𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭
Noikari eyes slowly fluttered open as he felt the pain of a thousand suns transferred directly into his body. Even trying to sit up filled his body with agony. The fight, along with exhuming all of the energy of Conversion Furnace and One For All had taken its toll on his body. Looking in a mirror stationed across the room, the child was horrified at his condition. Although his body was bruised, bloodied, and hurting, the most grievous injury was in his right arm. The appendage was twisted at an unnatural angle, causing the bone itself to nearly pierce through his skin. Despite the pain coursing through his veins, those thoughts only stayed in his mind briefly, as another thought took its place.
Momo.
"How is she?" A concerned Todoroki inquired, peering over the hospital's reception desk as he awaited an answer. His mother sat beside him, staring blankly at nothing, her face devoid of any expression. Aizawa and Recovery Girl stood behind them, watching the scene unfold.
"She's stable." The nurse replied, looking down at a monitor displaying Yaoyorozu's vital signs. "Her condition remains stable. She should regain consciousness soon."
"Thank goodness..." Todoroki whispered quietly, feeling his heart leap with relief. He then frowned, noticing a strange change in the readings.
"What's wrong?" Aizawa asked, raising an eyebrow.
Todoroki narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Her temperature isn't quite normal..."
Yaoyorozu shuddered in her sleep, her lips twitching. Her brow furrowed as though in pain. Suddenly a low moan escaped her throat. Immediately the temperature spiked. Both Todoroki's gasped as they heard another moan come from her mouth, one far louder, almost as if she was crying out in pain.
Aizawa quickly rushed to the side of Yaoyorozu's bed, placing both hands on her shoulders.
Noikari, still grimacing in pain, attempted to fall asleep in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, it would help his aching body.
But then he heard it.
A cry of pain forced the child to shoot up in bed before grabbing his stomach in pain from the sudden movement. That shout. . that was Momo!
And she was in pain. He didn't know what had happened to her after the Colossaeus had beaten her, but she needed help.
His muscles strained with every subtle movement, as if his body would explode from the pressure. But after a minute, Noikari remarkably found the strength to stand, ripping out the IV packets out of his arms, the fluids spilling out onto the floor.
First one step, then two, then three. For each step, Noikari groaned in unrelenting pain. But slowly, he started to ignore it. For Momo's sake, he needed to help her.
Walking over to the wall, Noikari gripped his dislocated shoulder, knowing that he would probably regret this. Breathing in and out rapidly, Noikari shouted before slamming his wounded arm into the wall with all his might. The child felt the bones painfully snap back together as he relocated his shoulder. Taking a moment to breath after the horrendous pain, Noikari slowly stumbled out of the hospital ward he was in, determined to help his friend.
In a dark corridor, Noikari limped heavily, leaning on the cold steel of the railing that ran along the wall. He clutched his injured shoulder tightly, trying to use as little energy as possible. A few nurses had tried to get the boy to return to his room, but the boy pushed past them. Every step was a struggle, making it more difficult to even stand upright. As his vision blurred, Noikari looked around. He noticed a door that had a number on it, and he approached it, pressing his ear against the frosted metal. To his astonishment it wasn't locked. Slowly he pushed open the door and slipped inside the room beyond.
Opening the door, Noikari saw Aizawa standing next to Yaoyorozu, holding her hand tightly. Todoroki stood opposite of her, trying to comfort her in any way he could. Momo's eyes were red rimmed, and she was trembling as she sobbed, tears dripping from her cheek as she stared down into Noikari's bloodshot, pale ones.
Noikari tried to say her name but couldn't produce anything more than a whisper.
Aizawa turned to address Noikari. "Why. . are you here?" he asked, "You're hurt."
"I know that", winced Noikari. "I just needed to make sure she was okay."
The teacher rubbed his temple in annoyance for a moment before Noikari asked him, "What happened to Dr. Hetodah?"
Aizawa sighed. "Unfortunately, he got away."
Noikari nodded.
Just then, Yaoyorozu looked up to see her friend there.
"Oh no.." She breathed.
"Hey hey hey", said Noikari, waving his broken fingers at her, "Don't cry. I'm fine, see?"
Yaoyorozu smiled weakly.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you." She apologized.
"No." Noikari replied, turning his head away from Momo so the girl would not see the slowly forming tears in his eyes. "I'm the one who couldn't save you. If I had been quicker, then you wouldn't have-"
"I understand your concerns, Noikari." Replied Aizawa. "But you're also badly injured. We need to get you back to your hospital room."
"I know that." Replied Noikari. "But I have a promise I want to make to her. Please don't force me back to my room."
Shouta exchanged a curious look with Yaoyorozu before nodding silently at his request. He allowed the child to move towards the bed, Noikari leaned forward and placed a kiss on Yaoyorozu's forehead, causing her to close her eyes, relaxing slightly. Once that was done, Noikari allowed Aizawa to gently pull him out of the room, the teacher beginning to take Noikari back to his own hospital room.
