51
Aiwaza was doing a good job of keeping personal feelings out of the mix. Bakugo was there, but Shota was attempting to ignore how he felt, pushing it away, forcing it to subside. Now was not the time for emotion, it was for the investigation to begin. He was slowly learning to let Bakugo Katsuki fade away into the back of his mind, become a transparent shadow on the wall, just as he'd internally told himself he would in that stairwell the day that Kasaya tackled and pulled him down, shaking and crying tears into him.
His focus was on Disaster and Deku, the investigation, and what he could possibly put towards Kasaya's court case, though it was hard when Apollo was constantly around: in the detective squad, in Hero Class (which he taught, even though it was their junior year), and in physical and quirk training modules. Not that any of that had changed from before (the only thing was that the investigation started today), but what had changed drastically was the relationship between a dad and a son, so much that Aiwaza's exterior in reference to Katsuki was the same as it was towards all other students now, except Kasaya.
It had melded right back to his normal monotone verbage with that flat, tired-faced look, scruffy, bags under the eyes, black raven hair drizzled over his ears and cheeks; a dead-looking man. The life in his eyes only lit up when around Toshi or Saya.
How was it so easy for Bakugo to just go on like they had... before that type of relationship between them had even happened?
But Eraserhead, he knew, a piece of his ex-son's personality was this way. How utterly chilling it was that the seventeen year old could get himself into something, then turn the other cheek to it the very next day, act like it didn't matter to start with, even something as serious as this.
But the hero professor couldn't just act like he 'forgot' as easily as Bakugo did.
The only clear explanation to Aiwaza (outside his personality being as it was) was that perhaps Bakugo really was just fooling him the whole time, or something. That maybe Suki didn't care about him as much as Shota thought that he did, and that was how he was able to 'shun' him out of his life, and out of his mind so acutely fast.
He guessed that could be considered a strength, but it was not that easy for Shota, not easy at all.
Aching.
Seeing Bakugo's face everyday was a consistent reminder of how he was acting towards him, treating him, and flat-out 'ignoring' him, because that was what it was like, just plain and simple ignorance towards him. Bakugo was not being 'ignorant' per sey; as usual, he was a bright study, had excellent grades, paid attention in class, didn't blow up until poked at (or from hearing something distasteful that he hated or someone being to close in his proximity), that all was the same as before as well, so the closest thing that Shota could compare the way that Bakugo was managing being in his presence was just 'ignorance', but not an ignorance towards his existence either, because Bakugo would still answer questions in class if called on.
Instead, it was an ignorance to his feelings, to what had been shared between them, like none of it had transpired at all, almost like Bakugo had suffered amnesia and it was non-existent.
But, it was purposeful, and that hero professor knew.
He almost wished the seventeen year old did suffer amnesia because that would be more bearable than it being 'on purpose', and Eraserhead never wished ill-will on anyone except villains of course.
That was how painful and jabbing this was to him.
Sure, Bakugo would always be a valuable student, detective, and fellow hero to Shota, but other than that?
Nothing more.
If his pupil could not overcome what him and Yagi had to do, the inevitable: tell Satoko Kasaya that he was For One's All, which in turn wrecked up the two teen's lives and put them on tightropes, put a halt to their marriage, then he was unsure he could ever be a father for Bakugo again.
It was a long jump, that Shota knew, because in the blonde's mind, he was the reason 'why' this all had to happen, even though he'd come back in the night and made amends with Kasaya, which meant accepting things as they were: fated-to-be.
But that set Shota's brain abuzz: Then why could he not also forgive the man he once just began to openly call 'dad'?
If he could accept whom Kasaya was fated to be and become, come to apologize, then why not with him?
The only difference was the type of relationship Suki had with each. Was it because he was in-love with Kasaya (making it easier to accept the fate), and just 'loved' Shota?
Or maybe not... Aiwaza was certain that that wasn't the case at all.
Bakugo never could of loved him (as a son would a father) to be able to do something as this.
Therefore... he must of never loved him at all.
Katsuki hurt him deep in ways that he couldn't even understand himself.
But nevertheless, Eraserhead, at the root, was a true hero, and Saya Satoko noticed. It was why Kasaya went to the hospital and saved his sister from her imminent end; Satoko accepted the 'fate' and wanted to show the truest hero he knew that he was serious.
So then, wasn't it really Stella who was the 'blame' that Bakugo should be blaming?
But then again, Stella just let the power go. For One's All in all it's glory, in her last breaths, morphed into a random baby in that hospital, it could of been any of them, any of those newborns mewling in their cribs.
So then, Aiwaza felt Katsuki was being just purposefully, nonchalantly 'hateful' towards him now, because he knew Suki was smart enough to grasp that fate had it's hands in this! That the power just went where it wanted! He'd even came back in the night for god's sake for Kasaya! Something no person expected!
He'd told his boyfriend he could deal with it, deal with Bakugo treating him this way, he didn't want sympathy because of it, just someone to understand and to hug him sometimes when it'd get to him a little bit.
And Toshinori did understand, very well, as he was a therapist as a matter of fact, and he would talk Aiwaza through what must be going through his now ex-patient's brain, and of course, he provided comfort to him that he needed.
Aiwaza asked Toshinori not to confront Bakugo on it either, but just to let it be.
It was what it was, and he feared that if the doctor was to talk to him, force an apology that wasn't real, that'd just further ruin the last ties he had to him as a fellow hero.
But what bugged Aiwaza more, was he didn't know what Kasaya thought about Bakugo being this way towards him.
Surely, by Katsuki not being reasonable, this would create a tiff between them... right? Because Shota KNEW how Kasaya felt about him, how he respected him as Eraserhead and as a person. So, how was it that Satoko, with all the respect that he had for Aiwaza Shota, just let Suki's disposition slide?
It was something Eraserhead just could not figure out.
