That morning Izuku not only had dared to wake up on time despite staying up half the night doing who knows what with his aura, he actually had the gall to try and wake her and the other girls up for a morning jog. Weiss had gracefully decided not to bring her righteous anger down upon the repeat offender and sleep-disturber that instant, or maybe she had just been too sleepy herself? Not like that was anyone but his fault.
But Pyrrha apparently had taken him up on that offer, the collaborator. And from what the girl told her later, the boy actually beat her decisively in that jog? Weiss didn't really believe that part of course, the girl was a multiple time champion and the boy's aura was clearly still underdeveloped. Or without mincing words, somewhat shoddy for his age. Not exactly surprising, since Izuku had told them he didn't have his aura for that long a time. But for Pyrrha to say that much, he must have at least held up decently well and given her some challenge, for her to let him have the win on that last spurt.
Maybe Pyrrha had intended to boost Izuku's confidence a bit? The girl did seem somewhat taken with the boy, she usually was all smiles around him. And they seemed genuine smiles, not the strained ones Pyrrha often showed to others. Weiss knew something about fake smiles, she had to perfect that skill early on, as well as learn to recognize them in others. Pyrrha hadn't really seemed as if she had a romantic interest in the boy though, despite the way they all had openly gawked at his abs the evening before...
Herself excluded, of course! Not like she could have missed the view with how Nora had set it up. It's not like she'd asked for it and some muscle on a hunter was to be expected to begin with, wasn't it?
And later that day, after she had seen him in All Might's obstacle course, Pyrrha's claims hadn't seemed all that far-fetched anymore...
After their morning training Izuku actually had shown the courtesy to ensure his team...
Weiss paused at that, saying "his team", still stung her a bit, even when she realized by then it was a bit petty.
Anyways, he ensured they were all awake and ready to take breakfast together. Her mood at that point hadn't been so bad, she had been all but sure at that point he wouldn't be able to dodge her chewing him out for keeping her awake all night.
She shuddered at how that came out, that blonde, Yang, would have had a field day with that sentence, the way she mercilessly teased them about that abs incident.
Regardless, Weiss would keep her eyes peeled on Izuku for the rest of the day, looking forward to the moment he'd finally let up and yawn, for her to deliver his punishment. At least that had been Weiss' plan until that boring lesson where even a well-behaved girl like her had to fight to stay awake, while the boy was busy taking notes for the entire team to share!
How could she still chew him out after that? And then he not only again managed to stay awake, he actually let a teacher talk him into fighting a Grimm while ill-equipped. And won near-perfectly with a single attack. Huh. Unexpected to say the least.
And when asked why he took that risk, it turned out he hadn't been talked into it at all, but gave them an answer that showed commendable drive, dedication and humility. Then ran off to get his weapon fixed. And Weiss was sure he had been genuine about his feelings and intent too.
How could she chew him out after that showing?
Especially while that Bakugo boy was listening, who apparently had bullied Izuku all his life? Non-withstanding the prejudices some people had about the Schnee family due to all those rumors about abusing Faunus, Weiss certainly didn't want to entertain those views by indirectly helping a bully.
Whatever problems she had with Izuku, she wouldn't disgrace either of them or their team in the face of an uncouth brute like that. So she had decided to swallow her anger and let it be.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Weiss had remained seated after dinner and enjoyed a cup of tea.
She had taken a sip and enjoyed the warmth that filled her. While the tea didn't exactly measure up to the kind she was used to, it was still a surprisingly nice brew. Maybe that was the headmaster's influence? Regardless it Looked like Weiss wouldn't have to start using up the limited supply of her favorite teas she brought from home as soon as she expected. She would instead have the freedom to keep it for special occasions. Maybe she would even share some with her team in a festive moment.
She threw a glance to another table where Izuku, Ruby and Tenya were sitting in private, ironing out some of the general details of their future leader council meetings.
Which had only left one other person at the same table as her. Weiss decided to ignore her for now. One shouldn't drink tea in a bad mood after all. She still felt a bit tired too after giving her all in Aizawa's exercise and she didn't get much sleep due to Izuku first interrupting her and then trying to wake her early.
Still, she was pleased with her team's performance and her own in that exercise. The other team members hadn't talked much about how exactly they solved the problem yet, but all three had gotten a perfect record like she did, so it would be interesting to hear about it and compare notes, so to say.
Izuku came from an area of mountains and forests so he should have some navigation skills, Pyrrha had shown athletic skills in her career that would prove useful approaching the exercise in a similar manner as Weiss had done. Nora's success surprised her, but it showed she could keep up outside of battle, which somewhat reassured some fears Weiss harbored.
