Of Heroes And Devils

by Dark Signer

By a strange twist of fate, Izuku finds himself flung into a world he never dreamed existed. He may be a Devil now, but that won't stop him from fulfilling his dream to be a hero! Even if he has to face villains, Fallen Angels, other Devils, and ALL THESE GIRLS WHO ARE SUDDENLY CLINGING TO HIM! (Polyamorous relationships)

14. Training Daze

Izuku had expected a few things when he and the others journeyed up the mountain. Of course he had expected them all to get deep into training for the upcoming match, but he expected it to mainly just be them. He expected to have time to train with everybody in the peerage, and most importantly, he had expected to be able to speak with Rias face to face.

Finding an old man lying face first over a spilled plate of sausages was not something he was expecting at all.

After everyone had moved past their surprise at him, the old man began picking himself off the floor. He was rather short, even shorter than Koneko, and appeared rather scrawny. The heavy amount of wrinkles surrounding his rather dimwitted looking grin made him look even older than any of them had first guessed. His gray hair was cut rather short, but still managed to spike itself upwards, and he even had a trimmed beard. What surprised them most however, was that he was dressed in a hero suit. It looked rather simple, with a monochrome bodysuit, elbow length yellow gloves, a yellow cape connected to a high collar, a belt connected by a 'G' in the middle, a domino mask that barely covered his yellow eyes, and rather thick looking boots that came up to his knees.

"How clumsy of me!" The old man laughed as he picked himself up, lightly dusting himself off as he picked up the cane lying next to him. "Here I was just carrying a plate of ketchup-covered sausages, and I went and tripped over myself." He gave them all a silly grin, all while his legs wobbled lightly.

Most of the peerage simply stood there baffled, save for Akeno and Koneko. Akeno looked somewhat amused by the elderly man's antics, while Koneko looked annoyed.

"Oh. I didn't see you all there," the man said, his eyes looking to light up as if he had just seen them for the first time. "Who are you?"

"Um, I'm Midoriya…"

"I'll be asking the questions here," Rias interrupted, her eyes narrowing into slits at the old man's smiling face. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"Me? Well I was carrying those sausages and tripped. Weren't you paying attention?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"Question?"

"Who are you," Rias asked again, looking more agitated now.

"Me? Well why didn't you ask before?" Rias' eyes narrowed even further at that. She almost looked ready to blow him away with her Destruction powers. "I'm Gran Torino."

"Very well then. Gran Torino, just what are you doing here?"

Gran Torino just stared at her again, his dopey grin just seeming to grow a bit wider as silence crept over them. Just when it looked like Rias was going to lose her patience and ask him again, he spoke up.

"Hmm? Who are you?"

"Who-who am I?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What am-this is my house!"

"I didn't know my granddaughters would be visiting me today."

"Wha-I AM NOT YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER!"

"Why grandfather, this is a pleasant surprise," Akeno said, her smile having grown wider since the old man had begun speaking. Rias turned to her Queen with an exasperated glare, one which was swiftly ignored as she kneeled down to speak with the elder. "We weren't expecting to see you today either."

If anything, Gran Torino's silly grin seemed to grow wider as Akeno spoke to him.

"Akeno?" Yumi began, blinking curiously at the two. "Why didn't you tell us your grandfather would be coming over?"

"He's not her grandfather Yumi," Koneko responded, looking more annoyed than before.

"He isn't?"

Gran Torino began scratching at his head before turning to Izuku, staring at him with a blank smile. "Who are you?"

"M-me?" Izuku began before standing up straight and placing his arms at his side. His mother had told him before to respect his elders, no matter how off they may seem. "I'm Midoriya Izuku?"

"What?" Gran Torino then asked, his hand cupped to his ear.

"M-midoriya Izuku," he repeated, speaking a little louder.

"Who are you?"

"Midoriya Izu…!"

"I'm getting real sick of this old man already," Koneko said, speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear her. As Yumi began to chastise her for her rudeness, Gran Torino then turned to face her.

"Hmm? My little granddaughter has grown so much since I saw her last."

"I am not your granddaughter, you old coot."

Before anyone could say anything else, Gran Torino abruptly sat on the floor, clear away from the now stained floor. "Boy, I could use some food."

"Some food?"

"Sir," Asia began, approaching the older man somewhat cautiously. "Are you okay? How did you even get here?"

Gran Torino simply sat there, his dopey grin plastered on his face as he stared at Asia. "Nana?"

"Nana? My name is Asia," she said confusedly.

"Did he just wander in here somehow?" Izuku asked himself as he began to think. "But then, how did he get ahold of that food? And why was the door locked?"

Gran Torino then moved his gaze back to Izuku before speaking up once again. "Toshinori?"

"Toshi-no, it's Midoriya."

"I've had enough!" Rias suddenly yelled out, taking several of them by surprise. She looked to be nursing a headache as everyone had continued to try and get answers from Gran Torino, before finally having enough. "I don't know how you got here sir, but you're clearly confused. We don't have any time to waste, so I'm going to have to ask you to leave before I have you taken away."

Gran Torino just continued to sit where he was, that same grin on his face.

"Are you really sure Rias?" Akeno asked, her smile having morphed into a rather impish grin. "He's just happy to see his granddaughters again."

"Don't encourage him," Rias scolded as she turned away from the old man, briefly narrowing her eyes at Akeno before looking the remainder of her peerage dead in the eyes. "We've already wasted enough time dealing with this doddering old man. If he's not here for any good reason, we need to be rid of him."

"I'll call for him to be escorted away then," Yumi said while taking out her phone.

Koneko watched as Yumi began to dial, before turning back to glance at Gran Torino.

Only to see that he was nowhere in sight.

"He's gone," she alerted, sharpening her sense to try and find the old and before he hurt himself.

"We only looked away for a second," Sona said, feeling befuddled. She had been rather quiet since she had first seen the old man, her mind preoccupied with trying to find out how he would have gotten inside. It certainly could not have been by accident after all. She was also in no mood to deal with his clear senility. "How could he have moved out of sight so quickly?"

"We'll have to search for him," Rias said, looking more annoyed than before. "We'll have to fan out and search the entire house. He could not have gotten too far."

Izuku was about to volunteer to try and find the old man, not wanting him to somehow hurt himself, before his attention was grabbed by the sound of a zipper being opened. When they all turned to the source, they saw Gran Torino going through Izuku's backpack, perusing through one of his notebooks.

"Um sir?" Izuku began as he slowly approached the older man. "You shouldn't be digging through that-"

"When you're good and ready, I want you to show me just how far you've actually gotten with One For All. There should be plenty of spots nearby where we won't cause too much damage."

Everyone was rather taken aback by his sudden change in tone, with Rias', Sona's, Akeno's, and even Koneko's eyes beginning to narrow at him. Whoever this old man was, he seemed to be fully aware of One For All, and if he was able to sneak his way to the mountains ahead of them, he could very easily represent some kind of danger.

"Sir," Rias began, speaking slowly as she stared him dead in the eye. "I won't ask you again. Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The two began staring each other down at that point, the silence between them being enough to unnerve Izuku as well as Asia. Before long however, one of them finally made the first move.

"Oh? When did you kids get here?"

Rias' eye began to twitch as she slowly started raising her arm.

"Now, now, calm down Rias," Akeno said as she placed herself before her King, gripping the arm that had begun building up power. "We can't just go vaporizing him just because he upset you."

"I refuse to let a senile old man make a fool of me!" Rias snarled as more power began to converge around her hand, ready to point it at the older man and be done with him.

Or at least she would have, if he hadn't vanished from sight again.

"What? Where did he…?"

She could feel the answer to her question standing atop her head at that very moment.

"A senile old man eh?" Gran Torino said with a smirk as he stood atop her head, having moved before anyone could stop him. "You might want to watch your words ya spoiled little princess," he said as he leaped down, avoiding a swipe of Yumi's blade as well as Koneko's fist.

As he did so, Izuku noticed something as the man began moving all around the room, deftly avoiding every possible attack being sent his way. Out of those wide boots, he could see multiple holes jetting out puffs of air as Gran Torino moved about. He began moving even faster, ricocheting around the room swifter than a bullet, even Yumi's Knight speed being unable to catch up to him.

Rias continued to glare at him, flanked by both Sona and Akeno, a bolt of lightning gathered at her fingertips should she need to use it.

He then finally stopped, placing himself directly before Izuku, staring up at him face to face as the teen looked at him with a sense of awe, Asia mimicking him as she stood beside him. "Like I said before, the name's Gran Torino. And why am I here? A certain muscle-brained oaf practically begged me to help you with your quirk."

Torino Sorahiko

Hero name:Gran Torino

Quirk:Jet

His quirk allows him to high-pressure air directly from the soles of his feet, allowing him to jet in any direction he chooses as swiftly as he likes.

