Discord code = p6HcDQpxuk !

Start of a new arc.

This arc is called 'Reflection'! And the song for this arc as a whole is Dilemma by Ecosystem also known as the 10th opening of Gintama. Gintama is one of my favourite series ever created, and its influence on this work is undeniable.

The only reason Sora ever got blue/silverish hair was that Gintoki is one of my favourite characters ever. But after publishing Chapter 1, and realising that it really can't match loads of cool clothes and shoes, I made Sora start to hate his own hair colour.

Just a funny story.

Now, on with the chapter!

"Seasons may always change

But my feelings about you will always remain."

Kyoka Jiro POV

"Mineta!"

Kyoka Jiro snapped, throwing her pencil case at the boy. She watched as it bounced off his head, causing a chain reaction of Mineta falling over with his entire desk into Kaminari's seat. Kyoka couldn't help but giggle as the two of them began arguing loudly, with Kaminari throwing the pencil case back at Mineta's head, bouncing off it to land back on Kyoka's desk.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"That's what you get for eating my yoghurt for breakfast!"

"Hey," Mineta stood up from the ground, kicking Kaminari's leg in the process, as he scowled at her. It still surprised Kyoka at how tall Mineta had grown from their first year at U.A. He was no longer the shortest student in the class, an honour which belonged to Tsuyu, however, Mineta was still shorter than Kyoka herself who only stood at one hundred and fifty-four centimetres. "You left it on my shelf!"

"Because I didn't have any more shelf space!" Kyoka yelled at him.

Even then, despite how annoyed she was, she couldn't help but quiet down as Aizawa walked into the room with a cup of strong coffee. Immediately, without having to be told off once, Mineta picked his desk and chair back up from the floor and sat on it without a single complaint. Kaminari sniggered quietly, but Kyoka shot him a glare which made him shut up quickly.

"Morning class," Aizawa greeted them, standing at the front. "Where's-,"

"Sorry we're late, sensei," The door was flung open as a flustered Uraraka ran in, with Midoriya trailing behind her. Kyoka hid her smirk behind her hand as the rest of the class stared at them, with Uraraka's face paling in horror. "Oh, uh…"

It was clear that the pair had just woken up considering Uraraka's hair was a mess, not to mention her blazer didn't appear to have been ironed. What was even more unfortunate was Midoriya's trouser zipper that hadn't been done up, which the boy didn't even seem to realise.

Although, at a second glance, Kyoka could see that Uraraka's skirt was way higher than usual. The truth didn't need to have been confirmed for the pieces to all fit together, and everyone in the class knew what the two had been doing before they arrived here…

'Those horny dumbasses!' Kyoka thought to herself. 'They were totally fucking before they came here.'

Aizawa cleared his throat awkwardly, telling them to go sit down at their seats. However, Bakugo couldn't help but snort as Midoriya took his seat behind him he turned around and pointed directly at the unzipped fly.

"Zip it, Deku, I have no desire to see your two-inch punisher," Bakugo joked, causing the entire class to erupt with laughter despite Midoriya's embarrassment. Even Aizawa chuckled as Uraraka retorted with a comeback of her own.

"And Deku's gone deeper with his 'two-inch punisher' inside a woman than you ever will," Uraraka said. Bakugo clicked his teeth in annoyance but didn't reply as Aizawa sent him a look that promised trouble if he retorted.

After the class settled down after a few more minutes, Aizawa commanded attention from the front. Yet, he seemed different this morning.

It was the first day of a brand new term, but Aizawa seemed… happier.

Kyoka couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something had changed in Aizawa over the winter break. She turned to look at Kaminari, who nodded along with her. He also thought something was up. Despite that, she couldn't help but yelp in surprise as he tossed her a note.

'My fair lady, may I request that we have dinner and watch a movie together? My treat.'

Kyoka couldn't help but giggle at how dorky it sounded, especially as Kaminari wiggled his eyebrows like a worm, waiting for her response. She couldn't stop the grin forming on her face as she nodded, brushing her bangs out of her face as she turned to tune in back to what Aizawa-sensei was droning on about, hoping that she didn't miss out on too much important information.

"-so please, do revise for your exams. Marking your end-of-term exams these past few weeks was hell. I understand that many of you in this class are academically challenged, or rather you would play games instead of listening to your teacher as he explains important information to you!" Kyoka sighed, turning her attention to the back of the class. The entire did so as they all stared at one student.

Shoto Todoroki had his headphones in as he held his PSP in front of him.

He was far more engrossed in the game he was playing rather than the lecture, and Kyoka couldn't blame him. Homeroom was always a slog to get through. Aizawa shook his head, sighing as he held his hand out.

"PSP. Now."

The temperature around Todoroki cooled significantly as Sero jumped up from his desk in surprise.

…

…

Aizawa-sensei and Todoroki had engaged in a staring contest, and eventually, Todoroki lost as he closed his PSP but instead of giving it to Aizawa, he placed it in his bag. This was a fair compromise as Aizawa continued on with his lecture before he was interrupted, almost as if this had never happened.

"As I was saying, some of your results are shocking - Do not smirk at me Mina Ashido, only God can help you with your maths scores and currently he's not doing you any favours," Mina pouted at that. "Listen, you're nearly third-years. One more year then you're out in the big, scary world called adulthood. I'm not going to baby you anymore, got it?"

"Sensei," Kyoka raised her voice, garnering the attention of everyone in the class. "Since when did you ever baby us? Didn't you threaten to expel us on the first day of ever coming to U.A.?"

"Fair point," Aizawa conceded. "I can still expel any of you if I really wanted to."

"But you won't, we're your favourite class after all!" Hagakure cheerfully pointed out. Aizawa didn't deny it as he grinned at the entire class, although it had a sadistic edge to it compared to usual.

"Of course. And would you like to know what I do to my favourite toys?"

"Sensei," Shinso Hitoshi raised his hand up in the air. "Can you hurry up with your lecture? I know this class is full of people with undiagnosed ADHD, but we seriously go on so many tangents that it's beginning to hurt my head. You were talking about our final exams in March?"

"Right, thanks for reminding me, Shinso," Aizawa clapped his hands as he used the board pen to write out March the First on the whiteboard behind him. "Your final exams for the year start on this day. Unless something major cancels them, study for them as hard as you can! Listen, Class B destroyed you academically. I know that you win the training exercise against them every term, but if Vlad King gloats to me about how smart his class is one more time, I will grab a pistol and commit a crime."

"Oooo," Mineta and Kaminari yelled at the same time. "Isn't that a crime, sensei?"

Aizawa merely smiled at them.

While everyone in the class broke away into smaller conversations, Kyoka couldn't help but stare at the one empty seat in the room. Stuck right between Kaminari and Mineta, Kyoka sighed briefly as she swore she imagined him sitting there.

Twirling his pen around his fingers as his eyes darted around the room, trying to find any excuse to be distracted from the boredom and tedium of the lesson. The way his mouth would quirk up in excitement as he looked at Kyoka, running a hand through his blue hair before he grinned in a carefree way, raising his hand to make a stupid joke that would make the entire class laugh…

…

'He's gone now, why am I even thinking of him?' Kyoka mentally berated herself. 'He's moved on with his life, and so have I. We all have. He's probably having fun with other people elsewhere, probably revising for his end-of-year exams and preparing for university. Probably has a girlfriend too.'

Kyoka clicked her tongue in annoyance as she rested her head against her table.

She could still remember the final time they ever spoke to each other.

Their argument.

And, more importantly, their break up.

There were tons more things said the last time they met, horrible things that they both said to each other. Things Kyoka wished she could take back, and she knew that there were things that he wanted to take back - Even if no one in this class apart from her would accept it.

Kyoka quickly occupied her mind with other things as she reached for her phone and opened it so she could stare at her lock screen for a few seconds. It was a picture she had taken alongside Kaminari, his arms wrapped around her and it made Kyoka smile as she looked up and stared at her boyfriend.

She opened her mouth to call for his attention, but a very loud voice interrupted all the conversations in class.

"Tokage!" Someone yelled from outside their class as they ran by, "Tokage, I'm going to fucking kill you! Get back here you stupid bitch!"

That… that wasn't a voice she recognised. It was a deeper voice from what she heard, which meant that it was a man. But despite the commotion outside, with what seemed like a fight breaking out between Setsuna Tokage and a random student that Kyoka didn't realise, Aizawa-sensei just stood deathly still.

In fact, his face didn't have a single muscle move the entire time.

"Tokage! When I catch you, I'm going to brutally tear you're fucking guts out and feed them to birds you sadistic bitch!" Kyoka heard the voice once more, and this time she couldn't help but giggle at the sheer stupidity of what they had just said. The voices grew quieter, indicating to everyone that they had gone downstairs.

Mineta was the first person to break the silence.

"Whoever's got the balls to try and kill Tokage's an admirable guy, I won't lie," Mineta told Kaminari, who agreed with him. "I mean seriously, it's Tokage. I swear, sometimes when I speak to her I feel like she wants to stab me in my eyes."

"Because she does," Kaminari replied. "It's either that or hit you across the head with her kiseru pipe. Honestly, I just want to give up on life whenever she comes over to our dorm. Do we have to invite her? I feel like she's always scrutinising everything I do."

"That's because you and Mineta tried to make us wear skimpy outfits for the School Festival just a few months ago," Yaoyorozu glared at the two of them. "Actually, now that I think about it, didn't Tokage help you set it all up?"

Mineta nodded.

"Yeah! She said something along the lines of 'seeing you whores squirm' or something along those lines-,"

"COME HERE!"

Kyoka giggled as Mineta was cut off by the same boy's shouts, only this time it was from the courtyard. Kyoka, and everyone in the class, didn't waste any time as they rushed over to Midoriya and Bakugo's desks so they could see the commotion that was happening below them.

