Chapter 21
"This school has way too much money." I muttered, craning my neck to stare up at the white dome in front of me.
The structure rose out of the surrounding woodlands clad in a gridwork of alabaster. I honestly didn't know what this place was, and Aizawa had not bothered to clue me in either. But if it was this large and tucked away from the main campus, then there had to be something special about it for today's hero training session. I mean, why else did Aizawa drag the students and I all the way out here when we had perfectly good mini cities back at campus to use?
"We prefer to think of it as investment into the heroes of tomorrow." Aizawa commented idly as he came up beside me.
I turned my head towards him and lowered my voice so the kids wouldn't hear me. A dozen feet separated us from them, but currently they were far more interested in the Hero greeting them at the entrance of the building than to pay any attention to Aizawa or I. But still…I couldn't help but be cautious.
"And you're sure it's okay for me to be here? What about…them?" I trailed off, unwilling to say the name aloud.
After the events that had unfolded yesterday, I was sure that the HPSC would be keeping a closer eye on everything going on at U.A. - including me. Mic had said as much last night, and I was honestly surprised that I hadn't heard police sirens careening towards our location by now. But there was still time for that to happen, I suppose.
Aizawa's eyes widened momentarily as he picked up on the fact that I had been listening in on his and Mic's semi-private conversation.
"Let me worry about them." Aizawa replied after a moment.
"And what about you?"
"What about me?"
"You're not going to get in trouble for letting me off campus, are you? I could have just stayed behind, you know. I wouldn't have minded."
And I really wouldn't have. Visions of my comfy bed and catching up on some sleep swam to the forefront of my mind, but I wasn't about to tell him that.
Aizawa gave out a tired sigh that sounded exactly how I felt, and slouched back to observe the enamored students. "Technically you're still on campus. Just a different part of it." He clarified. "Leaving you behind would serve no purpose. For better or for worse, you're my responsibility, and I can't keep an eye on you if you're not with me. There shouldn't be a problem as long as you stay within the building and remain visible at all times."
The word rang out like a bell, and I immediately perked up at the inclination.
"Thought that would catch your interest." Aizawa blinked, seeing the new comprehension dawning in my face and giving a minuscule smile behind the wall of his bindings. "I could use your help with today's hero training. Between Thirteen, All Might, and myself we could use the extra pair of hands to oversee all of the students. Should make their training more manageable."
"Really?! You're letting me use my quirk?" I cocked my head curiously at him. "Isn't that kinda pushing it? First letting me outside and now letting me use my quirk? Aren't you the least bit concerned that I could just up and run?"
I didn't know where those words came from, and I immediately regretted saying them. It's not like I could even run. My body still had the collar and it would send an electrical current through me the moment I stepped off the property. It had gone quiet now, but for the whole ride over here until we reached these grounds it had been chirping annoyingly in my ear to let me know of its displeasure of leaving the boundaries of U.A.. The only reason I hadn't been shocked senseless during the bus ride was due to the fact that I had been within range of Aizawa and his remote this whole time. If I wanted to leave here again, it would have to be with Aizawa or not at all.
Speaking of the man, he had heard me loud and clear and a dramatic transformation settled over him. Lifting an eyebrow, he pinned me with the full force of his attention as he leaned in closer.
"Are you thinking of running?" He asked intently.
I met his gaze, but I couldn't survive staring back into those piercing eyes. I didn't have the strength to maintain the connection without my thoughts drifting back to yesterday and just how close Aizawa had been to me then. Those thoughts brought with them strange physical sensations that always seemed to affect my heart, and made it beat just a little bit faster.
I diverted my eyes to the ground, shooing away those thoughts before they could make themselves known a little more visibly to the person responsible for these afflictions I was experiencing.
"No." I mumbled.
"Then there's nothing for me to be concerned about." He stated simply, studying me for a second more before turning back to the facility. "Come on. The kids are already inside."
