The Battle Continues
Estelle was still having a not great day, she had a nightmare, went to school, got attacked, and now she was sliding with Shoto Todoroki while they made their way across the USJ.
They both stayed soundless. Estelle was content with that; She liked her bubbles.
Todoroki decided to pop it when he spoke, asking her a query that laid on his mind when he saw her on the bus. "That bruise on your cheek, was that from a villain?"
Estelle narrowed her eyes at the boy. He shouldn't have been able to notice as his eyes only lingered on her for a few seconds. The question gave her an out, though, and Estelle decided to immediately take it. "Yep, sure was", she acknowledged behind him, skidding on the ice.
Todoroki held a contemplative look as he regarded her answer. He knew it was a lie, but he guessed he wouldn't get any answers out of her. His curiosity was satisfied, though.
When they finally reached Aizawa and the villains, Todoroki and Estelle realised that All Might had arrived. When the beast hit his stomach, the number one hero grunted in pain. The two-toned boy immediately shot out his ice to freeze the Nomu while Estelle clenched her fist to raise vines from the ground to wrap around the iced beast. Clenching her fist tighter to squeeze it further while the thing screeched.
Bakugo followed suit, rushing in and defeating the villain with the portal quirk and Kirishima running behind as if he was too late. The boy groaned and complained about his lack of luck, and Estelle was reminded of how naive these students were.
All Might stared at the two students in bewilderment as Todoroki voiced his thoughts. "One of your poorly trained thugs told me that you're here because you think you can kill All Might. The Symbol of Peace will not be defeated by delinquents like you."
The leader turned to his ally and spoke, "Kurogiri. How could you let this brat get the best of you? You've gotten us into a real jam here."
Bakugo looked down at Kurogiri with a smirk and explained, "Heh. You got careless, you dumb villain. It wasn't hard to figure out that only certain parts of you turn into that smoking warp gate. You used that mist to hide your actual body as a kind of distraction. Thinking that made you safe! That's why we missed!"
Estelle looked at Bakugo with impressed approval. It seemed that she may have judged him too soon when she called him idiotic. 'He does have a noggin', she thought.
Todoroki eyed the girl as her cold face moved to surprise and impressed towards the explosive male. He was confused; why was he irritated that her attention was on the angry male? 'Because you want her to look at you like that', a voice whispered in his brain. He quickly shook the thought from his mind.
"But if you didn't have a body, you wouldn't be wearing this neck armour, right? You're not immune to physical attacks if they're well aimed." Bakugo finished with a smug grin. He looked up and made accidental eye contact with the stoic girl. He flushed pink when he felt her observance since her expression differed significantly from how he had seen her so far. She looked drop-dead gorgeous when she didn't look vacant.
Bakugo quickly snapped out of it when he felt Kurogiri move, threatening him with his explosions while his quirk crackled and popped in his hands. Taking a peek at Estelle, he glowered when he realised that all feeling had left her face again.
The handyman spoke up once again, stepping forward while simultaneously scratching his limbs wildly. "They escaped uninjured and captured two of my strongest men. Kids these days really are amazing. They make the League of Villains look like amateurs. We can't have that. Nomu," He finally called.
The Nomu screeched as it ripped itself out of the ice and vines previously holding it down, breaking its legs immediately regenerating them. Estelle blinked to make sure she was still in reality.
The leader exchanged words with All Might, the Nomu leapt forward towards Bakugo with his fist raised. All Might rushed to his aid, moving the student too slow to escape on his own and blocking the attack.
After the dust cleared, the classmates gathered saw All Might and the Nomu frozen in the attack with a giant wall between them, stopping the brunt of the blow. Their eyes trailed to Estelle, who had her hands raised, and they realised that this was due to her quirk.
Estelle wasn't quick enough to move Bakugo out of the way, but she was fast enough to raise a wall secretly enforced with metal to prevent the impact of the Nomu's blow to All Might. She could see that the hero was currently pushing himself.
