SURPRISE!
That's right, you're all getting a surprise bonus chapter in the same weekend! I realized that with the downer cliffhanger the last chapter left off on, I couldn't leave you all to stew over it for an entire week, so here's a little (not really 'little') extra to sink your teeth into.
I hope you all like it, and if so, please be so kind as to read and review, let me know what you think of how the story has been going so far. I value all your feedback, so please, don't be shy.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. The only thing I own is my original characters, and the original events surrounding them, and whatever alterations to established events occur as a direct result of their existence in this universe.
A/N: [[]] denotes the characters are contextually speaking Russian.
Starting Over
(Начало)
The Bezpalov home had been made silent as the grave upon Olegs' reading of the letter Nikolay had left for him. The boy had officially severed what few ties were left, turned his back on everything this new life was supposed to represent for him, and declared his intention to go back to Russia alone and face the consequences. Neither Oleg nor Mina could find the words to express just how emotionally distraught this letter left them.
The young pink girl was visibly trying to force herself to stay calm and not start going off the rails with worry, but Olegs' reaction was the most peculiar. Any loving parent would have gone straight through the walls and hit the road like never before to find their runaway child. This was not the case for Oleg Bezpalov. Instead, once the letter finally fell lifelessly to the floor from his hand, the massive man nearly fell back against the wall. His large hands were now shaking, soon followed by the rest of his body, as his weathered and bearded face wrenched with pure anguish.
"It's over…it's all over. As soon as he sets foot on Russian soil again, they'll have him in their sights, and it'll all be over for him. He'll be lucky if they don't shoot him on sight after what we did." Oleg wasn't even paying attention to the visibly frightened reaction from Mina at such a thought. Instead, he let his own burning tears run down his face, before burying it in the palms of his hands, barely managing to keep from breaking down into inconsolable sobs.
"This is all my fault. I did this, just like everything else. For the last twelve years I thought we could escape it…but now…now it's finally caught up with me. This is how I finally pay for everything I cost us." Oleg was just about ready to let himself wallow in his long-repressed sorrow, before he heard Minas' footsteps carefully approaching. When he finally lifted his head to meet her eyes, he could see that even despite the saddened tears she was trying to fight back, she was also clearly still driven by something.
"Sensei, I'm not going to pretend I know everything Kolya-kun was talking about in that letter, but we don't have time to dwell on it. We've gotta find him and bring him back." As she tried to help him back to his feet, Oleg didn't meet her effort. Instead he remained where he sat, his blue eyes reflecting none of her determination. Such a sight was frankly unnatural from such an imposing figure as him. "What's the point anymore? He could have left hours ago by this point. We both know how big the city is; even if we went out there right now, neither of us has any idea where Kolya could have possibly gone. And besides…even if we somehow got lucky and found him…after what happened last night, I know I'm the last person on this earth Kolya will ever listen to."
Mina could not believe what she was hearing. This was the mans' son, his own flesh and blood, they were talking about, and yet he was visibly ready to give up without even trying. However, her own fire refused to go out, as she looked back out the front door, ready to move. "If you're not going to even try, Sensei, then I'll go looking for Kolya-kun myself. Even if you, of all people, are willing to just give up on him, I can't. I'm not going to just let him give up, not on Heroes, and especially not on becoming one.
"I've lost count of how many times I've seen how scared Kolya-kun looks out there when having to use his Quirk, or go up against anybody else. However, despite that, he never gave up before, and he's gone out of his way to do good things and help other people when he stood to gain nothing from it. He still wanted to do good things, like Heroes just do, even when holding in all those awful feelings he let out last night. That…that can't mean nothing. I'm not going to let it mean nothing."
This affirmation spurred Mina to turn back to Oleg, a concrete idea instantly forming in her head. "Sensei, did you ever let Kolya-kun go out with plain cash on hand?" Oleg simply looked at the pink girl like she was speaking nonsense, resolutely shaking his head. "Not in Russia, and not here. The way money is handled with the internet and cards and such, there was no point in it."
With that, Mina courageously stepped forward and held an extended hand to him once more, while he simply looked upon her, visibly at a loss. "Sensei, please let me borrow your phone. I think I might have an idea." Oleg didn't even bother trying to guess, and still figuring there was no use, he decided to humor her anyway, planting his phone in her hand, to which she immediately got to work.
"Kolya-kun once said the school gave you both your phones. If that's the case, then you should both be wired to the same bank account from the school, and should be able to see whatever transactions the other has made. My parents had that setup arranged when they gave me my phone; to make sure I didn't spend too much when I was out shopping with my friends. If your guys' phones are set up the same way, then I should be able to see if Kolya-kun has bought anything over the last few hours."
Even in his depressed state, Oleg couldn't help but be impressed at how clearly thought out his students' plan was. Seeing how bubbly and sociable she usually was; he honestly had started to doubt she had it in her. Within a minute, her serious expression suddenly lit up with a genuinely hopeful smile. "Alright! According to this, it looks like Kolya-kun bought a train ticket at a station downtown. I know this station, too."
Mina looked like she was about ready to rush out the door, but Oleg couldn't keep his thoughts to himself now. "You're rushing into things without thinking them through, malenkaya Ashido! How do you know Kolya hasn't already gotten on that train? How would you even know where to start looking if he has?" He could tell she was honestly considering his point, but the way she stood straight and confident remained, nonetheless. "If that's the case, I'll just explain everything to the tellers, and maybe they'll be able to tell me where he was going. I'll hop on whatever trains I'll need, to get wherever he's going, and go looking for him there, if I have to."
Oleg was visibly shocked by the sheer dedication Mina was displaying, but now there was also an air of genuine admiration in his tired eyes. "You're simply a wonderment of human nature, malenkaya Ashido. To be so determined, still, to go looking for Kolya even after the horrible things he said to you and everyone last night, and even after he outright says he doesn't belong with people like you."
Mina couldn't help but feel a touch embarrassed by the fancy praise, but that was overshadowed simply by her newfound sense of purpose ever since last night. "The things he said aren't what matters anymore, Sensei. I'm just doing what any Hero…no; I'm just doing what any friend would do: I'm just trying to help someone I care about."
For many of the students of Class 1-A returning to start their official second week of the school year, this morning felt just like any other. The only thing that struck the more casual among them as only slightly unusual, was the fact that neither Mina Ashido nor Nikolay Bezpalov were at their double desk. By now they had gotten used to the sight of at least their one foreign classmate sitting at the ready, nervous disposition notwithstanding. Any comments made, if any, typically espoused the idea that they were either out sick or simply running late.
However, those among them much more familiar with the two, took their absence as a very foreboding sign, a bearer of ill tidings if nothing else. They hadn't felt sure what to expect after the disaster last night, but they had silently been hoping to themselves this wouldn't have been what they would be coming back to school to. Even scattered among the class, they could not keep their concerns to themselves.
"Oh God, man, I've felt like total crap since last night. I mean, why are we even trying to deny it? We all know it was my fault. Niko-san flew off the handle because I destroyed all that stuff of his moms'." Denki lamented in a hushed whisper to Eijirou, barely having the forethought to keep his voice down and avoid making a scene of himself.
The red-haired boy was not faring much better, compulsively glancing to the empty double desk. "No, man, I was the one who suggested we arm-wrestle in the first place, it's my fault! God, so stupid! What was I thinking?" he began scolding himself.
Near the head of the class, Tenya and Momo were likewise finding themselves glancing at the two empty spots, not sure if they were simply waiting for the next glance to reveal them there as always, or if they were simply taking the proof of their absence in, and the gravity of the situation that came with it. Finally, the anticipation of it all was too much for Momo to remain silent anymore as she gave her bespectacled classmate a worried glance.
"You don't believe they'll come back…do you, Iida-san?" she finally asked, not out of curiosity, but to see if he indeed was on the same train of thought as she reluctantly now was. Tenya gave a heavy sigh and straightened his glasses before resolutely crossing his arms in contemplation. "I cannot speak for Ashido-san, but…the things that Bezpalov-san said last night, I haven't been able to stop thinking about them, replaying them in my head. No matter what angle you try to approach it from, those were things you don't just say on a whim or in the heat of the moment. That was a great amount of times' worth of repressed pain and emotion he let out on us back there, the kind you don't allow to fester without really thinking at a few points about whether you truly feel that way or not."
Momo let her black eyes fall regrettably to her desk, understanding exactly what Tenya was really trying to say. As much as she hated having to even mentally admit it to herself, she was not convinced their Russian classmate would come back to Yuuei, either. Not after the spewing of pure venom she had witnessed from him last night. Plus, for Mina to not be here, either, the number of reasons for that were few, but the ones she could theorize did not bode well.
In another part of the classroom, Izuku, Ochako and Kyouka were also still ruminating on everything that had happened last night, and looking to the empty desks with immense concern. "As much as I hate to say it, I honestly didn't think Niko-san would be feeling good enough to come to class already, especially if he meant half the things he said; but for Mina-chan to be absent, too? You don't think she actually went to go talk to him, do you, Deku-kun?"
Izuku couldn't help but feel bad for not having a satisfying answer for Ochako, even though she was clearly hoping he could at least say something to put her worries to rest. However, Kyoukas' emotions were nowhere as readable as theirs, as she just let out another annoyed 'tch' at their whole display. "Why are you even asking, Uraraka-san? It's pretty obvious that's what's happened. I mean; Ashido-san has pretty much been doting on Bezpalov-san since Day One. There's no way she would just leave him to stew in his own tears like that. I'll bet she's probably at his house, convincing him to come back as we speak."
For as blunt and confident as her apathetic tone and expression made her seem to her classmates, though, Kyouka was likewise feeling concern for their two missing classmates. She could only hope that things between them weren't devolving into something worse, in case Mina had tried getting too close with Nikolay in the state she'd last seen him in.
The door to the classroom swung open, and the black-clad form of Aizawa lazily stepped in, dragging his yellow sleeping back behind before tossing it under his desk, and gazing upon his students like a hawk. However, everyone could see his normally slumped posture momentarily freeze when his eyes looked in the direction of the now-empty double desk. Nobody dared speak a word or even make a sound regarding it. They didn't need to.
There was only the faintest of hushed mutterings emanating from Aizawa, but nobody was close enough to even notice. Behind his hanging strands of black hair, his expression was virtually unreadable. However, what ran through his head and even escaped his lips, resonated with the man himself like a barrage of fireworks; the confirmation of one of very few things he had silently been hoping he would be proven wrong about: "I knew it. He couldn't hack it."
Without another moment wasted on it, Aizawa returned to looking intently upon his classroom. "Alright, everyone. Todays' lesson is going to be about—
BOOM!
The classroom door nearly burst open, causing nearly the entire classroom to flinch on reflex, only to feel surprised and confused to find the unmistakable large body of Tunguska, outside of his Hero costume for once, filling the door frame while heaving for breath, as if he had run all the way here from home. Very few, if any, noticed the tiny piece of paper barely protruding from his white-knuckle gripping hand.
Despite the completely unexpected intrusion, however, Aizawa didn't look the least bit upset (or any emotion for that matter) at the foreign Heroes' presence. "I imagine you didn't come here looking for your son, Tunguska. You must already know, but I'll confirm so you can let it really sink into that thick skull of yours: you're too late. That boy of yours has finally gone and buckled under the pressure, just like I told you he would. And now he's going to have to live with the cost of that decision, no matter what."
Even despite his monotone way of speaking, anyone would have known that Aizawa was practically mocking Tunguska by his words alone. Despite this, the large Russian didn't look perturbed. Instead, he looked very purposeful in his coming here. "I understand all that, Aizawa-san. The truth is that I have a letter here, written by Kolya, that he wanted me to read to the rest of the class, explaining everything."
This admittance drew noticeably raised heads of curiosity from many of the students, but Aizawa ignored this as he kept staring Oleg down. "I'll repeat: you're wasting your time coming here, Tunguska. Any written excuse your boy has for you to tell everyone is nothing more than that: excuses. The fact he couldn't even work up the courage to do this himself is bad enough."
"Aizawa-sensei, please let Tunguska-sensei read the letter." Momo suddenly spoke up with a single raised hand, drawing the homeroom teachers' silently judgmental eye. "I agree, Sensei! If it pertains to one of our classmates, don't we deserve to know the truth?" Tenya likewise spoke up, and by now several of the other students were muttering in agreement among each other.
"The moment Bezpalov walked away from this school, he stopped being your classmate. What goes on with him from now on is of no concern to anyone in this room." Aizawa stated resolutely. However, this did nothing to diffuse the air of worry and anticipation among the students. "But Sensei, this doesn't only concern Bezpalov-san. If this can even partially explain why Ashido-san is absent as well, then we need to know." Kyouka suddenly chimed in, echoing more concern than she had intended, though no one seemed to pay her much mind in that regard.
"Sensei, until proven otherwise, Niko-san is still one of our classmates, and if what Tunguska-sensei has can shed light on anything we need to know in order to better understand and help one of our own, then don't we deserve to hear it?" Izuku suddenly asked without a trace of nervousness in the face of their teacher; instead radiating a remarkable air of compassion that silently warmed Olegs' heart.
Aizawa was beginning to feel a stirring of genuine frustration at his students' insistence, primarily because he could tell from the looks on most of their faces, that they weren't going to let this go, no matter what he could say otherwise. Finally, realizing this was the only real option if he was going to get today anywhere back on track, he finally stepped away from his desk, motioning for Oleg to step forward. "Just hurry up, read what it says, and then get out. If you're going to wallow in you and your sons' respective failures, do it on your own time."
Oleg didn't let Aizawas' apathy get to him, instead stepping forward to look their mutual students over, look them all in the eyes to ensure to them how serious this was. Finally, he unfolded the paper in his hand. "Some of you are already well aware of this, but I think it would be best if I filled the rest of you in on current events. You see, last night, something…terrible happened at our home. I won't go into details or give names, because there's no point. It was all just a stupid accident. However, that does not change what followed as a result.
"Kolya, he…he had an emotional meltdown last night, something I knew had essentially been a very long time coming, and it finally did. I wanted to give him some time alone, hoping it would be enough for him to calm down some, at least enough where I could be able to talk to him again. However, this morning, your classmate, Ashido Mina, came by for the same purpose, and we discovered that…that Kolya had run away from home last night. He left this letter for me, and asked that I read it to all of you so you could at least know the whole truth as to why."
From there, Oleg proceeded to read Nikolays' letter for the second time that day, and it wasn't any easier than before. In fact, having an audience of his students to hear, only made it that much harder. By the time he had finished, stifling a choking sob deep within his throat, he could feel a cloud of worry hanging over most of the class' heads, many of them no doubt abuzz with questions as to the details of what Nikolay was saying about his father, and whatever misdeeds he was claiming the man had done.
"Good riddance," the spiteful voice of Katsuki Bakugo finally broke the silence, as he simply sat back at his desk, looking like he couldn't have cared less about any of this (because he honestly couldn't have). Many of his classmates had looks of angered indignation in response to the blonde boys' sheer lack of respect, but he was already on a roll, not about to let anyone even try talking him down. "Don't act like none of you agree. This class is better off with one less wimp holding it down. Although, we've still got one too many, for my tastes," he further mocked, only giving a momentary glance in Izukus' direction; although the green-haired boy knew in his gut he was the target.
Suddenly, the overhead lights across the classroom began to flicker and dim with increasing regularity, drawing confused and nervous reactions from the rest of the students. Before long, the bulbs began to burn out one by one, from the farthest row from the classroom door, all the way to the nearest, soon casting the classroom in darkness with the exception of the windows. Everybody looked frightfully to Oleg, who while remaining stone still, was visibly digging his massive fingers into the polished wood of the desk, squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth beneath his beard. This time, even Bakugo felt a twinge of something in the pit of his stomach he couldn't begin to describe, being in the front row for this.
