Monday came with a feeling of foreboding that Izumi couldn't ignore. She knew today would be a confrontation between herself and Bakugo, and she was fairly certain she wasn't ready for it.
"He was so mad when I cancelled last night." she sighed, thinking about the five minute phone call they had where she had told him she was too sore to go to dinner and he had griped at her for it. It had ended with her hanging up on him and ignoring his calls for the rest of the night.
She knew she would pay for that at the very least.
She groaned as she tried to adjust the tunic that was under her uniform, the extra weight making the usually relaxing walk to school much more tiring than usual.
She hadn't even had time to stop by a villain fight she was running so late.
Now she was trudging up the stairs towards her class, hoping to just lose herself in class when someone stepped in front of her.
"Deku." Bakugo growled, making the girl freeze, "we need to talk."
"Can we please do this during lunch?" she asked, looking into his eyes, "i'm tired-" she stopped as he suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a nearby supply closet.
"We're talking about this now." he said gruffly, closing the door behind him, "starting with this bullshit gym-"
"-it's not bullshit." Izumi said, not looking up at her boyfriend, "Abe-sensei thinks I have a good chance to become a hero-"
"-we've been through this before Deku! You can't be a hero!" he spat.
"Why? Because you say so?" she demanded to know.
"Yes."
"Well I don't agree! I've wanted to be a hero since we were kids Katsuki!"
"And since we were little we knew you couldn't do it-" he began.
"-that's bullshit and you know it!" she snapped, looking up with a glare, surprising the explosion user, "you used to believe that we'd both be great heroes! You used to tell me all the time! Then one day you decided I wasn't worth it anymore."
"All you ever did was hurt yourself." he said as calmly as he could, "you barely even have a handle on your quirk-"
"-because you use every chance you get to stop me from using it!"
"Don't interrupt me!" he snapped. Hand coming up slightly, making Izumi flinch. For a moment neither moved; Izumi had her eyes shut tightly, bracing for a hit that never came as Bakugo stared at her with wide eyes.
Izumi slowly opened her eyes, tears beginning to prick at the corners of her eyes, "I...I'm tired of this Katsuki…" she said softly, doing her best to keep her composure, "I'm tired, of...of walking on needles around you! Wondering if the next thing I say to you will get me hurt!"
"You know I wouldn't...I mean...I couldn't…" he stumbled over his words, his hand slowly falling to his side. "I don't want to hurt you."
"Has that stopped you before?" she asked as her tears finally fell, "I'm...I'm done Katsuki." She said, "I'm going to stick with this training and go to UA, and i'm going to show you that I can be a hero...without you." with that she brushed past him and began heading to class, only for Bakugo to grab her wrist, "let go." she said, doing her best to wriggle out of his grasp.
"We're not done talking." he said, his eyes shaded and his entire body shaking.
"Katsuki you're hurting me." she said worriedly, still trying to yank her hand out of his grasp.
"I said we aren't done talking." Bakugo snapped, yanking her back into the room, making her cry out when her back hit the wall.
"What's going on in there!?" a new voice shouted, Izumi finally pulled her hand out of Bakugo's grasp as the door opened and a janitor walked in, looking at the two middle schoolers, "what are you two doing here? Class is about to start." h said gruffly, eyes looking over the girl who was cradling her wrist and the boy who looked aggravated.
"We were about to head that way sir, apologies." Izumi mumbled, giving a bow as she walked past him.
The janitor kept his eyes on them, "you alright missy?" he asked Izumi.
"Fine." she said, giving the man a smile while Bakugo stiffened; for the first time in a while he noticed how her smile didn't reach her eyes, how her posture was tense and skittish.
Guilt welled up in his stomach as Izumi continued walking.
"Izumi wait-" Bakugo began once they were far enough away from the janitor.
But Izumi wasn't listening to him, instead she walked into their homeroom without a glance back at him and ignored him the entire day.
When class was let out, Izumi was out the doors before he could even turn to address her.
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Kentaro watched as his young student ran towards him, dressed in a school gym uniform as she slowly came to a stop at his side, "you good kid?" he asked her, noticing the sad disposition of the girl.
"Fine." she mumbled, "I'm just tired…"
He nodded in understanding, "it'll be a light work out today, let's get started."
"Okay…"
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Bakugo didn't go with his friends to the arcade today.
Nor did he loiter outside the convenience store.
Today he was simply shut up in his room, his mind going through the last few years in agonizing detail.
