Soul Marked

Chapter Forty-Six

Building of Bonds


This part of the story only has one last chapter left and then we'll be moving onto Soul Bound! I have the first chapter done and I'm working on the second chapter so hopefully I can keep up a steady update schedule for at least a few chapters.

Let me know what you guys think of what's happening!


Almost as abruptly as it had come, that moment with her two soulmates was suddenly gone. Shigaraki had disappeared from where he came from, and the link that had been opened was once again firmly shut, but it had been enough to soothe her mind.

Izuka had been able to feel the exact moment when Shigaraki had started to pull back, and even though she longed for him to join his soul with hers again, she also understood his situation.

It was clear he was overwhelmed, and she could still feel the barely controlled fear over what had just transpired oozing in from the bond. He needed some time and some privacy to properly grasp what had just happened, and how it had affected both of them.

Nevertheless, it had helped bring her to the moment where she was standing in front of that familiar room, the one where all the teachers took their breaks but would be the destination of their talk with Toshi tonight. Somehow, he always made sure they wouldn't be interrupted in the past for their conversations about One For All, and Izuka was certain this one would be the same way.

Her hand was tightly wound around Katsuki's, taking in the feeling of contact that automatically rose within their bond during touch, so that the familiar calm that had invaded her senses earlier would stick around as she focused on the warmth that soothed over any nerves. Even as she stepped inside, allowing instincts to take over, she refused to focus too long on the fact that in the past as soon as she entered this room Toshi had always gone from All Might to Skeletor, during their talks, Izuka allowed her eyes to fall to the only other man in the room.

He didn't rise to greet them like he would have done for her in the past. He stayed sitting in his seat, looking smaller than usual, as he did everything in his power to not accidentally trigger Izuka.

A flash of fondness rose inside of her that battled against that spark of unease that tugged at her mind.

Always the one to want to keep her word Izuka kept a careful watch on her emotions. She would leave the moment it began to become too much for her, but around her, the room stayed the same. Nothing tried to warp or change, there were no whispers of horrible words, and the man in front of her was still Toshi.

Katsuki tugged at her arm. She had come to a stop in front of the doorway, and Izuka was quick to follow him over to the familiar couch where she had spent many conversations sitting across from Toshi in the past. She allowed those memories to wash over her, to join with the fondness she felt for him, as they combated anything negative that might have tried to sneak up on her. Even when they sat Kacchan didn't try to take his hand away from her, though she could tell he felt slightly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of Toshi as the man's blue eyes flickered down toward their connection, but nothing was said, and that brief tangle of emotions from her soulmate was more from embarrassment, than unease, and that helped her to keep from seeing Toshi as a danger to Kacchan.

If anything, Izuka was feeling a moment of shyness as well, because in her head this felt different. Sure, in the past Kacchan had held her hand, but now they both were on the same page, their feelings for one another more than just what they had before, and both were clearly aware of the other's romantic desires. It felt like she was holding the hand of her new boyfriend in front of her father as she waited for him to approve or not, but that's not what this conversation would be about, so Izuka firmly combated those emotions from her body as best as she could so that she could move forward to what they needed to speak about.

"I'm happy you both could make it," Toshi started, his gaze continuously flickering toward Izuka, watching her for any sign that this was too much for her, while also not helping the way his gaze would drop toward their joined hands. Protective instincts formed within him, and if this had been in the past, before everything that had happened with Izuka, he would have mentioned it. He would have asked about what he had run into out in Ground Beta when he found the two mid-kiss.

There would have been a follow-up immediately after Izuka's punishment was over, and perhaps those questions would have been closer to what a father would have asked their daughter, and eventually, Toshi would have brought young Bakugo in himself to talk about his intentions, but now, with everything that had happened, Toshi simply didn't. That dynamic between the two of them had been fractured, and even though he thought of Izuka as still closer to a daughter, than simply his successor, Toshi felt there were now invisible barriers drawn up between them.