Weiss had abused the fact that her glyphs provided her with an edge to take the high ground and improve her speed, which had allowed her to cover a good amount of terrain in a short time span. She had also taken keen notice of which directions the other people went off in the beginning and had entirely ignored areas they returned from while bearing dissatisfied looks. That calculated risk had cut down on the areas she had to search and it didn't take her that long to find Aizawa.
He gave her a perfect record, citing the calculated risk of watching the others as a high point of Weiss' tactical thinking and the skilled use of her semblance to aid her outside of direct battle as another.
But Weiss somehow couldn't shake the feeling he still looked somewhat... disappointed?
Maybe it was the amount of Dust she used? While he did tell them to use everything they wanted and had available, she doubted many students, barring Iida Tenya perhaps, had strained their Dust reserves that early. Specifically if they used up much during the hunter exam already.
Regardless, a success for her. The first of many, if she had something to say about it. She would measure up to her family name and her own goals. It was only suitable to start off like that.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
The dinner had been... interesting.
Izuku had reinforced her opinion on the source of his drive. But it had been that blonde girl Yang who had shown some hidden depth, after her annoying displays of teasing during the breakfast.
By aiding her teammate, a frog Faunus girl.
In her own crude and vulgar manner of course. Still, standing up to that Cardin person, who supposedly was also a team leader, required some courage. One thing was certain, Yang had made an enemy that day and Cardin surely hadn't been made a team leader for his manners, or rather the painfully obvious lack there-of. So he should have some serious skills to compensate his ill-bearing.
While all people at the table had shown approval at Yang's actions, Blake Belladonna seemed especially impacted by the scene. Maybe she was a Faunus rights activist?
There always had been a certain amount of human supporters looking to aid the Faunus cause, even though the numbers of human supporters were in decline due to the public fall out of the White Fang attacks, as well as more media covering how the Schnee Dust Company actually treated their Faunus workers opposed to the blatant lies that were spread for a political agenda.
Without a thought to how stupid and irresponsible that kind of political hate-mongering was in a world where negative emotions fed the Grimm threat of humanity.
But Blake seemed prejudiced against Weiss, or rather the Schnee name, from the start, so she was probably in line with the naysayers that called the truth a spin doctor campaign instead and would eat up any lie she heard.
Weiss had also noticed Blake had thrown her a look during the scene and the girl even had the gall to look surprised at Weiss having positive regard of Yang's actions.
The young Schnee had been told about the campaigns against her family name and company. Experienced some of them in person too, but being in the center of someone's attention who apparently thought you were some kind of monster who would clap and giggle at the sight of Faunus discrimination was... a bit more unsettling.
It was more direct and therefore offended Weiss on a much more personal level. Which was the reason she ignored the other person at the table, Blake, barring the occasional glance Weiss couldn't resist. Her thoughts still wouldn't stop though...
If Blake supposedly was a human supporter of Faunus empowerment, it made sense she would react that strongly to the incident, specifically when she otherwise felt like a silent person that barely showed emotions.
Weiss had also seen Blake taking notice of the fact Izuku was starting to react before Yang held him back, as well as her positive reaction when he talked about protecting the weak and how terrible it felt to have lost hope. And how a hunter who can birth hope is a special kind of hero and the sort he aimed to be.
That thought gave Weiss pause.
Lost hope.
A human Faunus right supporter would probably know something about that.
Their groups never really bonded and worked together with the Faunus they shared their aims with, like the earliest incarnation of the White Fang long before it turned to terrorism.
Maybe if they did, the White Fang wouldn't be what it was today.
But the Faunus always were suspicious about their aims, afraid of being used in some way or losing face in front of other Faunus for cooperating with humans of any kind.
That would surely feel pretty discouraging to a human who only wanted to reach out a hand. The attempts of the Schnee company to reach out to the Faunus were probably often met with similar ungrounded dismissal. Faunus tended to be overly paranoid in general, somewhat understandable, but hurting their cause far worse than anyone else ever did.
They weren't satisfied with small steps and damned whatever was given or gained as too little too late, specifically if the Schnee Company was involved.
It was a bit telling it even had been the Frog Faunus who brought the issue of the White Fang actually hurting the Faunus cause up in the history class lesson instead of the human activist.
Blake had looked a bit worked up after hearing the Frog Faunus, probably because she wanted to say something similar and didn't, out of fear how it would be taken, coming from the mouth of a human.
Weiss could relate, it had been on her tongue as well, but if it coming from the mouth of a human could go badly, to try saying it as the Schnee heir?
Weiss frowned and glanced at Blake, sighing internally. The girl was obviously pro-Faunus, but she'd so far hadn't even seen her actually interact with any of them.
Blake went so far as to wear a hair ornament that almost looked like cat ears from some distance to endear herself to the Faunus, but instead of reaching out to them she'd rather glare at Weiss for being the "evil oppressive Schnee heir" witch she apparently saw her as.
