Chapter 24: Flash Point
"There is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment." – Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever
All Might
"What is the connection?" He breathes out.
From the way Tsukauchi stiffens he knows the news will make him uncomfortable, dredge up old memories he's long buried down to keep moving forward as a Hero and symbol of peace for Japan. Still, he gives him a nod to continue as his gaze falls back to Shigaraki's file.
"Regarding Tomura Shigaraki, I looked into as many articles as I could find on his family. Basic things like what areas of work they were in, medical history, friends and associates they knew and...your old mentor came up." He begins.
'Nana?' His mouth tightens, he feels his heartbeat steadily begin to rise before he can tamper it down.
Her smiling face in his mind becomes cracked, warped with the recollection of her death and now to know she had a connection to the rising leader of the League of Villains.
"It seems Tomura is her grandchild, he grew up in an abusive household. Most everyone in the family walked on pins and needles when it came to the Father." Tsukauchi first states.
And Toshinori hides his frown too late, how could his old mentor not have known about that?"
Even more so, why did she do nothing to help the boy?
"However, the abuse and neglect of Tomura and his siblings were all kept very under wraps from any authority figure that could've intervened. Teachers, police, social workers were made unaware of the case until it was far too late and the few that did manage to know were made sure they kept silent. It took a lot of digging to even realize they had familial ties." He continues as he flips through the papers, already having known where Toshinori's thoughts would've gone.
"Where does this lead us to know?" Toshinori questions, gesturing for him to skip ahead a bit in time.
Tsukauchi's dark eyes find his own, sighing.
"Well, shortly after the death of his family via the sudden activation of his decay quirk was when All for One found him and took him under his wing."
The missing pieces come together then, it's easy to figure out what happened next in regards to Tomura's already shattered heart and mind...
"So now he's growing the League of Villain's with All for One's direction. His most prominent members seem to come from dysfunctional and fractured homes too. He wants society to realize Heroes can never bring about true peace as no one was able to save him from his situation. Its unfortunately seems to be working based on latest polls and interviews news stations have done regarding the public's trust in Heroes. It's fallen already 5 points in the last month." He finishes.
Toshinori nods, absorbing all the information slowly.
"Why is he so set on Young Midoriya though? I still haven't been able to fully piece that part together in yet. It can't be just because of his Infliction quirk, right?" He questions.
He surely doesn't know about One for All and the way it works; hardly anyone does.
Tsukauchi shakes his head, expression turning to one of pondering as well.
"No, I imagine though he believes that Midoriya's quirk and he himself can be corrupted like he was. Or he just sees that his quirk is quite beneficial to getting his objectives done." He voices as a guess.
'Ah, and the best way to do that is to get to his family, the people he cares about most to reminding him he can easily lose them...'
He recalls the last time he saw Young Midoriya's parents during the parent-teacher discussions of moving all the students into the dorms, the anguish and frustration they've both been bottling away over their son versus their own concerns in their daily lives.
"We'll just have to trust in you All Might. That's why you're the number one hero after all!" Hisashi announces, breaking the silence between them all at the table.
The evening sun slipping in through the windows highlights the wrinkles upon his face, an exhaustion he can't hide this late in the day even with his forced grin.
Inko doesn't speak for a long minute, looking between her husband and All Might. Verdant eyes glimmer with an edge that makes him sharpen his back. He's interacted with her the most out of the Midoriya household, the matriarch that is trying to keep her husband and son going while not falling apart herself.
"Please don't let Izuku be so reckless, no matter the villain or enemy." She finally whispers.
Neither ever could meet his smile fully despite his promises he would.
He thinks then again of Tomura Shigaraki, of how closely he and his associates continue to intertwine themselves in the lives of U.A.'s students.
"Hey, don't do any strenuous or beyond your limits." Tsukauchi advises at seeing his expression change.
Without having to say it, they both know he is getting weaker and weaker with each passing day, just as the League gets stronger and stronger.
-X-
Ochako
"Are you sure you have everything packed?" Gamps questions again, attempting to look over all the items she plans to bring with her to the summer camp via her camera.
She knew already it would be a terrible idea to try and have him doublecheck her list via her phone's already sometimes blurry camera, having woken her up at exactly 8:00 am sharp, however she promised Gamma she would honor his request in order to stop him from worrying as much and calling every 5 minutes to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. (At worst he could use his speed quirk to try and follow them to camp with a bag of materials).
