07/01/2023

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you are the greatest! I was on Christmas break so return all recharged! And full of ham.

The Emperor's Dragon
Emergence 36 - Reacquainting

As Izuku read the last of the messages on his phone he handed it over to Himiko to see them. He probably didn't have to but he wanted to show her that he really had sent the messages.

Himiko looked at it but she pushed the phone back. "I didn't send you messages," she said softly. "But-" she held out her phone, showing off the background. It took Izuku a moment to read the message and he gasped.

"You kept it?"

The background was a screenshot of a set of messages. They were the last set of messages they'd exchanged. He looked at his last message and sighed. "I didn't mean for it to be this long," he murmured.

"Not that," Himiko giggled. "The line before," she indicated.

He shifted his gaze. There's nothing wrong with you. "Hmm? Well, there is nothing wrong with you," he confirmed again.

Himiko smiled but then she sighed. "Why did you leave?" she asked again.

"I didn't want to," Izuku replied.

"And why do you have a quirk?"

"That's a long story," Izuku replied. "Do you want some tea?" he offered. She'd finished licking the knife clean of his blood. Himiko nodded and Izuku got up. Making the tea gave him time to think and he brought two cups to the table before he got the tea pot. "Where do you want me to start?" He asked, though now that he had time to think, he had questions himself. Kurogiri had delivered Himiko, which meant she had probably been seeing Tomura and he wanted to know why. "Probably with my quirk," he answered before she could reply and then took a deep breath and then blew a small tongue of fire. When Himiko looked surprised, Izuku smiled. "I have a quirk," he said, deciding to tell her the truth. "When I went to school, dad had me pretend not to have one so I could learn what it was like," he explained.

"What's your quirk?" Himiko asked.

"It's called Dragon's Hoard," Izuku replied. "I can take quirks and use them for myself," he explained. "Dad's given me a lot of different quirks," he added.

"What?" Himiko demanded.

Short of taking her quirk it was going to be hard to demonstrate, so instead, Izuku flicked his fingers towards her, making a little gust of air to blow over her face. He nodded to show that he'd done it. "I'll show you properly later," Izuku promised as he thought of what to tell her next. "Who were you seeing?" he asked.

Himiko tilted her head to show her question.

"Kurogiri sent you here," Izuku explained, gesturing upwards to indicate where the portal Himiko had fallen through had been.

"Some emo with a hand on his face," she replied.

He laughed. "Tomura,"

"A villain?" Himiko seemed doubtful.

Izuku nodded.

"He had your blood!" Himiko objected.

Izuku nodded again before he realised something. "You could taste it?" He asked.

"Of course I could taste it!"

"There were only two drops!" Regeneration worked fast and that was all he'd been able to give Tomura.

"I told you, Izu, your blood is special!" Himiko reminded him.

He smiled at her but wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that. He kind of felt bad that after so long, she still knew what the taste of his blood was like. Sure, he had sent messages but…

Izuku didn't get to think on that long because Himiko leaned over the table and kissed him. He was so surprised he flipped back. Himiko went with him and belatedly, Izuku kissed back.

"You're mine," she whispered, before kissing him again.

Izuku could taste his blood mixed with tea and with Himiko it wasn't that bad. She pulled back, leaning upwards to smile at him. "I missed you so much," she told him.

The words of his father a few years ago, flashed through his mind. Just do not be forced into anything you aren't ready for, he heard his father say, and while it was odd that he remembered that now, he could answer the thought with certainty. He wasn't sure exactly what he was ready for and even though Himiko had initiated whatever this was, he didn't feel forced. It felt like he was reconnecting with Himiko.

At least kissing did. He wasn't sure he wanted to go further and while Himiko was leading the way, she didn't seem to want more. But they were in an odd position. Himiko was still half sprawled on his table and he was lying on his back. She was warm against him and Izuku raised his arms to hold her.

"I missed you too," he replied, closing his eyes as he lifted his head to rub his cheek against hers.

Himiko just sighed. It seemed happy and after a few moments, Izuku shifted, rolling slightly and then pulling Himiko to him. He picked her up easily and carried her to his bedroom. He already knew he didn't want anything more but lying there on his table was not going to be a good place to spend the night.

"Oh, you are strong!" Himiko noted.

"One of my quirks," Izuku replied as he took them to his bedroom. He only had a single bed. He hadn't needed anything more. He lay Himiko on it and then sat on the edge.