Just when it seemed like Bakugo had finally pushed their Quirk History teachers' patience to the point of no return, Oleg instead took the deepest breath, and let his whole massive frame loosen with release. Finally, he opened his blue eyes, and everyone could see a reflection of genuine remorse in them, as he took on a very nostalgic expression. "Do any of you students recall that story I told you all on Saturday, about the Hero who overestimated his Quirk and his strength, and ended up destroying more than he possibly could have saved?"
While they all nodded in response, they couldn't hide the confusion on their faces, simply wondering where Oleg was going to go with this. All the while, still nestled in his corner and observing the whole thing, Aizawas' tired eyes widened only the slightest bit. Was this actually happening? Was Tunguska seriously about to step forward and admit the entire truth of his own misdeed for other people to hear, and of his own accord?
Oleg sat himself upon the desk, and everyone could see he was trying to mentally will himself into saying whatever he was about to say next. The fact that whatever it was could get someone who, up until now, had always seemed so brave and confident, to look so shaken and afraid, left many of the class unsure if they were even ready to hear this. Finally, with another weary sigh, the time had finally come.
"I know many of you have had questions pertaining to Kolya this past week: why he always looks and acts so afraid despite making the effort to get into this school; why we both came here instead of simply pursuing a similar path back in our home country; and why none of you have ever heard anything about me, or anything else related to Heroes, Villains or Quirks in general out of Russia. Well, in order for you all to fully understand exactly why what has happened with Kolya, happened the way it did, you first need to understand everything about where…and what he and I came here from. This has been many long years coming, but…it's time that I came clean about everything…to all of you…and most importantly, to myself.
"Many, many years ago, I was the leader of a team of state qualified Top Heroes called The New Bogatyrs. We were all the ranked Number One Pro Heroes of our respective Hero schools and regions all across the Soviet Bloc. One of those New Bogatyrs, one of my most trusted allies in the world…was the Number One Pro Hero of Georgia: Gamayun, the Songbird Hero of Tbilisi…Kolyas' mother.
"We had all long since proven ourselves as Heroes individually, but as a united alliance of justice, we were the most beloved Hero entity in the entire Soviet Unions' consciousness. This was the way things were for us for many years; but…one day came that…brought all of that and more to a swift and merciless end. Look at any Russia-based news source, and you'll come to know that day as 'The Siberian Flash'."
Oleg had to choke down another sob coming up his throat. Having to even bring this much back up out loud was proving hard enough, but he would be damned if he would let himself back down now. "One day, twelve years ago now, we had gotten word that nearly a hundred Villains from all across the Bloc had formed a coalition among themselves, and had taken control of a recently decommissioned nuclear silo in the South Siberian Mountains, along with its left over military and defense equipment. What was more, they had come into possession of two nuclear warhead cores, and had reportedly dug their way down into a subterranean waterway that fed into the single largest groundwater source for the majority of Siberia. They were threatening to detonate those cores and permanently irradiate all that water and the land it provided for, leaving far too great a portion of Siberia and its cities and villages uninhabitable with radioactive fallout.
"We had been sent out to stop them, like any other mission we had been given. We had formed our teams, our respective strategies; we had a plan that we all thought would work. We had come to recognize how best to use our individual Quirks together in order to tackle any situation; we all thought we would be able to handle this. However, the Villains had all been expecting us, and they had a countermeasure for every single one of our Quirks. What had started out as yet another simple battle between Heroes and Villains, ended up turning into an all-out war; a war none of us could think of a way to end cleanly."
South Siberian Mountains, 12 years ago…
The once verdant, forested mountains of Southern Siberia had long since become a war zone, ablaze and suffocated with smoke as numerous explosions, bursts of fire and concussive impacts tore the forests apart. The air was rife with powerful gusts of wind, bullets, beams of pure concentrated energy and god-only-knew what else. And to think this was only half of the active battlefield would have been overwhelming to anyone else. However, not one of The New Bogatyrs could afford to let themselves become overwhelmed by the sheer odds they were facing here. Not today.
Many of their ground forces had either been routed or pinned down by a mix of telepathically controlled attack helicopters and artillery fire, or from projectile-Quirk-using Villains. However, just when it seemed that they weren't going to be able to get any further, they were nearly blinded by a brilliant and furious beam of glowing hot energy descending from above, blasting the attack helicopters to smithereens. Before the ground-based Villains could even figure to regroup or know what was happening, A single figure dressed in white, gold and red came slamming into the ground between them and the assorted Heroes behind him.
His figure was like that of a perfectly sculpted Greek statue, and his eyes and hands alike, glowed with the glory of the sun, with a single golden disk illuminating behind his head. They all knew without question they were gazing upon the very bane of their existence in this land, the figurehead that had united them all for this evil cause to begin with. They were looking upon the Sun of Justice himself, the Number One Top Hero in all of the Soviet Union: Tunguska!
The very sight of him, standing victorious amid the rubble of some of their best offensive capabilities, even despite the visible wear and tear on his face and suit, sent several of the Villains running back into the silo, while others were visibly shaken, yet unsure what to do. That hesitation, however, would prove to be their undoing, as Tunguska seized the moment to launch himself forward like a cannonball, landing square on his feet between them, before grabbing two by their collars and flinging them back to his compatriots, who quickly ensnared them in mid-air.
This spurred several of the remaining Villains to try and attack, and while Tunguska had been able to evade or straight-up block their attacks and incapacitate them in kind, others were lucky enough to get their hits in. However, it didn't change the fact that Tunguskas' muscles made it like punching solid stone, even for Quirk-users like these. He grinned through the exacerbated pain of his accumulated injuries, and released an all-encompassing blinding flash of light from his eyes, sending all the remaining Villains into the fetal position, as they were rendered sightless.
[[We can take care of putting these scum away, Tunguska! But as long as that artillery is running, our reinforcements are still going to be in trouble,]] a black-and-red bedecked Hero informed him as the rest began binding the incapacitated Villains en masse and dragging them off the scene. However, Tunguskas' confident grin betrayed the overall seriousness of his comrades' news. [[Not to worry, Wisp. If everything on her end has gone smoothly thus far, our contingency should be taking care of that right about…now.]]
Right on Tunguskas' cue, the already chaotic air of the battlefield was pierced by a far-reaching cry like that of an eagle, quickly growing louder, before being punctuated by a storm-like gale of wind blowing across the raised portion of the field where the artillery had been formed up. The wind only grew stronger and stronger with each passing second, with the flapping of mighty wings barely noticeable amid the cacophony. Within seconds, the wind had grown so strong, that the otherwise reinforced artillery cannons were finally blown right off their wheels and sent tumbling helplessly across the battlefield, along with any Villains unfortunate enough to be caught out in the open, blown away like rag dolls.
[[Incredible. We'll head inside and take out whatever forces are between here and the silo, Tunguska,]] the Hero known as Wisp commented before motioning for the rest of his gathered comrades to head down the ramp the Villains had been guarding, descending into the mountain. Tunguska quickly followed suit, launching himself into the air to observe and make sure no further Villain reinforcements or cannons were still standing. And before him, keeping her place high in the air with each flap of her large and majestic wings, was a veritable angel of a woman, with flowing hair of a dark chocolate-brown color that almost glowed through the smoky light of the sun, warm amber eyes, and a dark blue suit that either resembled matted feathers or scale mail, matching the color of the wings extending from the length of her arms.
This was his comrade, confidante and beloved wife, the Songbird Hero of Tbilisi, Lyudmila Ibrahimovna Bezpalova, otherwise known as Gamayun.
[[Excellent work, Gamayun. I take it their western flank defenses didn't give you any trouble?]] Tunguska asked, albeit rhetorically, as unlike him, Gamayun didn't look to have a scratch on her. [[An assortment of tanks, turrets and hallucination Quirk Villains? Barely took me the five minutes you projected, chemi saq'vareli (Georgian for: my beloved),]] she replied with all the confidence in the world.
[[I just helped Wisp and his team, infiltrate the southern loading dock. Last I heard from Volga, he's still trying to infiltrate with the rest of his team through the underground waterway to the east. He's hoping he can get to the tunnel they dug so he can remove the cores from the equation.]] Tunguska explained as he and Gamayun immediately started heading north at the sound of further explosions and rumbling; his collected energy from the sun allowing him to stay in and traverse through the air like her.
[[Are Svyatogor and Volos managing on the eastern side? It looked like the Villains had a considerable height and cover advantage over there.]] Gamayun asked, unable to hide the hint of concern after the setup she had seen. Before Tunguska could answer, however, he quickly spotted a barrage of actual uprooted trees flying through the air for them like arrows.
Like a shot, Tunguska boosted himself ahead of Gamayun and immediately blasted two arcs of energy from both his hands, incinerating the trees to ashes as they flew, soon clearing the air enough to give them some room to breathe. However, Gamayun soon spotted the source of the attack: a couple of Villains nestled in a recently uprooted portion of the mountain, one already uprooting several more trees with what looked to be a telekinesis Quirk, and the other focusing on Tunguska himself.
[[What? I-I can't move!]] Tunguska suddenly exclaimed, and when Gamayun looked, he indeed looked to be constricted by what looked like some kind of invisible force field. Instinct kicked in as Gamayun launched herself like a rocket down towards their attackers. The two Villains were soon joined by a third, also bearing the wings of a bat, who launched themselves right for Gamayun. However, the Songbird Hero had them spotted, as she expertly barrel-rolled out of their path and followed up with a deafening siren cry, breaking the force field Villains' focus.
The telekinetic Villain, at that moment, launched her newest projectiles for Tunguska, just as Gamayun plowed straight into their ally, taking them off the ground and flying through the air. At the same time, Tunguska was immediately on the defensive, firing more energy from his hands to destroy all the other trees, but one had too much of a head start for him to do the same.
Instead, he forced himself out of the way and grabbed the husk of the tree with all his strength, stopping its trajectory, and instead using his momentum to swing it like a bat, knocking the bat-winged Villain right out of the sky as they had turned to attack him. Without a seconds' hesitation, he flung the tree right back at the telekinetic Villain, who was already acting to stop it likewise in the air.
It was a shame they didn't realize that was what Tunguska was counting on, as he used that distraction to come speeding down from the sky like a bullet, blasting through the tree with his pure physical strength, grabbing the Villain by their collar, and then launching himself into the sky at terminal velocity, causing the Villain to black out from the G-force at play.
Once he was sure they were out, he was quickly rejoined by Gamayun, who was quick to bind the Villain before setting them back down to be arrested later. [[They're certainly getting a lot bolder this time around,]] she commented once she returned to her husbands' side, taking in the sheer range and scope of the fighting still going on all across the mountain range.
[[We knew the risk of what we were walking into, just like everyone else. We've already got a good number of our allies working their way through all the silo entrances and tunnels. As long as we can keep the surface forces occupied and prevent them from backing up the Villains still inside, we can have this situation wrapped up by days' end.]] Tunguska replied with a confidence that matched the radiating glow behind his head. That was truly one of the things that Gamayun loved about the man: how no matter how outnumbered or outgunned they were, he never let it shake his spirits, even if he got visibly roughed up in the process.
However, what neither of them counted on was just how thoroughly dug in and numerous the Villains they were facing had truly been. What had started out as continuous progress reports from his allies in the facility itself, had eventually become desperate requests for backup or support of any kind, as all teams had now been forced to a standstill against overwhelming defense from the Villains.
On the surface, the situation was likewise getting worse. Tunguska and Gamayun both had believed that once the military hardware, automated defenses and distance-based Quirk-users were neutralized, everything would start falling into place.
Alas, with each Villain they apprehended, ten more seemed to take their place, each one with a more powerful Quirk than the ones they were replacing to begin with.
After two whole hours of this continuously worsening situation, Tunguska was finally beginning to feel the fatigue catch up, as he had sustained more than a few notable injuries in the process, and his collected energy for flight was virtually nil, let alone for his flash or energy beams. Gamayun was barely managing to do any better, managing to avoid any extensive damage to her wings, but dealing with some considerable burns and lacerations by now.
[[Volga? Volos? Svyatogor? Wisp? Can anyone give me a status report?]] Tunguska spoke into his transceiver, met with a cacophony of explosions, indiscernible yelling and the like on the other end, no matter what channel he tried to switch to. It was all the same.
[[Golden Guardian here. It's no use, Tunguska. I can't work my way forward, they have too many defenses set up; it's a choke point! We're fighting on two fronts; they have reinforcements cutting off our exit! They were just waiting for us!]]
[[Madam Fortress here! We're just at the entrance to the silo itself, but they've got it locked down tight, they welded shut all the doorways and vents, so Wisp can't get in! These guys are ready to make a last stand, Tunguska, but that's not stopping them from laying down the offensive! Several of my team is already dead!]]
[[Volos here! We've finally managed to scale the cliff face and infiltrate through the windows the Villains had been attacking us from. They're out of the picture, but my team has been whittled down to a fraction of what it was. Svyatogor…he didn't make it. The only reason I'm even talking to you is because he gave his life to protect me.]]
Tunguska had to fight the stinging tears in his eyes as he tried to formulate some kind of plan with what he was hearing. [[Have you heard anything from Volga? Can you proceed from your position, try to provide backup for Madam Fortress?]] The first sound he was met with was a weakened grunting, as if his bear-headed comrade was dealing with serious physical pain. [[I'm sorry, Tunguska. We lost contact with Volga an hour ago; and the camera feeds up here are showing their reinforcements are coming for us, and I've already lost a lot of blood. It looks like this is going to be our last stand, my friend.]]
Tunguskas' face wrenched with agony as he desperately tried to think of something, anything that could save his old friends and allies. Alas, he was feeling too weak to rush in there and help, and there was no possible way he could be on all those fronts at once, and there was still all the fighting on the surface to consider.
In the first moment in his life as a Pro Hero, Tunguska found himself gazing up to the sky, silently asking for some kind of a sign, some kind of miracle he could be able to conjure forth to save everyone. However, all he was met with was the blood red sun, tainted by all the thick smoke, but still managing to slowly rebuild his reserves of energy. He could feel it slowly growing from within. That otherwise mundane sensation for him, only now truly registering in his mind for the first time, triggered an idea in his head; something he otherwise would have considered too reckless or insane to even humor using.
And yet, the risks if they did not put a stop to the Villains' scheme this day were simply too great for him to ignore even the most awful of solutions. It was with that resigned thought in mind that he resolutely turned to look his wife in the eyes. [[Lyuda…I need you to take me up…higher than we've ever been, above the clouds. I…]] Tunguska had to force himself to finally speak the rest of his last-ditch plan without letting his already overwhelming sadness take over. [[…I'm going to use the Solar Flare…and take out the entire site from above.]]
He couldn't bear to look at the horrified expression on his wifes' face at what he was suggesting. They had long since come to the conclusion that the theoretical ultimate limit of his Quirk was simply too dangerous, too powerful to ever officially be used. But she knew when her husband was speaking with the utmost seriousness, and this was one of those times. A part of her almost wanted to accuse him of losing his mind, but if he had asked her for any other suggestions that would have put a stop to the Villains officially, she would not have had an answer, either.
[[Oleg…you know what will happen if you use it, though. Everyone who's still in there, Villain and Hero alike…they won't survive.]] At this, Oleg furiously punched the ground; almost busting his knuckles open as his face was now awash with sorrowful tears, leaving streaks down his ashen face. [[I know that! You think I actually want to do this!? Those are our comrades, our friends down there! But you heard them! None of them can get through, and we're running out of time! We're weighing our lives against countless millions across Siberia! If we fail, they'll all die slow, agonizing deaths, and you know that, as well as I do.]]