Aiwaza turned his back to the student detectives for now, cigarette in mouth, a small stream of smoke, thin, billowing into the air as it slowly burned on his thin lip.
He didn't want to look at Bakugo anymore, he'd had his fill already for the day.
It was dinner time, and they were munching on a sandwich tray that Tati (Aiwaza's sister) bought, each with a plate in front of them.
There had been a card for Satoko Kasaya taped to the top, which the navy-headed teen eagerly opened, read, and dawning a smirk, pocketed it without telling anyone what it said.
They'd already exchanged a few letters (not via mail as the Super Pro Bunker was a secret to the world), but via Toshinori bringing them back and forth.
For they all figured the guy saved her life, so what was being said between them, shared, was between them. An unbreakable bond was there now that none of them knew they could describe (except for possibly Bakugo, as Kasaya has forced his body to expel the budding cancer, which both Yagi and Shota knew about as well).
Suki plunked down into a chair with a plate of food, and unlike before in the dean's personal lounge, he did not make Kasaya a plate, the younger Satoko got his own. Bakugo didn't really have to, as Kasaya was through that daunting segment of his life, through The Merge, and was completely capable and felt sane. Saya had his independence, and even in simple things, there was no reliance on the other.
Aiwaza seen it.
He didn't know what they'd agreed on, Bakugo and Kasaya, but he knew that their relationship was different now somehow, just from simple gestures. Bakugo wasn't even sitting on the same side of the table as Kasaya, instead he chose to seat himself at the end, Satoko on the right, but he still seated himself between the blonde and Hero Deku.
That was probably purposeful.
It wasn't peculiar, how the 'couple' was acting, but it came off that they weren't as close as before. But yet again, they were in the presence of people who 'did not know', know that they were 'seeing' one another, in a boy-boy relationship.
Or was it that they were just both 'aware' now of what was required of them, and what they needed/wanted to do and become, so they were keeping arms length while busy?
Shota never wanted their relationship to end, so he hoped it was the latter, and that they still loved and cared for each other similarly as before underneath that. All in all, even if Suki pretended he didn't exist to a point, he still supported their relationship, and it hurt him to think that their marriage might end before it even had a chance to begin, but he knew he had to do what he had to do too as Shota was very level-headed and could look at things from different angles quite easily, understanding.
The bunker room was lit up with a slideshow that Shota was manning, pointing a laser at it. He was playing the lecturer role.
He'd spoke on events only so far that the student detectives knew now a majority of the incidents that had occurred in the public eye that they for sure knew the villains operated. Mostly the attacks on students that Toga was a part of, and Toga was able to provide additional information on the 'squadrons' that did it and which hired flunkies were involved with each, as far back as she could remember.
He went on about a few bank robberies, some burglaries, and stick-ups.
It was snowing outside, but unlike a classic cop movie where they were on 'lock down' and trapped inside a stuffy room, they had a window cracked for those who wanted to smoke. One of them was Aiwaza, whose cigarette sat perched in the corner of his mouth, it moved around as he talked, the smoke going to and fro. Another was Kasaya, as always.
Bakugo was shying away from it at the moment. Kasaya assumed it was because Midoriya was here, and he didn't want Izuku knowing for some reason just yet. Izuku and Kugo did have a history as a matter of fact, and he knew that Bakugo was shy about sharing his past and current 'anything' about his life with the One For All successor; he'd even sat between them for now.
It drew back to how Apollo kept his treacherous past from his ex-childhood friend in order to shield him from the real world's true terrors, those terrors which Bakugo as he aged, slowly came to realize he was ingrained within, all to save Deku's childhood.
Easier it was for him to push Midoriya away, tell him to fuck off, to get out of his face, to ignore him, than to tell him the truth, 'his' truth, the ugly nasty truth behind whom he'd become, what the bad people he was exposed to while he was young got him innocently hooked on: The want to feel 'good'.
Eight of them were in the room, it was a small force, but larger than any normal team at a precinct, but they were missing one; one that Shinso forgot to include in his count earlier: The pilot, Hisashi Satoko, the older brother. He was part of this too. So, there were nine of them total, seven student detectives and the two elders heading the cause: Aiwaza Shota (Eraserhead), who was in his early thirties, and Dr. Toshinori Yagi, esteemed UA therapist (a man whom Shinso tagged to be closer to forty years old), who was Himiko Toga's new supervisor and temporary Power of Attorney.
For the new three detectives, Shinso, Everett, and Toga, didn't know at this point that Toshinori Yagi was in fact, All Might. Yagi figured that it was better this way due to still trying to maintain a fairly low profile, and also not wanting anyone to know that Himiko's current 'watcher' was also a super famous, muscled brute of a hero who was famed by the whole world.
Just keep it a lowly, but educated doctor for now.
As the day began turning to evening, what kept capturing Bakugo's attention was the fact that the short blonde gal that sat across from him in the kitchen this very morning, that was nice enough to pour him and Kasaya both a glass of orange juice, had been so deeply involved in The League.
He had no idea who she even was!
Just some random ass person inside the god damn Super Pro Bunker!
But once it was explained what happened before the meeting began, it made sense: She was being protected, in the same way that Hisashi had chosen to protect his younger brother, by putting Kasaya Satoko behind UA's protective walls. In the same way, Himiko Toga was behind UA walls, in school here now, had a homeroom, and was living not in a dorm but at the bunker (obviously because she was a possible juvenile convict if tried in any court).
However, what didn't make sense was how bubbly she was about all of it. It wasn't like she was proud of what she'd done (as she said she'd been proud of it in the past), but the way she chatted on and on about it now was as if she was divulging as much as she could.
This made it apparent to everyone in the room (especially Midoriya who was hell bent on getting his hands deep into this, for the better of the people and his destiny), that she really was trying to turn over a new leaf, trying to save herself from juvenile hall, and walk a better, greater path, and the way she sat snuggled between Everett and Shinso in her seat between them made it downright obvious that she valued them as her friends, and even felt a sense of protection by being close to them.
