Hope!" Normal Speech

'Despair!' People's thoughts

"Truth!" Flashbacks


Chapter 7

Remembrance


The big 3

That's how Aizawa had called them, the three greatest upcoming Heroes currently studying at U.A

And if he was being honest, he had been excited to actually meet them once Aizawa had told him and his class that they would be coming today.

How couldn't he be? The three strongest of the whole school? Of course he was excited! He could finally see how he measured up with some of the best!

But when they finally arrived... they weren't what he had expected, to say the least.

Sure, the blonde one with the baby face looked strong, but it was hard to get a read on when the guy was spending most of his time calming down the second member of the trio, a black-haired guy that looked like he wanted to be anywhere except here.

That left the third member, the only girl of the group...

"Hmmmmm...!"

Who had been just a moment prior zipping between his friends and asking them questions way too fast to the point they didn't even get to answer!

"Uh...hi?" But now she was just standing in front of him, seemingly in deep thought as a humming sound left her.

His eyes darted to the sides, trying to see if any of his friends had an answer for this.

They had none, of course.

And looking at the blonde guy of the group, the only thing he got was a chuckle, almost as if he had expected this.

"Are those whiskers mark part of your Quirk?" Suddenly though, she asked, earning his attention back and making him frown in response.

That wasn't the first time someone had asked him that, after all those marks of his were quite distinctive even though they seemed to have no relationship with his actual Quirk.

"Well, that's-prrrrrrr."

What this was though, was the first time someone just suddenly rubbed said marks after asking that.

He grabbed her wrists immediately, blood going to his cheeks as nothing but embarrassment grew inside of him. Maybe, no one had heard it? He had tried to keep that a secret, and the last thing he needed was his whole class-

"Did you just...purr?"

Mina's words cut through the silence in the room like a hot knife, also making him feel as if someone had stabbed with him with that very same knife just a moment later.

"I did not!" He denied it immediately, his face growing even hotter at the looks he was receiving.

"Oh my good you totally did." Denki wasn't helping either.

"Shut up that's not true-prrrrrr."

He grew even more mortified when, because of everyone else distracting him, the girl had taken her chance to rub on his cheeks again.

"That's just...adorable." Kyoka's comment almost had him banging his head against his desk.

The fact that it was followed by Bakugo's loud laughter didn't do good things with his mood.

And glaring at the girl that was responsible of this, the only thing he got was a star-eyed look, one that had him more than a bit worried about his future.

Combined with the apologetic and resigned looks he was getting from the other senpais, something told him things weren't going to go well from now on.


Fighting against Heroes was not something that he liked.

It was an aspect of the decision de had made that he understood would be happening, but it didn't make it any more enjoyable for him.

And that was ignoring the moral aspect of it, after all, unlike with Villains, it wasn't like he liked fighting those that were also trying to protect others, especially when it came to those that he had once considered close friends and comrades.

But the main issue when facing Heroes was that he simply couldn't let himself go all out, for more than one reason.

First, there was the nature of most of his technique. He didn't want to permanently harm, or outright kill any Hero, after all, which made things a bit complicated when most of the things he knew how to do were meant to do just that.

When he had been thought about how to deal with enemies, it had been with the use of lethal force above anything else.

That brought up the second issue: That anything he showed in front of a Hero would sooner or later be known by all of them.

Keeping techniques and skills a secret was far easier when he knew the victim wouldn't be able to share anything about it to others, like with Nomus.

But he couldn't exactly go around killing the Heroes just to keep his repertoire a secret, now could he?

He had only used certain techniques in front of them trusting that they wouldn't be able to figure out the inner details of how they worked, given the circumstances, but if he were to use too much in front of this particular group, it might just make things worse for him in the long run.

Which is why he had hidden his only Hiraishin kunai.

Which is why he knew he would mostly be relying on the Kyubi's chakra, or rather what they thought was his Quirk.

Because if there was one thing all his three senseis had agreed on, it was that information was power, and it was an advantage he refused to lose right now.

