Chapter 22: When it Rains…
"You sure you don't want any? I only have a little bit left, it's going fast!"
"I think you're a few hours early on the whole celebration train, Denki," Jiro replied sarcastically, one brow raised skeptically while Kendo sighed and shook her head in exasperation. "We'll have plenty of time to party it up after the ceremony."
"Come on, dude," Tetsutetsu butted in, "Do you really wanna be sloshed in front of your family? That ain't manly."
"There's a fine line between happy drunk and wasted drunk," Kaminari countered, tossing the half-empty water bottle full of sake from one hand to the other. "And trust me, I know how to walk it."
"Spoken like a true underage alcoholic," Kyoka quipped dryly. "You and Mina are perfect for each other, I swear." She nodded in Ashido's direction; the pink-haired girl was noticeably tipsy, in the midst of a fit of giggling as she chatted with Setsuna. Moments later she broke into a series of impromptu break dance moves over the sound of Tokage and a few others' cheers, only stopping when she tripped on her graduation gown and nearly faceplanted into the floor. All around the gymnasium, the mood was similarly buzzy and excited, with the students of both hero classes chatting in groups while they waited for the ceremony to begin.
"I've been meaning to talk with her about that." Kendo murmured, her brows furrowed in contemplation as she watched Mina from afar. "Don't you guys think she's been drinking a bit much lately? I know it's the end of the year and all, but if our dorm monitor was anyone but Midnight, she'd have been expelled three times over for the past week alone."
"Can you blame her, with her boyfriend still in the hospital?" Kaminari shrugged, the enthusiasm quickly vanishing from his voice. "We've all gotta cope with this shit somehow."
Pocketing the bottle, Chargebolt turned and began to sidle back towards Ojiro and Hagakure, who were looking as intimate as ever in advance of the day's main event, their hands intertwined as Mashirao looked down on her with flushed cheeks- whether it was from intimacy or alcohol, Itsuka wasn't certain. She caught Tetsutetsu staring at the two of them with an almost longing expression when she shifted her gaze back toward her own group, though he quickly glanced away when he noticed her looking.
"You two were part of the group that visited Kirishima over the weekend, right?" Keeping her gaze on Real Steel, she nodded back in Alien Queen's direction. "How did that go? Sorry I didn't ask earlier."
Tetsutetsu's countenance sank, and Kendo felt her lips draw into a frown as well. I shouldn't have asked him that, she knew almost instantly, not now. Today's supposed to be happy for all of us. But how can it be, with everything that's happened? How can we celebrate, with a classmate in chains and another beaten half to death? There were plans in place for Vlad King to present both Todoroki and Kirishima's families with their diplomas towards the end of the ceremony pending the two students' safe return- he and Aizawa had let that slip to a select few students- but the gesture still wouldn't bring the two back.
"He's… doing okay, all things considered," Tetsutetsu replied after a moment's pause, drawing Itsuka back out from her thoughts. "He finally woke up a little while before we showed up. He was real hazy, in and out of it, but he recognized us, at least. He couldn't talk much, and he didn't really know what was going on. Me and Bakugo, we…"
He trailed off, his gaze shifting upwards as Katsuki stalked past them, Hanta at his side. Apparently Ground Zero could feel their eyes on him; he turned and threw a leering glance at Kendo.
"The fuck are you staring at? You want something?"
Tetsutetsu started to speak up for her, but Itsuka held out a hand in his direction and stepped forward.
"We were talking about Kirishima."
Katsuki tensed up almost instantaneously at the mention of Eijiro's name, one hand curling into a fist, but Kendo pressed on regardless.
"Look, I know it isn't on the program, but hear me out, okay? I could yield some of the time from my speech for you to talk, before Vlad gives Kirishima's family his diploma. It's short notice, but I know you could-"
"Spout a bunch of meaningless bullshit?" Ground Zero finished, his eyes narrowed and his arms crossed. "No thanks, I think I'll leave that part to you. Is a speech going to fix Eijiro's spine? Is it going to help me catch Deku and the rest of his little gang of failures, or bring back All Might? I don't think so."
"Well brooding like a little bitch isn't gonna do any of that either," Jiro snapped back at him, stepping forward and laying a hand protectively on Kendo's arm at the mention of All Might's name. Bakugo looked ready to retort once more, until Tetsutetsu locked eyes with him and shook his head.
"Just stop, man. You know he wouldn't want this."
Silence followed, and the anger slowly faded from Bakugo's face, followed by an emotion that Kendo might have mistaken for guilt if she didn't know that was impossible. Well, looks like they managed to bond the other day. What a lovely coincidence.
"We still on for tomorrow?" Itsuka blurted, in a desperate attempt to change the subject. "Our fight." It only took her a moment to realize the imprudence of even mentioning that particular plan in front of the others, but by then it was far too late to retract the question.
"Fight? Wait, are you guys seriously gonna go at it?!" Sero turned to Bakugo, his eyes wide with shock. Hanta's metal brace was finally gone, but in its place he sported a jagged scar across half the length of his jaw. "Dude, come on, you can't be serious!"
"What, you think I can't win?!" Katsuki snapped.