He and Izumi walking down the halls together, Bakugo mocking and belittling her while she had a fake smile plastered on her face, her eyes worn and tired.
Izumi flinched as he punched the locker beside her, angrily telling her to give up on her hero dream. And she agreed and dutifully followed him to class, head bowed.
Izumi begging him not to beat up the kid at the park and taking the hit instead, just nodding her head along as he berated her for 'making me hit you'.
With each memory Bakugo felt that pit of guilt grow larger and deeper, until he was gripping his hair angrily.
"Fuck!" he shouted, jumping to his feet and kicking over his night stand.
"Katsuki? What the hell are you doing up there!?" his mother screamed from the kitchen.
"Nothing." he snapped back, sitting back down on his bed, "Nothing at all."
"Don't destroy your room or I'll kick your ass!"
He scoffed, falling back on his bed. His mind going to the main problem.
Had he really fallen so far that he hadn't even noticed how he had treated his own girlfriend? Had he really just been an asshole trying to control her?
When did he start cutting her down? Refusing to acknowledge her own goals and ambitions?
When had he begun using violence to keep her in line?
Bakugo groaned and looked at his phone, he had sent several message's to Izumi since school had let out. But she hadn't returned a single one. He was tempted to call Aunty Inko, but knew that should she find out the situation then it would get straight back to his own mother.
"I'll talk to her tomorrow." he muttered, "I'll set this right...I hope."
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The next day Bakugo entered his homeroom class and found out that Izumi had been transferred to another class. Any information he tried to find out about why was kept suspiciously tight lipped.
A few of his classmates whispered behind his back, the rumors flying about just why Izumi had changed classes; she wasn't exactly popular, but the few people she talked to were worried about the sudden change.
"She didn't tell you anything?" one of them had asked him during lunch. Huffing when he gave her a simple 'no' "do you even care? Some boyfriend you are."
Try as he might, he couldn't find Izumi, and he also couldn't find anyone willing to tell him anything about her. Three weeks passed before he caught sight of her sitting alone at lunch. Reading from the journal he thought he had thrown away over a month ago. She was alone but she looked happy for once.
So Bakugo just turned away.
By the second month it was clear that the two were done, and he had to deal with half of his 'friends' making lewd remarks at his ex-girlfriends expense.
"Come on dude! Just look at her! She's really toning up! Just imagine what she can do now-"
"-say another word and I WILL blast you into a coma." Bakugo seethed, stomping away from his friends, refusing to look at Izumi as she ran on the track with the other girls.
His mother had begun asking what had happened, and was very concerned when both he and Izumi became tight lipped. Neither was budging on why exactly they broke up. And Inko was just as perplexed.
"I do hope they're able to patch things up." Inko said to her old friend one day while they were having lunch, "they may not be able to be together, but they could still be friends."
"I'm not sure they can." Mitsuki sighed, "Bakugo can hold a grudge, and I'm worried Izumi's finally just given up on him."
"You can't possibly mean that."
"She hasn't been the same these last few years and you know it Inko." Mitsuki said gently, "I know Katsuki is a good kid at heart but...well, he takes after his mother, sometimes too well."
"I just wouldn't think he would ever do anything to harm her. Intentionally or not."
"We can only hope.
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Five months later.
Izumi looked at her reflection in the mirror of the bathroom, running a hand through her long hair with a pout.
"Hey mom!"
"Yes sweetie?" inko asked, looking into the bathroom.
"Do you think I can get a haircut?"
Inko blinked in surprise, "I can cut it right now if you want." she offered, "but why the change?"
"I just...feel like it's time for a change." she said, giving her mother a smile.
Inki's gaze softened, "of course, let me go get some scissors.
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Izumi happily walked down the hall. Her hair now in a pixie cut.
'Hey Izumi! Love the haircut."
"Thank you." she said, giving the passing girl a smile.
"Really brings out your eyes!"
"Thanks!"
"You look so pretty!"
"So do you!" Izumi chirped, riding high on the compliments, her smile slipped as she saw Bakugo staring at her in shock from down the hall. She hesitated for a bit before looking ahead and walking past him, not saying a thing as she stepped into her homeroom.
"Zumi!" one of her friends called, quickly scampering over to her, her cat ears twitching as she looked over her friend.
"Hey 'Nami." Izumi greeted with a smile. Nanami Sendo was a friend she had made when she had moved classes. The girl's quirk was simply called Neko, and gave her the characteristics of a cat.