Tokage had separated her body into multiple body parts as she flew around the courtyard, eventually joining back up as she sat on top of a tree.

"You know," Tokage began, tilting her head as she peered at the boy below her. Kyoka couldn't help but stare at the boy who looked to be the same height as Kaminari swinging his sword wildly. But Kyoka recognised him immediately as she clammed up right away. And judging from everyone's reactions, they recognised him as well. From his brown hair to the fact that he still could never tuck his shirt in or do his tie properly.

"One would think that you're in love with me, Sora Yamazaki."

"Yeah," Sora replied, coating his single-edged sword with a silvery cloud as with a single strike, he cut the tree that Tokage was sitting on down to the ground. "I'm in love with the idea of killing you."

…

Silence descended on Class 2A as they peered down below to him having come back, wearing his uniform once again just as messy as ever. His Quirk was back too. And more than that, Kyoka Jiro felt something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Joy.

"What the fuck-,"

Chapter

Fifty

One

'Blueberry's True Return'

"Yo. Nice to meet you all again after a year, it's me. Sora Yamazaki," I waved at Class B and watched as their reactions varied from surprise to shock and downright tears.

Although that was more from Monoma rather than anyone else, and it's not like I could have expected anything different from my number-one self-proclaimed fanboy. I recognised a few faces, but I had no idea who some people were.

Like that pink-haired girl with the septum piercing that sat right at the back next to Monoma. Not that I didn't already know it was Setsuna Tokage, but the shock on her face quickly disappeared.

"Psst," I covered my mouth as I whispered to Vlad King. "Who's that pink-haired babe with the impressive jugs? You didn't tell me that there was another transfer student like me. Especially a hot one."

I kept my eyes on her and watched as she got up from her seat, walking slowly towards me. Was she swaying her hips? Oh, Lord. I knew Setsuna Tokage was a bit of a prankster, but this was way too much.

I guess I just had to play along with her.

"Hiya," The 'unknown' girl said to me with a thick Osaka accent, and Vlad King could only sigh in resignation as to what was going to happen. Her teeth still reminded me of sharks. "I'm Suzume. Nice ta' meet ya'!"

I nodded in surprise.

"Huh. Cool. I'm Sora, I don't believe I've met you before," I offered out my hand. "So, what's your hero costume like?"

"Skin tight."

"We should definitely team up," I replied without thinking. "Seriously. Just call me and I'll be there."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Suzume? Really?" I snorted at that, as I grabbed Tokage's hair and pulled hard. She must have known the surprise and was trying to prank me. I mean seriously, pink hair? She did fool me for a hot second, but I'd recognise Setsuna Tokage even if I were drunk. Which was why I panicked as her wig did not come off. Huh. I pulled even harder, despite the fact that I couldn't take the wig off. "Jeez, Tokage, did you superglue that wig to your hair?"

"...I dyed my hair."

"Oh."

I couldn't even react in time as Tokage pushed me out of the open window I had just come through. The sadistic grin on her face couldn't be missed, one that was quickly followed by surprise as I didn't fall as she expected. Summoning my Nimbus to cushion my landing I floated back up to the top, much to the surprise of everyone in the class but Vlad King.

"Tokage…"

"You snooze you lose," Tokage told me. "Guess I gotta' go tell the school that the Class Clown's returned. Maybe say some embarrassing stories… Oh! I'll even finish it off by telling her that you're still in love!"

Grk…!

She ran out of the class, not before grabbing Tetsutetsu's pencil case and throwing it at me. I jumped back into the class, ignoring the pencil case thrown at me as it went past me and out of the building as I chased her.

"Tokage! What the hell are you doing?" I yelled as I chased after her in the school corridors.

"Mmh… do you think anyone will believe me if I say that you're a Lolicon?" Tokage asked me. "I feel like you could certainly pass it. Actually, with that ear piercing and your stubble, you look more like a delinquent. Maybe I should spread rumours about you being in a gang? That would be cool."

Gah!

"Tokage!" I yelled at her angrily. "Tokage, I'm going to fucking kill you! Get back here you stupid bitch!"

Tokage only giggled in response as she led me down the stairs that I had fond memories of and through even more hallways. That was until she turned and opened a classroom door. I followed right after her, kicking the food open, but instead of finding a room that was empty, my face paled as I realised what I had disrupted.

"O-oh…"

A classroom full of first years turned to stare at me in confusion and surprise. Tokage leaned against the wall as she tried not to laugh at me, while the teacher of the class could only shake their head disapprovingly.

"Sora," Midnight began. "What are you doing here?"

I chuckled, gripping my chokuto tightly as I brought it level to my face, unsheathing it slightly as I glared at Tokage.

"Taking out the trash."

"Yeah, yeah," Tokage snorted as she addressed the first years. "Everyone, meet your new senpai. Yes, his looks do sadly tell his story. An orphan who turned to the streets and became a biker gang leader at age five. Did you know he used to have blue hair? Thankfully he got rid of it."

Grr!

"I'm going to kill you!" I yelled at her, chasing Tokage around the classroom.

I didn't care whose desk I jumped over or used as a stepping stone as Tokage weaved between desks, making her way to the back as she stuck her tongue out at me. That was then that I realised she was missing her two hands, who had snuck up behind me and opened up a window so that she could escape. Tokage completely broke apart, grabbing her feet using her hands, as she flew out of the window.

I was about to follow her, with one foot out of the window already, before I paused and turned to look at the class.

"Don't believe a word she says, alright?" I told them. "I ain't a gangster-, Oi, you with the glasses! If you stare at me like that again I'll shatter your jaw so badly you're Mum's going to perfect soup for you to drink for the rest of the year, got it?" I tried to keep myself from cracking up with laughter as Midnight smiled fondly at me, winking at me as I waved goodbye to her and jumped out of the window.

Summoning my Nimbus, I followed Tokage's path as we made it to the courtyard.

"You know," Tokage began as she circled me in the air. "You've grown taller. About damn time as well. Although I suppose going from five-foot-three to five-foot-six isn't that impressive."

"Haha," I forced out a fake laugh. "Try five-foot-seven without shoes, sweetheart."

"Wow," Tokage clapped sarcastically. "You're so tall, almost like a mountain now. That's crazy."

I felt a tic mark forming on my head as I chased Tokage around the courtyard, swinging my sword wildly.

"COME HERE!" I yelled at her.

I watched as Tokage came back together, sitting on the branch of a tree above me.

"You know," She began with a grin. "One would think that you're in love with me, Sora Yamazaki."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that, gripping my chokuto tightly with my right hand as I summoned my Nimbus, tapping it with my left hand.

"Yeah," Drawing two fingers from my left hand, I watched as my silver-coloured Nimbus followed them as I coated my blade with it. "I'm in love with the idea of killing you," I replied as I chopped the tree Tokage was sitting down on with a single swing.

Her eyes widened at that display as she fell on top of me, the two of us tumbling to the floor.

…

I stared up at the blue sky, filled with clouds of all shapes and sizes.

"...you really came back, didn't you?" Tokage asked me. It was like she couldn't believe she was seeing, and deep down, I knew that this 'chase' was exactly that. To make sure I was real. "Not a shell of you either, but the real you. A lot different, sure, but still the same Sora Yamazaki I was happy to call my partner-in-crime. The same Sora Yamazaki that once promised me-,"

"Yeah, I'm back," I cut her off, raising my hand in the air, staring at the clouds. "But I can't guarantee you what I promised. You were right. Back then, I mean. That I'd crash and burn, that I wouldn't protect anyone."

"That's not-,"

"It is true. I've been a fool, Setsuna," I admitted to her with a smile. "You don't have to lie. I can see that while you're happy to see me again, you also want to punch me in the face for leaving. For never asking for your help."

"...You're right," Tokage nodded in response. "But there's no point in hitting you. You look like you've learnt your lesson, the hard way at that… But are you really here to stay? To, well, to be my classmate again? A Hero?"

"I am. I've changed from who I was back then, though."

"I know," Tokage replied, "I can see that you're different. Now, as much as I want to say I told you so, I never wanted everything to turn out the way it did for you. But, I mean look at you. Your powers came back. That depressing look's been wiped off your face. Not to mention I can't call you a blue-haired bastard anymore, and your skill with your sword scared me. Before I realised it was you holding it after all."

"I'm on borrowed time," Tokage's eyes widened as I told her this. "Don't get your hopes up too much. Listen, I didn't come here just to be a hero again. And it wasn't just to make things right with Class A. I made a promise that I'm gonna see to the end, no matter what-," I sighed as I looked up at who was approaching us. "Sorry, I'll tell ya' later."

"It's fine," Tokage replied. "Either way, I'll help you. You just got to ask."

I stared at Tokage who genuinely meant what she said. And I was torn. On one hand, I couldn't do everything by myself. And I wasn't going to anymore. I was already relying on Aizawa, but on the other hand, I didn't want to hurt Tokage either.

But that's just me being stupid.

"Even if it's for selfish reasons?"

"Especially for that. You humoured me for my selfish request to protect my good life," Tokage sighed, shaking her head as she twirled a piece of her hair around her fingers. "In my eyes, you're a good man and that'll never change. Even if you shat the bed with Class A."

Approaching me, almost as if they had seen a ghost, were many members of Class A. I saw Kaminari and Mineta near the front, with Bakugo and Midoriya hyper-focusing on the tree I had cut down, along with my sword. Yaoyorozu and Iida focused on my uniform, and man did it make me remember all the times we had arguments about that. Shoji and Todoroki hung near the back of the group, but despite that, I couldn't get a read on them. Guess some things never change…

But the one in charge was Jiro.

At first, I didn't recognise her.

