffected, simply bowing his head in reverence to the supposed dark lord.
"I..I have school." Izuku mumbled, averting his eyes in a typical show of shyness and anxiety, "and you're all blocking the gate."
Asmodeus Slim smiled, and produced a card from nowhere, "Give me a call when you can." He said before walking off.
"His dark eminence said we're blocking the way! Let's make a hole!" Someone shouted and the crowd shifted to let them go.
"...thank you." Izuku said, letting Sato sling him over the shoulder again.
"...this is surreal." Temari proclaimed as they walked to the gate unmolested, "how did he get this many fans?"
"The darkness is all encompassing, and vast." Tokoyami said, "i'm surprised so few came, and they're much tamer than I thought."
"COUNT! LET ME BE APART OF YOUR HAREM!"
"Run." Izuku commanded Sato Urgently as Temari picked Jirou up and took off before the girl could whirl around on the fanatical fan.
"Never a dull day huh!?" Ojiro called, running alongside Tokoyami.
"Never."
They were some of the last to reach class, Sato set Izuku in his desk before trooping on over to his desk.
"I just wanted to sleep." Izuku said mournfully as Jirou kissed his forehead, "why can't I get that?"
"Boohoo," temari scoffed, grinning at the weak glare Izuku gave her, "you faced off against a vampire lord on Saturday but you couldn't even look a reporter in the eye?" She whispered to him, making him groan.
"I was still high on the Sports Festival." He muttered,pulling his sleeping bag a little bit tighter around him, "once all of that was over I went home and didn't wake up until Jirou's Dad came barging in."
"Oh?" Temari asked, eyes sharpening while Izuku began to sweat at his mistake, "did he not know his precious daughter was staying with royalty?"
"Not by the fit he had seeing her asleep with me." Izuku mumbled, making Jirou blush guiltily.
"I never thought to tell them." She said, "it isn't their business."
"Then why was he kicking my door in?"
"Because he's a snooping jerk."
"Snooping because he wanted to catch you gallivanting with the boyfriend he didn't know about?"
"Snooping because he didn't believe me when I said I was staying at a friend's house."
"Is that all I am?"
Before Jirou could snarl back a retort the door slammed open to reveal a fully healed Mr. Aizawa, "Everyone in your seat, class starts now."
Temari turned fully to the front, shooting her friends' worried glances throughout the day until lunch, when Jirou stormed out of the class before Izuku or anyone could stop her; Momo worriedly ran after her.
"Trouble in paradise?" Temari asked, her usual teasing overshadowed by concern.
"Yes? no…I don't know." Izuku sighed, heading towards the door, Bakugo had already gone ahead with Kirishima and Tokoyami was conversing with Todoroki in the back of the class, it was only them for now, "sunday afternoon I was woken up by her father threatening to gut me for 'laying hands on his precious daughter', his screaming match with Jirou revealed she hadn't told either of her parents about us…"
"Haven't you two been dating for like…half a year?"
"Yeah, never met her parents, met her uncle a couple of times, but she said her parents were busy, i didn't know she hadn't told them at all."
"And you're feeling a little hurt about it?" Temari guessed, giving him a sympathetic pat on the back when his head fell.
"I shouldn't, I get it, some things you don't want your parents to know about…"
"But?" she prodded gently.
"...but shouldn't they know about a serious relationship?" Izuku asked softly, slowing to a stop in the hall, head still bowed, "or is it because…because I'm not something to be proud of?"
"Don't think like that." Temari ordered, rapping her knuckles against his head, "you know Jirou loves you, she just didn't want her parents butting in on her relationship; true she should've told them, but she didn't do this out of malice."
"You're right." Izuku sighed, 'I guess I'll talk to her after classes, apologize and what not."
"Why not do it right now?"
He looked up, "Because you have something on your mind that you need to talk about."
Temari stiffened at that, "what, can you read minds now?" she scoffed uneasily.
"No, but I don't need to do that when you're easy to read." Izuku drawled, heading out towards the grounds, Temari sulking behind him, "Bakugo would've probably confronted you about it if Kirishima hadn't grabbed his attention."
"So what, you want me to spill my guts?"
"No, I don't expect you to tell me anything if you don't want to," he quipped, "that's something you and Bakugo have in common, however, I do want to let you know that I'm here to talk if you need it."
Temari slowed a bit, then began to match his stride, "That whole successor thing, with Alucard," she began slowly, glancing at the blank mask and goggles of her friend, "how do you handle it?"
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean…how do you live up to his expectations, his standards?" she prodded further.
"I don't," Izuku said simply, "Alucard didn't choose me as a successor because I proved anything to him, or met his expectations, he chose me because I showed I was worthy, whatever I do with his power and title are mine to do with as I please."
"Then why deal with that stuck up vampire bitch?" she asked, "why do something you didn't want to?"