"Hold up- what the hell, Itsuka?!" While Hanta attempted to justify his phrasing to Bakugo, Jiro tightened her grip on Kendo's arm and pulled her to the side; Tetsutetsu followed them, sporting an equally perplexed expression. "I know you're strong, but a fight? Why would you even agree to that?! You don't have anything to prove to him!"
"I know I don't, trust me. It's just… a bit more complicated than that, okay? I'll explain everything after the ceremony, okay? There's…" She glanced down to the floor and cleared her throat, her cheeks flushing a faint shade of red. "There's a lot we need to talk about."
"Sure, man." Real Steel gave her a sharp-toothed smile, and clapped a hand on her back. "Don't sweat it, okay? Maybe we don't get it right now, but I'm sure you have your reasons. If you need someone to ref, I could always-"
"What's up, U.A. third-years?!"
Present Mic's loud, boisterous voice reverberated through the gym before Kendo had a chance to reply, and all around the room, the students' idle conversations came to a halt as they turned to face the stage, where Hizashi was standing alongside Midnight.
"Are you guys excited to graduate?!" Mic asked, once he had their attention. Itsuka couldn't help but chuckle at the predictable sequence of events that followed: the crowd answered 'yeah', Present Mic claimed he couldn't hear them, and it continued back and forth until Yamada was fully satisfied with the deafening volume of their enthusiasm.
"Well that's more like it! Now like we rehearsed, ladies and gentlemen- get into your positions based on name and class, and get ready to march out on that field like a bunch of champs!"
A mass movement of students quickly followed as they all shifted slowly into formation; Kendo quickly lost Tetsutetsu and Jiro amid the frenzy of movement, but felt a tap on her shoulder as she looked for her spot, and turned around to find Asui standing in front of her, her expression worried.
"Itsuka, have you seen Ochako recently? I can't find her."
"No, I don't think I have," Kendo replied after a moment's contemplation. "Didn't you two come down here together?"
"We did, but she said she didn't feel well, and went to the bathroom. That was almost ten minutes ago- I went to the closest girls' room to look for her, but she wasn't there. I've already asked almost everyone in 3-A, and none of them know where she is either."
"Really? Huh." Itsuka frowned, and glanced up towards the stage. "Wait here, I'll go ask Present Mic. Maybe he or Midnight knows something, or they could ask the security team to look for her."
It only took a few brief moments to jog up to the stage and grab Hizashi's attention; he nodded understandingly in response to her inquiry, and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Tell Asui she doesn't need to worry about Uraraka. I just got a text from Shota- apparently she was feeling a bit overstressed with everything going on, but he's with her now. He'll send her back down to join the ceremony as soon as she's doing better, but for now his instructions are to go ahead and move forward with everything."
"Ah, okay. Sounds good!"
After reporting back to Tsuyu, Kendo eagerly took her place at the front of 3-B's ranks, ready to lead her peers out to the field one last time as class representative. Once Juzo, the vice rep, had joined her, and their counterparts in Class A, Asui and Ojiro, were in position as well, Midnight flashed her baton in the direction of the double doors, and Mic gave a deafening cry.
"Hero course, forward march!"
Cheers, music, and general fanfare greeted the thirty-odd students when they stepped through the doors and out onto the school's training field, which had been converted overnight by the staff into a makeshift arena. The contingents from two of the other three courses were already in place beneath the main stage, and on either side, Cementoss had erected several rows of stands for the graduates' families. First and second-years from the school band were in the midst of an upbeat, cheery rendition of the alma mater, and above them the sun was struggling to peek out from beneath the heavy grey clouds.
Kendo gazed wistfully at the bleachers as she continued forward, looking for anyone she recognized; she quickly spotted Jiro and Tetsutetsu's parents- Kyoka's rock artist father had brought his guitar, and seemed to be strumming notes in his daughter's direction, to her visible embarrassment. Ituska recognized Tsuyu's family and Todoroki's brother Natsuo as well, and caught a glimpse of Kirishima's impressively musclebound father chatting with Bakugo's significantly skinnier one.
"Look at your mother for a picture, Katsuki!" A recognizable voice shouted in 3-A's direction, and all eyes shifted to Bakugo Mitsuki, who was standing in her seat with a camera at the ready.
"No way, hag!" Ground Zero bellowed back at her, his face flushed crimson. "You already have enough goddamn pictures of me!"
"What did you just say?! Don't make me come down there!"
"Do it, I dare you!"
To the relief of everyone else present, the awkwardly tense mood was finally broken when Vlad King rose to the podium onstage, tapped at the microphone, and cleared his throat loudly.
"If I could ask all students to continue to take their places in an orderly fashion, and all family members to remain seated… As a reminder, there will be ample time for photographs after the conclusion of the ceremony."
"Typical Bakugo- couldn't even make it to the ceremony without making a scene, huh?" Walking beside her, Honenuki chuckled and shook his head. "Man, I'd heard stories about his mom from Kaminari, but seeing it person explains so much."
"It definitely seems like a… pretty unique dynamic." Kendo grinned back at him. They'd reached their designated position and taken their seats, but the business students were still marching out on the other end of the field, and the idle chatter from before had resumed. "Are your parents here too? I don't think I've met them."