For one, her once short hair had grown out long. It now went past her shoulders which she tied up in a loose ponytail, with two strands of hair falling on both sides of her face and just about reaching her shoulders. Her school blazer was decorated with various badges and pins, from working with charities to just becoming the 'President of the Music Club'. Yet, the fire in her eyes remained, just as they always did when she was on a mission.

I chuckled to myself.

Man…

Why'd I have to go and ruin their day already?

"S-Sora… is that you?"

I got up front the ground, the smile that had been formed while talking to Tokage was wiped away as I faced them. They had all grown, hell, I was the exact same height as Kaminari now. It was a little odd that he didn't grow even a little in the past year I hadn't seen him, but that was fine. Despite that, he looked the same as ever apart from the chain with a love heart wrapped around his neck.

Even Mineta had grown from the shortest in the class to now surpassing Tsuyu and being practically the same height as Jiro, which was odd for the guy I'd been used to seeing as practically the same height as a kid.

In a year, everyone had changed so much yet they were still the same.

"Yeah. It's me," I answered, nodding at them with an awkward wave of my hand. "Hero track too, I'll be in Class B from now on. I'm not a traitor to Class A, it's just what was offered to me. I…"

"You got your powers back," Jiro cut me off, ignoring my ramblings. "I didn't think you'd come back."

"To be honest, neither did I," I told them all honestly. "I-, Listen, I'm not the same person you all were friends with over a year ago now. I'm Sora Yamazaki, for better or for worse. I can't just jump right back into where we-,"

"Shut the fuck up," Sero snarled at me. "No one wants you back. Go home, Sora."

"Hey! You shut the fuck up," Tokage angrily replied, backing me up. "I know you're still a bit annoyed at what he said to you, but grow the fuck up. This might be hard for you, but it's even harder than him. Can't you see?"

"See what? How he's-,"

"Shut up," Kaminari cut Sero off. "Stop yapping away and just let the adults talk, alright?"

I watched in amusement as Sero quickly shut up, with Iida and Shoji taking him to the back of the group. Yaoyorozu eyes me nervously as if she wanted to talk to me in private but resisted the urge to reach out first.

They all looked like that.

Apart from Kaminari and Jiro.

"...I'm going to be a Hero again. Yeah, I got my powers back. I didn't come here just to be a hero again, it's one of the reasons why I came back, but not the main one," I told them all. "A few are more personal to me. But one… I want to make things right with you guys if that's possible."

The reactions from the group made me take a step back.

Righteous anger was directed at me as so many of my old friends glared at me hatefully, which was an experience in itself. I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but staring at the looks Sero and Mina gave me, at how disappointed Midoriya and Mineta looked, at the calm but collected anger Bakugo and Iida had on their faces I knew that it was going to be something that couldn't be solved in a day.

But I knew that already.

That was why I came back.

Because there were so many things I needed to do, even if they were hard.

"...Sora, you-,"

Jiro was cut off by an impatient Midoriya who stepped forward and grabbed me by my collar. Ultimately, I didn't even react as our eyes met, and I could see what he was holding. The only other person who was there during that fateful day against Overhaul, the one person who knew my secrets nearly as well as Tokage was Izuku Midoriya.

The very same person who rightfully glowered at me.

"Why did you come back?! You made things clear, didn't you? That you didn't need us so we didn't need you," Midoriya yelled at me, his grip around my collar tightening. "So why the hell did you come back?! Why the hell do you want things to change?! You were so happy leaving us, so what's all this about wanting to make things right?! Did you ever think that maybe we don't want you in our lives?!"

I could only look at him in pity.

And Midoriya only grew angrier.

"SAY SOMETHING ALREADY!"

"What do you want me to say?" I asked, but it wasn't just directed at him. "I'm sorry. Is that all it will take to make things right? Because I know that's not enough. You know that's not enough. Do you want me to beg for forgiveness? I won't do that either. I'm going to make things right with you all, but not at the cost of my happiness. Never again."

"You-,"

Thankfully, Kaminari and Tokage dragged Midoriya away as I shot them a grateful smile. I scratched the back of my head awkwardly as Jiro approached me, a softer look on her face as she straightened out my collar.

"You still don't iron your shirts."

"I don't see the need to iron it," I replied with a smile. "...I'm different, Kyoka. From the person you remember. I'm still the same, yeah, but I'm also a lot better off now. I can't just drop everything for you guys, I refuse to do that anymore."

Surprisingly, Jiro shook her head at that.

"We don't want you to-,"

"You're not even our friend, so you can take your words and shove it up your arse," Mina angrily shouted at me. "Why are we even listening to him? Let's just sit back and watch him leave once again like a coward. That's all he's ever been."

"Mina!"

"...Ashido, say that again and I'll kick your-,"

I shook my head at Tokage and Jiro who seemed offended by what Mina said, but I couldn't blame any of them. What exactly had I done in their eyes to warrant their trust again?

To warrant their friendship?

Nothing.

"It's fine. I deserve it, I know," I told them all with a smile. "And I'll take it. All your hate. I can handle it easily. So give me your best shot, alright? I got this."

Ultimately, their hate was nothing compared to the hatred I held for myself.

And if it meant that Class A could grow.

Could become even better.

I'd gladly take their hate because that was what I wanted back then.

"That's not protecting us, is it?" Kaminari asked curiously with a knowing look. Despite not being academically gifted in a lot of areas, mostly for a lack of trying, Kaminari was really good at picking up on what people really meant. I smiled at that, I guess he picked up on what I was trying to say.

"...yeah. As you said, I'm not your friend anymore, so I'm not going to worry about you I'm sure all of you can protect yourselves better than whatever I can offer anyway. The point is, you can handle yourselves. Protecting you is something I don't need to do, but that doesn't mean I still can't help you," I replied. "And that's how I want to make things right-,"

"You've grown," Jiro spoke, cutting me off. "Both in height and in understanding what we need. Never thought I'd see the day."

"What, you don't like my beard?" I asked her sarcastically. "Or my ear piercing. Yeah, I've grown, it's been a year. You've grown too. All of you. But I'm not back. Not as Aozora, or as the Sora you once knew. So don't treat me like your friend. It isn't fair to your real friends, the ones who comforted you when I left."

…

"Why?" Jiro asked me, her voice shaky as she grabbed me by the shoulders. "...Why don't you just come back? We can all see it in your eyes, Sora. It's starting to piss me off. Why do you look at us like we're a sad beautiful memory? Something you can never have again?! Why the hell don't you apologise? After everything you've said and done, it's the easier path so why the hell not?! Do you… do you know how much you hurt us? Do you even care?"

I blinked at her question. Of course, I cared. My choice to leave U.A. wasn't easy, nor was it simple. There were a lot of emotions swirling around my head at the time, some selfish and some not.

But at the end of the day, I left for them.

But I didn't come back here for them.

I came here to stop skiving off on my responsibility, because of the promises I made to both Yukari and myself. She sacrificed her life for me to be happy, even though she agreed that she wasn't my mother. Being at U.A. was the happiest I ever felt, and she knew that. Aizawa knew that. Everyone knows that. It's why I'm here again, but I haven't come back for that.

Not really.

"I'm not the same Sora you used to know," I replied. "And if I'm being honest, you guys never knew the real me. The one hiding beneath a mask the entire time, because you didn't want to accept that I could go and hurt people deliberately. People I cared about. I may have hurt you, but there isn't a need for me to apologise when I-, I don't regret it. Because I never would've learnt my lesson otherwise."

I watched as Jiro's face twisted in unbelievable anger as she stormed off, she wasn't willing to look at me any longer.

And I'm fine with that.

But I don't need her to come and tell me what I already know.

The rest of the group looked conflicted at me.

I merely shrugged my shoulders at them, and ultimately they all trailed after Jiro. It told me all I needed to know, that Jiro was still the only one in the world who believed in me, who wanted me to come back and make things right. Hell, even as she ran away now, she probably thought I was lying, and I couldn't blame her. But everyone else in Class A had already moved on to life without me.

I couldn't blame them.

It's what I wanted back then.

Their carefree tomorrow - one without me.

That's why it was a 'sad beautiful memory'.

Class A's doors had been shut a long time ago for me, the best I could do was make things right with them and help them when they needed it. Maybe then I'd find it in me to forgive myself, but until then how could I just go back to what Jiro or many of them wanted - That was just another selfish request making me sacrifice even more of myself for them, and I was done with that.

I was never going to do that again.

Because I had a responsibility to many others, and I can't afford to lose here.

Even if it means Class A and I will never be good friends again.

If I'll never be a part of my family again-,

"Sora," I turned around to face Tokage, who looked at me with pity in her eyes. "What are you doing? They're your friends…"

"If it means going back to who I was, I'm not going to be their friend. Not until all of them can accept me. Not as someone they can rely on, or a person they put ahead of themselves - Because I'm not that 'big brother' figure, I was just a kid when they suffocated me in that class," I explained to her. "I did everything for them, and in the end, I was ruined by my constant need to try and save them. I can't do that again."

"So instead you'll punish yourself?"

"It's what I deserve," I replied, taking out a cigarette and lit it. "If I go back and accept Class A as I am now, nothing will have changed. I'll just end up running away again. I don't want that to happen. Coming back to U.A., and being a hero again, it's not to make amends - it's the first step in my journey. I won't forget that I have a lot of responsibility towards them, and one day in the future I will make things right between us. Just today ain't that day."

…

"Fine," Tokage sighed. "You win. You're an annoying bastard to try and argue with, you know that, right?"

I laughed at her, blowing smoke in her face just to try and annoy her. But it didn't work as she simply smacked the cigarette cleanly out of my hands and onto the floor, where I watched it roll around on the ground before I promptly put it out of its misery.

"What was that for?"