That didn't make that urge to open his mouth and spit out his questions as he watched the two of them sitting across from him disappear, even as they kept a respectful distance between the two of them, but closer than they would have ever sat together before. Their hands were still connected and Toshi reminded himself that he had no place to ask such things right now.

"Let's just get this over with," Bakugo said, his voice irritated, but Toshi could sense that it was forced, not quite how he felt. There was the barest trace of a blush on his cheeks and Toshi assumed that this had something to do with his mood, but Toshi could also read in between the unspoken words. Young Bakugo didn't want Izuka to have to stay in Toshi's presence any longer than she needed to.

"Then let's begin," Toshi said, with a nod of his head as he leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees. "You understand the relationship between young Izu and me."

"Yeah, got something to do with how she's somehow got your quirk?" His voice was gruffer than before as he studied the man across from him. No longer would he just be guessing, making his assumptions, as things would finally be laid bare to him.

"Izuka was given my quirk back before she started U.A.," Toshi said, as he went into more detail about how such a thing was possible. Katsuki listened without interrupting, but his eyes had started to narrow, and he was frowning more, not out of jealousy over Izuka being recognized by All Might in such a way, but a sense of irritation at how this man had gone about it.

Katsuki wasn't jealous that she had been chosen, that much was true. Maybe once in the past, he would have been, but now, there was a different emotion flowing through him and he subconsciously gripped Koneko's hand tighter.

"Why her? Why did you pick Koneko?"

Toshi hesitated, trying to pick apart the true meaning of this question, as there were no signs of jealousy, but something more heated behind his words.

Izuka bit her lip as she listened. Kacchan wasn't hiding his emotions from her. The complete opposite. He had allowed that to flow freely between them, as if he had opened the connection more, so she could accurately read what he was feeling during this meeting. In the beginning, she had assumed it was to help keep her emotions in check but now she realized he may have done it for more than that. It was so she didn't become hurt by his words and didn't jump to conclusions, as she pondered and struggled to keep up with what his words meant. He didn't want her to think the wrong thing.

In this moment Kacchan wasn't feeling jealousy, or anything of the sort, he was feeling protective. He was upset, on her behalf, but that confused Izuka just as much as any negative emotions he could have been feeling right now.

"Despite her being powerless, Izuka was more of a hero than anyone else. In that moment, as I watched her rush in to help a boy, in a situation that she was incredibly powerless to stop, I could see that spark of a hero within her. I could see how easy it would be to nurture and raise as I helped guide her along, and I had the exact thing she needed to go the entire distance to reach her dream. It was as if One For All had placed her in front of me and told me she was its next holder. I simply couldn't ignore her."

Izuka thought about destiny, how it had given Kacchan a soulmate that could never bond back with him, not until a quirk that could be passed down from holder to holder stumbled into her life, and she wondered how much any of that had been up to chance.

How much of it had simply been the way fate had decided it to be a long time ago.

It brought on a feeling of what that meant for her future, the good and the bad, and she knew that everything had fallen into place like it was supposed to.

Toshi didn't hold back. He explained everything to Bakugo like he had done for Izuka all that time ago. He explained how One For All came to be, the story between brothers, and Izuka couldn't help how her mind went to that man who had helped protect her from AFO. She was almost certain that he was the same man from Toshi's story but didn't speak up as Toshi moved along. She was also fairly certain that these interactions she was having with OFA were not exactly normal, and seemed to be new, as Toshi never shared with her about having similar experiences.

Izuka couldn't help the way that she tensed up when Toshi got to the part about what each holder of OFA was leading toward. What the power was passed down in hopes of doing.

"I passed down my power to Izu, believing that she would have plenty of time to harness the power of this quirk before she would have to deal with the next big bad. However, I was wrong. I hadn't realized that AFO survived that battle so many years ago." Toshi pinned Bakugo with his gaze as he bowed his head toward the boy who was Izuka's soulmate. "One For All is the power passed down through each generation in hopes that one day it will defeat, All For One, and I must apologize that I unknowingly sent Izu down that path. One day, she too, will have to face that great evil, and I can only hope that she will come out victorious where I and my past counterparts failed."

