42
Himiko bounced happily towards the entryway of UA with ID card in hand, her appearance that of the 1-D girl she had chosen with Dr. Connely to alias.
He'd explained to her after they'd dropped Ashley off that he wanted his daughter to learn to take calculated risks from her, to work with her on things, but Himiko wasn't so sold on being in that girl's proximity.
Bad vibes.
Sure, Ashley hadn't reacted much when she said she'd collected blood, but they were practically at war in the limo.
A full on screaming match.
They weren't the same at all, just like any of her peers at school she came in contact with!
Why'd she want to hang out with someone who didn't like her?
It was like Dr. Connely was trying to force her to be friends with his daughter on purpose, and something in Himiko's gut just said not to do that for some reason.
Even for as desperate for attention as she was, and screwed up in logic, that Ashley Connely...
She would never be forced to do anything she didn't want to do, and after a failed attempt at befriending her, she had no interest in doing so again.
For as much a huge crazy smile and blush face she dawned daily, bright blonde pigtails, chipper attitude. inside, it hurt to be rejected over and over again.
So afterwards she focused on what she knew best, her presented mission.
The UA uniform she'd spent hours on, going to fabric stores to find perfectly matching materials, the exact same thread, studying photos of the students (that they knew of from the tournament) to cut the pattern and sew; the copying was downright intricate and absolutely necessary!
She'd even thrown the clothes in the wash after she'd constructed them to give them that 'gently used' look, her sweater dawned a huge wrinkle across it's right front.
At this point, Toga considered herself an expert! She'd even gotten some of the girl's blood to put on the fingerprick at the threshold to ensure she could enter without an issue, and before walking out the door to the hidden bar that posed as the general 'meeting area' for all immeadiate members of The League, after shifting her face to be that of Sato Emi: Cute pudgy nose, deep brown (almost black eyes), short eyelashes, a heart shaped mouth, high cheek bones?
She had recieved pats on the back and a clapping ovation from a few!
How that inspired her to play-the-part and get the information they needed even more so!
People that paid attention to her (occasionally)!
Unlike that Ashley or students her high school, where even as an upperclassmen, a junior, she was ridiculed and mocked for her grumpy personality and 'weirdness', that she didn't have a quirk.
Which she did she just didn't feel it fit in well wot society so she lied and said she was quirkless.
She was looked down upon for it by everyone! Like she was broken or something!
Funny thing was, she was only down-in-the-dumps when she was at that school; the place where peers around her berated her for being a transfer student too.
She never had had the opportunity to establish relationships before they got a taste of how awkward she was, accidentally being up-in-people's personal bubbles before she knew it, recognzing that she was a 'rambler' jibbering on about things that nobody cared about loudly, and someone who was 'annoying', as described by one of the popular 'clique' girls.
But they didn't put in an effort to get-to-know her! To seek out who she was truly! How she hated them for their pre-judgement, which spread into just an overall judgement!
She couldn't help she didn't get a lot of attention at home, so when she was surrounded by people she just wanted to chat and chat and chat!
It was crap!
Why did she always get dealt the unfair cards in life?
But now her mind was changing; she was so used to the lonliness that even a tad bit of inspiring word or encouragement, no matter who they were from, she would let soak into her like a sponge. She no longer chased after people, but let those who wanted to be in her life, be in her life.
Those that didn't want to... oh well!
She'd still try to befriend occasionally, she thought that Ashley gal would of been a good match as she was a villain too, but no.
She honestly didn't care what the others at her high school thought anymore, and she accepted they probably wouldn't like her anyway if they knew the truth: her strange habit of collecting viles of blood, the fun she had when cleaning and sharpening her knives, how she liked using her power to morph her face and changing her appearance; but the LOA accepted this about her and welcomed her with big open arms as long as she vowed she'd help promote their cause.
A plain, boring black-haired wig sat a top her head. Bob hairstyle, straight cut bangs.
Lame.
Exactly how Himiko Toga wanted to play in this game. She calmed before the got around the corner, backpack on her back that was also plain, a denim one that was exactly similar to Emi's.
If the people at her high school didn't like her or give her a chance, ridiculing her, then she would revel in the applause of the villians who marveled in her quirk!
Today was the second day that UA was back open to the students to start arriving back, but with how far away Sato Emi lived, and after stalking her over Christmas break, she found that she was caring for her brother who had a flu and would not be able to arrive until Friday (the last day), which was good for her, because there would be no way that Emi would be on campus and per-chance behold a person who looks exactly like her!
Toga smirked at her own childishness before putting on the faux 'shy' personality that she knew Sato possessed.
"Uh. Hi." She squeaked out like a small, tiny mouse to the security at the iron-barred entrance. No wonder they had over-staffed gate-police now with the villians following the students home to 'gather blood'; all the pro heroes comprehended about the attacks were that they simply were 'attacks' not knowing the reasoning.
It was all a part of trying to lapse the front gate at UA, to use for DNA experimentation, and if not, create a stir.
Himiko was a part of the brigade that attacked students for their blood. She downright enjoyed it! Every last second of it.
The initial jump, their screams in realization at what was happening. The struggle. The small injection (while they're distracted) near their ankle or something while another beat the shit out of them. For if they got blood, which was rare, as the students were all fairly formidable and had started grouping in pairs with hero escorts home, that was a good day!
So far, they'd successfully gotten 3 student's blood.
All for usage elsewhere in their schemes.
All back to the labs!
Himiko had stumbled across Emi's DNA easily, as she'd had a severe nose bleed and threw a wet, red tissue away in a trash can at her grandmother's house over winter holiday. The blonde pigtailed girl snuck in through the window and drained it out like a complete creep!
A CREEP!
Himiko Toga knew she was crazy, but she honestly didn't care. The villians were all crazy and fighting for a good cause, a world to live in where they aren't called 'freaks' or 'losers'. At least that was a world she was fighting for... and if she had to injure some others along the way to get what she wanted then so be it.
Tear the word down she would!
But she didn't have to hardly work at all for Emi's life-giving resource! It was simply provided by mother nature.
How absolutely awesome!
Toga scratched her face. The guards didn't hear her at all!
The public was scared for UA's students because of them, The League and the pushback. As they should be! Because here she was. Right here! In her head she could almost chant the nursery rhyme from her childhood: 'She's comin' round the mountain when she comes!'
They should be so worried, scared, and they were getting there! UA and the pro heroes were getting there!
This excited her!
So much that that Eraserhead, Sekijiro, and the UA dean had to go on live TV.
Apology after apology!
Bowing!
First, for UA with the villians attacking the dome, then for students getting attacked and a rise in crime around the school itself.
'My my.' Himiko played in her head.
Eraserhead even shaved his face! That popular red-eyed, floating hair, quirk 'take-awayer', such a scrub in appearance!
The LOA has their own personal attack squad put together for that specific hero! As he was a huge threat! So strong and a quirk so unique and powerful!
Himiko could laugh!
Had to keep up appearances with the public, who you knew were the fathers and mothers of all the students that went to school at UA! Who were Japan's citizens!
Truly, the LOA was elipsing into a pivotal point; so present that UA has to put it's pro hero teachers on live TV to apologize for the harassment from the villians, to explain they are seeking ways to protect them more, to make things more strict and high alert.
7 months ago, that was 7 months ago. Beginning of last summer.
And it just got worse and worse. The League responded by making things more unpredictable, which made the attacking harder to guess.
Himiko mousily squeaked again. "Hello?"
"Oh?" One of the 5 security officers turned and stared down at a short, black-headed girl in a UA uniform.
"I go to school here." She said in the very small voice.
