Song: In my Restless Dreams, I See That Town, Silent Hill: Jxyytf
A dense fog clung to the air, enveloping Michi in an eerie shroud. Amidst the obscurity, haunting pleas reverberated, each note resonating with unmistakable terror. As Michi tried to rise, the world spun, and he fell, his head making a dull impact. Pain throbbed through his skull, intensifying as he struggled to stand. The persistent ringing in his ears persisted, a disconcerting symphony, and gradually, chilling whispers insinuated themselves into the recesses of Michi's mind.
"Find me."
Michi stirred awake, almost jumping out of the chair he sat in. The room was softly lit, with warm, muted tones that aimed to create a soothing atmosphere. The walls were decorated with abstract pieces of art, and a Diploma on the wall, it read,
"Nicholas Brine"
A large window on one side allowed natural light to filter through beige curtains, casting a gentle glow across the room. The window offered a view of the serene UA campus, with greenery and trees swaying in the breeze. The furniture was distasteful, old. However, the chair Michi sat in was plush, comfortable, sitting across from the Therapist's desk. Positioned to encourage face to face contact. The air was scented with a hint of lavender. An attempt to make the calmness more accepting. A metronome ticked on the desk of the Psychologist. The psychologist, seemed rather calm as he sat across the room from Michi. His bald head gleamed under the soft room lighting, his greying beard overgrown, yet well groomed. His kind eyes showed concern as he softly smiled at Michi.
"Are you there, Michi? It seems that you zoned out," Dr. Brine softly spoke, his monotone voice gently punctuated by the ticks of the metronome. Michi sat up straight, meeting the doctor's gaze. Dressed in jeans, a black shirt, and his Mongrel hoodie, Michi refocused on the session.
"Sorry, sir. I think I kind of just zoned out for a minute. What was the question?"
Dr. Brine diligently wrote down in his journal, the scribblings seemingly decipherable only to him, finding significance in every nuance of their conversation.
"The question was how you are feeling today. I spoke to your teachers, you didn't attend class today as well, correct?"
Michi shrugged, closing up, his demeanor growing defensive. "I feel fine. Just as much as you would expect."
The doctor made eye contact with Michi, his concern hidden beneath a composed expression.
"Why didn't you attend class? You were doing well. You have been going to class for three days straight before today. What changed?"
Michi glanced out the window briefly before clasping his hands together and refocusing on the doctor.
"I've been.. surfing the internet again."
The doctor leaned in, pen in hand
"What did we talk about that?"
Michi tightened his grip on the chair's armrest.
"Yeah, I know, 'It serves no purpose other than anxiety!' but the thing is, Doc, most nights it's nothing but waiting for a slip-up. I'm just waiting for when they get greedy or stupid like the damn bombing!"
"You, and I cannot prove if the bombing correlated-"
Michi slammed down on the chair, pointing at the doctor
"That's BULLSHIT and you know it!"
Silence settled in the room as the doctor wrote in his notebook, then cleared his throat.
"You said you surf the internet, waiting for a slip up, Is that what happened last night? Was there an incident you slipped upon?"
Michi nodded slowly "Yeah."
"What is it that you found? You've been hesitant with me about talking about the things you find online. Was it another attack?"
"Something like that. It was just another mugging.. Could have been anything, but it just... made me feel so much rage."
The doctor moved his chair closer, writing in his notebook and maintaining eye contact with Michi.
"In moments where you find yourself losing control, how does the anger manifest itself?
Michi's gaze shifted from the doctor, as he dissociated. His eyes darted back and forth, grappling at the weight of his thoughts, as the room felt heavy as tension built. The silence struggled to end with Michi's conflicted mind.
"It feels like.. how I felt when my mom passed away."
"You've never shared much about her. Why open up now?"
Michi clung to the memory of when his mother died, casting a pained glance at the doctor.
"It's the easiest way for me to express my, frustration."
As the clock struck 4:00 pm, a melancholic chime accompanied the doctor's sigh as he addressed Michi.
"Well, that's the time. I'd like to see you Thursday, same time as today."
Michi rose, recomposing himself with a stretch.
"Yeah, yeah sounds good to me. Not that I have a choice."
"Try to have a pleasant day, Michi, and take solace—it's almost the weekend."
Michi walked out as the Doctor held the door open for him, Michi walked through the halls of UA, passing students walking out of their classes. As Michi walked by, his eyes were trained onto the ground with the same tired expression he carried through middle school, until he heard a familiar voice.
"MIIIICHIIII! YOOO!"
Shizu playfully leaned into Michi, trying to get a reaction out of him, as Michi put on a smile for his friend, wrapping his arm around Shizu.
"I'll kick your ass! How was class?!"
Fugu joined the trio, booklet in hand.
