Chapter 1: Goodness
Sunset.
Trains.
A town.
In the middle of it, between cozy houses with warm tile roofs. Among small alleyways and brick roads. People.
Good people. Peaceful people. Among the people, were four teens.
The first jogged down a set of stairs, a grin on his face, "C'mon guys! If we run we can get the best jobs!" He had brown eyes, light skin, dark eyebrows, and spiky, blond hair. Wearing baggy, camouflage-print capris pants, a short, sleeveless, gray vest, and a black muscle shirt decorated with a white, crudely-drawn skull and crossbones. His shoes were the same camouflage pattern as his pants, but also sported white tips, and gray soles, and each had two intersecting, black belts in place of laces. On his neck, a white necklace with a yellow "X" charm on it, and a brown bracelet with several silver pins in it decorated his left wrist.
The second was right at his heels, "Hayner! If you run down the stairs you'll trip!" She had bright green eyes, light skin, and brown hair. Her hair stuck out on the sides, with two strands of hair falling from either side of her head, draping over her shoulders and bouncing at each step. Her clothing consisted of an orange tank top with a white floral design at the bottom, khaki-colored capri pants, and orange socks with white hems. Cream shoes with black and yellow accents and black laces. The top it all off was a beaded, sky blue bracelet on her right wrist and a black necklace decorated with a spherical, sky blue charm.
Behind them, the third followed sedately, "She says that, but Olette is going as fast as Hayner." The kind voice belonged to a rather heavy-set boy with light skin, brown eyes, and black hair and eyebrows, his hair up with the help of a headband. He donned a short-sleeved, white shirt with dark cuffs underneath a red jersey with black and white lining. The jersey was marked with a black silhouette of a seemingly skeletal dog with three bones above it. The phrase "Dog Street" was printed along the left side in large, white letters. He also wore blue pants, blue and white shoes with gray soles, and a purple bandana around his neck.
Behind, the last one laughed while going after his friends, "Don't let her hear you Pence, or you'll be the next one to get an earful." The boy had bright forest green eyes and a mess of dark green hair, his skin was very slightly sun-kissed, and freckles in diamond formation marked each of his cheeks. His get-up was made of a white shirt with a green short-sleeved jacket over it, his right arm having a black compression glove covering his arm to his wrist. He also had on black pants, with the right leg marked by a red arrow zigzagging from the rim of the pant pocket to the knee. His footwear was a pair of bright red shoes with black laces and gray soles.
Pence chuckled and shot the last boy a look over his shoulder. "Come on, Izuku! We all know you're the next one in line with all the reckless stunts you pull!"
"That doesn't mean you're not also in trouble, Pence!" Olette yelled from further ahead.
"Guys! Let's go already!" Hayner groaned from down the street, the boy already leaving his friends in the dust.
"Wait up!" Izuku picked up the pace, encouraging Pence to follow his lead.
Together, the quartet tracked through the sunset roads downwards until the town's sandlot. On the way, more than one passerby greeted them and thanked Izuku.
"Look at Mister Celebrity here!"
"Buzz off, Hayner. You know those people are just grateful that I help around town."
"While you're right, you have to admit that doing half the town's odd jobs for free isn't something anyone would do."
"Olette's right. How do you even have time for all that?"
"I think the right question to ask, Pence is…" Hayner elbowed Izuku's side, "You're not gonna do it this time around, right?"
"I mean-"
"Nope! We have to get paid if we want to save enough to go to the beach! That town holiday is coming up soon and we won't have enough for tickets and food if you don't put the goody two-shoes routine aside and get paid." The taller boy shot his friend a glare.
Izuku put his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay, you win. Until we save enough, I'll make sure to collect the payment for every job I get from the board."
"Great!"
Pencer inched closer to Olette and whispered, "He doesn't even suspect Izuku just said he's still not gonna charge anyone from the help he goes around town offering, right?"
The girl chuckled, "You have to admit it, Izuku can be sneaky when he wants to."
"Hey, slowpokes! What's the matter?"
"Nothing. We're going!" They quickened their steps and hid their laughs.