She was finally sitting in a good place in her life, and she was reveling in it as much as she could, taking it all in, and in her normal, blushy, silly way, she was trying to be as much of a help as she possibly could be.
"Himiko has given us an inside scoop on the main League of Villains associates. Those that hang out... where?" Eraser said bland, running some laser circles around the presentation's board.
"It's a hidden bar in a rundown office building. Second floor." She fiddled with a keyring of charms in her hand, her special charms that she always kept close to her at all times. "It's located at the corner of Bird and Broker, east side."
Deku had a stunned look all over his face. He couldn't help but think and mumble a bit, this girl was his age, was a refugee from the LOA? How unreal. She looked just as innocent as ever, but she herself had busted through the gate at UA all on her own, eluding security.
(For, nobody knew Toga's true age as she BEGGED Yagi and Eraser not to tell anyone out of fear of being judged like at her last high school, and since they are actually caring people, they accepted. They wanted her to have a good experience at UA, not a shitty one, but they knew UA students wouldn't treat someone badly who was so gifted over something as trivial as age.)
After all the attendees watched the security tape from the day she entered undercover, alias'ed as this lower-class Emi Sato (the tape which Himiko knew they probably had, and pre-meditatively thought about the day she waltzed through that gate), to reaffirm her quirk and where she came from, to validate her experiences for the investigation, Hero Deku was immediately flabbergasted at the simple, but yet effective quirk, and launched out a Hero Notebook of his own to make sure to jot down as many bullet points on her as possible.
It was powerful in it's own way, and unlike the others, Bakugo was the only one who crossed his arms, not letting those words come out his mouth.
When Saya and her were 're-introduced' yesterday, and Himiko Toga explained that she just wanted a chance, and that she knew now that seeking that in the LOA was naive, the navy-headed teen easily grasped how someone like her would turn to evil, hating the world for it's injustice, getting made fun of in school, all the while starving and having a shit ass home life. He could relate, as Ashley had curb stomped all over his childhood and early teen life, but in his situation (after the initial spark of control was laid), it wasn't self-induced entirely, unlike Toga who was just in crap environments, surrounded by them, but still free to make her own choices.
So, once she met him and Everett, a few people who treated her kindly for the first time, along with some random tour go'ers of the campus, then eventually Shinso at that cafe well, she came to see a new light in the world.
A big, bright new light.
And so, Satoko took partial responsibility for her change, could smile at it, and also considered it luck that she was able to make that decision to walk away, because he had not had the ability to do the same. Ashley squandered, squished and controlled him as much as she could, including taking away the right to use his own body in a way. If it wasn't for Hisashi, he wouldn't know if he'd even be alive to be honest.
This further solidified for him that people when given the chance, if of good heart, can change colors, can make better decisions, and as he watched her sitting across the table hugging on Everett, he knew the girl was no harm to them (at least not anymore), but she did have guts and packed a punch that was all her own.
Bakugo was more on-edge than Kasaya about her though. For he spied her doing homework earlier, and he couldn't quite get it out of his headspace. Pigtails could do math problems in her head, multiply, divide, do fractions... just like him. She had these big, golden eyes that looked like rays of the sun, and when she giggled, it didn't annoy him. Her loudness did (as he learned at breakfast she had a random bad habit to suddenly shout if she got excited), but her being a girl didn't, and he hated most women.
So, in his opinion, she really had been wasting away and wasting her efforts being a villain because she deserved better (and he didn't think that about most people, let's just get this straight- this is Bakugo that we are talking about), and here at UA, this was where she was going to get it at.
But her being that smart, that 'bright-flight', unsettled his stomach for some reason. He was unsure why... it was just... something, somewhere.
Seemed...
When looked at her peripherally...
There weren't many blondes in Japan, were there?
Nevertheless, he was the third student detective that also noted that she seemed quite attached to the Orange Idiot and Bedbug that were now also a part of the team. He'd huffed and puffed about the three newbies being added without his knowledge or consent, but that was how Eraser and Toshi went about adding Midoriya too. He even threw a huge stink over it in the dean's lounge, so much that Disaster froze Deku and they both ran off together.
So, he gathered fully now, that two elders would do what they needed to do. Aiwaza was no longer his father, so let them do whatever they want, he was here for it, for Kasaya, for the fact that he was 'becoming' who he always could of been, and for saving the people. No matter who they added, he would power through.
Bedbug was added due to experience with a power of his own similar to Kasaya's; to help train him. They all learned just about an hour ago the 'why' behind adding Pigtails: Insight into the underground that they didn't have before. And the last? Bakugo assumed it was because the Orange Idiot was useful some fucking how. But raising hell over it, he did not. He was pissed, oh he was pissed, was about ready to derail and blow something to hell over it, but since he truly and wholly 'got' that the two elders were heading the investigation and did as they pleased with it, then that turned his piece of mind to a slow, sizzling burn.
And simmering he was, it was obvious as he took bites into his sandwich. He didn't rip away at the bread like a maniac or anything, as Bakugo was always dainty and kingly when he ate, but as any royalty would at the dinner table displeased, his demeanor sat dark, and his teeth would grind.
Midoriya, (knowing this side of Kacchan too well) chose to keep silent in his seat by Satoko, except a mutter here and there as he took notes. The blonde explosion lord, who was now called Apollo for some reason, had spoken to him last night as real-life person, only a few words, said a surprising 'sorry' that had left him chasing him down for an explanation, but he was locked out of Kasaya's room.
Locked completely out.
But today, again, he wasn't about to push his luck any further, and he'd already gotten a few 'looks' from the firestorm, seen him peripherally take a glance at him with those crimson eyes, and Deku freezing on the inside, did not dare even meet it, for he knew acknowledging the fact that he was even looking at him, by looking at him back, in the past, set the blonde off into an instant rage.