Weiss smiled sardonically.
For all the good will Blake probably harbored towards the Faunus, she apparently didn't actually deal much with Faunus on a personal level.
To the point it wasn't even her, Blake, who stood up to protect her own Faunus teammate.
Weiss finally realized what it was that made her angry. What gave Blake the right to judge her, when she wasn't even remotely practicing what she preached, but damning a Schnee she knew nothing about for the general situation was fine?
Because for all the words about understanding, most Faunus and Faunus supporters only saw the world in Black and White, dismissing even the good the Schnee Corporation did and the fact that they weren't really their enemy. Because it was easier to shift the blame on a face-less company.
Instead the White Fang was busy escalating things and the security, army and heroes were up in arms to counter that, with the Schnee Company losing money and time to that conflict that could be used to improve humanity's situation. Not to mention having the army and heroes not fighting Grimm but Faunus to the detriment of all.
Weiss would one day be the one dealing with that.
Not a Faunus or Blake, who was apparently more bark than bite when it came to defend her beliefs.
She was the heir. And she wanted to improve the situation. Unwarranted as it was, she regarded it as a blemish on the Schnee family name she intended to clean up. But Weiss knew words wouldn't cut it.
Maybe Weiss should have stood up too. Her situation was rather unique though.
But Blake? She should have stood up.
Weiss took a sip of tea, but to her annoyance it tasted bitter. The tea sat for too long. Too many disturbances to have a nice tea time.
Was she really alright with having Blake as some glaring shadow for the next few years?
What if they'd by chance had ended up at teammates instead?
How would she face her if her team faced Tenya's or they'd end up paired in spar?
Should she risk a fight where her mind would wander?
Strike her down and give her another reason to be at odds with her?
Maybe Weiss wasn't aware of how to deal with the situation in the future and maybe she should have stood up before. But should she maybe stand up now? She looked at Blake and was surprised to see her already looking at her over the book she was reading. Neither girl did avert their eyes though, not that time.
Weiss realized something in Blake's eyes was less... judging than before?
Weiss put the tea cup down. Then stood up and walked over. Aware Blake was looking at her approach with a hard to describe look on her face.
"Excuse me, Miss Belladonna, could I ask you something?", Weiss asked, trying her best not to offend by tone or posture.
Blake looked at her for a few moments and seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding.
Weiss was about to take a seat when suddenly Izuku and Tenya called their respective names through the hall. She turned her head and saw their talk with Ruby apparently was over. She heard the sound of Blake's book closing and looked back at the girl.
"I'm sorry, it looks like our team leaders have urgent need of us.", Blake spoke up, already standing up from the chair.
Weiss couldn't help but think Blake seemed relieved about the disruption. The Schnee heir put on her best business smile and answered politely:
"Think nothing of it. It wasn't really that important."
"Except it kind of was.", Weiss thought, a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Must have been that tea...", she told herself.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
The proceeding dinner had also been... interesting.
For one thing, Iida Tenya had reinforced her decent opinion of his. While it seemed a bit early and maybe it shouldn't have been in hearing range of everyone else, the idea of a leader council was obviously a useful one. That somewhat bubbly girl Ruby and Izuku did well in seeing the worth of that suggestion.
For a moment Weiss' thoughts were driven towards Blake.
Weiss felt a tinge of sadness at how that encounter after dinner had ended. It hadn't been easy for her to stretch out a hand like that and considering how that went...
She didn't regret doing it, but she wasn`t sure she'd be willing to do so again anytime soon.
That incident with the Frog Faunus, Tsuyu?, had been what would have set the right mood for a reasonable talk. For a moment Blake and her had been on common ground and each of them knew it at the time. Weiss wasn't so sure how a conversation between them would have went even with that kind of common ground to ease the start. Without it? She doubted it. Blake had been too wary of Weiss initiating a conversation to make her believe it would work out.
Weiss decided that for now she couldn't justify letting herself be distracted from her duties to herself, her heritage and her team by that issue, despite her open dissatisfaction at the fact. She might reconsider later-on when things had settled a bit. Or if Blake made a step towards her first.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Originally Weiss's performance in Aizawa's test had been up to her own standards. But after later hearing about how Izuku's group handled it, she had begun to understand Aizawa's hesitation to give her
The highest grade after that group effort had preceded her own attempt. She had briefly wondered what it said about her she didn't even consider cooperating with the others for a second.
Had it been at that point she started to feel she hadn't evaluated Izuku and herself fairly? While on paper both of their approaches had equal merit, from a team leader's perspective...
She felt she'd come up short in comparison due to concentrating solely on her own performance.