"Quirks?" She asked, almost sleepy. Her yellow eyes looked up at him but they were a little unfocused

"It's one of the quirks I have," Izuku said. He reached out to take Himiko's hand and rubbed his thumb over her skin. "My quirk allows me to take other quirks. My dad gave me some for protection," he explained. "Strength was one of them," he added.

Himiko blinked. It made her eyes even more unfocused.

"Did you have too much blood?" Izuku asked.

She nodded, even as she hummed her agreement. "It was so nice!" She declared.

Izuku had been around Kurogiri's bar for as long as he could remember. He knew what drunk people looked like. He knew what those who had taken other substances were like. Himiko was like that now. She was both high and drunk. He chuckled.

"You should sleep," he encouraged her.

"Don't want to." she told him.

"I'll watch over you," Izuku promised.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Will you still be there?"

He translated the question. Would he still be there in the morning? Izuku smiled. "You are on my bed. I'll still be here," he promised, patting her hand.

"Hmm…" Himiko crooned but Izuku could tell she was falling asleep. He didn't have a quirk to help with that but he had a feeling his presence was enough for her. It was kind of humbling that she trusted him so much, even after so long.

"Sleep Himiko," Izuku told her. "I'll still be here," he assured her again and watched as her eyes closed.

He sat and listened as Himiko's breath evened out as she slipped into sleep but when he tried to rise Himiko's hand gripped his. He wasn't pinned, but she was holding tight and didn't appear inclined to let go. Izuku sighed. He needed to clean up and then get some sleep because he'd probably have to be up early to explain things to Himiko and… there was a lot of work. Izuku wondered where his phone was. He thought it was outside, probably in his bag but he needed to talk to Kurogiri.

And then…

And then it didn't matter. He smiled to himself.

It had been an odd day, but worth it to have Himiko back.

-ted-

When Himiko woke up, she knew two things immediately. She'd gotten the good stuff last night. There was a satisfied lethargy in her limbs which told her that. And she wasn't in her own bed. She didn't often sleep in someone else's bed but there were times when she needed a kip and took the first available bed. But she always did that alone.

She could hear someone else. Gold eyes flew open at that realisation and a knife slipped into her hand as she rolled over to attack.

Himiko froze when she saw the other person. Izu!

Her memory caught up. Hand emo guy, Izu's blood and… She had gotten the good stuff last night. The best stuff. And Izu didn't appear to be worse for wear. As she watched, green eyes blinked up at her.

"Good morning Himiko," Izu greeted her with a grin.

Himiko smiled at him and rolled back onto the bed as Izuku got up. He folded up the blanket and put it on a shelf. "Would you like some breakfast?" Izuku offered.

She wanted more blood but knew that would be bad so Himiko nodded.

"I've only got cereal," Izuku said as he turned away.

She liked that. It meant he trusted her, even after what she'd done. "That's okay," Himiko told him. Breakfast with Izu would be great, no matter what it was.

"I'll get Kurogiri to pick you up?" he offered from beyond the bedroom. It wasn't that far because Izu's apartment was small. She could see a small bathroom coming off the bedroom and got up to use it.

"Who's Kurogiri?" Himiko called, though she thought she knew. He was probably the misty black guy she realised even as she asked the question.

"He's the warp gate," Izuku replied, confirming her suspicions. But it also sparked another memory… Himiko was sure she'd seen Kurogiri before… But where?

She finished in the bathroom and set her clothes to rights before she headed back into the little living room. Izuku was making tea but had put two bowls on the table with a box of cereal between them. He smiled at her.

"What do you remember?" Izuku asked seriously, offering her the milk.

Himiko thought about that. "You have a quirk!" she remembered that through the haze of pleasure she remembered from last night.

Izuku smiled at her and then blew out a tongue of flame.

"More than one!"

He nodded. "I had to pretend to be quirkless at school to learn what it was like."

She couldn't imagine that. Sure, people hadn't liked her quirk but she'd seen how Izuku was treated because people thought he was quirkless.

He nodded again, pouring some milk into his cereal. "It was terrible but informative," he told her.

She followed suit and took the cereal and milk. "What is Handsy trying to do?" she asked, instead of focusing on the past.

Izuku snorted. He grinned at her. "He's gonna love being called that," he murmured before he looked thoughtful. "Tomura is trying to show how society fails. He's trying to show how heroes are failing," he said finally.