So, in his mind, it was good, no, great that Eraserhead chose to sit them on opposite sides of the Hero Class this year for homeroom. In his mind, to himself, Midoriya could almost say 'Thank you god, thank you so fucking much', and Deku never truly outwardly cussed a ton, as his mom was super strict on that type of thing, but hanging around Kaminari down in Iida's room (with Ashido who was dating the electric guy, and Kirishima too, his roommate, who went to the same middle school as Ashido) was making him certainly think more 'colorfully'.
As long as he didn't open his mouth and it accidentally 'pop' out, he didn't think of it as a concern, even though it had already a few times.
"So, how often were you there?" Shota went on once Deku was done noting.
Midoriya Izuku was the official note-taker of the squad, as he was so good at it to begin with. Nobody had objections.
"Few times a week." She mumbled, remembering something. "That one." She pointed at the papers on the table. "That's Kurogiri. He's right at All For One's feet, whom I've never met. None of them have either except for Shigaraki Tomura, I think. Shigaraki is the leader, owns the bar, but I know both of them know where All For One holes up, but they keep it secret from everyone else under them."
"Tomura. That's the one I had a run in with at the mall that one time." Deku mumbled out.
"Oh?" Toga piped up to Midoriya. "He's a scary guy!" She was excitable in voice, but was being serious.
"I'm assuming by the portrait you drew here of Kurogiri that that is the real name of the purple portal?" Aiwaza said pointing towards one of her little quick sketches, they weren't good, but they were acceptable. A lot of names were being shouted in that dome incident a couple years back, and he'd heard the name 'Kurogiri' get yelled out, but he was busy taking on multiple villains to pay attention to which one that was. Ten on one was never fun, it was possible, he could do it, but he definitely didn't prefer it. Hell, three on one was a mess most of the time!
"Yep." Toga concluded.
"Then both of them were at the dome incident that one year." Eraser stated out, his thoughts becoming word.
Toga knew about that, shook her head yes.
Everett smiled at her. He was so proud of her for doing what she was doing right now; he got that when Toga's heart was in something, she was in it to win it. She was a good girl, after being a very very awful girl, but certainly not as awful as others in the LOA, and was glad that she was being so forward and upfront with what she knew, and what she'd done.
Honest.
Himiko Toga was not a liar.
Bakugo noticed this (and so did Kasaya), but that was one inkling more reason for Bakugo to want to listen to what Pigtails had to say, aside his gut feeling of uneasiness with her. Somehow, he just felt like he was 'missing' something.
Midoriya swallowed, and Bakugo smirked viciously from the other side of the table. They both were remembering the dome incident. What a gruesome day in Deku's opinion; an opportunity to blow idiots apart in the other's.
They were fighting for their lives inside that training facility, Eraserhead got the shit beat out of him, 13 was hospitalized, and the purple portal guy (who they knew now as Kurogiri) was a mess to fight!
"In my opinion too, Kurogiri and Tomura are the strongest as well."
"And the next strongest?"
"Dabi is up there. So is Muscular... except that guy is a total asshole." Toga spit out.
Nobody corrected her grammar.
Bakugo smirked. Foul-mouthed little shit. He could stand that. He and the Satoko's sentences were always deeply laced with toilet words most days, except he didn't think of them as toilet, to him they were more like little sprinkles on top a badass cake, sometimes... lots of sprinkles.
If his words were a cake, it would be chocolate and he would make sure when he threw it at someone's face that the confection burst into a million pieces, but also that he chucked it so hard that silver pan would bust their nose.
Bakugo snickered under his breath. Senseless violence, it still sometimes made him laugh, especially when it was secret stuff that he would dream up in his own head.
Yagi raised an eyebrow and took a sip of whiskey. What his former patient was thinking, he had no idea. He certainly didn't like the way what Bakugo was treating Aiwaza, but Aiwaza kept going on to him that 'he could manage it', and so he didn't pester the raven headed man, his lovely partner, on it too much.
Shinso, confused at the small sadistic noise looked up from resting his chin on both his palms, elbows on the table, except when he did, Bakugo mean mugged him and just like Aiwaza with huge bags under his eyes, Shinso having no reaction, lifelessly looked away, back to the board.
Kasaya was the only one who through a puff off his cigarette, let his eyes peripherally scan the blonde over, and shallowly smirk, knowing what manner Bakugo was probably thinking in: Apollo was thinking about something crude.
Somehow, to Kasaya, that captured him, that evil, lop-sided smirk always got him.
Of course, they still didn't need words to communicate to one another.
They just knew what was going on in each other's head.
Kasaya could 'read' Suki quite easily, he'd learned where to look. It was the way his lips would sit, the way his irises would expand inside those red hellish rings, and even with no expression, the slightest change of emotion he could see storm across those eyes.
Bakugo caught him peeping, and Kasaya felt like winking, but he didn't. Instead, he smoothly batted his eyelashes, tapped his cigarette's ash off into the tray, and re-positioned it, but not before wetting a bit of his bottom lip.
Suki wiggled in his chair, sat back and re-crossed his arms the other direction. He'd caught his attention.
Kasaya knew he shouldn't be secretly glancing him right now, so he forced himself to look away.
But Bakugo knew... That small, minuscule, gray sheen, so pale and soft was on his face, in it a rain over the sea, so alive with emotion and wonder, it told all the truths that his face would not show at the moment.
Just as Kasaya could see through him, so he could see into Kasaya, and Kasaya knew his thoughts on Aiwaza. Bakugo didn't have to speak them for Kasaya to grasp how it was.
But, he had something in mind. If it could even happen.
If even possible.