Sure enough they had left us behind which meant Aizawa and I were standing alone on the curb. Suddenly I felt his fingers wrap around my hand to lead me forward towards the double doors. I couldn't help but to stare down at the place where our hands were joined as I followed behind slightly stunned by the unexpected contact.
His touch was exactly how I remembered it - tender and strong. But it was also somehow different too. I couldn't exactly explain it, but there was a relaxed easiness that hadn't existed before as if we had done this dozens of times already. It felt natural - my hand in his.
But the moment was over faster than I could blink. Aizawa released me just as soon as we passed through the doors, and his own hand quickly buried its way back inside the confines of his pant's pocket before anyone could see us.
I stared after him curiously as the warmth of his touch faded from my skin. The man's actions were just as much of a mystery as they ever were, but my thoughts on this latest enigma were quickly pushed aside by the sights that greeted me inside of the dome.
"Oh, yeah." I breathed out as I saw just how expansive the place was. "You guys have waaaayyyyy too much money."
Even standing just inside the doors I could see the various sections the facility housed from the crumbling high-rises on my left to the giant water slide complete with a yacht positioned towards the back. I counted six separate environments in total all lying under the ambient white dome shell.
Heroes always seemed to get the best toys.
I heard Aizawa give out a low chuckle as he walked away from me and towards the class. I trailed after him as he circled around behind the students, silently stalking his way towards the front as Thirteen explained the facility's purpose to her enraptured guests. I had met the Hero briefly before like I had with all the other faculty at U.A., but today would be the first day of actually interacting with her. She was something new, and, like with all new things, I was overly cautious.
Getting closer, I caught the tail end of her speech and gathered from that all I needed to know about what this place was. After seeing what lay inside, the place was practically self explanatory at that point, and for once I was eager for class to begin so I could explore it myself.
Upon reaching the front, Aizawa and I parted ways. I left him, seeking refuge by one of the pillars that stood on either side of the grand stairs while Aizawa approached Thirteen. I could see that his mood was darkening quickly as he looked about for something.
"Hey, shouldn't All Might be here already?" Aizawa asked her, twisting back to look at the entrance we had just come from. "Let me guess, he booked an interview instead."
"Actually, it's something else." Thirteen lowered her voice. The sudden hushness of it piqued my curiosity as I strained my ears to listen to what she had to say.
"Hmm?" Aizawa glanced back at Thirteen, equally interested.
"Apparently he did too much hero work on the way to school this morning and used up all his power," whispered Thirteen as she held up three fingers to Aizawa. "He's resting in the teacher lounge."
"That man is the height of irresponsibility." Aizawa murmured in disapproval. He quickly turned to me, a thoughtful look crossing his face. I tried to decipher those thoughts, but couldn't make heads or tails of them before he turned back to the students and spoke out. "The clock's ticking. We should get started."
"Excellent!" Thirteen cried out as Aizawa sauntered over to me, joining me against the pillar. Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned back and let his head fall over his chest. A peaceful expression swept across his features as he relaxed next to me. The feeling was mutual, but as my eyes flicked over to him it looked like he had fallen asleep. Given his track record, perhaps he had. I let the man be, and turned my attention back to Thirteen. I was a bit curious to what today's hero training would be like anyway considering that I would actually be with them and not just observing them this time.
"Before we begin let me just say one thing - well, maybe two things - possibly three - four or five." Thirteen rambled on before a collective "We get it" was uttered by the students. The corners of my mouth twitched upwards as I stifled a snort. I decided then that Thirteen was okay. She wasn't one of those overly serious types, and that made her approachable - likable even.
Thirteen refocused her thoughts and continued on a little bit more sincerely. "Listen carefully. I'm sure you're aware that I have a powerful quirk. It's called Black Hole. I can use it to suck up anything and turn it into dust."
"Yah, you've used Black Hole to save people from all kinds of disasters before, haven't you?" Midoriya stated in admiration. Beside him Uraraka was nodding vigorously, clearly enthralled by the Space Hero too.
"That's true, but my quirk can also very easily be used to kill."