Himiko looked at him. He was serious about that and she nodded to herself. She'd always known Izu would do great things and so it wasn't that surprising he'd know a new villain.

"Will he be good?"

Izu grinned at her. "He'll be guided," he replied.

"Guided?"

He worried his lip before answering. "My dad will guide him," he answered.

It took her a moment to realise what he meant and she felt her yellow eyes widen slightly. Izu's dad was a villain and… Another realisation came to her. He had to be a good one. Most villains were only active for a little while. She was aware of that. Those who were active longer were usually much more subtle and good at what they did.

Izuku's dad had to be one of the subtle villains.

But… she remembered Izuku's uniform. He went to UA. She might not have considered going to High School but she knew the uniform.

Himiko smiled at him. "What about you?"

Izuku cocked his head at her as he chewed his cereal. "What do you mean?"

"What do you intend to do?" Himiko asked.

Her Izu sighed heavily and looked up to the ceiling. "I don't know," he whispered. Himiko watched as Izu closed his eyes and turned his head back to the table. "I wish I knew but I just don't know."

She didn't say anything. She hadn't had a choice and it was kind of nice that Izuku did. "What do you want to do?" she asked.

He recognised the change in question and chuckled. "I want to help people. All people," he added the emphasis.

Himiko knew what he meant. He wanted to help those who were quirkless, those who had bad quirks, not just those who were convenient to help. She looked at him.

"I know!" Izuku defended. "I can't do that as a hero," he told her with an almost contrite smile. "Dad…" he sighed. "Dad told me that I need to decide what I want to do, what future I want… And then we'll see where we go."

She smiled. "I like your dad," Himiko declared. "I've never met him but I like him!" Her parents hadn't given her a choice. It was nice that Izuku's father had. And if he was behind Handsy then the other boy wouldn't be too bad. He wouldn't be Izu though but, he would have some skill, and given that he had a transport- Wait! That's where she'd seen him before.

"What is it?" Izuku asked, recognising how her expression had changed.

"I've met Handsy before," Himiko told him.

"What?" Izuku demanded.

"I've met him," she repeated. "He asked me to come with him a few years back. I don't remember him much but Kurogiri was there too."

"When?" Izuku demanded.

Himiko thought about it. She remembered the event and… "About four or five years back," she told him.

"And you didn't go with him?"

Himiko laughed. "With such an old man? Of course not."

"But I could have met you then!" Izuku objected.

"He never mentioned you," she told him. "If he said he knew you then I would have listened to him more," she added.

Izuku sighed. "Tomura," he grumbled.

She shared the feeling. "I don't have to say yes to him," Himiko pointed out.

"No," Izuku said, shaking his head. "Well, not unless you want to."

"I need the money," Himiko admitted. "I've gotta take jobs when I can."

"Then do whatever he wants," Izuku said. "And if he doesn't pay you, let me know," he added.

Himiko laughed again. It would be nice to have a guarantee of payment. It was one of the reasons she usually worked for herself but if Izuku could guarantee payment then she'd do what Tomura wanted. And if Izu's dad was behind Tomura then he'd probably do well enough.

And… once Izu made a decision, she could switch to working with him.

She smiled at Izu and nodded her agreement. Izu's dad was smart and she was kind of jealous. Her parents had forced her, and pushed and pushed and pushed until they couldn't push any further. Izu's dad was smarter. By letting Izu make his own decision…

Himiko suppressed a shiver. He was going to be magnificent. Before she knew that Izu was Dragon she'd heard rumors of the Dragon. Izu would be that Dragon and she'd be there with him. She bit the inside of her lip.

"Izu."

"Yes?" he looked over at her and… she'd forgotten how green his eyes were.

Himiko smiled. She kind of felt shy now but this was Izu and there was no need to be shy. "I'll help Handsy but… I will help you when you-" she didn't finish. There was no need. Izu understood.

"No matter how long it takes?" Izu asked, with a note of uncertainty in his voice that didn't suit him.

"No matter how long it takes," she reassured him.

Izu smiled back and seemed relieved. Himiko took a deep breath and ate her cereal. This wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting when she'd accompanied Giran for this job. It was better!

She got to meet Izu again and…

Himiko knew, it was only a matter of time before he realised that he couldn't help people, really help people as a hero and came to their side. And then…

And then… there was nothing more to say. And then there would be a reckoning and she'd be right there with him.

-ted-

Izuku thought he might at least get to Homeroom before he was confronted about Himiko but he hadn't even gotten through UA's gate when he was confronted by Zellia. She was accompanied by Te and Korei.