Everyone was either paying attention to Eraserhead, or Yagi fumming over the list of immediate member names. Below them were written other names Toga knew of as 'hire-ons', including the guy who was an ex-cop that drew the sketches that she met once (the one that she was supposed to deliver the map to of UA, but did not). On it was everyone that she could remember, as many names as she could recall, and if she couldn't remember the name, she wrote down facial features, builds, eye colors, as many physical descriptors as possible.
"Anymore you can think of?" Toshinori piped.
Midoriya studiously was writing in a notebook confused why Kacchan hadn't blown him to bits just yet for being himself. Aside from a few stares, he hadn't said one mean word to him, no words at all actually. Bakugo just sat on the end of the table, arms crossed, looking stoic... but he swore... he was just looking at Kasaya.
They just shared a quick look for some reason, something that Deku couldn't place, but it didn't matter, he was too busy keeping up with the conversation in the room and writing so fast (like normal), that his hand was beginning to cramp.
"Uh... There are two other people... in particular... and a third. I..." She suddenly stammered. This would reveal what she didn't want revealed. She 'meeped', and a breath got caught in her throat.
Kasaya suddenly looked up, Toga had been so giggly and hyper-ish before, gotten serious when she was giving out information, but now she was suddenly... shy? He took a long, last puff off of his cigarette and butted it out in the tray, blowing the last bit out of his nose like a dragon, like how he does sometimes, sitting back into the chair, slumping a bit, obviously relaxed.
Deku watched him. That shaved portion of above his right ear was such a wild look. He could see two faint holes, grown back together now, but he knew what they were... Kasaya had had his ears pierced at one point in time.
Just last night as Saya took his shirt off and was walking around the bunker, he'd found that he had nipple piercings!
A black bar was through both, small balls screwed on the sides of each one, and Saya had said he had stainless steel ones too and a set of red ones. Midoriya, inexperienced with this stuff, anything more 'extreme' like that really, was curious and asked a shy question if 'it hurt when he's got them done', and of course, Kasaya said that it had.
Also, Izuku swore that he seen the bottom outline of tattoos under his athletic shorts, on the insides of both his upper thighs, as the shorts rode up for a brief second when he'd lit a cigarette and plunked down on the couch to talk with Eraser. Kasaya yanked the fabric over it, and didn't say anything.
Sitting next to this guy, knowing these things, it really was something else. This Kasaya Satoko, his power-partner, really was something else. He couldn't wait to see what For One's All could do compared to One For All.
How different of people they were, but yet how similar in feeling and in fate they'd become.
Even now as he sat by Satoko, Deku could feel a small humming buzz coming from him. For, they'd discussed it a little more last night before bed, what it feels like, what it means: being cut from the same block. It was relaxing. It was For One's All alive in those atoms, that 'mental' energy vibrating, that navy lightning inside the form contained, concentrated, strong and electric. He knew Kasaya right now just as he, could feel All For One too, that strong 'physical' energy, not just from him, but the trace pieces of it in Yagi as well.
"It's okay Toga." Dr. Toshinori commented. "You're with friends."
"I know... I... that's n'not it." Her face was getting blushed up. Such a bad habit! Her cheeks just did it whenever they pleased, and she felt it coming on.
Everett suddenly took her hand, whispering. "What is it?"
Shinso looked to his right now too, gawking at her.
She looked at Kasaya with a distinct sorrow in her golden eyes. Kasaya squinted, confused. "I... I took a job. I don't regret it, because... because of it, I'm here now, but uh..." She swallowed. "I met some people I really, really don't like."
"You're talkin' about the undercover job on campus?" Saya said in his tenor tone. He was trying to grasp the sudden change in her.
She shook her head yes. Her eyes were watering up.
Kasaya calmly spoke again, gentle but a hint of worry laced it. "Who are they?" He was suddenly interested. These people drove this girl to clam up, he began feeling a bit of animosity, he wanted to say 'if it hurts too much, you don't have to say it right now', but he didn't get the chance.
Himiko looked right into his eyes. "Ka... saya." She mouthed.
"Hah?" He said back. What was it?
"Her." She squeaked.
"Hn?" Bakugo throated, his head and eyes fully locked on Pigtails, that one word made his head snap right towards her.
Midoriya raised an eyebrow. "Who?" He randomly blurted ready for data for noting, but when he gawked up too, he shut his jaw, seeing the girl had a tear falling down her cheek.
"I know it's hard to be tru..."
Shinso shook his head in a 'no' at Everett as he said that. His best friend was going to say he knows that it's 'hard to be truthful when you've done such bad things in the past', or something like that, but... Shinso was the more practical one. Now was not the time for sentimentality at it's fullest, and Himiko, no matter what it was, just needed to get it out. He knew that she wanted to, as she kept going on bravely, but he also knew what was best for her wasn't to 'butter it up', it was to just say it, get it out.
That action would make her feel better in the end rather than putting it off, extending the pain. It was what Ibara had told him that she had to do, and so, she said clear to him that she was sorry, but she 'did not love him', and now she was with Iida, and she was happy.
She was not for him, and never was she, and he let her go, and she did not return.
Then he knew, it wasn't meant to be. But all in all, Ibara just 'said it', got it off her chest, was upfront, and because of that was able to move on and heal. He just wanted the same for Everett's new friend (his new friend too), and he was certain Everett probably wanted that also, but... Everett could just be such a blockhead sometimes with the ladies, especially the one he crushes on.
"I... she's... she's not nice... Kasaya."
Saya mouth slowly unraveled, his jaw awkwardly loosening, positioning itself into an uneven angle. His heart started to pump.
Aiwaza watched. It couldn't be...
"Evil, jus'terrible." Himiko mumbled, more tears falling down her face. She remembered trying to befriend her, but the girl being apathetic, rude.
"Y... you're... sayin'?" The younger Satoko clamored. 'No.' He thought. It... couldn't be, could it?