[[That's right, Tunguska. That's exactly right. There is no other choice, not if those people are going to have any chance of surviving after today. Do it.]] Madam Fortress' voice suddenly spoke up with a grim air of resignation on the transceiver, leaving Tunguska and Gamayun alike shaken with disbelief.
[[I agree. The price is simply too great to bear if we fail here. So do whatever it is you have to, to make sure we don't.]] Even Golden Guardians' voice, despite knowing the implications of their leaders' last desperate plan, had with it a tone of the strangest calm, as if he had already made peace with the end result.
Even despite these assurances, Tunguska still felt the need to ask his comrades if they were certain, but it was as though Volos could sense this, as he suddenly spoke up with as much authority as he could muster on his end in his weakened state. [[Don't even think of trying to back down by asking us if we're sure, Tunguska! We all knew the risks that being Heroes would carry, from the moment we first donned our costumes and stepped into the halls of our schools! When we formed The New Bogatyrs, we all swore the same vow to fight and lay down our very lives for the safety and prosperity of Mother Russia and her people, for all the people of the Soviet Union! That vow stays true, even now.]]
[[Now go, Tunguska! Exhibit the strength of The New Bogatyrs, of the Russian people, and do what you know must be done so that the innocent can face the new dawn with hope!]] Every one of his allies all spoke this in unison, and this ignited a fire in Tunguskas' heart the likes of which mortal words could not describe. His solemn dedication to fulfilling his responsibility, of carrying out his sworn duty to protect his land and people, no matter the cost, burned through every fiber of his being.
Gamayun could sense this in him as well, as she silently yet loyally strapped the harness for her husbands' suit to her own, and proceeded to launch them both skyward with several all-powerful flaps of her wings, until they managed to break through the canopy of clouds and to a height where the late afternoon sun shined in its full glory, allowing Tunguska to bathe in its rays and absorb as much of it as he possibly could.
Soon, the weight of his frame became nonexistent, as his body began to levitate once more with the collective power inside. With this, Gamayun undid the harness connecting them and gazed upon the Sun of Justice, as his hands began to glow as always, before becoming brighter and brighter, soon forming two respective orbs of pure energy, that were only continuing to grow. He soon slowly brought his hands over his head, allowing the orbs of energy to combine into one, still continuing to grow.
Even despite the ever-increasing heat of the energy collecting over his head, all Tunguska could think as he gazed down upon the now minuscule site of battle directly below, were four words: [[Forgive me, my friends.]]
Present Day
"I had thought that my Solar Flare would have been enough to completely destroy the nuclear cores before they could even detonate, thus removing the threat of any radioactive fallout. I knew the cost of what I was about to do…far too well, but at that moment, I felt from the bottom of my heart it was the only shot left for us to completely stop the Villains' plan, once and for all.
"I was correct…far too much, so. I underestimated just how truly powerful and far reaching the Solar Flare would be. It destroyed the entire facility, but it went further down into the earth than I had anticipated. What we didn't know was that the entire mountain range rested atop a nexus point to a number of major fault lines. My attack ended up triggering a devastating chain reaction of geological destabilization that spread across nearly the entire Asian Russian landmass and into Southeastern Europe. Countless devastating earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, even tsunamis along the eastern and northern Asian Russian coastlines.
"Millions of innocent people lost their lives as a result of what I did in order to try and save them…and I lost all of my comrades…my oldest and most trusted friends in the process. The devastating power from the initial Solar Flare alone had been more than I had expected, and it ended up sending me flying all the way to the Caspian Sea.
"A Kazakhstan fishing vessel ended up finding my unconscious body in the waters. According to the sailors when I had regained consciousness, I had already been out of it for an entire day. I was in worse shape physically than I ever had been before, but I needed to go back, I needed to see with my own eyes what I had done, and if what they had been telling me about what was happening across the rest of the Russian territory was in fact true.
"I'll never forget the devastation I witnessed along the way as I tried to force myself to use my power as much as I could to make it back to the site of the battle. And the sheer destruction and loss of life that I had seen been caused by my own hand when I finally got there…it still haunts me, even to this day. And yet, no matter how hard I looked all over, I never found a sign of Gamayun among the bodies. As much as I wanted that sign to give me an inkling of hope, all I could think about then was getting back home to Kolya, to make sure he was still safe."
Oleg could already feel his heart breaking all over again as he was finally reaching the point in this memory he dreaded most having to revisit. As he looked upon the classroom again, he could see the same kind of grim anticipation and heartbreak reflected in the eyes of many of the students. He could only imagine just what kind of story they had been expecting to hear. Either way, he had given them something they never once expected, and he regretted every second of it, but he knew the circumstances made this challenge entirely necessary.
"So…what happened when you got home, Sensei?" Tsuyu Asui suddenly spoke up, and while the same question was clearly on the rest of her classmates' minds, there was also an air of grim expectation. None of them were foolish enough to think the story he had been telling them would have a happy ending. Oleg simply wished they knew how much he wanted to have made it so.
The large Russian had to momentarily pull out a handkerchief from his shirt pocket, wiping away the beginnings of yet more painful tears from his eyes, as he reached behind himself with his free hand and pulled out a small black pouch. As the students all watched with curiosity, Oleg stepped behind the desk, pulled loose the drawstring, and emptied the contents of the pouch upon the desk.
What came clattering out were over a dozen broken pieces of what looked like a ceramic figure. Everyone else in 1-A was far too drawn in with curiosity to notice that this had drawn a knee-jerk reaction out of both Denki and Eijirou where they sat. Oleg gazed upon the broken pieces of his most precious memento, before drawing in another solemn breath to try and collect himself again.
"For the last twelve years, these pieces together formed the only remaining physical representation of his mother, that Kolya had to remember her by. Ever since what happened last night, I would gladly pay any price to make that so again, instead of what the pieces you see before you all, have now forced him to remember."
Just outside of Irkutsk, 12 years ago…
His collective injuries had proven far more detrimental than he had wanted to believe, as Tunguska had been reduced to such an immensely weakened state that it had taken him over an entire day to get from the site of the battle back to his and Lyudmilas' home on the outskirts of Irkutsk. When he had finally returned, he had been met with even more devastation and destruction than before. The entire city had nearly been swallowed up by a colossal sinkhole, while the rest had been toppled into ruins from the no doubt endless series of earthquakes and aftershocks that even now were still raging throughout the land.
However, this all paled in comparison to when he finally found their cabin, toppled in on itself and smoldering. Tunguska felt a combination of despair and rage fill his body as he forced himself to leap to the wreckage, trying to lift and toss aside the still smoking pieces. When he had finally managed to clear it all away, however, what he saw at his feet, brought the once unbreakable Sun of Justice to his knees.
[Hildur Guðnadóttir – Vichnaya Pamyat]
Lying motionless amid the scorched wreckage was a pair of unmistakable, yet now irreparably burned and battered, wings. And just barely visible beneath them, a head of now bloodied dark chocolate brown hair. Tunguska could not rightly tell if it was the relentless downpour of rain, or his tears of devastated sadness, that were blurring his vision, but he didn't care. All he could do at this moment was reach down and try to pull Lyudmila from the wreckage.
When he finally managed to pry her free, he could already feel that what he had feared most had indeed come to pass. He could not feel her breathing within his hands, and reaching up to touch her face; all he felt was a horrible frigid cold. Despite the tracks of wet ash and blood staining her face, her expression had a haunting calmness about it, as if she had truly discovered contentment and peace in her final moments. Nevertheless, none of this could soothe the indescribable anguish tearing away at the broken and battered Sun of Justice. No matter what he tried to tell himself to try and ease the pain, none of it helped make the unforgiving truth of it all that more bearable: Gamayun, Lyudmila Ibrahimovna Bezpalova, the Songbird Hero of Tbilisi, the mother of his child and the love of his life, was dead.
'Kolya!' The name suddenly exploded in his mind, and that was when he realized his wifes' lifeless body was holding something securely in her arms: a barely three-year-old body with short brown hair, swaddled in what remained of her feathered arms. However, the infant wasn't making a sound. In fact, he didn't look to be moving at all.
Tunguska felt his soul being ripped from his very body at the thought of what this meant. "No…no, no, no, no, no! Please, God, not him, too! Not my son, please!" It was all that Russia's once greatest Hero could say as he carefully took his infant son from his mothers' arms, trying to listen for a heartbeat. To his unspoken yet monumental relief, he could just barely hear the boys' heart was still beating, and upon being exposed to the rain, he looked to see that Nikolay was visibly beginning to move, trying to make a sound.
He proceeded to reach his hand out, trying to collect as much water from the rain into his palm as possible, before slowly trying to funnel it into his sons' mouth, all the while continuously praying that this would be enough. He continued on like this for what felt like hours, before the infant in his arm finally began stirring with much more energy, before finally beginning to cry with as much renewed vigor as his tiny body could muster.
Tunguska finally let tears of both unbearable sadness and incomparable joy flow freely down his face as he held his rejuvenated child close in his arms; his entire body shaking uncontrollably with raw emotion as he held onto the single most cherished person in his life he still had, his one last remaining reason to keep living, and not simply crumble in despair in the wake of all the senseless destruction and suffering he had caused in his own foolishness.
Present Day
"It had taken me two whole days from the battle to get back home. That had to have been as long as Kolya had been trapped in that rubble, and as long as he had to have been kept protected under his mothers' body. After the fact, it had taken two whole years before I could finally get Kolya to speak any kind of words to me again." The air was heavy with sadness as he finally brought to light for the first time in twelve years, the single most painful memory of his entire life, and to an entire classroom of once bright-eyed and hopeful future Heroes.
Those that had been the most concerned or confused about what made their Russian classmate tick now knew more than they ever expected to, for better or for worse. For those that had come to know him relatively well like Ochako, Izuku and Eijirou, so much of his high-strung behavior finally made perfect sense. Now they knew why he was so scared of tight spaces, and why he had his panic attacks throughout last week. The truth had only proven to be far sadder than they had ever expected. Even some of those (some) that had found themselves thinking more critically or judgmentally of his behavior, now couldn't help but find themselves feeling a touch guilty for having jumped to conclusions so quickly.
"That's not all there is to the story, though. Is it, Tunguska?" Aizawa suddenly spoke up, drawing numerous confused eyes to the teacher in the corner, as he continued staring Oleg down. "Why don't you tell the class what happened afterwards? Why exactly was it that your son would be so adverse to using his own Quirk over the years since that day, instead of using that time to learn how to properly use and master it, and actually work towards becoming a Hero like his father? Why would he instead be so intimidated by everyone else around him? And most of all, why would he say the things he did in that letter, if this was all there was to it?"
Oleg silently looked back at the homeroom teacher incredulously. He could see what the 1-A homeroom teacher was playing at, even with his utterly emotionless gaunt face. He could feel those piercing eyes on him, even behind the veil of black hair. Aizawa was looking to see Oleg go the rest of the way, and finally admit the full extent of his own failure out loud. He was looking to see Oleg take some long, long overdue responsibility for what had ultimately led to this moment.
Oleg once more felt all eyes on him as he had to mentally prepare himself to say what was to come next. Finally, grasping both his knees tight, he lifted his head up high, and met his students' gazes, head on. "In the aftermath of the Siberian Flash, the Soviet Union was left with no Heroes or proper infrastructure to try and repair the extent of the damage that had been wrought, not to mention the reparations to be made to the people that had lost loved ones, the industries that had been decimated as a result of the environmental damage wrought.
"As a result, within a year after, the entire Soviet Union collapsed in on itself once again, and the people still suffering were left with no safety net to keep from hitting economic rock bottom, and that was on top of the still fresh emotional trauma and anguish they were dealing with from the loss of their friends and loved ones. The new government that ended up taking over, they festered the peoples' collective sadness, anger and fear, and directed it towards those within the Soviet Bloc that still possessed Quirks; Hero school students, instructors, people who possessed any degree of Quirk whatsoever. They kept saying that if people with Quirks weren't kept in check and taken care of, then another disaster of the same scale, if not worse, than the Siberian Flash would be inevitable.
"I knew that I was the reason everything had been ruined. I had destroyed the world and lives of so many innocent people, and I knew that they deserved the justice of seeing the monster that had caused so much of their suffering being brought to heel. And yet, despite all of that, I instead forced Kolya and myself to hunker down, live in hiding, and never reveal our Quirks unless absolutely necessary, knowing we would have to go on the run afterwards, each time.
"And over the next eleven years, while the government continued spewing their anti-Quirk rhetoric, and more and more potential future Heroes for Russia were carted off to prisons…or worse, I simply kept insisting we live in secret and never reveal our true nature to anyone. I was simply too focused on our survival to ever notice just how much all those years of constant fear, on top of listening to so many people that once praised Heroes, now calling them and all those like them monsters and killers; how it was all affecting my son. I was too blind to see just how deeply he was internalizing all of it, turning it into this silent yet unmistakable essence of pure self-loathing, and resentment for me, for Heroes, for all those who possess Quirks in general.
"All of this was bad enough, but I had to go and do the most selfish thing I could from the start, and not even give Kolya the chance to properly mourn for his mother, to process through the fact that she was gone. For a while, he didn't even seem to remember anything about her personally, though I had come to realize it had to be a method of self-defense for his mind, like what people who go through traumatizing experiences do to protect themselves: selective memory loss. I suppose once I had come to that conclusion, I allowed myself to think he no longer needed to mourn her passing. Once again, I was a complete and utter fool.
"That poor boy has been forced to go twelve whole years without even being able to confront or make any real peace with the past, and it was all because of me. Then, no more than six months ago, I was given the opportunity to come to this country and teach at this school, and I once again dragged Kolya along, trying to convince both of us that we could just start over with a clean slate here and act as though nothing from the past twelve years had happened. I was simply too focused on trying to act like everything would be a fresh start for us, that I didn't even notice…no, I didn't want to notice just how at war Kolya now was at with himself, torn between his natural born desire to be a Hero, just like all of you…and his deep-rooted sense of self-loathing for what his Quirk made him out to be in his own eyes. I was willfully ignorant to all of it."
The students looked upon the man before them in a whole new light, with every last veneer of surface pride he wore now completely stripped away. It was like they were looking at the real man behind the costume for the very first time. The same could have been said for Oleg, himself. This had been the first time he had ever expressed his responsibility and guilt for all of his actions and failures out loud, so it was just as much a confession to himself as to anyone else.
All the while, Aizawa remained silent with his arms still crossed, but had a barely visible upward turn in the corner of his mouth, the closest thing to a smile he could possibly grant such a serious moment. At long last, the so-called greatest Hero of the Soviet Union, had decided to own up like he always should have, for his own good. Not that it made any difference in regards to what his boy had gone and done, and where that placed him in Aizawas' eyes.
"Sensei…if everything is as you have said it is in regards to your own son…then why did you come here instead of going out after him?" Shoto Todoroki had spoken the question, but everyone else, Oleg could see, was in full agreement, all thinking the same thing. Had he been in their position, he would have asked the same thing, but being on the receiving end forced him to give voice to something else he had long dreaded ever acknowledging, to himself or anyone else.
"Last night, after Kolya had his…his incident, the last words he said to me…*sigh* were that it should have been me that died that day, instead of his mother. I couldn't bring myself to tell him this, but the fact is that…I agreed with him. Gamayun didn't deserve what happened to her, and she would have known far better how to raise Kolya in the wake of everything than I ever did.
"However, hearing him finally say so made me realize at last something I had long feared. Ever since he could put it together that I had been the cause of everything, I could feel how much my son hated me for it, and how it only grew stronger with each passing year, but I was too afraid to ever think it was real. What happened between him and myself last night was simply the inevitable conclusion to it all. Now there's no further reason for me to keep fooling myself. Kolya may have run away last night…but the truth is that I lost my son a long, long time ago."