"Oh, bug spray! Where is the bug spray? You don't want to get bit up by any mosquitoes! I remember when you were little one bite from one of crazy blood suckers could swell up your leg for days and-"
"Already packed it Gamps! It was one of the first things I bought!" Ochako cuts him off before he can go into a ramble over another horrible summer memory.
Gamma's face appears in from the side, cobalt eyes twinkling in amusement despite the graininess of her image. "Now you listen to all your professors and those Heroes properly Young Lady! Have fun, but not too much fun with Izuku and the rest of your peers!"
Ochako feels her face begin to burn with the beginnings of a telltale blush, clenching her teeth. "I-I wasn't thinking about that!"
Though now the thoughts are in her head that this is truly the first outing with their class they're having since they became a couple.
Not that this Training Camp is supposed to spell any thoughts of romance.
Toga's words come to mind, the cool whisper near her ears of a warning. "Shigaraki wants to strike back during this Summer training trip you might be having. We may get to indulge in each other's blood again! Wouldn't that be exciting? That's how we can get close and be proper friends again!"
"I still think you need to be a bit wary of that boy, trouble follows him no matter where he goes." Gamps is stating, forcing her to focus back on the conversation.
"Deku is getting better at controlling Infliction slowly but surely Gamps. Please don't worry about me or him." She relates, but Gamps only scoffs, lips flat and resolute that his opinion won't be so easily swayed despite how kind he's seen Izuku been to him and her.
"Actions speak louder than words Ochi and I for one still need to see him more in action before I can make a full conclusion." He answers back after a moment.
They finish the conversation on a lighter note that she promises to bring back any small souvenirs she might find from the shops nears the mountains similar to the goods they like to get from Mie along with plenty of pictures of the lush mountains to clear skies.
It may feel a bit like being truly back in Mie, except her focus will all be on improving her reflexes, on ensuring she uses her Zero Gravity quirk to it's upmost best.
She considers calling Nishimura-sensei next to get his suggestion on how to practice her weight limits during the bus ride only for her phone to buzz, Izuku's name popping up on the screen.
"Hey, do you have a moment to meet in the park before we head out? I wanted to get your advice on something." He questions.
There's a hesitancy to his tone that nearly makes her ask what's wrong, but she's decides against it to ask him in person.
The day is already growing warm as she heads out, pinkish-yellow of the earlier sunrise replaced with the white hot heat of the afternoon. Thunder echoes in the distance, a brewing of blue-gray clouds that hopefully won't delay them heading out. Summer rains have been a frequent event for the last few days, coming more often now as the days get longer.
'I hope it isn't anything bad involving his quirk or something with his family.' Ochako considers, picking up the pace.
Izuku is already there by the time she starts to get closer and she pauses to watch as he uses Infliction to prevent an elderly man from tripping over himself. A smile etches up her lips catching the tail end of their conversation.
"-Thank you kind young man, you have a good rest of your day!" He states enthusiastically, shaking Izuku's hand with much more energy than she would imagine from his frail form.
Her gaze goes back to Izuku and then her smile evaporates.
A pained look he had hidden from the old man is now in full view.
-X-
Izuku & Ochako
'It would be easier to just ignore the problem, but I can't.' Izuku sighs.
Seeing that old man reminding him in a sense of his Dad, of what he may slowly look like in just a few years the way his body is currently acting.
Ochako curls their hands together slowly, sitting beside him in silence waiting patiently for when he feels ready to talk. Everything he wants to say feels dry on his tongue like sandpaper, too much to burden her with when she too has so much already on her own plate.
"Listen, I know something's been weighing on your mind Izuku since even after the Final Exams finished. If it's something personal I won't try to pry-"
"No! I mean, I want to tell you, however I don't know how to start or if you'll freak out or-" He scrambles to speak.
Ochako giggles, light and melodious calming his racing heart just a fraction. "Trust me, I've seen so much that nothing you do now could really raise any alarm bells!"
"Even using Infliction on my Dad?" He questions back.
Ochako blinks, grin on her face freezing in place.
"H-Huh?" She stammers out.
"Not for a bad reason; I used it help with his shoulder and back pain! I just want him and Mom to stop hiding how sick he truly is from me, stop hiding all the test results or treatment options. I know they don't want me to worry, but to me it's only making it worse-" He rushes out.