His words were enough for everyone to stare at him in surprise, Koneko not even able to hide her surprise.

"You-you know All Might?" Izuku asked hesitantly. Given how the older man had shown himself capable of evading attacks from two rather strong Devils, he had felt slightly unnerved by him.

"Know him? Of course I do! Didn't he ever once mention me?" Silence was the only answer he received, leaving him only with a disappointed frown. "I see. He didn't then. Sounds like that little snot needs another lesson then. Though since we've only got ten days here, I'll have to find some other time to give him his refresher course," he began mumbling to himself.

One word that he had said though had caught the attention of everyone else in the room though.

Lesson.

Could that mean…?

"Excuse me sir?" Yumi began, breaking Gran Torino from his mumbling. "You said 'lesson', didn't you?"

"That I did. It's nice to see someone paying attention here, even if it's just to a word," he grumbled as he stroked at his short beard.

"Then, were you All Might's teacher?" She finally asked, speaking for everyone in the room at that point.

"Ha! You got it kid," he said with a grin. "I helped mold that little twerp into the man he is today, but do I get any thanks for it? Of course not."

The group stood in a stunned awe at the elderly man. He was really All Might's teacher? This man had helped shape the number one hero known throughout not only the human world, but even in the Devil realm. The Symbol Of Peace. The man known as the mightiest of humans, often speculated to be on par with the Four Satans.

And he was taught by this diminutive, frail looking, old man?

"Ten days really isn't a lot of time. So you brats had better get your stuff put away. I'm going back to the kitchen. My food seems like it suffered some kind of accident." He then waltzed out of the room with a grin on his face.

Rias watched him as he left, her eye twitching ever so slightly before catching Izuku moving to try and clean up the mess Gran Torino had left behind, before her mood began to sour even more.

---

It didn't take very long for everyone to get themselves situated at the manor before meeting up in the living room. Gran Torino had already arrived before them, chowing down on some food he had prepared while he waited, much to Rias' ire.

They were quickly able to get down to the reason he was here however.

"So, you were really All Might's teacher?" Sona asked, her eyebrow quirked ever so slightly.

"You kids have a problem with retaining information don't you?" He asked with a grin, beginning to chuckle as he saw her scowl at him in return. "But to say it again, I was. I helped that meathead learn how to use One For All way back when, and now he's gone and asked me to help put his student. He may be the number one hero, but it seems like he's got a lot to learn about being an actual teacher."

"So then, you know everything about One For All then?" Izuku asked before adopting a more concerned expression. "Even…what happened when I used it for the first time?"

Gran Torino's expression began to darken before taking a sip of tea to calm his nerves. "Definitely can't say I know everything about it now. After Toshinori told me about what happened, I was every bit as surprised as you probably were." Memories of days long since past flashed through his mind as his eyes began to glaze over, if only for an instant. All of a single person, and the wide smile on their face. "Still, we won't find out more about all that until we get you better at using the quirk. That's why I'm here."

He leveled his eyes back toward Izuku before giving a wild grin at him. "Like I said before, ten days isn't a lot of time, so we'll need to get started as soon as possible."

"Excuse me? Mr Torino?" Asia asked. He motioned for her to ask her question. "Just how did you get here so quickly? We saw All Might send out his letter last night."

"And we all decided on arriving here first thing in the morning." Yumi added.

The older hero grinned at them. "I don't do this often, but there are some perks to knowing the number one hero. I was able to get here in a matter of hours before speaking with him. Got to say though, I wasn't all that sure about all this. Teaching you just because you'd gotten yourself involved in one of these silly Rating Games? Once he told me who you were going up against though, I couldn't agree any faster."

"Hold on. You know Riser Phenex?" Koneko asked in surprise.

"When you've been around as long as I have, you end up running into a lot of Devils in some way or another. Ran into that stuck up prick a few years back, and I've hardly ever wanted to boot someone in the head more!" He barked out with a laugh.

Everyone stared at the man with no small amount of incredulity. It seemed so odd that this man had managed to run into Riser at any point, yet he apparently had.

Izuku however, stared at him with a large amount of awe. He wasn't sure about this man when he had first seen him, he doubted any of them really had, but to hear that All Might's teacher was familiar with the supernatural world made him more enthused than ever before. He could hardly wait to learn under him!

He was then startled by a brush against his mind, before the sound of a loud roar rang through his ears.

"Sorry, I just woke up. What did I miss?"

"Ddraig!?"

"Ddraig? You mean that Sacred thing you got?"

Gran Torino's question went ignored as Izuku began to explain what would be happening while they were there.

"Your teacher's teacher? That certainly sounds interesting." Ddraig then instructed Izuku to summon the Boosted Gear, the confused teen doing so before the Welsh Dragon's voice rang out once more. "I'll be looking forward to seeing what you can teach him about One For All that All Might could not."

The instant he heard Ddraig speak, Gran Torino seemed to jump in surprise, his eyes widening while his mouth hung open in shock. "Toshinori!?"

"Again? Why does everyone keep thinking that the two of us sound alike?"

"It was rather interesting for us to hear as well," Akeno said, stifling her laughter at the old man being surprised, a rather pleasant reversal from before. "Though you are correct. We don't have time to waste. Rias? Shall we let everyone know what they'll be doing for today?"

"Of course," she replied, keeping her voice as even as she could. "Yumi and Koneko have already spoken with me about how they wish to help each other improve, so they'll be going off together. Asia, Akeno wants to help you advance your skills in magic. Sona and I will go to try and boost my own abilities and…Izuku…"

Her pause grabbed everyone's attention, and when they moved to look toward the one she spoke of, they saw an odd look on his face. It looked as if we desperately wished to speak with her about something, but didn't dare to utter any words.

"...Izuku will go and train with Gran Torino for the day. Everyone's dismissed."

They all watched as she left without another word, one giving one last glance at Izuku, a look of guilt plastered on her face for a fraction of a second before she turned it away.

It was enough to make everyone concerned as well as curious as to why she was acting the way she was, with both Sona and Akeno narrowed their eyes as she exited out the front door.

"We better get going then kid," Gran Torino interrupted as he stood up. "You can show me what you've learned so far. Maybe even let me know a bit of what that fancy glove can do."

"Fancy glove!?"

"I have just one more question for you sir," Sona began, her eyes remaining narrowed at the older man's grin. "How were you able to get here before us? As a matter of fact, how did you even know we would be here at all?"

"Those were two questions kid. I'm supposed to be the old one here, how are you not keeping track?" His grin grew even wider as he saw her brow begin to twitch. "But if you really want to know, I was following you all the entire time. Once I saw this big old house here, I had a pretty good feeling that you were heading here, so I just blasted ahead to get here before you. Which reminds me, you should tell that Gremory girl to get some better locks."

"Those doors were locked with magic!"

"I know."

Seeing Sona begin to shake in pure frustration was enough to have Gran Torino let out another bark of laughter. Izuku laughed as well, but far more nervously, hoping that his trainer wouldn't end up getting killed before he could actually teach him anything.

Still, he couldn't stop himself from glancing at the door Rias had left through. It looked like getting a chance to speak with her would be more difficult than he thought.

---

Izuku took a breath as he stepped into the clearing, Gran Torino eyeing him as he stood on the other side.

"We haven't got all day you know!" Gran Torino shouted. "Ten days can pass you by in the blink of an eye, so we can't waste any of them!"

Izuku simply nodded his head as he began stretching his limbs. Gran Torino was right. They only had so much time for him to try and get a handle on One For All before the ten days were up. The two of them had already discussed how they'd be training today on the way over, with the older pro basically telling him that the two would spar as Izuku used One For All as little as possible, so as to try and avoid shattering his bones. It wasn't the best course of action, Gran Torino had already grumbled about that plenty, but they could only do so much with what they had.

"And even then, we still have no idea what mixing the power of the Boosted Gear into it would do to you," Ddraig said, breaking through his thoughts. "For all we know, using them simultaneously could end up breaking your body beyond any kind of repair."

"I know," Izuku replied, his eyes moving back to Gran Torino, who was starting to look more impatient. "We'll make do with what we have for now, then we'll find out if we can work with that later."

"Are you done talking to your dragon arm there newbie?" He could hear Gran Torino's bored voice ask. "If you're not ready now, then you won't ever be."

"He's rude, but he has a point."

He agreed with the dragon as he dropped into a fighting stance. While he had definitely had some experience with fighting already, he was still what some would consider a bit of a novice fighter. Throughout their training, both All Might and Rias had helped to teach him some of the basics, and they had helped him enough so far, but he had no clue how well they would work against someone as swift as Gran Torino.

He had tried his best to follow his movements before, but simply couldn't. Whatever his quirk was, it was clear that he had honed it to perfection.