Himiko started to choke. "I'm... sorry." She swallowed. Everett put an arm around her. She was more upset that she had to tell Kasaya than that she'd met her, because she had mocked her by changing her face to mimic hers and could laugh at her prickly, stubborn, and controlling demeanor. But Satoko, he was a good guy, and she wasn't ready to hurt him by telling him, but the moment was here now, too quick almost!
And she could lie, but didn't want to! This was her new life! She wasn't about to screw that up!
Shota and Kasaya landed it at the same time, got it. The campus undercover job... it was ordered by a certain 'person'. Eraser shot a glance to Kasaya, and the teen's expression was unfalteringly aghast.
"Ashley." She said under her breath.
Shota caught movement right as a loud sound came out of a very specific individual.
"NO!" Bakugo suddenly slammed up out of his seat, his chair scooting back rashly. He pointed right at Pigtails. "NO! NOT THAT BITCH!"
Midoriya suddenly scooted back from the table as well, not to stand and shout, but as if Bakugo's 'gusty' shout blew him back.
Toga shot up out of her seat too all tears. "I KNOW! I DIDN'T WANNA SAY ANYTHIN'!" She screamed, balling a fist. Instantly, like two fires coming together, the two blondes exploded at each other, suddenly so similar in demeanor. "I ONLY MET HER ONCE AND HER FATHER! THEY'RE HORRIBLE!"
Katsuki yelled right back over the tabletop, he slammed his palms into it causing Deku to jump a little in his chair again. "YOU!" He pointed a second time. "YOU TOOK A JOB FROM THAT WENCH... so... SO THAT SHE COULD SPY ON KASAYA DIDN'T YOU?!" His fists were steaming.
"YES! OKAYYYYY! YESSSSS!" Himiko spurted, her buns flailing, her fists slammed into the table too. Everett wrapped an arm around her waist, and Shinso did the same to try to hold her back, but she was lit up all the way, a mix of all sorts of emotions due to her recent past which she wanted to move on from. She turned to the gray-eyed man. "BUT I MET YOU KASAYA AN'AN... AND I KNEW... SHE'S NUTS! YOU'VE GOTTA BELIEVE ME!"
Kasaya sat quiet, jaded completely out.
"SHE WENT ON 'BOUT HOW SHE DIDN'T WANT ME T'TALK T'YOU, I SEEN THESE... THESE MAGAZINES STUFFED IN A BAG! SHE HAD THEM ALL BOOKMARKED W'WITH Y'NAME WRITTEN ALL OVER 'EM!" Chills went up her spine remembering that one brief second in that limo. "SHE'S INSANE! SHE THINKS SHE OWNS YOUU!"
"SHUT UP! JUS'SHUT UP!" Bakugo screamed for more reasons than one. He was pissed that someone was so mental that they had scribbled all over piles of photographs in mags with Kasaya's name, that meant pre-meditative planning! As if he would even let her get her nasty fucking paws back on him! As if Kasaya would let that happen too! He was pissed at Pigtails for even doing something like that! He was pissed because of how he hated Ashley Connely! He was pissed because of how Kasaya hated Ashley Connely!
"SIMMER DOWN!" Yagi suddenly piped in a loud voice which was unlike him in this form. The three newbies on his side of the table instantly jolted to stare, Toga's knees buckled, and all three (including the two with arms around her waist) all came down with her. "BAKUGO!" Toshi yelled his direction now as the blonde was steaming the room up, screaming obscenities at Toga.
Bakugo resorted to growling and spurting cuss words with a more closed mouth. He'd semi-listen to Yagi, after all, he still appreciated his help with overcoming his past, and he did also know he was All Might now, and he could easily clock his ass if he needed too.
Suki grabbed his notebook (which he hadn't used), and chucked it at the wall, and it slammed with so much force that it bounced off and nearly hit Toga in the back of the head.
"HEY!" Everett yelled at him.
Toga was unphased, and just sat crying. She'd had so many things thrown at her before by her 'mother', and had been screamed at so many times by her as well, that frankly and sadly, she was far too used to it.
Bakugo just stared Orange Idiot down firey, and breathed a quick look that said all too well 'you wanna go?', but Everett de-fused by looking away.
Aiwaza emotionless, waited. He expected nothing less than a blow up of this proportion. At least Bakugo was better than beating someone's ass in like he used to be, like he'd done to him before.
"So." Kasaya was frowning. "She... is a... a villain after all." He slowly took in a large deep breath. Truly, he felt it was always probably so. He was just waiting to hear it with his own ears from some reason. This was confirmation.
Bakugo looked, watching the strings connect in his lover's mind.
"Yes. They're in cahoots." Toga sniffed, continuing in a small voice. "Her and her father c'called upon The League for help, and they... s'sent me t'their aid. If they... loaned me out... to help the Connelys t'get your exact whereabouts on campus, then they wanted to 'kill two birds w'with one stone'... an'wanted a map of UA too."
Bakugo growled because all Kasaya did was just sit back in that moment, body going slump and lax in the chair, lighting another cigarette. He knew that like a brick to the face, somehow now, all of Saya's past convictions under that bitch's wing made total sense, had come to a nasty, truthful head all in less than a few minutes.
He was a controlled, deadly assassin. The horrible things he was made to do, the grotesque things, the nasty things... all of it was because of her.
And who the hell were they working for?
The fucking League of Villains.
He put his hand over his face, sucking the end of the stick bright red, letting it out of his nose from under his palm, his lengthy hair laid long over the back rest. He didn't want to look at anyone. Not right now.
He should of known, figured as much, that they were villains, but hearing it with his own two ears, somehow... it hurt. It hurt deep.
Reality in Toga's truth, that was his shame right now.
He had literally helped the LOA with no other fucking choice...
"She gave the map over." Aiwaza. She did. She handed it right over to the hero professor. He just wanted to clarify that to the entire room. "And you didn't tell them where Satoko lived on campus."