"Check in." He pointed to a screen. He pushed a few buttons and out came the 'pricker' from inside a wall, and Himiko put her finger pad down and it pricked. But what was there was a painted over pad of a finger and a small pouch of Sato Emi's DNA.
She mocked a little hurt expression and the guard smirked at her. She knew it was because he was probably a bit tender-hearted.
Immeadiately the stats ran on the officers screen at the gate and the photo jumped of Sato Emi and all of her personal educational information.
Himiko internally knew it would work.
"ID." The officer said.
She handed.
He swiped it. Electronic key-code badge. It made a weird clinking and beeping sound as it ran through the max secure system.
And as the LOA could not break into the school's firewalls, to crack the code to make badges (unlike any other place she'd did alias missions at)... Himiko had no other option except to steal Emi's.
She figured i'd be a few days until she'd report it lost anyway as she was at her brother's far from her own home currently.
Himiko expected a blow up from this.
No way of knowing how UA would respond to a student losing her badge, but they would replace it, but not without much questioning, and alot of verification that Sato Emi was in fact Sato Emi. There was no doubt they would scan over this very entrance of 'Emi Sato', and see 'she' was here on the second day. Have her watch the videos and validate that it was her from the cameras that scourged over the whole school's grounds.
And of course, Sato Emi would say that it wasn't!
And then... they'd know!
How Himiko wanted to laugh so loud! She'd be in and out with the layout of the landscape in zero time! And they wouldn't know until days later.
Yay!!! Fun!!!
Because no way would or could Himiko make it back to put the ID in Emi's backpack, because as a matter of fact, her own high school, it started up tomorrow!
Back to being made fun of and spit upon, and ridiculed! She hated it!
"Okay. Backpack and bag on belt. You. Step through." The officer waved.
Full body scan time.
She did, also putting her mesh bag of 'laundry washed clothes' on the conveyer. It was kind of like an airport, but maybe a military one where things were so concise and watched. The laundry bag was just another little ploy to ensure she got the point across that she lived in the dorms on this campus. Returning 'dormers' would have clean clothes from 'home' right?
The wig she'd gotten, she had to lay her hair completely flat under it not to raise suspicion, but she hoped that the over-sized stocking cap that she had on her head (as it was winter) would throw the detector off by the offficers thinking it was a hat seam. Also, the coat and gloves she was wearing were huge and ill-fashioned, as Emi's family was quite poor.
"Alright." He opened the backpack and started taking stuff out.
Himiko prepped the pack by nabbing a few books from a shop that did pertain to courses at UA. They kept their classes mostly secretive as well, but flyers and iteneries from some were dropped on the pavement on accident by students leaving for winter break, and the LOA took full advantage of picking these up nonchalantly.
Right outside the door, outside the walls, did the sharks lurk.
From one of them, she'd accquired a social studies book on Geology that they offered and another fictional novel for a English Classics block. She also took the care to load the backpack full of notebooks; new mixed with old. She went through the trouble of writing a notebook full of fake notes from a 'previous' semesters class, highlighted here and there, put in some sticky notes inside the fiction novel; even threw in some lotions and half-used bottle of shampoo, anything she could think of that would throw the guards.
He zipped the bag up, next he rummaged through the clothes.
And out fell a pair of underwear.
Himiko wanted to scream!
She was hoping for this!
She played the officer like a drum!
Her cheeks got bright red, and being the actress that she had to be while she was alias-ing, she purposefully 'meeped' extremely loud under fingers on her lips. Eyes huge, bewildered.
The officer then's face (who was an older fellow), embarrassed, poked them back into the bag. His eyes looked away from her and went skyward to the left. "Uh. Sorry."
"Uh... h... h... Tha... uh." She babbled, pretending to be so embarassed she almost couldn't speak.
"You're good." The officer turned and walked away.
She scrambled and gathered her stuff as any meek, mild, shocked person would!
Any public display of affection, little taboo-type moments like that... all a play on societal standards of 'rightness'.
Of course he'd look away as the underwear fell out. Of course that'd prompt him to finish up quicker! Of course that would usher him to just be like: 'go on ahead'.
Next goal: Locating a way around campus without looking like a fool. Perhaps a tour that she could follow, that she could walk along with, anything that didn't make her look like she didn't know where she was going!
Heck! She was even set on eating dinner here off Emi's student badge!
Why not?!
Use up the goods while the goods lasted she figured!
Easy peezy. Lemon squeezy.
Kasaya was strolling from the building that housed the dean's private lounge, down a long stretch of road (which just as the Pro Hero Bunker, was hidden from the student body) heading towards the main campus, back to the Bakugo-Satoko room in the Hero-B Dorm.
He had his duffel and backpack, and while this fact, and the fact that Suki wasn't with him (as he'd felt secure enough in the merge completion to leave Saya for a little while to see his grandma for the holiday), made him miss the man, the walking made him reminisce. It reminded him of when they were running after each other back in autumn.
He'd heard Katsuki chuckling while sprinting, both in jackets, jeans, the trees with orange leaves blowing, in the middle of the night, the crunching of the fallen ones under the soles of their shoes, the feeling of being alive and free.
He wasn't on his heels then. Not as fast.
But it was that humor; Bakugo's grumbling laugh as he kept trying to keep up. How he'd hurt himself a little as he'd almost said his name in the abandoned office building's top floor, and Bakugo let the self inflicted pain go, not minding that it had happened.
They'd first shared with each other things about themselves that night.
How he'd come to realize that night that they were friends, friends! Something that he wasn't allowing himself to be with people because of a stark fear of accidentally saying a name, too dangerous.
Dangerous because of his past and the little control over the quirk he possessed.
He'd viewed himself as a caged panther. Chained and looming.
But now?
He felt friendly with Aiwaza and Yagi. Eraser his role model; he'd even cried with him, internal thoughts exposed to each other.
And Suki... who had become his best friend?
They will be getting married after they turned 18 sometime, and they were doing it aside what anyone thought. Family. Friends. Peers. Eventually, they all would find out.
Eraser was Bakugo's dad. He was supportive. That was one approval that Kasaya didn't have to get down on his knees and bow low to the ground for!
Laying his hands on the ground above his head in utter and ultimate respect to ask Suki's father for his permission to be with his son in that way!
Whew! Lucked out on that one!
Suki though... he had it coming to him eventually. He would have to get on the ground for both his brother and his father.
Two military men.
Oh the shit storm that will be!
Bakugo ushered that he didn't give two fucks. His father wasn't a part of his life anyway and his brother he felt he was in cahoots with to a certain point.
He had back a few months ago asked Bakugo to keep an eye on him as a matter of fact!
And because of that request from Hisashi... that was what brought them even closer. Kasaya felt he had his brother to thank really!
Married to a man. It wasn't as off-kilter as society made it out to be, or what he thought it should feel like (awkward perhaps?), not when you're so in love with someone. Katsuki felt the same. But they were both still intent on keeping it (for now) from the public eye for a variety of reasons, they both agreed to that.
Kasaya smirked and swished his bangs behind his ear on the right, popping the collar on his jacket to sheild his ears from the cold. He lit up a cigarette, and taking a swig off a small bottle of vodka, gawked into the clear empty bottle, holding it up in the afternoon light before pocketing it.
It wasn't a necessity now.
He never thought he'd be here. Where he wasn't consistently thinking about Ashley or what she'd done to him, staying behind walls where he felt farther away from society, trapped, only one step from being imprisoned if the truth got out.
Now, he was closer to just being 'alive' and 'living' moment to moment happily, calmly, more than he'd been since he was young. Much much younger. Late elementary.
Drinking. Smoking.