So it was pretty clear that he would have to take it a bit slow for now, try and analyze his movements however he could, and then maybe be able to…

"Training begins now!"

"Wha-OOF!"

The sudden impact to his midsection was enough to send him flying back into a tree, smashing into it with nearly enough impact to shake it down to its roots.

"You weren't ready," Gran Torino said with a disappointed sigh.

"You know," he could hear Ddraig start to snicker as he picked himself up. "I think I'm starting to like him a little."

Izuku just let out a slightly annoyed groan as he stood back up, only to immediately see Gran Torino rocketing toward him again.

---

"Again."

Yumi watched as Koneko lunged for her again, dodging her with practiced ease before swinging her blade toward the smaller girl. She managed to dodge it before aiming a kick for Yumi's legs, one she managed to move away from before she could lose her footing.

It had been that way for the past two hours now as the two girls trained with each other. Both of them were already aware of what they needed to work on, Yumi needing to up her strength and stamina, and Koneko needing to work on her speed. Progress was slow, and Yumi had already started breathing a bit more heavily than before, but the two felt like they were getting better, even if only by a small amount.

They would just have to make sure that said small amount would be enough.

Before long though, the two stopped, needing to take a small rest before resuming their training. Koneko watched as Yumi drank one of the bottled waters they had brought with them, the taller blonde covered with a fair bit of sweat.

"Are you sure you're alright Yumi?"

Yumi finished her drink with a relieved sigh before turning her gaze to the smaller girl. While her face looked as stoic as ever, Yumi had known her long enough to know that she was concerned for her, even if what they were doing wasn't particularly life threatening, so she offered a small smile in return as she sat beside her, taking a moment to rest her weary muscles.

For all the advantages in speed her Knight piece had given her, it sadly did little else for her. In terms of strength alone, she knew that she was only really above Asia in terms of pure physical prowess, with Izuku having already left her behind on that front. And as glad she was to see him progressing so much, part of her wished that she could grow just as quickly. It almost seemed like Izuku, even with as hard as he clearly worked to earn his power, had a gift of some kind.

Koneko was in a similar boat. Her Rook piece had given her an incredible boost to her strength and stamina, not to mention her entire body being nigh impenetrable to most means, she herself couldn't hope to match the speed of either Yumi or Izuku. Both girls knew though, that they would need to work every bit as hard as he did.

And they had already thankfully. After the revelation of One For All and how he was striving to gain a power that could allow him to surpass someone like All Might, the two had decided to train with each other a bit more regularly, whenever they had the opportunity. It was clear to both of them that it had paid off already, because if they hadn't done so before this, then they would have begun tiring themselves out sooner.

"Koneko?"

Somewhat startled, the white-haired girl looked up to the taller blonde, who was giving her a questioning glance. She nodded at her to let her know she could ask whatever she needed to.

"I haven't really had a chance to talk with you about it yet, what you said at dinner to Mrs Midoriya the other night."

Koneko blinked confusedly, her eyes widening slightly.

Why was she bringing that up?

"I'm sorry, I know it probably sounds odd that I'm bringing it up now, but…I guess I'm still rather surprised," she admitted, her blue eyes locked onto Koneko's hazel orbs. "You just…never brought it up before. You seemed like you were more interested in being in General Studies."

The two simply sat there, their eyes locked on to one another as they contemplated whatever they should say next.

"I meant what I said before," Koneko finally answered, taking a light drink from her own water bottle. "Back when Izuku asked me. Watching him work so hard to fulfill his dream, and seeing how far he and Uraraka would go to save someone they barely knew."

She paused again, thinking on her words before locking eyes with Yumi once more. "I never understood why so many people wanted to be heroes. Outside of someone like All Might, it just seemed like they'd be throwing their lives away for people who'd never even care about them. Even now, I don't really get it. But, for some reason, seeing those two ready to risk everything, all for the sake of a single person, it started to make a bit of sense to me."

Yumi kept her face as blank as she could while Koneko spoke, her only show of emotion being a raised eyebrow as the smaller girl finished speaking.

"I know," Koneko sighed. "It doesn't really make that much sense…"

"Actually? I think I understand," a small, yet bright smile adorned Yumi's face as she spoke. "You've been inspired by their actions, haven't you?"

"Suppose I have."

"There's nothing wrong with that then," she finished with a hearty grin. "Still, I don't think I'll be changing my mind. I am a Knight at my King's side. That's enough for me right now."

She then hopped off the ground, a light spring in her step accompanying her as she began to stretch. Koneko followed her more leisurely, before a new question popped into her head.

"Yumi?"

"Hmm? What is it Koneko?"

"Rias. And Izuku. Something's up between them."

Yumi stopped moving as her face became downcast. It hadn't been hard to notice how…gloomy Rias had become. Especially whenever Izuku was around. In fact, both of them seemed to be acting rather odd around each other.

And she had no idea why.

"Yes. I think so."

"Should we try and talk with them?"

It seemed like such a simple answer. One that could be followed up on with ease. But it wouldn't be that easy. Yumi already knew that, and she suspected Koneko did as well.

Rias was rather tight-lipped about anything that may have been bothering her. It had taken months for Yumi to realize that the reason for Rias' previous gloominess was that Riser had ended up contacting her King. And not for any lack of trying to know, she had asked several times beforehand, but Rias was always quick to tell her that there was nothing to worry about.

And she suspected the same thing would happen if she was to ask her about this.

As for Izuku…

He likely would be less inclined to speak about this. Given that he'd had to work up a lot of nerve to bring them in the know about One For All, and that he had already been training for several months beforehand, it was very u likely for him to say anything.

"I think that, maybe…we should talk with Akeno and Sona first."

It seemed a more obvious solution to her. Both were far more likely to wrangle an answer from Rias' lips than they were.

"If you say so."

The two continued making their way back over to their practice area, before the image of how Yumi had looked when she asked her question popped into her mind.

"Yumi?"

"Yes?"

"Did you really want me to be in General Studies with you that much?"

At the question, Yumi stumbled ever so slightly, nearly causing herself to topple over before she was able to right herself. Koneko could hardly hold back her grin at that. She was also happy to have broken the tension, even if only by just a small amount. "Was it really that obvious?" She rubbed the back of her head with a light red hazing on her cheeks.

"I'll miss you too, but it's not like we wouldn't see each other again." The smile on Koneko's face was small, but gleamed brightly as she spoke to Yumi. "We'll still have our duties to fulfill after all."

"You're right." The two made their way back to their practice area, just about ready to begin anew. "Speaking of Izuku though, I do hope his training is going well." A blade began to manifest in her hand as she spoke, the Knight twirling it in her hand before assuming a stance long since practiced to perfection.

"If that old man really did train All Might, then he should be able to help him with One For All." The white-haired Rook dropped into her own stance, her fists raised in anticipation. "Can I admit something else though?"

"Certainly."

"It was…a bit more than just him going to save Asia." The admission came as a surprise to Yumi, almost dropping her from her stance. "I only really started giving it a lot of thought after he told us about One For All."

One For All.

In truth, Yumi was still astonished to know that there was a quirk that powerful in existence. Building up power from person to person, and Izuku being the latest in a long line to receive it? If she hadn't seen All Might himself demonstrate just what he could do with it, she would never have believed it.

"I'm honestly still amazed that he decided to let us know about it," Yumi admitted. She had thought deeply about it before. A power like One For All, if it were to become known to the world, could easily become one of the most fought over abilities in existence, outside of any Sacred Gear. "I didn't think he trusted us that much."

"Neither did I."

Deep within themselves however, a part of both of them felt a small amount of guilt. Izuku had trusted them with more than he ever truly needed to give. Not even just with One For All, but he had even invited them into his home, and even introduced them to his mother.

He had opened himself up to them so much.

And yet, there were still things they hid from him.

It was a fleeting feeling, one that passed as quickly as it came, but one that had already taken root.

Maybe one day, they would be able to talk about their own pasts to him.

One day.

"Are you ready Koneko?" Yumi's voice rang loud through the clearing, the tiniest of smirks on her face as she readied herself once more. Koneko found herself giving one in return, before the two rushed each other in a flurry of blows.

There was still much to do in these ten days, and they would make sure they didn't waste a second.

---

"Remember to visualize it gathering all around your body, let it flow around you like a gentle wave. Concentrate your thoughts on it before bringing it to a single point."

Asia sat before Akeno, doing as she said and visualizing the magic around her. While this certainly hadn't been the first time Asia had been taught the basics of magic, she still listened intently to every word Akeno uttered.

The two hadn't been at this for very long yet, only truly beginning mere minutes ago after they arrived in the small clearing. Asia was at first amazed by the nature around her. Having spent most of her life in the Vatican and a city, the small specks of nature that peeked through every so often seemed like a rarity outside of designated spots.