Regarding their team talk, Izuku had welcomed all of her ideas and they had gone over them during dinner and in the latter team meeting. Part of her proposals about finance management were to be put into action and she agreed that her initial focus on Dust use could be postponed a bit until the team had trained some basic teamwork. Dust wasn't easy to use and incorporate in ones fighting style, even she would admit that and she came from a family that specialized in it and had provided her with the best of teachers. That difficulty could potentially distract someone from picking up their teammates' more general habits, simply by being too busy fine-tuning their own Dust use.
Weiss also had felt her sentiment at using Dust in spades so early would have been less if she didn't have the means to use it in amounts others would consider obscene spending to begin with.
From a team perspective it made sense to first have an approach that left more resources for general purposes. She'd consider it a long term project though and said as much during the meeting.
She glanced at the corner of the room. Izuku was still at it. The nerve. Did he not get tired?
Maybe boys just needed less sleep than girls in general? Still no reason to keep her awake like that!
The boy was a bit of an enigma. She felt something intriguing about him. And no, it wasn't his abs, despite what that uncultured blonde, Yang, said during breakfast. When he first came to talk to her, he didn't do it harboring any ill intentions, nor did he have any ulterior motive, which was... somewhat refreshing? If not endearing.
Izuku hadn't even been aware of her family name. Nor really cared about it after being told, beyond excusing himself for maybe having accidentally insulted her. And he didn't try hitting on her either, which tended to be the second most likely reason someone would talk to her.
His knowledge had impressed her, as did his humility when he analyzed possible team-ups and excluded himself from them. Despite being a bit awkward, he had left a good impression on her in general.
And not only on her. Tenya especially was clearly holding the boy in high regard already, due to his keen analytical mind and his performance during the exam. The way Pyrrha and Izuku ran to help Tenya and his partner out, taking on the giant Nevermore and winning. With Izuku apparently having no hesitation about hurting himself and willingly lowering his chances for the rest of the exam.
Weiss wouldn't have minded having Izuku on her team, specifically when he was already partnered with Pyrrha, who she planned to work with from the beginning. Despite Nora drilling away at her sanity, she did take notice of Izuku's emblem pick after all and while she'd still have preferred Tenya Iida at that point, she had to admit Izuku had shown some comparable qualities. She also hadn't really cared for all those glances Blake had given her when she thought Weiss wasn't looking. Even if she had not known the particular reasons of the girl's reservations about her at that point, it was part of the reason she had actually preferred having the Pyrrha and Izuku team as additional members instead of Tenya and Blake to precede unnecessary trouble in the future.
But having Izuku on her team and being on his team were entirely different things. She would have to get used to it. She was used to enacting authority. The times she was under authority involved mostly only older members of her family and the experiences with that, mostly with her father... had left her yearning to take control of situations herself, whenever possible.
Regardless, Weiss had decided from the beginning that she would still give her all to do well on the team and should the boy not satisfy the duties and responsibilities his position as team leader brought with it, she would take measures to replace him as the leader. That went without saying.
Still, she really didn't have much left to criticize. Regardless how hard she had looked for something.
If what Izuku told them was true (and who was she to really doubt that, considering she was the one withholding information from her team in regards of keeping her summoning ability a secret), he only had his aura and semblance for a short time and his potential couldn't be denied. His drive was clear and his goals commendable. He went and hurt himself without hesitation in the forest, acted the same way when Nora faked herself being in danger and also behaved himself well-mannered while surrounded by three girls. This morning he had called home to his mother even! Awkward as Izuku could be, he apparently had been groomed well and Weiss was willing to give him a fair chance.
Unless she caught him yawn tomorrow. Then there would be a well-deserved reckoning. She smiled at that, before becoming serious again.
But for Izuku to exceed her, admittedly overly low-set expectations that much. She had started to question herself after Aizawa's exercise.
To the point she went after Toshinori Yagi after class. After seeing him in person, she knew it had been worth it to enter Beacon instead of visiting an academy in Atlas instead, like her father had insisted on at first.
Still angry at the situation with Blake and at herself for being so confused and lost on merely the second day, Weiss hadn't stopped herself from running after him, seeking some guidance.
The symbol of Hope. It held a certain kind of magic to it, didn't it? Even to her.
And with him being the hero Izuku looked up to so much, she felt that was the common ground she needed to feel justified in seeking counsel without feeling weak. While she maybe deserved to be chided for her weakness in the entire matter, surely no-one could really damn her for asking someone as esteemed as All Might to help her?
If someone like him deemed her worries silly, surely she would be able to get over them, right?
Except he didn't consider them silly. He could relate. His words, however unexpected, had ringed so true. Not only in her mind, but in her heart. While she wouldn't have dreamt of telling Izuku about her mindset before, in the end she took Toshinori Yagi's advice and made the leap of faith.
Yagi had told her he didn't expect Izuku would judge her for it. And even when she still judged herself about it... Izuku really didn't.