"I love your new hair!" she said, bouncing about around her, her brown hair flying a bit.
"Thank you." she said, her previous smile returning full force, "How was your weekend?"
"Boring." she groaned, flopping into her desk, 'I did all my homework and then had to contend with a full day of nothing!no texts, no calls, not even a letter!"
"so dramatic." Izumi giggled as Nanami sat up straight.
"This weekend will be different!" she declared, giving her friend a cheshire grin, "because we're going out!"
"You know I have work out Nami." Izumi said with an eyeroll.
"True, but there's supposed to be a small party happening this saturday! And it'll definitely be after you're done with your little punching thing."
"I don't know Nami...parties aren't really my thing." she said doubtfully.
"Look,we just go for an hour or two then we go to my house and get take out and watch bad movies, what could possibly go wrong?"
"Since you just said that, everything. Everything can go wrong."
Nanami waved her concern off, already gushing about the perfect outfit she was going to wear while Izumi shook her head in exasperation.
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Abe watched as Izumi went through the day's work out, diligently punching and kicking a thick oak tree. Wincing every time she did.
"Alright that's enough." he called, holding a hand up, "you're doing good girl, couple more weeks of that and you won't feel anything when you punch something."
"I'm feeling it now though." she mumbled, showing him her scratched knuckles.
'Let's get this covered up and then we can beg off for the night." he said, leading her to his office and pulling out a first aid kit.
"So, what's on your mind?" he asked her as he began cleaning her cuts.
"Why do you think something in my mind?" she questioned.
"You're tense." he laughed, "you're always tense when you have something to ask."
She blushed slightly, "well...one of my friends invited me to a party this weekend...but I don't know if i'm comfortable enough to go."
"hmm...I say go." he said, pressing some gauze into the wounds and wrapping them with tape, "you're only young once, and lord knows you can use a break. Just make sure you're careful."
"Careful?" she asked.
"Any party that's thrown by under aged children will have alcohol, especially children who are almost in high-school. If you drink, then call me, I'll go pick you up and get you home."
"Shouldn't you be discouraging me?"
He shrugged, "that usually just makes kids want to do it more, least this way I know that you'll call me to get you home." he stood up, "alright, now we're gonna work on your quirk. I have some friends who need some healing up."
"I...don't have a good handle on my quirk right now…" Izumi mumbled.
"Then this will help, now let's get going!"
"R-right!"
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Kirishima doesn't know why he decided to tag along with his friends to this party.
It's not that he didn't want to go, or that he was uncomfortable at parties; it was the fact that what had happened only a few days before still weighed heavily on him.
He had already apologized to the girls who he had failed to even move towards and help, and had also gained a second wind when it came to training; but he was still filled with self-doubt.
When his friends had invited him he had initially rejected the idea, but they convinced him that unwinding just a bit was the best idea to help him get over his fears.
So here he was, leaning against the wall with a cup of punch in his hands while his friend danced with a cat-eared girl.
"Maybe I should just sneak out and head home." he sighed.
"Parties not your thing?"
The soft voice made him jump slightly as he looked to his side and found himself staring at a girl, shorter than he was, with curly hair styled in a pixie cut, and wearing pajama bottoms and a black sweater; she was staring down at her own cup of punch, but her eyes would dart over to him every now and then, drawing his attention to the splattering of freckles she had on her cheeks.
"Sorry, you just looked like you weren't having a good time." She said sheepishly.
"Ah, it's all cool." he said with a sharp toothed smile, "just got a lot on my mind."
"Oh...well, do you want to talk about it?" she questioned, finally looking fully at him.
Kirishima hesitated, then sighed, "do you think a coward can become a hero?" he asked, "because," he began again after seeing her confusion, "I want to be a hero...but I...I get scared, you know? A few days ago a villain was threatening some girls from my school and I wanted to help but...but I was paralysed with fear...and…" he sighed, letting his head fall. "another girl from our school ended up helping them…"
"I don't think you're a coward."
"What?" Kirishima asked, looking up at the girl who now looked like she was contemplating something.
"You're kind of like me, in a way." she said softly, barely loud enough for Kirishima to hear, "I used to be so scared of everything...and with the company I kept it was only getting worse...so full of self doubt, and fear that I started to think that everyone around me was right; That I couldn't be a hero. But my sensei showed me that if you have a dream, and the will to accomplish it, then nothing can stop you." she looked at him again and gave him a soft smile, "facing a villain is scary, and facing one on behalf of someone is even scarier, but having fear doesn't make you a coward, it simply means you need to get stronger so next time; you can be the one to save your classmates."