An uneasy silence fell over the students. Their innocence to all the ways their power could be used was blatantly obvious by the stunned looks on their faces. Quirks were weapons just as much as they were tools. All it took was a bit of imagination and application, and even the most benign quirk could become deadly.
I was surprised that the kids hadn't even considered this part of their quirk, but I guess I should be relieved that their minds hadn't delved into that darkness just yet. It truly meant that they were still kids at heart, and that part of them should be protected for as long as possible until they were prepared to face the darkness on their own. I just hoped that day was a long way off.
"Some of you also have powers that can be dangerous." Thirteen mentioned. "In our superhuman society all quirks are certified and stringently regulated, so we often overlook how unsafe they can actually be. Please don't forget that if you lose focus or make the wrong move, your powers can be deadly. Even if you're trying to do something virtuous like rescuing someone. Thanks to Aizawa's fitness tests you have a solid idea of your quirk's potential. And because of All Might's combat training you likely experienced how dangerous your powers can be when used against other people. Carry those lessons over to this class. Today you're going to learn how to use your quirks to save people's lives. You won't be using your powers to attack enemies or each other - only to help. After all, that's what being a Hero is all about. Ensuring the safety of others. That's all I have to say. Thank you so much for listening." Thirteen finished, bowing to the students.
An anthem of eager cheering and polite applause arose from the class, and Aizawa stirred to push off the pillar. I took this as a sign that lessons were about to begin and joined him.
"Right. Now that that's over-" Aizawa began.
A crackle of electricity sparked through the air, and the lights surrounding the perimeter dimmed to nothing. My senses went into overdrive and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Beside me I felt Aizawa stiffen as well before he whirled around, sensing something behind us. I spun on my heel, searching for whatever he had sensed. My eyes darted about before something called them to the fountain that laid in the center of the plaza below. Something - no - someone was coming.
A vortex of smoky black swirled to life in the air. Within seconds the thick haze had spread far and wide as a pale hand broke through darkness, pulling it back to reveal a pair of sinister red eyes shining between the fingers of a hand mask. A chill crept through my soul as those eyes peered up at us from below.
I knew those eyes all too well. I had seen them many times over the years across multiple different faces, but somehow the eyes were always the same no matter who they belonged to.
Those were the eyes of a sadistic murderer.
"Stay together and don't move!" Aizawa ordered the students, his voice ringing out harshly. My instincts took control of me as I dove behind the pillar and slunk down behind it. Cautiously I tilted my head around its corner, trying to make myself as invisible as possible while I continued to watch the plaza.
"Thirteen! Protect Eve and the students!"
My head snapped up to Aizawa at the mention of my name, my eyes narrowing.
"I'm sorry…what?"
Just because Aizawa had seen me having a panic attack, did he now think that I was somehow unfit to fight? That I was someone that needed to be protected and sheltered?
No. That didn't sound right. He knew what I was capable of. He had witnessed it firsthand when I had thoroughly trounced him not two days ago.
It had to be that law. That stupid, stupid law that restricted people from using their quirks unless it was to defend themselves or if they were specially licensed. And I certainly wasn't.
Though, I might be in the defending category soon if those villains ever came up here. But with my quirk still neutralized, I was a sitting duck. It made me no better than a civilian at best, and a damsel in distress at worst. And I hated that. I hated these frequent reminders that I had been reduced to this quirkless state. It was the law that had shackled me, and whether or not I liked it, Aizawa was a Hero whose responsibility was also to uphold those laws. And there was no chance in hell now that he was going to let me use my quirk in case I might use it to do more than defend myself. Which was probably a more than accurate assumption on his part.
I eyed Aizawa with some bitterness as he took a stance at the top of the stairs, silently judging the outpouring of people as they stepped through the blackness to occupy the ground below. Their numbers continued to grow with each passing second and it seemed there was no end to the steady stream of people coming through.
How many were there now? Thirty? Fifty? Far too many for any single person to take on, and I was sincerely hoping that Aizawa wasn't getting any reckless hero notions in that head of his. We all needed to run. It may not be very heroic, but this was a matter of survival against that kind of force on top of protecting twenty teenagers.