"You can't smoke at school," Tokage told me, pointing towards one of the ground floor classrooms. "You'll be a bad example to the first years, not that you already aren't one. I mean seriously, after all the stunts you've pulled…"

"I know," I smiled softly at her. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for leaving. I'm sorry for being a bad friend and ignoring you for so long, for lying to you about the truth. About your mother. It probably doesn't mean much to you, especially since you've just chewed me out for my treatment of Class A, but thanks. For keeping an eye out on them when I couldn't."

Setsuna Tokage scoffed, stretching her arm out to smack the back of my head in response.

"Dumbass," Tokage told me. "I'm just glad you came back."

Yeah.

I nodded, looking up at the sky. The sun was beating down on us, even if it was the second of January. The snow had largely cleared up from the ground, but despite that the air wasn't chilly. I balled my right hand into a fist as I stared at the sun and thought back to the first day of U.A…

The same sun was beating down on me as I walked out from the train station opposite the school, wearing my uniform, and felt the immeasurable weight placed on me. I remembered meeting everyone in Class A, our Quirk aptitude test, our lessons - I could remember all of it.

And here I was once again.

Yet this time, I didn't feel the weight on my shoulders as I walked these halls.

For once, it felt right.

"Huuuuuuh?!"

I winced as I walked into the Class B dorm. It was essentially the same layout as Class A's, the only difference was that everything was mirrored. It was sort of weird, but I could get used to that. What I couldn't get used to was the fact that I was going to be living on the top floor with Monoma and Tokage. While Tokage grinned as she realised that she would be able to torture me even more, surprisingly, it was Monoma who was confused.

"Sorry, but the only floor with available rooms for Sora is the third floor," Vlad King told him. "Not only that but don't you want to be on the same floor as Sora? Isn't he a good friend of yours?"

"That's why I can't be on the same floor as him!" Monoma yelled loudly. "I have to share a toilet and shower with Sora-sama, oh, if I make a mess and forget to clean up how will I ever forgive myself?!"

"Listen," I clapped him on the back. "So long as the toilet doesn't have piss all over it, and your pubes aren't in the shower, it's fine if you're a little messy. Trust me, I'm a little messy as well."

Monoma looked at me with tears in his eyes.

"You're so kind, Sora-sama!"

I rolled my eyes, turning to stare at Tokage who was giggling at Monoma's antics. As usual, it was up to me to be the big man. I couldn't help but grab a box from the bottom floor, kicking Monoma in the shins as I woke him up from whatever dream he was having.

Thankfully, my Dad had dropped off my boxes this morning while I was in school. My old bike, a fast moped that I had bought years ago was parked outside the dorm with the rest of my stuff.

Considering I had given Gyro my car, I was lucky I still had it lying around.

"You two grab a box as well, the quicker we put my stuff in my room, the quicker we can just relax," I told Tokage and Monoma who grinned at me. Naturally, my room would become the hangout spot for the two of them.

Tokage stacked two boxes on top of each other while Monoma took the smallest box for himself. He was still crying after all. Something about being able to help 'Sora-sama'. No matter how much time passed, Monoma wouldn't let up on his adoration for me. Eventually, the three of us took all my boxes and put them in my room, and I sat on the floor, leaning my head against my bed.

"Damn. That took a while."

Tokage yawned, nodding as she sat on my chair.

"Mmh. I'm tired, wanna' order some food?"

"Can we get away with it?" I asked her, opening my laptop and going to the Domino's Pizza website. "I don't want us to order pizza only for it not to arrive cause U.A.'s changed their policy of food deliveries, or because Vlad King doesn't allow us to eat takeout food."

"Nah, it's fine," Tokage replied, "Vlad-sensei doesn't care. He's a more hands-off approach type teacher, especially now that he can trust us. It's Class A that can't order food, Kyoka always complains about how Aizawa's made them some really strict nutritional plan that they have to follow or else they get harsh punishments. It sounds like hell if you ask me, I don't think I can live in this accommodation without ordering greasy food every now and then."

"Fairs," I added a two-for-one deal that was only available because it was a Tuesday, and filled out all the necessary details. "Oi, what pizza do you two want? I'm getting a prosciutto and olive pizza, so should I get a meat feast for you two?"

Monoma shook his head.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking! After all, Yui's going to FaceTime me today and help me cook a famous Hokkaido dish!" I shrugged my shoulders at him as Tokage got up from her position on the chair and sat next to me, leaning her head on my shoulder so she could see my laptop more clearly.

"I'll have… You know, I've never had a prosciutto and olive pizza before. Oh, and if you can, get the cookies! They're quite good," Tokage told me. "Oh! I really like their chicken box meal, if you can-,"

"It's my money you know," I reminded her, chuckling as I added a box of cookies and chicken strippers to the cart. "Anyways, don't even think of paying me back, alright? It's my treat."

"Don't worry about it," Tokage responded by flicking my hair. "I'll pay you back next week when it's my turn to order food for us, alright? Also, I can't believe you grew out your hair. Are you trying to be Link?"

I snorted at that.

"Bitch please, my hair's not that long. Did you ever see a photo of me when I was… fighting Overhaul?" I asked her. "Now that's when my hair was down to my shoulders. I'd call that long, this is just medium."

"Oh. You mean you want to grow your hair so you look like Dangai Ichigo?" Tokage asked me in surprise. "I mean fair enough, I guess. It sorta suits you. Just that you have stubble. Trying to grow a beard alongside that haircut's gonna make you look weird you know, but it's your choice. Your hair is too messy to achieve that style anyway, I think. Just go bald, in about ten years you'll start balding anyways-,"

"Hey! Watch your mouth!"

"-So it doesn't matter how long you want to grow out your hair. Oh come on, don't pout at me like a little girl," Tokage punched me lightly in the arm. "You know, I really did miss this. The two of us just taking cheap shots at each other. Partners. But if you ever tell a single soul that I said that they won't find your body."

"Yeah," I watched as our order had been processed, the bot that told us where our food was springing to life in another tab. "I know, I know. You're too much of a tsundere to admit it."

Tokage jummed at that.

"I'm not a tsundere, I actually understand my feelings very well and what my relationship with you is," Tokage replied. "I have tsundere-like qualities, perhaps my personality is more geared towards that, but I'm actually quite an assertive person. Care to take a guess as to who my favourite anime character is-,"

"Hitagi Senjougahara?" I cut her off.

Tokage only blinked at me in response.

"I didn't know you could read people's minds, but it is quite rude to cut people off when they haven't finished what they were saying. Some might even say it's classless," Tokage subtly insulted me. "But I myself think the opposite. Anyways, yes, you did answer my question, if a bit pathetically. Now I assume you're favourite character is someone like Luffy or Ichigo, am I right?"

I laughed at that.

"Eh. Sorta. I'm surprised you like the Monogatari series, you're the first and only girl I've met to have seen it," Tokage rolled her eyes at me, shaking her head as she poked my sides with her nails.

"I'm also the only girl in this world who does know about the Monogatari series. Now, I don't know about you, but I severely doubt Nanao would know about it," Ah. Nanao. "Anyways, you never answered my question? Who is your favourite character?"

"Sanji from One Piece," I answered. "Or Edward Elric. Actually, I quite like Gintoki and Onizuka as well. To be honest, I don't really have a favourite character."

"Gun to your head, who do you pick."

"If I say Araragi to annoy you, does that work?"

"Well, unless you want me to become possessive of you, I'd say try again," Tokage joked. "Let me take a wild guess and say your favourite character is Shinji," I found myself laughing at that.

"Shinji Ikari? Yeah, I could make do with that," I replied, keeping a close eye on our food. "Alright, fine. If I really have to say one, it's Kenshin. But I'm just a big Rurouni Kenshin fan. Anyway, let's leave that to the side for now. How ya been?"

"Good, good. Just getting by."

"Looks more than that to me."

"You should see how Nanao's been doing."

"Now that you mention it, how is Nanao doing? I haven't spoken to her since…"

I trailed off near the end, but Tokage knew what I was getting at.

"She's doing fine. Still a little bit annoying to work with, but we can put our differences aside on cases together," Tokage told me. "Unlike me, she hasn't changed much. Guess my hair was a surprise to you, right?"

I shrugged my shoulders, staring at her pink hair.

"Not really. You got a wolf cut, dyed ya' hair pink and got a nose piercing," I said, wiggling my mouse so that my laptop wouldn't go to sleep. "You still have the same face and eyes, even if you look a little weird now. Why'd you change your hair anyway? For me it wasn't really a choice, I lost my quirk."

"But you got it back, right?"

I shook my head, summoning my Nimbus in front of us.

What was once light blue, reflecting my hair was now pure white or silver.

It was hard to tell.

"Sorta. Number Five visited me. He led me around some goose chase for a while and said he could get my Quirk back from Yukari. You know, I believed him. I just wanted my powers back so I wouldn't feel so helpless," I bitterly told her. "I just didn't know it, or rather I was running away from that. I killed those people in the raid you know."

"...Maybe you did," Tokage admitted, which startled me for a few seconds. Everyone else disagreed. "I wasn't there, I can't say whether you did or you didn't. I don't think it's my place to judge considering if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't have been so indecisive. I would have been selfish and chosen the path that benefited me the most. But you? You're a kind person, and the raid tested that kindness. So maybe you did kill those people in the raid, but I can't judge. Because I wasn't there."

"That's a weird stance to make."

"Not really. I just don't care about it. You got out alive, and I realised how much of a bitch I was being to you," Tokage replied. "I was hurt by you, but in turn, I deliberately hurt you back. It took almost losing you to realise I was being a hypocrite. You were lying to protect me. I don't like it, and even now I want to punch you in your stupid face, but I accept it. You couldn't accept the truth, could you? The real reason you hid the truth about my mother wasn't because it would have hurt me, it was because you were afraid of me turning out as broken as you."

I didn't say anything in response.

She was right in that regard.