Soon reaching the sandlot, Hayner grinned at spotting the full board across the sand pit. "See? Told you guys we would get the best jobs if we ran." He made to approach the board, only to have his path cut.
"And who told you our board was up for grabs, huh?" The one to bar Hayner was a muscular teenage boy with blonde hair and teal eyes, bearing a distinctive diagonal scar across the bridge of his nose. He was wearing a blue crop-top vest with white lining under a floor-length, sleeveless white coat with a black lapel. He had baggy, aubergine pants belted with a cream-colored lace, which were tucked into black combat boots with light blue laces. He had a black tuque on his head with the "Ore" kanji.
All in all, he looked like a delinquent.
"Your board? Get real, Seifert, the job boards are public, anyone can use them."
"Not this one. This one is exclusive to the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee."
Izuku rolled his eyes, "Your make-believe committee that's more of a gang, that's more of you and your groupies' little click?" He looked around, "Where are they, by the way? Without Fuu and Vivi to pull their weight, your general IQ gets too close to the single digits."
"What did you say, punk?" Seifert pushed past Hayner, to the boy's vocal complaints, to tower over Izuku.
The shorter boy wasn't intimidated, he was instead holding back a grin. Hook, line, and sinker. "What, wanna fight?"
"You bet! I'll show you punk how to have some proper respect." Seifer glared at the younger teens, "And after I'm done, you all better get out of my sight."
Izuku shrugged, still not looking bothered, "Sure, but if I win, then you're the one that'll have to leave and stop bothering us. Deal?"
"And why would I make a deal with you?"
"If you're scared, just say it man, no one's gonna think less of you." Pence, who had caught on to what his friend was doing, helped stoke the fire.
"Oh, you're on!" Seifer shoulder-checked Izuku on his way to the equipment racks. The younger boy held his ground but didn't push back.
"Did you have to do this?" Olette was conflicted between rolling her eyes at how easy it was to goad Seifer, or facepalming at her friends' plan.
"Yes. Yes, we did." Pencer patted Izuku's shoulder, "Kick his butt."
Hayner punched the green-haired boy's arm, "Extra hard, just to make sure."
"I'm usually against solving problems with my fists, but Seifer doesn't exactly give me other options so…" Izuku smirked, "Leave it to me."
Izuku made his way to the middle of the sandlot, just in time to catch the Struggle bat Seifer threw his way. The 'weapon' was a simple padded blue bat with a yellow handle that curved at the end. "Usual street rules?"
"Yes. Don't go crying when you eat sand."
"Don't complain when you eat your words." Izuku didn't like to trash talk, at all, but basically every quip made Seifer lose his cool, and that was already half of the battle won.
Case in point, Seifer gritted his teeth and stopped the subtle movement of his outstretched bat. His tactic was solid, most of the time. His bat pointed straight at the opponent while slightly swaying, confusing his enemies if they focused on it.
With that out of the way, it was easy to predict Seifer's attacks. The first lunge, Izuku sidestepped. The following swing he ducked. And the overhead attack was too slow to connect before Izuku smashed his bat on Seifer's midsection.
The taller teen skipped back a step from the hit, then took another to dodge Izuku's following strike. "You fight like a thug, you know that? No technique."
"Talking a lot for the guy that got hit first." Izuku might have pushed Seifer's buttons a little too much. His opponent dashed in with a blitzing thrust that made Izuku backpaddle, then another that made him stumble.
The third would nail Izuku right between the eyes, but the boy decided to forego his unstable footing and flipped back, using a handstand to fling himself away and get some distance.
He stuck the landing and his friends cheered.
"Show off!" Seifer spat out.
Izuku chuckled, it wasn't his fault he was very good at stunts like that. "That's the best you got?" His probing made Seifer dash at him. Izuku responded in kind, and they quickly closed the distance, feet pounding on the sand.
Something went through Izuku's head like a tiny lightning bolt, shocking his brain painfully for a split second.
He knew.
Somehow, Izuku knew Seifer would lunge at the last stretch, pouncing at the shorter boy like a panther. That's why, before Seifer's shoes even finished leaving the ground, Izuku dropped.