"No." She quietly shook her head.
Midoriya was cocking his eyebrows... who was this Ashley Connely, and why did it matter to Satoko so much? And Bakugo actually as well? Bakugo obviously knew some stuff he didn't know about Satoko.
Bakugo snorted sitting down. He didn't believe this little blonde harpy!
"Who else... there was a third you said?" Shota was pushing.
Himiko went on. "A woman with the Connelys, she works... in a medical wing. She's a pharmacist I think. I don't know her name, and I've never met her, but her research was why we were attacking students."
"Research?" Yagi raised an eyebrow. "With what?"
"Blood." She said. "We attacked UA students for their blood." She couldn't say it more clear.
Everett's mind pinged. She did say on the train the first day he met her, disguised as Sato Emi, that she had an interest in blood.
She sat slumped half sitting back on Everett. "I have viles of it all in my bag... I uh... collected it... but I kept some of it for myself... because I think blood is interesting."
Everyone was silenced.
"We... I mean... they... (she was trying to put it in her past)... only got three student's blood, that I know of. I have 'em labelled."
"I need to see which ones." Eraser said bland, now leaning on the table towards her. This was most concerning. She was in groups, small units, and they were outright attacking students and trying to draw viles of blood off of them? Plus, now this involved UA students more deeply than before.
That was their DNA! Their 'everything' was in their blood; hair color, eye color, pre-dispositions to diseases, quirks...
She shook her head in a yes. "I'll give them to you."
"What are they doin'?" Kasaya suddenly whispered out from under his hand.
Bakugo wondered the same thing, so did everyone else, what the hell did The League have their hands deep into?
But for Kasaya, it was deeper, it was the meaning behind it. That was why he was asking. Because day in and day out under the Connelys, it was to hurt and/or kill. He wanted to know what he assassinated people for.
"Drugs and research."
"Drugs?" It came out of Bakugo in an unbelievable pop of sound.
Toshinori looked up at his once client. Drugs. It sky-rocketed through the older man's head. 'Ah no.' This dabbled in his past.
As Bakugo looked straight at Kasaya, now not caring who saw, his insides ached watching him with his face covered, laying there motionless, feeling some deep emotions that he was trying to work through. He could imagine what he was going through.
Them three were suddenly, and fiercely all tied together in a knot made of three coils, with an overarching bitch ruling.
Like fireflies they lit up each portion of the cycle:
Toga: The promotor. (One who goes out collecting whatever was as required)
Kasaya: The enforcer. (One who goes out to punish those that get out of line)
Bakugo: The user. (One who purchases the goods)
And... Ashley: The distributor. (One who sells it, steers the traffic, the pinnacle of this portion of the pyramid)
"Why?" Kasaya asked.
"Money... I guess." Toga shrugged.
"No." Kasaya piped. "Why did you promote drug trade... when you were living at home dealing with the result of that problem?" He meant her mother's addiction. Yet again, she was free to make her own choices, whereas he was not.
That hit Bakugo deep. A sudden ugly scowl was on his face. Not because of Kasaya's words, but he recalled. He was a 'result' of that once as well...
Meaning... in different ways... all three were just pawns to the Connelys at some point...
"I..."
"Come'on!" Everett suddenly butted in. "She was confused!"
"NO!... No." Himiko blurted, waving that she was 'okay' to go on. "I... I was selfish."
Bakugo looked. He had just been yelling at this girl, but now he was suddenly clammed; for someone to just come right out and say that! She was shitty for purposefully doing it, working for the cause, knowing that it helped the drug trade, making those choices... but he could seriously draw lines with her.
He had been making those choices too. He made the choice to go to the buyer, who sat in the alley by him and Izuku's middle school, preying on pre-teens. He had been selfish, selfishly wanting to feel good, over and over again. It was a different selfish, but it was selfish still all in all.
"I overlooked it, because... I felt I was being accepted, it was all selfish desires." Wearily she wheezed out between tears.
Bakugo was quiet, just watching Kasaya's adam's apple bob in a swallow. Him too. He'd felt desirous of the drug, X-ON. It alone got him high. It alone made him feel sexual. It alone made him need. It made him ache for things that confused him as a young man.
"Did... did..." Kasaya put his hand down... Tears covered his face; he'd been trying to conceal them, he flicked the cigarette out in the tray.
Bakugo lerched in his chair. Everyone saw, but he stayed sitting. Bakugo was shocked. "Ka..." He mumbled.
Something intense was happening, like a bassy beat that he didn't grasp, something here between these two was... deep.
Kasaya's eyes looked manic, and he started to chuckle, then went into a laugh, dark and crazed, unlike the Kasaya that everyone around knew.
Deku's eyes got very large at that. He's never heard that before!
Bakugo. "Ka...say...?"
He gave Bakugo a warning glare, then it shot back to Toga. "Did... d'you know?" His tears pittered on the table between choking, gasping laughs... "About... me? Before you took the job? Know... what I've done?"
Midoriya was looking between the two, confused. What he'd done... what was he talking about?
"Only a little... I'm sor..."
"NOOOO!" Kasaya suddenly boomed, his eyes lit a white glow, and both fists slammed into the tabletop, so loud that his knuckles cracked loudly. "I FUCKIN' HATE THAT BITCH!" He was mourning, fists squeezing themselves tight, quivering, shaking.
Bakugo slammed back up out of his chair in response, on his feet. He hated her too! But Kasaya getting irate. This never happened!
Saya then, managed to throw himself up out of his chair, pushing himself off the table. He threw his head back and laughed so hard and sadistically that it stunned everyone to dead silence, he was just laughing at then irony, the absolute irony, how they all could be gathered here... a pieces in the same puzzle. He instantly grabbed for the paper on the table. "They're all dead! Y'know that?" He pointed to the scribbles. "That's what workin' in the trade does, it kills people... ya, got that?"