It was pure pleasure.
As it should be: Not a crutch to keep him sane. Not an aid to help him sleep.
He'd finished laying in that bed, in that room with the delta waves. It was like nothing at all, as simple as a laugh, breathing air, making a joke, unlike before when it was bothering him and making him clench fist fulls of blanket, sweating, as he kept seeing visions of his horrid past ring through his mind.
They got clearance from the government that it was completed. And easy as that, after a stack of document signing, it was done. He was a 'normal' person, a rightful member of society again, and not a mentally ill individual. The government seen him as 'well'.
This was a holiday he would never forget.
This soon to be past year, was the year that he overcame. He did. He did that! And while there was still progress to be made, learning about and training in his quirk, which was himself, this year he would forever hold dearest in his shell's heart.
He sucked deeply on the cigarette and pulled up on his duffel which was slipping a bit.
He assumed the training would help him come to know himself better, but so had just 'becoming' what he was meant to be. This form he was in, this 'shell' as the other one, when there was an 'other one', called it. He was certain now more than ever, that he'd come understand he didn't need it.
He was Disaster now. He'd become a quirk himself.
One that didn't need form, unless he willed it, only the power existed; a raw, electric, atomized and concentrated energy that burned as navy lightning then white mist, that did not have to be contained by his physical form to exist, but could come apart and come back together on it's own accord, as he wanted, as he grew to understand, which was just to understand the other lost part of himself.
But he would stay in this shell.
He wanted to for himself. To live out his days in a human form; as it was, in reality, he was only 17 still, and he wanted to experience life as others around him did, and because people depended on him.
The victims of Ashley and her father. Those in the world that needed lifted from the chaos of the villains.
And Katsuki?
He needed him. They needed each other. He still needed Bakugo's deep voice to bring him back when he dissolved his shell and became like the air.
He was his path; a walk down the dragon's back, as Apollo's voice sought him, called to him, powerful and aggressive but soothing all the same, beckoning for him to form back to 'being' if he wanted, not forceful.
He could hear the blonde's voice in his head saying words he never spoke as he walked on the side of the blacktop road, but the words represented the pathway Bakugo provided, one of ease: Become solid... if you want. I am here. I am always here.
As he'd been inside Suki's body as a vapor, inside his lungs, in his blood, he could hear his heart beating rhymic and calm, and there he felt surrounded by his fiancés bass toned rumble. A vibration that shook his atoms, as he peacefully moved through him, expelling the budding cancer inside.
'Katsuki.' He looked at the ring on his finger, smiling at the thought of the book that he gave him for Christmas, one that Bakugo had took on a secretarial job to afford, all for him. He'd opened the book and there was a ring with a note written inside in Bakugo's neat, simple handwriting, one so deep and fulfilling to his soul.
And same was the gift he gave Suki.
Money was no longer an issue for Bakugo as the job he had with his dad (Eraserhead) gave him a paycheck (but Saya would miss to death buying him food and snacks all the time, especially spicy ass General Tso's Chicken). The job also gave Bakugo notable resume credits, but this gift that he got Kugo...
It was not cheap either. Not at all. Kasaya was now the poor one until Hisashi sent him a January care package.
Bakugo had called the number on the piece of paper that he gave him the day before he left to see his grandmother.
"Hello! 'Tis the season! Wave Shop! What can I do f'ya?" A super cheery woman's voice rang through Bakugo's phone.
Kasaya sat on the couch with a pleased look. They were back in the dean's private lounge, tired of sleeping on cots and wanting alone time away from the other two men in their last pieces of the holiday together, wanting to savor it the best they could.
Yagi and Eraserhead waved it off after the papers were signed, dismissing Kasaya from being deemed as mentally ill.
Kugo and Saya had no idea where All Might had went. Somehow, when they got back, he was gone, and replaced was a firestorm! A hot-headed Toshinori and an extremely pissed hero professor, ticked off that Kasaya had exited out the window! Practically flown out of it!
And fly was exactly what he'd done!
They were worried to the bone, that was why they were so angry.
Saya was stunned he could fly with the energy coursing through him. It was mystical and mighty. The power so strong and warping of the environment around it, charging the ions, that his unearthly ki lifted the physical body off the ground easy.
But the men's attitudes calmed after a few days, and so, when they asked if they could stay together alone in the dean's lounge again: 'Do whatever.' Aiwaza had said directing Katsuki to text him while visiting his grandmother to ensure he could come pick him up from the bus station; fetching his son so he could come back to high school after break. Eraserhead smirked in his normal flat way at them as they left.
"What's this number to?" Bakugo crunched an eyebrow, looking at Kasaya who was smiling now at Bakugo's general harsh tone that he normally carried with everyone around him that wasn't close to him.
"It's a tattoo shop? Wave? Were you callin' us about an appointment? Or... can I get a name maybe?"
Bakugo's jaw dropped as he watched those gray eyes sparkle at him. "Bakugo..."
"Bakugo. Katsuki?"
"Yeh."
"I have you here. No specific day. But a full shoulder to shoulder back piece scheduled and paid for..."
Kasaya could hear the woman on the phone get excitable again making Bakugo grunt in it's screechiness as he hated loud sounds in his ears, due to his hearing loss which he'd finally described to Kasaya (hoping he could fix that too, as he'd expelled some cancerous stuff in liquid form out), but it wasn't possible. Saya had tried, but described to Suki there was nothing to fix.
The damage to his ear drums was already healed, scarred over. There wasn't anything he could do except be careful from now on, and wear the specialized earplugs his father gave him for Christmas.
No doubt it'd had time to heal since Bakugo hadn't used his quirk in awhile over break, and before that not since studies started for end of semester testing.
Satoko had been so worried when he told him about his hearing issues, but Katsuki promised he wouldn't let it worsen with the amount of trading blocks upcoming this new year, and in return to Saya for doing the best he could for him, Suki gave him some tender loving care, as asking to fix his hearing, it was worth a try at least.
And Bakugo certainly made sure to take his sweet time drawing the lilies back on the insides of Kasaya's thighs, nipping him here and there on that tender flesh, looking up to catch him biting his bottom lip and putting a hand over his eyes, shy as ever; he wasn't sure why, as he'd literally been inside his body as a phantom, but it was the context.
It was... sexual.
And Kasaya was finicky about that stuff (he understood why), until he did just enough to make him fall apart.
He couldn't wait to claim him in that way.
Someday. Someday.
Kasaya still had that to overcome remembering what he'd done under Ashley to men.
"There's a message! Let me read it."
Bakugo held the phone away a bit while she spoke, but listened deeply. The girl started on and as soon as the sound of a paper was heard turning; he instantly knew what she was saying was written by Kasaya with the amount of passion in it.
"Hey you. When you hear this I'm not sure where I'll be, but what's important is to remember we're both doing the best we can. I don't want to do this with anyone else. I don't want to be with anyone else. So, as I asked if I could draw on you, and you said yes, and then you went on to tell me what the tattoo you wanted meant for you, I knew I had to make sure you got it done. Even if I don't make it through this, I still want you to get it, because I was the one that drew it on you first." The girl went all mushy. "Ohhh so cute! This girl really likes you!"
Kasaya instantly realized that that must of not been the same woman he set up the appointment with, and with that assuming statement from her about a 'girl' liking Katsuki... he could nearly face palm as Bakugo snarled.
Bakugo looked at him then and he had wet eyes. "I'll call back soon t... to schedule something."
Kasaya sat up and rushed him at that; jumped up from the couch with a huge smile and wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, picking him up like how Hisashi always did to him. Bakugo laughed, and the girl on the phone caught a bit of it before he hung it up on her with a quick tap from a finger pad.