He slid under Seifer, eyes locking and surprise on both their faces. Izuku forced his stop and hopped back up, bringing his Struggle bat around for an overhead strike that struck Seifer square on the back just when he landed.
Izuku shook away the pain in his skull. What was that?
"Urgh!" Seifer punched the ground, his face red, "You got lucky, you hear?! Next time, I'm kicking you to the curb."
Rolling his eyes, Izuku offered his defeated opponent a hand, "We'll see about that."
The helpful hand was batted aside. Seifer stood on his own and stomped away, grumbling under his breath.
"That guy is a piece of work." Olette quipped while patting some sand off Izuku's jacket. "Nice moves, I didn't expect you to pull a fast one like that."
"Yeah, man! Since when do you have crazy reflexes like that?" Hayner's slap was less to help with the sand and more a rough show of affection on his part.
"He was right about me getting lucky." Izuku playfully pushed his friends away, finishing tidying himself the best he could. "I don't know if the light caught my eyes wrong or what, but I got a headache and I think I tripped. But when life gives you lemons?"
"Throw them at Seifer!" Hayner guffawed, his friends doing a better job at holding it but also laughing.
"Don't be a jerk, we don't need to drop to his level." Olette bumped her shoulder on Izuku's, "But that was some crazy luck. Still, you okay?"
"I think the only thing harmed in the fight was Seifer's pride." Izuku's verbal jab earned him a physical one.
"You better stop, too. Hayner, stop being a bad influence."
"Hey! What do I have to do with anything?"
Just as the three were about to bicker some more, Pence called for them. "Hey guys! You have to see this." The last member of the group was standing before the job board, a frown heavy on his face.
The trio rushed closer, seeing the note that got Pence's attention.
Missing Cat!
Cat Chiro has been missing since last night. Lastly spotted close to the hole in the outer wall leading to the forest.
Find Chiro and bring her back.
Payment: 300 Munny
"That's the cat of the old lady that has the candy shop, right?"
"Yeah." Izuku picked the notice up, "I'm taking this one."
Hayner huffed, "You're not even going to give the other ones a look?"
"This seems more urgent than carrying bags and delivering mail, don't you think?" Izuku pocketed the job request, not doubting his decision for a second. "Just be happy I'm not doing it pro bono."
"You better not!"
Olette shook her head fondly, "That Izuku for you, always rushing to help everyone." He shrugged helplessly, which made her giggle, "Just be careful out there, okay? We don't need you getting lost in the woods too."
Pencer picked another notice and held it up for Izuku to see, "I'll pick this one to take out the trash from the plaza shops, so if you need help I'll be close by."
"Thanks, Pence."
"I think that leaves me on poster duty. I'll try leaving the plaza for last, so I'll also be there when I'm done." Hayner gave his friends a grin, which they returned.
Olette studied the board, but there was nothing else in the area. "Oh well, I think I'll get the one for carrying crates inside shops' storerooms. That one pays well and I can get Eri after her extra classes for you."
They instantly saw Izuku deflating in relief, "Thanks a bunch, Olette. I don't know how long this is gonna take and I would hate to make Eri go back home on her own."
"Yeah, yeah. You're a responsible big brother." Hayner pushed Izuku, "Now get going, that cat isn't going to find itself."
"Her."
"It's a cat."
"It's a female cat that deserves the base respect all living beings do."
"Get moving already!" Hayner planted his shoe on Izuku's backside and, for all intents and purposes, kicked his butt, even if it was more a shove than a kick.
They laughed while parting ways. With a pep on his steps, Izuku picked up the pace and was quickly running down the street full stop. Someone needed a hero.
The track from the sandlot to the plaza was a couple of minutes most days, but at his pace, Izuku needed only two. He went past the sewer entrance and up the ramp, making sure the tram wasn't coming and marched to the wall separating the town from the woods.
An accident some time ago with one of the trams opened a hole in it that went straight through. There were talks of fixing it but things were slow going thanks to endless bureaucracy, so the hole wasn't going away anytime soon. Unfortunately for the cat that got lost thanks to it, fortunately for the boy searching for said cat.