No parent should ever have spoken such words, nor should any kid have ever heard them. Any yet, here they all now were, and there was no taking it back. Oleg felt his heart and spirit plummet into the abyss of his mind as he let the gravity of that realization sink in. The cold and bitter truth of the lie of a life he had tried to maintain with his son was now out in the open, and he could not convince himself that it could be any other way.
Not finding the strength for any further words, Oleg silently put all the broken ceramic pieces back into the pouch, hooked it back to his belt, and began to make his way for the door, offering a barely comprehensible mutter of an apology to Aizawa for the interruption. "Sensei! Does…does Ashido-san being absent have anything to do with what's happening with Niko-kun?" Toorus' sudden question brought Oleg to a halt, as he despondently looked back to the rest of the class.
"I mean, you said that she was there when you found that letter. How come she isn't with you right now?" Once more, Oleg just did not have the strength for words anymore. But at that moment, he didn't need to. He could see the realization dawn on everyone, one by one. However, instead of worry, more and more of their faces began to actually reflect optimism of all things.
"You shouldn't worry, Tunguska-sensei. If Ashido has gone looking for Niko-san, then she'll find him, just you wait!" Eijirou suddenly proclaimed in support, before Ochako impulsively stood from her desk with a similar glow of hope on her blushing face. "Yeah! They get along so well already, I'm sure that if anybody can convince Niko-san to come back, she can!"
The scattered mutterings of agreement among the rest of the class were swiftly ended when Aizawa slammed a pronounced hand upon the desk, drawing all focus back to him, as was meant to be. "Don't start spouting off idealistic predictions, class. You may think the idea of Bezpalov coming back to class is nice, but don't forget: he made the choice to turn his back on this school, and all of you in the process.
"As a result, he has abandoned his inherent responsibilities of becoming a future Hero with the rest of you, and with that, any right to continue being a student of Yuuei. And as much as I know none of you want to hear this, Ashido has made the same decision in essence, by choosing to go after him instead of coming to class, as her responsibility as a student demands. As of today, those two are no longer your classmates, and no longer your concern. But if those two are indeed foolish enough to show their faces on these grounds again after this, it is within my freedoms as their former sensei, to distribute the appropriate punishments myself."
Aizawas' statement left a chill of foreboding in the air, just as he intended. Without any hesitation, he drew his attention back to the speechless Russian filling his doorway. "I gave you the time to make your point and you've done that, Tunguska. Now leave, so I can get back to teaching the real Heroes in this classroom." It took every last ounce of willpower Oleg had to not plant his fist in that coldhearted face. He didn't even care if Aizawa would have shut off his Quirk before he had the chance; he knew he didn't need the addition of light-provided power to knock that man on his ass.
Alas, he knew a pointless conflict when he saw one, and this, unfortunately, was just as such. With a defeated sigh, he stepped back out into the hall and announced his exit with a pronounced shutting of the door. His head hung low as he began to head back the way he came, at a complete loss as to what else he could possibly do now.
"I'm proud of you, Tunguska." All Mights' voice suddenly announced from behind, stopping Oleg in his tracks, but he didn't bother to give the Symbol of Peace the courtesy of eye contact, instead taking in a deep, tired breath. "How much of all that did you hear?"
"Pretty much everything. I noticed you coming onto the school grounds in a rush, and I couldn't resist seeing what could have gotten you in such a state." Oleg didn't have anything to meet All Mights' explanation, leaving the two Heroes in an awkward silence. Finally, All Might decided to carry on with an equally uncomfortable clearing of the throat. "I can only imagine how difficult that had to be, admitting all of that out loud for the first time. It takes true resolve for men like us to be able to admit such things. You've really proven yourself in a great many ways today, Tunguska."
However, All Mights' praise meant nothing, earning only a bitter scoff from Olegs' throat. "There is no Tunguska here. There's only Oleg Bezpalov, a failure of a father who doesn't even have the love of his own son to hold onto anymore. Anything I've proven myself in today isn't anything that matters worth a damn. All I want now is to just get my son back…and try one last time to make things right, to apologize to him for everything I've caused…everything I've cost us. That's all I want…but it's something I can never have. He would never want to speak to me again even if I did find him."
Oleg was visibly wobbling where he stood, as though the sheer weight of his emotional pain was physically bringing him down. Seeing this, All Might felt a new resolve ignite within him, the spark of an idea. "I understand your hesitance, Oleg-san. Trying to get through to a youth going through such emotional trials is one of the hardest things anyone can do. So, I ask you, let me help you in whatever way I can. Tell me whatever information you might have to go on as to where Bezpalov-shonen is, and I will go and try to speak to him myself, see if I can convince him to give you the chance to make amends."
Oleg finally looked back to the towering Top Hero, once more finding no trace of deception or reluctance on his part. His was an extension of honest friendship and aid, and Oleg, in his desperation, knew he would have been even more of a fool than he already was to deny it. Even though Mina Ashido had gone out on her own to find Nikolay, what further harm would it have caused to have another pair of eyes on the lookout?
Mina Ashido had wasted no time from the moment Oleg had given her the go ahead, to go rushing for the train station Nikolay had bought his ticket from. From what she remembered before having found her own place in Musutafu City, it was the second to last station from the one she normally got off at before, so it was very easy to find. Once she had gotten there, she unfortunately found no sign of Nikolay, but thankfully once she had gotten to the ticket seller and explained everything, they were more than willing to help.
"Yes, it sounded like your friend was looking to take the first train heading for the northern coast. The soonest one we had available was headed for Niigata City, in Niigata Prefecture." As the teller explained, Mina could already imagine just what Nikolay had been thinking. From there, he would have been able to find a boat and try to head back to Russia that way. "Do you know if that train has already left? If it has, can you tell me when the next train heading in that general direction is, and what other line I would have to get on from there to reach Niigata City?"
The teller was clearly put off by the anxiety in Minas' tone, quick to diffuse with a reassuring wave of his hand. "No need to worry, miss. He had been looking for a sooner time, but that train had already left just before he came to us. We explained to him that the next train heading for Niigata wouldn't be for another hour and a half. He purchased his ticket for that train about a half hour ago."
Mina let out a gasp of air, her pink face glowing with relief as she hurriedly thanked the teller and made her way back out the station entrance onto the streets. All the factors were abuzz in her head as she looked everywhere around her. She essentially had an hour to find Nikolay before his train left. This was good news, in that he clearly hadn't left Musutafu yet. However, this was also bad news, as it was still a very big city, and she already knew Nikolay well enough, to know he wouldn't be naïve enough to stay in one place, just in case Oleg had indeed gone looking for him.
She quickly realized she had no idea where to even begin looking, and it was through that desperation that she first attempted something her common sense told her wouldn't work. It had been halfway through her rush for the train station that she realized she had neglected to give Oleg back his cellphone, but at the same time knew she was racing against the clock, and simply figured she would give it back, hopefully after she had convinced Nikolay to come back. Now was the time she was most grateful she had done this, as she soon found Nikolays' number in the phones' address book.
Sucking in an anxious breath through her teeth, Mina hit the dial button, and soon heard the phone ringing, every single time leaving her more and more anticipating hearing Nikolays' voice. However, after three rings, the call was suddenly dropped, leaving the pink girl in silence once more. 'Yeah…yeah, I really should have seen that coming.'
However, with this came another idea, as she realized she now had the young Russians' phone number at her fingertips. After quickly putting it into her own cellphone, she took another moment to steady herself, hoping he wouldn't find the frequency of calls unusual and figure out her plan. If he wouldn't be willing to talk to her and hear her out, then she was at a total loss of what else to do. With a stubborn shake of her head to get those negative thoughts out, she finally hit the dial button and waited patiently through each subsequent ring.
Click
She could soon hear the unmistakable background noise of the city streets on the other end, soon disrupted by a single, wonderfully familiar accented voice: "I'm not coming back, if that's what you're calling about, Ashido-san." He wasn't wasting any time, so Mina affirmed she wouldn't, either. "Kolya-kun, please listen to me; I'm not angry with you about anything you said last night, I swear. I'm just…I just want to help keep you from making a terrible mistake, that's it."
For once, there was no hesitation in Nikolays' response, but the coldness in his tone was more than apparent. "Why does anything that I decide to do for myself make any difference to you? You're already exactly where you belong. I don't have anything like that for myself, and I can't just…I can't reconcile everything that's happened, everything I've seen and heard, with my dad and everything that school stands for. I tried, but I just can't anymore."
He was clearly more than ready to counter any argument she could come up with, but Mina was not about to let that stop her from trying her hardest for him. "Kolya-kun, I'm not asking you to just forget everything that's happened between you and your dad, okay? I don't know all the details of what you guys have been through, so I have no right to do that. I just don't want you to throw away the future I can tell you really want. Kolya-kun, despite how scared you've always looked, and no matter how intense things got, you never gave up before, and you've gone out of your way to help others when you stood to gain nothing from it. That has to mean something to you, doesn't it? Because it definitely means something to me: it proves to me that, despite everything you've said before, there's a big part of you that still genuinely wants to be a Hero, and I don't want you to deny yourself what you truly want."
She could barely make out what sounded like a struggling groan on Nikolays' end, as though her words were eliciting a physical reaction out of him. She couldn't rightfully tell if that was a good or bad sign. Finally, she could hear him on the other end again. "You don't know what it is I truly want, Ashido-san; any more than I myself do. The fact of it all is that there's nothing I deserve, and nowhere I belong." Just as Mina began to speak out in protest to that awful sentiment, an electronic announcement from above the train station entrance sounded. Once she could tell it was safe to speak again, she brought the phone back up to realize Nikolay had been rendered silent as well.
"That sound…that sounded like a train station intercom. Wait…Ashido-san…you're not calling me from the school, are you? You're actually out there, somewhere in the city…looking for me?" In the momentary silence that followed, Mina soon picked up a distinct musical melody in the background on Nikolays' end; one that made her eyes widen with realization and familiarity.
"I can't believe you, Ashido-san! You were just saying you didn't want me to throw my future away, but look at what you're doing right now! Aizawa-sensei is going to rake you over the coals when he sees you next! You're throwing your whole future away because of me?! God, this is just as bad as everything else I was afraid would happen! Dammit! Go back to the school, Ashido-san! I'm not going to say this again: don't come looking for me!"
Click
With that, Nikolay swiftly hung up. His voice hadn't reflected nearly as much anger as she had expected, but rather despairing regret, as though he were scolding himself for her own actions. However, none of that mattered in this moment. What did was that she recognized that jingle in the background; she had heard it countless times on the numerous shopping trips she had taken to this city in the past with her old middle school friends. That jingle told her exactly where Nikolay was, and that was what sent the determined pink girl on a desperate run across the street and further into the city.
From the moment he had hung up on Mina, Nikolay found himself once again reeling with regret and agonizing sadness. How could she have done something so reckless, so detrimental to herself, and for him of all people? He had decided to run away primarily to avoid having his presence bring any negative repercussions on the people around him, and it was happening anyway.
This maelstrom of negative emotions brought that ever-present inner voice of self-loathing and doubt, out in full swing as Nikolay couldn't even see straight, his mind was spinning so relentlessly. 'Don't you see now? This is exactly what happens. It doesn't make any difference; no matter what you do or don't do, everyone around you ends up suffering all the same, and you still end up losing everyone and everything you could have potentially cared about. This just goes to prove just how much of a living curse you really are. You're still just as powerless now, as you were all the way back then, and that will never change, no matter what anyone tells you otherwise.'
As if to put the final exclamation point on this emotional downturn, the air was suddenly split with a clap of thunder, and within seconds, it began to pour a heavy downfall of rain, with Nikolay caught right in the middle of it. The fact this morning had started out without a cloud in the sky, almost seemed to prove to him Gods' sick sense of humor.
As he began rushing to find some kind of shelter, he soon spotted a steadily moving line of people just up ahead, going through a small descending stairway to a single door. They all looked to be young or middle aged men, but one shelter was as good as any other in Nikolays' eyes.
No one even uttered a word of question or protest when the young Russian joined the line and soon found himself following them down a short hall to a large, yet oddly empty, room with a somewhat large circle of chairs adorning the middle, which these men and women began to fill, until Nikolay, with no idea what else to do, decided to do likewise, with nobody giving him any suspicious stares or anything of the sort.
Once everyone had been seated, one single man among them, a very plain-clothed man from the looks of it, suddenly pulled out what looked like a tiny red book from his vest pocket, to which everyone else but Nikolay did the same. "Good morning, everyone. I'd like to welcome you all to this weeks' meeting for Quirks Anonymous, where we share and discuss our experiences and processes of dealing with our possession or lack of Quirks. I can already see we have a couple new faces with us today. If you would like to introduce yourselves, you may on a first name basis, for the sake of preserving our pledge of anonymity. If you are not comfortable doing so, that's perfectly all right. If you would like to simply sit back and observe the course of the meeting in order to decide if this program is right for you, that's perfectly okay, as well. Let us begin with our serenity prayer, and from there we can spend the rest of the hour sharing whatever you feel comfortable with."
As most of the people in the circle stood up and joined hands and spoke in unison, Nikolay could only watch the spectacle with surprise. He had heard of these kinds of things, support groups, before, but had never heard of one pertaining to Quirks. Once everyone sat back down, the first person to speak up was a short, plump middle-aged woman with dark green hair tied up in a bun. She looked utterly minuscule compared to some of the biggest people forming the circle.
"Um…h-hello, everyone. M-my name is Inko. This is my first time here. I-I wasn't exactly sure what I was walking into when I decided to do this, but there has been a lot going on, and I felt like I really needed to speak to some people that might be able to relate, even a little bit." Once everyone greeted her in unison, the woman called Inko took a deep breath to steady her nerves and stop her nervous shaking as she looked to go deep in thought.
"Well, something rather miraculous happened in my life…or, well, my sons' life, actually, a couple months ago. You see, my husband and I, we both possess rather minor Quirks, but our son was born without one. Now, I know everybody, especially children, love Heroes and want to be like them, and my son couldn't have fit that mold more perfectly. So, when we had been told that he was Quirkless, the heartbreak in his eyes kept me up so many nights over the years." Reminiscing was clearly a lot for her, as she pulled out a tissue to keep from crying, while some of the less extravagant-looking members of the group solemnly nodded in understanding, while Nikolay simply took in everything he was seeing and hearing.
"Then, a couple of months ago, my son went to take the entrance exam for Yuuei Academy, even without a Quirk…and he actually ended up being accepted! For so long, I wasn't sure I would ever get to see my baby boy as happy as he was that day. Even without a Quirk, he still managed to make the cut, so I've been trying to cheer him on and support him as much as I possibly could. There's even been a few times when I actually found myself considering the possibility that he had somehow managed to finally develop a Quirk of his own, so many years later than everyone else; but I know that's just ridiculous.
"Right now, however, I guess the mom in me is just now starting to realize what he's going to be putting himself through from now on, and it's left me incredibly worried. Every day I tell him to go out and do his best, but I'm also really scared that he's going to get himself hurt really badly, or worse, and I don't know what to do about it. I can't possibly tell him to drop out and go to an ordinary high school, not after all the effort he's put in, and especially after he's already gone so long thinking he'd never make it."
She didn't say anymore, and nobody spoke up with any answers, but they all clapped anyway, much to Nikolays' confusion. The woman was clearly distraught with indecision; he would have thought she would have been looking for a second opinion or outside perspective. And yet, she was smiling anyway once all was said and done. Was that really all it took? Was simply getting it out in the open and having other people around to just listen, really enough for some people?