"An exam. Mr. Deku said he'd like to see you after class, you're lucky he hasn't-"
"MICHI! MICHI SHINOMORI!"
Michi flinched as Deku waved him over, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm going to need you to come with me, We've got some work you gotta do in person. So come on, it'll only be an hour or so."
Michi let out a sigh, as he backed away, waving goodbye to his friends as he followed their Sensei.
Shizu strolled alongside his twin sister as they exited the UA building.
"Mr. Deku has been quite down since... well, since Mari."
Fugu looked at her brother, confusion etched on her face, slightly taken aback.
"Why wouldn't he? He was just as invested in her as we were. We're all mourning, Shizu."
"That's not entirely what I meant. I just mean... well... It's nice to see he truly cares. That exam was really short... Why else do you think he needed to see Michi for so long?"
Fugu glanced at their classroom window as she walked towards the Dorms, refocusing her attention on their way home.
"Hell if I know."
Nine Days Prior
Fugu sat in the small teacher's lounge, holding a warm cup of green tea. Opposite her, Deku took a long sip from his own tea, his expression momentarily reflective.
"It's much quieter in here, without Mari here, isn't it?" He observed
Fugu closed her eyes, sipping her tea as she recalled her last moments with Mari.
"Yes.. Honestly sir, I didn't expect us meeting together like this again after Mari's passing."
Deku nodded
"Yes. That is true, the tenth user of One for All is gone before she could even begin her journey. But, there are some things I wanted to say."
Deku placed his cup on the table, as he folded his arms.
"Thank you for protecting the secret of One for All. Thank you for not sharing this secret with your brother and your friend, even though it could have been easy given the situation you were in."
Fugu shook her head, disagreeing, "It's the least I could do. It's a secret I don't deserve, a secret I stole from you and Mari."
Deku cleared his throat, trying to hold back tears.
"There is one more thing we need to discuss. My powers, Fugu, they're still fading."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, worst case scenario, One for All passed away with Mari, leaving me with the remainders of its embers, until it dies out itself."
Fugu leaned in closer, her eyes full of desperation.
"What's the best case scenario?!"
"The best case scenario, and the most likely answer, is that One for All moved on from Mari before she died. Or after, I'm not sure. My question for you Mari, is who was in contact with Mari during her untimely demise?"
Fugu was stressed as she moved her bangs off of her face, collecting herself, she looked at Deku.
"Umm.. Michi was with Mari during the initial explosion, Senshi and I found them, I carried Mari to safety, and Shizu wiped.. M...Mari's blood off of me afterwards."
Deku placed his cup of green tea back on the table as he pondered.
"The most likely candidates are you, Shizu, and Michi. It seems that I should keep an eye on all of you, after Mari ingested my hair, it took her days for One for All to Manifest, so the question is... Who, and when."
9:24 Pm
Michi sat in his room, aimlessly scrolling through his favorite apps in an attempt to find solace in memes and interesting recipes. For a fleeting moment, this diversion worked, providing a temporary escape. However, a sudden urge led Michi to the search option
"Firefly"
"Firefly Wildfire boss"
"Wildfire attacks"
"Wildfire bombing"
"Bombing Osaka Japan Capital"
"Fatalities"
His finger hesitated, hovering over the search history, as he reluctantly tapped on one entry before quickly swiping out. With a heavy sigh, he turned off his phone and tossed it onto his desk, the weight of the information lingering in the room.
Michi abruptly sat up, his hands shaking as he grabbed his phone and turned it on. His home screen displayed an image of Mari's lifeless body, and in shock, Michi flung the phone across the room.
"FUUUUUCK FUUUCK! MARI! MAAARI!"
He clutched his head, gripping his hair and tearing out chunks, his anguished cries filling the room. A familiar voice interrupted his torment.
"Michi? Miiichi? What's going on?"
Michi paused, hearing Mari's voice. Slowly turning his head, he saw Mari standing in the corner, blood pouring from her stomach as the floor absorbed it. Desperate to regain control, Michi clung to his head, repeating to himself,
"It's not real, it's not real, man."
A soft touch on his chest startled him, and he heard Mari speak again,
"What's not real, Michi?"
Suddenly, he found himself in bed, the vision shifting. Mari stood before him, but in the blink of an eye, Fugu appeared next to his bed.
"What's not real, Michi?" Fugu's voice echoed, adding to the surreal confusion.
Michi pushed Fugu away, his expression furious as he sat up in bed, defensively responding to the disorienting experience. Fugu, caught off guard, managed to steady herself and snapped back,
"IT WAS A NIGHTMARE, YOU DICK!"
As Michi settled back into his bed, attempting to regain composure, he hyperventilated momentarily before steadying his breath. Looking at Fugu, he wore a regretful expression.
"Sorry Fugu.. I got caught up in the moment, it just... It.."