It beat a trip through the sewers, that's for sure.
Izuku stood at the edge of the passage and checked the ground. No trail, "Looks like I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way." He took a deep breath and entered the woods.
The tall trees with their full crowns blotted out the sun, leaving the forest mostly dark with a few rays of light coming through so a person could see where they were going. Izuku kept his eyes peeled and his steps light, not wanting to see what else was hiding in those parts along with the missing cat.
His stroll through nature finally got Izuku a clue. Small scratch marks on a tree's bark, with another one a little ahead with much the same, "Did Chiro climb these trees?" Looking up showed that both trees' branches up ahead were close, "No, she climbed this one and went down the other one. Was she avoiding something?" Izuku approached the second tree, noticing the underbrush showed something small passed through it and made its way further into the woods, "Found you."
With a grin and renewed enthusiasm, Izuku followed the trail. It brought him around and up a slope, the woods opening up to a clearing.
The boy blinked, seeing the old mansion with iron gates and brick walls barring entrance, "I didn't know this was here." Getting closer, the boy saw the gate wasn't locked, and the yard beyond it with what might have been arches that ended up crumbling with time and littering the grass. "This place has been abandoned for a while, huh?"
Izuku took a step closer. Bzz. Another one. Bzzzz. And another. BZZZZ.
The sharp bolt of lightning went through his head again just when Izuku reached the mansion's gates. The boy ducked, barely avoiding two blindingly fast strikes to the head.
Izuku hit the floor and rolled away, getting back to his feet and seeing the…thing that attacked him.
It was a bizarre silver-white being, lanky and jittery like a full-body straight-jacket come to life. Its long hands were bound by belts, the fingers ending in sharp points. The sides of the being's body(?) had dark-blue lines where little lights blinked up its form, as if LEDs were fused to it.
The strangest of it all was the thing's head, the flat top marked by a symbol like an inverted incomplete heart on the bottom with a pointy cross at the top.
The mouth(?) was shut closed by a zipper. Before Izuku's eyes, it unzipped itself, and the true mouth, jagged and dark, came into view.
BBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
"What is this thing?" Izuku tensed, the white noise in his head, like a TV bursting with static, got louder the more he looked at the silvery creature.
Another snap of electricity through his brain, and Izuku jerked back just as the thing's hands slashed at him, stretching impossibly far.
"Back off!" His hand went to his side, where the Struggle bat he forgot to stash away while in the sandlot was hooked to the rim of his pants. He swung the bat, but the rubbery limbs evaded his counterattack.
The creature started moving erratically, almost dancing from side to side. BBZZZZZZZ. It leaped at Izuku, but the boy went around it and put some distance between them.
The monster followed, and Izuku knew then and there that it wouldn't stop until it got him. BBBZZZZZZZZZ. It was focused on him, but why?
Questions for later. It was dangerous, and Izuku didn't fancy taking a beating or whatever else the monster had in mind.
He raised his bat and waited for it to dance closer. While the movements seemed random from how jittery it was, there was a pattern there.
Right. Left. Right. Left. Back. BBBZZZZZZZ. Now!
The thing lunged and Izuku struck. The bat was about to collide when the creature twisted into itself, making Izuku wiff the attack. BZZZ. The opening was enough for it to strike back, headbutting his side faster than he could get his footing back to dodge.
For how lanky it looked, the monster hit like a truck. Izuku gasped as his body flew, his whole right side flaring in pain. He hit the ground and rolled back to his feet, gritting his teeth.
BZZZ. BZZZ. BZZZ.
The thing came at him, pressing the advantage and leaving Izuku scrambling to dodge each of its blindingly fast swipes.
His luck ran out when his shoe failed to find traction on what remained of the beaten dirt path leading to the mansion. Izuku stumbled when his left leg slid back, ending on his knee.
The monster saw its chance and pounced. Arms thrown wide to cleave into the boy.
Time seemed to freeze for a second. Izuku's eyes were blown wide in shock, his face falling at the realization he wouldn't make it.