It would be hard for her, but she felt she made a good first step. The burden of knowing her feelings wasn't on just her own shoulder's anymore and that made it easier to bear. To what degree she still had to find out.
"We should have a cat theme."
"Wait what?!"
Blake shouted, startled. She stared at Yang, trying to determine what brought that out of the blue and then the blond was staring at her and-
"You know, because we're team TABY, like the cat. Meow." Yang teased while holding her hand in a manner similar to a cat's aggressive warding pose that for some unfathomable reason people thought looked cute.
"Nobody else does team themes with their names." Blake said, trying to kill the thought fast. "This sounds like a waste of time."
Yang just blew her off. "Oh please, that's because most teams have terrible names to try and make a theme with. Plus there is this one second year team I met, CFVY, where they just wear shades of dark brown like coffee. I'm not saying we should go overboard, just a little something to show team bonding."
Tenya, Blake was horrified to note, seemed to be giving it way too much consideration. "I see. A means of showing team unity would be one way of raising both moral and cooperation as it would both show our allegiance and can help endear a group mentality by helping to reinforce association of membership with the group. A most excellent idea Yang."
"Yeah, it's just purr-fect." the blond quipped before quickly ducking down to escape her partner's retaliation. "Ha! Ow!"
The ow came courtesy of Blake performing a face smack with her book. "If you dodge you won't learn. And if you want some sort of team theme fine, but not cats."
"But it's right in our name so it makes the most sense." Tsuyu pointed out. "Blake, do you have a problem with cats ribbit?"
Blake tensed up massively as she tried to think of what to say, her words coming out as stammering worthy of Izuku. "What no I don't have a problem with cats who has a problem with cats I just don't think they should be our theme I mean I don't think we should have a theme but if we did it shouldn't be cats."
"Oh my god." Yang said, her eyes going huge. "It all makes sense now. Your reaction to the team being named TABY. Flinching when that one dude said you had catlike reflexes. Looking around nervously whenever somebody says something like "they're being catty". I get it now. You-"
"Wait no I can explain I-"
"- are scared of cats!"
"- don't... wait what?" Blake's brain came to a screeching halt as she tried to process that.
Yang broke out into a big grin. "You're scared of cats! It all fits. You just don't want to admit it because it's embarrassing for a badass to be scared of a little kitty cat." she finished off in a teasing tone and baby voice.
"I am not scared of cats." Blake defended herself on reflex, before realizing that she didn't have an answer yet to the obvious follow up question.
Which Tsuyu naturally provided. "So then what is your problem with cats ribbit?"
Blake thought hard but couldn't come up with anything. Even an allergy wouldn't work well as it wasn't like a real cat would be involved and if she got exposed to one without reacting it would just raise further suspicion. Slowly she sank her head deeper into her book, letting out a groan of misery.
"Alright that is enough of that." Tenya cut in, coming to his partner's rescue. "It is clear Blake doesn't want to discuss this and we should respect her privacy. In addition the point of team themes is to raise group cohesion and using a theme that is clearly not approved of by one of our team members is counterproductive and possibly even hazing. As such while I do still enjoy the idea and believe it would be beneficial to the team we will have to take time to select an idea we can perform that nobody on the team objects to especially not to such a degree."
"I... yeah you're right. Sorry Blake, that was totally rude of me. We cool?" Yang asks, holding up a fist for a bump.
Blake rolled her eyes and gave a small bump. "Well what do you know, you are learning."
Yang grinned. "Well if I couldn't my grades would be a cat-tastrophy." For that one she got smacked by the tongue and the book. "Why?"
"I decided I'm joining in on the cat ones." Blake explained casually.
Yang sighed. "Well that's just perfect... wait wait that wasn't a-"
Smack smack.
'Hurts.'
'Everything hurts.'
His left arm was already hanging limply to the side broken through the use of his powers, his right only bruised and battered yet still unbroken.
His breaths were harsh and labored.
He felt tired
…
so very tired.
Still he tapped into his aura, the light of his soul flickering in response, a quick look at his scroll showed it dipped down to the red.
He'd been at it for hours.
Breaking, healing, training.
Over and over again.
But-
He couldn't stop.
Not yet.
He felt that he was so close, so close to a break through.
'So very close.'
...
'One more time.'
He gritted his teeth and ignored the pain.
'Just one more time.'
One For All shined within him, a surge of energy raised from it and flowed through his right arm.
'You can do this! You can control it. You will control it! You will release its energy and not break your arm. Not this time!'
He poured his soul into his punch, while his mind and will focused on controlling the enormous power within his limb.
"SMMAAAAASSSSHHHHH!"
His arm broke, his scroll rang out to warn him that his aura dwindled close to nil.
Bone pierced flesh, and blood seeped freely from fresh wounds.