"What? Has the training started already? I thought we were rescuing people." Kirishima stated in confusion as he and some of the other students approached the edge of the stairs to get a better look at the new arrivals.
"Stay back!" Aizawa yelled at them as he placed his goggles over his eyes. The students flinched back at the harshness of his voice. "This is real. Those are villains." Aizawa declared to them, and I could feel the hand of fear sweep across the students' minds as they finally realized what was happening here. But the way Aizawa was holding himself as if he was preparing himself to attack had me on edge more than anything. With my quirk locked away, if he went down there right now, I wouldn't be able to follow. I wouldn't be able to save him if something was to happen.
I couldn't let it get that far. I had to move. I had to make him see reason before he did something irrevocably stupid.
Slowly, I got to my feet.
"Aizawa," I whispered, catching his attention though his eyes never left the plaza. "We need to get out of here. There's too man-"
A deep ominous voice resounded from below, and my words died in my throat as my eyes flashed back to ground. The black haze that had transported so many began to shift, and I realized then that it was converging into the shape of a person.
They had a warp quirk user with them.
"The only real heroes I see are Thirteen and Eraserhead. Perplexing." The warp villain purred out, rooting me to the spot. The voice was not familiar to me, but the black smoke that shifted and danced about him was so eerily similar to something straight out of my past.
It was so much like Natsu's quirk in the moments before he warped.
It couldn't be him. It shouldn't be him, but I needed to know all the same.
I didn't even need to think it before my eyes pierced into that person. I remembered the shape and color of Natsu's soul, and while I knew time would have altered it like it does to everyone else, I was confident that Natsu's core would have remained the same after all this time. Yet, whoever this person was, their spirit was not the same as my childhood friend's. They were not Natsu.
I didn't know whether to feel relieved or not. After fifteen years of constant searching, this was the first time I had encountered a person with a warp quirk. I knew they were rare, but seeing this one with such similar abilities to my Natsu had given me a glimmer of hope that my long search had finally come to an end. Obviously that was not the case.
Yet, there was something odd about the soul of that villain if I inspected it a little bit more closely. It was misshapen and faded as if it wasn't all there. But before I could ponder over why that was, its owner spoke up again and I shifted my vision back to normal.
"According to the schedule we retrieved from U.A., All Might should be here as well."
My heart went cold, and I could have sworn that I had stopped breathing. The reality of just how much danger I had been in yesterday hit me like a dump truck.
"So you scumbags used the press as a cover and sneaked onto campus." Aizawa shot back darkly.
I latched onto his voice like it was a life-raft before I could spiral down into the abyss of what ifs and speculations. Freezing was not a luxury I could afford when there was a fresh danger right here with more than just me to be concerned about.
The villain with the murderous red eyes added his voice to conversation, speaking up in front of the warp villain and one other monstrous-looking villain as he stood on the edge of the fountain. Wearing all black save his red sneakers, he appeared remarkably young - at least I assumed he was young. There were multitudes of severed hands that were clasped all over his upper torso, including his face, so it was hard to judge an age. I desperately hoped that those hands were fake and only for show, but somehow I doubted it. They seemed to be more like mementos rather than actual support items, and I wanted to vomit at the sickening thought right then and there.
The sound of his voice did little to ease my opinion of him. It was hoarse and scratchy, as if he had caught a cold.
"Where is he?" He voiced into the air, extending his arms to either side. "I went through the trouble of bringing so many friends who are eager to meet him. They want All Might. The great Symbol of Peace. I can't believe he's not here. Maybe if I kill a few kids, he'll come out to play."
All right. That's it. It was time for all of us to leave. I draw the line at child murderers. Common criminals were one thing, but child killers were in a class of their own. They had no morals or codes of conduct and that made them especially dangerous and unpredictable.
I left the safety of my pillar and moved towards the students, rounding them up and herding them back from the stairs to place just behind Thirteen. I wanted them to be as far away as possible from this threat, but until Aizawa or Thirteen gave the order, they weren't going to leave. There was a certain absolute authority that a hero possessed that I sadly didn't have.