"Ever since you left, Sora, I did a lot of thinking. A lot of what ifs, and when you were in a coma I basically visited you every day," Tokage admitted to me. "It is hard to admit, but you're my best friend. The only one of these fools that I trust. Even if you lied to me, I understood why. Even if I disagree completely with your decisions back then, I just wish I was strong enough to help you."

Nodding at that, I stared at my laptop.

Our food was out for delivery.

"I don't think it would have made a difference, Setsuna. I was… It felt like I was drowning back then," I told her honestly. Outside of Yui recently, I hadn't told anyone this. "Call it what you want, depression or anxiety. My point is that I could barely function for a while because of how bad I really was. The raid was a culmination of a lot of things. And the outcome was even worse."

Tokage scoffed at that.

"You ignored us all for a year."

"I ignored everyone for a year," I corrected her. "From my family to you guys. Even myself. Losing my powers made me feel so weak, Setsuna. I hated myself for it. So when Number Five, Gyro, comes around and says I have a chance to get my powers back, I jump on it. Suddenly, I have a chance at the future I never wanted to give up, but I was just being strung along by him."

"How did you…?"

"Yukari showed up right after Gyro betrayed me. He was one of All For One's hitmen, someone that was pushed to the side because he helped Yukari free Nanao and everyone else," I explained to her, "Yukari gave away her life to give me my powers back. But they're different. For one, my healing is a lot weaker. My Numbus has a much shorter range, but in turn, I can use a lot more of it for my constructions. I haven't gambled anything, and I won't. I'm not going to use a power I can't control-,"

"That's stupid," Tokage ran a hand through her hair as she sighed heavily. "Before you used your Quirk whenever it suited you, but now you won't use it? Are you afraid of making another sacrifice, only this time the price will be your life?"

"I over-relied on that Quirk because I was weak," I answered. "I didn't take training seriously, I used that time to mess about with my friends. I paid the price for it. I used a power I don't fully control, and then a spiral of bad decisions happened - All my fault. But I don't have to be weak, I'm not weak."

"You're not weak, Sora," Tokage reminded me. "You're one of the strongest people I know. But true strength isn't just having a strong Quirk, nor is it facing things head-on. It's also knowing when you're wrong."

I chuckled at that.

"I knew you'd bring it up again," I shook my head as I walked over to my window and opened it. I needed to smoke. Surprisingly, Tokage followed suit as she sat opposite me.

While I took out a cigarette and lit it, I watched as she pulled out a pipe. It was antique, silver, and extremely thin which reminded me of a geisha pipe. Tokage smirked at my expression.

"What? Did you think you were the only one who doesn't smoke?" Tokage asked playfully as she began smoking from her kiseru pipe. "I'm not like everyone else in our class or even Class A. Smoking's good. Maybe a little unhealthy, scratch that, it's fatal. But death doesn't scare me, and I'd rather die on my terms. It beats dying of a terminal illness contracted from birth that can't be cured, I'll tell you that much."

My eyes widened at that.

Tokage never spoke about her previous life.

"...I died by a truck," I told her, laughing at the memory. "I know, I know. So cliche. But if we're going to reflect on our lives, we might as well start at our deaths, right?" Tokage grinned, agreeing with me.

"Yep. Healthcare here is way better," Tokage told me, taking a drag out of her pipe. "I mean from what I remember, and it's not much, back in my old life healthcare in Europe wasn't very fast. Or good. Well for someone like me that needed constant medical attention."

"How old did you die?" I asked her.

"Haven't we had this conversation before?" I shook my head. I don't think we had. "Ah, well I died at nineteen. Pretty grim, right?"

I shrugged my shoulders at her.

"I died at seventeen. So I am younger than you, technically."

"Isn't that pretty sad, huh? That we both died before we hit twenty," Tokage smiled bitterly at that, taking another drag from her pipe. "Hey, Sora. Do you… do you ever think about how the people in our old life have taken our death? I know I do all the time."

I nodded at that, inhaling for a couple of seconds before exhaling smoke out of my window.

"Yeah. But I can barely remember their faces you know. Not even their names. I don't remember what I looked like, how I sounded like, what my name was or even my birthday. They are just ghosts of my past. No point in trying to face something I can never correct, the only thing I can do is… Damn it."

It was just another form of running away.

Even if I couldn't do anything about it.

"How'd you start smoking?" I asked her.

"It was a case. Some lady offered a guy a pipe to smoke. But instead of putting in kizami, finely shredded tobacco, she put in some weird poison which was her Quirk," Tokage smiled as she explained it to me. "I thought it was pretty cool once I caught the culprit. Got a pipe the next day and began to smoke it. I'm trying to make a ring of smoke, so hopefully I'll get that nailed down soon."

I nodded at that, studying her face carefully.

There was a very thin scar that went across her nose.

"How'd you get that scar?" I asked her once more, and this time Tokage blinked at me in surprise. She didn't think I'd be able to pick up on it, which I probably wouldn't have if she hadn't gone through such a major physical change since the last time I saw her.

Perhaps she made all these changes to herself to be comfortable with her scar.

That was a Tokage thing to do.

"You know, I wake up every morning and spend an hour of my day putting some fucking makeup on the thing," Tokage told me as she refused to meet my eyes. "It happened right after you left. I got cocky in a fight and some dickhead pulled out a knife. The bastard nearly killed me. I hate looking at it, and I wonder how you can survive with so many scars on your body."

I grinned at that.

"I think you'd look cute with that scar. You shouldn't have to hide it, especially from me," I replied, lifting up my t-shirt so Tokage could see the scars the bullet Gyro had given me had left. "Let me tell you, getting shot is way worse compared to being stabbed."

We both laughed at that.

"Isn't it fucked that we're seventeen yet we're talking about times we've nearly died?"

"Extremely fucked," I agreed with her. "But that's the nature of our lives. I've lived more of my life as Sora Yamazaki than whoever I was before. For you, it's a little different, but for me, it's a little hard to wrap my head around."

Tokage did sigh at that.

"Isn't that just life?"

"I guess. But like you said, we both died before we turned twenty with no real way to go back. To get closure. We've been forced to just live our lives trying to forget the past, and I think that's why each and every one of us who were reincarnated is so fucked in the head," I told her. "It's not like you can disagree."

"Are you calling me mental?"

"What do you think?"

"That hurts," Tokage moaned, clutching her chest in 'pain'. "However will I be able to get a husband and children now? Oh Sora, you wound me! I can't ever live with this shame in my life."

"You're a really shit actor."

"Yeah, well I was so badly ill in my old life I barely went to school. I never had the chance to study drama," Tokage replied. She was trying to guilt trip me, wasn't she? "Aren't you going to apologise? Jeez, want me to use the puppy-dog eyes to get a reaction out of you? Or would you rather I take off my top-,"

I violently shook my head at that.

"I kinda forgot how much of a pain you were to deal with."

"Moi? Impossible," Tokage grinned at me, shoving me slightly. "Now, now, don't tell me that watching Jiro wasn't a pain for you. You still love her, don't you-,"

"Drop it."

"Sora and Kyoka, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Setsuna-,"

"First comes a baby, then comes marriage! Thirty years later they're getting divorced!"

"Uh…?" I tilted my head as I stared at her in confusion. "That's not how it goes. Who taught you that-, Nevermind actually, I don't like Jiro. Plus, she has a new boyfriend, right? So how can I like her."

"Quite easily. Matters of the heart don't just cease existing because you ignore them," Tokage tried to wisely tell me, but how would it even apply to me? "Watching someone you love be with someone else is the worst kind of pain imaginable, Sora. That's a documented fact."

"Well, I don't like Jiro."

"You love her."

"I-,"

"It's not a statement, it's a fact," Tokage continued. "You didn't see it, but everyone else did. You walked to her. You're drawn to her, even now. You can lie to yourself, but I won't allow you to think you can lie to me. You're still in love with Kyoka Jiro even now, your eyes reveal it all-,"

Tsk.

Clicking my tongue, I huffed loudly cutting her off.

"Jiro's moved on. I have no chance with her, so why would I be attracted to her? She's happier in a relationship without me, and that's all there is to it," I told her. "I just don't like anyone right now, okay? I can't imagine myself being happy with anyone. And hypothetically speaking, even if I did like Jiro, it doesn't matter."

Tokage scoffed at me.

"It's the worst pain in the world, isn't it? Seeing what you could have had if you didn't fuck it up."

…

"The worst pain in the world is being alone," I corrected her, "Seeing everyone you love walk ahead of you, giving up your friends because you were a fool. I can't cover up how much I hurt Class A, and I don't want to. We all know what I did, and I have to deal with their hate as my punishment. Do you understand? It's what I deserve."

"...punishment, eh? I can't blame you," Tokage sighed. "I can't say that you're wrong either, if you came here expecting things to be the same right before you'd left I'd have punched you in the face. At least you are self-aware."

"You know, nearly everyone else thinks I don't deserve to feel this way."

"You don't listen to anyone anyway, so it's useless. Plus, I don't disagree with how you feel," Tokage told me. "It's stupid, yeah. But you don't trust yourself to be better, which is even more stupid in my opinion, but I get it. You just don't want to hurt anyone you ever care about again. But you will, you're just human."

…

"You have a knack for making things obsolete."

"It's my hidden Quirk," Tokage giggled in response. "But making things obsolete is the work of a hero. That's the job description. You're lucky you got to leave before you had the bright idea to come back here."

I blinked at her in confusion.

"You don't like being a hero?"

"Why would I? I don't like saving people or protecting this corrupt society. You know, I'd argue it's way worse than our old world," Tokage admitted with a sad look on her face. "At least back then the corruption of governments worldwide was able to be found. Thanks to Heroes all the corruption is swept away for more merchandise. You have arseholes screaming that Heroes are the problem when it's the system's fault entirely. Then the new laws that are passed…"

"You mean the one barring Heroes from investigating cases where Quirk's haven't been used?"