Kirishima grinned, "that sounds manly."
Izumi snorted at that, "manly? You sound like Crimson Riot."
"You know about Crimson Riot!?"
"Of course! He was the Number Two hero back when Stone Fist was Number One!"
"You're one of the few people I know that know about Crimson Riot! Did you see the special they did on him a few weeks ago?"
"The one that talked about the Hero team composed of the Top Seven heroes at the time?"
"Yeah!"
"Of course I did! Can you believe that Mistress Dove was able to fly at over a hundred miles an hour? That's faster than Hawks!"
"Oh! What about Krakatoa's quirk!? I don't think I'd be able to handle magma as hair."
"But it was sooo cool how she was able to utilize it!"
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Nanami stared in surprise as she walked towards Izumi, having never thought her shy and quiet classmate would be so willing to talk to a complete stranger.
"-and to think Stone Fist and All-Might could go blow for blow like that-"
"I could barely believe what I was watching when my dad showed me that rerun!"
"They ended it in a tie, but I think Stone Fist could've won it if he hadn't of held back in the first few rounds-"
"No way was he holding back!"
"I asked him myself!"
"Excuse me!" Nanami interrupted, giggling slightly when Izumi jumped in slight fright, 'if you want to get pizza like we talked about, then we need to start heading home."
"Oh!" Izumi gasped, "I forgot about that…" she turned to the unknown boy beside her, "sorry, but I have to go."
"That's cool." he said with an easy smile, quickly pulling his phone out, 'can I get your phone number? We can talk more about heroes...I-I mean if you want…" he chuckled bashfully, rubbing the back of his head.
"Smooth," nanami snickered as Izumi happily agreed, trading phones and typing in their numbers.
"See you later!" Izumi said with a happy smile.
"Y-yeah! See you later!" he called as she and Nanami walked out.
"Hey Ejiro, who was that?"
"Huh? Oh! A new friend!"
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Izumi half-paid attention to the movie on the screen, looking at the past out Nanami with a fond eye roll before walking into the kitchen to clean up a bit.
Her phone buzzed, with half her attention she pulled the phone out while she threw away the empty pizza box, looking at the new message with a small smile.
-Hey! It's Kirishima! Just wanted to say goodnight! Unless you're already asleep then I guess it might be a good morning!
Izumi leaned against the counter and began typing.
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Kirishima slowly hit his head against his desk, "that was so lame and totally not manly dude." Kirishima groaned to himself, "she probably thinks you're a complete loser!"
His phone pinged and Kirishima quickly snatched it off of his desk, grinning like an idiot at the message.
-definitely a goodnight for right now :) talk to you tomorrow?
Kirishima sighed happily and quickly typed a simple "definitely" as a reply
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Four Months until UA
Izumi grunted with exertion as she drove her fists and elbows into the heavy bag in front of her. Every now and then she'd end the typical combos with a powerful roundhouse or side kick.
"Keep up your guard! Even when kicking!" Abe instructed, "you'll need to be ready to defend yourself should they try and get in close, where those kicks don't have as much power!"
"Yes sensei!" she gasped out as she jumped back.
"Three hook kicks go!"
As fast as the eye could see, Izumi performed the kicks, knocking the heavy bag from it's place as one of it's chains snapped.
"Oops...sorry." she said sheepishly as Abe laughed.
"Nine months ago you could barely move the heavy bag!" he boomed, "Now look at you! Knocking it off the stand with a simple kick!" he sighed as he walked up to her, ruffling her hair fondly as she smiled, "I'm proud of you Little Mouse, you've definitely gone Plus Ultra in your training!"
"It's all thanks to you sensei!" she said quickly, "I never would have thought to change up the fighting style towards Muay Thai...and I definitely wouldn't be here if you hadn't believed in me."
"None of that now." he said, pulling his hand back and setting it against his hips as he grinned down at her, "I may have believed in you, but you've gone even further than I would have ever dreamed!"
The door opened before Izumi could say anything else, a tall, skeletal like man walking in as he looked around in surprise.
"This place hasn't been clean like this since I was a trainee…" he muttered, as his eyes slowly trailed over Izumi and Abe, "Abe? Who's this?"