He screamed in pain.
"Arrrrgggghhhhhhh!"
'Endure it, you can endure it.'
…
'Don't pass out.'
'Think.'
'That will help, help distract you from the pain.'
'Too much power? No, that's not it, you made sure to use as little as possible. That- didn't even hurt as much as it did when you broke your left arm.'
'You- you don't even-'
'No. No passing out. Not now. Not again. Not, yet.'
'Ah it's bleeding a lot, that looks really bad.'
I- I need to do something. Bandages. He should put bandages around the arm, just set it in place, as long as he set it in place and wait for his aura to replenish so he could still continue training.
He needed to get stronger.
For his Team, for his friends, for his dreams.
For Toshinori.
He just needed to hold on a bit more, one or two more then he'd drag himself to Peach.
Yeah, just take a quick break, recover as much aura as possibl-
His legs gave in before his will, and his face met the floor.
He heard the door open, and a rush of hurried footsteps.
He tried to look up, and the last thing he saw before he passed out were a pair of worried green eyes.
xXxXxXxXxXxXx
Long gone instincts found themselves surfacing instantaneously.
The nearby first aid kit shoots toward her as he body moved without thinking, power already coalesced upon her hands as they work on the injured student. Bandages, splints, medicinal dust, and various other tools move, as invisible hands brought about by her power work in tandem with her own.
"LYN! HELP ME!"
"Yagi would you stop screa- what happened to your arm!?"
"Please don't tell her! I don't want Teacher getting mad at me again!"
"And why not?"
"It's nothing serious I swear!"
"You broke your arm! For the second time this week! Was it another Deathstalker?"
"I was actually trying to make a dent on the cliff and a huge part of it fell and crushed my arm! Can you please-"
"No. Yagi. No more. This is the last time I'd be doing this for you."
"But-"
"I promised to help take care of you, if you get injured, but this, this is too much, too reckless, too stupid."
"Ah crap. Lyn, I'm sorry. I swear it was an accident, see my arm isn't even that badly hurt HAHAHAHA-SHIT!"
"You! Just give me a second-"
"Ah, damn it, I'm sorry, I'm really sorry HAHA-ouch. Oh, that smarts."
"Just promise me you won't do anything this stupid again."
"I can't promise that."
"…you never really told me why you push yourself this hard Yagi. Would you at least tell me why?"
"Ah, well. It's actually pretty embarrassing. Well to be honest? Because, I need to get stronger, this world, it's so dark, and hopeless. It needs a pillar to lean on so it can stand. It needs a hero. I'll be that hero no matter what it takes, no matter how much damage I do to my body, even if it breaks or turn to ash, as long as I can keep others safe, as long as I can make them feel hope and make them smile, then it would be all worth it."
"Even if it kills you?"
"Ah, well I hope it doesn't. I mean I want to live a long life, start a family, maybe even have kids one day, but well if I can save this world, or pave the way for the one who'll save it, then I'd probably die happy."
"*Sigh* I can't be mad at you when you smile like that."
"What was that?"
"I said at least make sure to take care of yourself. How would you save this world, or anyone else, if you can't even look after yourself?"
"Ah but I have you to look after me righ- Ouch that hurt! You're supposed to be hel- OUCH!"
"…idiot."
A tired sigh escaped her lips, before they curved up into a small smile.
She never did stop healing and taking care of that idiot until the two of them graduated from Beacon.
She went on to teach, guide and train a new generation of huntsman and huntresses, while that smiling idiot roamed Remnant inspiring those new huntsman to heights that no one had previously imagined.
And then…
'I Got Him...I Got Him'
She still hadn't forgiven him for that.
It had hurt when she had found him, a hole in through his body.
It hurt seeing him in a bed, hooked up on machines, and near death.
It hurt even more after, when he reassured her that everything was alright, brushing her worries away.
Acting tough, and confident, full of machismo while she watched as his body and powers slowly withered away every time they met.
Yet he still kept on smiling.
'That idiot.'
She shook her head and looked over her work on MNVW's unconscious leader, a temporary patch work at best, her skills upon healing injuries has long since rusted from disuse, but it would do for now. At least until Peach would work her magic and take care of any lingering issues that she may have missed.
A faint glow of purple surrounded young Midoriya, warm yet stern, powerful but controlled, she drew upon the power of her soul, broken arms held in place by the power of her semblance, as she slowly floated his body beside her, intent on bring him to the infirmary as fast as possible.
That boy was just as stubborn as his mentor, honestly she'd thought he'd be smarter than him from what she'd seen and heard from Aizawa, Port, and Oobleck. It was endearing in a sense, much like Yagi was long ago, young Midoriya had within him the same drive and passion to go further and beyond most huntsmen, but such a strong drive needed to be calmed and tempered, less he burn himself out before reaching his full potential.