Tokage nodded in response.

"I'm surprised you know about it."

"Aizawa complained about it to me," I replied. "But if you're really that annoyed with being a hero, why don't you just quit? You don't owe anyone anything, Setsuna. You're just hurting yourself."

Tokage grinned at that.

"If you think I haven't considered just dropping out like you, then you're wrong. But every time I consider that path… I may not like being a hero, but that doesn't mean I don't like being here at U.A.," Tokage told me. "Call me selfish - I know that's what I am - But I'd rather spend another day here than another day wondering whether I'll see my friends again. At least this way if everything goes to shit, we'll all die together."

"..."

"Don't frown like that, Sora," Tokage said to me with a sad smile on her face. "You just don't understand. I'm not as fearless as you, I don't fight people stronger than me to protect anyone. If worse comes to worse, I'm fucked. We all are. Neither you nor your powers are strong enough to protect us all."

"I know, but it won't-,"

"You don't know shit. Hell, outside of Monoma and I, who do you think is happy to see you? Everyone else in Class B either doesn't care that you're back or thinks you never should've returned," Tokage whispered in a muted tone. "I don't like saying it, but it's the truth. Not even your old friends really care that you're back. You have no one here apart from Monoma and I."

Nodding at that, I threw my cigarette out of my window.

"So what? You are both close friends of mine-,"

"That's not the point. I'm glad you've returned, but let's not pussyfoot around this matter, Sora. You left last time because you couldn't handle being a hero, and the dirty work that came along with it - You couldn't stand the fact that being a hero meant arresting your friend who died, you couldn't stand the fact that Overhaul was practically going to get away with it all, you couldn't stand the fact that you lost," Tokagre berated me. "Don't think I don't know what you went through."

"...You do?"

Tokage huffed out proudly.

"Unlike Class A, I don't work with the big pros. Before I started to work with Midnight, I wanted to really understand the secrets you held," Tokage told me. "You'd be surprised as to how many cover-ups I've been involved in. I work with Midnight and some of her old friends, D-list heroes that deal with the true scum of society. It's not much, but it's good work. Corruption's a hell of a thing, you know that right?"

I nodded at that.

"I knew. I even helped. There was this guy, Hojo I think. He worked for the Shie Hassaikai, me n' Aizawa fought him but then he used the same drug Overhaul took. It killed him slowly, but Aizawa pulled the damn trigger. I could have put Hojo out of his misery, but I hesitated. I hesitated with the raid, and that turned out badly. I was so afraid of taking a life that so many people covered for my mistakes, 'cause I'm a kid and all."

"We all are," Tokage whispered. "If you think having lived another life makes this easier, it doesn't. Because we are the ones who understand how sudden and tragic death is. How you die with so many regrets, so many things on your mind that when you wake up here, the scars don't go away. We can reflect all we want, but we can't change a damn thing about it. You and I are the ones ignoring it, focusing on our present."

"And how many other reincarnators can say the same?"

Tokage's eyes widened at that.

"Setsuna, just think. Outside of you and I, everyone else is still clinging to their past-,"

"Don't lump me in with you," Tokage cut me off. "I don't have a past. I'm Setsuna Tokage, the good and the bad that comes with it. But you? Sora, don't lie here. Everything you do is because of your past. You just want to protect everyone you hold dearly as a way to have some control because you lost everyone in your past life when you died. For better or for worse, that's you."

I sighed at her.

"Maybe so, I won't deny that to some degree, but think about everyone else?" I asked her. "Think about Yamaguchi, our Prime Minister? We all know how fucked up our last world was, she's using her past to try and make things better in this world. You didn't meet him, but I met another reincarnator during the raid. Natsuki, The Angel of Death. A scientist Overhaul worked with. And once again, I met the Fifth. Gyro. His past kept him chained down as he begged to start a new life."

"And Zero?" Tokage returned. "He can't let go. I've had a conversation with him, I know his plans. And so do you. If he really wants to go back to where we came from, to live out his old life again, that's just a form of closure. And are we even going to mention how Nanao and Yozora are chained to the past still? Sora, what's your point here."

"We died, I'm not running away from that," I told her. "You say that your past doesn't affect you, but it does. You said so yourself. You didn't have a good first life, did you? I doubt you did with a terminal illness from birth. You didn't even go to school. Your 'selfishness' is just from a dream a girl once had of a life outside a hospital room."

"You make it sound pathetic."

I shook my head at her.

"Just as how I want to protect everyone, you want to be a part of everyone's lives. That's not pathetic. You know, every person that's reincarnated here that I've met has been so fucking stubborn," I admitted with a grin. "We've died once and we've all tried to move on with our lives, even if we're in an absurd position. To accept our deaths despite the fact we're still living. I finally get it."

"Get what?"

"Deep down, we're still the kids we used to be. We may look and sound different, but we're all the same," I told her. "Being reborn doesn't change that. I… When I fought Gyro, I think I realised it. Every single one of us is fucked in the head. For so many different reasons, but it's because we have a set of experiences that don't match the ones we have now. We don't have closure."

Tokage frowned at me, her eyes narrowing as she poked me in the chest.

"Sounds like you're sympathising with Zero. A villain."

"I get why he wants to go back, I really do," I replied. "But I'm also not running away from my family here, I will defeat Zero. I asked him once why he wears that mask, and it's because whoever he is underneath that mask has a life - A life with people he cares a lot about. Whether he'll admit it or not, he wants to protect them from the truth about himself."

Tokage hummed at that.

"...I guess Zero is your rival."

"I have another goal now. Not just in Zero, but with you and everyone else that was reincarnated. I haven't really been able to put it into words until now," I said to her. "I want to save you all. I want to give you all a chance at a new life, the chance we never got. Because all we're doing is fighting each other, and for what? For a sense of control over our lives that we never got in our past life? For a life that doesn't even matter anymore?"

"Hey. Watch it."

"You know I'm right."

"I also know that you're wrong because you're not first looking at yourself," Tokage pointed out. "And you can never look at yourself like that because you think you're perfectly fine. Stop being a hypocrite, Sora. Can we just drop this? I'm tired and hungry."

I turned to look at my laptop.

Our food was a few minutes out from being delivered.

"Speaking of, have you heard anything about the League?"

Tokage shook her head at me, curling her hair around her index finger as she laid down on my bed, using my pillow as a backrest against my wall.

"Ever since All For One died, and their minimal appearance at the raid, they've been quiet. No movement within Japan at all. I wanted to try and track them down, along with everyone else," Tokage answered. "Yamaguchi, Nanao and even I realise that the League of Villains with Zero pose the biggest threat to our lives here."

"And movement outside of the country?"

"There's been a few reports. Shanghai, Venice, New York. But nothing substantial. It's the Cult of Stain you should really be focusing on, seriously those bastards are getting louder and bolder by the day," Tokage told him. "Well, now that you're not a civilian, I'm sure you'll be getting all the details soon. They've been causing a mess up and down this country, but mostly down south near Kansai."

I sighed at that.

"Seems like a lot of work."

"You have no idea," Tokage grinned at me. "But that's the responsibility of being a hero. Turning you back on being a hero so early just means you'll have to play catch up, and I don't envy you. Saying you've come back and are changed is just talk. It's cheap. Show everyone who you really are, Sora. I don't think I need to tell you this, but don't run away again."

"I won't," I told her. "I can't afford to."

"What do you mean?" Tokage asked me, her eyes narrowing at me. "Sora? Listen, I know you love your lies and half-truths, but we aren't kids anymore. You can trust me. I… C'mon, who else is in your corner?"

"No one."

"Exactly. It's not healthy bottling secrets up."

I wanted to tell her the truth.

That I was dying.

But I couldn't. I couldn't tell anyone about that. And it was hypocritical of me because lying and keeping things hidden was the entire reason Class A relied on me to the point where I felt like I was being suffocated. They didn't know any better, but I didn't stop them. I wanted to be reliable, and I pushed the things that affected me to the side, I ran away from them.

The same way I ran away from Class A.

As much as I wanted to say that it was a different situation, I couldn't bring myself to do so. But more than that, I didn't want to lie to Tokage. The one girl who knew everything about me in the entire world, the one person I could relate to.

I couldn't runaway from this.

The old me would have lied easily, he would lied to protect his own perfect idea of a life. Being carefree with everyone else, but I couldn't do that anymore. That was just the wish of a child who didn't understand a single thing.

The wish of a child that hurt everyone around him.

"You can't tell anyone about this, got it?"

Tokage nodded her head, even if she was unsure.

Sighing heavily, I turned to shut my laptop, just in case.

You never know with Quirks.

"I… Before Yukari died, she told me two things, and they're the main reasons I'm back here outside of making things right with Class A - In my mind, they're even more important," I sat on my chair as Tokage sat opposite me on my bed. "I know that sounds hard to believe, but it's true."

Tokage nodded at that.

"And the first thing Yukari told me was that my half-brother, her first child that All For One took and experimented on, is still alive. That Zero hadn't killed him like I had been told. And I made her a promise, one I won't break. That I was going to find him and make things right between him and me, that I was going to find Raiden and bring our family together with my younger siblings, Mashiro and Tomoya. It was Yukari's dream the entire time, and now it's mine."

"Huh. So that's why you came back."

I nodded.

"Yeah. Mostly," I fidgeted with my seat as I refused to meet her eyes. "As for the second thing Yukari revealed to me, well, it's not pretty. I have half a mind to just not tell you, but I refuse to run away from this. It's not an issue I can solve on my own, but you have to promise you can't tell anyone. Not my family, not Monoma, and definitely not anyone in Class A."

"What do you mean?"

I sighed heavily, looking directly into Tokage's eyes.

"Setsuna, I'm dying."