Her head tilted toward Katsuki as she felt that sensation of irritation and protectiveness flare up inside of him again. Her fingers gently squeezed against his own, but his attention was entirely on Toshi at this moment.

"Your decision to choose her is the reason why she's been targeted by these villains." That came out harsher than what Izuka had sensed from within him, but she could feel it building, the realization of what this quirk meant for her future, and it caused an almost uneasy feeling to rise within her. "The reason she was kidnapped. You chose the one person whose desire to help others outweighs their sense of self-preservation."

"Kacchan!" Izuka felt her mouth fall open as he snapped at Toshi in a way she hadn't expected.

"No, please, allow him to tell me what he truly feels," Toshi said, raising a hand to keep Izuka from butting in further. "It is true, young Bakugo, that your soulmate has been targeted specifically because of the quirk I transferred to her."

"Toshi-."

But neither was going to let her butt in, to downplay everything, as an entirely new sensation of nerves rose inside of her. It had nothing to do with All Might killing her soulmate in her nightmares, and everything to do with Kacchan realizing her full destiny as a holder of One For All.

They both ignored her, and Izuka helplessly could only sit there as she bit her lip and worried about how Kacchan would take this.

"And what? Fate? Has some grand plans for her, because of some feud between two brothers that happened ages ago. She's destined to go up against this guy that has killed every single person before the two of you that has tried to take him down, and majorly injured you."

Kacchan's voice had started to twist, and change, wavering oddly as he spoke, and the grip on her hand only became tighter. Whatever moment of control he had over his emotions crumbled as Izuka felt an onslaught of worry, and fear, not for himself, but for her. It drove away any and all discomfort over being so close to Toshi as she angled herself toward him.

"I will not lie or try to downplay the danger that Izuka's future may hold," Toshi said solemnly. "The path she has been set on is a dangerous one, and I have every intent on making sure she is prepared properly for whatever is to come."

It was left unsaid that Toshi planned on all of this going down before his own untimely demise, as he still believed in Sir Nighteyes warning of his death. It always felt like time was running out, and now that Izuka couldn't even properly be around him, Toshi worried about his ability to actually keep this promise. He still had so much to teach her, to guide her, and help her grow, but all of that had been put aside because she couldn't stand being in the same room as him. Of course, if all else fails, Toshi felt confident that Gran Torino could take over all training, and being there for her, like he had been there for him after his own master's death. Only, Toshi didn't want that to be the outcome. He wanted to be there.

He wanted to see Izuka's victory.

She would be the future's hope. He could feel that deep in his soul. Toshi wanted to survive, to get to see what she would do with his own eyes, and not be a blemish in her story. He didn't want to end up like Nana, to leave Izuka behind, like he had been.

There were so many regrets, things he still needed to fix, that for the first time in a long time Toshi found himself wanting his old sidekicks' words to be wrong. For the first time in a long time, he felt the desire to actively fight against it.

Katsuki took a deep, calming breath, as he tried to keep from blowing up, and pouring out every ounce of fear and worry he felt. If this is what Koneko's future would hold then that only meant he needed to keep up with her, stay by her side, to help carry her through whatever was to come. He would need to be her support.

It burned him up inside that any of this would ever end up happening, but Izuka was strong, he recognized, and knew that. She would survive all of this. She had to. He would do anything to make sure that happened.

"This responsibility shouldn't be Koneko's to bear. She shouldn't have to deal with some psycho because he can't let go."

"Kacch-."

"It shouldn't have to be anyone's to bear, young Bakugo," Toshi said with such sadness as he thought over it all. "Those who strive for greed and power do not much care for what happens to those who get in the way of that goal."

