Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or Fate/Stay Night
...
Shirou sat within an area that many students dared not even consider treading, knowing full well the ramifications that could come as a result of stepping on such hallowed ground. This, of course, was the teacher's lounge.
He was not alone by any stretch of the imagination, with both Aizawa and Nezu there with him. While many of the other faculty members had wished to be present for this upcoming meeting, they had been turned away by the diminutive mouse. However, Shirou knew that if it was just going to be the three of them then whatever was to be discussed would have started by now.
"We're waiting for All Might aren't we," declared Shirou. He didn't need either of them to confirm whether or not his statement was true or not, he knew it to be so. All Might had been the only member of staff who hadn't been there for the demonstration that had taken place the prior day. No doubt the number one hero had been informed of what went down and would have his own thoughts on the matter.
As if on cue, the door to the room opened to reveal...a scrawny looking man who looked as if he would blow away with a strong enough breeze. "Sorry I'm late," he said apologetically as he closed the door behind him.
"I see," said Shirou, quickly putting the pieces together.
"As you may be working out, this here is All Might," said Nezu, not bothering to dance around the subject.
"Toshinori is fine too," he said as he took a seat.
"Very well," said Shirou as he crossed his arms over his chest. "So what was it that we needed to discuss?"
"We need to discuss just what it is that you intend to teach the next generation of heroes," said Aizawa, locking his eyes on Shirou.
"It's not that we have any issue with you dedicating your time to teaching your peers," said Nezu. "It is clear that through your experiences that there are undoubtedly some things that you are capable of teaching that other members of staff would be unwilling to."
"Because you're afraid that I'll train them to be soldiers, rather than heroes," said Shirou, already working his way several parts through the conversation.
"From what we gathered from the memories you chose to show us," said Aizawa, making it very clear that he knew there was more to Shirou's story, "You were forced into a situation you had no control over. On more than a single occasion, you were mortally wounded and survived through what I can only describe as a miracle."
Shirou merely nodded.
"What we did notice however was that the difference between your past self and the you sitting before us is quite severe," continued Aizawa. "The difference in age cannot be that great but both your level of skill and your demeanour have changed immensely. While your fellow students may not have paid as much attention to those details as to the combat itself, it is clear that those battles along with whatever else you have gone through have changed you as a person. One doesn't come so close to death on a number of occasions and walk out of it unscathed."
It was clear that the remark wasn't made regarding the physical wounds Shirou had suffered. "All of this violence, this brutality and death," said Nezu with his paws pressed together. "It all had to be done for a reason, whatever the prize was for this tournament. If you don't mind me asking, what were you all fighting for?"
"A wish."
"A wish?" repeated Toshinori.
"A singular wish was to be granted to the winner," elaborated Shirou. "It was capable of bending the whims of reality and bestowing the winner whatever it was they desired."
"There was a catch though, wasn't there," said Nezu, his eyes sharpening ever so slightly.
"Were you to wish to be the richest person in the world, the wish could remove all of the wealth of those wealthier than the winner. If you wished to be the most beautiful person in the world it would maim everyone else. Perhaps if you requested world peace it would do so by removing all those with evil intentions from existence," said Shirou.
"Did you know this at the time?" asked Aizawa.
"No, it was only towards the end did we realize what would happen if we allowed anybody to make a wish," said Shirou. "Hence when the time came, we destroyed the item capable of making whatever wish come true."
"You mean this wasn't the power of somebody's quirk or whatever power it is that you use?" said Toshinori, already fearing that he knew the answer.
"If somebody was capable of that kind of power I feel the world would be a very different place right now," said Shirou. "Now, shall we return to the topic at hand?"
"Of course," said Nezu. "Toshinori here is only able to utilize his strength as All Might for a limited time per day with each time he uses it reducing his limit even further. Therefore it makes little sense to reduce his capabilities by having him spend his time in his alternate form simply teaching children. Until we work out our next course of action, we would appreciate it if you could take his classes."
"I take it that you'd be writing down what it is you want me to do every class," said Shirou as he turned his gaze straight at Toshinori.
"We cannot deny your skill," said Nezu. "Within the students of U.A there are only a couple who could potentially stand against you with any hope of being victorious and even then their chances are slim at best. Many of the older years will scoff at somebody younger than them teaching them but you have one thing that many of them do not. Experience. Not simple internships but true experience that many of them could only imagine in their nightmares. You will be crucial in their development from here on out."