"You... you didn't! Put me!" He laughed hysterically. Overjoyed. He kept trying to yell to get Kasaya to put him down! It was coming off as his normal, typical Bakugo shouts, loud, malcious sounding, but he knew Kasaya knew better.
Kasaya couldn't be this way with anyone else... he knew it deeply. Sure, Saya did put him down, but flung him rough on the couch, and put his head into his freshly washed blonde hair. But in return, and with a growl, Suki grabbed his wrist, yanking, and slammed him down into the cushions, taking the top, his face inches from him.
Long bangs went over his eyes from the throw-down, and his cheeks went pink, he'd... Kasaya had never gotten a gift for someone. Someone like him. He quieted as his man wasn't letting up his grip, it was hurting a little.
"I wanted the vines for my actual dad." Bakugo teared. He was overcome with emotion.
"I know." He watched Suki's face lean to the side of his, he was being rough, but he didn't mind a little pain.
"What he did... for me. Killin' that guy."
Saya felt a kiss on his cheek. "Suki. It's... I know."
"It'll be t'remind me that drugs ain't my life anymore."
"Hah?" Saya moved his head to peripherally look into the wine eyes of the face that was aside his own.
"I..." Bakugo breathed and closed his eyes, thinking on when Saya drew it on him again the day before yesterday. "I want it on me exactly how it is now."
"Ah, but I'm not good at drawing... wouldn't you want..."
Suki put a hasty finger to his lip. "No." He shook his head.
Kasaya silently listened.
"I want them to trace the lines you drew with their ink." He swallowed. "I don't care if it's imperfect... because that's perfect to me. You're my future. I want that imprinted on this..." He chose his words thinking of how Kasaya had asked for him to be an essence with him after their bodies were done. "skin... while it's here."
"Then... I want yours on me too." Kasaya shivered into Suki's hot breath.
"Hah?" Bakugo's hand shot down and he carefully and delicately ran a fingertip under the bottom edge of his boxer briefs over his sharpie design, but doing that meant that he had to let go of one Saya's wrists.
And Saya shyly took just a little advantage, putting a hand on Bakugo's shirtless side, running a knuckle down across his stomach to the little patch of blonde hair below his belly button. "Yeh." Kasaya confirmed. "My old life dyin' and a new one with you. As you'd said before."
Instantly Bakugo loosened all grips on him to hug (which really was to just grip him tighter). "You can't leave campus."
"I will." Kasaya whispered in his ear, he had to see it get done, he wanted so desperately to see that ink going into his skin, watching his drawing for the rest of the physical life being put permanent on him. "Her quirk is gone. And I'm Diasuta now."
Inside his heart was beating fast. What he was saying right now! Off campus! Outside the walls! He was trying hard to be confident in this, but panic. Panic. He couldn't help it!
It had been so long since he'd stepped foot in the outside world.
"She can't... latch you?" Bakugo whispered into his ear holding him tight. He wanted to watch his lilies getting put into the soft skin of Kasaya's just the same.
He wanted to create that memory with him.
"No. I don't think." Kasaya ran a hand down his hot bare back, liking the heat. For he was hot now as well without her quirk inside him. It made him sweat a little having Suki's body encompassing him; how it was supposed to feel: Sexy. "I don't feel like I'm in jail anymore. I'm nervous about it, but I'm not a coward. I own up to what was done to me. It was all the 'other' wanted. I accept those things and in doing so, I'm not longer trapped."
Kasaya had smoked his cigarette out and butting it out on the ground, he stuffed the filter in his pocket. He wouldn't litter.
His guy and him would soon be making that 'date' together.
His cheeks went red, and not from the stark chill of the winter breeze, but because it would be a memorable event. It would be an actual 'date' of sorts.
A date!
This was important to him. Very very important.
They hadn't really 'dated'. Went out on 'dates', as they were hiding it from the world. But it was whatever, they had plenty of time to do many things.
He kept walking down the road lazily, taking his sweet time, taking in the crisp air.
Suki carefully picked the ring off the coffee table right after he'd said that he would leave campus. Bakugo made him sit up, and going to the floor on his knees in front of him, he clasped his left hand and slid the ring on his finger, where it fit just a little loose.
He'd stand by him and protect him out there. He wouldn't let anything happen.
He'd kill her for him. He still was adamant.
The feeling of the metal going over that finger on that hand... They sat there and stared at each other, holding hands. Kasaya on the couch, Bakugo on the ground.
And then suddenly... they just started to laugh.
Bakugo lunged up and attacked him, dragging him to the floor with his weight and poking his sides trying to find ticklish spots, Kasaya kept yelping.
They both play-fought each other, battling for control.
Kasaya grabbed a pillow and whopped him upside the head. Bakugo growled and in response, smacked his cheek playfully (no more did Kasaya mind having an open hand coming towards his face, not Suki's anyway). Kasaya wrestled him off him, but teasing, Suki through the little war, snuck in a succulent kiss. Kasaya hissed back not wanting to lose. Bakugo smirked, challenging him.
Of course he wouldn't give up! He could whip Suki's ass at martial arts anyday!
Drinks. A movie. Some more rough-housing. They threw a baseball back and forth. Cussed at each other. Some more drinks. Games of Mario and Street Fighter. Food. Some heavy ass rap music.
Then winding down. It had become night already. Late.
Talking. Then whispers.
Kasaya's shirt was lifted.
A lick on a pierced nipple from a tipsy Bakugo.
A fall together into a sofa.
Kissing. Breaths.
Temptation only going so far as sheets got pulled up over heads.
But under them... things being said weren't that of children as they'd been acting before.
Kasaya spun the ring on his ring finger with his thumb while he walked.
All of it.
All of it was good.
"This is the main Student Union! Composed of sheetrock done by Cementos himself, architecturally it was modelled after the Sydney Opera House in Australia. Built in..."
Himiko was inside a small group of students touring the campus that were obviously middle schoolers and their parents (the ones invited via UA website temporary access), but the good part for her was that there were some on-campus students in the tour, and she'd lumped herself in with them easily. Playing rather shy as she joined them, she moreless took a role as a spectator. She had flyers in her hands, and was thumbing through a pamphlet she was given.
It was perfect that the on-campus tour was so historically involved and that some upperclassmen there were interested in learning about UA's history just the same. Himiko found herself nodding her head at a few things here and there, staring up at the high vaulted celings, the skylights, it was as huge as a museum, and inside, she wondered around, peering into glass cases looking at hero memorabilia.
It was a bright, amazing space that made her feel all giggly and alive to be inside of, and she was having a difficult time keeping quiet and from asking questions. She just thirsted for knowledge all the time! She couldn't help that she was so questioning and schematic, it was just how she was!
She couldn't remember a time where she'd seen something so grand. She'd wanted many times to go to Kyoto and see the Kyoto Tower, to the shores on the coast of Japan.
But life, it never worked in her favor.
She was born a twin supposedly, the other dying, and so, she was thrown into foster care as a baby, because her parents couldn't 'manage' as she was told...
Something inside her always said that it was a lie. Her gut instinct served her well in a lot of ways, and with her past all in shadows, she listened to it on that regard as well.
It was the way the woman's voice was at the adoption agency when she called and asked.
It was a 'lying' tone.
But because of that, she had been adopted by a horrible woman as babe, and her last name was changed then from a name she didn't even come to know, that the adoption agency wouldn't give her as she was a minor! She just wanted to know!
Another reason why she joined the LOA. Illegal means to get the documents! So far it had failed! But she was determined!
Who she actually was... A mystery she wasn't being allowed solve because of her age!