She didn't act the way I expected. I thought she'd be more shocked, or perhaps saddened. Instead, Tokage merely nodded in acceptance, descending into my bed with a shocked look on her face.

"Genetic failure. Before I was born, as a final fuck you to All For One, she sabotaged me. Or something like that. Just that I'm dying. Slowly and painfully. She couldn't find a cure for it, my body is failing me. She had neither the time nor resources to do so, but maybe I can here."

…

"Sorry for springing it up on you. I just-, I don't want to lie anymore. I don't want to be stuck in that vicious cycle I put myself in last time I was here, and-,"

"Thank you," I've always said that I found smiles to be beautiful. True smiles. And as Setsuna Tokage smiled at me while thanking me, for once, I berated my past self. If I had been more truthful, if I had leaned on my friends more, what could have happened? Maybe I could have changed even the past. "I-, It means a lot, Sora. Do you know how long you have left?"

I shook my head.

"Maybe ten years at best. That's if I don't fight and be a hero. Two if I'm lucky, with my current circumstances - At least that's what Recovery Girl thinks," I told her. "She's given me some medicine, but it's not going to work. Just ease the pain."

"Are you in pain now?"

I shook my head yet.

"No. I'm not at that stage yet, but I cough up blood every now and then. Like All Might. Heh, it's funny actually, his body is failing him just like how my body is failing me," I grinned at the irony. "Two men that tried to endure the weight of the world and collapsed under the pressure. No one's seen All Might since he killed All For One. I bet the bastard is knee-deep in whores and drugs-,"

"Alcohol too," Tokage added with a smirk. "Or you know, he could just be living the rest of his life peacefully. No one knows."

"Either way, my body's supposed to be falling apart, it doesn't sound so nice which is why I'm here. So I can save myself," I told her, "You know, I hesitated to tell you. I didn't want to worry you, but let's face it. Hiding this would have been a selfish decision for me. I wouldn't have learnt anything. In the end, I'd just be proving to myself that I can't change. That I deserve to be punished."

"...I want to help you," Tokage said, her eyes filled with determination. "I won't stop until I do."

"Alright. It's not going to be easy, you know," I shrugged my shoulders, twirling around on my chair. "There's a chance there ain't gonna be a cure to save me. If… if I can't be saved, you'll look after everyone, right? No. I can't ask that of you. It's selfish."

"I won't look after you're loved ones for you, Sora," Tokage told me, raising her fist up so that I could knock my fist against hers. "Because you'll be doing it. If I accepted that responsibility, then we have already lost. Don't give up hope, Sora. I know what it's like to die slowly, what it does to everyone around you that you care about. So don't run away from it. I'm glad you can trust me with this, I really am. You've changed. For the better."

"Yeah," I breathed out, taking a look at my laptop. Our food was here. "I'm glad too."

I wasn't being suffocated anymore.

And I wasn't underwater.

The pressure that I felt surrounded my life hadn't disappeared completely, but telling Tokage the truth helped a bit. It still felt like I was navigating a ruin, something that was broken and unchangeable - But I could finally breathe.

And that was better than before.

I couldn't go to sleep.

Well, I did fall asleep. For about three hours before I woke up at my phone telling me it was four in the morning. I yawned, lying in bed as I stared at my ceiling. My bed was sort of rough. But here I was, back in U.A., the one place I thought I wouldn't return to ever. But here I was, a hero once again. I wasn't in Class A, I had a completely different teacher-,

I also had different goals.

When I first came to U.A., it was to protect Jiro, to protect those I cared about. Even if I had to sacrifice myself in the process of doing so, I was wrong about that. I sat up, grabbed my phone as I got out of bed and got dressed quickly. I put on some joggers, and a jumper as I grabbed my coat, bringing my cigarettes and lighter with me along with my keys.

I made sure to quietly shut my door so that Monoma wouldn't wake up next to me.

The dorm was as quiet as a mouse, meaning that no one was up. I couldn't help but slip on my trainers, walking outside the dorm as the bitter coldness of January hit my face in full force. Despite that, I walked forward, walking around the campus as I lit up a cigarette for me to smoke.

It was starting to snow once again.

I couldn't help but smile as I opened the palm of my hand, a few snowflakes falling down and melting in my hand. I stuffed my left hand in my pocket, only to realise that I had a scarf. Wait…

This wasn't my scarf.

It was an old jacket, one I had packed away in a box ages ago. It was starting to just not fit me, after all, I had grown a bit since I last wore it last winter, but the scarf here wasn't mine. It was dark purple, for one, but secondly, there was a small name tag stitched onto the thing.

Kyoka Jiro.

I traced my fingers over the name tag, smiling sadly at it. I couldn't even remember when she had given it to me, probably when I was doing something stupid. Before the whole raid happened…

And I forgot to give it back.

I sighed, wrapping the scarf around my neck loosely, taking a long drag out of my cigarette as I walked a familiar path. One I knew like the back of my hand, and even if it had been a year since I was last here, I smiled as I recognised the building in front of me. It hadn't changed not one bit, even if a year had passed since I left the Class A dorm. Some bedroom lights were still on.

Midoriya's, Kaminari's, Mineta's, Todoroki's and Yaoyorozu's.

I still remembered what floor and where their rooms were located, even after all this time. I don't know how long I stood there in the cold, smoking away as I waited for all of their lights to turn off as I approached, my feet trudging through the snow. Heh. I chuckled at the sight of the front door being unlocked, I guess some things never change.

I put my cigarette out as I slowly opened the front door and walked inside.

They really should lock it.

How many times did I tell them to do it? Probably in the hundreds - if not thousands - but they never listened to me, no matter how many times I tried to lock the door. The living room and kitchen were thankfully empty as I walked around in amazement. They changed the place up on the inside.

There were pictures of the class now framing the walls. Hell, as I entered the living room, I whistled quietly at how much they had changed the place. They had gotten a new table, as well as a new rug underneath it.

The couches were now grouped together in the corner, with the large TV on the opposite side of the wall. Each wall had some decoration on it. Whether it was fairy lights, posters from an old important event, or for some reason red and white bottle caps stuck to the wall to make the Japanese flag. I could see that for whatever reason, they were trying to make the British flag right underneath it.

They even added some small pots of plants around the room.

They even had a kid's pink wooden bike down here.

But what surprised me the most was the picture that was framed on the main fridge in the kitchen. It was a class-wide photo, an old one at that. But it was taken right after I had left judging by the fact that Shinso was in the picture and I wasn't. I shrugged my shoulders at that, my hands tapped against the picture.

I couldn't help myself as I took my phone out and silently took a picture of it saving it to my phone as I looked at their sink. There were a few dirty dishes in there. Turning on the tap, I grabbed a sponge and some soap as I rinsed a few plates before cleaning them and putting them in the empty dishwasher.

Yaoyrozu always left the tablets in-,

Aha!

She always left the dishwasher tablets and liquid in the cupboard right under Bakugo's. That hadn't changed, even now. Turning on the dishwasher, I set it on max before I turned to look at their washing machine.

It was empty.

Turning around to open the fridge, I smiled as I remembered which shelf belonged to whom.

Sero's shelf was empty, just like how I remembered.

Why did Mineta just have a chocolate bar on his shelf!?

Kaminari's shelf was filled to the brim with random veggies and meat, which was probably Jiro's influence. Shinso had taken my shelf from the fridge, which was squished between Jiro and Kaminari's shelves. He didn't have much there apart from some already-cooked noodles placed in containers and leftover chicken.

I shut the fridge and looked below at the freezer.

They still didn't know how to defrost it properly.

I smiled to myself, shutting it as I turned around to look at the garden. It was still the same as ever, only covered in a thick blanket of snow. I walked back to the living room and sat down on the couch, staring at the blank screen of the TV. That was when I noticed someone was at the stairs, watching me. I tilted my head backwards, squinting my eyes so I could see who it was.

"Yo," I waved at Yaoyorozu. "You left the front door open."

"You shouldn't be here," Yaoyorozu chastised me using the same tone of voice as I remembered she used to when she caught me breaking the rules. But unlike back then, she didn't have a smile on her face. "Sora, this isn't your dorm. Why are you here?"

"...would you believe me if I said I missed the place?" Yayorozu shook her head as she walked towards me, plopping herself down on the couch. I was still wearing my coat and Jiro's scarf, something Yaoyrozu instantly recognised as she seemed fixated on it. I couldn't help but sigh, playing with my lighter as I warmed my hands up.

Neither of us said anything to each other out of nervousness.

"I know what you said to Jiro, about you not being the same as before," Yaoyorozu began hesitantly. She was still unsure about me. "But what's the real reason you came back? Last time you were here, you made it abundantly clear that you weren't our friends. That you hated us. Not even five metres away from this couch. So what's stopping me from waking everyone up so they can speak their mind to you, or fight knowing them."

"Because you would have already done that without me knowing," I replied, turning to face her. I watched as she flinched at my gaze. I really did a number on you, huh? That bitter hatred for myself slowly seeped into my mind, but I shook my head. Now wasn't the time to act depressed with how I treated everyone, I had a responsibility to make things right but more than that I desperately wanted to make things right.

I wanted to wipe the hurt off their faces.

Ultimately, I just wanted to see them smile again.

"You wanna' speak to me alone. You're the smartest person in the class, I'm sure you understand why I did what I did, right? Or part of why I left," I replied. "I don't mind explaining it to you, but I want to hear your answer first."

"There isn't an answer to that question," Yaoyrozu told me. "I wracked my brain for weeks after you left. I asked myself what I missed. While everyone was hurt, I was trying to find a solution. But you left for a variety of reasons. To protect us. To punish yourself. Because you felt you were weak. Because you couldn't handle the responsibility of being at U.A. Because we pushed you away. I can't blame you for wanting to leave, especially after what happened."

