Chapter 22: Moonlit Reflections
"This is what I am talking about: the bewitching power of moonlight. Moonlight incites dark passions like a cold flame, making hearts burning with the intensity of phosphorus." -Rampo Edogawa
Ochako
"Alone?" Ochako echoes back, eyes sharpening when this just makes Toga's grin widen.
That same ugly, twisted smile that's been coated in blood far too often.
"Of course! Best friends hang out together alone all the time!" She emphasizes before gesturing with a head tilt to the cameras hanging above.
The black domes flicker with a tiny dot of flashing red and Toga winks, giving the camera a wave.
She must've already scoped out the entire market while waiting for her, learned where every last exit is and the fastest way to get to them if need be.
And as her golden orbs drift down the aisle she notes the red tag attached to the green apron of who looks to be the manager peering between his walkie-talkie and them. He brows furrow studying them both as his hazel eyes darken and Ochako feels her cheeks warm being associated with Toga of all people. She is being thought of now with just as much suspicion and trouble as she is.
"There just isn't enough privacy here, you know? I want to be able to talk to you about life, Izuku, you know the works without any nosy or peeping toms!" Toga explains loudly enough for him to hear, clapping her hands in delight when Ochako doesn't immediately move.
Her stomach clenches, swishing like a brewing storm as she quickly weighs her options. Saying no could mean her reacting violently, grabbing the nearest customer and making them bleed out right before her for simply refusing her offer.
But saying yes means being alone with a woman that she knows has already killed once before, a woman with a manic need for blood…
She thinks back to Nishimura-sensei's advice, not just in preparing for finals but in how to handle work-study internships and dealing with a known criminal head on.
"If the enemy wants to engage in small talk, try and mess with your mind that can usually mean they have a secret that's important to you, possibly a person that needs rescuing or is injured that wasn't reported on the news or immediately known to the Heroes in that area." He reviews.
Ochako tightens her lips, he must be referring to the particularly bad monsoon seasons of the late 80s when he was a more active Hero. Mie luckily only experienced some mild flooding that put them out of school for a few days, but she recalls the damage that hit the more major downtown areas from the streams of breaking news. Shattered glass that glittered like crystals from the earthquakes, water the color of mud and ink breaking through barriers…
"Villains used the chaos during that time period to pick out easy targets knowing how badly many buildings and cable lines had been damaged meant the slower release of information. Plus, in the 80s we didn't have all the niceties of smartphones and free Wi-Fi!" Nishimura continues, voice growing lighter and Ochako scoffs.
Her phone is still a flip phone, hardly what she'd call a 'smartphone' compared to her classmates!
His eyes harden back into steel and she forces herself to concentrate on his voice while keeping the assorted weights he asked her to float steady.
"This is what villains do and will do to you Ochako. They know your secrets, your loved ones, so guard them carefully.
She thinks of Izuku, the warmth of his lips on hers and the brush of his messy hair on her cheek to her nose during the night she stayed over.
The gate's been unlocked, her feelings out in the open for anyone to see as much as she had tried to bury them.
And she's sure Izuku hasn't been that careful either about hiding their relationship going by teasing she's overheard from the guys after training sessions.
Ochako blows out a breath, half-way turning to meet his gaze as a wave of nausea bubbles up.
"And what do I do then when they already know that information? What happens if it's already too late?" She asks.
Nishimura seems to have expected this question, gaze becoming even more stern and dark if possible.
"Well then you'll have to play the game with them a bit then as safely and quickly as possible to protect yourself and those around you, at least until you get what you need. Get in and get out."
She has to play the game then.
"Fine, but I'm paying for these groceries properly first!" Ochako huffs, keeping a distance between them.
Her golden eyes burn on her back, to anybody it may seem perhaps they are just two old friends catching up and getting snacks.
However, she doesn't miss the unnerving looks a few shoppers and a cashier give her on the way out. It's a smile too devious to not be hiding dark intentions.
The moon is bright out as they leave, a glow of silvery-white against blue-violet of approaching nightfall. Ochako clicks her teeth together, the park is the closest area and out in the wide open.
Toga follows along silently, only piping up when they approach the familiar path of oak trees that line the entrance.
"You're going to like what I have to say, trust me! You may even consider it a favor knowing what the League is planning next. Shigaraki still is too curious about Izuku's quirk after all. So curious it consumes his thoughts almost as much as trying to kill All Might!" She beams.
Each word sounds to her like drops of acid, chilling and burning her skin all at once.
A shiver nearly makes it way up her arms she fights down; she will not give her the satisfaction of seeing goosebumps mar her skin.
'Deku? There's something dangerous in the works for him to still be tracking him even after being stopped more than once by the Pro-heroes.' Ochako frowns.