The minutes seemed to fly by as this pattern continued, with several other people sharing varying yet similar stories; from a Quirkless father being disrespected and ignored by his two Quirk-using children, to a former mother with a minuscule Quirk losing her child when they tried to imitate someone with a much stronger Quirk; to a man working as a firefighter with a water Quirk beneath a firefighting Hero called Backdraft; questioning his own usefulness after not being able to save every person from an apartment fire.
So many variations on the same general concept, it was honestly fascinating to all take in. However, that didn't change the fact that Nikolay still had one issue that none of these people did. And that was exactly what weighed heaviest on his mind when the man in charge of the meeting finally turned his attention to the young Russian, asking if he had anything to share.
"Yes, actually. I'm sitting here, listening to everyone, and all I can think is how lucky you all are. Despite everything you've been saying, at least you all seem to have an understanding of just where you stand in regards to your Quirks, or your loved ones' Quirks, or your lacking one. But me? Every moment I feel like I'm being pulled in two different directions, because I can't figure out how I really feel about myself. On one hand, I hate the fact that I have a Quirk, because I know for a fact just how destructive and harmful they can be, even when we don't mean them to be. Then on the other hand, I feel like I still want to be a Hero, even though I know I have every right not to feel that way, and it's that uncertainty together with that desire and that hate that just keeps bringing me down further and further every time I try to pick myself back up. It's like an increasingly heavy anchor that makes it harder and harder for me to breathe and try to figure out just what it is I actually want to be or do."
Many of the others were visibly surprised at this unusual tirade they were being audience to, but the meeting head didn't look at all put off by Nikolays' attitude. Instead, he sat back against his chair, visibly trying to process the young Russians' specific situation. "Well, it certainly does sound like you have a lot of pain you're struggling through, young man. I'd like to ask you a question, and it's okay if you don't have an answer right now. If you had to think, right now; what would you say the primary source of your pain is, at this moment?"
To his surprise, Nikolay didn't even hesitate to come up with an answer, an unpleasant gleam of certainty in his green eyes. "Oh, that's easy; it's my father. You see; he used to be the Top Pro Hero back in our home country. He was the most inspirational person I had in my life, and yet he ended up killing every other Hero back home through his own arrogance in his own Quirk, and when the dust settled and the whole country turned on him and everybody else who was left that still had Quirks, he immediately resorted to having us live in the shadows with our heads down like a couple of cowards.
"We ended up living like this for years, and through all that time, I had to listen to the very same people who once revered him and people like him, now talk about people like us as though we were nothing more than monsters. And then, after years of living without revealing our Quirks, he suddenly gets a job offer in this country, and essentially forces us to pull up our stakes and re-settle here, acting like we can just forget the last twelve years ever happened and just start over with a clean slate. It was bad enough that the man I used to look up to destroyed everything and cost so many people their lives, and then chose to go into hiding instead of doing what he always said real men should do and accept responsibility for their actions; but for him to just act like none of what happened before actually happened…in its own way, just makes everything before and after feel so much worse, like it all meant nothing.
"Ever since then, he'd been constantly asking me to try and make our new lives here work, and part of me really wanted to. Even after all the years of listening to people bash Quirk-users and internalizing all of it, I still wanted to try and make him proud after everything he had done to try and keep us safe. And yet at the same time, I could still feel all the hate I had built for him, knowing what he had caused, what he had taken from both of us. And it all just became too much to handle; I couldn't figure out what was the right way to think or feel anymore, and I just finally ended up exploding at him last night! And the thing is; I don't regret one word of what I told him that night, because I know I meant all of it. I appreciate what he tried to do for us, but I still feel hatred towards him for having been the cause of all our struggling to begin with."
The air in the room had now grown much more tense as Nikolays' voice had risen more and more with raw emotion the further he went. Many of the listeners were clearly at a loss as to what they could possibly say after what he had just let out into the open. Even the meeting head was clearly racking his brain to figure out where best to steer this conversation. "Well, it certainly seems like you've had quite a lot to deal with for someone still so young. There's quite a variety of pain you're dealing with: loss, resentment, and especially a lack of personal identification. Tell me, young man; if you had to pick the one thing about everything you've just told us that pains you the most, the source of your pain within the source of your pain, what would you say that is?"
As loaded a question as it was, it didn't take Nikolay any time at all to find the answer, as voicing so much of his burden had helped to open parts of his heart and mind he hadn't even realized had been closed. Things had become so much clearer to the young boy, clearer than they had been for the last twelve years.
"I think…since so many people idolized and praised my father for so long, it gave him this idea that he was strong, and that I had to be strong just like him when the time came. Being his son, I guess I came to think the same for a while. I mean, that's just natural, isn't it? The child of any great Hero would want to grow to be like them, surely. Anyway, for a long time, I had this idea that I had to ultimately be as strong as him, if not stronger one day, so that I could one day be a Hero that was capable of helping people. Yet, every time over the years I found myself thinking of that, it always just served to remind me that neither I, nor my father, could ever undo what happened to my mother…because of what my father did.
"It all just keeps reminding me that no matter how much a part of me still wants to try and become a Hero, even now, the fact is that I'll never be strong enough to undo what happened to her, and I…I can't help but hate myself for it, because it just proves that I'll never be able to save anyone; because I'll always be too weak. And on top of everything else, there's another part of me that can't help but feel that my father knows this as well, and he can't help but resent me for it, because we both convinced ourselves that we had to be as strong as we could possibly be, even despite what that thinking led to. I know in my heart that there's no logical reason for me to believe anything about that. I know my father says he still loves me no matter what, but all I can ever think about now is how I'm just not meant to be a Hero like him, and how I find myself not wanting to be one, and wanting to be one at the same time. What kind of Hero with a divided head like that could ever be able to be of help to anyone, let alone themselves?"
Many in the group exchanged contemplative and sympathetic glances with one another as Nikolay had finally given his piece, his head now hanging low with despair and confusion. There was such a severe disconnect, a personality divide within himself, it was a miracle he was managing to keep himself together even to this extent. And to have been reduced to a state like this over so many clearly old wounds, was a clear case of someone who had a lot of emotional processing on their shoulders that was far, far too long overdue.
"Well, young man, it sounds to me like there's a lot of self-loathing going on in there, or perhaps more of an unwillingness to accept, or an uncertainty as to just what you really are inside. Not to mention it sounds like there's quite a lot of old emotional upheavals you've had yet to work your way through, such as grieving for your mother. That, to me at least, sounds like just the beginning of addressing this burden of yours. The rest, I believe, revolves around learning how to finally identify and accept yourself, no matter what conclusion you ultimately come to. Self-acceptance is the first step towards recovery, towards being able to tackle our greater personal issues, so that we can officially begin trying to really figure out just what we are, and what we want our lives to be. So, with that in mind, I have a passage in our book that I would like to read, since I feel it's quite appropriate in light of your recent share. Feel free to just sit back and listen, take what you like and leave the rest."
Nikolay was frankly so burned out after everything he had finally willed himself to admit, he couldn't have protested the meeting heads' suggestion if he wanted to. He instead laid back in his chair, which was clearly a good enough sign for the man to flip to the page he had in mind, and begin reading it out loud, while Nikolay simply stared up at the ceiling lights and listened.
"Our relationship with ourselves is the most important relationship we need to maintain. The quality of that relationship will determine the quality of our other relationships. When we can tell ourselves how we feel, and accept our feelings, we can tell others. When we can accept what we want and need, we will be ready to have our wants and needs met. When we can accept what we think and believe, and accept what's important to us, we can relay this to others. When we learn to take ourselves seriously, others will too. When we learn to chuckle at ourselves, we will be ready to laugh with others. When we have learned to trust ourselves, we will be trustworthy and ready to trust. When we can be grateful for who we are, we will have achieved self-love. When we have achieved self-love and accepting our wants and needs, we will be ready to give and receive love. When we've learned to stand on our own two feet, we're ready to stand next to someone."
It all sounded so simplistic, and yet something about it, Nikolay couldn't deny feeling it had struck a chord within himself. So much of the pain he had been feeling did originate from all the resentment he still felt towards his father, but there was no denying that so much more of it came from the disassociation he felt from himself after all those years, feeling like he was in a constant spiritual battle with his own inherent nature, and his forcefully adapted sense of self-preservation. It was like two complete opposite sides of himself were at constant conflict within, and if he couldn't come to a concrete decision on who he wanted to be, and make peace with that decision, then he would never be able to go forward at all.
The only question he found himself asking in the aftermath of this sudden realization, was just what was it that Nikolay Bezpalov himself wanted out of his own life; not what was it that other people wanted or expected out of him and his decisions, but what was it that he truly, truly wanted? It was such a vital thing to ask and figure out, and it felt like this was only the very first time he had ever had the chance, or rather taken the chance, to even ask it of himself.
That same question was the only thing Nikolay could think of as he left that meeting room on his own, and it continued that way even as he made his way back down the hall, out the door and up the steps onto the sidewalk, ignoring the still pouring rain as he kept asking himself the same question over and over, and never finding anything resembling an answer each time.
"Kolya-kun!" The most familiar voice in the world in that moment suddenly called out, and Nikolay froze, not with dread, but with resignation. He should have known this moment would inevitably come, and after what he had just been pondering for what felt like so much longer, he didn't have it in him to try and fight anything anymore. With that, he reluctantly turned to see Mina Ashido standing in the middle of the sidewalk, holding her backpack over her head as a last-ditch protection from the rain, but still completely soaked through regardless, to the point he couldn't tell if she was also starting to shed tears amid the raindrops dripping from her pink hair.
What Mina saw when she had finally found Nikolay was both better, and worse, than what she had been anticipating. The anger that had been so evident on his face last night was no longer anywhere to be seen. Instead, there was an expression of complete and total defeat in Nikolays' green eyes, as if every ounce of resistance and willpower had been drained from him. He simply looked at her with the most apologetic, saddest eyes she had ever seen.
Nikolays' sadness and Minas' immense concern; these expressions reflected everything they desperately wanted to express to each other, and they could both see it clear as day. And it was with that silent yet mutual understanding, that the two teens silently headed for a nearby bus stop, where there thankfully weren't any other people sitting. They both desperately wanted privacy for what they knew finally needed to be said, and they would not accept anything less.
When they had finally been seated, neither one spoke up at first, anxious to see if the other was going to be the one to finally initiate what they knew was going to be one of, if not the hardest conversation either one of them ever had to have. The guilt churning in Nikolays' stomach made him want to apologize more than anything, even despite the still lingering disappointment he felt towards her having chosen to come after him so recklessly. However, another part of him still wanted to give Mina the chance to vent as much as she wanted to for what he had said and done since last night. This continued silence carried on for a good minute, and just when Nikolay was about ready to finally give in and speak, he finally heard Mina take a deep breath, and instinctively braced himself for the scolding he knew he deserved.
"I've been so…so worried about you since last night, Kolya-kun. I had no idea what to do or say then, and this morning I came by your house because I wanted to be there for you, even if you just wanted to vent everything you had left. Then when I found out you ran away…God, you had me worried sick!" It was hard for anyone on the outside to tell if Mina was expressing genuine worry, or scolding the boy next to her. However, for Nikolay, that was easy. It was both.
However, his guilt for leaving her in such an emotional state was only counterbalanced by his now growing disappointment towards her. "I'm sorry, Ashido-san. None of that was my intention. Maybe it would have been better if you hadn't come by my house at all." At this, Mina could only look at him incredulously, as if he was completely missing the point of her being here. "You seriously think I was just going to leave you like that, after what I'd seen last night? No, no way, not a chance! You know that if I'd gone to class and found you weren't there, I would've come looking for you anyway."
With that said, Nikolay couldn't keep his own thoughts to himself anymore as he gave her a similarly incredulous look. "You shouldn't have done that to begin with. Don't you realize you're essentially ditching class right now by being here with me? Do you have any idea what Aizawa-sensei might do the next time he sees you after this? You could be throwing your entire future, the career you've worked toward pretty much your entire life, away; and for what? For me? I never asked you to do anything like that!"
"You didn't have to! And hey, you want to accuse me of throwing my life away? What do you think you did when you wrote that letter and tried to run away from home? Kolya-kun, no matter how scared you always look or feel, I can see it in your eyes every time we're in class or out training; I can tell that despite everything you do or say, you still want to be a Hero. I can't just stand aside and let you throw this whole new life of yours away, knowing that."
So much of her words, while undoubtedly spoken from her heart, couldn't help but sound so much like something Oleg would have said. That was why Nikolay felt an especially potent bitterness well up in his stomach, as he looked back out to the pouring rain. "Did my dad send you out here to find me? He probably knew I wouldn't want to listen to him if he came himself, saw how often you and I are around each other, and probably put two and two together." Even in the face of such potent pessimism, Mina remained undeterred as she sat up straight and confident, at least as much as she could be while keeping her emotions in check. "No. He had nothing to do with me coming out here. Looking for you was my decision alone to make."
Nikolay, in that moment, couldn't help but think back to the story Eijirou had shared with him after the Battle Trial, about Minas' popularity and reputation at her old middle school and how everyone praised her as the ideal future Hero. That, coupled with the fact she had gone through so much trouble to be here right now, made him say something that completely defied all reason, and even he knew it as the words came out: "So…what, is this some way you thought you could make yourself look like the ideal Hero-in-Training to the rest of the class? You came out here, thinking that dragging the runaway back would get you the same praise and popularity you got back at your old school?"
Nikolay would have immediately bitten out his own tongue if he had seen the look of genuine hurt in Minas' black-gold eyes, as he spat such bile out of nowhere. Was that seriously all he thought of her after the time they'd spent together? Did he really think she could be that egotistical, that selfish, and that manipulative? The answers to those questions didn't matter worth a damn, as in that flash of immense emotional hurt; Minas' body took hold of the wheel. In a moment of complete reflexive reaction, she forced Nikolay to look at her, and the moment he did, she met him with a light, but still plenty stinging, slap across the face. This left him visibly dumbfounded, while Mina began to let out choking sobs of hurt feelings.
"What the hell is wrong with you right now, Kolya-kun? How could you possibly think that of me, after all the time we've gotten to know each other? How can you still not get it by now?" Even through her painful tears, Mina began scooting in closer before laying a much more gentle land upon the young Russians' shoulder, forcing him to look in her eyes again. "Kolya-kun, I came out here because I want to help you, because we're friends. Don't you understand? Being there for one another, and helping each other through everything, no matter how big or small it is, that's just what friends do for each other."
Once more, Mina was giving off that air of absolute sincerity that she always did, and Nikolay could see and feel it from her. However, that ever-present voice in his head was right there to swoop in and poison his head as always. "No…no, you can't possibly still mean that, not after those horrible things I said to you and everyone else last night. Who would ever want to still be friends with someone who calls them a monster from the bottom of their heart? You can't possibly mean that."
Mina didn't even hesitate, as she suddenly reached up and held Nikolays' face in her hands, forcing him to look in her eyes again, her mouth beginning to form an immensely emotional smile of reassurance. "Of course I still mean it, you adorable little dummy. Do you really think I would risk this much, knowing what's almost definitely at the end of it all, if I didn't?"
Nikolay couldn't think of anything else to meet such an outlandish expression of sincerity but the first natural question that came up his throat, at a loss where else to possibly take it. "What is it you want out of all this, Ashido-san?" Mina took her hands away from his face, and formed an affirming fist with one, holding it to her heart as she put on a devoted smile. "Isn't it obvious by now, Kolya-kun? I want to become a Pro Hero, just like everybody else…but I also want all my precious friends to be up there with me, too. I guess, in the end, all I want is for me and my friends to all be happy together."