Katsuki's fingers that weren't wrapped around Izuka's curled into a ball on the couch, the color draining away from each digit, the harder he dug his nails into the palm of his hand.

"Everything that has happened, from what you've told me, this could go down before we even graduate. How the fuck is it right to have a fifteen-year-old be the one to rely on, for what, just because she has this goddamn quirk the man wants to reacquire. Like fuck I'm going to let that happen."

"Kacchan! Toshi! Let me speak."

Izuka was breathing heavily as she finally yanked on the hand, she had been holding onto of Kacchan's and raised her free one to cut off Toshi as he opened his mouth to speak again.

"I made the decision to agree when Toshi offered me his power. I knew what that would lead to. That one day I would go up against villains, and I made that with a clear indication that it's what I wanted to do."

"You didn't sign up to still be a student and dealing with this shit, Koneko."

She could hear the way Kacchan had begun to sound angry, but she could still feel his emotions, and knew that it came from a space of worry and fear.

"I think it was always meant to go down this path. Too many things have lined up, showing me that this was always the path I would go down, and we don't get to choose when fate decides we're ready." She squeezed his hand gently, trying to calm him down, as she kept her voice lowered. "Knowing what my future holds isn't going to make a difference, and especially since we don't actually know when any of this will go down, but I do know that I have many people to back me up. I won't be doing it alone. I'll be ready because I have people like the two of you to lean on."

Her eyes cut over toward Toshi, wanting him to know that she still thought of someone she could lean on, even during these trying times.

"Izu-." Toshi began to talk, but the words seemed to stick in his throat, and he just let the sentence fall short.

"I've dreamed of the moment where I could become a hero. No matter how that wish was granted, I was given the ability to live out that dream, and if it means I have someone that I need to protect the world from already, then I accept that."

"It's not just this AFO guy that you have to worry about."

Katsuki's gaze hardened as he pointedly was thinking of someone, and Izuka sighed as she caught on.

"I don't think Shigaraki is going to be someone I'm going to need to worry about being against me in the end." Izuka sent Kacchan a pointed look. She knew he still struggled with actually believing that Shigaraki would be someone they could trust in the end, but she had hoped that after what happened before they got here, it would have helped ease his worries some.

"He is the one that kidnapped you, Izu," Toshi said, his voice hesitant. He was uncertain of how his input would be taken. Especially since it seemed like he was missing something. Something important. As far as he knew Izuka was still having trouble with her time being held captive but here, she was stating worrying facts about how her kidnapper wouldn't try to hurt her.

Izuka turned her full attention to Toshi knowing it was time to come clean. A part of her was still worried, if Toshi refused to listen to her then he could very well try to use her against Shigaraki, but another part of her knew that Toshi would never do that to her. Toshi truly cared for her, he cared about her wellbeing, both mentally, and physically. Using her like that against Shigaraki would be the wrong thing to do for her mental health.

He would have to listen to her.

At least she hoped that was how he would react. Anything less could potentially push their frail truce to a breaking point.

"Shigaraki is my soul mate," the words left her lips carefully. She watched the way Toshi's expression shifted from being confused to something like shock before a troubled expression settled firmly in place. "My mark disappeared I believe because it failed on how to recognize the two bonds once I became aware of both of them. Aikawa believes that it'll work itself out eventually, but something needs to be done before hand." Izuka suspected a few things, but she wasn't going to go into that right now.

"Shigaraki… Tomura…"

Toshi's voice was small as he spoke her other soul mates name even as his mind screamed out another name to him. Shimura Tenko. A name that he remembered Izuka calling Shigaraki when her mind had been fractured. She was aware that Shigaraki was his mentor's grandson as well, and somehow, the boy kept finding connections to him. Somehow Toshinori seemed to continue to fail Izuka even before he had ever met her.