Road block after road block!
It was another reason why she felt so displaced in the world. Her back story didn't relate to anyone's. The only things she knew was... she was gifted intellectually, was highly independent, and she acted older than what she presumed to be as well. Being smart, she naturally advanced in school without anyone's help. And as she was at junior level, as everyone at her high school knew, she actually was just turning 13.
She figured that was another reason why her peers didn't 'like' her, even with her being a transfer student. She was just young and they knew it, and didn't want to hang out with her.
A lot of people in public assumed she was older, 17 or so, she'd even lie just so she could try to relate to them, to society somehow, but she didn't. She still didn't.
Truth was, she'd just been an early 'blossomer', a very early blossomer. Finding bras 'to fit' last year had been a horrible life experience for her with her drug addict mother, one where she was petrified. Left alone in an adult intimates store, and when she looked out the changing room door, her 'mother' was gone.
Left her there.
She didn't return for days.
Himiko was left home... alone. Not that she wasn't used to it by now, as she could cook and clean, practically forced to be an adult with life circumstance, but it was the fact that it moreso just sucked.
She had nobody. Nobody dependable to go through those things with. Another girl her age.
Like she'd thought on earlier, befriending just didn't work! She'd try a little, as she had with that Ashley girl, but all in all, Connely was still older, and seemed like she didn't want to have anything to do with her.
Ashley Connely was kind of stuck up; a prude. Evil too from what she'd overheard.
But right now... she was forgetting all that for now, because in this Student Union, she was actually beginning to enjoy herself!
She jotted notes when she could on the rough layout, but as she explored the 3 story building, going up in the elevator and walking around on the uppermost part with the group, padding across red carpet, her mind went to how it looked like a royal's study, and she was getting a tad overcome with weird 'feelings'.
One's she'd never felt before.
There was more to the world than what she knew of.
And that wasn't something she was getting with The League.
Everything around her was open and casual right now in this building, she was sipping on a mocha she's gotten in the lobby.
Weird.
She felt... abnormally... normal?
The villains were shadows. She even wore a masked, black suit when attacking students, as her comrades did too as to not give away identities. The adrenaline of it was what she really liked the most; the thrill.
Harming people was whatever, but she'd never killed anyone herself.
She kind of felt she shouldn't. That it was wrong of her. And even though ones around her were set on doing that, she couldn't do it. She could cut someone up and drain some blood, collect some, but somehow, she didn't want to take their life.
Learning some knife-work and defensive tactics with the blades was just a way to protect herself from the lurkers that her mother let come around.
But killing someone? That shouldn't be up to her. She'd do it, if she had to, she guessed. If she was out of options and she was pinned!
It might make her bad villain, not wanting to go 'all the way'. She wasn't entirely sure; she hadn't shared that moral pretense with anyone there.
She got it wasn't so much 'the message' that she worked for in The League that she disagreed with, one of not being ridiculed and rejected anymore (as that was the fight she fought), it was more their mannerisms.
Toga didn't like being 'hidden away', she enjoyed riding in the limo with the Connelys! She liked experiencing new things and getting a taste of 'life' itself!
Himiko was surprised at how detailed all the stuff was in The Union. The furnishings, the draperies, the spaces. The school spared no expense at making the place look nice... and all she got to hang out in was a dark, gloomy little pub with Kurogiri as a bartender who wouldn't let her even taste a drop of alcohol!
She'd whined and begged him for just a little lick of scotch!
Just to try it! Just to try it!
But he wouldn't give into her whims.
She felt a tap on the shoulder. She turned as Sato Emi and looked up. "Wha?" Came out.
It was the guide.
"Miss. The tour is leavin' to another part."
"Oh. Okay." She said playing the role.
He walked back with her, aside her left, an upperclassmen. "You on campus?"
This could be bad! Or maybe good? Either way she had to fake it! Someone! Someone actually... wanted to talk to her?
And like the girl she was (one that got little to no attention), she craved conversation. And this person wasn't a member of her high school. She had no idea who he was, just as he had no idea who she was, especially under the false face she was currently wearing. "Yea."
"What class are you?"
"1-D."
"Cool! I'm in 4-C! Everett." He held his hand out for a shake, a European from accent in his Japanese.
She held up her palm like girls who are ill-suited to more formal greetings do, a dead fish of the wrist as he took it and gave it a little jiggle.
"Uh. Sato Emi." She just wanted to say Himiko Toga. But she wouldn't dare.
Couldn't.
Just as he was nearing campus, Saya dug through his left most inner breast pocket inside his long black outer jacket, yanking up on his navy hair in a bun.
It was so strange being Disaster now, all those books that Ashley made him read, they were right at his fingertips, and all he had to do was stir up his power just a little to make his mind glide through the pages. He could thank her in a way, but he wouldn't.
That bitch would never get a thank you out of him!
As a quirk, they were just there for him now, ground into his head, a library of knowledge.
He pulled out the book Suki bought him, the novel Hisashi had once read to him all summer as a kid, and opened the front flap. The author was American, and the book had been translated into Japanese, that was how it had been when he was little, it was how this specific edition was as well, but the front inside cover was still in English.
"Alright... breath." Diasuta was his name now... before, the only name he could say was 'Kasaya Satoko', so he no longer had to 'call on' Disaster to make the power happen. He was Disaster now. He spoke to keep himself calm while he 'powered up' so-to-say.
He felt a snapping of electricity under the skin. It wasn't on the surface, but it felt like static running through him. He was certain his eyes were probably glowing white just a bit or something, but there was no one around, not yet anyway.
Saya was mezmerized, as right on the spot he began saying the English words with Japanese accent right off the flap... and he could understand it!
A quick blurb on the author's life.
In English!
"Amazing." He closed it. He wanted to remain humble and so, he let the power-up release itself.
It was gone just as quick as it stirred.
He had so much more control now than what he'd had before!
It was like as soon as he's bonded with 'the other', things made sense. There was a direct wire to wire crossing that happened, a re-wire rather, and the bridge was built. And because of that, he understood how the energy was supposed to work, even if he was untrained in it.
Some people on bikes passed him loaded down with hats and scarves, thankfully there was no snow and ice right now for them to wreck, and thank gods he'd let his power go just moments ago, or they would of seen.
Diasuta (not him, but the once other), had stirred up a commotion last semester in the dome, bit on Aiwaza (the lips on lips part was agreement of bygones be bygones, the past in an uncontrolled situation), controlled a bunch of 'reckless' Hero Classers (as the B's mocked), and people still knew about that on-campus everywhere.
Everyone knew the description of the 'villian' that eluded them. Aiwaza had thrown it off to authorities as much as possible to protect him, but Saya still didn't want anything per-chance to be spurred up.
Over winter break Suki and him had gotten on the Student Portal though... to make some changes.
He hoisted up on his duffel again, which had his stereo and speakers in it, recalling.
Katsuki Bakugo's page loaded with his avatar... who looked exactly like him. Why the school chose to do avatars rather than actual photos was purposeful.
Actual photos were not even present on the student ID's for the student's personal safety. UA dumbed it down to cartoonish characters of the person.
The teachers, campus medical staff, the dean and police were the only ones with actual photos now!
After the dome incident with the real villains a year ago, UA concluded that the LOA knew the students by their active roles in the UA Tournament that was held.
So they took measures to protect incoming, and new enrolling students from there on out.
A simple cartoon that only sort-of looked like you.
Aiwaza had told them they were considering not having the UA Tournament this next year as crime was getting so bad.
Truly, UA was losing it's 'shine'.
But under Bakugo's portal, in the empty space where he once thought he would be putting Lord Explosion Murder... he wrote Apollo and saved it, next to the space that had his quirk listed as Explosion.