Here though? It was all around her. From the luscious trees that surged upwards to the sky, to the gentle stream less than a meter away from them. It was almost blissful to her, and, if she could, she would gladly spend the day hiking through the forest, just seeing whatever it had to show her.

Not even the Forest of Familiars had left her with such a feeling. That one seemed to be blanketed in shadows and the growls of ferocious beasts. Not to mention that horrid Slime creature.

In comparison, this forest seemed almost like Eden.

But she ignored it all. She had a goal she needed to strive toward, and she couldn't allow herself to be distracted by this, no matter how tempting it may be.

Before long, within seconds really, a mass of pale-green energy began to emerge from her palm. It steadily began to grow, before reaching the size of a melon.

"I-I did it!" She could hardly believe that she held something like this in her hands, cheering excitedly while Akeno smiled. She had yet to have any actual opportunity before to try and actually use magic, wanting to try and keep up with Izuku's own training, but now? She wished that she had focused on it sooner.

"My my, it seems like our cute little Asia is a natural at this," Akeno praised, pride clear in her voice as Asia's cheeks gained a red hue. She'd had a feeling that Asia would be rather adept at magic, and it would only be enhanced as a Bishop, but to see her get the hang of the basics so quickly was both astonishing and impressive.

'I wonder. Given how often She's used her Sacred Gear, could it have gotten her used to how magic feels? Even subconsciously?'

"Now, why don't we try turning that energy into an elemental force?" To demonstrate, Akeno opened a bottle of water, then, making sure that Asia was paying attention, poured her own magic power into it. "Naturally, the main elements that tend to be used are fire, water, wind, and lightning. There are some who are even able to imbue their magic into the earth itself. For now though, I think you should start off with something simpler. Like water."

As she finished, her magic took hold of the water within the bottle, shifting into a small but sharp spear that tore the bottle wide open, leaving Asia in awe at the sight.

"Whenever you use your magic, you need to visualize exactly what it is you intend to do with it. There are only two real limits to how you can use your magic, with the first simply being your imagination." As she explained further, she shaped the water into something else entirely, from a spear to a cube, then to a sphere, before finally settling on a pyramid. "The other one however, is something you need to keep in mind. While your magical power can be great, you can still only use so much before it begins to exhaust you. And should you use too much of it, your body will start becoming the fuel for your magic, which could have rather nasty results."

Asia quickly became fearful of the very idea, something Akeno was quick to notice before leaning down to meet her. "But that's something you shouldn't have to worry about for a long while. You have a good head on your shoulders Asia, so I'm sure that you'll know when you would need to stop." She offered the girl a smile, one that she returned, though not without a small amount of hesitation. Akeno then reached over to another bottle of water before presenting it to Asia.

"Now, I want you to try it. You don't have to do it exactly as I did of course, and remember visualization is key."

Bottle now in hand, Asia began to visualize what she had seen Akeno do before. She needed to shape the water, find a way to free it from the bottle. She concentrated harder, wondering if she could take the water out through the cap without moving it.

"I'm not sure if this would help," Akeno began to add, holding back a chuckle at how adorable she found Asia's concentrating face to look. "You could form an image in your mind that's familiar, something that's always in your thoughts."

Always in her thoughts?

There were several things that she could think of that occupied her mind almost all the time. Parts of her old life, even if not always pleasant, still held a bit of comfort for her. The years she spent studying and memorizing every piece of holy scripture she could get her hands on. The life she had now, including a mother that she had always longed for.

And…

"My my," Akeno's voice echoes through her mind, causing her eyes to open. She could see a wide smile on her face as she stared down into her hands. When she moved her eyes downward, she could tell why in a heartbeat.

She had accidentally shaped the water into looking like Izuku.

She let out a loud "EEP!" before flinging the bottle out of her hands, which ended up being deftly caught by Akeno, who looked to be struggling to hold back her laughter.

"I see. Our adorable little Deku is something you think about quite often," she said as she approached the currently mortified girl. "He must really mean a lot to you then. Though, I suppose it's no real surprise."

"I…I can't help it," she bashfully admitted, her cheeks aflame as Akeno continued to grin at her. "He-he and Ochako were the first real friends I ever had."

"And because of them, now you have even more. There's no reason to be ashamed about liking him so much that he's on your mind all the time though," she finished with a wink.

"I-I…!" Asia continued to stutter. Why did Akeno have to bring this up right now?

"Deku's a good person. I've not had the chance to speak with him as often as you or Rias have, but it's pretty clear to see." She sat directly next to Asia as she continued to speak, the closeness of the older girl bringing a strange form of comfort to Asia. Enough for her blush to start receding, even if only slightly. "I was rooting for him the whole time he was rescuing you. He showed such passion in his mission that it was hard not to. And seeing him fight against that Fallen Angel the way he did, it was a sight to behold. Seeing him beat her, and put her in her place, it was enough to make my own heart flutter. I can't wait to see what he'll be like once he's gotten stronger!"

And with that, Asia's blush returned, even becoming fiercer as she heard her Queen let out a rather perverse sounding giggle. It was enough to make her start fidgeting in place.

"Oh? Is something wrong Asia?"

She jumped slightly at Akeno's question, turning to see her looking at her with a small amount of concern, but still with a smile, even if it was softer than ones she had seen before.

"Are you afraid that I would try to take him away from you?"

"Huh!? N-n-n-n-no! No! I wouldn't! I m-mean…Izuku's not mine! I-I-I…!"

"Asia." Akeno's tone was gentler now, as she laid a comforting hand on Asia's shoulder. "It's alright. I'm only teasing you."

"I…I just…" she said as she began to take deep breaths. She didn't want to admit anything, not right now. But… "I just don't want to lose him."

"Go on."

"I…I like him. He means a lot to me. Ever since I first met him, he's been helping me. He almost got killed trying to save my life. I…I want to stay with him forever. And I want him to stay with me." She felt herself become frustrated as she spoke. She was being greedy, coveting another person the way she did. It went against what she had been raised to believe, but so had the existence she now led. "I just…is it wrong?"

"Yes. And no."

Akeno's rather blunt response had Asia looking at her in a stunned silence. "You can't always keep someone around forever. Sometimes, people have to go away, and they don't always come back." There was a degree of sadness in her voice, one she'd never heard from Akeno before. "But, that doesn't mean that wanting them close to you is a bad thing. And given everything you've gone through, it's hardly surprising that you would want him to be by your side as much as possible. Especially with how much you like him. And I can't deny, I kind of like him as well."

Asia continued to stare at Akeno in surprise as she spoke, with the taller girl holding back a giggle at the sight of her.

'She looks so adorable like that.' "Many of the reasons you like him resonate with me as well, and I won't lie. He is rather cute," she admitted, a strange tightness wrapping itself around Asia's heart. "And the intense look that can take over his face when he wants to learn something, it's hard to say no to him when he gets like that," she finished with a small sigh.

That strange tightness began constricting her heart even more now. She could even feel her hands beginning to tug at the light green tracksuit she wore. She'd felt it before, back when she had seen Rias praise Izuku after he had saved her. She knew what it was, she had felt it before when she saw other children running past the church she'd spent most of her life in.

She was jealous.

Hearing Akeno speak of Izuku that way, it was enough to make her want to make sure he stayed with her even more.

And that only frustrated her even more.

It only made her feel worse.

"...but he's spent much more time with you anyway, so it's natural for you to want him more."

Huh?

"Hm? Were you lost in thought again Asia?" Her smile began widening into a teasing grin that had already become all too familiar to her. "It seems like our little Deku is starting to rub off on you." She let out another giggle, which sounded equally as perverse as before, though Asia didn't understand what it was she found funny. "If you're curious, I was talking about how you've never seemed to mind when Deku's spent time with any of us before, or even Uraraka for that matter now that I think about it. Though I still wish we could all get some…alone time with him," she added, her smirk becoming every bit as lecherous as her giggle. "It would make sense if he liked you back, even if he doesn't know it yet."

Asia couldn't help but pause. Despite the red coating her cheeks, she couldn't help but focus on something that Akeno had said. Did she really mind when Izuku spent time with the others, even if it wasn't even that much time?

She thought back to many of the meetings they'd had before being sent off to fulfill their summons, and how often she would see Izuku casually speaking with the others, brief however it may have been. She could recall how his face would turn red just from talking to any of them, including her, but as time passed, that red coating had started to vanish. Now, unless either Akeno or Rias decided to tease him, he rarely ever blushed in their presence. And even if he didn't speak much to anyone, he seemed comfortable around each of them.

Her thoughts then turned to Ochako, her other friend who had risked it all to try and save her. Since Asia had joined the ranks of the Devils, there had been multiple occasions where the three of them would meet up, mostly just to hang out. Whenever they did so, she could tell that Izuku would talk far more frequently with her, especially since the two of them had more similar interests. And neither of them would hesitate to bring her into their conversations, no matter how lost she had felt in their hero talks.