His mind whispered that she could have had a better connection with the boy if he had taken the time to check in with Nana's son, even if she had told him not to. If he had went with his gut instinct instead of ignoring it perhaps the girl he thought of as a daughter could have met the young man under different circumstances. The issues she would be having wouldn't have happened if Tomura had been kept safe from that malicious man's intents.

"I know it to be true because I've been experiencing a connection with him that's undeniable. There's more to him than we realize, something more that's going on, and I'm determined to get to the bottom of it."

"What do you mean?"

Toshi's mind latched onto the idea that Izuka's words held more meaning than he realized.

"I don't know. I'm unsure of how to explain it, but it's like there's something that could be influencing him. Sometimes when our bond is flowing between one another, when I can feel his emotions, the bond will push more information my way. None of it makes sense, but it's almost like there's two parts of him, and neither seem to be on the same page."

"Izuka, I realize that he's your soulmate, but he's still a villain. He is dangerous. Even if you believe he's not a danger to you, he has been in the past, and as long as he follows All For One your life will always be in danger. I do not know what it is your sensing from him, but I must ask you to be incredibly cautious."

Izuka frowned, but it wasn't her that spoke.

"Once she gets something stuck in her head, especially about someone she cares about, there's no persuading her otherwise," Katsuki said, speaking up, his voice almost bored sounding. He was simply stating a fact. He had already come to accept the fact that Izuka wouldn't just give up on Shigaraki. "She feels he has something within him that can be saved, and that's enough for her. All we can do is have her back and hope it's true."

She turned to him, smiling brightly, knowing that even though he was still worried, and not entirely certain this was a good decision, he would back her up anyway. She could only hope that Toshi would be the same way. She expected disappointment and uncertainty, but in the end, she hoped that it would give way to wanting to believe in her.

Turning her full attention onto Toshi, Izuka didn't feel the familiar tug of unease, or the way her mind tried to bulk, not in this moment when she stared into his own gaze with an intensity that spoke of the importance of her next words. The fact that she was doing this to help one of her soulmates, and the need to make sure that he wouldn't be harmed, was important enough to lock out any of her normal crushing problems.

"I am going to save him, Toshi. I have to. He deserves to be saved. It's not his fault that All For One was the one to find him. To raise him with his own world views. Shigaraki was young when All For One found him, and took him into his care. I know he needs to answer for the crimes he's committed but I also believe he shouldn't just be punished but helped. Regardless of him being my soulmate or not he deserves to be given the option to make something better for himself, or to be dragged down by his masters' ambitions."

Toshi sighed wearily, feeling the weight of her words hitting him, and knowing instinctively that there was more that would be said, and he wasn't going to like it.

"How are you doing to go about this, Izuka? Other than your bond you don't have contact with him."

God, he hoped Izuka didn't have contact with him.

"I want to make it very clear I will not be allowing anyone to use me to capture him. I won't be used in such a way."

Toshi felt that weight push fiercely down on his shoulders.

"Of course not, Izu-girl. I would never use you in such a way."

"I've been in contact with Shigaraki, and I plan on meeting up with him in person, not to bring him in, but to make a stronger connection than what we have. I refuse to have another bond that has been allowed to be twisted and warped due to misunderstandings, and miscommunication, or anything else that could harm it. I need this bond to not go down the difficult road I had with Kacchan, because it's already got it's difficulties."

Toshi felt the air in his lungs freeze as he suddenly had a hard time being able to breathe. Izuka was going to meet up with Shigaraki. She has had contact with him. Izuka, the girl in her training, was knowingly going against the law, talking with a known, and very high on the list criminal that the police and heroes wanted brought in off the streets.

He was finding it hard to think.

The repercussions the girl could face if this got out.

Her desire to be a hero could be destroyed before it began if this got into the wrong people's hands.

He knew she was only doing this to protect her soulmate, and that knowledge would save her a little bit, as there were certain laws in place for soulmates, but it could potentially not be enough. Something protective lit up inside of him and he had already decided to keep this to himself. He would figure out how to protect her when it came out, because it would, secrets like this never seemed to stay a secret forever. He would do anything for her, and if it meant using his fame, and how much power his word held, Toshi would do it. Even if that meant doing damage control on Shigaraki as well.