Once you wrote your name and quirk description in the portal, it stayed as that. You were unable to change your Hero Name until after you got accepted at a Hero League. The quirk obviously never changed.
Eraser had changed his Hero Name multiple times he'd said after high school.
Next, Kasaya pulled up his page on Suki's laptop. It was practically blank.
"It's okay." Katsuki rubbed his back. He knew he was to the point where he felt he had an 'identity' of his own.
An identity, a shape to his name. An outline. A silhouette to the once broken man.
Kasaya did the easiest thing first: Changing his avatar to look like him from the plain 'starting' one. He put on the long blue hair, the gray eyes, threw on it a plain gray v-neck shirt. And quickly, Suki grabbed the laptop, turning it around, and with ease spun it back around with a smirk.
Satoko seen what he did. He put on his avatar a black cross necklace from the accessories section.
The UA portal avatar closet was huge to accomdate for any style a student would have, but that necklace specifically was a part and a piece of him now. It was Suki on his physical body, present at all times. Soon so would the lily tattoos be.
Katsuki laid his hand on top of his hand as the other one's index finger moved the pointer on the screen to the name section.
Double click.
Kasaya slowly typed in all caps as the section asked him to.
DIASUTA (DISASTER)
He wanted both the Japanese word and the English word in there for his name. A lot of other students did that as well just so it was pre-translated if they'd have to work for a English speaking Hero League.
It was no more a name Ashley gave his brain. It had become a consciousness of its own, revealed it was the quirk itself. Disaster became a name he accepted, it'd take getting used to, but soon he knew it'd come off the tongues of himself and others as easy as Kasaya Satoko.
He clicked save.
"What should I write for in here?" Kasaya turned to his mate. "I can't put anything that would elude to the dome."
"Energy Manipulation." Bakugo mumbled. It was the closest most non-revealing thing he could think of.
Satoko typed it in and saved it.
"No goin' back now." Suki tipped his jaw up.
"Never."
Himiko walked beside the guide now.
Quickly she had gotten over being paranoid that The League would be watching her talking to a person; but they were so deep in the campus now that the front gate area she couldn't see anymore, and so her panic was lessening.
Panic.
Whenever she thought that what she was doing was perhaps a wee bit out-of-line with the LOA's wishes, she'd start to get antsy. All she could think about were the reprecussions if they knew anything.
The heroes followed police code, trying not to kill, putting people in jail. The Leaguers did not. They had no need to follow the law.
Not that she'd think that they'd punish her in any sort of way, but at the same time... she wasn't so sure. They gave her the right to act and do whatever she wanted as long as it didn't cost them a fail.
Sure, they failed plenty of times, but this was her first 'mission-mission', on her own, alone.
It made her nervous. She was excited and proud of herself, and overjoyed when they'd patted her on the back, but it was a weird thought to mull that perhaps they would turn on her. She protected herself against them just as much as she worked for them and the cause she wanted to promote under them.
The whole group was strolling to a charter train, like at an theme park... one she'd never been to and only seen pictures of that was.
It was a cute little thing. It was gray and white and had a funky print on the side. She practically bounced onto it trying to contain herself as much as possible.
The sidewalks were so cool on campus, mosaic patterns of cobblestone mixed with various designs of cement, apparently they were also hand-constructed by Cementos.
Himiko kept thinking that that hero must be pretty creative, but as she learned from the tour that he actually had a degree in architecture, no wonder that the UA campus was so well crafted and he was the maintenance man!
There were gargoyles on roofs of the higher student buildings, especially the two tall skyscrapers where the students had their classes! She didn't get to tour those buildings, but if she was in fact an actual D-Classer she overheard her homeroom would be in the left building, the one with a really nice restaurant on top of it called The Golden.
She took mental notes... she was supposed to be taking actual notes, but instead she found herself wanting to pal around.
She was a crap villian with how selfish she was being right now!
Everett patted the seat next to him lightly, as he was the train-driver as well.
She smiled softly and scooted a bit closer to let another girl sit on her right. She felt a bit hot in the cheeks sitting aside him.
Toga had a thing about blood, and he'd told her his quirk was Microscopic Eyes. Apparently, he collected slides of DNA of various amphibians and lizards and was super into Herpatology. He even went on to say he had a secret snake as a pet in his dorm and hushed her not to tell anyone as All Might said loud and clear on move-in day not to have pets!
He then tried to get chummy with her and said "Am I right?!". It was meant as a pun to make fun of the hero's loud booming voice that they all heard that day on stage a week before move-in, but Himiko as Sato Emi, having no idea what he was referring to, just did the typical 'girly laugh' not to elude on to anything.
Everett was a brown-headed guy, but he had his head shaved on both sides and the hair was dyed a lighter color there. His tuft on top wasn't gelled or spiked, but just puffed around in the breeze as easy as his orange scarf did.
Himiko just kept peripherally looking.
He was talking about UA and how it was spread out over a certain acreage of land through the train intercom, went on about the types of trees that were planted on campus, flower bushes.
A kiddish laugh from him!
Toga looked away. He really was so into his 'job'. Enjoyed it!
Did she really enjoy hers?
It wasn't really a job being a wretch of society as much as it was a choice.
And this boy.
He was actually... kind of cool!
She smiled.
"I want to be a scientist eventually." She caught him saying to her. "I really like reptiles. I can study their cells really easily with my quirk." He was driving to the other side of campus and had halted the speaking portion of the tour for a minute to let the patrons enjoy the ride. He really just wanted to talk to her. He found her interesting. "I don't know where I want to go for college though. I got one more year to decide."
"So..." Himiko looked to her right, the girl next to her not paying attention, chatting with her mother who was obviously sitting in the long seat behind her on the moving vehicle. She wanted to squeal! A normal 13 year old thing to do, as she tended to do and all the peers at her school made fun of her for.
Picked-on. She always got picked-on.
She stammered it out a bit. "Uh..." She'd never had someone actually want to engage her in conversation. The villains were all mostly older and would sit at the hidden bar and drink, and she would sit at a corner table rather lonely (not wanting to be home due to her 'mom' being a wreck), and there she would put her headphones in and listen to music and do homework.
Hidden away from the outside world that didn't like her.
She in that moment realized... it wasn't just that the world pushed her out. It was that she was allowing herself on go on like that. In a defeatist sort of way (which was uncanny of her actual confidence), she was letting herself feel trampled on.
It took speaking to this Everett for her to see it, someone actually happy to have a conversation with her.
She eyed him as he patiently waited on what she had to say, obviously into their moments together. "I like blood too." She squeezed out. "Collect it."
"Cool! How so? I find the structures of it to be the most exciting part."
'What?' Himiko almost choked as her mind took a fumble. Impossible! Something she thought was impossible had suddenly and surprisingly become possible, it came to the surface and he didn't turn away and think it was gross? Like everyone else at her school?
"It's okay." He then said calm, driving the train merrily. "Why ya holdin' back?"
She remained silent.
"There's no reason to!" He smiled a genuine, toothy grin at her as some of his faux hawk's bangs flew across his blue eyes. "When we get over to this side... want another coffee?" He seen she was out already. He could at least offer to buy her one. He really... really wanted to. She seemed to like the more sugary ones; he'd keep that in mind.
She simply nodded a positive.
Of course there was a reason to hold back! This was all fake! This whole scenario! She... she couldn't!
Never had someone responded to her while saying her weird habit... as gently as he had!
She hadn't told anyone normal, but a few villains when she had, they kind of had a strange look on their face, and Ashley didn't even acknowledge it.