"Mitei! You're okay!" She actually seemed relieved to see him.

Izuku blinked. On the way to school he'd thought about how to explain Himiko and he'd decided to go with an approximation of the truth. "Of course I'm okay," he told them. "I told you I knew her," he added.

"Yes but-" Zellia didn't seem sure what to say.

"She had a knife, Mitei," Te pointed out.

He nodded. Himiko had flashed that around a bit so he couldn't deny it. "That was a surprise," he agreed before he shook his head.

"Are you okay?" Korei asked seriously.

"I'm fine," Izuku repeated and then sighed sadly. It was time to start selling the story. "I was just as surprised when she appeared!" he told them.

"How did she appear?" Te asked.

"That was someone's quirk," Izuku replied easily. He knew exactly who's quirk it was but he couldn't say that. He shook his head again and then swept his blue hair out of his eyes. "I went to school with Himiko," he told them. "And she was… She wasn't popular because of her quirk."

"What's her quirk?" Zellia asked curiously.

"It's got to do with blood," Izuku said, which was enough for the other girl to flinch back. "See?" he said, gesturing to point out her reaction.

"Sorry," she said but it sounded like a reflex.

"Vlad King has a blood quirk and no one minds but-" Izuku shrugged. With Zellia's reaction he didn't need to say more. "Anyway, she wasn't very popular because of it, and because her quirk does let her enjoy the taste of blood," he added. It might be laying it on a bit thick but he had to establish a certain reputation here for Himiko.

"And you are friends with her?" Korei asked, seeming impressed.

"Himiko is just like everyone else," he said a bit defensively. "She's just fallen in with a bit of a bad crowd," he explained.

"Villains!" Te gasped.

Izuku huffed as he rolled his eyes. "You are as bad as the heroics students!" he muttered. "They see villains everywhere," he growled. "Not villains," he corrected Te's statement. "Just a bad crowd."

"So what did you do?" Zellia asked.

"I let her stay the night, gave her some breakfast and then suggested a few places Himiko could go to get some help," he told them.

"Mitei, why doesn't she just go back home?" Korei asked.

Izuku gave him a look. He wondered vaguely if Korei would have the courage to leave his family if it would get him out of taking over part of the family business but he already knew the answer. "That's not an option," he said firmly. "She'll be fine," he added. "Himiko just needs a bit of time to sort herself out and then-" he shrugged. "She'll be fine," he repeated, showing confidence in her.

"No more knives?" Zellia asked.

Izuku chuckled. "No more knives," he confirmed, knowing it was a lie. "I'm sorry she interrupted, but I think she'll be better now."

"Really?"

"Really," he confirmed. "Now, did anyone get anything further done on the assignment?" he asked, moving the conversation away from Himiko as he resumed walking towards UA's gate.

"After that?" Te asked, disbelieving.

"After that," Izuku confirmed.

"Mitei… Sometimes you just…" Korei shook his head.

Izuku looked at them. "People are people and they can be understood just so long as you put in the effort. I did for Himiko and- She's a good friend."

"Just like us?" Zellia asked.

He gave them a smile. "Just like you lady and gents," he told them.

They grinned and Izuku felt that they would leave the issue. That was good, because he really didn't want to explain anything further. He wasn't sure he could. It didn't matter though. He now had Himiko's contact details again and that was a gain.

The best gain.

-ted-

Well, there we are, Izuku and Himiko reunited :D And on pretty amicable grounds. It only took Himiko getting high on blood and well… that's okay isn't it?

There are a lot of people in the world that know a bits of Izuku's secret. No one has worked out the truth yet, because no one had quite enough of the bits (and the required suspicion) to work it out but the more people who know things, the more likely they are to eventually come in contact with each other and then put their bits of information together, thus getting a bigger view of the wider picture. When enough of those bits come together, and form a big enough part of the picture... Well, then things will really get interesting.

Also, a kiss is not a declaration of a ship, it's just a kiss. So if you make the assumption that the fic is going to be Himiko/Izuku from this, that is your assumption and in this case assuming will just make an ass out of you. And I'm pointing that out now, because people do tend to leap to conclusions.

My discord is on this code: ZX2R5h2cEm FFN will remove links but you should be able to figure that out. There's a heap of other authors there, so come along and chat to us all!

-ted-

Loved it? Hated it? Found a spelling mistake? Let me know please!