"What? Real villains? No way!" Kirishima exclaimed in disbelief. "How could so many of 'em get in a U.A. facility this secure?"
I threw him a warning glare when he broke away from the rest of the class, his curiosity leading his feet back towards the stairs. He caught the look I was sending him, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, quickly retreating back into the protection of the group.
"Yah, Thirteen." Momo said as she stepped to the front of the group but no further. "Why aren't the alarms going off?"
"Good question." Thirteen murmured thoughtfully, staring slightly up at the ceiling. "I'm not sure."
"Is the entire campus under attack? Or is this their only target?" Todoroki calmly spoke out. "Either way, if the alarm sensors aren't being triggered, then one of these villains must have a quirk that is masking their presence here. They carefully chose this isolated facility as an entry point at a time when a class was being taught. They're fools for trespassing here, but they've thought this out. Whatever their plan, they must have a concrete objective in mind. But what is it?"
It was eerie just how astute the kid was. I think this was the most he had spoken this entire week, but he was right.
"Eve. Thirteen." Aizawa called to us, getting our attention. "Get the students out of here and alert the main campus. Actually, if they got the ability to block our sensors then they might be jamming our regular communications too." Aizawa's eyes quickly glanced over to me, or more specifically at the black circlet around my neck.
My hand went up and touched the device, frowning as I thought as to why his sudden interest. Then it hit me.
The GPS tracker!
If the villains were blocking the sensors, then it wasn't out of the realm of possibilities that they were also blocking the GPS signal on the collar too. That would raise alarms to whoever was tracking my location if the signal suddenly cut out. If the HPSC was watching, and they probably were, then they were probably already on their way here thinking that I had done something. For once their hyper paranoia would be an asset for other than getting on my nerves.
Aizawa turned back to the front, barking out another order. "Kaminari! Try using your quirk to contact the school."
"Yes, sir!" Kaminari replied quickly, a hand rising up to adjust the earphones around his head in an attempt to do just that.
I caught onto Aizawa's train of thought and I stiffened. If the HPSC was the first to arrive with whatever Heroes in tow, then they would resolve this, but I would also be taken away before questions of my involvement were even asked. But if the teachers arrived ahead of them, then there was a better chance that they could be convinced of my innocence. It was selfish, I know, to think of myself in the situation we were in. The safety of the kids came first, and whoever arrived on scene would ensure that.
But, I reminded myself, Aizawa was considering my safety too, and will continue to do so no matter who arrived. If worse came to worst, and the HPSC did arrive, he would be the one to convince them that I was innocent, just like he did yesterday. I had nothing to fear as long as I had Aizawa. And that alone gave me some measure of comfort.
I took a deep breath to steady myself, which only forced my mind to rerun Aizawa's previous command. Aizawa had not included himself in that statement, and my anxiety returned tenfold.
All these motions he was making, these orders he was giving, it was as if he wasn't planning on coming with us. Surely he didn't think he could handle all those villains down below by himself. I knew he was strong as well as tactical, but it was a suicide mission all the same. The logical course of action here was to make our escape before the villains could attack. Sure, they may escape with no one to catch them, but in the grand scheme of things, protecting the kids was all that mattered here. Not fighting the villains.
Apparently I was not the only one who was concerned.
"What are you going to do?" Midoriya cried out. "You can't fight them on your own! There's to many of 'em. Even if you can nullify their quirks, your fighting style's not suited for this." His voice drew into a low murmur. "Your power works best in stealth and one-on-one fights. That's not gonna help with a group."
"You can't be a pro if you only have one trick." Aizawa replied coldly.
Alarm bells were ringing out inside my head, and I whipped back to Aizawa just as his body hunched forward in preparation to launch himself off the stairs. My hand shot out to clutch his arm to hold him back and Aizawa froze at the unexpected intervention.