But as all those thoughts flashed through his head, the only outward reaction he made was to grin.

"Guess I can't convince you lot of just letting me go?" He asked, knowing that the only thing he was gaining was a bit more of extra time before they came at him.

But that was all that he wanted, for every second he got was another one he spent on figuring out a plan.

Maybe if it was just one of them, he could have just brute force it without much of an issue. He was sure there was only one Hero in this country that could actually give him trouble by herself, but right now he was dealing with a trio that actually knew how to how work together, with pretty versatile Quirks that he would rather not underestimate.

He also needed to make sure they couldn't track him without showing too much, and needed to buy Kaina enough time too, so the number of complications kept pilling on.

"You're coming with us, Naruto." The one that answered back was Mirio, the ever-present leader figure of the group. "We can fix all of this up if you just cooperate with us."

"Our definition of fixing things is vastly different." Was his answer, just as the Kyubi's chakra started to cover his body once again. Sure, he knew it wasn't a necessity when he could fight using his own chakra and without the cloak, but once again, information was the key to victory in most cases, and he wasn't willing to let such an advantage go.

"Naruto-kun, please!" Now it was Nejire who pleaded, and even he couldn't ignore the crestfallen look on her face. "We don't want to fight you, we just want everything to go back like it was before, so please...!"

"Uzumaki, I don't know why you're doing this, but I know you wanted to be a Hero more than anything else." Tamaki seemed to follow next, his somber voice now being uncharacteristically serious. "And I...I refuse to believe that has changed."

"When I lost my Quirk, you told me to never give up on myself, and that one way or another, it wouldn't be the end of Lemillion." Finally, almost as if they rehearsed it, Mirio gave a step up. "And I never did, thanks to you...so now I'm here to tell you that I'm not giving up on you, Naruto!"

When their words ended, the only thing he could do was to widen his smile just a bit, even as a sharp pain formed in his head.

His response to their declarations came just a moment later, in the form of a tail forming right behind him, just before he lunged at them with only one purpose.

To not lose.


"Pleeeeeeease!"

"No! Not again!"

"Prety pleeeeease! With a cherry on top!"

"I don't even like cherries." He whispered out, trying his best at keeping his focus purely on the book that rested in front of him.

It was hard by default, considering how much he hated having to actually study for stuff, but it wasn't like he could depend on Izuki's and Momo's help all the time, right? He knew they wouldn't have minded; they had let that fact pretty clear, but he still felt like a bum by having to rely on them all the time just to keep his grades on passable level.

Which is why he had decided to spend most of his day here, in the library.

But if studying by his lonesome was a hard task, doing it while having a pouting Nejire sitting right to his side was just impossible!

And just because he refused to let her rub his cheeks again? She had been doing that every time they met now, shouldn't she be getting tired of it by now?!

"I would never get tired of that." She suddenly declared with such an uncharacteristic amount of seriousness that he skipped the part where he got worried about her seemingly reading his mind and went straight to the bit of him dreading the actual possibility of her words.

"Look, I have a math test coming up soon." Just saying those words were enough to send a shiver down his spine. He could be training right now, or hanging out with his friends but noooo, U.A just had to have math classes too! "So, unless you're willing to help me over here, I can't-"

"Ohh let me see!" But then, almost as if taking his words as an actual invitation, she pushed her chair closer to his, interrupting him in the process, right before resting her chin on his shoulder to seemingly peek at what he had been reading. "Oh that's an easy one!"

"...easy one my ass." Was his immediate response, for there was nothing easy about having to somehow multiply numbers with letters!

"But it is!" And then, to seemingly prove a point, she took out a pencil out of her bag, right before grabbing his notebook, which was by now filled with failed attempts at solving the problem presented in the book, and dribbling something on it for a few seconds. "Here, see? It's easy!"

It took him a few seconds to realize she had just solved the equation in a matter of seconds, his dumbfounded look going from his notebook to the math book, and then to the smiling Nejire, before repeating the cycle a few more times.