"You weren't there-,"

"I didn't need to be there to understand what went down," Yaoyrozu cut me off. "Midoriya's face, the fact that Jiro lost an old friend of hers, and your disappearance painted a picture. And not a pretty one at that. Don't worry, I haven't talked about this to anyone else. I don't think even Jiro understands as much as I do, or rather I don't think she wants to know. But I know I'm not the only one to have made the connection, and at this point, I think everyone in our class at least suspects something happened."

I nodded at that.

"When I left, I was worried you'd figure everything out like you always do. Somehow, you know me better than I know myself," I chuckled, making Yaoyorozu smile slightly. "Momo, I know what I did was wrong. And I know that you're smart enough to know why I can't come back-,"

"We aren't asking you to come back, to be Aozora again," Yaoyrozu cut me off once more. "I'm not. I don't know why you came back to U.A., how you even got your powers back, or even what you're going to do in the future. But I don't need Aozora, the hero who wants us to rely on you until this cycle happens again. I want Sora Yamazaki back, one of my best friends. Someone who went to an important gala with me and comforted me when I felt all alone. My friend who supported me so much throughout last year. I want to support him, the Sora Yamazaki who I view like a brother."

…

"I want that too, Momo. I really do, but I also understand that we need to change for that," I replied. "I know that even if I am Sora Yamazaki again, I'll be pulled away and I'll become someone I don't like. I'll be drowning once more. That's the harsh truth of my situation, that I can't be trusted until I… well until I think I don't deserve to be punished anymore."

"You mean until you forgive yourself," Yaoyrozu corrected with a smile. "That's so like you, Sora. But I do understand what you're saying, even if I disagree. You've already changed if you've come back here and are trying to face us, even if we aren't your main priority. I can see that much. You miss us, but you're not willing to throw away your goals for us."

I nodded at that.

"Yeah. I… I'm looking for someone. Someone I've never met, but someone that meant a lot to someone that I-, Well I don't care about her. Not really. I barely knew her, and considering she wasn't present in most of my life, I can't really call her my Mum," Yaoyrozu's eyes widened as I said that. "But she helped me when I needed it most. She acted like my Mum. So finding her first child, my half-brother, and being reunited with him is the best thanks I could give her."

"I see," Yaoyrozu hummed in response. "You're a kind person. Many would refuse, just like how not everyone in this class wants you back after what you've done to them. You abandoned us. Just because I, and a select few, want you back, the real Sora Yamazaki, that doesn't mean that you can waltz into our house in the dead of night to clean our dishes and think you can get away with it."

I sighed at her.

"I know, I know… It's just. I might not get the chance to make things right," I got up from the couch, putting a cigarette in my mouth. "If I don't, then make sure you keep everything we've discussed to yourself. I don't anyone to view me as a hero or a martyr if I die way too early for my time. I want everyone to feel like they have no regrets about me, alright?"

"...Do you think you won't have enough time to make things right?"

I shrugged my shoulders at her.

"No one escapes time; it delivers us all to the same end," I told her with a smirk. "That doesn't mean that we all have the same lifespan. Some of us die earlier than others, that's a fact of life. But I have tons of things to do and promises to keep. I can't afford to wait things out, as much as I'd love to. You know I was once compared to a ticking time bomb."

"Oh yeah?"

I nodded at that, thinking back to Yozora's words.

"I exploded and I hurt everyone around me, but most of all myself. Maybe you're right, maybe if I just apologise and be friends with those who still want to be my friend my life will be easier. But… I'm selfish. Really selfish. I guess that's what makes me a hero," I opened the door to face the freezing cold once more. "I don't want to make things right with just a few people. I want to make things right with everyone. Even if that's impossible because I've always been a shitty cloud watcher since a kid."

I walked away from the Class A dorm, hearing the front door shut and eventually lock.

Lighting up my cigarette, I couldn't help but look at the bedroom lights that were on. And to my surprise, there was only a single light on, Jiro's. Heh. Maybe she was peeking out of her window to see me, or maybe she had overheard Yaoyrozu's conversation with me, but I made sure that her scarf was wrapped around my neck.

I wasn't going to give it back.

Ultimately, it was now mine.

All I had ever done was take things from Class A, and when they tried to take things from me, even if they weren't good at it and far too late, all I did was push them away. But we were all naive kids back then, and we've all grown a lot since that day.

For better or for worse.

I was going to make things right with Class A.

They owed the truth from me, that much was clear.

And when I did tell them the truth, without faltering or leaving anything out, when I finally was able to forgive myself, I'd apologise to all of them. I wasn't looking to return to Class A, I wasn't looking to be their friend either. But I would give Jiro her scarf back one day, at the very least she deserved that from me.

I would make things right with everyone.

And if they still wanted to be friends with me, then I'd be happy. And if they didn't want that, well I'd still be happy either way. I'm not looking to die with any regrets, and I meant that genuinely.

Walking through the snow to head back to Class B's dorm wasn't as cold as the walk to Class A. Perhaps it was my pounding heart, the fact that I had a grin on my face, or the fact that despite everything I still hadn't given up.

And I wouldn't.

That was a promise.

Chapter 6 of Part 2 is done!

A weird chapter, but one that I think shows a massive change in Sora here. Actual, tangible growth. He's still uncertain about his future, but he's not bottling his emotions up like he used to.

He's relying on others, and he's even telling others the truth.

Sora's not just trusting in himself and his own powers, even if he is still a little afraid of them, but without hesitating (unlike before) he's trusting Tokage too. As his partner, not someone that chases after him and tells him when he's fucked up.

As an equal.

Again, as much as I hate to repeat it, Sora's journey in Part 1 was cyclical in nature. He thought he was improving, but to improve you have to understand your shortcomings. I hate sounding like a 'smart' writer like 'Oh look at how big-brained I am for writing this' because that's not me.

I write a lot of bullshit that I somehow spin into making sense.

But, I just wanted to say that writing this chapter was really weird. Usually, for Part 2, I put on a lot of sadder and sombre music. Mostly because a lot of sadder things happen in this Part of the story.

The second Act of a story is always… well, you get the drift. But this chapter could only be written while listening to hopeful music, whenever I put a sombre song on I just couldn't find the words to write.

Originally, I didn't want Sora to even reveal the truth to Tokage or speak to Yaoyorozu, they just naturally were written by the characters. Honestly? I'm super pleased with the changes this chapter had.

I think it shows growth in both Sora as a person, but also me as a writer.

Hopefully, you'll enjoy the more 'action-packed' next chapter!

Hardest1430:

Sorry, but I have to disagree mate. Miwa was not a bitch for getting angry at her brother for being a bully in front of her for years using her as an excuse - And it was an excuse because Sora just viewed himself as superior to everyone else because he knew the story.

Miwa didn't cause Sora to become a bully, that was Sora's inherent anger and rage within him. That anger has been a core part of his character since Chapter 1 and remains prevalent as his MAIN FLAW to this day.

The anger has simply changed targets to himself now.

I know you'll never read this since you said you weren't going to read on, but your review was sorta pointless because you missed the entire point of Miwa's role. But whatever.

Thanks for still reading and taking the time outta your day to leave a review!

Lordradovir:

Well…

You got an idea of how things are going to be for a while.

Class A and Sora's small interactions in Part 1 were somewhat based on small moments I remember with my friends, just goofing off. But they also weren't, they were based on multiple comedies I've read and seen and ultimately I'm really happy with how they turned out.

Them feeling real is exactly what I wanted so you feel the devastation of Sora betraying them the way he did. I put the characters through torture, and man wasn't that cathartic for all the good reasons.

I said that Part 1 was about tearing Sora down, but it was also about tearing Class A as a whole down too. Because I want to build both of them up to be better, but that doesn't necessarily mean that things will get better for them.

Perhaps they'll never be friends again.

Perhaps Sora and Jiro will never makeup, she has a boyfriend now. She's in a different position in life compared to Sora, but maybe Sora doesn't even love her anymore I think the answer to that is a resounding YES even if Sora doesn't realise it.

Cheers for the review! I want it to continue to be the best fanfic that you read, so I hope you'll enjoy Part 2 even more!

Lord Anubis Judge of the Dead:

Firstly, sick name dude.

The reason Sora's powers decreased in range has a simple answer that I didn't want to fully spell out - It's because from the USJ Arc to the the Training Camp/Kamino Ward Arc, Sora went through a lot of pressures.

Sora's Quirk Nimbus is him controlling his Nimbus with his mind, which means his emotions and his thoughts. If his thoughts are clouded, his emotions muddled, then it affects his control over his Nimbus.

And with his 'depression' essentially starting in that arc I wanted a way to show that despite Sora's brave front, he was really scared on the inside and that's shown with his control over his Quirk diminishing.

It's just something neat idea I wanted to cook up but maybe butchered the landing.

And his biological mother's story is quite sad, I never really planned for her or her story but they sorta just started to write themself when it came to it. I can't blame her either for her actions because if I was in her position being forced to give birth to an unwanted child that represents everything wrong with my life while the only child I had made from love was kidnapped from me, I'd break down too.

I think it's telling that before Sora knew the truth about Yukari, he held anger toward her, but when All For One told him the story all that anger disappeared and fell on himself for being born.

I don't necessarily blame Sora's depression after learning that either.

Thanks for the review, I hope you enjoy the rest of Part 1 and now Part 2!

Animeman309:

Hehe.

I love Jujutsu Kaisen a lot, and in my Malevolent Kitchen, I will be cooking something cool with Sora's powers and moves now. I can't promise a 'Domain Expansion' for Sora, but I also can't say it won't happen either…

I guess you'll just have to see!

And that's all for the reviews!

It feels good to be back, and all the support you guys have been giving me is insane. Be sure to join the Discord link if you want to have updates on the story and chat with me and other readers in general.

Discord code = p6HcDQpxuk !

This next chapter is going to be interesting that's for sure!