Kasaya was making connections. She was indirectly part of the reason why he had to murder, maim, slash, hack, choke, drown, and rape so many people!
Himiko's air was caught in her throat, shaking head to toe, realizing that she'd spoke on this too casually now at this point.
Kasaya looked at Aiwaza. "THEY'RE ALL DEAD!" He yelled at him. He yanked something out of his pocket, a flash drive, and tossed on the table.
It skidded to a halt, and Bakugo launched for it, stomach on the table, arms flailing as if it was a precious thing.
It was.
"NO SAYA!" Kugo yelled, he didn't grab it in time before Shota did. Katsuki growled up at him laying across the table like a feral dog.
"Listen to it in two weeks. It's for the court case."
"Kasaya!" Bakugo glinted at him, pushing himself up off the table.
The navy-headed teen was laughing. Then... it shifted. He was mourning, and Bakugo watched a man, who had held together strong, fall apart right there. He turned and rushed out, Suki pushing himself up off the table to storm out after him, leaving all the rest stunned in the room.
What was on this zip drive?
Two weeks? Why?
"KASAYA!" Bakugo shouted, bolting after him.
"Jus' stay away, stay back."
Katsuki did not. He ran after. All in all even with what they agreed on, the day not being over, it was over enough, so he grabbed his forearm, but Kasaya evaded, lit up his eyes, long bangs falling over his eyes as his body half-turned from a yank.
"Don't make me say your name!" He threatened to use his power.
Bakugo chuffed, and pushed him into a room and shut the door behind them. It was dark, and no light was on, just a storage room, full of mops, brooms and cleaning supplies. "If you wanna so bad, DO IT!" He pushed him in the chest and back into the room somewhere.
The two white glows of the eyes blinked rapidly in surprise at the other's sudden shout. He was testing him! "I don't want t'be here!" He yelped instead, knowing that it sounded childish.
"So... you want to leave your shell... that it?" Instantly Bakugo didn't have an angry tone, but a fragile one.
Kasaya blinked at that. He knew what he meant, he'd read him.
"You said you wanted to stay this way..." He reached his hands out towards where he knew the other man was, but he didn't feel anything. Kasaya was not coming close. He frowned. "So that you could... 'feel' with me... yet, you want to escape. Am I... not good enough?" It was a moment of weakness.
"NO!" Kasaya shouted. "I..." His eyes flickered out. "I didn't..."
"It involves me too." Bakugo cleared his throat.
"I... I should of known." Sudden choking sobs came out in the darkness.
"I came to except... a long... long time ago..." Katsuki sat on the floor and he heard a tell-tale sounds of Kasaya backing up against a wall and sliding down it onto the floor. "that my money was goin' nowhere good."
"Hn?" Kasaya throated threw cries.
Bakugo wanted to do nothing but touch him, but he stayed back. "The money I spent on X-ON. It wasn't cheap. But all of that money... it went somewhere, I figured it was in evil's pocket, so when I got accepted to UA, it was just another reason to knock the habit, if I could bring myself to. A hero using drugs, is no hero at all."
"I... I should apologize to her." Kasaya suddenly let out in the darkness. Bakugo was saying that him and Himiko were alike in that way, both contributing to the drug trade, but both had made logical decisions to change, become better.
So then... this deal with Aiwaza and Bakugo... this was a similar situation, but the difference was, Bakugo couldn't see it. He'd come back to the Super Pro Bunker, moved past what had to happen, but could not forgive his 'whatever' Shota was to him now.
In that letter Tati wrote him today, he knew she was right about Bakugo: That he's just so realistic that has to be 'shown', or he won't believe it, won't change.
Bakugo and Toga both had 'seen' the bad in their ways by experiencing things, new things that offered them better lives, so they changed.
Then secondarily, Bakugo 'seen' a chance to be the best Apollo there could be, to let him fly as For One's All, and not hold him down, so he changed.
So, all Katsuki needed was to 'to shown' that Aiwaza Shota did the best he could do for Satoko Kasaya for Bakugo to believe. Bakugo needed to be 'shown' that Eraser did what was right.
Kasaya suddenly smirked, sniffed, wiping his face on his sleeve, and that all rode on how this turned out; how this fighting, detective work, and court case turned out. Bakugo's relationship with Aiwaza was determinate on the end. On the ultimate and final end...
And that gave Saya Satoko all that much more determination to make it there alive... because he loved them both.
"Where are you?" Bakugo said quietly, not able to see. It had gotten quiet.
Saya lit up and hand. It glowed soft like a phantom in the darkness. He held it out, it's fingers ever so crunched. It beckoned.
Bakugo walked on his knees over, and softly put his palm in the ghostly one, amazing it was, he slowly turned the wrist to see the veins, just slightly darker. "It's... really..."
"Amazing."
"The power really is... inside."
"Mhm."
Bakugo watched it go dark, but in that same moment, another palm was on his cheek.
"You're okay?" Suki mouthed feeling hot air on his face.
"Yeh. It jus' hit me hard. I'll go talk to her later."
Bakugo wasn't concerned about that now. He got a little playful. "Let's hide n'here for a bit, yeh?"
"Until much later."
He smirked as he heard that whispered next to his ear. He just wanted to confirm. "Is the day... over Kasaya?"
"Yeh, it's over."
Suki closed the gap, pressing Kasaya back into the wall, going between his legs, caressing that chin with a finger and tipped it into his lips, teething a nip.
In the darkness Kasaya slowly began searching, his mouth to Bakugo's lower cheek, he wanted to travel to his lips, but Bakugo, hungry for him, suddenly turned his face, but with gentleness, began a sensual series of deep breathless kisses.
"Make a fort with me later in the room?" Kasaya suddenly blurted out.
Bakugo snickered into him, he wrapped his arms tight around his waist, deepening a kiss even more before pulling back, his heart beating fast. "You get to name it this time."