"You really know how to pick them."
She'd make sure that he'd get a lecture from her after he'd recovered and perhaps a heads up to one of his teammates to look after him after his sessions, or at least teach him about moderation? But first she'd talk to Yagi, he'd most likely back from his daily hunts in the Emerald Forest so perhaps she'd invite him out for some drinks, hopefully she'd get him to listen and make sure his protégé wouldn't nearly kill himself while training in the future or at least agree to have someone supervising Young Midoriya during his training sessions.
If not, then she'd make time to look after his student, perhaps give him some tips on how to train and use his aura as well as words of wisdom from a huntress such as herself.
She trusted Yagi to make sure that Izuku Midoriya would grow into a powerful and outstanding huntsman, one who goes above and beyond all expectations, and achieve the impossible.
So she would teach him, how to be smart and fast, how to move and think like a huntsman, along with intricacies of aura, and hopefully mold him into a huntsman who doesn't needlessly cause heart ache to those that love and care for them like some idiots do.
'Yes,' she thought to herself, 'I'll make sure that he doesn't turn into an idiot like Toshinori Yagi.'
Izuku and Weiss were in their dorm room. Nora had gone off somewhere and Pyrrha was currently on Nora duty so there was only the two of them in the room.
Izuku was currently writing notes when his hand stopped and his head tilted to the side as if he was confused about something and couldn't figure it out.
"Hey Weiss" Izuku called.
Weiss spun around with a curious glance on her face.
"I've been wondering for awhile now but why do you fight in high heels? It must be quite difficult" Izuku asked.
Weiss' mind went whirling as fast as it could. How could she answer something like that? Then the answer came to her.
"They are combat heels" Weiss blurted out her answer. Not really sure that Izuku would believe her. The idea of combat heels were just as ridiculous as a combat skirt.
"Oh, like your combat dress?" Izuku nodded and asked another question.
Crap, she forgot that she already used that excuse for fighting in a dress. There's no way she can tell him that she fights in a dress just because she like dresses after all. Even if it took years to learn how to fight in one without it getting caught on something.
"Yes, like that" Weiss responded, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Oh right, I've been looking up combat dresses but I couldn't find anything. The closest I got was Ruby who mentioned combat skirts. But I couldn't find anything on those either" Izuku said as he turned to his notes about the possible benefits and demerits of a combat dress. From what she could see, there was much more demerits than benefits written down.
That was bad. She really didn't want to wear some tacky pants just because they were more practical.
"Anyway, what put the combat in combat heels, Weiss?" Izuku asked as he picked up his notebook and a pen. An eager look shone from his eyes as he prepared to write down her every word.
"W-well, they add more damage to kicks?" Weiss asked more than stated. She was talking out of her ass after all.
"I see, I see" Izuku nodded while writing down in her notebook. That is, until his head once more tilted to the side in confusion. "You use kicks Weiss? I've never seen you use them"
"Not exactly" Weiss said as her brain worked at full capacity to come up with an excuse. "But it's better to have the option than not"
"Even at the expense of some mobility?" Izuku asked, wanting to know all the advantages and flaws of his team.
Weiss nodded. She felt like anything she said would just sink her deeper and deeper into the bullshit she was spewing.
"I see. Then it would be better to add some close combat kicking to your training" Izuku mumbled to himself as he wrote down notes after notes.
Okay, that wasn't what she expected. She definitely didn't want to go around kicking people like some sort of brute. But she didn't want to tell him that the only reason she wore high heels was so that she doesn't feel so short even more.
"Maail time!" Nora practically pirouetted into the room, a small collection of letters with a small brown package underneath. While Weiss and Pyrrha seemed to perk up at the call, Izuku was conspicuously absent. "Hey. Where's Fearless Leader?"
"Where else?" The heiress groaned, leaning against her desk and shaking her head. "He said he almost had his aura calculations done and was going to the library for research. I doubt we'll see him for another hour." When she heard Pyrrha's giggle, a small smirk cracked her lips. "If he wasn't a huntsman, he would be the most terrifying teacher in history."
"Or office worker."
"Or a bullhead pilot."
The trio shuddered, and Weiss was quick to change the subject with a distraction. "What's in the box, Nora? I doubt it's mine, since my family wouldn't sent something via postal service."
Nora set the letters onto her desk and held the box up for her inspection. "Hmm...it says it's to Izuku. From a... Inko Midoriya.." She gasped and flashed them an eager grin. "It's from his mom! That's so super cool! I wonder what's inside, maybe some book or keepsake from home or maybe a acceptance presentcauseIdunnowhatshe'dsendImeanitcouldbeanything! Maybe even a boat!" In awe of the possibilities, she gave it a hard shake to try and discern its contents.