Why is she telling her this? What is it about Deku that's made her decide to do this?
She ignores the lurch of her heart, squashing the squiggly feelings of envy when her mind reminds her Deku shared his first kiss with her, feelings he declared he felt only for her and her alone.
"Honestly I joined the League because they accepted me for my bloodlust, speaking literally of course! But lately we haven't done anything fun to keep that spark going you know? At least well Shigaraki says he has something big coming up..." Toga prattles on.
Ochako clicks her tongue as silently as she can, the faint note of resentment in her voice is interesting.
Her pocket knife itches in her pocket, fighting the urge to twist and attack. Toga needs to keep talking, spilling these details involving the League's next moves before she grows bored or worse, decides that taking her blood or an innocent person nearby is a more interesting challenge/activity.
So the game starts now.
A smile is curling up her lips before she can fully think how to make it not look suspicious or uncomfortable, hoping her eyes are shining just as brightly as hers. She moves to loop an arm around her to her slight surprise, fingers digging until they will leave angry red crescents in her skin.
Friends are on first name basis.
"Really? Tell me more Himiko!"
-X-
Izuku
"So what did the results say?!" He pressures his Dad once more.
He's been silent since he came home from a battery of tests that lasted from right before dawn until just as evening set in, sky tinged violet just as he saw the shadow of his figure approaching the steps. So far he's been distracting himself when one thing or another when he tried to bring up the topic of his results, one excuse after another from dinner to catching up on a show.
But with Mom out with Kacchan's Mom for a girl's night out he has no one to stop him from asking these continued questions.
His shoulders sag at his Dad's pale expression, it must be worse than he thought. Worse than what he wanted he or Mom to see or know about.
He considers using Infliction, forcing him to admit to what he's been hiding for so long.
Hisashi sees through him though, green eyes reflecting back at him sharpening. He blows out a tiny breath of fire, startling him into straightening.
"No need to use your quirk on me! I didn't want to give you my results as it would be a hindrance upon your studies." He reasons, waving off his concern.
"It would only keep bothering me, especially if it relates to Infliction. Is it…is it something that could cause problems to my body too down the line?" Izuku questions.
He thinks of his frequent migraines after each use of Infliction, how some cause dark spots to blot his vision or make the world spin for hours after.
Hisashi shakes his head, trying to find the right words to describe this situation without further alarming his son.
"Izuku, they...they want to run some more tests. I'll be seeing a genetic medicine doctor on Thursday. Based on the information the specialists have told me they don't believe it's connected to my quirk or yours...at least not yet."
None of that provides him any comfort, knots in his throat burning but he nods at him to go on.
"Mutations as I'm sure you've already studied can occur or skip generations causing quirks never seen in a family tree or at least not in decades in your case. Basically they're going to check to see if you or I carry a gene connected to these symptoms I've been having of fatigue and cough that we wouldn't want you to get when you're my age or at least you can be better prepared than I was.
"And where are their thoughts leading?" Izuku pursues.
Because surely they've reached some ideas on what he has going on, seen the pattern of these signs and symptoms before.
"...It could be a blood disorder at worse or just stress from work at the least." Hisashi states after a moment.
The knots burst, flooding his throat along with his stomach with the sick, sour iciness of dread.
Infliction. He can use Infliction.
Infliction isn't just for harming, it can heal too and Recovery Girl has taught him enough about the human body. One For All could maybe even help keep his strength up should he need to take him directly to appointments quickly. Plus on top of the research he has done on his own he can look into Dad's case, find the harmful or malignant cells before they multiply if that's truly the worst case scenario and...
Hisashi must see the look upon his face again because he shakes his head, grabbing and squeezing at his hands.
"Son, you can't use Infliction in this case. I know you mean well really I do, however that's the thing Inko and I love about you and feel causes you problems all at once. You rush sometimes whether it be into a battle against a villain or into a scenario without always getting the full details sometimes. You and I both know you aren't expert on medicine or anatomy/physiology." He muses with a soft laugh.
His words make him picture All Might, a symbol of strength in the public's eye for now until eventually it reaches the point where that secret can no longer be sustained, that the true thin skeletal frame he has is his real body.
And in the same sense his Father is only putting up a front, hiding and carrying this burden alone.
Izuku shakes his head, blinking back the coming sting of tears. "No Dad, let me help! I have Infliction for a reason, for a while I didn't even think my quirk could be one of use with all the things I've done, but I can-"
Hisashi presses a hand to his cheek, stopping him from going into a ramble.
"No, Izuku. This isn't your battle to fight; it's mine." Hisashi notes with a tone of finality.
There is no room left to argue on this, to discuss alternatives...