"What was that?" Asked Aizawa.
"Huh? What was what?"
"You kissed her."
Noikari paused as the words sunk in. His face began to flush red. He looked away sheepishly, mumbling an embarrassed response.
"I just felt like it. I wanted to help her calm down."
Aizawa shook his head and sighed again. He wasn't exactly the best teacher when it came to children so why should he expect better of someone who was clearly suffering at his age? Besides, it had actually been very nice. Aizawa had never known anyone who acted like that. It showed that Noikari really cared about his friends and loved them dearly. And for that reason, Aizawa knew it wouldn't take much more coaxing until he could finally allow the boy some freedom in his life. And for that freedom, Aizawa would do everything he possibly could to help him.
A few days passed by uneventfully in the hospital. Noikari had woken several times, having trouble focusing on what was happening around him due to a constant stream of nurses and doctors bustling about the room. Though the pain was unbearable, the boy still managed to keep himself awake through sheer determination. Every time he woke, however, he immediately fell back to sleep.
Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki had been taken to the hospital as well, but their injuries were minor compared to Noikari and Momo's, and so they were allowed to be discharged after a day or two of rest. Only Noikari and Momo remained at the hospital.
It was a Friday morning and the sun shone bright as ever, giving the room an aura of warmth and comfort that made everyone in it feel comfortable. Noikari lay on his stomach on the bed, his legs propped up on a small stool. His eyes gazed out of the window as he watched the snow flutter through the air.
Yaoyorozu walked quietly through the door, Bakugo and Kirishima entering behind her, as the latter shut the door carefully behind them as he closed it. Momo made her way over to the hospital bed, smiling at Noikari as he glanced up at her. He smiled weakly.
"How are you doing?" She asked, sitting on the chair near his bedside.
He shrugged, closing his eyes as he leaned back against the pillows. "Better now that I know you're okay".
Momo grinned, resting her arms on the bed as she leaned forwards, staring at Noikari happily. "Awww, who taught you to sweet talk like that, ya little cutie?"
He chuckled softly at her teasing. "I'm only saying it because I care about you, Momo."
"You too, kiddo." She replied, giving Noikari a quick hug.
Bakugo, sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed, simply scoffed at the loving display, turning away with his arms crossed. Although he wouldn't admit it to anyone, he was glad Noikari was alright.
She pulled away from him and smiled warmly. "So, after I got knocked out, what happened?"
With a sudden burst of energy, Bakugo excitedly began explaining.
"Oh, you should've seen it. The kid went nuts!" He proclaimed, patting Noikari on the shoulder. The child was embarrassed. "I mean, it wasn't that impressive," He remarked.
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Bakugo exclaimed. "You sent that giant flying!"
The teen smiled weakly. "Well."
"And then, that final attack, when you shouted, 'AND WITH THIS POWER, YOU SHALL SMITE THE WICKED!', admittedly, I thought it was a bit edgy, but not bad for coming up with that on the fly, kid."
Bakugo noticed something about Noikari. He seemed . . distant, like he was lost in thought. The child seemed sad about something.
"Hey, you alright kid?" Bakugo asked.
Noikari blinked, looking up and meeting Bakugo's intense gaze. "Yeah," he answered quietly. "Fine, I think."
"You don't sound very fine."
"I'm fine."
Kirishima shook his head, crossing his arms. "Come on. Something's on your mind, right?"
Noikari's gaze fell on his right hand, the very hand that had slain the Colossaeus.
"I just. . I want to be a hero still, but now I don't know if I can."
"What do you mean?" Bakugo questioned, confused by the child's statement.
"I don't feel like a hero. There's blood on my hands now. I killed that thing, but maybe there was another way. If I had found the doctor sooner, maybe I could've talked to the Colossaeus, get it to . ." Noikari's voice trailed off, the sorrow in his sentence evident. "Even though it was evil, it was only made that way because of Dr. Hetodah." Noikari sighed in sadness. "I just. . . I just wish things could've ended differently."
"What do you mean?" Bakugo asked slowly.
Noikari closed his eyes sadly, taking a deep breath as the guilt set in. He didn't want to tell his friend about it, not right now at least. But seeing that Bakugo was looking at him, waiting for an answer, Noikari knew that it was best to just tell him.
"I wish... I wish this was over." Noikari spoke barely above a whisper. "Dr. Hetodah's actions caused this whole mess to happen, and he doesn't deserve a second chance... he deserves to die."
Bakugo froze in shock. This was the first time the child had ever spoken like this. Noikari was typically always cheerful, easy going, and even in stressful situations, he stayed level-headed.
This time around however, his voice wavered, his eyes widened, his face turned pale, and tears filled his eyes. It broke Bakugo's heart to see such a normally happy and confident child so distraught. Bakugo, realizing that Noikari needed some alone time with Momo, promptly walked over to the door, giving the child one last glance as he exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"Noikari..." Yaoyorozu whispered, moving towards the boy quickly. Not knowing what else to do, Momo inched her face closer to Noikari's until the two were inches apart.