"Are you actually like...smart?" He asked, honestly perplexed. Had he been on the wrong for assuming Nejire wasn't the sharpest tool in the toolbox? It's not like he thought she was stupid or anything, she was a third year after all, but still...

He couldn't hide the disbelief from slipping through his voice.

"That's now how you compliment others, how rude!" Her newfound pout was followed by her crossing her arms over her chest right as she harrumphed.

"Sorry..." He scratched the back of his head, not believing today of all days he would find out about Nejire's seemingly prowess when it came to math of all things.

But that meant she could help him then, right?

He shook his head at such thought, not because he believed she couldn't do it, but because the whole point of this was to not have to depend on others for his grades. He was already bothering Momo and Izuki enough as it was, he didn't need to bother Nejire too-

"It's not a bother." And once more, she seemed kin about proving to him that her Quirk also let her read minds or something. "Helping my favorite underclassmen will never be a bother, Naruto-kun."

"I'm your favorite?" That little tidbit caught him off guard, for even though he wouldn't deny they had gotten closer for the last few months, to say he was her favorite...?

"Well yeah!" She answered with a shrug, one of her fingers then going right under her lip as she seemed to go deep in thought. "Everyone else just start ignoring me or avoiding me after a while, but you don't seem to really mind me that much!"

Oh...

Great, now he was feeling like an asshole for trying to get rid off her just a few minutes ago.

Sure, he knew firsthand just how...intense she could be, so he sort of could understand not everyone wanting to keep up with her, but even so...

"Fine... if you want to help you can help." He ended up agreeing with a sigh, earning a giggle from an obviously amused Nejire.

"You can be really shy sometimes, you know?"

"Shut up!" He grumbled out, only making her laugh even more. Now came the hard part, however. "And like, I guess you can...rub them a bit after we're done...But just for a few seconds alright?!"

His last words were said in panic once he saw that dangerous glint in her eyes, but it seemed it had felt on deaf ears given how she was already raising her hands, her fingers twitching in obvious anticipation .

At least, they both made true of their words that day.


The first one he needed to get rid off was Nejire-chan.

While her Quirk could be considered a bit more straightforward than the other two, her aerial capabilities and long-range attacks would be an issue if he just let her float around on the field.

Besides, Lemillion's and Sun Eater's attacks were exclusively melee based, unlike Nejire-chan's, and those he could deal with just fine.

Which is why, when he had launched himself at them, he had aimed specifically at her.

But they were prepared, for even before he got to her, she had already taken flight, and in her previous place both Sun Eater and Lemillion were already waiting for him.

He twisted his body in response, the palm of his hands touching the ground in what he was sure looked like a handstand, right before he used his arms to launch himself from the ground, going above the two and straight upwards towards Nejire-chan.

"As if!" But whatever momentun he had was killed by two limbs grabbing him by his feet, one being a tentacle from Sun Eater, and the other one being Lemillion's hand, as he had seemingly jumped in tandem with him high enough to grasp him.

"Nejire wave!" In such position, he could only raise his arm to block her attack, the cloack protecting him from any real damage, but it was still enough to send him flying backwards.

Skidding to a stop, he was barely able to raise his head and arm in order to grab Sun Eater's crab arm, but just as he did, another body emerged from his front. He raised his knee, just in time to block Lemillion's low-aimed fist, but said punch ended up slamming right into his gut anyway as his arm went staright through his leg.

"Nejire Flood!" He didn't need to look up to know what was coming, specially given the way Lemillion and Sun Eater suddenly moved away from him, right before he felt the pressure of her attack.

"That one actually stung a bit..." He whispered under his breath right before he extended his left arm towards her, the Kyubi's chakras immediately acting on his command and extending itself in a long claw, one that would have caught Nejire-chan if she hadn't barely moved out of the way.

His other hand moved swiftly to the pouch glued to his leg, a kunai now in his grasp that he used just in time to block Sun Eater's scorpion stinger, just as he made the tail on his back to make a sweep behind him, knowing it would only go through Lemillion, but only needed the extra second it earned him.