Nikolay couldn't help but let out an appreciative chuckle in the face of such a childlike yet heartfelt answer. It seemed so fitting for someone like her, and perhaps that was what made his more pessimistic defenses finally lower as he found himself feeling considerably lighter in heart. However, that did little to ease his personal feelings of apprehensive dread. "I don't know, Ashido-san. Even if I did decide to go back to Yuuei with you right now, I still abandoned everyone, and turned my back on my responsibilities as a student. They won't forgive me for that just because I come back."
While there was some undeniable justification for such worries, Mina wasn't about to let that bring the air between them down again, as she once more put a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Well, however that ends up playing out, I promise you that I'll be right there next to you, and I'll make as much of a case for you as I possibly can. Like I said before: no matter what you've said or done, I can tell you still want to be a Hero in the end, and that still has to mean something to everyone."
Such a promise did a great deal to brighten Nikolays' spirits, but with that also came the issue of their classmates. "Even if the school were to forgive me, I don't know if the others in class would. I mean, you heard me, I said some horrendous things to all of you. I mean, they've idolized and wanted to be Heroes their entire lives, and I called them and the people they admire monsters. I don't know if I'd be able to forgive someone who did that, if I were in their shoes."
Again, Mina could understand his saying so, but she could see how much her presence and assurances were helping him, and she didn't want him to start bringing himself down again. Thankfully, she believed everything she said from the bottom of her heart, hence how she could exude so much confidence as she met him in kind. "I understand if you might find this hard to believe, Kolya-kun, but last night, after we had all left, nobody felt angry about what you had said. In all honesty, Iida-san and Yaoyorozu-san actually admitted there was some painful truth to it. Really, we all honestly just felt sympathetic for you. We couldn't stop wondering just what could have possibly happened that had hurt you so much to make you say the things you did. But I'm almost certain that if there were any resentment in them, they would have forgiven you for what you said by now already. I would have, and I promise you that's the honest truth."
Minas' confidence in those answers was contagious, as Nikolay couldn't help but believe her as she said so. However, it all finally came around to the one remaining factor she wouldn't be able to speak for, surely. "But…but what about my dad? Say what you will about how the school and the class will react to me, but there's nothing I can do to make up for what I said to him, because I know I meant every word of it from the bottom of my heart."
Surely, she couldn't possibly have a way to project a positive ending to that piece of the puzzle. There had simply been too much resentment built up for so long that he had let out, for it to simply be taken back that easily. Nikolay felt certain of this, until he heard Mina let out a heavy sigh and turn to address him again, visibly having something, anything at al, to say of it.
"When I went to your house this morning to check up on you, I found your dad sitting on the front steps. He said he had been there all night, just trying to work up the courage to talk to you. He said a lot of really heavy things when I saw him, Kolya-kun. He was just as devastated about last night as you were. He even said…the reason he didn't come out here to look for you with me, was because he didn't think he deserved your forgiveness…for all the things you said he had done. He looked me right in the eye when he said that."
For once, Nikolay couldn't find the words. He even had trouble just imagining what Mina was describing to him right now. Over the last twelve years, Oleg may never have denied his role in the way things had played out back in Russia, but never once did he ever actually witness his father visibly process or accept his own sense of guilt or shame, not just for what he had taken from them, but for the lifetime of anguish he had caused his son through his own actions, no matter how good-intentioned they had been.
Truly, what Nikolay had said last night had stricken a chord in Oleg like nothing ever had before, for him to express such guilt out loud, and to one of his own students, to boot.
Nikolay couldn't see just how deeply affected his face clearly was from what he had been told, but Mina could see it clear as day. The fact that he could look so deeply affected by simply being told that his own father actually had feelings that had likewise been hurt, made it impossible for the pink girl not to speak the one question that weighed the heaviest on her mind. "Kolya-kun, just what exactly is it that happened to you two that could have made you like this? You don't have to answer if you're not ready, but…I just can't not ask anymore."
His instinctive reaction was to say he didn't want to talk about it, but he began to think of just minutes ago, back in the meeting room, what the leader had said to him. The boy had so many years worth of sadness, anger and pain he hadn't even begun to work his way through, and he had to do that first before he could even begin to think about steering his life in the right direction again. Perhaps, this moment was the universe finally giving him a real chance to begin that emotional healing process. He could only hope so, at the very least. It was with that hope echoing in his chest, that he took a deep, strained breath, to finally put into words the point where his life had been put on continuous hold for the last twelve years, to the one person left he felt he could even remotely trust.
He proceeded to tell Mina everything he could recall from memory, his fathers' recollection and news testimonials alike from over the years; from Tunguskas' former reputation as the Top Pro Hero in the Soviet Union, his old teammates known as The New Bogatyrs, his mother Gamayun, and their fated last mission in Siberia, and the sheer scale of the disaster it resulted in that destroyed everything they had known all their lives.
All of that was easy for the young Russian. The struggle didn't start until he finally began to recall where he was that day. Even though he had been barely an infant at that time, now that everything had come back, he couldn't hope to forget any of it again.
"I had been left with my grandparents at our house outside of Irkutsk, when my parents left with The New Bogatyrs to fight the Villains in the South Siberian Mountains. Everything after that, I don't remember. I just remember at one point, everything started shaking, and it just got worse and worse, until the house finally collapsed on top of us. My grandparents died instantly. They must have been protecting me when it happened; that has to be the only reason I survived.
"I remember after a while, everything started smelling like smoke, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. I think a gas line might have been ruptured when the house fell, and started a fire. I just remember things getting really hot, before this huge gust of wind came from outside and put the fires out. A lot of the rubble started getting pulled away after, but I couldn't see who it was, and my throat was really hurting from the smoke, so I couldn't cry or anything. The next thing I knew, I was being pulled out, and I could finally see it was my mom. She was all bloody and covered in cuts, bruises and burns. Her wings…when I close my eyes now, I can see them. Her wings had been scorched to nearly nothing, I don't know how she'd been able to make it all the way back with injuries like that. But she did, all the same.
"I thought she was going to take me to where dad was, and he would make everything okay…but then she ended up collapsing as soon as she'd pulled me out. She was still holding onto me, but she wouldn't answer, no matter how many times I tried calling to her. All I could see was her face, and her eyes…t-they looked like they weren't even seeing me, like they were staring off at something further away. She looked so peaceful, but she still wouldn't answer me. And I was there, underneath her, still being held in her arms for so long. I didn't know how long it had been by the time dad had finally returned and found us. I just remember it being a really long time. For all that time, I couldn't move, and I couldn't make a sound. All I could see was her face, and all I could smell was smoke and blood. I can still feel just how cold she was when I really think back on it. In a way, when I focus enough, I can still feel like I'm still there, even now.
"Over all those years since, then, until last night, that whole period of time had been like a blur to me. I couldn't remember mom the way I saw her personally before. The only way I could recognize her was through those old mementos. Through it all, I didn't understand why I couldn't remember my own mother. But since last night, I'd had time to think about it. I guess my brain must have locked that whole part of everything away, to protect itself. I remember I once read something that explained that that's what people who go through trauma sometimes do in order to keep functioning. It's the only explanation that makes any sense to me, at least.
"So, when I saw that figurine of hers all smashed up, it made me remember seeing her like that in all that wreckage; and it brought back all the years of sadness and anger I'd been storing away since then. That all just kept building up inside of me, without me even being aware of it, and I want to say it's because…because me and dad, we never even got the chance to properly mourn for her. We just kept moving, trying to keep ourselves safe, and never giving a spare moment to just…acknowledge and accept the fact that she was dead, on top of everything else we'd lost. Neither of us acted or pretended that she was still there, but we just…never took the chance to really let it sink in and deal with it on our own terms.
"Ever since it all came back, all I can feel anymore is…hate, but for myself more than anything else. Even with my Quirk, I just feel so…so powerless all the time, and I hate feeling that way, because it just reminds me, over and over again, that no matter how much I wish for it, I can't ever go back and save mom when my own dad couldn't. And every time I remember that, it just reminds me that no matter how much a part of me, a really big part of me, wants to actually try and be a Hero, I'm just too scared to go all the way for it, because I am so scared that I'll end up destroying everything around me, just like my dad did. That's the same reason I keep acting so distant from you and everyone else. No matter how much I actually want to be able to just accept your friendship and that of everyone else, I'm scared to death of actually getting close to other people, Ashido-san, because…because I can't handle the idea, the risk of losing anybody else.
"I think…I think that, in the end, all of it; the fear, the sadness, the anger, the hate…it all ties back to mom, to me seeing her like that, and knowing that nobody could do anything to fix it…least of all myself. I just…God, I just miss her so, so much! I miss the way things used to be, before it all got ruined…but I miss her more than anything!"
All was unbearably silent after he had finally gotten to the core of it all, his chest wrenched with more pain than he had felt in a lifetime. He could feel all his insides twisting and turning with the release of so much pent up longing and sadness. Soon, a deeply pained, unrestrained sniffling that came with the onset of tears finally broke the silence.
However, it was not Nikolay that was doing it.
The Russian boy looked on in silent shock to see it was actually Mina who was the one finally shedding tears as she kept looking at him, having taken in every single word he had forced himself to finally speak. Even as her black-gold eyes glistened and overflowed with heartbroken tears, it wasn't the story he had told that she was crying over. She had simply taken it all in, and observed with no reservation, just how deeply rooted all those years of pain were in him, and just how much it had damaged him to not take the chance to even let himself experience all those related feelings.
Mina Ashido wasn't crying because of Nikolay Bezpalovs' story. She was crying for Nikolay himself.
The flux of emotions kept Nikolay from being able to recognize what was happening at that moment, as Mina slowly came in and closed the last of the distance between them, never taking her eyes off his. Before Nikolay could ask what she was doing, he suddenly felt her arms come around his sides and hold onto him, pulling him in until he felt her body against his, holding him close and tight. Confusion gave way to realization, which gave way to an indescribable feeling of heartfelt appreciation, and happiness that accompanied the pleasant warmth she was providing; all capped off with the faint but pleasant scent of strawberries.
Mina Ashido was actually hugging him, the first he had received from anyone besides his father in twelve years, and one that carried with it so much more emotional resonance and support than any of those before; doubtless because the man hadn't even allowed himself to come to terms with his own feelings to be able to convey what he had always meant to towards his son.
Nikolays' vision began to blur with tears of his own as he felt Mina's body continuing to tremble as she cried while holding him. She had her face nuzzled against his shoulder as she continued to silently express her emotional support by embracing him, before her sympathetic sobs had lightened enough to where she could speak again. "Kolya-kun, I know there isn't a lot I can do to help you with what you're going through right now, but…but I can make sure you never have to go through any more of it by yourself. I'm making you a promise, right now: if you ever find yourself just wanting to cry and let it all out, I promise that I'll be right there for you, no matter what. If you ever find yourself feeling scared again, I promise I'll be right there to hug you and let you know that everything will be all right."
Every word chipped away at the ice melting around Nikolays' heart, before Mina finally took her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eye, a warm light of compassion reflected in her gold irises. "We're friends, and I care about you a lot, Kolya-kun. No matter what you say or think, you deserve to have people that care about you in your life…like you already have."
That look in her eyes as she said those words; that was what finally destroyed the last trace of reluctance or hesitation on Nikolays' end. Unable to keep it bottled up inside anymore, the last twelve years of emotional stifling from all the loss, anger, confusion and all-encompassing resentment, finally came out in one great overflow of devastated, lonely tears running down Nikolays' face, as he finally brought his arms around Minas' sides in return.
The two teens continued to hold each other close, both of them letting their tears run their course, as Nikolay couldn't help but let out numerous choking sobs as he felt twelve years fly off his shoulders, leaving his body feeling lighter in spirit than it had ever been. It was a wonderful sensation beyond paltry words to have someone here at his side to be there for him, even if it was just to listen and provide a shoulder for him to cry on. Something so simple, he had been deprived of for so long, but now that someone was there to provide it, Nikolay felt freer than he ever had been, and he had his incredible, pink classmate—no, friend, to thank for it.
To just think about what that word meant: friend, made Nikolay want to shed further tears, this time of happiness and gratitude. What traces of apprehension and doubt remained, had been swept away by this one simple act on her part. For the first time, Nikolay finally believed what Mina had said, from the bottom of his heart. She truly was his first real friend, to have come this far for nobody elses' sake but his own. And in that moment, absorbing all of those facts, he solemnly swore to himself that he would gladly do the same for her if she ever needed, or even simply wanted it.
She was his friend, and by God, he would do everything in his power to return that sentiment in kind to her. On that bus stop bench, holding Mina Ashido in his arms and being held in hers, Nikolay Olegovich Bezpalov finally felt a sense of readiness to actually go forward into the present, and start leaving the past where it needed to rest.
Neither of them could guess how much time had passed when they finally released their embrace on each other, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that Mina had gone above and beyond to be there for him when he needed someone, and she could see a whole new light in his green eyes, aided by the fact the rain had finally subsided, and the sun was beginning to break through the clouds again.
"So, do you think you want to go back to Yuuei with me, Kolya-kun?" she finally asked as Nikolay rose to his feet, looking back in the general direction of the school through the city. "I do. But, even with what you said, I don't know if they really will be able to forgive me for what I did today. And, even if by some miracle they did, I don't know if I'll ever really be able to fully move on from that fear I've felt, not after I've been living with it for so long.
"Make no mistake, Ashido-san; I do want to be a Hero, but not just for my dad. I want to be a Hero for myself, and my mother. I'm just worried that the fear will always be there to hold me back, no matter if I have only you, or the entire class there to try and support me."
Ping, ping
A light electronic chime suddenly broke the flow, and Nikolay and Mina both looked momentarily confused, until her black-gold eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh, that's right!" She began digging through her backpack, until she finally pulled out an aged-looking piece of paper with handwriting on it that Nikolay immediately recognized to be Georgian; and with that, the realization of who had written it.
"Tunguska-sensei found this among the pieces of your moms' figurine. He figured that she'd written it to you and kept it inside for safekeeping. I took a picture for a translation app, and it must've just now finished it," she explained as she then took out her phone and pulled up the Japanese translation. Unfortunately, so much of it was in kanji that Nikolay couldn't begin to read. However, the idea quickly occurred to him, to put in the output language as Russian, to which a whole new translation popped up in a matter of seconds, producing an embarrassed chuckle out of both teens.
Mina offered the phone so Nikolay could read the translation, which he accepted with a grateful smile that just left her beaming where she stood. As Nikolay began to look over the Cyrillic on screen, he found himself compelled to read it out loud. Since she had gone to such lengths to try and help him, he honestly figured she had earned the right to be a part of this moment with him.
"My Dearest Kolya, I'm writing this letter so that you may one day find it in a moment you ever find yourself lost in mind, heart or spirit. I've even decided I will keep it inside that figurine you love so much once I've finished writing it, so that you'll always have a piece of my heart alongside you, even when I'm not there.
"Kolya, there is such a big, exciting yet scary world out there for you to experience when the day comes you finally get your Quirk and go on to learn how to become a Hero just like your father. And yet, despite all those scary things you're bound to come across in your life, that feeling of being someone who can give hope to others, someone who is able to make the lives of so many people safer and happier; that feeling makes everything else absolutely worth it, even in the times when you may feel like you have failed, or the times when you may worry about the repercussions of your own actions.
"Kolya, when you get older, if I'm not there to help guide you, I implore you: please, don't resent your father for anything he may do or the things that may come from it. You must remember that no matter what people may say to build him up, to make him seem like a god among mortal men, remember that when you sweep all of that grandeur and posturing aside, he is still only just as human as the rest of us, and it's that humanity, and that desire to do good that comes with it; that is what makes Heroes truly special.