"Yeah, my dad and brother are- haven't spotted them yet, but I'm sure they're up there somewhere recording every bit of this. Lemillion said he wanted to come too if he could, but I'm not sure if it worked out with his schedule…"
"Oh, really? I hope he made it! You remember the speech he made at his graduation the end of our first year?"
"Dude, how could I forget?! He had me dying, even the teachers were laughing!"
"Me too, his ass better be here! I'm looking for him now."
Juzo and Itsuka looked back in unison to find Setsuna's disembodied head floating just behind them, her mouth twisted into a fanged smirk as her graduation cap came precariously close to slipping off. One of her eyes was missing, and a quick glance confirmed that it was drifting above the stands.
"Try not to scare any kids doing that, okay?" Kendo reached out and straightened Tokage's cap, smoothing out a few tangles in the girl's messy green-black hair in the process. "Or the teachers, for that matter. You know how on edge they are with security for today, who knows that they'll do to a suspicious flying object trying to get a peek at all the families?"
"Ah, they'll be fine, they know my quirk well enough by now not to get their panties in a wad. Hmm, let's see, though – still no Lemillion, but I do see my parents, Yui's and Shishida's too. Ooh, ooh!"
"What, did you see Togata?"
"Nah, but there's a super hot guy towards the far end of the third row, totally my type. Whitish hair in a ponytail, nice big pearly whites, green eyes, and damn, that jawline…"
"Wait a goddamn… are you talking about my brother?!" Honenuki cried in exasperation, prompting a devilish chuckle from Reptilia.
"Oh, is that who he is? I had no idea, I swear!"
"He's sixteen, you scaly perv!"
"Moving on, let's see, next to him there's… oh, shit."
"Wait, don't tell me- it's my dad now."
"No, dude, it's Endeavor."
"Seriously?" Kendo's eyes widened in surprise. "But I already saw Todoroki's brother, he wasn't with him…" She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes, searching the far end of the stand. Sure enough, Enji was just barely visible by his massive frame and spiky red hair, next to Shoto's sister Fuyumi; they were sitting on practically the opposite end of the bleachers from Natsuo. I knew there was some bad blood in their family, but not this bad…
"Did you say Endeavor? He's here?" His eyes wide, Kamakiri leaned forward in his chair just behind them, and squinted at the bleachers. "I, uh… I thought I heard it was just gonna be Todoroki's siblings showing up today."
"Yeah, I'm surprised he found the time to make it here with how busy he is," Juzo added, exchanging knowing glances with Tokage and Kendo. Is he really just here to be handed a diploma, or is this task force business?
His expression fading from surprise back to its usual passive-aggressive indifference, Togaru pulled his phone from his pocket, held it up, and snapped a picture of the Flame Hero from afar before beginning to type out a text; Itsuka smiled and elbowed him playfully in the arm.
"I should've figured you for an Endeavor fan. Is it your first time seeing him in person?"
"He's alright," Jack Mantis replied, "but my friend is a way bigger fan of him than me. Trust me, he's gonna freak out when he sees this."
"Well, this isn't good," Kamakiri growled, staring down at the picture and text he'd received from his own duplicate. Courtesy of Twice, there were currently clones of both him and Hagakure present at the commencement, so as not to arouse suspicion – keeping Uraraka sequestered without a replacement was already enough of a risk on its own.
"Thank you for that lovely analysis of the situation," Midoriya breathed, only barely resisting the temptation to drive Ochako's pretty little fist through the nearest wall as he gazed at the blurry and distant yet still unmistakable image of Todoroki Enji. "I just so happen to agree, Tower. Would anyone care to explain how this happened?"
"I… I don't know, Seraph." Momo's voice came through his earpiece first, frustrated and desperate. "I swear, only Natsuo and Fuyumi were registered to attend, and Endeavor was scheduled to speak at an event for injured police veterans this afternoon. I don't understand why he's here."
Rare of her to show cracks in the façade, Izuku noted silently, stepping over to the nearest window to gaze out at the assembled crowds below.
"Could it be a potential Fenrir operation?" Seraph asked, his eyes fixed on the bleachers.
"I don't think so," Hagakure replied from beside him, phasing back into visibility. Aizawa had passed out standing from blood loss shortly before Tower received the text in question, giving them more freedom to talk uninterrupted. "As part of the strike team, I would've heard about it. Nighteye and Jeanist make sure to keep everyone updated on the status of all our missions."
"Unless they already suspect you," Kamakiri shot back, his arms crossed. "And now they're keeping you shut out on purpose."
"Not possible," Toru quipped in reply, then took a step towards the much taller Togaru and leveled an accusatory finger at him. "You wanna question our intel? Fine. But don't you dare question my competence. I wasn't the one who drew attention to myself by almost killing one of our main targets during an exam."
"That's enough." Midoriya declared, ending the argument in a heartbeat as both of the two lapsed into an immediate silence. "It doesn't matter whose fault it is. He's here. The question is, what do we do about it?"
"Well we have to consider the possibility that the entire operation could be compromised," answered Shinso's voice through the earpiece. "Aborting now might be the wisest course of action."
"Hitoshi, I'm surprised at you. I'm one move away from a checkmate, and you're telling me to abandon the game?"