The classmates stood in disbelief at All Might's speed in aiding Bakugo. They were also highly impressed at Estelle's work with supporting the number one hero.
The leader was disappointed. He grunted, "So, he protected the child, and the girl stepped in once again, huh?"
"These are kids, and you didn't hold back?" All Might questioned as he panted for air.
The dry pretzel answered, delving into a monologue, "I didn't have much choice. The boy was threatening my companion. Besides, these kids are no angels. The plain‐looking one?"
Midoriya gasped when the man pointed towards him. "He tried to kill me with a maxed‐out punch. What kind of "hero" does something like that? You think you can get away with being as violent as you want if you say it's for the sake of others.
"Well, you know what, All Might? That really pisses me off. Why do people get to decide that some violent acts are heroic and others are villainous? You're just another government‐sponsored instrument of violence. And violence always breeds more violence. I'll make sure the world understands that once you're dead. You're nothing but a lunatic. Criminals like you; you always try and make your actions sound noble. But admit it; you're only doing this because you like it. Isn't that right?"
God, Estelle was bored. Why do these guys love talking so much? Estelle was ready to jump in front of the Nomu because that would have been ten times more exciting than whatever this was. Estelle impassive expression caught the man's eye, and he turned to her slowly.
"Ahh, pretty girl, I forgot to welcome you back. Pardon my manners?"
"Pardoned", Estelle deadpanned. Those around her sweat-dropped at the girl.
He laughed at her response before continuing, "You look like somebody who would understand my point, hmm? What do you say? Why don't you join me?"
"No thanks," Estelle stated, the blank expression remaining on her face, apathetic.
The man looked down at her with intrigue. "Hmm, and why is that?"
"I learned that love is the reason why there is pain. When we lose something precious to us, hate is born. Vengeance is the product of that hate, and so death follows. But in death, there is only more death which gives rise to more pain. In this cursed world we live in, it is a cycle of hatred that will not cease. What I don't understand is how killing All Might would break that? It wouldn't. You're just following the cycle laid out in front of you. How disappointing," Estelle spoke as those listening stood stock still at the wise words that left the female's mouth.
This was the most they had ever heard her speak. Her words shot through them as they processed the meaning; it was a fantastic way of viewing the world. Those within her class who were watching felt as if they had been bestowed with a pearl of wisdom. An idea that they had never thought of before.
The toothpaste in front of her enlarged his eyes as he listened to her words whilst Estelle finished her lecture "Justice comes from vengeance, but that justice only breeds more vengeance. You'll never find what you were looking for in the end."
The man growled loudly at the truth that lay in her words and moved towards the powerful girl. All Might stood swiftly, stopping his movement and rushing towards the Nomu with a wall shattering punch.
Pushing himself beyond his capabilities, All Might fought with all his power to defeat the Nomu, his blows faster than lightning to break through its shock absorption.
The floor shook as if bracing for the impact whilst the two beasts fought for victory. All Might bellowed while he landed his throws in multitudes, "Now for a lesson. You may have heard these words before, but I'll teach you what they really mean. Go beyond! Plus Ultra!"
Those placed in the USJ felt the aftershocks of All Might's final attack, literally beating the shock absorption out of it and proving his title of number one hero.
Stood near All Might as they watched the scene, the classmate's jaws hit the floor at the prowess the hero had while he beat the weapon explicitly created for him alone.
Estelle stood next to the boys when they voiced their appreciation for the fight they had just seen. She stayed quiet but looked on with hidden worry. If he had trouble beating the Nomu, what does that mean for the future? He wouldn't stand a chance against two. What if they make a better one? All these heroes wouldn't stand a chance. This guy is the strongest they have. Estelle couldn't afford to step into their endeavours. She didn't belong here.
'Gosh, I'm doing it again. I need to get a hold of myself,' Estelle thought as she forced herself out of her mind. Her disassociated thoughts made it difficult to come back to herself. It's why she resorted to physical harm to do it. It took too long otherwise. She recognised that it probably wasn't the time to hit herself.