"I know you have the heart to become a truly special Hero, just like your father, and I want you to know now, that there will be things you experience in your life that will be scary, that will be more difficult than you can imagine now, and as a result, there will be times when you just feel like giving up. But I want you to keep this in your heart, always: as long as you hold onto what's important to you, whether it's an ideal, a home, or people you care about, you will always find the heart and the strength to get back up on your feet, and be the Hero the world and the people need you to be; the Hero I and your father both know from the bottom of our hearts you can be.
"I love you, Kolya; so, so, so much; more than anything else in this big, beautiful world. Know that no matter what, even if you can't see or speak to me anymore, I will always be there to watch over and support you. With more love than there are stars in the sky…Mom."
Nikolay and Mina both felt tears filling their eyes again, but this time there was no sadness to be felt. On the contrary, for Nikolay, reading that letter had ignited within his heart a newly-rediscovered sense of purpose, hope, and an honest desire to do what he knew in his heart to be the right thing, for himself, his father, and everyone and everything else. To try and compare the sensation that now filled every fiber of his being to any other moment, he realized it felt just like when he was on the mound for the pitching test only a week ago. However, unlike then, this time that persistent voice of doubt and self-loathing had finally been vanquished, wiped from his heart and mind.
Now, at long last, in this singular moment, Nikolay Bezpalov finally knew where it was he truly belonged, and what it was that he truly wanted in his life. With that resolution officially engraved for all time in his heart, he wiped away his tears and looked a visibly moved Mina in the eye, standing confident and tall for the first time in his life. "I've changed my mind."
As she looked at him, momentarily confused, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his train ticket, before slowly crumpling it up in his hand and dropping it in a nearby trash bin. Watching him do this left Mina with a wide-eyed expression of hope as he gave her a confirming nod. "This is a new start, and I want to do it right this time. Let's go back."
Before Nikolay could take the first step back to Yuuei, he suddenly felt Minas' hand grip his sleeve, forcing him to look back at her, confused by the enthusiastic smile on her face. "If this really is a new start, then we need to start over, too; properly this time, since I…well, I kinda realized we never actually got properly introduced, things going as fast as they were."
With that, Mina took a step back, straightened herself out, looked Nikolay in his green eyes with that same wonderful, sunny smile on her pink face, and gave him a single respective bow. "Hello, I'm Ashido Mina. It's very nice to finally meet you, and I…I hope we can be really good friends." Nikolay had to fight the urge to chuckle in joyous amusement at what she was doing, but instead decided to meet her friendly gesture in kind, standing tall and giving her a respectful bow of his own. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, too, Ashido-san. I'm Nikolay Olegovich Bezpalov, but…my friends call me 'Kolya', and I hope we…I hope we can be really good friends, as well."
When he finally lifted himself back up, he was almost bowled off his feet, as Mina ecstatically threw her arms around him, squeezing him in the most joyful hug she possibly could, laughing happily, until Nikolay couldn't help but do so, himself. "If we're going to be best friends, then please, just call me 'Mina' from now on, Kolya-kun," she whispered before teasing him with her affectionate nickname once more. This time, though, Nikolay felt no embarrassment, but only a deep sense of gratitude to whatever force controlled the universe, for allowing him to have someone like Mina Ashido as a friend.
For the first time since the school year had started, Mina actually felt a hint of apprehension, standing at the entrance to Yuuei. It was easy to speak with confidence that things could work out so long as they stood together, but now that they were actually here, a reality check was just itching to make itself known to her.
However, when she looked, she was pleasantly surprised to see that for once, Nikolay looked upon the school without a trace of fear on his face. That newfound attitude he had gained clearly was here to stay, and right now she couldn't have been happier for that. And truth be told, neither could he. That's what he kept reminding himself of, as he and Mina finally continued onwards into the school; neither of them once aware that from a distance, since their time at the bus stop, they had secretly been watched by none other than All Might (in his Toshinori Yagi form, of course).
Having no doubt in his mind where they were headed, he began to follow after them, before a momentary glance revealed the very man he was looking for, Oleg, sitting forlornly by himself at a nearby bench, hidden a good ways from the entrance, hence why he had failed to even notice his own sons' fortuitous return.
The large Russian was quick to notice his frail blonde compatriots' return, which to him could have meant any number of results, and in his current mindset, most of them were bad.
"Oleg-san…you need to get back to 1-A now. Bezpalov-shonen…he and Ashido-shoujo came back." For a moment, Oleg had no visible reaction, either as though he were hearing things, or as though he didn't believe him. But within seconds, the synapses in his tired brain finally seemed to click, and he realized Toshinoris' sincerity, and nearly lit up like the sun with excitement. However, Toshinori was quick to put a pin in it as he pointed with particular urgency in the direction of 1-A.
"You can express whatever feelings you want to express later, Oleg-san. Right now, you need to get back to 1-A fast. Those two are on their way now, and if nothing is done, I know Aizawa-san will have them kicked out in a heartbeat." Realizing the real urgency that was just around the corner, Oleg nearly took off in a mad sprint, only managing to stop himself in time to say one thing: "Thank you, Toshinori-san. I just have to ask…what did you say to convince Kolya to come back after everything?"
Toshinori gave Oleg an expression that could only be described as pure humility. "I didn't say anything. I never even got a chance to come close. Bezpalov-shonen…he made the decision on his own."
Now standing at the door to their classroom, even Nikolays' courage was beginning to wane, as he could picture countless ways this would play out once they stepped through that door, and as much as he tried to remember Minas' reassurance, his sense of hesitation couldn't be discounted, either.
However, one gentle squeeze of his hand from his pink friend at his side, and one final confident nod of her head in silent support, managed to steady his heartbeat just enough for him to take one final, affirming breath, and grab the doorknob, ready to face whatever awaited them on the other side.
The instant he turned the knob, however, the door suddenly flew right out of his hand, leaving the doorway wide open, just long enough for Nikolay and Mina both to suddenly become ensnared and gagged in a series of now familiar gray wrappings, before pulling them both right in like flies in a spiders' web.
As the two teens struggled and protested in muffled confused panic, they were met by the imposing black figure of Aizawa, standing readily at his desk, his partially obscured eyes boring into them like he was about to bring the wrath of god down upon their heads, because as far as he was concerned, he was.
The protesting and shocked voices of several of their classmates called out as soon as it all happened, but one hostile glance from the homeroom teacher left them very reluctantly silent, while Nikolay and Mina were finally able to get back onto their knees, still unable to move any more freely, let alone speak. Aizawa never let up his grip on his capture tool as he finally began to approach them.
"To think, just a couple more minutes, and the two of you would have missed my class entirely today. You know, I honestly did not think you two would be bold…no, I didn't think you two would be stupid enough to show your faces in my classroom again after your little game of hooky today. Yet you, Bezpalov, you just keep managing to exceed my expectations in the worst possible way. You even had to go and drag another one of your classmates right down with you, too."
The grinding of several chairs being pushed back echoed across the classroom, as a handful of students once again began to rise up in protest of his harsh treatment, but Aizawa was already one step ahead of them as he turned his gaze to the rest like a hawk. "I want every last one of you to sit down, stay quiet, and observe what's about to happen here. Let this serve as a crystal clear example to all of you, just what happens to those who don't take their inherent Hero responsibilities, or the demands they take on as students of Yuuei, seriously."
With a movement of his wrist, the wrappings that were gagging Nikolay and Mina came loose, allowing the two to breathe again. However, they felt the will to speak up quickly die inside, as Aizawa loomed over them like the shadow of Death itself. "For ditching my class, I have the freedom, as your sensei, to expel the two of you from Yuuei right here on the spot. Do the two of you have anything, anything at all, to say in your defense, before I officially cut the dead weight from this class?"
As if he could just sense some of his students wanted to try and speak up again, Aizawa once again turned to the rest of the students with that same intensity. "Anyone here that even tries to help these two will be subject to the same punishment, and that is not a logical ruse, that is a fact. A class of real Heroes needs to learn to recognize the elements that need to be trimmed in order to bring them to their full effectiveness."
As soon as he brought his nearly lifeless gaze back on his two captives, Mina immediately made the motion to speak. "Sensei, what happened today wasn't Kolya-kuns' fault. It was just…!" But Nikolay was surprisingly quick to react as he turned to address her, and not their teacher. "There's no point trying to make excuses for me, Mina. Aizawa-sensei has already made his decision. He just wants to see what we would be willing to do in the face of the threat he's giving us right now." Nikolay didn't dare to try and meet Aizawas' piercing gaze, but if he had, he would've seen the homeroom teacher had only the slightest inkling of impression in his gaze, silently impressed the otherwise milquetoast Russian had figured it out so quick.
Realizing there was no point in further delaying the inevitable, Nikolay let out a truly weary sigh, finally lifting his head to meet Aizawas' gaze head on. "Sensei…my actions today were the result of a great number of long-festering thoughts and emotions that I hadn't been given or taken the chance to feel and process my way through. But today, I finally had that chance, and so I took it. As a result, it's also given me a real chance to really think about just what it is that I actually really want with my life. I finally came to that decision today, and that's why I decided to come back here."
Always having been an excellent judge of character despite his abrasive personality, he could tell the Russian boy was telling the truth. However, nothing was going to make him forget just what he had done in the first place, and that kind of behavior he could not abide, no matter what. "Do you really think that just because you decided to come back after running away in the first place, that makes what you did okay? If I were to just write this off and take you back in, how can any one of us here possibly know that you won't just do it again the next time things get harder? If I don't nip selfish behavior like this in the bud right here, it'll set a disastrous precedent, and I am not about to let that happen."
Aizawa tightened his grip on his capture tool, subsequently tightening the wrappings around Nikolays' midsection, as he further closed the distance between them, staring him down with his black pupils now glowing red. "I swear, you and your father really are two peas of the same pod; you're both just as infuriatingly irresponsible. You both run away from responsibility when it all gets too hard for you, and you both think you can just come traipsing right on back into the world of Heroes like nothing ever happened, when it's convenient for you. You two are without a doubt, the biggest hypocrites I've ever met."
Suddenly, the door to the classroom flew open once more, and Aizawa found himself locking eyes with Oleg once more. He was taking in the current scene with eyes like a deer in headlights, before he finally met the homeroom teachers' apathetic gaze. "Please, just hold on a minute, Aizawa-san. I want to hear everything my son has to say for himself…and I know you do, as well. Please, just give him the chance to say everything he needs to, and then…then you can do whatever you decide is best.
"I'm taking full responsibility, here and now, for the awful example I've set through my own selfish actions over all these years. You're right; I am a hypocrite for coming to this school acting and thinking the way I have, especially after everything else beforehand. However, it brings to mind a passage from an old American book I once read many, many years ago; Brandon Sanderson was the writer, if I recall. For some reason it stuck with me, though I never really understood what it meant…at least, until now. 'Sometimes, a hypocrite is nothing more than a man in the process of changing.' I'm trying to be a better man than I was, Aizawa-san, and I'm not going to go around pretending like the mistakes I made never happened. So please, if for no other reason than that, please let Kolya say his piece."
Aizawa remained silent, never taking his eyes from Olegs' icy blue gaze, his expression even more unreadable than usual. Finally, though, he let out the most reluctant of groans as he finally took a step back and motioned for the boy trapped in his Capture Tool to speak up. Realizing the miraculous chance he had just been given, Nikolay steadied himself, and prepared to pour out everything for the teacher, his father and his classmates to all hear.
"For a very, very long time, I've been slowly building up and holding in all these feelings, all this sadness, fear and anger, but I never allowed myself the chance to really feel it and work through it. Today, though, I finally got that chance, and I took it, and I'm slowly processing my way through it all, like I should have from the beginning. Aizawa-sensei, I'm tired of staying stuck in the past. I want to actually start living in the present, for real this time. I want to live in the moments as they come, and that includes whatever consequences the moment may bring.
"I won't make excuses for what I did, because there aren't any; and I won't run away from the consequences of my own actions. I've spent so much of my life running from consequences, and I'm tired of living that way. Ever since we came to this country, I've been constantly told that this is the beginning of a new life for us. If that's really the case, then I want to start my own new life right, and if that means facing the consequences, including expulsion from Yuuei, then so be it."
Nikolay bowed his head as Mina looked to him with great concern. Suddenly, he lifted his head again, and there was an unexpected shimmer of compassion shining in his green eyes. "The only thing I ask is that you don't expel Ashido Mina-san alongside me, sensei. She only did what she did because she was worried about me, and she only wanted to help keep me from making the terrible mistake I had already made. The truth is that she did what any real Hero would do: she put everything on the line to help save someone, because that's just the kind of person that she is."
Nikolay took that moment to look his pink classmate in the eye, and her expression was that of astonishment, capped off with a glowingly warm blush on her pink face at receiving such commendation from anyone. "She shouldn't have to lose her entire future because of what I did. If you have to expel anyone, sensei, then please, I ask only that you spare Ashido-san, and let it just be me. In the end, it's what I deserve for acting out so selfishly."
"Kolya-kun, please, don't do this! You were only just start-!" Nikolay looked to Mina with the softest expression of gratitude she had seen from him yet, rendering her silent. "Please, don't make things harder on yourself." Finally, to her astonishment, the beginnings of a genuine smile began forming at the corners of Nikolays' mouth as he gave her a look of true appreciation. "Thank you…for everything."
Once he was sure the two troublesome teens had finally said all they needed to, Aizawa stepped forward. "So…is this how you intend to take responsibility for what you've done, Bezpalov? You're not gonna try running or begging, but instead you're just going to simply sit there and face it, and just hope that that will be enough for everyone? Is that it?"
Nikolay didn't even hesitate, simply giving Aizawa a single, solemn yet accepting nod. "Yes, Aizawa-sensei." All the while, not even able to make a sound, Oleg could actually feel the strangest sensation of pride burning in his chest as he observed the entire scene. Even if the end result was going to be his expulsion, Oleg couldn't help but feel so immeasurably proud, watching his son do the one thing that the Sun of Justice never could bring himself to do: taking responsibility and facing the consequences of his own actions head on. Already, he had proven in his own way to be more of a man than his father ever could.
Aizawa finally took a couple more steps, until his shadow was practically overtaking Nikolay where he knelt. The Russian boy acceptingly closed his eyes and bowed his head, waiting for the fatal words he knew had been coming his way ever since he'd tried to run. He could only hope Aizawa would at least honor his request and let it only be him that was given the boot.
Finally, Aizawa let out the heaviest of sighs, and Nikolay could feel his skin prickle in regretful anticipation.
Knock
Nikolay instinctively flinched when he felt the knuckles of Aizawas' free hand just barely tap him on the top of the head, like a pre-school teachers' mock punishment of a misbehaving child. "After-school detention, thirty school days, starting today."
Nikolay finally opened his eyes in momentary disbelief, lifting his head up in confusion just in time to see Aizawa likewise tap Mina on the top of her head the same way. "After-school detention, twenty-nine school days, starting today."
With that, the bindings instantly came loose, and as Aizawa slung them back around his neck, he simply returned to his spot at his desk, looking at the two shell-shocked teens with that same apathetic stare. "Well, what are you two still sitting there for? Get back to your desk, and I'll be giving both of you the sheets for everything you've missed. Better make good use of it too for where you're going after the final bell. Don't be late."
Even in as speechless a state as they were, neither Nikolay or Mina hesitated to do as they were told. They rushed back to their desks, both of them still too overwhelmed with shock to notice the numerous looks and exclamations of support and relief from their classmates as they passed, most clearly shaken by everything they had just witnessed today.
All the while, still filling the doorway, Oleg gave Aizawa a silent, yet unmistakable look of deep gratitude, while also still looking a touch shaken, himself. Even as he stood on the other side of the classroom, his face partially obscured under his long hair as always, Aizawa gave Oleg in return, only the faintest semblance of a satisfied smile, his most telltale sign of his positive reaction to Nikolays' surprising moment of maturity.