That was it?
No.
Not yet.
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Izuku gritted his teeth and grasped his bat with both hands. His arms burned. His heart drummed in his chest. The boy roared, "SMASH!" He swung.
In a move so fast not even Izuku was able to keep track, he swung his Struggle bat upwards. The power behind the movement kicked up a veritable whirlwind.
The monster took the full brunt of it. Its rubbery flesh was torn apart by the force, disintegrating into blank white motes with a sound like cloth ripping and radio static.
Izuku fell back on his rear, dropping the bat and gasping for air. "That was close. Too close." He brought his arms up, seeing them shaking, "What was that?" He tried to still his hands by balling them into fists.
His right hand was burning. No, not all of it, only the scars. Izuku stared at his crooked fingers and blemished skin, feeling like a live wire was hidden underneath each mark.
Why did he feel like that?
"Meow?"
The sound made the boy perk back up. Izuku stood, leaving behind the Struggle bat. The body was broken and the padding ripped, making it pretty much useless.
Approaching the source of the sound, Izuku saw a small furry body hiding behind the debris littering the yard. "Chiro? It's me, Izuku. Me and my friends go to the candy shop all the time, remember?" He slowly inched closer, "Your owner put on a notice on the job board to find you."
The cat, purple with a cream underside, paws, and tail tip, came closer, her orange eyes glimmering. She meowed again and scratched her neck over the orange leash with cream-colored crescents on it.
"Everything is alright now." Izuku extended his hand slowly and petted Chiro's head, earning a purr from the cat, "I took care of that thing. We can go back to the town now."
"Mrow." The cat backed away from Izuku's hand, turning her head aside.
Izuku blinked and followed her line of sight. There, on the second floor, on the left side of the mansion.
Green eyes met blue. Izuku didn't even have the chance to really see the person before they pulled the curtains closed.
He frowned, "Someone's living here?" Even a cursory inspection showed the front yard was abandoned and had been for quite some time. "If it's this bad out here, I don't want to imagine what the inside of this place looks like."
Chiro purred an agreement. From the look on its feline face, she didn't like the fact any more than Izuku.
Resolving himself to see things all the way through, Izuku gently picked up the cat and deposited her safely on the hood of his jacket, "Let's go take a look inside."
"Meow!" Chiro made herself comfortable on her new spot and perched her head on the crook of Izuku's neck, making the boy smile.
Taking a deep breath to try to settle his nerves, the boy slowly marched to the front doors.
"Here's hoping breaking and entering won't be necessary." He tried the handles, and the doors creaked open.
The inside of the mansion was even worse than the outside. Some type of centerpiece display was broken, with glass shards hazarding the floor. The air was dusty, with tick particles floating lazily on the air. There was no power, with only the sunset light coming from the windows and the glass doors to the courtyard further in.
"Definitely abandoned." Something creaked on the second floor, drawing Izuku's eyes to the elevated corridor that circled the entry hall. "Or maybe not?"
"Meow."
"Yeah, no use standing around." Carefully making his way to the flights of stairs. Izuku climbed them slowly, just to make sure no faulty board or hidden piece of broken glass got the better of him.
Reaching the second floor, he saw that there was a door at the end of each wing. Which meant, "Whoever is here should be this way."
He took a step closer. Another one. And another.
Izuku stopped before the door as if waiting for something. Nothing. He reached for the handle.
The door was pulled open. The boy was startled, eyes locking with the person he saw from outside.
She was a girl maybe his age, maybe a little younger, her soft features made it hard to tell. She was also shorter than Olette, and her pale skin made it look like the girl hadn't gone out in the sun in ages. Her blond hair was draped across her right shoulder, it seemed like it should be a golden color, but got pale along her skin from lack of sunlight. Her blue eyes appeared faded, lacking light in them.
Izuku's chest twisted seeing that.
The girl was wearing a pure white dress, sleeveless, with lace patterned embroidery on the hem, and reaching her mid-thighs. Her feet were on light-blue sandals decorated with yellow flowers.
That made Izuku's mind compare the girl to a wilting flower, forgotten inside an abandoned mansion for too long with no one to take care of it.