When she came to, she looked up and surveyed what she may have missed. Kirishima and Bakugo looked down at her strangely. It was like they had asked her a question and were waiting for a response.
"What?" Estelle gritted out.
"We were just saying that we can leave it to the big guy; we should get back and regroup with the others," Kirishima explained, brushing off his unease at the strange expression she held on her face.
Estelle shrugged while replying, staring at Midoriya, who stood frozen in front of her. Clearly concerned about his mentor, who was steaming slightly in front of the villains, "Go ahead without me, there's something I gotta do."
As they stood back, Estelle eyed the man who was furiously scratching at himself while he muttered the words "he cheated."
Kurogiri turned to him and finally revealed the man's name "Tomura Shigaraki! Please, do not fret. Look at him. He has definitely weakened. We likely still have a few minutes before their reinforcements arrive. If you and I work together, we can do this. We haven't missed our chance to kill All Might."
Todoroki, Kirishima and Bakugo turned towards the villains who had begun waking up and made their way to take them down again.
Midoriya stood still as sweat dripped down the side of his head. Estelle could feel his anxiousness come off in waves as he watched the scene with intensity. He watched Shigaraki move towards the hero with his five fingers raised and rushed forward to stop the attack screaming, "Don't you touch All Might. You stupid villain!"
Estelle raised her hand at the same time Midoriya held out his fist to help his hero. Shigaraki's hand moved from All Might to the face of her classmate in hopes of disintegrating the boy.
Estelle rose vines from the ground with her hand and directed them towards Midoriya's leg to grab hold. His movement was stopped abruptly as shots rang out in the area and hit Shigaraki's hand. The vines simultaneously grabbed his leg, halting his movement and dragging him to the floor.
Looking up, Estelle saw Principle Nezu looking down at the mess within the USJ alongside other heroes. "Sorry, everyone! I know we're a bit late. But I got the teachers over here as fast as I could." He announced. Iida stood behind him with his hands on his hips.
"It's Iida! Your class rep has returned. I've fulfilled my duty. And I've brought reinforcements!" He yelled out; Estelle smirked at the male since he might not be as big of a nuisance like she had previously assumed.
Thirteen turned to the villains who stood near All Might and activated the black hole quirk to capture the two. Kurogiri hurriedly opened a portal and dragged Shigaraki through, his red eyes glaring down at All Might as he faded away. "I may have failed to kill you this time, but your days are numbered. All Might. Symbol of Peace. I am going to kill you."
Estelle stiffened when his gaze turned towards her; his smirk was evident even through the hand on his face. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Estelle. I'll give him your regards."
Her eyes widened alongside those within the vicinity who heard the villain's words. She hissed at the man while he faded into the portal. "I don't know who you are talking about."
Shigaraki's smirk widened into a grin. He spoke his following words smugly, "Oh, but you will."
He disappeared.
Estelle looked down, registering a teary-eyed Midoriya and skinny All Might who laid on the ground exhausted. She wasn't surprised by the sight; it was apparent to her that he was getting weaker.
Midoriya spoke up first, "I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to help you."
All Might looked at Midoriya with a soft expression. Estelle felt a slight tug of jealousy at the interaction. "That's not true. You gave me a few vital seconds that saved me. Thank you, Midoriya."
Midoriya created waterfalls from his eyes while he voiced his gratitude to the hero who still lived.
Kirishima rushed towards Midoriya to check if he was okay. Another faculty member created a wall to block the three from sight, leaving them to sigh in relief. She was disappointed they had not noticed her yet. She was standing right there.
All Might turned towards the teacher as he thanked him. The block of cement smiled back. "My pleasure, I'm actually a big fan of yours. We should sneak you three out of here to the nurse's office."
The two lying on the ground stared at each other in question and shock before looking up at the girl who stood between them. The distress caused their brains to momentarily break. Estelle watched their mini breakdowns with her usual expressionless look.