Fugu approached Michi, sensing his distress. Sitting next to him on the bed, she heard his rapid breathing. Gently, she put her hand around his shoulder, offering a supportive side hug.
"Hey, um... you holding up okay?" Fugu inquired, her tone gentle.
Michi pulled away, examining his hands for the visible toll.
"I'm fine. I don't need your pity," he asserted, his voice carrying an independent edge.
Fugu persisted, concern evident. "You don't sound fine. Those shouts, the nightmares you're having – they're not normal, Michi. I get it, I'm not thrilled about being forced into counseling either, but... Michi, we are our best support right now. So, what are you feeling?"
Michi hesitated, casting his gaze between Fugu and the ground, finally opening up with a tinge of regret in his voice.
"I... I've been having dreams of Mari. In one moment, she's fine, and then she's crying – crying for help. As she cries, blood is everywhere, and I can't do anything... it's so overwhelming. It's like my brain is trying to convince me that Mari is still around."
Sitting on the bed next to Michi, Fugu listened with a sorrowful expression, sharing her own struggles.
"I've been having the same problems. But... it's like the weight of her body is still on my back. Even with a double take, it hurts. Like my heart is breaking. Sometimes, I'll wake up, and as I'm getting ready for my day, I glance at my hands, and they're still covered in her blood."
Michi scoffed at the idea of sharing such vulnerability with the counselor.
"Imagine sharing that with the counselor. That would be a great idea of how to get suspended."
Fugu, a mix of confusion and concern, pressed Michi further.
"Are you not talking to Dr. Brine? What do you two talk about?"
Michi rolled his eyes, displaying clear disinterest in sharing anything meaningful with the doctor.
"I just don't trust him. Not everything I am going through is something he needs to know," Michi insisted.
Fugu pressed Michi, her concern unwavering. "Yes, yes it is! Because if he understands what you're thinking and going through, then he can help you more!"
Michi stood up, shaking his head. "I knew you wouldn't get it. Fugu, can I just be left alone?! Why are you even here in the first place?!"
Fugu stood up, a mix of defeat and frustration evident in her expression.
"I came to check on you, asshole! But clearly, that was a mistake. You haven't changed since we were kids."
Michi's anger intensified. "I'M THE ONE WHO HASN'T CHANGED? Hell, I'd love to see a change in how you talk to me sometimes!"
Fugu, keeping her cool, pointed at Michi, her voice stern. "You know WHY I am sometimes skeptical with you, Michi! You withhold information! You put my brother's life at risk because of your actions. Even now, you are testing not only my patience but the trust I've been trying to give you!"
Michi pulled his hair out of his face, frustration evident in his gaze, as he shrugged.
"I guess we both can't really trust each other, then?! Just 'bad blood' between us? For good?"
Fugu looked indecisive, crossing her arms and letting out a sigh.
"Maybe. I don't know. It takes more time than a few weeks to fix this. It's not about what you say but your actions as a person, Michi."
As Michi and Fugu stared at each other for quite a while, preparing to say something, they both heard a loud siren echoing throughout UA. Fear etched their faces as they slowly made their way to the bedroom window. Moving the blinds aside, they discovered a fire burning outside of UA, with multiple unknown personnel attacking the school. Michi's face transformed from fear to a roisterous, sinister smile.
"Wildfires," Michi declared with a chilling smile.
Fugu, looking at Michi with concern in her eyes, tried to pull him away from the window. "Michi, no. It could just be a riot, or something completely different from everything happening right now. Don't be stupid!"
Suddenly, an announcement similar to Telepath beamed to all the students' minds. It was Principal Shinso.
"Students! Remain in your Dorms, and avoid all windows! Unless licensed, you are NOT ALLOWED to use your quirk!"
Michi looked out the window, witnessing the UA precautionary wall rise. However, before it could completely shape a dome over UA, a large, red, and black scaled arm burst through the 20-ft wall. The sound of iron crushing and breaking filled the air until a large gap was ripped into the wall. A dragon-like creature stood at the center of this hole, transforming back into his human form. Kazuki commanded the soldiers to move in.
"KILL THOSE WHO RESIST AND BRING AS MANY STUDENTS AS YOU CAN. WITH OR AGAINST US!"
Michi backed away from the window as he tapped on Fugu's shoulder.
"We've gotta move. Now."
Fugu looked confused as she looked back at the window, as a giant ball of fire spiraled towards the Dormitory, right before the impact of the explosion, Michi pulled Fugu out of his room, as the explosion engulfed his room. Fugu looked back toward Michi's room, using her quirk, to deafen herself, her eyesight zoomed in, seeing Kazuki, and the countless villains pour in to UA.
"If they think we're not using our quirks to defend ourselves they're crazy." Muttered Fugu
Michi crackled his knuckles as he kicked doors in, helping people out of their rooms, one at a time.