"Whoa, slow down Izuku; breathe! Start from the very beginning, I'm listening so no need to rush." Ochako interrupts him.
So he does, everything from the first signs and symptoms in his Dad that showed he was getting weaker to his whispered conversations with Mom late at night when they think he's fast asleep.
Ochako moves her free hand up to thread her fingers through his dark green hair, brushing away beads of sweat along his forehead. A cool breeze passes over them, taking his words into the morning air.
"I think to make matters worse Dad's company doesn't know how ill he truly is. He's been taking more vacation days on the pretense of spending more time with us, but he's truly using them more as sick days and I'm sure he's afraid his boss will find out and let him go for someone more younger and healthier. Perhaps that's why he's been trying to keep it so hidden." Izuku reasons.
'I suppose it's not a surprise Izuku has been this meticulous over the reasons behind his parents doing this.' Ochako muses.
It reminds her of her own parents, hiding just how bad the business was running until the very end...
She swallows down the coils that form at the memory, leaning her head against Izuku's shoulder startling him out of his explanations.
Auburn meets viridian and Ochako slowly moves the fingers in his hair to his cheek. "Hey, just as my parents, Gamps, Gamma, and even Nishimura-sensei have told me, I can't worry myself over matters outside of my control. Your Dad's illness is outside your hands Izuku. Even with using Infliction it would only be a temporary measure; a band-aid on a bigger issue. Worrying about it will distract us from our training at the camp, the best thing we can do is keep working to get stronger." She reminds him patiently.
The heat of his blush warms the tips of her fingers and Ochako feels her own face redden realizing their closeness out in a public setting.
'Oh, Mina would have such a field day if she saw this!' Ochako squirms at the thought of her friend's cat-like grin.
The synchronized beeping of their phones stills them in place, a group text alert from Aizawa-sensei reminding them of the time the buses leave out in 1 hour.
Izuku moves to stand and Ochako follows.
As if either of them would forget what's been weighing on their mind for days.
-X-
Katsuki
'These headphones aren't noise cancelling! He grits his teeth.
It was a waste of money to believe a 10,500 yen (around 95 dollars US) pair of headphones would be actually good compared to the more high end models that went for upwards of past 20,000 yen.
"And I heard we might get trained by the Wild Wild Pussycats! From my research I believe they're an all female-team, I can't wait to see them in person, I think they have some of the most revealing Hero uniforms next to Midnight's!" Mineta cackles excitedly from a few seats over.
Ugh, yeah he really should've invested that extra bit.
At least nobody has been trying to talk to him besides Kirishima off and on if he wants any of his snacks.
Deku has been silent for a majority of the trip, asleep on Round Face's shoulder or just silently scrolling through his phone. At one point he actually met his bored stare, though his relative blank look back gave him nothing to go off of on what was running through his mind.
Something happened again and he clicks his tongue at being locked out of the loop once more.
If it was involving All Might he imagines he would be more stiff, avoiding his gaze or scrambling to change the subject if his name was brought up.
He turns his attention to out the window, the business of city streets and concrete paths having switched to gravel and dirt roads. Up ahead beyond the rolling green hills lays hidden the base they'll be staying at he assumes.
'None of this trip is going to help me learn any further about All Might or his association to Deku. I'm going to have to put it on the back burner for now.' He sighs.
He highly doubts Todoroki is going to give him anything else to go off either based on their last conversation.
But maybe he'll catch a muttered word or two between the faculty, the questioning of if All Might is safe to continue taxing his body the way he has.
The image of his coughed up blood, so deep and scarlet in color still rests in the back of his mind impossible to forget.
"Alright, we're stopping for another restroom break in 5 minutes before we get to the base!" Aizawa-sensei mentions over the noise and for once he's thankful for his interruption.
As soon as he steps off the bus he senses they're being watched.
And sure enough a second later his view of the scenery is distracted by the site of a burst of energy that practically springs up out of the ground.
"Yay! So this year's Class 1-A has finally arrived!" Ryuko cheers with a giggle, eagerly waving to them all with her cat paws.
"Now the fun can truly begin!" Tomoko eagerly squeals, bouncing up and down in agreement.
"Ladies, Ladies, you're forgetting the formation! Get into position so we can properly introduce ourselves!" Yawara lightly chides them.
'What exactly am I looking at here?' Katsuki questions himself at watching them each go into an elaborate pose.
