Toru was pretty good at finding places not to be found; in an out-of-the-way stairwell, she sat there and started crying underneath the stairs. She did her best to keep it under control. Her friends and teammates had tried to cheer her up the best they could, but she still couldn't help but feel that she had somehow let them all down. She was on every screen across the nation as the top seed; now, she was nowhere to be seen.
She was surprised when she felt a blanket go around her shoulders. She looked up, and to her surprise, it was Mineta; the diminutive boy took a spot next to her and put his arm around her shoulders.
"Mineta?" she said softly, trying to compose herself.
"When I was in school, I got bullied a lot. I mean, look at me," he chuckled. "It wasn't till I started to go along with them that it stopped. It is more along the lines that they just targeted someone else. But before then, I got pretty good at finding places not to be seen. You don't have to hide it; I can't imagine what it is like not to be able to be seen or what you are going through. I know I got lost along the way, and I was shown that sometimes, to be a friend, you have to be there; it also helps with being a hero, so double win."
"Why the blanket?" she sniffled.
"it is cold here, and you wear shorts and short sleeves. Also, I didn't know if you went full naked to get away, and I didn't want to touch you the wrong way," he smiled. "It's okay, Toru, you can cry all you want; I won't say anything, I promise."
Toru just let it go; she leaned against the diminutive boy and cried. He didn't say anything or try to appease her. He just let her cry, but she knew she wasn't alone as she started to calm down.
"Won't they wonder where you are?" she said.
"Nah," he responded dismissively.
"Why?"
"I told them I had to take a dump," he said, smiling.
"You are so gross," she said, but she laughed.
"I know, but it made you laugh," he responded.
-Hallway A-
Shoto stomped off the field, ready to ice the whole stadium. How dare he say that to him? How dare he tell him that his Ice wasn't good enough. He was going to prove him wrong, prove everyone wrong. His ice was the strongest; he would never use that man's fire; he would show him that all he ever needed was his mother's gift.
"I hope you plan to channel that anger into this tournament?" a voice rang out. Shoto stopped dead; he had been so pissed at Izuku he failed to notice his presence.
"Why are you here?" Shoto growled as from around the corner came Endeavor, the number two hero in the country, and his father.
"Can't a father come to witness his son compete?" the man said as he walked towards Shoto. "When are you going to stop all this foolishness and use your fire!" his voice growing in volume.
"Your fire means nothing to me," Shoto responded. "It is with her Ice that I will win this tournament; it is with her Ice that I will surpass All-Might; your fire will be a mere footnote…a question of if they listed my quirk wrong."
Endeavor smirked at Shoto. "When does that boy defeat you? I will be here ready to help you unleash your full capabilities."
"And when I win, you will bring my mother home!" Shoto stomped off.
-Hallway D-
"What are you doing down here?" Izuku said, staring in disbelief at All-Might. Tsu suppressed her giggle as she thought it seemed funny that Izuku was chastising the number one hero who stood there with a pout, poking two fingers together.
"I just wanted to tell you how good your speech was and how proud I was of how you all worked together to pass the first two events," he mumbled.
"I appreciate that, All-Might, but you should go encourage everyone, not just me; you can do that after I win!" he said; the hero perked up.
"And both of you can pout when I WIN!" Tsu said with a smile.
"YOU ARE RIGHT YOUNG ASUI. DO YOUR BEST I HOPE YOU GO FAR!" All-Might had busted into his "HA-HA" muscle form and dashed off.
"Did he just really dash off on us?" Izuku said to Tsu.
"I do believe he did," she said, kissing his cheek; she loved it when he blushed. "It is too late for that; I already haD to kiss you on national television."
"Maybe you didn't have to," Izuku countered, "Maybe you wanted to let the world know that I was spoken for," he smiled at her.
"That could have been part of it," she leaned over and whispered. "Let's get some food, then find a quiet place to get ready. I want to crawl in your lap and kiss you till the tournament starts." She then batted her eyelashes at him. "Please?"