"Sometimes it's the best choice, if you realize the pieces are stacked against you."
"I'm afraid we've come much too far for that," Seraph sighed, and glanced over at Eraserhead's limp, unconscious body, then down at Ochako's bloodied hands. "You know that I have no choice but to see this through, now that we've begun. What kind of a friend would I be if I missed my dear Itsuka's big day? You only graduate high school once, after all."
"…and keeping these selfless acts in mind, I've never been more proud of my students as a hero or as a teacher than in these past few weeks, watching them face down adversity, loss, and tragedy with dignity and poise. Here to speak to you now is just one of the many worthy pupils whom I've had the privilege of educating these past few years. From her first days at U.A., Kendo Itsuka…"
Battle Fist fished her folded-up speech out of from the inner pocket of her graduation gown the moment Vlad King launched into her introduction, shifting anxiously in her seat. The paper was well-worn and wrinkled from all the times she'd rehearsed for his moment over the past few days, and practically every line had hastily scribbled cross-outs and edits in blue ink, many of them from earlier this morning. Kendo had outlined the barebones of the speech over a month ago, before all the madness with the Syndicate that had consumed the past few weeks; much of it had originally been conceived as a thank you and tribute to All Might. Given the events that had transpired in the meantime, that theme seemed the more meaningful now. Try as she might to hold them back, tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, and she wiped at them furiously with the sleeves of her gown as Vlad's voice faded into the background, and all the memories she'd been struggling to hold back came rushing to the front of her mind. Of the past two years, and all the ways her life had changed because he chose her – because he believed she was worthy.
Itsuka closed her eyes, and before her stood Toshinori Yagi, his droopy golden locks blowing in a gust of wind. She pictured him full of life and vigor, a soft smile on his face as he limbered up before one of his morning runs.
I wanted you to see me walk across that stage, she said to him. I wanted to finish my speech, turn around, and catch a glimpse of that look in your eyes, the one you get when you're proud of me. I wanted that so goddamn badly. I always knew my parents might not be able to make it, but you – you would be there, no matter what. Ever since I met you, you've always been there, until now. And now, I don't know what I should do.
Everything came back into focus at once when she felt a hand on her shoulder, firm and gentle at the same time- Kendo didn't need to look behind her to know it was Kodai's. Yui didn't say anything, nor did she need to for Itsuka to understand. Moments later Kendo realized that Honenkuki was watching her too, out of the corner of his eye.
"We're all with you," Juzo said quietly, over the booming sound of Vlad's voice droning on in the background. "Just get out there and do your best. No pressure, okay? You've got this."
"…and that only scratches the surface of what she's accomplished during her three years here! But enough from me – as for the rest, I'll let her speak for herself. Without further ado, your student speaker, and a proud principal's former student, Class 3-B's Kendo Itsuka!"
Vlad King finished his introduction before Battle Fist could properly respond to her classmate's gesture, and suddenly the makeshift arena had erupted into deafening applause, as the principal stepped away from the podium and the hundreds of eager students and spectators rose to their feet, waiting for her to step up and take his place.
Oh god, that was so fast. Didn't he just start talking?!
Her mind was frozen, but after a gentle push from Kodai and a thumbs up from Juzo, Kendo found that her legs were moving regardless, carrying her towards the set of stairs at the end of the stage – it looked like it was miles away. As she walked past her classmates, though, a voice cut through the cheers and clapping, loud and enthusiastic.
"Hey, Itsuka!"
It only took her a moment to realize it was Tetsutetsu; by then, he had already stood from his seat at the edge of the first row, stepped forward, and planted a brief, passionate kiss directly on her lips, prompting gasps of shock and delight in equal measure from the crowd, along with several loud whistles and bursts of laughter.
"Break a leg," He whispered breathlessly, a sharp-toothed grin on his face, before sitting back down, and leaving Kendo red-faced and stupefied behind him.
Did that really just happen? Or is this all a hallucination? All at once Kendo became aware of the dozens of flashes from cameras in the stands, and as she climbed the stage with a nervous chuckle and wave to the spectators, the cheers grew even louder, especially from the student section. Over all the noise, one thing quickly became certain in her mind. Well, that about seals it, I guess. I have a boyfriend now, and we're way past going public.
Then suddenly she was at the podium, the microphone looming in front of her, and a sea of students and families beyond. Two large screens were projecting her image to the stands, and she couldn't help but glance at them for a few moments to make sure that her hair and makeup looked acceptable. Focus on just a few people, Kendo reminded herself, as she cleared her throat, unfolded her speech, and the noise gradually died down. Her roving eyes found Jiro first, and the two exchanged a smile in the moments before Itsuka began.
"When I started to write this speech, I was honestly at a loss for where to begin. How could I capture the last three years of ups and downs at U.A. in just a few minutes? All the triumphs and hardships, the friends I've made, the experiences we've shared? This was about a month ago, so I'm sure you can guess who I the first one I asked for help was. When I finally got around to asking him, All Might told me that…"
"Let me guess," a familiar voice interjected over the loudspeakers, its every syllable dripping with sarcasm. "He told you that he believed in you, and that the words needed to come from your heart, not his. Something along those lines, yes? A nice, mundane platitude. That's all he was ever good for, I suppose."