"So you want me to break down real life situations that they could encounter and teach them how best to deal with it, all with Toshinori breathing down my neck," summarized Shirou.
"Why are you so opposed to me?" asked Toshinori, glaring at Shirou.
"Because you stand for everything wrong with this world," said Shirou calmly, far too calmly for a teenager making such a claim. "People should feel panic when there is trouble, fear when something goes terribly awry. Instead they casually sit to the side and wait for the heroes to swoop in and save the day, all while calling up whoever they had planned to meet up with and apologize, telling them that they're going to be late. It's because of this lack of tension that when the hero doesn't save the day the public are in absolute outrage because they believe it is their right to be saved. They waltz into danger without a care for their own well being because all they need to do is scream out in fear and someone will come rushing to their aid."
"That is some radical way of thinking," said Aizawa.
"But not incorrect," said Shirou.
Aizawa remained silent.
"If you provide me the criteria that you wish for the students to undertake, I will teach them," said Shirou. "From what I have heard you will appreciate it if I didn't teach them some of my more 'radical ways of thinking.'"
"That would be greatly appreciated," said Nezu with a light bow of the head.
"Was there anything else you would like to discuss?" asked Shirou.
"With your continued stay here, we will be rehousing you," said Nezu.
"Rehousing?" repeated Shirou, this bit of news actually surprising him.
"With recent developments, in the coming days we will be constructing a place for all of the students of 1-A to reside," said Nezu. "I hope that with you there, you may be able to teach them how to prevent everything from eating away at them."
Shirou closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He could understand what they were asking of him. They wanted him to show his peers that despite being heroes in training, that they could still switch off in their spare time. To show them that they didn't have to be prepared for battle at every single moment of the day. Undoubtedly they wanted this to work two ways, to allow him to act more like a teenager and not just the grizzled war veteran that he was.
"If they try to break into my room, I will not be held responsible for what happens to them," he said as he opened his eyes.
"Given what you've shown, I don't think any of them are that foolish."
...
People rarely expected heists to go down in broad daylight. It seemed like common sense for any and all attempts at a large scale robbery should happen when there are less people watching, when the streets are less crowded to make for an easier getaway.
This however, worked in both ways. When people cluttered the streets, many of whom actively tried to film the crime in order to post it to their social media account, it made it difficult for heroes who traversed their way across the roads to arrive at where trouble was located.
Hence, when a bank found itself swarmed by an innumerable amount of men, all wearing an identical costume and forcing their way through security without a second thought to their own health or wellbeing, the result was obvious. By the time the heroes were able to arrive, the crime had already been committed with vast amounts of money having been stolen.
Those who had been watching the atrocious act unfold had found themselves sickened as each one of the men stabbed themselves in the chest, causing them to vanish from existence in a sickening display. Whatever money they had stolen was unable to be located and it would take heroes far too long to realize that there was a manhole leading into the sewers in the centre of the street.
The first few to venture down found themselves the victims of scorching flames.
...
Yaoyorozu stepped foot into the building that would serve as her home for the foreseeable future. Her parents had been reluctant at first in letting her go but she had convinced them that it would help her in achieving her dreams. As such, with five bags of necessities with her, she made her way into where she would be residing.
"Ah, Momo, you need a hand with those?" asked Ochako as she bounded forward to where Yaoyorozu was standing.
"That would be greatly appreciated," said Yaoyorozu as Ochako grabbed hold of what she assumed was the heaviest of the bags, utilizing her quirk to make them weightless. "It seems that your progression with your quirk is coming along quite well."
"I've been trying to use it as often as I can," stated Ochako. "The last thing I want in the middle of a rescue operation is to find myself queasy or sick."
"That is good of you to say," said Yaoyorozu as Ochako led her towards the women's part of the building.
"I've been meaning to ask," said Ochako slowly, glad that she wasn't facing Momo at that moment in time.
"Ask me what?" asked Yaoyorozu.
"During the rescue mission...did you ever feel like you'd fail?"
It was understandable that despite the fact they were halfway up a flight of stairs that Yaoyorozu stopped in her tracks, Ochako hearing this and turning to face her. "When the building we were standing next was...obliterated," she said after struggling to find the correct word, "I knew then that this was something beyond us. We're strong but that, that had been something on a different level altogether."
"But you still didn't feel like you'd fail," said Ochako, reading into what Momo hadn't said.