"Meow!" Chiro broke the silence spell that had fallen over the two teens.
The girl flinched back, and Izuku realized he was probably invading her house(?), "Sorry to come in like that! The door was open, and I was worried someone was trapped here with one of those things."
She let go of the door and clutched a sketchbook to her chest, "Things?"
"Yeah, I got attacked by something really weird just outside." Izuku scratched the back of his neck, a nervous tick of his, "It was white, and jittery, and really strong. It jumped me, and it was really hard to beat, but I managed." Somehow. "I got worried when I saw you through the window. 'Thought if one was waiting outside, then more could be sneaking around in here."
"It would be hard for a Dusk to barge in." Her voice was subdued, gentle but afraid.
She was scared of him.
It made Izuku's heart clench painfully in his chest.
"Dusk, is that what those things are called?"
The girl nodded slowly, eyes down, "They're the weakest Nobodies. A group of them can cause trouble, but by itself, they're not much."
Harsh. All around, the girl just called that 'Dusk' thing a weakling, which made Izuku feel pretty bummed from having so much trouble taking it down.
"Well…" He tried after the silence turned awkward, "Uh, my name is Izuku, by the way."
Blue orbs flicked to him and then back down, "Naminé." It came out as barely a whisper.
Izuku was still able to catch it, "That's a nice name. Most people in the town don't have names in a style similar to mine, so it's good to, uh, meet you and see you have it too?" And he started to ramble trying to not make things awkward, which ended with him making a fool of himself. Good going Izuku.
Still, Naminé looked at him startled for a moment before the most fragile smile he had ever seen graced her lips. "Thank you."
A hero should also save their souls.
The thought came and went like the wind, but left behind something determined like steel.
"This place seems…a little run down." Izuku grimaced, that was the nicest way to put it. "You're here all on your own?"
Naminé shook her head, "They… There's other people here too."
Izuku waited for more. Confirmation that someone was taking care of her. Looking after her. Anything.
Nothing else came.
Tightening his fists, he pushed down the storm brewing in his mind in favor of opening a smile, "Would you like to come with me to the town? I have to bring this little girl back to her owner. Maybe we can get some ice cream while there."
When her eyes locked with him again, there was a tiny flicker of light in them. It went out a moment later.
She shook her head, her grip on the sketchbook tighter, "I can't go out."
Izuku fought to keep smiling even while his jaw put so much pressure on his teeth that it was a miracle they didn't break. He… Izuku would do something about it.
He would s̵̪̘̀ǎ̴̹̻͗v̵̧͚͑ę̷̓͌ her.
Pushing the stab of pain in his head down, he nodded, "That's okay…I think I'll just have to show up tomorrow with some."
Now Naminé's face was shocked, "Y-you can't!"
"Of course I do." He would like to see anyone try to stop him. "You look like you could use some company, and people in town say I'm great to have around."
"I-I…" Naminé trailed off, looking unsure. Like she wanted him to come back but was afraid he would truly do it. In the end, Izuku was a stranger who just popped out and tried to force himself into a situation he knew nothing about.
However, even if he knew it wasn't right, something told Izuku he also wasn't wrong. He didn't know what he was getting into, but the only way to figure out was poking his nose where it didn't belong.
"If you're gonna get into trouble…" Izuku started, seeing Naminé's fright at the idea. Just as her face fell, he grinned, "Say you told me to keep away but I came anyway."
The light was back, and this time around, it stayed. "Why would you do that?"
Izuku's grin widened, "You look like you need a hero."
Her eyes bore into his, all the way to his soul, with an innocent curiosity normally reserved for small children. "What's a hero?"
The question left Izuku out of balance. Why would she ask something so simple? And why was it so hard to answer? "Uh, you see…" Izuku scratched the back of his neck, trying to find the right words, "A hero is someone who saves people with a smile, who makes sure everything will be alright!" His response came out naturally…so why did it feel wrong?
Was Izuku missing something?