It was neat to him! He'd said... Cool!
Himiko smiled really huge, almost uncontrollable on Emi Sato's face. "Blood is so various!" She exploded out a bit. "Human blood especially!" It wasn't loud, but it was enough to usher to Everett that she took his words in and actually did let go of her shyness some.
"Why do you think that?"
"Genetic flaws are weirdly awesome!"
"Oh? You mean like disorders?"
"Yea! And quirks too... and how they get passed down family lines and merge to make new ones!"
"So do you want to be a scientist too?!" He got super exciteable just like her! NICE! A girl he has something in common with! Hallelujah! The last girl he showed his snake to screamed and ran away.
But George was just a little fellow! A grass snake! A tiny one foot long green boy!
"Uh." She put a finger to lip. Pensive. She... she hadn't had anyone ask her anything like that before.
Her future.
What would it be if in the LOA? She could be anyone she wanted outside being a villian... but with how she got along with no one at her school she was certain she'd probably just go to a college alone as well. Much younger than everyone there too and stuff.
"I don't know what... What I could do." She stammered. She didn't want to work in the labs for The League. That was drugs and stuff... and she got enough of that at home.
Drugs.
How odd that she was in cahoots with the people that supported that, the shadow lurkers, when at home her 'mother' was just the same. Strung out all the time.
She truly realized... she lived a odd, hypocritical, double-life. Her 'acting' and alias made it worse as she consistently felt like she had to stage perform, being different people all the time.
On one end, she was Himiko Toga, the 13 year old advanced placement high school student, who everyone stayed away from because she was 'annoying' as that popular girl had coined (and she admitted she pushed people's buttons, it was a bit funny to her pushing at Ashley's), that felt like she couldn't relate to anyone.
Then on the other she was this villian who was on the 'attacking squad' for the UA students, who promoted their cause and mission.
But both...
They...
Everett smiled at her. "We're almost there!"
She shallowly smiled back.
Her two lives... the weren't as combinable as she'd orginally thought they'd be.
Or maybe it was that she was just beginning to see other possibilities?
Kasaya was walking up the steps of the Hero and B dorm as something really loud caught his attention.
It was a train, not one on a railway, but much like a caravan of hooded carts in a zoo or something; not too far off it halted. At stop, a guy with an burnt orange scarf got off and so did all the people on it. "Okay! 15 minute break!"
A bunch middle schoolers and parents, as well as some on-campus students all begin to disperse. They looked like they were kind of having fun.
Quite a few of them went to the little coffee and butter biscuit shack that was close and stood in line.
Coffee.
Not a bad idea.
Kasaya didn't really drink it a whole lot but his boyfriend kept insisting that coffee with hazelnut creamer was the best, so he might as well give it a try. He casually lumbered over and stood in line.
He was behind this short little black-haired gal and the driver of the long vehicle, obviously the guide who was his age, and he had a crazy haircut, but it wasn't much more strange than Bakugo's hair with how it stuck out all over the place.
A straight-up, natural callic head! Kasaya smirked thinking of him. Gods he missed him.
He'd already been texting him all day about nothing. Random shit.
Never a dull moment.
Speaking of, the conversation the two were having in front of him was interesting. As he was naturally quiet in public, he always took more of the 'listening' role; in-class, on the school grounds, in the dorms, showers. Listening was something that came natural.
Showers. 'My.'
Soon he wouldn't have to be as self-conscious about that. Showering at odd hours to evade the eyes of other people, dressing behind the curtain.
Bakugo's lilies would cover his scars from knifing done to him, inflicted on him. He was already twisted up in a knot thinking he would have to expose that to another person other than Katsuki, but he bravely said he would get his flower drawings on him too... down there.
Between his legs.
Inside his thighs on both sides... all the way up to the groin.
Saying he would do it meant a lot for him.
It meant overcoming a fear he had.
He'd do it for Suki.
He just didn't want people 'to know' about the harm done to him. He knew the automatic assumption would be that he'd done it to himself.
Which he had in a nonchalant way... but while being controlled.
And they weren't just little white lines. They were big pinkish gashes, his inner thighs a mesh of them, like some ravenous wolf bit at him there. Especially the huge one that carved so close to his 'parts'.
He shived.
That was the another thing aside sexuality.
He had to get over it. He accepted what was done to him. From here he would move on, as Disaster his life was different now.
All that remained were just a few body issues that he still had.
But still... that act.
He would eventually forget that pain. And as he took on just a little bit of pain to get them all covered with pretty flowers, he knew in the soon future he really would completely forget. Looking at his shell in the mirror would be no big deal.
"So the way that genetics work with quirks is that... usually with a kiddo the mother and father's DNA combine right?"
"Not always!" The black-headed girl chimed in. "There's percentages!"
"Percentages?" The guy with the faux hawk asked her, entertaining the intellect.
Kasaya admitted the girl seemed like she knew what she was talking about. He didn't really like speaking to girls, or like women's conversations much (especially the ones about boys, hair and shoes), and seeing as the ladies tended to try to flirt with him all the time, he stayed away.
But this girl was going on about other stuff. She was using her brain and seemed very well educated.
"Yea Everett! So... Uh..." She put a finger to lip, too caught up in her own blushy state to realize he was blushing too at the use of his name by her. "Lem'me break it down for ya." She put her hands up like a triangle. "Above the pyramids tip is the ancestors that effect your genome but only by a small percent. Next is the top that's your great great grandparents. Then on down."
"So?" He asked her.
"So... you have 15% chance of getting your mother's exact quirk. A 15% chance to get your dad's! 15% chance of a combination of your dad's and mom's! But!"
Kasaya was listening just as much as the other guy was. He stuffed his navy hair behind his ear, the two in front of him lost in a little world of their own.
"You've got a chance to inherit an older quirk as well! Your mom's folks' and your dad's folks' exact quirks or... a combination of any four of them! Each a 6% chance. Great grandparents only a 0.4% chance for each combination..." She got thoughtful doing math in her head.
It reminded Kasaya of his boyfriend. How he could do algebra in his head was astounding.
"Really? Woah!" Everett exclaimed.
Some lady turned around at that, a mother to some middle schooler. "Hey! I don't know you... but that's really somethin'!"
"Oh!" The girl got excited. "Uh..." Suddenly she was shy.
"That's exactly why I want my girl to go to school here, media aside."
The little red-head girl (the woman's daughter) turned with a hot tea to her lip, cup in hand.
"I was listening to you two on the train." She ushered her kid along, so they wouldn't hold up the line. She turned around to wave. "Maybe she'll see ya next year!"
Himiko as Emi Sato felt all fuzzy inside. She waved back, she couldn't help it! These people!
Why were they all so nice?!
Not possible though! She was not this Emi Sato.
But... she was aghast. Another random person who was 'normal'... who thought that what she liked was interesting. And even if simply put, the mother let-on that even though the media was out to trash UA for the villians and the rise in crime, she still supported UA and what it stood for.
It was really something. The genetics. Kasaya agreed with the mother. He was now thinking about Disaster. Himself.
Energy Manipulation as Bakugo tagged it.
His brother got his mom's quirk: Illusion Wall.
His dad's quirk was a miniscule physical one.
He started listing things in his head while the couple afront him ordered.
Where the hell did Disaster come from?
Grandfather Agami and his wood carving skills...
Grandma Lila his wife, a teacher and violinist...
Granpap Hisashi (who his brother was named after) who had Date's sword (who gave it to his dad who gave it to him)...
Grandma Suri, a pyschologist...
And great grandparents? 6 physical quirks, 2 mutants.
His mother was the first mental quirk addition to the family as far back as he could remember that was.