A wave of confused murmurs rippled through the crowd at the interruption; many of them likely didn't recognize who it was by voice alone, but Kendo felt her blood run cold the moment she heard, and her hands tightened their grip on the wood of the podium until her knuckles had gone white.
No, no, no… That's not possible. This has to be some kind of prank. With all the precautions they took, there's no way that he could be…
Kendo felt her breathing quicken, and a drop of sweat rolled down her brow. She glanced back at the teachers for guidance – most of them were already on their feet, their expressions ranging from shock and confusion to anger. Vlad King rose first, and was striding toward her across the stage when on cue, the two camera feeds of Kendo's confused expression pixelated and distorted, only to be replaced by Izuku's smiling face, beaming down on the audience with bright, baleful malice in his hollow green eyes.
Silence fell across the arena like the blow of a hammer, and a palpable chill seemed to run through the humid afternoon air. Shouts of shock and dismay followed momentarily, and in the stands, several young children began to cry.
"Oh, why the long faces?" Midoriya chuckled, "As a fellow student of this prestigious institution, I believe that I have just as much of a right to be here as any of the rest of you. I hope you'll all forgive me for interrupting my dear friend Itsuka's speech – if it's any consolation, I doubt that it would have been particularly interesting. What I have to say, on the other hand, is well worth listening to. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Cut the audio!" Vlad bellowed before Seraph could speak again, turning to Present Mic.
"We're locked out of the entire system!" Yamada replied, typing frantically on a laptop connected to the AV setup. "No connection, nothing! I can't access the power either!"
"Try getting hold of Eraser, or anyone on the perimeter patrols!" Itsuka suggested.
Mic nodded in agreement, but audible static crackled through his earpiece moments later, and he tore it out, swearing viciously.
"I can't get a goddamn signal through!" He cried, looking to the others. "Try Snipe!"
"I just did," replied Midnight, her eyes wide. "Same thing!"
"Cementoss' number is producing static as well," Thirteen piped in. "It seems there's some sort of interference with our communications – I can't even get service to call the police! This is just like the jamming at USJ!"
"We have to get the civilians out of here," Vlad declared, his mouth set in grim resignation. "A full evacuation, and a coordinated sweep of the campus by all-"
"Don't you know that it's rude to interrupt someone while they're speaking?" Seraph cut in, his tone tinged with annoyance. "I'm afraid I can't have you evacuating either – it just wouldn't do. You've already interfered enough with the order of things for one day. Why can't you heroes ever just play along?" He sighed, and shook his head with all the exasperation of a parent scolding an unruly child.
A burst of heat and orange flames suddenly lit up the air to her left; for a moment she thought it was another Syndicate bomb, until Endeavor landed on the stage with a ground-shaking thud, the residual flames from his feet leaving singing outlines on the wood as he strode forward with a deep, furious scowl on his face.
"Ah, look who's decided to join in on the fun!" Midoriya cried giddily, clapping his gloved hands mockingly as Endeavor made his way across the stage. "If it isn't our dearly beloved Todoroki Enji! Come to say farewell to your alma mater? I would give you a message from your son, Endeavor, but it's strange – in two months, he hasn't said a single word about you. How does that make you feel, as a father?"
"Playtime's over," Enji growled, raising his hands toward the two screens; fire streaked forth from either palm, setting them both ablaze. "I've heard enough for one day." Seraph's image melted and pixelated before fading into nothing, but his voice remained, echoing from every loudspeaker on campus.
"Ah, it seems I've hit a nerve. What a temper!" Izuku laughed, loud and mirthful and manic, and Kendo grimaced as the sound reverberated through the stands. "With such a fearsome hero present, I might not have the time I need to speak freely to you about my own formative experiences with U.A. and its teachers. For now, a simple message will have to suffice, but I trust that this one will speak volumes."
The first blast was sudden; it caught most of them off guard, given that their attention was focused so intently on the speakers. A series of blinding orange explosions lit up U.A.'s lower floors, prompting a collective gasp of horror from the crowd in the brief instant before the screams began. Just moments later, the upper floors followed, and before Kendo could even move her feet from where they were rooted to the stage, the entire main building was a raging inferno, the skeletal remains of its main towers outlined against the darkening sky like so many candles. The back rows of students, closest to the building, surged away from the blaze in panic, pressing the crowd tighter against the stage in a wave of pushing and shoving and frantic shouts. The school's main gate had been blocked off by flaming rubble, and the rear entrance was on the opposite end of the campus; there was no easy escape left. I can punch a hole through the perimeter wall if I need to, but first…
"Was there anyone still in there?!" Kendo found herself yelling over the roar of the flames, her wide, frantic gaze turned to Vlad and the others. "Aizawa, was he in there?!"
"He… he can't have been," Midnight stammered, lifting one hand to cover her mouth, hanging wide in disbelief. "I'm sure he would've…" She trailed off and shook her head, then sihfted her gaze to Present Mic. Hizashi had sunken to his knees, and tears were already welling in his eyes, wide and full of fear.