Jumping upwards, he spun himself in the air, his left hand already taking more objects from his pouch, right before he threw them at his flying opponent, the shurikens spinning through the air as they zoned in towards Nejire-chan.

She destroyed them mid-fly however, as she reacted quickly enough even though her surprise at his use of weaponry had been obvious for him to see. Not like his failed attack shocked him though, for he hadn't expected for it to ring true.

Which was why he had also thrown the kunai right behind the shuriken, and just like before, Nejire-chan made her movement to destroy the projectile.

But this time, it didn't work.

"Agh!"

For the kunai itself exploded way before she could destroy it, going off in a massive flash that had caught the trio by surprise given the way they were forced to shield their eyes.

That opening was more than enough for him, as another claw made of the Kyubi's chakra shot itself towards her, a grunt of pain leaving her as he pretty much caught in the chakra construct.

The yell of pain she released right a moment later when he slammed her against the ground face first came out far louder than the previous one.

In less than a second, he was already above her, his wieght on her back as he sat on her body, one hand pushing the side of her face to the ground just as he raised the other one in order to-

"I'm sorry!" But before he could continue, such cry left her lips, her watery eye looking up at him in what could only be described as regret. "We should have been there for you when you needed us. I should have been there. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry but please, we-I don't to lose you again."

By the end of it, her words were more like a sobs, ones that did had him stopping for a fraction of a second, his mind going back briefly to the days he knew she was refering to.

The days were All For One had tried, or rather succeded, into turning his allies against him, where even his closest friends had started giving him looks of distrust.

Not his happiest memories, to say the least.

But it was something he didn't regret it happening.

After all, for as much as it had pained him, he probably wouldn't have recovered his memories if it hadn't happened.

He wouldn't have become himself again.

Or at least, as close as humanly possible given the rather strange circumstances.

And as such, against Nejire's honest declaration, the only thing he could do was to bring his hand down, right on her neck, one last gasp leaving her before her body went limp.

He slowly stood up, turninng his body to look at the angry faces of Lemillion and Sun Eater.

One down, two more to go.


"T-thank you, Uzumaki."

"I mean, I don't mind but..." He said with a frown, his gaze going from the dejected looking Tamaki to the door that lead out from the building's rooftop. "You...don't expect me to just keep playing interference everytime a girl tries to confess to you, right?"

"..." The shifty look he got in return told that was exactly what Tamaki had been hoping for, which only made him sigh.

"C'mon man if you don't want to go out with them just tell them!" He knew it wasn't easy but seriously? "I'm sure they'll get the hint sooner or later!"

"...You've seen how they were with Togata." His voice was making it sound as if they were discussing some sort of maniacal evil plan. "They'll never stop even when you say no. Girls are dangerous, and crafty...!"

"...I'll tell Nejire you said that."

"...Please don't!" It was quite the sight, considering how strong he knew Tamaki was, to see him cowering like that just by the mention of the upbeat Nejire.

He kind of got it, but still...

"B-Besides...this will be a good practice for you." Tamaki continued, now giving him a narrowed gaze. "Y-You'll probably have it even w-worse than Togata."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" He doubted anyone would ever get more popular than Mirio.

"Nothing, just..." And why he looking so tired all of a sudden? "Be on your guard, or you'll get devoured..."

"...They're just girls, dude." His best friend was a girl even, and her dangeroussness had more to do with her being able to punch holes through walls than being of the opposite sex. "Anyway, guess I'll leave you to...whatever you were doing before you called me acting as if you were dying."

"Y-you're leaving?" Tamaki gave him a perplexed look, almost as if he couldn't understand the fact he had other stuff to do.

"I can't exactly play guard dog the entire afternoon." Unless he wanted Aizawa on his ass for slacking off of course. "And I know how much you like to be by yourself so, don't mind me."

So with a shrug he moved to leave, his hand reaching for the door.

"I-I don't mind if it is you..." Tamaki's last murmur stopped him on his track however, just as he turned around to give him a curious glance.

That...was probably the closest thing he was going to get for an open invitation of hanging out with him, wasn't it?