"M-Momo?"
Before Noikari could question his friend's sudden closeness, Momo suddenly placed a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead, remembering how he himself had done the same when she was recovering. Noikari blushed brightly at the action before Momo pulled him into a hug, her gentle embrace comforting the boy immensely.
After a couple moments, they both pulled away and let out soft smiles. Momo rested her chin onto his shoulder, stroking the child's hair in an attempt to calm him. She didn't say anything, instead choosing to stay silent and just hold the young man close, wanting nothing more than make the pain go away. For a while, they sat there in silence, just enjoying being wrapped up in each other's presence and being in each other's embrace. Then, no more than a minute later, the door creaked open once more. As Momo glanced up, she was surprised to see Aizawa standing in the doorway, his expression carrying that same indifference it always did.
"Good to see you two getting along." The teacher began, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I've just been told by the nurses that your injuries have almost healed completely. They say that you may be discharged today."
Noikari nodded, pulling himself out of Momo's embrace and sitting up properly. Momo stood up beside him, smoothing down his shirt slightly to make sure that it hadn't become rumpled from her hugging.
"So, shall we?"
"Sure", Noikari replied with a smile. He stood up, stretching his aching joints, and Momo followed suit. Once he'd finished, the two walked to the door of the hospital ward, Noikari quickly opening holding the door for his friend, elegantly bowing like a butler.
"After you, madam," Noikari jokingly stated.
Momo grinned as she walked through the door with a playful roll of her eyes. "Thank you" She responded, laughing slightly at Noikari's silliness.
"If you two are done," Aizawa began, "We may return to U.A. now. But I want you two to wait until tomorrow to return to class, just to make sure you're both okay."
They agreed to his request and began their walk out of the hospital, walking hand in hand through the pleasant weather to school. Their conversation flowed easily, and within minutes, both of them were giggling uncontrollably, holding their sides and having trouble breathing due to their fit of laughter. Aizawa walked behind them. Although slightly annoyed at his student's constant laughter, he couldn't help but flash a small grin seeing Noikari being happy.
They finally arrived at the gates of U.A. After walking back to the dorms, both of them headed to their respective rooms, ready for bed. Aizawa again reminded both of them to rest until tomorrow before leaving, taking a moment to check his watch. He had time. He needed to talk to All-Might. . .
𝘙𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘵, 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰
At the very top of Might Tower, Aizawa sat in All-Might's office. At the large rectangular desk was All-Might himself. However, due to not being in his empowered form, his appearance was that of a skinny man with a long neck and angular features. Despite this, his hair was still the same shade of gold that it always was.
His eyes, despite his lack of pupils, remained sharp, shining brightly.
All four of them were seated around the circular table. Aizawa, with All Might, Endeavour, and Mirko. They sat facing each other, all of them with a serious expression on their faces.
There is something I wish to talk to you all about," Aizawa began, "About Noikari"
He pulled out a laptop, quickly pulling up footage of the battle between Class 1A and the Colossaeus. He sped up the footage until the moment after Momo was horribly injured, when Noikari had sprouted those tentacles and wings. The three other heroes watched the screen with awe as Noikari's battle with the Colossaeus raged on, up to the point where the footage ended shortly after the Colossaeus had been killed by Noikari.
"So, he defeated the villain." Mirko reaffirmed. "What's the problem then?"
I'm worried that all of this is too much for Noikari to handle. I know he agreed to start attending our school because both you," he emphasized while pointing at Mirko, "and I saw his potential, but I don't want the child to deal with something he doesn't want to do."
Mirko looked troubled. "But isn't this exactly what he wants? To become a hero?"
"Yes, but-"
"And who knows how far his power will take him? Or whether his body will be strong enough to withstand his training? Besides, he hasn't really seen the dangers yet."
"And I won't allow him to risk that!" Aizawa snapped. "That boy is far too kind. He cares too much. I won't allow him to put himself in danger like that. I don't want to see him dead before he's even grown up! I won't. . " Taking a moment to compose himself, Aizawa spoke once more, only much calmer. His voice rang with a rare feeling of sadness. "I won't let him suffer anymore."
For a brief moment, Aizawa felt one of his eyes begin to water. It was so dry. The last time he had been this emotionally compromised was when he had lost his friend Oboro Shirakumo. Why was he so passionate about Noikari? Even Aizawa himself didn't know. But the reason was obvious. In spite of everything he had been through, Noikari made everyone feel like they belonged. He made the darkness fade. And although Noikari wasn't perfect, his love and care for his friends was enough for Aizawa to feel content.
"We'll help him in any way we can, Aizawa." Mirko stated warmly, putting a comforting hand on the Pro Heroes shoulder. Aizawa glanced at her, then to Endeavor and All-Might.
"I trust you all."