Neither Infliction or One for All can help him in this case.
-X-
All Might
'What could be going on with those two?'
While both Izuku and Ochako excelled in their written/exam portions of their test, they both are acting comparatively different in the practical portion now of their finals.
"Do it now Yaoyorozu!" Izuku shouts.
He watches from camera 2's feed as Izuku escapes Aizawa's binds landing back on the cracked rubble of the pavement he'd used to put more space between them, Momo having come up from behind blinding him with the sun's reflection via a mirror from her lucky bag. It all happens in the span of less than a minute and he wishes he could rewind the motion to make sure he is seeing things right without causing an interruption to the other screens.
But it's still there upon his face, lips set in a grim line that skirts between apathy and elation that throughout this whole portion of the exam Aizawa has been one step ahead of them until now.
Their tactic is one Izuku has used against him before only this time he used One For All as a distraction to keep Aizawa's focus primarily on him.
Momo properly cuffs Aizawa, completing the end of their task. A smile continues forcing itself upon to his face in nodding to Momo's own relief and joy they've successfully finished and passed their finals.
And then said grin it slips away as soon as he turns back around.
'Something is running through Young Midoriya's mind. I just don't know what yet.' Toshinori considers.
It showed in his slower reaction times to Aizawa's attacks, that his punches aren't showing the full force of all the training he's done with him and Sorahiko.
If not for Yaoyorozu he isn't sure they would've passed.
He turns his attention then to Uraraka and Aoyoma with Thirteen. So far things didn't seem to be faring well, Thirteen's black hole making for trying to fight her head on to be too dangerous. Aoyoma whispers something to Uraraka as Thirteen gets close enough now to them to begin sucking away at debris surrounding them, that something quickly turns her expression into one of anger.
'What did he say to her?' Toshinori considers at watching her cheeks flush scarlet. The wind howls too much on the feed to hear anything they're saying, but whatever it was has sparked a flame.
Copper orbs twist back in the direction of Thirteen instead, irritation swirling like the beginnings of a storm until finally; it cracks.
And then she lets go of the ramp.
Thirteen halts her suction in surprise and Ochako immediately takes advantage, gripping and pulling at her hand sending them both hurtling straight into the pavement.
She digs the heel of her shoe into Thirteen's chest just as she begins to squirm, pulling out the cuffs.
"Don't move." Toshinori reads her lips as Aoyoma comes in to help keep her down. He wonders if the pain of Ochako's twisting or the crushing of her boot sinking in have fully gotten to Thirteen, if it has reached beyond her protective spacesuit to leave telltale red marks or a bruise.
Because the anger still simmers in Ochako's eyes even after they have passed, giving Aoyoma a silent glare that makes him stiffen most likely from whatever his earlier comment was.
"All Might, looks like you're up next." Ectoplasm notes seeing Young Bakugo and Shoto heading towards their designated zone.
Toshinori takes one last look at Izuku and Ochako's cameras, their expressions of masked pain and open frustration respectively before nodding and he puts on his weighted bracelets.
'I'll find a way to ask them each separately about it later.' He decides.
"Hah, so I am! I'll make sure to give you all a good show as well!"
-X-
Katsuki
"You better not make me fucking fail this." Katsuki hisses, Shoto choosing to ignore his comment and pretend he can't hear any of his increasingly acerbic remarks.
Great.
He sucks in a slow breath just as they see All Might's shadow appear from out of the smoke, beaming down on them.
"I look forward to seeing how you two intend to defeat me or better yet, work together to create a plan!" His voice booms waiting for the timer to start.
And at this Shoto finally turns his gaze towards him, turquoise and copper eyes narrowed and resolute.
"One of us will need to distract him for long enough while the other runs straight for the exit as fast as possible; we only need one of us to get through the exit in order to pass. And no before you even say it, All Might is too strong for us to both take on even with those power limiting bracelets. Doing that will only waste time and risk us both failing. So, which do you want to be?" He questions point blank.
Katsuki scoffs, it's beneath him to run away like some damn coward; the complete opposite of how a Hero behaves.
Endeavor wouldn't do such a thing, however saying such a thing aloud won't spark a reaction from him. Begrudgingly, if he wants to learn anything else about the number 2 hero he needs to get through these exams and train more to be ready for provisional license exams down the line.
Best kept secrets could be within that very agency of his.
There is no way in hell All Might will make it so easy for one of them to be the 'escapee' however, Todoroki can move pretty fast on Ice as he's witnessed first hand from the Sports Festival...
'That's your problem Kacchan, you always let that anger of yours get to you. Pride will be your downfall.' Izuku has said some variation of that to him more than once and when he's truly pissed him off, he adds Infliction to said words.