Five minutes later and they were both simply resting on the floor of U.A's rooftop, their hands behind their heads just as their eyes were glued to the blue sky above.

"Sorry..." He head Tamaki whisper to his side once more. "I know this isn't the most exciting hobby, but..."

"Nah, it's cool." He answered with a grin, earning a surprised look. "This isn't half bad from time to time."

It really wasn't all things considered, and he could imagine way better things to do than looking at clouds for a bit.

Besides, and even though he didn't understand the why at the time, doing something like this brought a conforting level of...nostalgia? He wasn't sure, specially since he couldn't remember a thing of his past, but...

He didn't dislike that feeling at all.


"Why?!" Suneater yelled, just as his newly transformed lower half, which now looked like that of a horse, tried to stomp him to the ground. "Why does it have to be like this with you, Uzumaki?!"

He simply kepd dodging backwards through his attacks, the fight now having been moved deeper among the trees, rather than the clearing from before.

On one hand, it gave him the advantage of Suneater not being able to use some of his transformations properly, so he wouldn't have to worry about more aerial attacks.

On the other hand, he now had Lemillion jumping from tree to tree, or rather launching himself from them like a pinball as he used the speed given by his Quirk to try and connect some blows while his attention was on Suneater.

"Why can't you see that we just want to help you...!" His declaration was followed by branches appearing from his arms, moving into an attempt at trapping him.

He made him flinch back when he destroyed them however, with a simple swipe of his crimson-cloaked hand.

But before he could press on, Lemillion was on him again, this time with a kick aimed at his head that he was forced to crouch in order to avoid, just to have him moving through him a second later, stopping his attempt at grabbing him by the leg.

He turned around in order to focus at Lemillion, but even though his back was to Suneater, that didn't mean he had forgotten about him. Quite the opposite in fact, considering how his tail had gone directly at his neck, wrapping itself around Suneater's neck, forcing him to try and gasp for breath.

"Suneater!" He heard Lemillion's yell, but as soon as he saw him pop out of a tree he sent another crimson claw towards the place, earning a wide-eyed look as he was forced to use his Quirk to not be caught on the Kyubi's chakra.

Unlike Suneater, who he could already feel had stopped strugling, a result of him passin out by a lack of oxigen.

Using his tail, he threw the limp body towards Lemillion, who caught it without missing a beat. He saw his pained glare aimed at him, to which he simly went back into his stance.

Two down, one more to go.


"Are you an idiot?! Stop saying stuff like that!"

And then, he punched him.

Straight up a fist to the face, one that had Mirio staggering back, a shocked look on his face as he raised his hand to touch his bruised up cheek.

In his defense, considering the things he had just heard, the guy deserved far more than just one smack to the face!

"Didn't you say you wanted to save a million people?!" He yelled out in frustation, both of his hands tight into fists. "After everything I saw from you, do you really think I'm going to let you just throw the towel?!"

"I don't know how it feels to lose a Quirk, and I don't think I ever want to know." He lamented, his expression turning from frustrated to pained regret as he remembered the consequences of their clash with Overhaul. "But even if things are hard right now, I trust Eri-chan! I know she'll be able to give you your Quirk back when she's ready! I don't know when that will be but, I can't accept you giving up before even trying!"

By the end of his words his own breathing was ragged, his glare aimed at a surprised-looking Mirio, who simply blinked at him for a few seconds, before a chuckle suddenly left his mouth, one that him now as the confused one out of the two.

"What's so funny? I'm trying to have a serious conversation here, dammit!" He shot back, almost feeling as if he was being mocked at right now.

"Sorry sorry, I just..." It even took a few seconds for him to finally finish laughing! "I'm really happy to hear about your honest feelings, Naruto, but I think you got it wrong. I have no intention of stopping being a Hero."

"Oh..." A heat went up to his cheeks after hearing that, his reaction only making Mirio look even more amused. "Then why did you keep saying weird stuff like that, huh?! You made it sound as if you were abandoning U.A right now!"