"We are...The Wild Wild Pussycats! Welcome Class 1-A to our home-base!" The yell in unison.
From the corner of his eye he sees some of his classmates already have the right idea to back away in preparation, the one with the blue uniform stepping forward before anyone can get too far.
"Nuh uh uh! None of you are getting away so easy! Your training officially starts now!" She states with a wag of her fingers before placing her palms to the ground.
Instantly a rise of mud and dirt creates a wave pushing them off into the forests, he spits out clumps of grass from his mouth, landing himself upright only to see they're surrounding by monsters.
"Have fun with my Earth Beasts! They're made of the roots, stones, and dirt that surround these forests! You all have 3 hours to transverse this forest and reach base or you forfeit getting a lunch! Heroes must always be able to think on their feet no matter the situation or terrain!" She calls out to them from above.
The first of the golem creatures lets out a roar, about to stampede their way and he smirks cracking his knuckles letting his own bursts of explosions come forth. Push through a bunch of mud men? Easy enough.
This, unlike everything else he has dealing with as of late, he can handle.
-X-
Ochako
'Ugh, I already feel sore!' Ochako groans lightly to herself, taking in the scattering of bruises along her arms. She moves to adjust her carry on bag to her opposite shoulder, trying to rub away the persistent ache running across her body.
The Wild Wild Pussycats must've known they would've never met that lunch deadline they originally gave them.
Nothing about handling Pixie Bob's Golems felt easy, especially when her quirk can't do fast physical attacks like that of her peers.
'At least we have tonight to relax a bit before the real training regimen kicks in tomorrow.' She reminds herself and the thought leaves her feeling a little less achy.
"Hey; you come back here Kota and apologize like a proper young man! Such behavior was rude and uncalled for!"
'That's Iida's voice.' Ochako recognizes, following the sound of his voice.
"Shut up! Why would I listen to people who want to be stupid wannabe heroes!" Another voice snaps back in return.
She watches then as Kota disappears in the opposite direction towards a mountain trail, taking in his scowl for a moment before going after him.
"Ah, wait up! Where are you going to in such a hurry? Dinner is going to start soon!" Ochako beckons to him when he picks up his pace at hearing her footsteps behind him.
"Leave me alone; I'm not hungry!" He replies back.
Just before he can crawl into thicket of undergrowth she reaches him, tapping his shoulder instantly making him float.
Ochako covers a snicker at his shocked expression, he clearly had no idea what her quirk was.
"Let me go! I'm not going to apologize for hitting your boyfriend in the groin!" Kota growls and Ochako stiffens, wondering if she heard him right.
'Huh? Wait is that what Iida meant earlier; he attacked Izuku?!'
Well, she'd just have to check on him later. It was more important Kota didn't wander out here alone as nightfall sets in.
"Err...actually I followed you just to make sure you were okay. Look, I'll release my Zero Gravity now; promise." She assures him, tapping her fingers back together while ensuring he doesn't plop straight back down.
Kota keeps his gaze locked on the ground, onyx eyes avoiding her.
Neither say anything for a few minutes, Ochako choosing to stay quiet at watching him absently kick at the pebbles and rocks nearby.
"You don't have to stay here you know, I know my way around these trails and pathways to get back to the main facility okay." Kota finally mentions to break the silence.
Ochako brightens, good to know incase they went in circles going back!
"Hmm, so tell me...did Izuku say something wrong or did any of us say something that made you decide to punch him...there?" Ochako questions slowly, flustering at picturing the attack.
Kota's stare flickers between her and the sky as it takes on a shade of orange-violet. "You want to be a hero, right? All heroes and villains including wannabes like you bother me and only create constant destruction. Plus, I've seen your boyfriend on the news before, his quirk is dangerous."
He squares his shoulders then as if prepared for her angry retort, but Ochako only nods in understanding as she sits down cross-legged to be better at his eye level.
"You have a point, any quirk can be used in a dangerous manner though. And true I guess you could say all my classmates and I are currently 'wannabe' Heroes, but we want to be Heroes to help the public, to stop villains from constantly causing said destruction." Ochako relates.
At Kota's bored stare she realizes she needs to go deeper, beyond just surface level talk that he's heard hundreds of times already.
"Actually, heh if I'm being honest I want to be a Hero to help my parents. Granted, I'm a little too late on truly helping them..." She trails off with a scratch of her cheek.