He giggled/laughed/impersonated a tomato and just nodded as she led him off.
Like a ghost of encouragement, All-Might appeared to all 16 contestants and wished them well; some were left questioning if it was even really All-Might as ghostly "HA-HA's" echoed down the halls.
Izuku and Tsu made their way to the cafeteria more like Izuku followed after Tsu in a daze, with a dumb look on his face. Ochaco snapped a picture and giggled, "What did you do?"
"I just told him I wanted to eat and then find a place to make out before the tournament started," Tsu said with a shrug.
"That doesn't seem too bad," Ochaco said.
"I fear for his safety in the tournament if he doesn't return to his senses soon," Tenya added.
"Is that all you said?" Ochaco asked.
"for the most part, it could have been my delivery," Tsu said.
"How did you say it!" Mina said, shocked. Tsu stepped right up to Mina, leaned in, and whispered into the girl's ear, then stepped back and added the please. Mina was stunned and turned into a brilliant Lilac, of which Ejiro snapped a picture. "Excuse me, I need something cold to drink," Mina said, running off.
"I would ask you to demonstrate for me, but I need to eat before the tournament starts," Momo said with a smile. Tsu, feeling frisky, placed her finger under Izuku's chin. He giggled and followed after her.
"I think we may have severely underestimated her," Ojiro said before returning to his food.
"Yeah, she is dangerous," Ejiro said.
"Is it weird that I found all that kind of hot," Sero said, causing the whole table to look at him. "What I said kind of…" he put his head down, focusing on his food.
-30 Minutes-
"ATTENTION EVERYONE, WE HAVE COMPILED THE DATA, CRUNCHED THE NUMBERS, READ SOME TEA LEAVES, AND THOWN THE DICE!" Present Mic's voice rang out. "NOW TURN YOUR ATTENTION TO THE MONITORS AS WE HAVE OUR FIRST-ROUND MATCHUPS!"
"THE MANLY MAN OF STONE: EJIRO KIRISHIMA VS. CAPTIAN EXPLOSION: KATSUKI BAKUGO!"
Ejiro turned around in his seat and saw Katsuki staring at him; Ejiro smiled as Katsuki clicked his tongue and returned to eating.
"THE MAN WHO DOESN'T KNOW THE MEANING OF SLOW: TENYA IDA VS. THE LADY THAT GRAVITY FORGOT: OCHACO URARAKA"
Ochaco looked across the table at Tenya, who smiled. "I look forward to meeting you and the field of combat, my friend," he bowed his head to her.
"Don't take it easy on me either!" Ochaco said, holding out her fist. "Time to show the world!"
Tenya gave her the first bump, "We are here!"
"THE LADY WITH THE KICK THAT COULD BREAK STONE: TOYS ASUI VS. THE MAN WITH THE TAIL AND COMBAT SKILLS TO USE IT: MASHIRAO OJIRO"
"It's a good thing your boyfriend is here so he can console you after I beat you!" Ojiro said with a smirk.
"The only thing he will be doing is giving me a victory kiss after I beat you down," Tsu added dramatically; she couldn't hide her smile. "Good Luck Ojiro!"
Ojiro laughed, "Good luck, Tsu!"
"OH, I LIKE THIS. NEXT, WE HAVE THE MAN WHO LOVES HIS ICE, SHOTO TODOROKI, VS. THE MAN WHO WANTS TO CHANGE THE WORLD, IZUKU MIDORIYA!"
"Good, I get to show you right away," Shoto yelled from the corner. "You are going to eat those words soon, MIDORIYA!"
"WHEN I BEAT YOU!" Midoriya replied. "I want you to remember that coming at any of us half-assed will end the same way." Shoto stared daggers at Midoriya and stormed off.