"I guess that one is on me, sorry about that." He did not look sorry at all. "I just wanted to make sure there would be someone there for Eri-chan until I get my Quirk back. If more dangerous individuals were to learn about her Quirk then... even with U.A's protection, I can't help but to worry..."

"That's why I wanted you to promise me you were going to look after her for me until I'm ready, until Lemillion can fight once more." Then, he saw Mirio raise his hand, his ever-present smile on his face. "Can you promise me that, Naruto?"

"You're acting as if I wasn't going to do it in the first place." Now it was him who has laughing, just as he grasped Mirio's hand in a firm grip. "I'll protect Eri-chan no matter what, that's a promise."

"Thank you, Naruto." It was as if a weight has been lifted from Mirio, given the obvious relief showing in his face.

"Just don't forget about us after you get your Quirk back!" Now it was his turn to laugh. Things might not be going for the best right now, but as long as they kept pushing through, he knew things would get better.

It was something he believed firmly.


Lemillion's Quirk was...problematic.

He couldn't block without getting hit most of the time, and he couldn't strike him back easely even when he dodged.

So even with his companions down for the count, it wasn't like the battle was over already.

Or at the very least, that would have been true before.

But now there was one key detail Lemillion didn't know about him.

He wasn't the first opponent that could make himself intangible that he had faced.

And unlike certain traitorous Uchiha, Lemillion's ability was far more limited in scope, which made it far more maneable.

Which is why, when he moved the fight back to the clearing, he met Lemillion's fist head on with his own.

Of course, his attack when straight through his head, hitting nothing but air, while Lemillion's fist went inches away from his face as he tilted his head to avoid the hit.

Knowing that he would now phase through him, he spun around on the spot in order to backhand him. The result was Lemillion's fist this time hitting him straight on the face, just as his own hand went through his head.

That was fine with him though, for knowing he couldn't see at that moment because of his Quirk, he let go of the small sphere he had been hiding on his other hand.

The result being inmediately apparent, as the area was suddenly filled with purple curtain of smoke.

"W-What?!"

Then, it only took an extra second for Lemillion to stop using his Quirk, but as he seemingly realised something was wrong, he knew it was already too late.

So when he walked out of the poisonous smoke following Lemillion, he was greeted with the sight of him kneeling over, seemingly gasping for breath as even more sweat than before went down his forehead.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine after like an hour or two since you really didn't inhale that much of it." He explained as he walked closer.

"B-but y-you..."

"That type of thing don't really work on me." He shrugged, not even stopping his pace as he walked past him. The Kyubi's ability to clean up such toxins from his body was certainly useful from time to time, and having Giran at his disposal did get him access to some nasty stuff he could work with.

But even as he considered the fight as good as over, he still stopped his walk right before looking behind his shoulder, just in time to see Lemillion standing up, albeit barely, with a pained frown on his face.

In another moment in time, he would have been impressed by such display, but right now it only made him shake his head before going back at his attempt of leaving this place.

"W-wait, Naruto...! D-Don't leave...this isn't y-you...!" He heard his words through pained breaths, but he offered nothing in return. Words weren't exactly going to stop him by now, not after everything he had decided needed to be done.

"D-didn't you want to be a Hero? W-What happened to that d-dream of yours?!"

That dream had not been his own.

"W-what about your f-friends?! Y-you think they will let y-youe back to everything j-just like that?!"

This was all for the best, a necessary course of action. His friends might not see that, and the Heroes might think he had gone insane, but that was fine. He had already made peace with that fact.

"W-What about Deku?!"

This time, a sharp pain struck him on his head, one that he had started to link to whenever someone brought her up, but that still didn't stop him. He wouldn't, couldn't.

"What about Eri?! You promised me, Naruto!"

And as soon as he said that name, and as much as he hated to admit it, he faultered.

It had been for just a fraction of a second, barely even noticeable, but judging by the sudden silence, it had been more than enough.

The sound of Mirio's body hitting the ground a second later did little to confort him.

He just wanted to leave that place.


"A picture?"