"Don't worry, I already knew", Estelle reassured. It created the opposite effect since they had another breakdown, face on the floor in utter dismay and panic at the revelation. Estelle eyed them before speaking up again. "It seems you need a minute to take that in; I'll meet you at the nurse's office to discuss it further if you wish. I won't tell anyone either way."
"That would be a good idea", All Might responded.
Estelle nodded before walking off towards the rest of the class, who were making their way outside.
The head of police stood in front while he did a headcount to make sure all students were present apart from Midoriya. The class spoke in a discussion about the events that took place.
"So, where did you end up fighting, Hagakure?"
"The landslide zone! Todoroki was really strong!" She responded before turning to Estelle in question, "What about you? Where were you?"
"I was in the crash zone", Estelle answered. Bakugo laughed out loud as he was stood to the side, listening in. Estelle cocked her head in a silent question.
"I was in the zone of the ruins, and when I made my way past the crash zone, the villains were crying!" He exclaimed while he laughed maniacally.
The head of police, Tsukauchi, looked at the girl in perplexity. "That was you? They were hysterical when we took them in. Something about a little girl beating them with no quirk."
Bakugo cackled when he heard that.
Estelle had to hold back her smirk.
"I didn't do much, I just wanted a challenge, but they were too easy", she retorted. Bakugo snorted at her answer with mirth.
The class, beginning to understand that the girl held more experience than them, looked at her with slight admiration. Tsukauchi chucked before continuing, "I need to speak to you further about Tomura Shigaraki. It seems he holds some interest in you?"
Estelle frowned at her bracelet in thought before looking up at the man with a shrug. "I don't know. I caught him yesterday breaking in, so I must have captured his interest."
'He's not the only one, ' classmates lamented back in reaction.
Tsu looked at her with wide eyes. "That was you Mr Aizawa talked about when the villains arrived? Was that why you went to Principle Nezu?"
Estelle just nodded in response, and the class had a lightbulb moment while they recalled the events. It makes sense to them now, though the girl still doesn't.
After explaining the extent of the faculty's injuries, Tsukauchi turned to Estelle and gestured for her to follow him. Those left behind watched on, the usual curiosity simmering in their thoughts.
Estelle followed behind the man as they made their way to Recovery Girl's room. Stepping into the room, Midoriya squeaked when he made eye contact with the girl, flushing right after whilst he apologised.
All Might laughed at the boy when he stuttered in nervousness, fully aware of what the young student was feeling. His emotions turned severe when he gazed down at the young woman who stood in the middle of the room.
"So, how did you find out?" He asked, beginning the conversation with a question.
Estelle looked down while she thought about the hero's question. "I knew something was off when I first saw you, but then I heard the conversation Midoriya had with Bakugo as I was leaving UA. It wasn't hard to figure out after that. I just put the pieces together, really. He really is awful at keeping secrets." Estelle explained. Midoriya looked at her, mortified that she overheard them.
All Might sighed in dismay after he listened to the aloof girl. It sounded like this was becoming the worst kept secret. So long as the words didn't leave her mouth, then he was okay with her knowing; he couldn't change the past.
Estelle looked at the hero like she knew what he was thinking, nodding unexpectedly, she reassured. "Again, like I said before. I'll keep my lips sealed. I don't really need to know the details, nor do I care, so you don't need to go that far. I know how to keep secrets."
Midoriya watched the conversation with a clenched heart. He was a little hurt that the only one in his class who knows his secret was utterly uninterested in the fact he was All Might's successor. Though he supposed it would be for the best, the less she knew about All for One, the safer she would be.
His attention focused back on the uninterested girl when she turned her head to look directly at him. His body immediately turned into a furnace under her gaze. Her standard half-closed stare makes it seem she could see his inner thoughts. He panicked internally.
His panic grew when the girl's lips tilted up into a hidden smile. "You're improving at least", she commented. Midoriya brightened up at the girl's words, and he voiced his thanks. The girl nodded, turned and made her way to the exit. She looked back at the boy. "You still have a long way to go before you have caught up to the others. This doesn't make me your friend, but if you ever need my advice, then you'll have it."