"Not again," he whimpered, more to himself than anyone else. "Not you too. God, please, no…"
Nemuri laid a comforting hand on Yamada's shoulder, and squeezed tight; Kendo was about to turn to Endeavor for counsel when a low, wailing alarm sounded all around them, similar in tone and volume to an air raid siren; flashing yellow lights lit up all along the wall ringing the campus, and an automated voice began to play a message on repeat.
"Lockdown. Lockdown. Villain presence has been detected on campus. All students, move to a designated safe area and await further instructions. All faculty, engage response protocols. This message will now repeat. Lockdown. Lockdown…"
A low, steady rumble followed, beginning near the main gate and spreading outward from there; for a moment Kendo was afraid it might be an earthquake, until section by section, U.A.'s impregnable wall began to crumble into rubble and dust.
Two Minutes Earlier
Just outside U.A.'s Gates
"Are the new reports true?! Did U.A. receive million in donations traced back to the Yaoyorozu family's alleged Yakuza ties?! How deep does this rabbit hole go, Vlad King?!"
"What other criminal connections is the administration hiding?! How do you respond to the expose claiming that former Principal Nezu was forced to resign due to harboring personal sympathies for the Syndicate?!"
"Jeez, do these people ever shut up?" Rocking back and forth on her heels, Toga pouted and extended her tongue in the direction of the particularly noisy cadre of reporters bellowing questions in the direction of the hero school's main gate through mics and megaphones. She and Mr. Compress were farther back in the disgruntled crowd, concealed among the ordinary citizens picketing U.A. in the midst of its fall from grace. They'd taken special care to place themselves outside the tracking arc of the gate's security cameras, given their powerful new DNA scanning capabilities.
There looked to be around a hundred people present in total, based on Carmilla's latest rough estimate; the number had risen and fallen throughout the afternoon. Most of them had homemade signs and little else, but she recognized a few particularly prominent faces and slogans from the earlier protests in front of the National Diet, all of which had received plenty of media coverage. 'Shut down U.A., school for villains!' one proclaimed, in bright red lettering. Himiko giggled softly at the sight, and struck a contemplative pose, one hand on her chin. I never did like school, but maybe I'd consider going back to one for us villains, if my Deku was there with me. Marching to classes everyday like a tame sheep… I hated all of it. There was only one thing that made it worthwhile, back then.
Memories flashed through her mind: an empty hallway, save for herself and her beloved – her school uniform, soaked crimson – the taste of blood, sucked through a straw. Policemen and teachers, tearing her away from his still body. It wasn't my fault he died. She ran her tongue absentmindedly over one of her canines, deep in thought. All I wanted was to show him how much I loved him. The smile slowly faded from her face, until the sound of Atsuhiro's voice dragged her back to reality.
"They do seem to love the sound of their own voices, don't they? They'll have to switch out soon, or risk going hoarse at his rate." He glanced down at his neatly polished gold watch, and smiled softly. "Though I suppose we'll be quieting them down long before that comes to pass."
"Is it happening soon?! The start of the plan?!" It was a difficult matter for Toga to keep her voice down, lest she draw attention to the two of them. Carmilla was currently disguised as a teenaged girl with long black hair and prominent purple bags under mossy green eyes, one of the 'regulars' she used frequently for meetings with certain recruits.
"Indeed, our cue should be arriving shortly if everything has gone to schedule. You remember the signal, yes?"
"Silly, how could I forget?!"
While Compress had been spotted by the cameras without his mask on Okinawa, his plain, lightly wrinkled face was still one of the least recognizable out of their ranks'; accordingly, Seraph had given him permission to go with only a few mild prosthetic attachments from Pandora, including a false mustache and lengthened nose. He was wearing a long brown leather trench coat, and had left behind his elegant gloves and cane, a rare occurrence. If anyone asked, Atsuhiro was merely a concerned citizen, here to protest the school's policies after his nephew's injury during the chaos of the Black Day, and Toga was his softly spoken yet equally concerned daughter.
Deep down, Himiko had a feeling that they were both hoping someone would grow suspicious and test their cover, if only to give them a chance to do what they loved – act, lie, and deceive. While it was true that the nature of their 'performances' had a few key differences, neither could deny that they relished the chance to put on a show. They'd even exchanged acting tips on occasion, though Toga still held on to a few trade secrets for her own sake.
As it happened, it was only a few moments later that fate presented them with just the chance they'd been waiting for, in the form of a fresh-faced young female reporter for one of the local dailies. Himiko found herself eyeing the smooth, pale skin on the woman's neck longingly as she held her microphone out in Atsuhiro's direction, and had to remind herself to pay attention to in case things bounced over to her. Later, I can drink later. I need to focus for now, and do my best for my baby!
"Sir, can you tell me why you're here?" The woman asked, a softball question that prompted a well-rehearsed scowl from Mr. Compress. Sako disguised his voice too, slipping into a posh, well-to-do accent that came close to making Toga burst out laughing.
"Well frankly, miss, I think it's a shame, what's happening to heroes in this country. It feels like there's no one we can trust anymore since All Might retired, no one competent enough to lead. Seems like the quality of heroes is slipping, instead of the other way around! And do you know who's to blame for that? The schools, of course! On the Black Day, my nephew was shopping downtown for his fiancée, when out of the blue, that monster Tokoyami hurled a police car through the store window from a block away, crushed his legs! He's a product of U.A.'s system – what the hell were they teaching him at this place? That's what I want to know."