And through it all, it amazed her that she didn't mind at all.

The only real times she had felt this jealousy was whenever Akeno or Rias would tease him, and she was certain now as to why. It felt like they would take him away from her. Like they would seduce him into their clutches like the stories she had been told all her life.

And yet, he had always stood by her side, ever since he had accepted her into his home.

Maybe…maybe it really didn't matter if he was around the others.

"You look like you just found something out Asia." She heard Akeno say with a grin. She couldn't help but smile back at her. Akeno was her friend just as much as Izuku was. She could deal with the teasing.

The two shared an unspoken conversation before Akeno handed her another water bottle, ready for her to try again. Though as Asia began concentrating her power, something else came to mind.

Rias.

Rias…hadn't been herself for some time now that she thought about it. After everything that had happened yesterday, she thought that it was simply because of that Riser person. But there seemed to be something more, and she was sure it had something to do with Izuku.

She hadn't joined Akeno in teasing him for some time now, and while at first she was thankful for it, her newfound realization made her notice even more than before. And there was something else, something she had noticed the other night. Rias had seemed…fidgety around Izuku. She would barely even look him in the eye at all, and barely once spoke to him. Even today, she had hardly said a word to him, and seemed to look sad whenever she looked his way.

"Akeno?"

"Yes?"

"Do you…do you think something happened between Izuku and Rias?"

Her question seemed to have put Akeno into a deep thought, no doubt connecting everything that she had. In less than a second, she could see her grin morph into a frown. "I'm not sure. Ever since she informed me of Riser's arrival, there's been something off about her behavior. I had it put down with her being in a dour mood thanks to him, but even now she seems like she's in pain. I've asked her about it already, both last night and this morning, but she's done everything she can to avoid the question."

Akeno then let out a frustrated sigh. She wished that she could break through Rias' guard and just get to the point of the matter, but the other girl just wouldn't let up. She had seen it before, back when she had first learned about her King's engagement to the Phenex prince, with how little she wished to discuss it, but this went further beyond that.

'Could it really have something to do with Deku?'

"If anything," she said aloud, catching Asia's eye. "Sona may be able to get her to talk. If not though, I'll gather the rest of the peerage to get her to talk," she swore, sending a determined smile Asia's way. She returned it in kind, before returning to her training, doing her best to brush aside her concerns.

---

Ever since their little meeting with Riser the night before, both Sona and Rias had discussed everything that they could try and do to prepare for the upcoming game. There had been multiple ideas tossed out naturally, but the entire time, it was abundantly clear to Sona that Rias' mind was elsewhere, her thoughts often clouded before she began paying attention again.

Together, they had put together a few ideas. Physical training was not deemed as overly necessary at this point, as her strengths mainly lied in her powers of Destruction. As such, the two had agreed that those powers should be honed as much as possible during their preparation.

Not to say that Sona couldn't help lightly teasing her friend with the suggestion of more physical training, but Rias' lack of any kind of response she would expect had begun to worry her.

And it was a worry that plagued her mind even now, hours after they had begun. Ever since parting from the rest of the peerage, they had tried compressing Rias' Destruction energy down to smaller blasts, hoping to get her to use less energy when she fires, but still delivering the output she would need. There were also times when Sona would surprise her by aiming her own powers at her while she trained, hoping she could help her friend to move while shooting, as opposed to standing around as she charged her magic.

But even now, as Rias began firing slightly smaller blasts at the targets Sona had set up, something was clearly wrong. The entire time, Sona could see that she looked distracted, nearly being hit by her own power several times before reacting properly. Even when doing simple target practice, her heart and mind never seemed to be solely focused on it, wandering away to whatever she was truly focusing on. She even looked tired, far more tired than she should be, even after all of the training they had done up to this point.

And Sona was fairly certain that it had something to do with her Pawn.

She had not known Midoriya Izuku for very long, though she figured she knew enough about him by now to guess that if he had done something wrong to Rias, than he would have apologized for it straight away, the girl likely ready to tease him in response until his face was as red as her hair. But with this? Something was clearly wrong, and Sona was beginning to fear that Rias was blaming herself for it.

"Why don't we take a break?"

She could tell that Rias looked relieved at the suggestion. Devils did have their limits after all, even if it took longer to reach than humans. The two sat down on a nearby bench, having been installed long ago to simply appreciate the nature around them. As Sona watched her friend guzzle down a bottle of water, she noticed something that had escaped her before. She had been able to hide it thanks to a brief shower before they began, but she could tell that Rias hadn't slept the night before, the bags under her eyes more pronounced than they were previously. They lacked every bit of life that she had once known her for.

"Rias. If there's something bothering you, would you tell me?"

She knew that if she didn't do something now, then this would only get worse.

She watched as Rias splattered, nearly spitting out the water that she'd been drinking as she looked at her friend in surprise. She could see, brief as it was, a sparkle of life enter Rias' eyes momentarily, before they were snuffed out as they began to shift.

"Of course I would. Do…do you believe that something's bothering me?"

Sona had her now, and it was clear that Rias knew it. The two had known each other for pretty much their entire lives by now, to the point where their own parents would jokingly refer to them as sisters-in-all-but-blood(which sometimes didn't fit right with her actual sister). Though Rias had gotten better at hiding it from her, thanks to how many games of chess they had played together, Sona had always been able to catch Rias in a lie. Though where before she would have gone along with it, the two having gotten into trouble several times in their younger days because of that, she couldn't let it slide here.

"It's rather obvious," she said plainly, her eyes narrowing as she saw Rias try and avert her own away from her. "I thought that it was simply because of Riser showing up, but there's something else. Something that's been eating away at you. And don't think that I'm the only one who's noticed," she said, her voice becoming terse as she grabbed at Rias' arm, the other girl trying to move away. "You can't hide it from them for much longer. So I'm asking you, as your friend. Please, tell me what's wrong."

Silence.

Neither girl spoke as the seconds ticked along.

Soma could see Rias' lips twitch as it looked like she would try and speak before they stilled.

Her concern grew to worry as she saw tears beginning to gather at Rias' eyes, the other girl turning her head away to try and hide them.

And then finally, she spoke.

"I…I can't."

"Rias."

"I can't."

"Rias!"

"I can't!"

"RIAS!"

"I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT! I CAN'T STOP THINKING ABOUT WHAT I DID! HOW I COULD'VE DONE IT DIFFERENTLY! I CAN'T TAKE IT BACK! I CAN NEVER TAKE BACK WHAT I DID TO HIM OKAY! ARE YOU HAPPY!?"

She was right.

It was something that Rias did.

And by all accounts, it seemed like Midoriya was involved.

She let go of her arm, seeing her friend's shoulders shaking as the sounds of her crying became clear. She set her hands to each one as she stood up, moving to face Rias once more.

"Rias. You need to tell me. What happened?"

Rias paused again.

One second.

Two seconds.

And the dam finally burst.

Sona listened on as Rias told her about what had happened the night before. How everybody had gathered to dine at Midoriya's home. How she had later teleported herself in Midoriya's room. And finally, the thing that had gnawed at her for these past few days.

"I shouldn't have," she continued to cry, her face burning a brighter red the more her tears flowed. "I was so desperate for a way out. I wasn't thinking. He-he tried to stop me Sona. But I wouldn't listen. I…I…I ordered him to just let me do it."

Her eyes had widened the more she listened to her. Everything she heard, every last word fluttered into her ears as her mind processed it all. Even then, she could hardly believe what she was hearing.

"Rias."

"Sona, I…I tried to rape him! If I didn't…if I didn't hear myself then, I would have! I would have ignored his cries, his tears! I can't even think of him anymore without feeling this shame! I've gone against everything my family has stood for for generations! I treated a member of my peerage as if he were property!"

Soma continued to listen, never moving from her spot the entire time. Rias wouldn't stop talking now. And she knew that she couldn't stop. It had only been for less than two days, but she had been keeping this bottled up for far too long.

"And that's not even the worst of it." Her voice was softer now, barely choked out among the sobs, her guilt clear in her voice. "I made a promise. To his mother and to him. I told her that I would take care of him, and I told him that I would never make him do something he didn't want. I can't…I can't stop thinking about what I could have done. What I should have done. But I can't take it back. I can't take it back…"

She could see her begin to shiver as her breaths came out in rapid gasps as she began to hyperventilate.

Instinctively, Sona had wrapped her arms around her, resting her hands on both her back as well as her head as she began to try and calm her. At some point in time, Rias responded in kind, her arms shaking in frustration and grief as the two held each other close.

Through it all, her own mind was racing. She never would have expected it to be something like this. She never once would have thought that Rias would do anything like that.

But she did.

And now she just couldn't stop beating herself up over it.