"What do you think you're doing?!" I all but yelled at him. "You don't need to fight them! We need to run! And that includes you too!"
"What we need is information." Aizawa corrected me. "If these are really the ones who got past the school's security yesterday, then I need to find out how before they get another chance. It's clear that they will use any means necessary to carry out their plans - even attacking U.A. and its students. I have a duty to make sure they can never do that again."
"Listen, I get that. I really do. But leave it to the police to figure all that out! Right now you have a duty to protect these students. These ones right here! Their safety is more important than getting intel. If the villains attack us while we're trying to escape, then you'll be of more use up here than down there."
"Thirteen can handle the students' protection. She'll make sure you all get out safely while I draw the villains' attention away. The police may not get here in time, so I can't simply just ignore this attack. Besides, this is what it means to be a Hero - ensuring the safety of others. Or weren't you listening to Thirteen's speech?"
"Oh, I heard it!" I snapped, my temper flaring out. "But throwing yourself into danger when it's not absolutely necessary is not only reckless, but also incredibly stupid! You're going to get yourself hurt! Or worse - killed!"
In a flash, Aizawa tore his eyes from the villains and twisted his head back. His gaze landed on my hand gripping his forearm tightly before traveling up to my face. I felt those eyes boring into me behind the slits in his goggles, but I didn't let him go and I didn't shy away. Part of me was afraid that I had gone too far, angering him even by calling him both reckless and stupid - two things I knew he wasn't. But I would gladly take his anger if it meant keeping him here.
"You're concerned for me." He stated.
It wasn't a question, but it sure felt like it. And for a moment I was caught off guard both by the statement and the directness in which he said it.
"Of course I am!" I shouted back. "I'm not going to let someone I care about go charging headfirst into danger on their own!"
The words left my mouth before I even realized what I was saying. Nonetheless they were true.
Everything I had been feeling these past few days, everything I was feeling right now, finally made sense. Despite all the circumstances I had found myself in, I had grown to care for the man who I was bound to. How could I not? I had discovered the gentle caring person hidden behind the façade of his rough exterior, and my soul and body practically sang whenever we were in close contact.
This went beyond simple respect, and it was more than just friendship. All the signs were there to what this was, and then something else unexpectedly clicked. All the gestures and small smiles Aizawa had given me, the effort he had put forth to make me comfortable and feel safe. Carrying me back to my bed when my body failed me, saving me from Midnight's clutches, easing me out of my panic attack, and staying with me afterwards when he didn't have to. The list was extensive, but they all pointed to one thing.
Aizawa cared for me too.
The revelation was enough to make my heart hammer wildly out of control, and in response my hand only clenched tighter to Aizawa's arm. I felt Aizawa's body tense up as he heard the words tumble from my mouth before he went strangely lax beneath my grip. His face dropped back down to my hand holding him back, and for a split second I dared to think that I had finally snapped him out of this pursuit. With his other hand he laid it over my one crushing his arm, gently untangling my fingers from the fabric there. Clasping my fingers within his, I barely registered the tiny squeeze he gave before he let my hand fall.
"Thirteen, make sure she gets out of here."
My eyes flew open at his words, and frantically I reached out to him for a second time. But I was too late. My hand clutched at empty air as Aizawa leapt down the stairs to leave all of us behind.
And I'm back...
First off, let me apologize for going silent for so long. That was never my intention. Life, work, and burnout kinda caught up with me. Probably the same thing that's happening to many of you out there right now. All I can say is to take time to rest and recover, or your body will take the most inopportune time to do it for you. That was my experience last month. Lovely times.
Moving on...
So I underestimated the goliath that is the USJ incident. Thought it would be pretty straightforward and I would get it out quickly, but nope. There is so much going on in it already, and I needed to find the right tone to move the overall story along. Got to about the sixth writing iteration, and finally decided that I needed to lock this part down and get it out, or I would never get to what comes after. And considering the reviews I've been getting, I know you all are eager to get moving too. ;)
Hopefully, I've sated your thirst for now...or not considering where I left it off. :P
Until next time.