That part about the fiancée was a nice bit of improve, Toga mused, flashing Compress an approving look before the reporter pivoted to her.
"And what about you, young lady? Can I assume you're here with your father?"
"Y-yes, I am." Carmilla blushed and shot the camera a bashful glance, savoring the chance to play the shy, stuttering type. "After what happened to my cousin, I knew that I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. It was just a few weeks before his wedding, too… now they say he'll be in physical therapy for another three months. I-it's just so horrible…" Crocodile tears dripped convincingly from her eyes, and the reporter handed over a tissue before wrapping her in a comforting hug.
Though she was well-aware that she was being used as a prop to make the network seem more sympathetic to victims of the attacks, Himiko couldn't help but shudder out of instinct as her mouth nuzzled briefly up against the woman's neck, and her nostrils filled with her flowery perfume. I could find her jugular before she pulls away, Toga knew, her heart pounding at the thought. Just one little bite, that's all.
But then Atsuhiro's hand pressed at the small of her back, and she remembered her duty again. The embrace was over as soon as it began, and then the woman's attention was back to Compress, as she congratulated him on what a brave daughter he had been blessed with. Accepting the praise eagerly, Sako was on the verge of inventing an personal entire history for her when the alarm on his watch went off with a gentle yet insistent beep. Toga's phone buzzed in her skirt's pocket at the same moment; a quick glance at the screen confirmed that it was the all-clear from Seraph – the countdown for the bombs had been triggered, and he was safely out of the building with Tower, Temperance, and Aizawa. She exchanged a nod with Atsuhiro, and a wide smile broke out across her face.
"Ah, my apologies. Do you two have another appointment to make?" The report had noticed their sudden shift in interest, but Compress held up one hand when she turned to leave.
"Quite the opposite, miss – we're precisely where we mean to be. Why don't you stay a while longer, and watch? This should give you quite the story."
With all his usual theatrical flourish, Atsuhiro plunged both hands into his coat; when he withdrew them, one held one of his trademark masks, and the other, four bluish marbles, gripped in between his fingers. In one fluid motion, he slid on the mask and cast the marbles out onto the street in front of him. Once he'd donned his top hat just moments later, Sako snapped his fingers, and four masked yakuza flashed into being: Nemoto Shin, two well-armed gunmen, and Overhaul himself, stretching lazily like a cat waking from a nap.
The young female reporter was the first to scream, but Toga was prepared for that. Sliding a knife from its hidden strap inside her sleeve, she wrapped her hand over the woman's mouth, then plunged the blade into the back of her thigh, watching giddily as she fell to her knees, blood streaming down her leg.
"Shhh," Himiko whispered in the reporter's ear, her cheeks flushed bright scarlet as she reverted back to her original appearance. "No running away! Let's be friends, okay?! I'm Toga, what's your name?!"
Meanwhile, Chisaki strode forward towards a panicking crowd with Shin and his gunmen at his side, his brows knit in annoyance as they parted before him, dropping their signs in their haste to flee.
"I'm going to need a few of you to stay right where you are," Kai declared, then laid his bare hand on the pavement. Asphalt spikes rose up in a circle around a group of reporters, cameramen and protestors who had been too slow to run away, their tips coming to a halt mere inches from skewering the fifty-odd civilians caught in the trap. With a gesture of his hand, Overhaul motioned for Nemoto and the henchmen to aim their guns through the improvised cage's openings, as a disincentive to anyone who felt like making an escape attempt.
"Quiet down, will you?!" He snapped, shaking his head in exasperation as several continued to scream and wail. The sound of the gunmen's hammers cocking seemed to do the trick, and after taking a moment to compose himself, Chiaki continued. "There, much better. Now if you play by the rules and do as we say, none of you are going to get hurt. Got that? Now keep those cameras ready; if you wanna make those front page headlines tomorrow, there's something I think you need to see."
While Overhaul continued forward towards the gate, Carmilla turned to Compress. One of her hands was still wrapped around a tuft of the reporter's shoulder-length brown hair, and the other held a knife to her throat; the woman was shivering in fear beneath her, still attempting to stammer out her name through tears.
"It's K-Kyo-Kyouko. Please, don't-"
"Hey, hey, I think I like this one! She's cute! Can I keep her?"
"Far be it from me to refuse you," Atsuhiro quipped in reply, compressing the woman with a light tap to her shoulder, then then tossing the marble into Himiko's waiting hands. "You mustn't let yourself be distracted, though! Given the new information Seraph relayed us earlier, your role in the plan is more important than ever!"
"I guess you're right. I can't believe Endeavor showed up, even though Momo said he wouldn't! She's usually so on top of these things." Pocketing her prize, Toga reached inside her jacket and drew out a handful of blood vials before selecting the one she needed. Man, I sure was lucky I decided to bring his along, just in case!