The two sat together, time slipping by as Rias' sobs began to slow. After some time, they finally began to cease. As the two released each other from their respective grips, Sona finally got a good look at Rias' face, having barely seen it since she began to speak.

Tear marks streaked down her face from tired eyes, ones that looked worse off than before. She had begun biting at her lip, tiny pieces of it missing to the point where they looked chapped.

And yet, there was a sense of relief she got from her. Like a weight, even a small one had been lifted from her.

But, now what?

What could she do?

What could either of them do?

"Rias." Sona's mouth moved faster than her mind for once, an instinct long since honed to try and help her friend however she could. "I promise to spare you any kind of lecture."

There was nothing she could say after all. Rias had clearly already given every speech that she could think of to herself.

"But still, we need to do something about this. And I think…" She hesitated. She knew what she was about to say next. Knew that it was precisely what needed to happen. And judging from the downcast look on her face, Rias knew it too. "...I think that you and Izuku need to speak with one another about this. All of this."

Rias froze, a shiver running through her body as a look of fear took hold in her eyes.

"I…I know. But…but whenever I think about talking with him, I can't stop thinking about the other night. And that he…he…"

He may hate her.

It was a thought that had plagued her mind ever since she had left with Grayfia. How, deep down, Izuku would hate her. Never want to be near her again. That he could never, would never trust her.

The very idea made her feel ill.

She had gotten to know him for months. Had spoken with him on multiple occasions with a smile on her face. Had taken the time to try and help him to achieve his goals. Taught him about this world she had brought him into.

And he had done the same with her. Even trusting her enough to share a secret so guarded, that even All Might, a man she admired almost as much as any other, felt should be held close.

Whenever she was around him, she felt happy.

And she had betrayed every single part of that.

"You can't avoid it forever." She could hear Sona's voice, muffled as she tried to block everything out in that moment. "And it has to be soon. If you don't then…then I can't see you two ever truly doing so. And then, I think he might start to hate you."

She could feel it. The tears building themselves back up. Her breaths were coming out in gasps again. Her heart hammering faster and faster as she tried to fill her lungs with air.

Only to be silenced by Sona's hand at her face.

The contact was enough to grab her attention, looking up to see Sona staring at her with concern.

She had no idea how her friend felt at that moment, but it didn't seem good. If Sona hated her too then…she couldn't bear the idea.

"This needs to happen. I won't take no for an answer. Not about this. You either need to talk with him soon, or I will find a way to lock you two in a room together to make you talk."

An ultimatum.

She knew that Sona meant every word she said.

"I can't guarantee anything, but…I don't think Midoriya truly hates you. He still volunteered to help you. He was willing to stand up to Riser on your behalf. So, maybe, if you two just talk things out, he may just forgive you."

Rias had no idea how long she spent sitting on the bench before the two would get back to training, but there was an uneasy air between the two, neither really giving it much effort for the remainder of the day.

The entire time, she thought about what Sona said. That Izuku might not truly hate her, and would likely even forgive her.

And that terrified her more than anything.

---

The hours passed by, both slowly and swiftly as everyone's training continued. Before many of them knew it, the sun had already begun to set, the bitter cold winter air biting at them harder now while the rays of sunlight continued to dim.

As they had all agreed on earlier, everyone had reconvened by the entrance of the vacation home. Rias and Sona had been the first to arrive, both looking rather tired, Rias more so than Sona. Asia and Akeno were the next to arrive, both looking far less haggard in appearance, though exhaustion was clear on Asia's face. Koneko and Yumi were quick to follow, both with more obvious scuffs and bruises, and even some cuts on Koneko's clothes, though with a sense of serenity emanating from the two that just let everyone know that the two had managed to enjoy themselves.

And so, they waited for the other two to arrive.

A minute passed.

Then five.

Then twenty.

And by the time the thirty minute mark passed, everyone had begun to grow concerned.

"Do you think Izuku's alright?" Asia could feel her heartbeat begin to clench at the thought of him being hurt. The night sky cast its shadows over her face as it became downturned.

"I highly doubt that Gran Torino would intentionally harm him to such extremes," Sona said, trying to ease Asia's worries. Still, she couldn't help but wonder to herself just what could have been taking those two so long.

"Should we go and look for them Rias?" Akeno's question broke through to her King, who had stood staring at the trees the entire time they waited, worry clear on her face.

"I…it wouldn't hurt I suppose." The hesitation in her voice was clear to everyone, and it did nothing to lessen the concern they had been feeling.

"They can't have gone too far," Yumi said, having taken some time to rest ever since arriving. She felt more energized than she had when she arrived, and was ready to move through the surrounding forests as quickly as she could. "We should probably split up to cover more ground."

As she moved toward the forest however, she felt a small hand grip onto her arm, Koneko looking in the opposite direction she was about to head toward. She could see the smaller girl's nose twitching as her face took on a softer look, a relieved smile just barely visible clear to see.

"They're over there."

Each girl turned their gaze toward the direction Koneko had pointed out, finally seeing the people they had been waiting for.

First was Gran Torino, hobbling forward on his cane with a merry tune on his lips.

Following him was Izuku, covered in scratches and bruises, looking completely exhausted.

"Izuku!" Asia's scream seemed to catch his attention, as he had seemed not to have noticed any of them beforehand. She quickly went to work fretting over him, asking him if he was okay all while using her Sacred Gear to try and heal him.

"That certainly took some time." Sona pointed out with a small sigh of relief.

"What could have taken the two of you so long?" Akeno questioned.

"We…kinda lost track of time," Izuku admitted bashfully, a light dusting of red on his face as Asia's power swept over him.

"Does that mean you were able to make progress?" Yumi asked.

"Not really."

"Kid's got a good head on his shoulders, but he's having a bit of trouble adjusting to One For All's power. He's able to use it, but controlling it seems to be another story."

Gran Torino's words had Izuku think back to their training earlier. Far too often, he had barely been able to think before the older hero would go on the attack, causing him to end up face first in the dirt too much for his liking. No matter how hard he would try, he was rarely able to keep up with Gran, and whenever he thought he had, he would get tossed around shortly afterward.

Ddraig had spoken up several times during the session, telling him to try and stop thinking so hard about his opponent's movements, that he was taking too long to do so.

"No opponent with any sense would give you enough time to try it," were his exact words.

It turned out to be easier said than done.

And even then, he had hardly been able to touch Gran, the feeling of One For All flowing through his body was still unfamiliar to him. He had gotten some time to try and adjust to it already thanks to All Might, but it was merely enough for him not to end up breaking himself.

He remembered bringing it up to All Might before, how the feeling of One For All felt similar to an egg ready to explode in a microwave, which he seemed to find amusing. Regardless, he had rolled with the analogy, telling him to try and keep the egg from exploding as much as he could. Be it by reducing the power he would wield, or by summoning the power as slowly as possible so that the egg would not explode.

Like many things, it sounded good in theory, but was much more difficult in practice, especially with the sheer power held within the quirk.

Gran Torino had seemed to find the analogy just as amusing when he explained it to him.

So it would continue like that for hours, as Izuku would try and tap into One For All and use it effectively, only to get knocked around by Gran Torino with little effort.

He was beginning to understand why All Might seemed so scared of him.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be able to get it down," Yumi said assuredly, sending a smile Izuku's way.

"As am I," Akeno said, giving a similar smile before speaking once more. "I was hoping we would be able to have dinner first, but seeing how tired you are Deku, perhaps we should get ourselves cleaned up first? There's a wonderful hot spring nearby, so why don't we all go there before we get started on dinner?"

Izuku's eyes widened as he heard her. Did she really say what he thought she said?

A hot spring? An open-air bath?

He was going to be close to all of them!? While they were…!? And he would be…!? Was she actually serious!?

"A bath does sound nice," Sona said as she stretched her arms above her head. "I do believe that we've all earned it after today, don't you think so Rias?"

Her question seemed to catch Rias off guard before she responded with a nod. It went unnoticed by most everyone there, their excitement for a relaxing dip in the hot spring taking all of their attention.

Save for two. Both Sona, and Akeno.

'Something seems wrong," she thought to herself. She was planning on speaking with Rias sometime tonight, just as she had promised Asia, but her King seemed to be far more fidgety than ever before. She looked to be even more exhausted than Izuku was, and her eyes had a tinting of red to them, almost too miniscule to see. Had something happened between her and Sona? Her question did seem to strike some kind of chord within Rias. She made sure to keep up her smile, but couldn't help but narrow her eyes.

"I'll sit this one out," Gran said as he began walking back toward the manor. "I don't like sharing hot springs with a bunch of brats. I'll do it later. Think I'll make myself something to eat first."

The group watched as he continued moving, the smaller man eventually fading from sight as he disappeared into the trees.