"Oh. Okay…" Naminé seemed as unsatisfied with the answer as Izuku felt. "Then I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yes!" Trying to force cheer back in his tone appeared to work. "I'll come right after school. Promise." Bzz. "If you need something, or if one of those Dusks shows up, you can find me or my friends on the way to the train station. If not, just ask at the shops for me, most people know me."
Keeping his smile turned harder and harder as his hackles raised. There was something wrong, and it made Izuku break into a cold sweat.
Naminé didn't notice Izuku's sudden apprehension. "Okay…thank you."
He didn't want to leave. Bzzzz. But something told Izuku things wouldn't end well if he stayed. "It's fine. I have to go and take Chiro here home. See you tomorrow."
"Hm, bye."
Naminé watched as Izuku reluctantly turned away and walked back to the first floor, then out of the mansion. She returned to her room and watched through the window as the boy who simply barged in and offered her kindness almost no one else had waved back at her.
She didn't deserve such kindness.
—
Olette smiled at the little girl matching her steps as both walked down the main street to the plaza, "So Eri, you managed to finish all your lessons today?"
A head of long white hair nodded, ruby-red eyes sparkling, "Yes! I wrote everything right this time, and I didn't even need Joshua's help. You can ask Jill, she was with us the entire time!" Some of her hair got hooked on the girl's horn, a stubby little thing, colored a pale yellow that grew on the right side of her head. She blew it away and pouted, making Olette giggle.
Embarrassed, Eri fiddled with the hem of her beige sweater. Alongside it, she wore a white skirt and black leggings with white flower embroidery on the calves. She had red shoes the same color as Izuku's on her feet but with two velcro straps instead of laces.
Trying to move past her blunder, Eri turned back to Olette, "What about you and the others? Did you take any fun jobs?"
"Well, after Seifer tried to give us grief about taking the jobs on the sandlot's board, and Izuku beat him up in a Struggle match…"
"Izuku is the best!"
At the younger girl's cheer, Olette broke down laughing, "Yes he is, Eri. He tricked Seifer into a battle and then beat him fair and square, so that big bully left us alone. On the board, there was a job to find a missing cat."
"Oh no!"
"Yes, we also got worried, but Izuku took it without thinking twice. Then Pence got the trash one on the plaza to stay as backup if Izuku needed help." She grinned, having Eri's rapid attention, "And Hayner got the posters one, so I'm sure he ran all around town putting them up before rushing to the plaza too."
"And what about you?"
"I stayed on crate and Unicorn duty today." The teen couldn't hold back a laugh at Eri's hands shooting to her horn. "Hey, don't worry, I think your horn is really cute."
Eri whined, "Seifer made fun of it."
"And I remember Izuku and Hayner dropkicking him for that. I think even Pence would have taken a shot at him if he wasn't too busy holding me back." And that was saying a lot, as Pence was the last person to partake in violence.
"That's because you took out your nail bat."
"Eri, sweety." Olette stopped and kneeled before Eri to be at the same height. "When a girl gets to a certain age, having a baseball bat full of nails becomes mandatory."
"Why?"
"You'll learn when you get older."
"What the heck are you teaching Eri?" The brief moment of 'girl talk' was interrupted by Hayner. He jogged closer while giving his friend a deadpan.
"How to grow up prepared."
"Don't listen to her, Eri. She's crazy."
"Hey!"
The little unicorn pulled on the boy's vest, "Olette said you were gonna wait on the plaza with Pence for Izuku."
Choosing to answer over bickering, the blond ruffled Eri's hair with a smirk, "He just came back, actually. I ran ahead to search for you two while the others got the goods."
"Weren't we holding off to save for the beach?" Olette's unimpressed stare made Hayner roll his eyes.
"The candy shop lady gave Izuku a discount for finding her cat. With how much he's paying, he can stock up and still meet his quota for the day."
Eri pulled at his clothes again, "What's a 'quota'?"
"What? Huh, you see…"
Before Hayner could try to explain, or Olette could make fun of him, another voice answered, "A quota is a certain quantity of something that must be produced in a determined period of time."
Izuku and Pence walked in, bags in hand, and the latter finished his explanation, "For example, the four of us agreed to make at least two hundred Munny per day, that way when the holiday comes up, we'll have enough to go to the beach!"