Along with the protectiveness was a deep seeded irritation that she had been keeping this contact from him, or another teacher at the school, but also a smidge of disappointment. He had to battle against that last one, because he knew, and understood that this was her soulmate, and not just any criminal, but it was a highly dangerous villain. All of it would be going against her, but he refused to be one of those voices. No, he would be there for her, even if his first instinct was to try to push her away from Shigaraki. It simply didn't work like that, and he trusted her, and if she believed something more was going on with the boy then Toshinori would also look into the possibility.

He would immediately begin to set things into motion to protect her for when all of this finally came out, because Toshinori could see it in her expression. She had an end goal, and it wasn't to let Shigaraki continue to be a villain. Having her shut him out now because he reacted badly would only make it harder for him to protect her in the future, so Toshinori clamped down on the swirling emotions of worry, and doubt, and instead focused on the positive ones.

He needed her to want him to be the one she kept coming to about Shigaraki. It would be the only way he could keep accurate records of any changes she brought out in Shigaraki and would be the boy's only saving grace if by some miracle he came around to her way of thinking.

That weight was crushing, but when he began to nod, to show that he would be on her side, and that echoing blinding smile she sent his way was more than worth it.

"Every instinct in my body is telling me that you shouldn't go. After everything you went through, how I found you that day in Kamino, I don't want you to ever go through something like that again, but I trust you when you say you'll be safe. If you've got the bond with him, and you can see that no harm will come to you, then I must trust that."

He took a shuddering breath, his blue gaze locked onto the way that her smile brightened more and more, and how no trace of fear when looking at him could be seen on her face. Her eyes were sparkling, they weren't darkened with uncertainty, fear, or anger. So, he continued on.

"But you must understand that I can't let you go alone, even if I believe that Bakugo plans on going with you. I will insist that you bring me with you, and I will wait somewhere nearby, just in case. You must also agree to the first sign of danger, or him misstepping we call in the heroes. Otherwise, I will support you in this endeavor, and be with you every step of the way."

Izuka couldn't help the way she felt when she saw Toshi side with her on what she wanted, and needed to do, and her happiness only dipped for a second when she realized his condition. They were of course, reasonable, but she knew Shigaraki would not like it. Especially since it was in the form of Al-, Toshi. However, she wouldn't say no to Toshi, especially since she could see that there was more to it than him just wanting to be there. Izuka was smart, she could see the importance for the future that Toshi had been brought in from the beginning. She needed every advantage if she truly was going to help Shigaraki.

"He's not going to like that, but I only promised that this wouldn't end with him having a bunch of heroes coming down on him. Technically you're no longer a pro hero." In all reality she hadn't promised him that verbally. All she had told him to do was trust her.

"We will avoid that for now as long as he keeps up his end of the trust," Toshinori said, his voice tight, but a hint of relief leaking through. They were talking like before. It felt refreshing and brought a spark of happiness alive into the room.

"He's kept his end of the deal so far, and I think he'll continue to do so, but I'll know if he does, and the meeting will be cancelled."

Izuka didn't want that to happen, but if he proved that she couldn't actually trust him, that he couldn't show any signs that they had something to fight for together, then she wouldn't put herself in a situation of harm.

The rest of the meeting was spent with her explaining what his conditions were, and how they planned on keeping in contact during the meeting, and how Izuka and Bakugo would contact him for help if needed. Izuka hadn't liked some of the precautions, but they were able to find a medium ground that put Toshi at ease, and Izuka firmly in the knowledge that no one would be bothering them that night.

A new sensation of hope settled within Izuka as her interactions with Toshi continued to stay pleasant and easy without any interruptions of shadows, and blood.

All that was left for them to do after was wait until the weekend.