She doubts Kota will care or understand the logistics of business affairs.
But when she looks up his dark eyes are focused on her, widened just slightly. "Your Parents?"
Ochako nods, fidgeting a bit. "They own, or used to own a construction company back in my home prefecture of Mie. The business went bankrupt though before I could truly be of help to them. Ah, but the point is being a Hero to me means being able to provide them with a comfortable life they currently don't have! To protect others, even if they're total strangers or don't even like me because they too have families, friends, and loved ones that care about them."
'This sounded a lot better in my head!' Ochako berates herself lightly, her mini speech sounds much more cliché when spoken aloud.
"Even total strangers?" Kota repeats, still skeptical over her words.
"Yep! I know you might not believe it right now, however a true hero will defend you from harm no matter the hazard or threat. Ah, but hopefully that day isn't anytime soon, I mean it only as an example!" She beams, waving off the second part of her statement.
GRRR!
The rising growl of her stomach interrupts her from going into a ramble, Kota rolling his eyes lightheartedly.
She catches the faint sound of his own stomach gurgling too, snickering when too late does he turn away from her, face gaining a hint of red.
"Come on, I know a shortcut back." He asserts, stomping on ahead.
Above them a figure watches them from the shadows, licking his lips taking in Ochako's figure.
"I think those little U.A. students have finally arrived." Muscular chuckles into his earpiece, about to move to stand when Shigaraki's voice sharply cuts through his ear.
"No, you'll have your fun. Not yet."
-X-
Izuku & Ochako
"How'd you get him to open up to you?" Izuku questions curiously.
Ochako shrugs playfully beside him and he briefly feels the dampness of her skin as she turns over to face him properly. Her cheeks still hold a pinkish hue even in the darkness, warm from the hot springs.
"I don't know, I mentioned my parents is all and a bit about why I want to be a hero. I guess that's my secondary quirk; empathy and great storyteller!" She surmises.
"Would've been nice if mine was as effective." Izuku mutters, as he had already guessed based on Ochako's re-telling of their interaction, Kota knew about Infliction probably making him even more wary of him.
Not that he feels he deserved that punch.
'There's extra security about the whole facility from what I saw during dinner. More cameras in and outside every hallway, drones flying about, even what looked to be like heat sensors in the surrounding woods though I still can't shake the feeling none of it will be enough. That a villain will break through all these additional measures in place.' He frowns.
He hasn't gotten the sense yet that he's being watched in particular, though if it does happen he has to be ready.
'No, when it happens. We've already been warned Shigaraki has his sights set upon here.'
"It's almost curfew, I need to head back to the Girls side. Also, we get up at 5:30 am tomorrow and it's almost 11:00 pm!" Ochako whispers by his ear, startling him from his thoughts.
He reaffirms his hold around her before she can slide off his lap and the pink in her cheeks turns crimson meeting his gaze again.
Izuku leans close to her, enough for their lips to faintly brush. "Tomorrow, and for the next few days afterwards, both of us will be focused on strengthening and pushing our quirks beyond their current limits. So we probably won't see each other much except for at dinner."
Ochako hesitates for a second before pressing back into him, locking their lips back together conveying everything bubbling up in her chest.
Her fingers tangle back into his hair, resting her head against the curve in his neck.
"The League of Villains has multiple divisions, criminals we haven't yet encountered. In the worse case scenario if you can't knock them out or capture them until one of the teachers arrives, use Infliction." She decides.
Izuku nods his agreement, loosening his grip. Ochako gives him one last look, grinning at his rumpled look before twisting to go.
He watches as she maneuvers herself using the back out the window, brown hair catching against the moonlight before she turns the corner out of sight.
'Infliction, it always seems to come down to using it.' He sighs.
But he'd strengthen it, that along with One For All.
So he could protect his parents, his fellows classmates, even All Might...
'I'll protect all of them, family, my friends at U.A., the figure I've looked up to since forever.'
He thinks again of Ochako's smile, of everything that has culminated between them since they first met.
'Protect her.'
-x-
Apologies on the delay!
Working through the outline I have for the rest of the story I know some arcs may feel shorter or longer based on the changes I make. I know it feels like I rush through arcs, but I honestly keep worrying some about boring you guys and potentially dragging out or copying what's already in the manga exactly in order. Speaking of, I can't believe it's already on it's Final Saga now!
Please let me know your thoughts as always.
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!