Odd.
"Name?" The guy at the stand's makeshift counter said ready to scribble the names on the coffee coozies he sat on the counter.
"Everett."
"Okay, you?"
"Uh... Emi."
They went on chatting about DNA and chromosomes. Two obvious science nerds.
He sat the colorful cup coozies on the counter, turning to the next person. "What can I get ya?"
"Just a plain dark with hazelnut."
"Creamer or flavor?"
"Creamer." He dug out his wallet to pay. "Thanks." He did a quick informal bow as everyone did in Japan for a service, especially for this guy to be making people's expressos out here in the cold, no doubt because of the tours.
"Name?"
"Kasaya."
He heard the conversation next to him immeadiately stop. The girl was talking and now she wasn't anymore.
(Himiko as Sato felt her eyes bulge right out of her head! Knowing exactly who was standing behind her!)
Satoko stared at her backside. Maybe he was too close in her personal space? Bakugo had a thing about that with a lot of people. A 5 foot radius of 'comfort' for the blonde. "My bad." He bowed again and moved a few feet away to stand alone.
Obviously Everett noticed something was up with her. "You okay?"
Himiko did a quick head nod.
OH MY GODS!!! He was right there! The once assassin!!!
She'd only seen a picture! This was the guy that Ashley Connely had once controlled to death! That Toga knew... she was obsessed with (seeing as how she spoke about him), and how she responded to her saying things about him in the limo!
She wanted to see him for herself! Curious!!!
Toga abruptly turned her head and what befell her almost made her teeth fall right out of her head!
That Connely... no wonder!
Satoko was such a 'looker'!
It kind of struck her as funny suddenly that Ashley had let the guy slip through her fingers; because she could tease the poo out of her and push her buttons that she had been in his presense!
Or wait. Maybe not. Maybe she would just take this in and revel in it, that she had seen him and not let that Ashley know!
She was supposed to leave Kasaya Satoko alone while she was here getting the layout of the land. Right?
Toga was already pushing her boundaries by chatting up Everett... what's a bit more?
Just for her own internal giggles!
An inside funny joke she'd create with herself at Ashley's expense! Himiko didn't like her anyway... too rude, stuck-up and snide.
She slowly padded over to Kasaya, Everett in tow behind her. He was having a good time with this girl! He didn't want to have to compete with another guy for her attention! Man. This sucks.
"Sorry! You were just so close to me there!" She said.
"Hah?" The long-haired guy turned his head, responding flatly. "Yeh. Sorry."
Himiko babbled. "So uh... do you live in the dorms?" She already knew the answer to that question.
Everett's face looked pissy and Satoko sensed the mood immeadiately. "Yeh." He was hoping she'd go away. Why is he always approached by girls? Did they have no shame? Here she was with this other guy and now she was over here.
Kasaya couldn't tell if she was just being nice and apologetically trying to start a conversation or something, or if she was interested. Either way, didn't matter, he was very NOT interested.
His phone buzzed.
Bakugo.
He tapped some words back.
Satoko smirked.
Himiko caught that mood. Man he was a good-looking guy for sure! "You should do photos or something!" She said. He wasn't plain in appearance, his hair was shiny and long, dark, and he had these pretty crystal gray eyes, a sharp face, but his temperment was lack luster. Boring she felt. "Jus'callin' it like I see it!"
"No thanks." He said back. Katsuki was the one that should do that.
"Yeh. You should." Everett poked Emi's side to get her attention, trying to go alpha male.
Himiko squirmed.
But then she noticed something.
A ring.
On his left finger.
It was unmistakeable.
A thick wedding band.
"You... married?" Holy cow! She could almost die at this new internal joke she was making! She was spinning!
Oh! If a certain girl by the name of Connely knew this!
Himiko smiled hugely! Almost ready to fall over on the ground as Sato Emi and laugh the hardest laugh at Connely's expense!!!
If she ever seen her again she swore up and down she'd just laugh and laugh and laugh!
Satoko took that smile as a happy note for him and also a way out of the girl's line of sight. But if her mood was all gitty in seeing his ring, then maybe the girl was decent and not trying to hit on him as he'd thought originally. "I'm engaged."
Everett's eyes almost popped out of his head! A guy his age at 17! He didn't have to worry about Emi walking the other direction with this guy now, but he couldn't help but say something. "How'd you know?"
"Hah?" Satoko looked up from the newest Michon phone on the block he tapped on.
"I know you don't know me 'er whatever. But uh... how'd you know it was right? You know?" Everett asked. He honestly had wanted to ask someone that. He'd been a bit curious how that stuff worked. Was it love at first sight, or not? Was it different for everyone?
Himiko shut her mouth and with a blushy expression waited to hear as well. Satoko was a quiet one!
Kasaya hesitated. "For me it was..." He didn't know these people though. "I knew when everything about I used to be didn't matter anymore."
Toga swirled her tongue in her mouth.
It was simply put.
"The old self is gone and I become new." It was the easiest way he could describe it. "Everything we do together is fun and I have support."
"That's real great!" Everett liked this guy. He was a good person. "I'm Everett. We should hang out sometime!"
Saya grasped his hand to shake. He liked hand shakes. An American thing that stuck after everything, just like his choice in music. "Satoko Kasaya. And maybe. I'm a busy person."
"Alright then my number."
Kasaya sort of reluctant, took it.
"Me too! Me too!" Toga just couldn't help herself! She gave it to both Satoko and Everett. Who exchanged theirs back.
They all said goodbyes and parted, grabbing coffees.
Toga spied him walking up the stairs to the dorms.
So this was where he lived!
One of the little square buildings on the map that the ex-police sketch artist would draw when she got back.
He knew when everything he used to be...
It didn't matter anymore.
He was talking about his love of someone, but nevertheless, it struck Himiko deep.
Here she was... a villain consorting with the prey. And she hadn't done anything nutty! Or too crazy!
Just being herself! As Everett made her feel she could be!
But it was the fact that she knew Satoko used to be and had been used as a cold blooded killer! A villain himself practically! Without a choice of course, but he had to live with that guilt of the blood on his hands and the things he'd done to other people.
And someone out there accepted him so deep that he wasn't the same person anymore!
When she was sewing her costume in her room on her floor (handmade UA uniform jacket), she kept wondering what type of person that Saya Satoko would be. She had concluded that he probably would be a frowny, sad sack of a human, wrapped up in his head about evils he'd committed.
But... how she was wrong!
He had a pleasant, calm, small smile in his face as he texted on his phone (obvious to his significant other), he'd spoken short, but passionately about how he felt, and he bowed, the respect plentiful to them, to the coffee shop worker, as he had thought he was in her way.
And he even came around a bit and they all exchanged numbers!
What was heck was she doing?!
She looked off into the distance as they drove by on the train, Everett talking through the loud speaker about the campus again.
She yet again could laugh internally at Ashley's expense as she'd gotten Satoko's very own phone number!!!
What seriously was she doing?
The only contacts she had in her phone were League of Villains, Dr. Connely's, and her 'mom's' number.
She always played around with these trinkets on a key ring in her hand to keep herself entertained. They were a part of a little box of stuff that came with her getting adopted as a baby from her previous parents.
'Yea.' Her life sucked, left with only a keychain of charms... but Satoko's had sucked harder.
If anyone should be a villain it should be him by choice, but he wasn't choosing that path.
He was happy. Engaged. Content he looked! In school at UA of all places!
She sipped the coffee Everett bought her.
Her mind was really mixed up.
And having Satoko's number... and not telling the LOA about it, that's technically withholding information!
Telling them.
Everett smiled down at her.
Should could... just not.