"...I suppose I feel like i do owe him, in a way." Izuku allowed, stopping under a large tree, the shadows warped for a second and Baskerville loped out, along with a shadowy falcon that flew around the tree a few times before landing on his shoulder, "had he not jumped bodies, I'd either be quirkless or dead, the power he gave me, while a curse, was also my salvation; entertaining the stuck up nobility of Japan's vampire aristocracy every once in a while won't kill me." he leaned back on the tree, looking at her, "I take it All-Might's asked something of you?"
"Yeah," she sighed, sitting down against the tree, hugging her knees to her chest, "he, Aizawa and Nezu want me to take the Provisional License Exam for my final, they said that with the state of the world as it is they need me to be ready sooner rather than later…but…but I don't know if I'm ready." She confessed.
"You've taken training much more seriously since the USJ," Izuku mused, "and you can use One For All at 100%."
"How do you know that?" Temari demanded, looking up sharply.
"I didn't until now," he said smugly, making her groan, "what's the problem with getting your provisional license early? It means you get more hands-on experience, why wouldn't you want that?"
Temari shifted, "have…I ever told you about my dad?" she asked quietly, "he's a retired hero at forty, forced out of the game because he overused his quirk, a power sharing quirk that ended up crippling him because it was pulling on the energy he needed to run his body, he has to take medication just to stay functioning, never mind using his quirk-"
"-you're worried you'll suffer the same fate?"
"What else do you expect to happen?" she chuckled bitterly, "you've seen All-Might's injury, and he was a full blown pro! I thought, you know, maybe with three years training I could do it, just like I used to tell my old man I'd do, become a hero, the best there ever was, but…but now they're asking me to get my provisional license early, and talking about going out sooner than I thought and how the fuck am I supposed to do what All-Might does, do what my dad used to, with only a few months training!?" she didn't realize she was shouting until she was gasping for air, tears pricking uncomfortably at the corners of her eyes, "I don't know if i'm ready for this, but I can't let All-Might down," she continued in a muted tone, eyes downcast, "not only that, this is my dream, the thing that kept me going all those years when I was just a quirkless little girl trying to make it through the day, how can I doubt myself when this is what I've wanted to do my whole life?"
Izuku was quiet, his hand running over Baskerville's soft fur, "isn't that part of being human?" he asked softly, "doubting ourselves whenever we have the opportunity to rise? Overthinking when simple choices are given to us?"
"It's not simple!" she snapped.
"Isn't it?" Izuku shot back, "yes or no, do you want to take the Provisional License Exam, Bakugo would be chomping at the bit to go, as would Todoroki, myself, just about everyone in class, you've proven how strong and resourceful you are Temari, so why hesitate?"
"I told you I don't think i'm ready-"
"-that's not it," Izuku said dismissively, "If it was you'd have said no, ending up like All-Might and your Father is part of the reason, but it's not the full reason, so what's the final piece to the puzzle Temari?"
Temari sniffled, wiping her eyes angrily, "you know what it's like…being alone." she muttered, "being the odd one out, picked on for something you had absolutely no control over…and you know what it feels like to finally belong, to show up to alss knowing your classmates are happy to see you there, that they aren't working towards destroying your self-esteem or hoping you'd get in trouble because they'd rather you weren't there…what if I go for my provisional License and the rest of the class starts avoiding me? What if they start thinking I'm getting special treatment and resent me for it?" she took a shaky breath, "what if I lose the friends I just made?"
Izuku put a hand on her shoulder, making Temari look up, the vampire had pulled his goggles and mask off,staring at her with tired green eyes and a friendly smile, "you shouldn't worry about that," he said, "these are some amazing people, our classmates, they didn't even flinch the times i've gone on a blood binge, both at the USJ and during the Sports Festival, they never looked at me with fear, or hatred; many are friends, if they haven't turned against me, then why would they turn against you."
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, "Think about it," Izuku said to Temari, helping her back to her feet before walking away, the falcon taking flight as he walked, "if it helps, I think you'd do great with this chance."
Temari watched him walk away, jumping a bit when Baskerville nudged her hand.
"In the end, Young Sendo, you must do what your own heart tells you." The Deep Baritone was unnerving coming from the multi-eyed dog.
"Uh…thanks…" she mumbled as the dog disappeared, "not totally creepy or anything…"
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The end of the day couldn't come fast enough for anyone, Temari was jittery waiting for the bell, tapping her fingers against the wood, watching the clock while everyone else conversed around her.
"Oi Sendo!" Bakugo snapped, walking towards her, "What's your deal? You've been acting weird all day and it's really starting to piss me off!"
Temari blinked, then started to laugh, "Don't worry about it Katsuki," she said as she stood up, nudging him with her shoulder good naturedly, "I got it all under control."
"You better," he growled, his eyes softening ever so slightly.