"Thank y-"
The door clicked shut, the boy lying in bed slumped with his head down in rejection because the girl left once again before he could speak. All Might laughed from his bed while he watched the interaction between the two students and turned to the boy with a wide grin.
With wiggling eyebrows, he asked, "So Midoriya, you hold some interest in this girl?"
The dimming furnace within Midoriya as the distance between him and Estelle grew - fired up again. He raised his hands up defensively, shouting, "No! It's not like that!" He looked down at the bed in thought and continued, "It's just, she seems lonely, and it's like she's purposely distanced herself from the rest of the class. I just want to help and be her friend, you know?"
All Might nodded in understanding and voiced his usual wisdom. "That's very kind of you, but these things will take time. You can't force it to happen. Let her go at her own pace."
Midoriya nodded to confirm he understood, and All Might turned to discuss things further with the head of police.
Tsukauchi voiced his goodbyes before leaving the room to hunt for Estelle. He stopped in surprise when he walked down the hall to find the girl already waiting for him. "Ah, I'm happy you waited for me. I was worried you left completely when you walked out," he said with a tilt to his lips.
Estelle shrugged and turned her head away. "Well, I knew you still had some questions, and I have nothing to hide about the League of Villains."
Tsukauchi quirk held the ability to know whether a person was lying or not. He inwardly sighed in a reprieve when the polygraph remained the same, meaning her answers had all been consistent so far. He nodded before questioning further, "Do you have any idea why he was targeting you?"
Estelle looked on in thought before answering, "It could be because I have a powerful quirk in their eyes. I mean, having the power over the elements can catch people's interest. There's also the fact Shigaraki mentioned another person, sounded like a boss."
Tsukauchi's head shot up in alarm at the new information. "Did they mention who it was?"
Estelle shook her head before explaining what had happened earlier that day. The chief of police listened with apt attention before coming up with his own hypothesis. She wasn't lying. It all checked out. He nodded at the girl in gratitude. "Thank you for the information, anything helps, and this was a big assist. It's been a stressful day, so head home and take some time for yourself."
They said their goodbyes before Estelle made her way back to The Beanery to start her shift. When she walked through the doors, she was immediately enveloped in a warm embrace. Estelle stood in shock at the woman's speed as she had practically jumped over the counter and into her arms. "I was so worried when I heard the news! Thank god you are safe; I was shaking in my boots - I knew you would be able to kick some booty," she hooted.
Estelle chucked while wrapping her arms around the frail but exuberant woman who showed her the world of kindness and took a minute to enjoy the warmth. Her heart thawed in the presence of another.
When Nona stepped back from the hug, she kept her hands-on Estelle's cheeks as she checked her all over. "You aren't hurt, are you?! What a day you've had! Sit down, I'll grab a cup of camomile tea," She exclaimed while she shuffled Estelle to the closest booth and rushed to the back to grab the beverage.
Nona made her way back with two cups and sat across from Estelle. Luckily, there were no customers, so they spent some time going over the events that had taken place during her trip to the USJ. Nona gasped in shock at the story, snorted at the criminals Estelle scared off and expressed concern when Shigaraki was mentioned. Nona looked down at her cup in thought.
"It seems like you are in a never-ending cycle of questions dear, it must be so difficult being so far away from home, and now you are dealing with all of this? It's not fair on you," she started, looking back up at her daughter figure. "Is UA the right place to be? I just wonder if this is truly the way to getting back home, or would it just add to your troubles?"
"I thought the same, but what if there isn't a way back home? I just feel like, if there isn't, then I should do something I want to - thinking about it long term, I mean," Estelle replied, content that she had someone to speak to about the thoughts plaguing her mind.
Nona nodded in understanding. "As long as you are sure, I'll fully support you."
Estelle looked at Nona with appreciation. She never had a figure in her life that had just accepted her choices. It felt good to be acknowledged like that. Nona was a gem to be treasured.
Ps. I don't own the Naruto quote.