Eri gasped in excitement, "Really?!" She ran closer and hopped in front of Izuku, "Can we go to the beach? Can we?!"
"Yup!" Izuku passed the bags he was carrying to one hand to scoop up Eri with the other. "We're gonna get enough for the tickets there and back, and for food too. Then we all are gonna spend a whole day on the beach!"
"Yay!" Eri hugged his neck, making Izuku laugh.
"Those two are too pure for this world." Olette had her cupped hands over her mouth and nose, trying to hold back tears at the scene before her.
"Yup, so sweet I'm getting cavities." Hayner wasn't moved by it.
Pence shook his head in exasperation, his friend sometimes just couldn't read the mood, "I think you're not gonna get any ice cream then."
"What, why?!"
"Because the sugar is giving you cavities."
"But Sea Salt Ice Cream has salt!"
"And where do you think the sweetness comes from?"
Izuku, after the little moment with Eri, joined Pence in making fun of Hayner, "I think you're expecting too much from the guy who caused a fire in the home economics class."
"Hey, it was an accident!"
"More like a miracle. How did you cause a fire with pasta? It was just boiling water and putting in the noodles!" Olette also ganged up on Hayner, the blond squawking at being outed.
Eri laughed at the group's shenanigans all the way to the train station. They took the back entrance inside, and up they went.
The clock tower over the station was the highest point in Twilight Town, and the balcony at the top proportioned the best view.
A sea of houses, and beyond it a sea of trees. The sky painted with warm colors as the sun slowly went under the line of the horizon.
That was what greeted the group of five as they sat at the edge of the balcony, legs dangling along with the breeze. In hand, each of them had a light-blue popsicle.
Their little tradition, ending each day watching the sunset while enjoying Sea Salt Ice Cream and each other's company.
Hayner sat on the rightmost side, with Pence at his left, then Olette, and finally Izuku and Eri, the first holding the latter close at his side.
They slowly ate their treats, all but Izuku.
"Hey, guys. What would you say if someone asked what a hero was?"
"Ask if they're okay on the head." Olette reached from behind Pence and punched Hayner for his stupid response, making him yelp. "Okay, okay, jeez. I'd say a hero is someone strong enough to take on any problem."
"That's so childish." Olette giggling got her a raspberry from Hayner. The girl only giggled more. "A hero is someone who isn't afraid to sacrifice themselves for other people. They can give themselves for the good of others."
Eri watched Izuku, examining every part of his face with a frown on her face as if searching for something. The boy didn't even realize it, too busy in his own head.
"I thought something like that too, but… That answer doesn't seem to ring true, you guys know what I mean?"
Pence, who had also been quietly contemplating, nodded. "Yeah, I do. I think it's just because…that's not really it? Being a hero is doing what's right, and yeah, sometimes what is right is hard and you need to give it your all and then some. But sometimes, it isn't." He glanced down at the town below, seeing so many people looking so small, with their problems looking so small, because sometimes… "Sometimes it is easy. Sometimes there isn't anything to it but a small act of kindness. You just have to care enough to offer a hand to someone who needs it."
Pence's surprisingly deep introspection left almost all of them speechless. Almost.
"Like Izuku." Eri buried herself closer to his side. "He's always helping everyone, with big things, with small things, and even with silly things."
"That's right. I think that being a hero is first of all about being a good person." Pence finished with a smile. On his hand, the popsicle stick was marked with a bold 'WINNER' and a small crown.
Izuku smiled, something finally clicking into place for him, "I think you're right."
Maybe, just maybe, some goodness was all there was to it.
I'm gonna be honest, I don't even know what happened this time. I feel like I blacked out and woke up with a new fic on my screen.
If you're both confused and intrigued by this, good, that was what I was going for (I think).
Either way… Enjoy?
Oh, discord and P####on.
Thanks to these guys:
Guipa_, SilverZero90, CBN, and kennine.
Beautiful.
And join the server here:
discord . gg / NgfVUFaV7p
So… See you guys later?