The deafening boom of an explosion ripped through the air moments later, as the bombs went off inside U.A.'s main building, and the towering structure was reduced to fire and rubble. A thousand shards of glass from the school's windows rippled through the air before falling like gleaming snowflakes, and Chisaki had to erect a set of shields from the pavement to keep them from being torn to shreds. Once the last of the shrapnel had fallen, he started forward again, and came to a halt directly beneath the towering perimeter wall. Almost instantly, a camera fixed on his position and an alarm began to blare, but Overhaul paid it no heed, and gestured for Toga and Compress to join him as he pulled a syringe of Trigger from inside his fur-collared jacket.
"Second-to-last dose we have. Better make it count, huh?" He jabbed the needle into his neck with a grunt, then fell to his knees, panting. The veins on his arms and neck rippled visibly before receding again, and when he rose back to his feet, his golden eyes had a dangerous, bloodthirsty gleam – they reminded Himiko of her own, and she grinned in approval. Looks like we'll finally get to see the clean freak cut loose. This should be fun!
"God, I hate injections," Kai growled, then slammed his palm into the wall and tensed his fingers. "So filthy."
Cracks spread instantly from the point of impact in a web of destruction, and the very ground seemed to shake as the metal began to crumble and break apart for hundreds of yards in both directions. Clapping her hands in delight, Carmilla couldn't help but marvel at the sheer potency and speed of Kai's boosted quirk, and leapt in the air with a cheer when the section before them finally turned to dust. Now they had a clear line of sight of the burning ruin in its entirety, though the distant graduation stage and crowd of students beyond was still obscured by smoke and rubble. His eyes closed in concentration, Overhaul knelt down and lowered his hand to the ground; sweat dripped down his brow in exertion as he opened up a fissure in the earth. It was narrow at first, but widened as it snaked its way towards the flaming wreckage of the main building, until all at once it opened its gaping maw and swallowed the building whole, sinking the foundation and ruined towers down into the ground like a scene of biblical damnation. Once the last of the school's remains had receded into the chasm, Chisaki sealed it up again, leaving nothing but a desolate stretch of smoking brimstone to mark the place where U.A. had once stood.
As the ground cracked and hissed over the sound of distant screams, and the veil of smoke began to clear, Toga opened the vial she had in hand and gulped down the blood within; once the transformation was complete, she grinned again, and held out a pocket mirror to observe for herself the finer details of Todoroki Shoto's famously handsome face. Nothing too special, she concluded, then turned to Compress and held out her hands.
"How do I look?"
"Quite striking, I assure you," Atsuhiro answered as he fixed a pair of metal restraints onto her waiting wrists. "The perfect countermeasure to Endeavor's unanticipated presence, as long as you play the part convincingly. Quiet now, and do your best to look cowed and broken; Overhaul is about to take the stage."
"I trust that was a grand enough gesture for you all to interpret," Midoriya declared over the loudspeakers, a tinge of amusement creeping into his voice. "And what's more, I see we've been joined by a few new friends! I would hold back if you're thinking of doing something brave, though – we all know how bothersome a hero's duty can be when lives are on the line."
The smoke concealing their group's entrance had finally cleared, and the stage and crowd came into view, fifty-odd yards ahead. Kendo Itsuka, Vlad King, Present Mic, Endeavor – even from this distance, Carmilla could make out a handful of figures on the stage by their distinctive appearances. It was difficult to keep her face straight as Kai grabbed her by the collar and shoved her roughly to the ground before him, gesturing for his men to keep their guns trained on the reporters. With one final push into the soil, he reformed the disintegrated sections of wall behind them, without a gate or any other point of ingress for the police or hero backup to enter through, even taller and more imposing than before.
Off to either side, Himiko could see U.A. staff moving to surround them: Hound Dog and Cementoss from the right, Power Loader from the left, and a dozen Ectoplasm clones from all sides. Most of the crowd of students was shifting away from them, but a few stood their ground: Bakugo, Asui, Tetsutetsu, Jiro. They all froze in their tracks, though, when Chisaki spoke, his voice booming through the speakers the same as Midoriya's.
"That's far enough, heroes. There's no need for anyone to get riled up – after all, if you make any sudden moves, my hands might slip. And if my hands slip, who knows what might happen to poor Todoroki Shoto? Not to mention all these upstanding journalists my men happened to run into outside your walls. They're making my boys jumpy, and I have to admit – they have terribly itchy trigger fingers."
Up on the stage, Endeavor seized a microphone, then stepped forward and stared back down at Kai; his face was full of scarcely restrained fury, the flames on his head raging high.
"You… have our attention. Say what you will, but say it quickly. You'll all be in chains before long,"
"Oh, he's not the one who'll be doing the talking," Seraph replied, his voice eerily calm. "He's merely here as insurance – insurance that none of you watching and listening will act rashly without first understanding the repercussions for doing so. While he still has your more irrational instincts contained, I'd like to take the chance speak to you all frankly, about two people who have caused me no shortage of pain over the past few years. If you would all be so kind as to direct your attention to the athletic field, the day's final act can begin."
Hundreds of heads turned in unison to the barren patch of ground in question, where Aizawa Shota and Uraraka Ochako knelt side-by-side in the dirt, bloodied and battered and ready for execution.
Hope you all enjoyed, and sorry for the long wait! Next time, the dramatic conclusion of the graduation arc. Happy holidays to everyone, by the way! Remember, reviews make the best Christmas presents - I always love to hear your thoughts and feedback!