"THE LADY THAT WILL SLAP THE TASTE OUT YOUR MOUTH IF YOU GET OUT OF LINE: ITSUKA KENDO VS. THE MAN FROM THE DARK SIDE: FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI!"
Itsuka stood and walked over to their table; Fumi met her halfway.
"I just want to say good luck and that Neito doesn't speak for all of us; he is just the loudest," she extended her hand.
"That is good to know; I look forward to meeting you in battle," Fumi responded, shaking her hand.
"NEXT, IN A BATTLE OF ROYALTY, WE HAVE THE QUEEN OF THE DINOSAURS: SETSUAN TOGAKE VS. THE ALEIN QUEEN, MINA ASHIDO."
Setsuan jumped on her table and in as deep of a voice as she could, she yelled, "YOU ARE GOING DOWN, BROTHER! ONCE AND FOR ALL, YOU WILL KNOW THAT DINOSAURS ARE THE SUPERIOR CREATORS AND SHOULD BE WORSHIPED! OOOHHH YEA!"
Everyone immediately turned to Mina, who looked about to explode from excitement; she motioned for people to clear their plates out of her way before she jumped up on the table as well. She took a deep breath before pointing a very dramatic finger at Setsuna. "YOU SEE, BROTHER, THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE WRONG! THERE I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU WHY YOUR SPECIES WENT EXTINCT. WE, ME AND ALL MY CHILDREN, DECEND FROM THE STARS LIKE THE METEOR THAT SENT YOU PACKING AND, THIS TIME, SEND YOU HOME KNOWING THAT ALIEN QUEEN HAS ARRIVED!" Mina then hit Setsuan with the Muscular Arm pose, growling.
Setsuna fired back with the double bicep as laughter broke out.
"NEXT, THE LADY WHO NEVER READ A SCARY STORY SHE DIDN'T LOVE: REIKO YANAGI VS. THE MAN WHO KNOWS THE TRUE WAY FIX ANYTHING IS MORE TAPE: HANTA SERO."
Sero looked around and saw a girl with Silver Hair look up and wave. "Good luck to you in our battle," she said quickly.
"Yeah, same to you," Sero shrugged; he looked at the table, "Sorry, we can't all be Mina out there," earning some laughs.
"THE FINAL MATCH, WE HAVE A QUEEN VS A GODDESS!" Momo immediately turned red and tried to hide. "THE QUEEN OF THE MUSHROOM KINGDOM: KINOKO KOMORI VS THE GODDESS OF CREATION: MOMO YAOYOROZU!"
Momo got to her feet and walked over to meet her opponent, who looked a little shy, being in the spotlight. "I hope we can have a strong fight, and maybe we can get to know each other better and build a rapport between our classes."
Kinko balled up her fists and looked Momo in the eye. "I look forward to our duel, and I would like that. It was just some people who were all stupid and riled up," she pointed to her group. "We were hoping that if, after this, maybe we could take you girls out to lunch so we can talk…maybe."
"I am sure the rest of the ladies would agree with me in saying that we would love to!" Momo smiled as both girls bowed and walked away.
"Good luck, everyone; we should go get ready!" Izuku said as he and Tsu got up to leave.
"Hey, if they both win, they will have to fight in the second round," Sero said, looking at the brackets. Ochaco took a deep breath. She would have to possibly beat Izuku/Shoto and Bakugo even to make it to the finals. She took a deep breath, not looking ahead; the first thing was Tenya. I have to beat Tenya, I need to build my hoard.
-Tsu-
The door was locked in the farthest locker room, and Tsu was in her happy spot. She was in Izuku's lap, cuddled in close, her eyes closed with a few contended ribbits filling the silence. Izuku held on to her, his mind at peace; he was just content. Nothing else mattered now, not the sports festival, Shoto or Bakugo, or One for All. Slowly, their heart rhythms began to sync, as did their breathing.