The rest of the school day had gone by like a blur, even their very first two-hour detention session with Present Mic as their overseeing instructor. Frankly, even as they had begun the walk from Yuuei to the remains of Nikolays' house, all he and Mina could feel was that same disbelief at what a miraculously close call they had just gone through. Though unspoken, both had felt entirely certain that today would have been the curtain call on their lives as Yuuei students. It all still felt so unreal that Aizawa of all people had actually decided to take them off the proverbial hook, in his own way, at least.
Every now and then, one or both of them had an instinctive trembling reaction, just thinking about it, but they were nevertheless more grateful than they could hope to describe, that things had ended up turning out the way they had, detention or no.
It was when they were halfway back to the house that Mina had finally found the wherewithal to finally break the entire school days' worth of silence as she looked to her Slavic classmate and friend with a deeply admiring smile. "I'm really proud of you, Kolya-kun. The way you carried yourself back there with Aizawa-sensei, it was like…it was like a complete transformation with you. You were almost like a totally different person."
For once, Nikolay didn't look remotely embarrassed, instead wearing a similar smile of his own, looking up to the evening sky and its gorgeous hues of orange and purple. "Yeah. Honestly, being there and saying everything that I did, just finally taking the chance to say everything that I ever meant to out loud; actually facing what was ahead, instead of just running from it like before…that whole experience felt better than I ever thought it could."
The two proceeded to express their mutual dread over the possibility of Present Mic being their overseer for the entirety of their detention period, while also expressing relief that it hadn't gone as badly as they had expected it to. When they had finally returned to the Bezpalov household, the two teens stopped in their tracks, both of them visibly surprised. The house, despite the extensive damage Nikolays' meltdown had caused, was already back in pristine shape, good as new, courtesy of Yuuei Academy. That was not what caught them by surprise, though.
The sight of Oleg, joined by more than a handful of their classmates, as if they were simply waiting for the two to return, was the real surprise. Of course their most familiar companions were there satisfied to see them again, such as Eijirou, Izuku, Ochako, Kyouka, Tenya, Momo and even Denki, but there were even some unexpectedly newer faces (or lack thereof) like Tsuyu Asui and Tooru Hagakure as well.
As soon as they had noticed their two classmates' return, the whole group rushed to greet them, all expressing their own relief at their narrowly avoiding expulsion. "When you two didn't show up and Aizawa-sensei said he would expel you if he saw you again, and then you came back, I was on the edge of my seat! I thought for sure that was it!" Tooru admitted in almost rapid-fire fashion, barely able to contain her relief and excitement.
"Indeed, after everything you had said last night, and after Tunguska-sensei had explained everything to us, I felt nearly certain we would never see you again, Bezpalov-san." "Agreed. All the same, however, we're both just glad to see you decided to come back, and that sensei decided to be merciful." Tenya and Momos' mutual relief, while nowhere as animated as the invisible girls', was no less heartfelt, and easy to identify as such.
"The two of you really are nothing but lucky you didn't get expelled. But, I am glad we don't have to say goodbye, after all-kero." Tsuyu stated bluntly as always, but her sentiments were nonetheless clear and much appreciated from both.
"Thank you all for saying so, but I'm sorry, we're both just kind of surprised. Why are you all here?" Nikolay finally found the room to ask, finally allowing their classmates to think to take a step back. "Well, after school, we approached Tunguska-sensei, because…well, he told us a lot about what had happened with himself and you, Niko-san, and knowing what we do now, and especially after last night, we all thought it was only right that we help him fix things up again." Izuku explained before Ochako joined in with a supportive smile and enthusiastic nod.
"That's right! We all felt bad just leaving like we did last night, even though you had told us to, and we wanted to try and help whichever way we could." At a momentary loss, Nikolay once again found himself looking upon their now back-in-one-piece home. "Are you saying that all of you helped with all that?"
Such an obviously ridiculous question immediately got a greatly amused laugh out of both Ochako and Tooru, before Kyouka decided to step in once it was clear they weren't about to stop. "No, the headmaster had that done as soon as your dad had told him everything. We just decided to help with something a little more small time. Midoriya-san, isn't it still somewhere inside?"
"Yes, it is, I know just where, too. I'll go get it." Izuku took off in an exceptionally eager run into the house, while Ochako and Tooru had finally managed to catch their breath again. Finally, Mina decided to step into the discussion as well, still looking at the number of their classmates who had actually gone all this way just to meet them. "This is all really, really nice of you guys. I guess I'm just kinda confused, too. I mean; I understand why most of you would be here after last night and everything else today, but what about you, Tsuyu-chan, Tooru-chan? You weren't even here last night, you pretty much have no reason to go out of your ways like this."
At this, Toorus' uniform seemed to take on what looked like a determined stance, since nobody could tell what expression she was trying to convey. "Oh, c'mon, isn't that obvious, Mina-chan? You've pretty much said so yourself, before. We're all classmates, and in its' own way, that makes us all friends. Even if we haven't really talked too much to each other, doesn't it at least make a little sense we would want to try and help each other with something when they're hurting? It's just as good a way to get to know each other as anything else, right?"
Mina immediately grinned in embarrassment at how she didn't even think of that. That would've pretty much been her answer if she'd been in Toorus' shoes, practically verbatim. At the same time, Nikolay couldn't even hide how much that sentiment warmed his heart.
"Hey…Niko-san?" Denkis' voice was practically a nervous whisper as he and Eijirou had finally worked up the courage to step up and greet their Russian classmate. To say it had been difficult, knowing not only what they had done, but also now the history behind everything else, would have been a massive understatement. The two boys, in fact, were still having trouble looking him in the eye.
"Listen, man, we…w-we're really, really sorry about everything last night! We didn't mean to break it, it was all an accident, honest!" Eijirou had gone from calm to outright apologetic pretty much right out the gate, while Denki was still visibly trying to find his own words, half-expecting Nikolay to still tell them off for what they had done. "Look, man, like Kirishimas' trying to say, we've both been feeling like total crap after what happened, and even if you still can't forgive us for breaking something that important to you…I totally get it. We just wanted you to know how sorry we are."
To both boys' surprise, after a moments' contemplation, Nikolay actually stepped forward and placed a single hand on both their shoulders, looking them both squarely in the eye with a glint of understanding. "Thank you both for saying so. It really does mean a lot. However, you both deserve to know: what happened with me last night, what triggered that was really something far more than what either of you did. I know on the surface it doesn't seem that way, but it is the honest truth. It was just a lot of the past I hadn't been ready to face again coming back all at once. But starting today, I don't want to keep looking back anymore. From now on, I want to put one foot in front of the other, so please, don't keep apologizing for what happened anymore. It's all okay, I promise."
Eijirou and Denki both looked like the weight of the world had been lifted off their shoulders; their faces practically alight with appreciation. Once he was sure they had taken his assurances to heart, Nikolay looked past them and finally locked eyes with Oleg, who was simply standing and observing the entire gathering with an unreadable, yet undeniably emotional look in his blue eyes.
Nikolay finally began to approach his father, while the rest of his classmates looked on the upcoming interactions with a level of anxiousness, now knowing just how much of a frictional history there now really was between them. When Nikolay finally stopped just a foot away from Oleg, the larger man decided to accommodate his son by kneeling down so they could be at the same eye level. Finally, Nikolay closed his eyes, steadied his nerves to get the words to come, and spoke up.
[[I understand now. All of it, why you did the things you did for us, back in Russia, and here as well, why you brought us out here. I know I had said that I understood before, but this time I really do mean it. Taking in everything, all the feelings I hadn't taken the chance to let myself feel before, and really processing through it all and thinking about everything, I finally understand why you did it all.]]
Oleg didn't dare say anything, instead taking his sons' words to heart and giving him a silent nod of understanding. This was good enough for Nikolay to will himself to continue on to the hardest part. [[I know it isn't going to be easy, and it isn't going to be quick. It's going to take a lot of effort, and a lot of time on my end, but…I am trying, Dad. I'm trying to…I'm trying to fully forgive you for the things that happened, to us and so many others because of what you did. I-I don't know if I ever will be able to…but I am trying, at least.]]
Oleg had to choke down a deeply touched sob from within his throat as his face tightened with the strain, before finally laying a large yet gentle hand upon Nikolays' shoulder, looking into his sons' emotional eyes for what felt like the first real time in all these years. [[I understand, Kolya. To tell you the God's honest truth…I'm still trying to find it in me to fully forgive myself, as well.]]
Nobody else watching dared to speak and risk ruining the truly special moment they were witnessing right now. Even if they didn't understand a word the two had said to each other, they didn't need to. Knowing just what had been brewing between them, and to see how they were now speaking to each other, it didn't take much for them all to realize that they were witnessing, at the very least, the beginning of reparation between Nikolay and Oleg.
The front door to the house suddenly opened, and Nikolay and Oleg both looked to see Izuku coming back out with a small gift box in hand. Nikolay didn't notice the knowing look on Olegs' face, or the rest of the classmates that had been waiting for him, as he could only wonder what it was. "We all pitched in as much as we could to try and help get it all back together right." Izuku explained with a slightly embarrassed chuckle as he handed the small box out.
Nikolay could feel his heart beginning to race as his mind put those words together, giving him an idea. A part of him almost didn't want to believe this could be real, as he nervously took the box and slowly undid the thin ribbon keeping it together. But once he pulled the lid, he felt his heart stop, if not the entire world around him, for sitting nestled inside was the unmistakable form of his mothers' once-broken ceramic figurine, only now crudely glued back together to try and resemble its old self as closely as possible.
A momentary return of reason was the only thing keeping Nikolay from wanting to pull it out, lest it end up falling apart again if the glue hadn't already dried. However, he did notice the corner of a piece of paper sticking out from under it. Pulling that out and unfolding it, not even noticing Oleg and the rest of his classmates now gathering around so they could see how he took it.
The paper was filled with numerous different kinds of handwriting, about as many as there were students here, all of them voicing similar sentiments of friendship, support, understanding, and compassion for Nikolay, in only as many ways as could be said before they would start repeating each other. All in all, it was a permanent written testimony and declaration of friendship from them to him.
The note trembled in his hand as his vision became blurred with tears; the happiest he had ever shed in his entire life. Standing here on the sidewalk, surrounded by his father and so many of his classmates, all unanimously declaring their desire to be friends after everything that had happened before, it was all simply too much.
And yet, looking at the genuinely kind faces around him, Nikolay Bezpalov, for the first time, finally felt with an overwhelming abundance of confidence, that the so-called 'new life' his father had been consistently promising him since their arrival, was finally ready to begin at this moment.
"Thank you…thank you all. Thank you all…so much." He continued to profusely thank all of them again and again through his joyful tears, now surrounded by more people that meant something to him than he ever thought he would again. At that moment, basking in the kindness and support of all his new friends, Nikolay Olegovich Bezpalov finally felt ready to officially close the book on his old life, and open the book for this new one. "And please…no more of the 'Bezpalov-san', 'Niko-san' nonsense. My friends…*sniffle* my friends call me 'Kolya'."
Just outside of Minsk, Belarus
The tiny, dark nondescript room had nothing more than a mattress, a single suitcase, a backpack, and an aged cellphone sitting inside, when the only door opened with an especially loud wooden creak. A single man stepped inside, taking a deep breath of the stale air as he let the door close behind him. The night was still young, but he had been kept quite busy for some time, and he could feel his exhaustion beginning to catch up.
However, he could not begin to lie down for the night, as the cellphone lying next to the mattress began to hum. 'Figures that they would pick now to call,' he thought in mild irritation to himself. Deciding ignoring the call wasn't worth the resultant headache he would get later when they would keep trying throughout the night, he decided to take the small device and hit 'accept', holding it a ways from his ear in preparation for the resultant yelling.
[[Where in the hell have you been?! Do you have any idea how long we've been trying to get in contact with you? Six goddamn months! What part of your job description said you can just ghost us whenever you damn well feel like it?]] The man on the receiving end simply waited for his caller to run out of steam, which he thankfully did sooner rather than later, before finally deciding to answer. [[Well, if you don't want me to drop off your radar for that long, make sure your information you send to me is more up-to-date next time. There were a lot more assets here in Belarus for me to take care of than you initially thought; a lot more. I was simply trying to be thorough, like you would have no doubt chewed me out for not being if I had simply stuck with the ones you had identified for me.]]
As he explained this conundrum to his superior, he caught a faint whiff of something out of place in the air, before just as quickly realizing it was emanating from the single speck of blood adorning the toe of one of his boots.
[[I don't want to hear any more of your excuses. The fact you have taken care of all the assets we provided you is all well and good, but we have some very important information for you, something we know you'll want.]] The man was quickly losing his patience, immediately able to tell his caller was baiting him to ask. He was too familiar with their mind games to fall for it, and his silence explained as such to the man on the other end, who awkwardly cleared his throat.
[[Anyway…we finally found him.]] The caller didn't need to say anymore, as the man felt his heart immediately begin to race with expectation. [[You did? You're not just telling me this, you actually found Tunguska, finally?]]
[[That's right…well, at least, that's the good news. The bad news is that he fled for Japan shortly after we moved in on him. He's officially out of our governments' jurisdiction, as long as they wish to avoid sparking an international incident.]] The man was already growing bored with the sociopolitical rambling, and disappointed with the fact they could not go after him anymore. That was especially painful, after having waited so long for this occasion. [[All right, so if Tunguska is no longer within Mother Russia's reach, then why are you bothering to tell me all this, still? As if I don't already know.]]
He could just feel the caller shake with chills, just knowing how far ahead he was mentally. [[Yes. You see, right before he ended up escaping Russian territorial waters, we managed to shoot him in the leg. It took some doing, but we were able to procure the bullet with some of his blood still on it. We're hanging onto it for you back in Moscow. So if you feel you're ready to come back here, you can do whatever you need in order to pick up his trail again and…do what you do best.]]
The man could feel a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, but knew his job required he at least ask one more question for the record. [[All right, glad to see you're managing to do your jobs for me at least that efficiently. So tell me…when I find Tunguska, do you want me to bring him back alive?]]
[[I can appreciate you being professional enough to ask, but we both know your history with each other would make that literally impossible. You have free rein to do whatever it is you need to in order to make sure he receives what's coming to him. Just remember that since you'll be in foreign territory, if by any circumstance you end up getting caught…or something more permanent, the Russian government will of course claim plausible deniability.]]
The man was already nodding, having heard this spiel countless times over the years, having gone all across the former Bloc and parts of Central Europe to clean up their mess. Nevertheless, the fact he was officially being given free rein for this one, left him feeling especially excited. He couldn't help but smile like a child in a candy store as he was itching for the spoken confirmation he so desperately wanted.
[[So then…tell me straight, I just want to hear it officially. Are you telling me…that it's time to go hunting?]]
[[…Yes. We know you've been waiting somewhat patiently for all these years, and now it's time you got what was promised to you. Congratulations. It's time for the Vukodlak to seek out his most desired prey once more.]]
And there is the newest chapter, a nice little surprise for you all that have been following this story up to this point, I do truly appreciate your continued patronage, readership and feedback, which I'm always looking to hear from you all.
I won't lie, the whole segment revolving around an actual 12-Step group comes from a very personal place for me. They have really helped me out of a dark period in my life recently, so I just felt a situation like this deserved a bit of that real life-inspiration. It doesn't matter what a persons' problem is, simply listening and talking about it can really make all the difference in the world. Don't ever feel like you can't talk to someone about something that's troubling you.
I hope you all liked what you read here today, and unfortunately the two-chapters-in-a-weekend scenario is not going to be a regular thing, I just didn't want to leave you all with that downer ending for an entire week.
From here it will be back to the regular schedule, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 02/27!