"We'll, we can still go. In fact, why don't we all bathe together? You wouldn't mind, would you Deku?"

Her question had been enough to grab everyone's attention, Izuku's most of all. His mouth had dropped so low it almost seemed like it might sink down to the ground, his face every bit as crimson as Rias' hair, perhaps even more so.

"M-me? I? B-bathe? You? We !? All!?"

She couldn't resist a chuckle at his stuttering. His reactions were just far too cute. "Well of course. I could even wash your back for you if you like?"

She held back another chuckle as his stammering began to increase, the boy now holding his head in his hands as he seemed to try to convince himself that this was real.

"I do believe this is something everyone should agree on," Sona interrupted, her eyebrow quirked in Akeno's direction.

"I suppose you're right. So we'll start with you then Sona. Are you fine with Deku bathing with us?"

Sona stopped to think about it momentarily, before reaching her decision with a small nod. "I don't see any real harm in it I suppose. Midoriya doesn't seem like the kind of man to do anything I would disapprove of."

Izuku felt his mind spiraling even more as he heard her speak. She was fine with this!?

"How about you Asia? I'm sure you wouldn't mind bathing with him again."

Asia fell silent, her face turning a fierce red that rivaled Izuku's. Her gaze moved toward the floor, but before long, she answered with a sheepish nod.

"Looks like we have three votes for yes," Akeno said, her grin beginning to grow. "Yumi? How about you?"

"Izuku? Bathing with us?" Yumi' face had taken on a surprising red hue of her own, one Izuku hadn't seen since the Forest and…

He did not need to think about that right now while they were deciding on whether or not he should bathe with them!

And he still couldn't believe that they were even doing this in the first place!

"I…well…I suppose it would be fine," she answered, much to his surprise. "I've read before that bathing together could help people become even closer, and…I wouldn't mind that."

'HER TOO!?' He screamed inwardly, thinking back to his encounter with Asia in the bath…

HE DID NOT NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT THAT TOO!

"Very well then. Koneko?"

Izuku didn't even want to look at her. He remembered her reaction to the Slime incident. How harshly she stared at him after he had fainted upon seeing their bodies like that. Surely she would deny it all right? If anyone would say no, it would definitely be her!

"Fine, whatever."

'SERIOUSLY!?'

"Oh? I would have expected you to say no."

"Sona's right. Izuku wouldn't do anything inappropriate." He peeked his eyes through his fingers, daring them to look toward Koneko, who met his eyes with her own, her usual stoicness mixed with a bit of malice. "And if he did, I'd make him regret it."

'SCARY!'

"Sounds like we have five votes for yes then." Akeno simply couldn't hold back her grin anymore. Fun as he was to tease, she truly did not mind at all if he were to bathe with them all. It wasn't like he hadn't seen most of them in the buff before, and they likewise had quite an eyeful of him. And even if they hadn't, she would have done so anyway. As she told Asia earlier, she had grown rather attached to him, even if they hadn't gotten to know each other as well as she would have liked.

And besides, as Yumi said, this could be a chance for him to get to know them all a bit better.

"That just leaves you Rias. What do you say?"

"..."

Was she…?

"..."

She was.

Akeno would never have thought that Rias would hesitate to invite Izuku into something like this. She had noticed how close the two had gotten over the past several months, and she was just as fond of teasing him as Aleno herself. Even despite her withdrawing into herself for some time, she should not be this hesitant to say yes.

She was certain now. Something had definitely happened between the two of them.

Her gaze briefly moved to Izuku, who seemed to be more dour than embarrassed this time. He was able to hide it a little with his face behind his hands, but the way his body was hunched over and frozen, it was clear that whatever happened had affected them both.

"...no. I'm sorry Izuku."

Her response was surprising to the rest of the group save for Akeno, Sona, and Izuku. Similar thoughts that raced through Akeno's mind began marching through their own. Before any of them could question her about it, she had already turned toward the hot spring, marching through as stiff as possible, missing not only the looks of concern from the majority of her peerage, bit also the narrowed eyes of Akeno and Sona.

---

"This feels nice," Yumi said with a contented sigh as she sank her body into the water.

The hot springs weren't very far from where they all let up, and less than a kilometer away from the Gremory Manor. It hadn't taken long for them all to arrive and split off toward the separate sides of the bath, the large dividing wall separating them from view.

"It certainly does," Akeno responded, not too far from where her King sat. She had hoped to be able to speak with her before they went into the spring, but as had become too long now, she was barely able to get a word out of her the entire time. It was enough for her to want to scream in frustration.

And it was clear from the way everyone was looking towards her that she wasn't alone. Despite Yumi trying to act like everything was normal, there was an air of discomfort surrounding them. No matter how much they had tried to enjoy their bath, no one could get Rias out of their minds.

Everything was coming to a breaking point.

"Rias?"

And now it would all come crashing down.

Rias turned her tired eyes to Asia, staring at the younger girl with an almost empty expression. It was enough to make her take in a light gasp of shock, but she couldn't stop now.

"Rias. Something's wrong. And it…it has something to do with Izuku, doesn't it?"

Silence.

The entire spring had come to a complete and utter standstill as she waited for Rias to answer. Not even the sounds of running water could break through it all as everyone held their breath in anticipation.

Meanwhile, Rias continued to stare at Asia, her expression somehow becoming even more empty the longer the two gazed at each other.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Rias spoke.

"There's…there's nothing wro-"

"Rias. That's enough."

Everyone turned in surprise to see Akeno standing up, her arms crossed over her chest as she looked at Rias with a determined glare. "This has gone on for long enough. You may have kept us in the dark about Riser, but I refuse to let you hide this as well. And if you're truly so stubborn that you'd prefer to keep it to yourself, then I'll respond in kind. I won't stop asking until you just tell us all what's wrong."

Rias flinched before turning her head away from her Queen, drawing into herself further as her head went downcast.

"Rias. We want to help you."

"Just tell us."

The pleas from Yumi and Koneko were enough to get her to start shaking, the water around her beginning to ripple as she did so

"Rias please!" Asia began to plead, standing up beside Akeno with a look of pure worry on her face. "We want to help you! I'm sure you'll feel better if you just get this off your chest! So please!"

Her shaking continued, even becoming more obvious as the ripples grew more violent around her. Her mind was fogged by a miasma of her own doubts as she heard her peerage continue to plead with her. She knew that they would not stop until she cracked, but she didn't know just how they would look at her once she told them the truth.

The thought of them hating her hurt just as much as the idea of Izuki doing the same.

"Rias."

Sona's voice was enough to break through not only to her, but to the entirety of Rias' peerage. Rias raised her head ever so slightly to look her oldest friend in the eye.

She looked at her as impassively as she could, though sympathy was clearly written across her. Rias could tell what she was about to say before she would say it.

"Just tell them. You can't hold this back anymore, or it's going to destroy you."

She winced as her face turned downward again, the questions now being tossed Sona's way all but unheard as the guilt crawled ever further up her chest. She didn't want to say it at all. She couldn't bear it. They would hate her for this.

They would never be able to trust her again. She already knew it.

But…

As much as she didn't want to say anything, she could barely hold herself back any longer.

"Sona?"

"Yes Rias?"

"I…I don't want Izuku to hear this."

Sona closed her eyes in irritation, but gave her a nod. "I understand." An arcane circle flashed across her hand for an instant, and a soundproof barrier was placed against the wall separating each side.

As soon as it went up, Rias' dam burst open once again.

And she told them everything.

They listened to every word she said, knowing that their attention would be placed on each one. She had tried everything in her power to keep her voice as even as possible, but she couldn't hold back how she felt about her actions now anymore than when she had told them to Sona earlier.

Her head had remained downcast the entire time, so she couldn't see their reactions. If she did, she would see their faces slowly turning pale with horror.

Asia especially listened in a frightened shock. She took in every word with rapt attention, slowly beginning to shiver in place as tears began dotting her eyes.

As Rias' words wafted around them all, her thoughts turned to something she had hoped to forget. Thoughts that had burdened her at the times she wished they wouldn't. She couldn't turn away from them even if she wanted to though. Because as Rias described how she tried to take advantage of Izuku…

…her mind went back to those disgusting hands that groped at her months ago.

When Rias finally finished, she had started breathing heavily once more, her frustrations with herself every bit as evident as they had been mere hours ago as everyone stared at her in shock.

None of them really knew what to think about what they had heard. How could they? Their King, someone they had placed their faith in for so long, had tried to do the unthinkable, even if she managed to stop herself before it could actually happen.

"Sona. You knew?"

Akeno's voice was even. There was none of her usual joy in her tone. Sona met her eyes as the two stared each other down.

"I found out only a few hours ago. I was hoping that she would open up to the rest of you soon, but I see that you all managed to force her hand in this."

"I…"

Asia's voice broke through to everyone, with even Rias looking up at her Bishop.