Tsu was floating in a warm sea; she felt safe and secure; as her eyes opened, a starry sky filled her vision. Twinkling stars shining so bright above her seemed to call her to rejoice at her presence. It was strange; none of the constellations were like any she could recall, and the water was warmed to the perfect temperature, unlike anything she had ever experienced. She noticed that she was without clothing but felt no shame or embarrassment; she felt free.
Purple and yellow borealis floated above her, but the green one glimmered and swirled like any other. A sound like a bell ringing called her attention; she rolled from her back. There was an island, beckoning, reaching, pulling her. With a soundless motion, she kicked her feet, propelling herself to the lone Island with the broken tower.
As she approached the shore, her feet found the sand; standing, she emerged from the water. It clung to her once naked body, the water turning into a long white flowing dress, and her bare shoulders shimmered as if dusted by glitter; in fact, the dress seemed to glow as she moved. She looked down and twirled the dress, followed her movements, flaring out around her legs like whisps of water twinkling in the moonlight; the Sweetheart neckline plunged deep, coming to a point just below her cleavage. A single chime, as if from a bell, called to her. Turning, she saw a woman materialize as if emerging from a mirage.
There was a beautiful woman; her demeanor seemed challenging. She was tall, curvaceous, and well-built, fitting for a woman who looked like a hero. She had fair skin with a small mole below her bottom lip, slightly to the right. Her eyes were sharp and intelligent, with long eyelashes. Her hair was straight and dark, reaching shoulder-length, with a clump of short bangs above her forehead. She usually styled it in a half-up-half-down bun.
She wore a sleeveless, dark bodysuit with a high collar and paired it with yellow elbow-length gloves and white knee-high boots. She had a belt around her waist with an angular golden buckle. A small cape was attached around the back, which hung down to her knees, and over her shoulders was a longer cape buttoned to the shoulders of her bodysuit.
"Who are you?" Tsu asked, but something about this woman called to her and made her want to hug her; it was an almost familial pull.
"I am Nana Shimura," the woman smiled; it was reminiscent of the great hero she knew. "I was the 7th wielder of One for All.
-Izuku-
As his eyes opened, he stood in the center of a grand throne room. Eight chairs surrounded him, two empty, and a haze obscured the others. He stood on a red carpet with a stunning white star design in the center.
The room was circular, and as he looked up, he saw a mesmerizing view of stars and Borealis hovering above him. The green light was at the center of the room, appearing to dance and swirl above the space. The walls were made of stone, resembling those of a castle, and though they seemed dark, some specks lit up, giving the walls a shimmering, dream-like quality.
He looked down at his clothes. He wore only a pair of loose-fitting pants; his chest was bare, and a gold necklace with a star pendant that matched the room hung around his neck; the metal felt relaxed and reassuring. He looked down at his clothes. He was only wearing loose-fitting pants, and his chest was bare. A gold necklace with a star pendant that matched the room hung around his neck. The metal felt cool and, strangely, reassuring. As he thought about the precious pendant, its center glowed briefly, flooding him with a warmth radiating from his core. He had never seen this pendant before, but he knew now that it was special.
"Hello, Ninth," a voice came from a chair to his left; he immediately knew that voice. It was the voice from the USJ, the one that helped him to save Tsu. He was a large, muscular man with a broad build, square jaw, small, dull, blue eyes, no eyebrows, bald, and a very short beard.
Izuku noticed that Daigoro was wearing a hero costume made of dark leather clothes, stylish golden goggles, and a bandolier. The leather jacket had yellow shoulder pads, and since Daigoro always kept it open and did not wear a shirt, it showcased his muscular torso.
"You, you helped me save Tsu," he said, looking down at the strange jagged diamond scars on his forearms. "Thank you!" Izuku bowed. The thought of what would happen if he had lost her now that he had her hurt so poorly made it feel like he would break.
The man's gruff exterior softened momentarily, "I am Daigoro Banjo, the fifth user of One for All, and like you, I once had a mate."