"Nice of you to notice. Shit's FUCKED Fugu!"
Senshi, Hana, and Shizu ran up the stairs, seeing Michi assisting injured while Fugu kept logs on the enemy.
"Michi we've got at least four coming towards 1A dorms!"
Michi ran into a room, using a burning chair to push against the damaged wall to the outside world, he looked out towards the siege. Michi looked back towards the hallways towards everyone.
"Senshi! Hana! Both of you, downstairs I'm gonna need yourself preventing them from getting inside!"
Hana nodded, as she ran, "Got it!"
Senshi turned around muttering to himself "don't tell me what to do dammit."
Michi felt something fly by his head as he lowered his head behind the table
"Fuck me- they aren't letting up- Shizu! Cover this opening, Fugu, give him call outs to when he could return fire!"
Fugu nodded as Shizu replaced Michi's spot holding the table.
"get down stairs, they're gonna need you, Michi!"
Michi nodded as he stood up, ducking until he jumped from the second floor, for a split second, Michi saw multiple WildFire villains attacking classmates, Michi quickly regained his control mid air, before landing atop of a villain. Knocking him onto the ground, Michi grabbed the villains head, slamming it into the ground, causing a splatter of blood on the ground, as well as knocking out the villain. Senshi used his quirk to collapse a wall, and replace the giant gash opening 1A with debris in the way, Hana was disorienting multiple villains with her quirk.
"They were inside by the time we got down here!" Senshi stated, as he dodged a villain with giant blade fingers
Michi used his quirk to jump towards a villain, slamming them against the wall, before kicking the villain back against the wall, using his legs to repeatedly kick the villain in the stomach, before knocking them out with a kick to the head. "Just fight! There is no other option!!"
Kazuki stood outside the 1A dorm, as he rolled his eyes, tossing another fireball into the 1A dorm wall, opening it back up for multiple villains to pour in
"We've got three more minutes before reinforcements come. GET IT DONE!"
Michi covered his eyes from the dust from the initial explosion, as he uncovered his eyes, he could see Kazuki standing outside the Dormitory. Kazuki grabbed onto the roof of the dormitory as he ducked down to enter the building. Kazuki could not contain his excitement as he saw Michi.
"Michi, Shinomori.. my old jail pin fighter!"
Kazuki activated his quirk as his body mutated, black scales enveloped his body as he jumped towards Michi, his power and size caused the Dormitory to be destroyed more so, as Michi dodged, Kazuki turned his head with a grin on his face.
"Let's see if you are still good at cage fights."
a fireball was hurled towards Michi, right before being hit, Hana used her quirk to throw a row above Kazuki, and switching places with Michi and the rock, Michi took a second to reorientate himself before grabbing onto Kazuki's horn, Michi used his bolster quirk to increase his strength as he kicked Kazuki in the head, pulling him to the ground, as Senshi came in to assist, Michi and Senshi delivered a devastating double punch upper cut, barely bothering Kazuki. The man laughed as he sliced at Hana, cutting her stomach deeply, then swinging back at Michi and Senshi, last second, Senshi pulled Michi out of the line of his attack, Senshi then took the brunt force of the attack before rebolstering with the damage done to him, launching the dragon into the ceiling with a single punch, shaking the whole building. Fugu, Shizu, and the rest of the students felt this earthquake shake the building. Fugu felt the building shake as she held onto the building to keep her balance, her eyes widened with fear as she tried to breathe, the smoke entered her lungs, coughing, she began to become disorientated, until she felt a splitting head ache, causing her to grip onto her head, she felt it once more.
"it feels like my head is pulling apart, no... like my brain is fighting with itself."
suddenly Fugu stopped, as she ran out the room, she made the same jump as Michi, midair, she felt an overwhelming feeling, something she's never felt before, as she raised her fist, her arm began to glow with an intensity of a star.
"SMAAAAAAAAAAASH!!!"
With one strike, Fugu punched Kazuki in the stomach, launching him into the wall of the building, as well as fracturing Fugu's arm in over fourteen places. She fell next to Michi, Senshi, and Hana as she attempted to catch her breath...
"f-Fugu!?" Shouted Senshi confused beyond confusion. Hana stood amazed as Michi glanced back and forth at Fugu and Kazuki before a loud horn was sound within the walls of UA.
Kazuki stood up slowly as he let out a sigh,
"You all are worthy of a warm up. But the next time we meet, you will wish you laid on your backs and begg-"
as Kazuki tried to utter another word, his body was beamed someplace else, as multiple others did as well, only those remaining were those knocked unconscious. The attack only lasted a total of ten minutes, but the damage was done, multiple dorms, the wall for UA was destroyed, causing more backlash for the school.