Pyrrha frowned and reached out hesitantly. "Now now, Nora, that isn't ours. It could be fragile for all we-"
*RIIIIIIP*
That was all the warning they had before the paper gave way, sending the box inside flying right into Weiss, who toppled over with a startled shriek. While Pyrrha had gotten up to check on her, Nora was focused on the card that had fallen out, ignoring her partner's aggravated shouts and reading aloud. "Dear Izuku, I know you're becoming a young man, and I know you said I didn't need to worry, but you know how I am." By now the other two were silent in their captivation. "While I love and trust you very much, I have to make sure you act responsibly. Please don't tell your team, since this isn't the sort of thing you should bring up around young ladies. It's just not proper." She ignored how Weiss' eyes drifted to the box, her look blossoming into one of outright disgust and horror. "Just remember; Be safe. I'm not ready to be an grandmother yet. Love Mom." Nora smiled and closed it. "Ya know, that was really sweet. I wonder what's so protective about her package." She looked to Pyrrha for some clarification, but found her struck stone silent, her face going a bright shade of red that reminded her of heated metal.
She followed her quavering gaze to the box that the Schnee heiress was holding as far away from her as she could with two fingers, like it was going to bite her or something. Oh well. It gave her a chance to lean in and read the front. "Huh. What's a con-dom?" She sounded the word out, brow furrowing as she tried to connect the dots she knew she was missing. "And how does this involve grandbabies?"
Apparently that single word was enough to snap Weiss out of her trance, letting out a loud 'EWWWW' before flinging the box away. The peerless reflexes of Pyrrha Nikos sprang into action, snagging the box out of the air before she even realized it. "Oh my!" was all she could manage before throwing it back to Weiss.
"Don't throw that at me!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Don't be sorry! Here!"
"Nononoewewewewww.."
The literal back and forth between them was fun to watch, but curiosity got the better of Nora and she snagged the box out of the air. "Aw c'mon guys! What's so weird about these things?" She flipped it over. "They look like hat-shaped balloons."
Weiss slowly got to her feet and held her hands out, as though she were dealing with some volatile substance. "Nora, you need to put those down now. Those are disgusting things no self-respecting woman should ever touch."
Nora rolled her eyes. "Like Izuku's mom would really send him something dirty. And the box looks clean anyway."
Now the Invincible Girl stepped forward, face still thoroughly flushed. "That's not what she means, Nora. What she means is..erm..." She stopped and looked over to the only other sane mind in the room. "Should we be explaining this sort of thing?"
Weiss stammered and sputtered a long moment, trying to find an answer that made sense. But nothing was making sense! She just reached out and grabbed the box from Nora. "N-No we will n-not explain any of...that! Obviously we'll all be heading to the nurses' office, and hopefully they can tell Nora what she wants to know, without sacrificing our dignity in the process." She felt her confidence beginning to rally. Now she had to hide these...things, and they would talk with Izuku about this sort of inappropriateness.
"Hey everyone! I left one of my notebooks."As though summoned by some spite-filled god, Izuku's voice grew louder as he opened the door, big sheepish smile on his lips as he started for his desk. Then he noticed how they were all focused on what Weiss...had in...her...hand? He blinked, like the slow shutter of a camera, before looking at the scandalized Schnee. The silence went on for several moments before he turned, closed the door, and sighed loudly. "W-Weiss, I kn-know our f-f-families have different ways of doing th-thiings, but that's not the sort of thing you should just..wave around." He was the leader. While it was very odd, and really unexpected to see in Weiss of all people, he wasn't going to just allow that sort of thing to fly. It wasn't proper, and obviously made the others uncomfortable. Except for Nora, who looked like she had questions he'd rather bite his tongue off then answer. "You're an adult, and I respect your choices, but I think we'd all just prefer some things stay private. Ok?" He offered with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.
Which apparently didn't work, since Weiss let out some kind of incoherent roar and lunged like a feral cat, knocking him to the floor and pinning him down with her body. If he wasn't trying to keep her hands from his throat, he'd probably be blushing like mad. Who was he kidding? He was blushing anyway. And so was Weiss! "W-Weiss! Not in front of the others! It's lewd!"
"Die!"
Nora was too confused to try and help Pyrrha as she tried in vain to get their teammate off their team leader. Oh well. She'd just go ask Ren. Obviously he'd know what all the fuss was about. Then there'd be hat-shaped balloons for his whole team too! This is gonna be awesome!
E/N: To start off We have Second Night, Tea Time, and the second part of Second Night, all by Vandalgyon. Followed by Team Themeing from White Eyes's, Idiot, be Seyvrin, Combat Heels by thebebb (This is the one that inspired the conversation with Pyrrha a short while back.) and Finally an Ounce of Prevention by... Preventer Squall.
A/N: Merry Christmas Eve, everyone!