"The fifth…," Izuku looked at his arm, and he felt it for the first time since the USJ; he watched as the scars turned black and minor points of the tendrils began to poke out. "This is your quirk; you gave me your quirk?"
The man smiled, "You are correct. That is my quirk, but I didn't give it to you; it was already there. When your mate was in danger, it was like I could open the door and allow it to flow through you. It was your emotions that reached me."
"But why did you never allow All-Might to use this," Izuku watched as the tendrils retreated into his arm. "He…I…"
"It's okay, ninth," the man said, stepping away from his chair and standing before Izuku. "We never could," he motioned to the other thrones. "All this wasn't possible till you; we could see what was happening and sometimes talk to each other, but nothing like this. It could be because Eight had it for so long that it evolved when it came to you."
"Will the others allow me access to their quirks as well," Izuku said, panicking slightly at the thought of having to master more quirks or how to explain them. The pendant glowed again. The warmth calmed him.
"I am sure they are watching you in time, judging," Five said. "I would be in the same position as them if it wasn't for you, mate." A ghostly image of Tsu appeared before them. "I know what that loss would be like," a woman with a fox quirk appeared next to Tsu. "Though you may not have fully connected with her, that loss would have haunted you for the rest of your days. I know that feeling…"
"Thank you, Banjo sir," Izuku said, bowing.
"Call me Five," he responded. "It makes things easier."
"Where are, I am guessing, Seven and Eight?" Izuku said, pointing to the empty chairs.
"Seven had something to do, she said, and Eight, why that is All-Might; he is still kicking around, so he won't be here till that changes," Five said with a smirk.
"So even if the worst happens, he will still be with me?" Izuku asked. Five nodded, and that reassured him a bit. "But are your souls trapped here? Can you not move on to be with her?" he motioned to the Fox woman.
"We are not souls; we are vestiges, a piece of us that merged with One for All when we carried it." He looked at the fox woman with a longing. "We often wondered why we were here, but we may have a clue. Our quirk is called Blackwhip, and emotions will play a large role in how it reacts. Now listen…"
-Tsu-
"Why am I here?" Tsu asked Nana.
"Well, that is a little harder to explain," Nana said, rubbing her head. "Not because I don't want to explain it, or I think you wouldn't understand, but honestly, we are not quite sure."
"We?" Tsu said with the head tilt.
"That is adorable," Nana gushed some. "I understand why Nine is so enthralled with you." Tsu was about to ask who Nine was, but a familiar feeling came to her as she thought.
"Nine is Izuku," Tsu said, to which Nana nodded. "So eight would be all right, then your seven, so we are the others?" Tsu asked, trying to puzzle it out. Nana nodded and smiled.
"You see Tsu," Nana said as she turned to look at the tower. "None of this was here before, we, the other users, and I could sometimes talk to each other but not in a setting or a landscape that we have now. Then there was the USJ."
"That black thing that came out of Izuku's arm?" Tsu said.
Nana nodded, "That is the quirk of Five. We have never been able to share our quirks with other users before, and his ability to do that allowed Izuku to save you."
"I am grateful. Please tell Five that when you talk to him next," Tsu looked around the strange landscape again. "But why bring me here just to tell me all this."
"I brought you here because I can feel you," Nana said carefully, "It is not like we feel Nine, but with you, it is different; there is a current flowing to you. I think it is coming for One for All."
"Is it sentient?" Tsu said, suddenly looking at the shimmering moon dominating the sky for the first time.
"It is a strange quirk," Nana replied. "It takes in the quirk of the user and enhances it, making it stronger. When I first manifested my quirk, I could float well, so that is what I called it; after I came into the position of One for All from Six, I could fly! The same for all the others, except Eight and Nine."
"Well, Izuku is quirkless. Does that mean All-Might was as well?" Tsu said as if a light bulb had gone off. She smiled when Nana nodded.