"Toshinori yagi!" Abe boomed, walking over and enveloping the man in a hug that had him gasping for air, "all these years and you finally do more than the customary telephone call at christmas!"
"I relocated." Toshinori wheezed, laughing slightly as Abe set him back down, "i honestly didn't think you'd be here…"
"I spend most of my days here now." Abe said, jabbing a thumb towards Izumi, who began to blush at the attention, "have to train up my protege don't I?"
"Protege?" he asked curiously, looking at Izumi.
"Yep!" he walked back to her side and put a comforting hand on Izumi's shoulder, "this is Izumi Midoriya, UA Hopeful. Izumi, this here is Toshinori Yagi, used to be one of my top students back in the day! And even became my sidekick for a time before his injury stopped his career!"
"Injury?" she asked curiously.
"Yeah, got in the way of an especially powerful attack." he said sadly, gingerly patting his side, "knocked me out of the game for a bit. Never truly made a comeback either."
"That's unfortunate." Izumi said sympathetically, her eyes staring at his side as her quirk activated.
"Yeah I-" he stopped as Izumi suddenly walked towards him, "uh...kid what are you doing?" he asked.
"Hold still." she commanded him.
"Hold still for-" his question was cut off as he let out a slightly pained gasp as her hands suddenly pressed into his wound. He couldn't even force himself to move.
"What are you doing Izumi?" Abe asked, more curious then concerned.
"There's something off..about this wound…" she mumbled as her hands and eyes began to glow green, "you're missing your stomach!" she said in surprise, "and your respiratory system is...a mess…" her hands began to glow more and once again Toshinori gasped as he felt his body heal.
He could feel the cells of his lungs fill out and repair, as well as the uncomfortable sensation that came with his stomach reforming.
Izumi staggered back from him when he was healed, Abe stepping forward to help steady her, "almost over did it…" she mumbled, her eyes half closed as Abe helped her sit down on a bench.
"What...did you do?" Toshinori asked, taking a few experimental deep breaths and finding he had no difficulty breathing.
"I healed you…" she explained, giving him a tired smile, "i'm sorry, I would've asked you beforehand...but my quirk sometimes makes me prioritize healing over...anything else…"
"No apology needed…" Toshinori said quietly, looking at Abe, "I'll um...I'll come back to speak with you later, when you're free."
"That'll be in about forty-five minutes," Abe said, crossing his arms as he smiled at his former student, "go get re-oriented, I'm sure this was quite a shock after all of those doctors saying there was no way to help you."
"Y-yeah...see ya…" he walked out and Izumi began to fret.
"Did I do the right thing? I didn't mean to depress him-"
"-he'll be fine," Abe said gruffly, "now I want you to go grab some snacks from the vending machine, you know how dangerous it is for you to use your quirk when you've been working out. We don't need you passing out again."
"It was one time…" she said dejectedly before heading towards the out of order vending machine, that was routinely stocked by Abe after he realized how much energy her quirk took out of her.
Abe watched her for a bit before looking at the door, congratulations Toshi, it seems you've been given a second chance."
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Toshinori slowly walked to a diner that had once been his favorite place to eat after patrols. He walked in where a middle aged waitress readily greeted him.
"Mr. Yagi! I'm surprised you're here! Usually you come in closer to closing time." she said with a friendly smile.
"Hey Rachel," he said, greeting the japanese american woman fondly, she had been a kid when her father had moved to Japan to be with his wife, and had been a regular sight at the Diner as a dish courier and then waitress, "I got off early today and decided to come in."
"Well what can we get for ya? The regular black coffee?" she asked.
"no...I'd like a double cheeseburger." he said, making her look at him in shock.
"A-are you sure Mr. Yagi? After what happened the last time-" the redhead began nervously, only for Yagi to wave her off.
"Don't worry about it...I just need to check something." he said with a smile.
"Okay...do you want fries with that?"
Toshinori nodded, "and a large coke if you can, thank you."
As he moved to go sit down, Rachel quickly went into the kitchen, where her father was happily cooking meals, "dad, Mr. Yagi is here."
"Toshi? Huh, he usually comes in closer to closing time! What does he want? Regular black coffee? Maybe some plain oatmeal?"
She shook her head, wringing her hands nervously, "He wants a double cheese burger."
The large man froze, looking at her in shock, "are you sure?" he asked.
She nodded fretfully, "he got so sick after the last time he asked for one." she mumbled, nibbling on her nail.