He grits his teeth, his words would come now at the worst possible time.
"Team Midoriya and Yaoryorozu have just successfully detained Eraser Head! They are the second team to pass!" Recovery Girl's voice booms out through a speaker across the terrain.
Second? No, it doesn't matter Deku has gotten a step ahead of him. Again.
"I'll be the distractor. You just have to make sure you don't get delayed too long by him at any point." Katsuki eventually grunts out.
Neither has time to say anything else before All Might lands into the pavement right before them, Todoroki launching up a wall of ice only for him to immediately punch right through it.
'Shit, he's fast and still has so much strength even with those bracelets!' Katsuki notes in brief awe as shards of ice rain down on them, shimmering in the sunlight reflecting All Might's equally bright grin in each jagged piece.
It doesn't matter how strong he is, he needs to move. Now.
"Get going damn it!" He yells back to Todoroki.
He pulls up his hands and unleashes a barrage of explosions before his attention can move to him, the light is a blinding enough distraction to at least give Todoroki a good enough head start.
Hopefully.
"You know, I figured you would be more stubborn about working together. It seems maybe all those fights with Young Midoriya are starting to sink in." All Might chuckles, his hand reaching through the smoke pinning his face before he can create another blast.
"Don't bring up his name." Katsuki manages to sneer back in return and All Might sighs.
'Well, some progress is better than none at all.'
That envy still holds him back, he'll have to show him why.
Blood fills his mouth as All Might slams him straight into the pavement, gasping as pain ripples through him like a shockwave. He bends back the hand he reaches up attempting to pull his hands off and he clenches his teeth not to yell out.
"Young Bakugo, you knew I wasn't going to go easy on you. A villain by now would've killed you and moved on." All Might states.
His voice sounds so very far away, ears burning and ringing as he tries to sit up.
And then everything feels warm, too warm...
Like fire.
He coughs, breathing in smoky air as All Might lifts his hand off of him distracted by the heat. Ugh, he told that idiot to go for the finish line and this was his freaking plan too!
But his vision is swimming, he sees Shoto's trademark red-white hair reaching for him before he gives in to the darkness.
-X-
Elsewhere
"It's a full moon out tonight." Shigaraki notes peering towards the night sky. Clouds obscure the silver light from fulling slipping into the room with them, of being privy in a sense to the things they're about to discuss.
Kurogiri follows his gaze before nodding. "So it is."
Tomura returns back to tapping at against the end of the table, fingers running across the watermarks of where the glass he's cleaned ten times over now use to sit. The urge to smash it straight into his hand bubbles up, even if he could just teleport it elsewhere.
It wouldn't be any fun really, he's never seen Kurogiri as much as bleed if he even can.
"Will you just spit it out already what's bothering you?!" He finally demands.
Kurogiri stops his mundane drying, placing the glass face down alongside the others. "Toga. I feel you need to have a proper talk with her regarding her latest...stints."
Tomura snorts, that's what's troubling him. "Toga is the reason we have so much information on U.A. and All Might as we currently do. It gives her a chance to get her blood fix as well so it's-"
"She's spending far too much around the very people who nearly got her turned into the police tonight! I'm sure now they already know about our plans regarding that annual upcoming training camp they do. On top of that there is matter of that underground organization..." Kurogiri cuts in, trailing off when Tomura holds up a hand.
"Enough. I don't need you to waste time repeating over things I already know!" He snaps.
He returns his attention back to the photos Twice managed to capture in and about the city. Most are too blurry or taken from far away, but he at least somehow managed to capture a few good ones.
'Izuku Midoriya, I still remember your name. I wonder if the world has corrupted you any further with that quirk of yours?' He considers.
He has friends, people he loves from seeing him holding hands with a brown haired girl to laughing over drinks with his fellow peers seemingly without a care in the world.
The last photo is one Atsuhiro took, of a man who looks too much like Midoriya for it be a coincidence.
'Must be his Father.' He chuckles under his breath at the thought of his own, of that ugly final look upon his face of despair.
His nails scratch against the end of the table until they start to bleed, they'd be better prepared this time. Pro-Hero or student, it's hard to separate a personal life from work/school life.
'There's more than one way to get underneath a person's skin.'
He lets the photos decay one by one until only the one of his Father is left, grinning and folding it back up.
'What happens when you can't protect the people you love?'
-x-
It's hard to know people's thoughts on this story, I am enjoying writing it especially the IzuOcha scenes, but it does become a bit more difficult without getting any feedback. If you have any thoughts/suggestions or even ideas please feel free to leave a review or message me. It amazes me how this story has almost 500 follows now when I consider it one of my hardest stories to write to date so thanks for that!
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