The bell rang and everyone began walking out.
"Sendo, stay back," Aizawa ordered, "everyone else, have a good day."
Izuku shot Temari a reassuring look before he was following Jirou out the door, "Kyoka." he called, making the purplette stop, refusing to turn around, "My countess," he whispered as he came up behind her, putting his arms around her, "I'm sorry."
Jirou sighed, all the tension melting out of her, "no, I'm sorry." she mumbled, "I should've told my parents a long time ago."
Temari smiled as their conversation faded, Bakugo gave her a reassuring shoulder squeeze before walking out, leaving her alone with Aizawa.
"I don't want to pressure you," he began slowly, once he was sure Bakugo was gone, "but we do need an answer soon-"
"-I know," Temari said, meeting his piercing gaze, "and I'm closer to giving you an answer…but I still need to think on it."
"I can give you til the end of the internship."
"That's all I ask." Temari said, heading towards the door.
"Sendo."
Temari paused, looking back at her teacher.
"If you're wanting to prove something," he began, hesitating ever so slightly, "if you're trying to prove something, don't go for the top ten, go for one of the lesser known heroes or even underground heroes, and be careful."
"You're not going to tell me not to?" she asked curiously.
"We've put a massive decision on your shoulders." he said, "and while I agreed that you needed to get your provisional license sooner, I also know that you don't have all the same experience as, say, a second year going for their license; and I know how your mind works, the same way Bakugo's works, if you don't earn it then it doesn't matter. If you don't prove that you can do what's expected then there isn't a point in doing it. So if you need something to help you prove to yourself that you deserve this chance, then I'm willing to give it. Especially if I can still keep you safe while you do it."
Temari stared at him in surprise, 'Thank you, Mr. Aizawa." she said softly.
"Tell anyone and your life becomes Hell." he muttered, 'now go."
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Izuku walked through the dark streets towards the park, and he could sense Toga already waiting for him.
"Already waiting?" he called as he neared.
"Izuku!" Toga cheered, jumping up from where she was sitting on the swings, pulling the hood of her sweater further over her face.
"Another change?" he asked her, noticing how hesitant she was to lower her hood.
"...yeah…"
"Let me see." he encouraged her gently, "you know I won't judge."
Toga sighed and pulled her hood back, revealing her usual yellow cat-like eyes were now a burnt orange, "my eyes changed." She pouted, "I don't look cute with this color!"
"Hmm." Izuku grunted noncommittally as he examined her eyes, then the extra set of small fangs that had grown out beside her permanent ones, what is causing these changes? She hasn't been turned, nor does her mimic quirk require these kinds of changes…
"Your influence upon the girl is beginning to show," Alucard's voice whispered in his ear, "you claimed her as your disciple, and she accepted, it's only natural that the fledgling will take on features of their sire."
Izuku sighed, "I believe this is all my fault." he told her apologetically, "there's a chance, when I took you on as my disciple, that I influenced you with my quirk, and now you're taking on certain features that a vampire would have, there's a good chance you may need to start intaking more blood."
"So I'm becoming more like you?" she asked in awe, and slight fear, "w-w-what does that mean?"
"It means we train," Izuku said simply, "we keep an eye on your intake and adjust accordingly, and if you begin to manifest powers like mine, then we will train with them as they appear; you won't go through this alone, not like I did."
"Well said, my Count."
Izuku whirled around, eyes flashing as he watched Asmodeus Slim walk out of the trees, wielding a gold tipped cane and an elegant top hat, his camera man nowhere to be seen, "your majesty," he greeted graciously, giving an extravagant bow before straightening up and replacing the hat atop his head, his voice still as rich and honeyed as it was that morning, "forgive the intrusion, terrible manners on my part to drop in unannounced."
"Then why do it?" Izuku asked, Baskerville materializing beside him as he pushed Toga behind him.
"Urgent business i'm afraid," he sighed, "I was going to wait for your call, but my clients have moved up the time table due to…extreme circumstances."
"Your clients?"
"Ah! My manners leave me again!" He laughed ruefully, "I said I was a reporter when we first met, and I did not lie about that, I truly am one, but I have a side job, one I've done well for the past thousand years, I am a private liaison, someone covens and sects can call to be mediator between their groups; this time around i've been hired by the Hosu Clan to establish contact between themselves and your highly esteemed self."
"Why not just approach him?" Toga asked curiously, peeking out from behind Izuku.
"Well you saw how well that went with the Shizuoka coven." he purred, "the Hosu Clan didn't want to raise your ire so soon after that disastrous dealing, so they hired me, told me to take my time…but that, is no longer possible, The Hosu Clan needs your help."
"With what?" Izuku asked, now curious.
"With the Vatican, their agents just trashed the Clans hideout."
apologies for the long wait, I promise I'm not doing it on purpose, I'll try and pump out more chapters soon.
peace out,