"You see, I wonder if the fact that Toshi or All-Might had One for All for so long that I could accumulate so much power that when he passed it on to Izuku, it went through an awakening of its own," Nana said, gazing up at the moon. "It was able to reach its potential as it had done for the previous users and their quirks."
Tsu couldn't help but giggle. "So instead of helping others, it could focus on itself, no more living for others. It was a strong independent quirk!"
Nana laughed, "I like that."
"So if I am here, then does that mean something will happen to my quirk? Or is Izuku suddenly going to frog?" her mind filled with Izuku with some frog characteristics. He looked pretty cute in her mind; she wasn't sure when the other part of her mind kicked in and thought of him in heat, her in heat. It was Nana's laugh that pulled her back.
"You naughty little frog," the woman teased as Tsu blushed and looked down at the sand. "I don't know about all that, but I think it is going to do something to your quirk. If history has anything to go on, enhance it, strengthen it. I know in my heart that it wants to protect you, and it wants you to protect Nine."
"I would have protected him with my dying breath regardless, but a little help never hurts," Tsu said with a smile.
"That is because you are a hero, my dear; never let anyone say otherwise," Nana said so warmly that Tsu couldn't help but hug the woman. "Now you better wake up if you want that kiss before the tournament starts."
-Izuku-
The targets lay smashed while a few others were held behind him. "That is difficult," Izuku said. Five just nodded.
"Listen, Nine, panic and fear are your enemy with this quirk," Five said, as his version of black whip lashed out, stabbing violently into the stone walls. "Don't be afraid of emotion but know to reign it in, to gain control. Visualize what you are trying to do." Five's tendrils had a more red and jagged edge than Izuku's. He recalled them before firing them out again, this time in more of an explosion. The points raced towards the wall before merging into a single point and punching through the wall, leaving a large hole. They grabbed onto the blocks and hurled them towards Izuku.
Izuku tendrils flew out, grabbing some while another spread out and deflected the last shot. Izuku concentrated, and he could feel them, extensions of himself, like fingers or hands. They dropped the rocks, then fired out, grabbing the top of the wall. One for All sprang to life, and he pulled the wall down. The tendrils were now edged in a much brighter teal.
"It isn't a separate thing," Five said.
"It is just another part of One for All," Izuku said, the lightening bulb clicking on. "I don't have to switch between them like flipping a switch!" he said excitedly.
"Exactly," Five smacked him on the back. "Now you better wake up if you want that kiss before the tournament."
Izuku blushed, "Wait, will I come back here?"
"At some point, I am sure," Five replied. "Remember Izuku; we are watching; protect her, protect Tsu!"
"I will, I swear!" he replied.
-Izuku and Tsu-
Their eyes fluttered open; it was still 8 minutes until the start of the tournament.
"THE STRANGEST THING JUST HAPPENED!" both said. Izuku looked at her there in his arms and couldn't hold back.
"Later," he said.
Tsu wasn't taken aback when he kissed her; it was the way he kissed her that surprised her. The kiss was so passionate that it carried an intense fire that immediately spread to her. She turned and wrapped her legs around his waist, and they both let themselves be consumed by the inferno of passion. It was a bit clumsy and awkward at first, but neither of them wanted it any other way. They learned from each other as they continued to kiss, finding the right rhythm and discovering what the other person liked. As they gradually surrendered to their passion, it became a whirlwind of emotions, with the fire crashing over them like waves. Suddenly, the sound of a 2-minute call brought them back to reality.
They broke apart, breathing heavily, their foreheads resting against each other. "Wow," she whispered. He echoed her words. "I love you," she said; she knew she did; she knew why she did, but it didn't make it any less accurate.
"I love you too," he responded, kissing her forehead. "Come on; we should watch the matches and support our classmates."
"Of course, my mate," she said with a demure tone; she could feel what that did to him, so she made sure to file that away for later.
He shuddered for a second to try and regain his sanity. "Yes, let's go show the world. WE ARE HERE!"