What she saw broke her heart.

Asia's tears flowed downward like an angry river. Her face was flushed a violent red as her eyes seemed to be glazed over. Worst of all though was how she had begun to hold herself. Her arms had crossed over her chest and gripped at each other. The grip on her arms was so tight that everyone could see the light streaks of crimson red where her fingers had begun digging into flesh.

"I…I…I have to go!"

"Asia!" Yumi's cry went unheard by the other girl as she made a mad dash out of the spring without a single thought. "I'm going after her!" True to her word, Yumi chased after the other girl in a flash, leaving the rest of the other girls behind.

Koneko had remained completely silent the entire time, her eyes widened in pure shock as Rias' words continued ringing through her mind. All the while, Akeno and Sona continued staring each other down, a silent argument ringing out between them.

As it all happened, Rias drew even further into herself. That look on Asia's face had broken something within her. That guilt that had gnawed at her for the last two days flared up even more now, digging into her with a sense of pure loathing.

Finally, Akeno turned her gaze away from Sona and back to Rias. "You should have said something."

"I'm sorry."

"We're not the ones you should say that to." Her mind clouded with emotions as it was, it still struck her to hear Rias speak like she was so small. So fragile. Like one more crack would shatter her completely. "Rias. You need to speak with him about this."

"I told her that before." Sona's reply cut through the steam around them like a jagged knife. Both girls had managed to keep their voices as even as possible, but they left absolutely zero room for argument about this. "And I think that now is as good a time as any. Don't you think so Midoriya?"

Rias jolted upward suddenly at her words. She reached out with her own magic to try and feel the barrier Sona had placed, but she couldn't feel it at all.

"Izuku." Her voice was shakier than ever before as she spoke, her quiet voice cutting through the noise of her own thundering heartbeat. "Did…do you hear all of that?"

The world went silent once more.

Before it was broken by only a few words.

"I did. I heard everything."

His voice echoed over with the force of a cannonball, even with it being as soft as possible. Rias tried to hold back her shivers even in the hot water surrounding her.

There truly was no going back now.

"We'll leave you two alone," Akeno said as she moved over to Koneko, helping the smaller girl up before they both exited the spring.

Sona made her way over to the exit as well before suddenly turning to face Rias. Her fellow King had moved her face up higher, her gaze locked onto the stars above as she sat against the dividing wall. She searched for any kind of words to say, but could find nothing. She then left as softly as she could.

Silence seemed to stretch on for an eternity as Izuku and Rias basked in the mineral rich water uncomfortably. Neither seemed willing to utter even the slightest noise, with both their backs pressed against the wall that separated them. Even that felt like it stretched on forever, a looming colossus hovering over them in the night sky.

Eventually though, one of them would finally crack.

"I wouldn't blame you if you hated me," Rias said soberly, her voice barely audible.

"I don't hate you," Izuku replied, his own voice only slightly louder.

"You should. I tried to take advantage of you, Izuku."

"You stopped yourself."

"Only barely," her voice was even softer now, a tremble clear in her tone even as she grew more quiet. "I still tried to. I was basically ready to treat you like nothing more than a slave. I broke my promise."

"Rias…"

"Izuku, please," she interrupted, the tremble in her voice becoming more apparent as she began to wrap her arm around her legs once more, the mists of the hot spring doing nothing to hide her tears. "I know what you're going to say."

"Then you know that I mean it," he responded, his voice soft yet firm.

"I know you do. But what happens if I try something like this again?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if…what if, somewhere down the line, we end up in the same circumstances? Where I only see you as a way out and just pin you down? Would I be able to stop myself then?"

"Of course you would!" His voice was louder this time, utterly convinced that she would never do something like this again.

But Rias did not share in his certainty.

"Even if you do forgive me, would that actually get me to stop myself? Would you just start to lay back and accept it? Would that be what we become? Someone who takes advantage of you while you constantly forgive me?"

He stood silent.

And for her, that silence spoke volumes.

"Rias…I know-"

"Do you remember what I told you before? Some time after we began training together? When I was helping you learn some of our history, I told you that I was one of the youngest Devils to earn the right to a Peerage, right alongside Sona?"

He did.

She had taught him so much about Devils. His questions were almost infinite at that time, and she explained everything she could with a joy that they had both come to sorely miss.

"There's something I never told you though," she began, her voice quivering more now than ever as her tears began to fall. Her heart felt as though it was clenched in a vice grip as she spoke, but she couldn't stop herself now. "When it happened, many people spoke up in protest. They believed that Sona and I were far too young to have such a responsibility, that we needed more time to mature and grow. Back then, I just brushed those concerns away. I thought that I would be able to handle it all. That I could be a worthy King. But all I've done is prove them right."

"Rias? Are you-?"

"I failed to get to you in time before you could be killed by Raynare. I left you in the dark for too long, which nearly got you killed by Dohnaseek. It was because of my decisions that Asia nearly lost her life. And I…I almost…"

She trailed off as she began to shake harder, all of her mistakes over the past year flooding through her head at once. Each one felt like another blow to her stomach as her heart sank ever further.

"They were right. I wasn't ready for this. I simply can't be trusted."

"Rias, wait!"

"I've already made up my mind Izuku." Her breaths came out more heavily as she spoke, hoping to keep some form of decorum even as she broke down, but she couldn't hide it anymore. She had already laid everything bare to him.

And there was no going back.

"No matter what happens, whether we win or lose the Rating Game, I'll be stepping down as King. None of you will be in my service any longer."

---

Here's the preview!

Itsuka:Do you really think they're doing alright up there Uraraka?

Ochako:They are. I'm sure of it

Itsuka:I mean, if everything you told me was true, then there might be more going on than you think.

Ochako:You mean…about Rias?

Itsuka:I do. Something's up with Gremory.

Next time! Heart To Heart

Ochako:Maybe you're right. But, I feel like they'll be able to work it out.

Itsuka:You certainly seem to have a lot of faith in Midoriya.

Ochako:I do. I know that Deku can go beyond!

Both:PLUS ULTRA!

---

Do any of you ever have those days when you wanna write but you end up just staring at the screen for hours on end because nothing is coming to you?

I know it's a common problem among writers, but it was hitting me hard for several weeks with this chapter. I just could not write anything down! And most of it was just the beginning parts with Gran Torino! I have no idea why I hit a goddamn brick wall there, but it certainly happened!

I actually had to just skip past it and go back to it later just to get something done!

Weirdly enough though. Rias' little breakdowns were the easiest parts for me to write. They just flowed from hand to key with a practiced ease and I have no idea why.

Speaking of which, yeah. We're dealing with it all now. And I'm pretty damn sure no one saw that ending bit coming. I did put a bit of a hint during chapter 7 about Rias feeling guilty about Asia's death, and that was definitely leading to this, same with her feelings on not letting Izuku know everything from the start.

One's actions will somehow find a way to haunt them, no matter how good their intentions may have been.

Rias and Izuku will definitely be having their talk next chapter obviously, and I've actually got a fair bit of it outlined already.

Don't expect it to be out anytime soon though. I worked like hell to make sure this got out before February thanks to both Persona 3 Reload and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth coming out in the same month. I may be a bit busy. Well, that and I've managed to secure a full time position at work finally, so my focus won't be on this story.

I will definitely continue working at it though, even if one bit at a time. After all, we still need to get to U.A. Plus all the other DxD arcs.

I think you'll all find some pleasant little surprises in the Excalibur arc.

Little bit more about the chapter though. I wanted to make sure we could see moments where the girls just got to talk with one another. And while the Rias and Izuku situation may have been clouding the atmosphere a bit, I still want to let them breathe independently of him whenever I can. If I don't, they end up feeling like props, and that just bums me out.

Also gonna briefly talk about the manga here. It's pretty clear we're in the final stretch of the story, and I won't lie. It keeps getting pretty intense. I won't spoil anything for anime onlys, but I will say this. Rest in piss bozo.

Also the fight between Deku and Shigaraki has genuinely great writing. It has so much more depth than many give it credit for.

One last thing before we go. Someone rather recently brought up that I haven't really strayed far from canon events as of now. I can safely say that while we will be following the stations of canon for a while, all these little threads I end up weaving will eventually be getting us away from it all.

Trust me when I say this, I have some fancy plans. And pants to match.

The response this fic has gotten will never cease to surprise me. On just fanfiction alone, this story currently has 153 reviews(love that keep them coming), 554 favorites, and 687 follows. Which is absolutely insane to me. On Ao3, we've got over 56000 hits and climbing, over 400 comments(many I'll admit are my replies), 739 kudos, and 319 bookmarks.

All of you are just the absolute best, and I will always be thankful for the love you've all given. I simply can't wait to hear more.

Always remember. Be good, and be kind.

We could always use more of that in this day and age.