"Call the hospital and let them know," he ordered, "I'll make the order."
Rachel quickly went to a phone mounted on the back wall, typing in a familiar number, 'Hello? Yes this is Rachel Takeda? Yes I'm calling about getting an ambulance on standby...yes it's Mr. Yagi...a double cheeseburger yes...okay, thank you."
A little while later Rachel was placing a plate in front of Toshinori, who stared down at the food with hesitance, "are you alright Mr. yagi?" she asked worriedly.
"Never better." he reassured her, picking up the burger and taking a small bite out of it.
Toshinori loved cheeseburgers, ever since he had gone overseas and spent his early hero years in the states. He used to enjoy one almost every day back before his injury.
After the injury he couldn't eat anything heavier than a thin broth, even now, five years after the original injury, he could only get away with eating bland oatmeal; but that never stopped him from trying to eat a cheeseburger every few months. Usually ending after one small bite with his body trying to shut down, and getting transported to the hospital to have his non-existent stomach pumped.
But today, as he enjoyed the taste of the burger and swallowed, the pain he was expecting from his abdomen never came. Nor did the nausea or the vomiting.
He took a bigger bite, looking at the burger as his eyes began to tear up.
"I can eat it…' he whispered, swallowing once more as he picked up a few fries and tossed them into his mouth, "I can eat it…" he sobbed as he continued eating happily, groaning in bliss as he took another bite.
"You...you're not getting sick!" Rachel said in shock, looking to her father, who had stepped out of the back to watch, "but...your injury-"
"It's healed." he whispered as he leaned back, he had finished everything in record time, and still felt completely fine. "I...I went to go see my former boxing instructor...just to catch up really, and he had a new student...she...she just healed it, I...I didn't think it was possible…" he looked at her and her father, these two he had known since before his injury, probably the closest thing to family he's had. And they looked relieved and overjoyed at this revelation.
"Well, let me whip you up another burger then Toshi!" the cook said joyfully.
"And we got Pecan Pie in the warmer." Rachel added with a smile, "can add a bit of Strawberry Ice Cream to it."
"Thank you, both of you." he said, tears still streaming down his cheeks.
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Abe watched Izumi walk away from his gym with her mother, the two happily talking as they began their evening run.
"She reminds me of you, you know." he said, slowly turning around to stare at Toshinori, who had a hand over his stomach as he groaned slightly, 'pain back?" he asked worriedly.
Toshinori shook his head, "I just ate...three double cheese burgers, and half of a pecan pie with Strawberry ice cream." he said in satisfaction.
Abe laughed, "you don't approach any situation with caution do you?" he chortled as they both walked into the gym, "I'm honestly surprised she was able to help. Her quirk's been a fickle thing to deal with. Sometimes she can heal everything wrong with you, bad hips, failing eyesight, and not even be affected. And other times she can't heal a paper cut without passing out."
"Sounds rough." Toshinori commented as they sat down in his office, "why does she have troubles with using her quirk?"
"Hmm, confidence issues mostly." he said with a shrug, "she had a relationship with a boy who refused to acknowledge her dreams, and actively belittled and stopped any attempts at training. So she has very limited practice with her quirk. Why, when we started training here with it, we found out that her quirk extends to being able to see what's wrong with the patient. Right down to blood pressure and pulse." he sighed, "she's slowly learning to control how much power she puts into healing, but still has a bit of trouble with it."
"You should contact Recovery Girl to help with her training." Toshinori said, "and you may want to do it fast, I already know she'll be foaming at the mouth to find out about the girl who healed my 'unhealable' wound."
"I probably will tomorrow." he sighed, looking at Toshinori, "I'm assuming you came here to talk about finding a successor?"
Toshinori nodded, "though I guess now it shouldn't be as big a deal as we were thinking, however, I think your student would make a great symbol of peace."
"No." Abe said bluntly.
"But she's exactly what I've been looking for-" toshinori started.
"I will not subject that girl to the dangers of One for All." Abe growled, "he may be gone, but his followers still live. Festering underneath society and biding their time."
"She'll face them sooner or later as a hero."
"I'd rather it be later, MUCH later." his eyes softened, 'though, ultimately it is her decision, just do me a favor and wait to ask her until after her first year; she deserves to be a kid for however long she has left."
"Of course...you really care about her don't you?"
"She's like the granddaughter I've never had." Abe laughed, "and I recommend you build some kind of relationship with her as well, if you want her to be the Number one Hero one day."