"I mean, this is the last time I'll see you guys around here, right?" He explained while refusing to look at the trio in the eye, already feeling embarassed enough by what he was saying. "So I just thought it would be like, cool or something, I don't know..."

"...You were right, Nejire. He is adorable when he gets flustered." Mirio's chuckle only made him glare at them in response, receiving a grin from Mirio, a more demure smile com Tamaki and a starry-eyed look from Nejire.

"You know what? Screw it, just go get graduated or something, I don't care anymore." He grumbled out, more than ready to leave the empty clasrroon.

Well, empty besides them of course.

This is what he got for trying to get a last good memory with them before they left the school for good.

But before he could move, Nejire was already hugging his right arm, while Tamaki had a hand on his left shoulder, all while Mirio put his phone on one of the desks, right before he moved to stand behind them.

"Alright, don't forget to say Plus Ultra!" And as Mirio cheered out, with Nejire beaming at the camera while Tamaki gave a more subdued smile, he couldn't hold the grin that showed off on his lips.

U.A was about to get a bit more lonely now that the school year was about to end, but even so, that just meant he would have to work harder to catch up to them, right?


"So what's the plan now?" She asked as she adjusted her sunglases, her gaze going briefly to the dark-haired man walking besides her, a deep frown on his face.

She understood why he had changed his appearance with that Quirk of his, but she still found it a bit bizarre that Uzumaki could just...transform into other people.

It made blending in far easier though, specially right now that they were just walking through the streets as if he hadn't just come out of a fight with a group of Heroes.

"Hey? Is everything alright?" She asked once more when he said nothing to her question, and when he said nothing still, she ended up shoving her elbow to his side, not earning any reaction except for a light sigh leaving his lips.

"Yeah I just have a...headache, I guess." His voice was now mellow, which she didn't know if it was because of his 'headache' as he called it, or because of his change in appearance.

"Right..." She didn't push for another answer, knowing she wasn't going to get anything from him if he didn't want to share it in the first place. "Our next move, then? Since this one was a bust."

"It wasn't." He answered back siwftly, the courner of his lips twitching for just a moment. "I wasn't expecting to actually find Tomura just like that. The guy isn't that much of an idiot, but now he thinks our plan failed, which means he isn't going to expect our real attack."

"...And that one would be?" She decided to skip the bit where she got upset at him for not telling her his entire plan, he could save that for when they were out from the public eye. "Because unless you have another way of tracking him-you do, don't you?"

That smile was the only answer she needed, even if it looked more than a bit off on his current face.

"Let's just say I inherited more than just my mom's Quirk from my parents." His answer was as criptic as always, which only made her snort in response.

If she had to bet, he was about to pull off a new Quirk out of his ass and then act as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"But first..." He then stopped walking, and even with a different appearance she could tell there was nothing but anger in his eyes. "I need to check on something."

And as annoyingly mysterious as he liked to act, even she knew by now that such frustation was being aimed at no one but himself.


When he woke up that night, the first thing he thought was that the ceilling of his room was looking awfully different from what he remembered.

Then, it took a few seconds for him to realize he wasn't in his room.

It took a few more for his bleary eyes to lock himself on the T.V in front of him, the only source of light in the living room.

Then, he looked to his right, where felt a weight resting on his shoulder. Izuki was there, sleeping soundly, her head resting on his arm and a small blanket covering them both.

Inko's doing, most likely.

He then looked down to his left, where another weight could be felt on his lap.

This time, it was Eri, a peaceful expression on her face as she rested her head on his lap, small breaths leaving her every so often, and the rest of her body covered in a blanket too.

Once again, probably Inko's doing.

It was to be expected, he supposed, given that they all had just seemingly fallen asleep halfway through the movie.

He didn't make any more movements however, and instead simply closed his eyes once again, a content smile present on his lips.

He wouldn't mind getting used to this.


I wanted to drag Eri into this for a while now, and so I have. More of that to come soon enough, that will be fun.

Thank you all for your patience and support! Hope you have enjoyed the chapter.

Next Chapter: Hurting.