"You're correct," said Yaoyorozu with a light smile. "We had our plan and we simply had to wait for our moment. We couldn't openly challenge our opponents and so we couldn't stray from our chosen path. When the time came there was no hesitation and we just acted. I think we all knew that it would work and if we stopped thinking so, it would be then that we failed."
"Wow, that's intense," said Ochako as she turned and resumed her trek up the stairs, Yaoyorozu following behind.
"Did you have much trouble convincing your parents about moving in here?"
"Not really," said Ochako. "I was already renting a place nearby so it really wasn't much of a hassle."
"Did you have much trouble moving your belongings without the aide of your parents?" asked Yaoyorozu.
"No, of course not," said Ochako sheepishly, not wanting to admit that all of her items could almost have fitted inside of one of Yaoyorozu's bags. If it wasn't clear that they lived different lives before it was more than obvious now.
...
Shirou worked away diligently in the kitchen, his hands working at a blistering pace as he set about preparing for dinner. The final meal of the day was still an hour away but considering that it would need to be enough to feed just over twenty mouths it did need to be ready with time to spare. Lunch Rush, the chef from the cafeteria, had offered to provide meals while the lot of them were settling in to their new accommodation but Shirou had refused without hesitation.
The kitchen was his domain.
Though with that being said, somebody was encroaching on said domain.
Shirou tilted his eye as he watched Bakugo walk to the fridge, opening it before pulling out a selection of vegetables. He placed carrots, capsicum and even a pumpkin on the bench not too far from where Shirou was working before reaching into one of the drawers and searching for a knife.
When he couldn't locate one in the first two drawers he searched in, Shirou paused his work temporarily before bringing a kitchen knife into existence. The knife in question had belonged to a five star chef he had frequented with Rin back in London, an existence which seemed a lifetime ago. When she had left after their demonstration, he hadn't even tried to convince her to stick around. He knew that she'd want to continue her research somewhere that she wouldn't be interrupted. Though she had made the claim when she was leaving that he better be cooking every night in case she decided to come over unannounced.
Shirou gave it a week, tops.
Bakugo glared at the knife that Shirou had brought into existence before clicking his tongue and picking it up. He set about his chore, his hand moving rapidly as he cut away at the ingredients in front of him.
Shirou wasn't particularly sure what Bakugo was making but he wouldn't get in his way and tell him to do something else. He knew what he was preparing and if the two ideas aligned on the table so be it. Stranger things had happened after all.
...
Midoriya stepped out of his shrine to All Might/room. He had just finished unpacking every action figure and placing them all neatly in a row, beneath his posters and just to the right of his lifesize replica. Unlike the wonder that he had had in his eyes each and every time he had gotten a new piece of merchandise, now he had gazed upon each piece with a sense of sorrow.
He knew All Might's secret and his battle with All for One had undoubtedly reduced the amount of time that he could maintain his muscular form. Had it not been for the assistance he had been receiving during his conflict then there was no telling just what might have happened during the conflict.
Once upon a time he would never have even considered the possibility that All Might could have lost that fight.
Now...
As much as he wanted to remove such toxic thoughts from his mind there was no way for him to do so. He would usually have spent some manner of time on the forums amongst his fellow fans, praising his strength in the last battle but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He dared not even look at them.
He raised his hand up to meet his gaze. He had been chosen to inherit One for All and the burden that it carried. Never before had it felt so heavy.
"Are you okay?" asked Todoroki, the fire and ice wielder walking down the corridor.
"Huh, oh yeah," said Midoriya sheepishly before rubbing at the back of his hair. "Just got some things on the mind is all."
"Still thinking about that night then," assumed Todoroki, taking a relatively solid guess at what could have been on Midoriya's mind.
"I'm just thinking about whether we'd have done anything different if we were..."
"Weaker? Stronger? I don't think it matters," said Todoroki. "I think we would have done the same regardless."
"You think so?" said Midoriya.
"We've all been getting stronger, pushing ourselves further than what the staff could ever have dreamed of. That doesn't mean however that we're the strongest. Against professionals, we would still struggle."
Midoriya could feel himself shiver slightly at Todoroki's words. Amongst their peers there was little doubt that he was considered one of the strongest and rightfully so. Still, against the overwhelming power they had encountered whilst rescuing Bakugo it equated to so little. He was right though. They had been pushing themselves day in and day out, becoming stronger step by step through both their official lessons and the after school activities they participated in.
Midoriya found himself reflecting back on the battle he and Todoroki had partaken in against the flying Nomu. They had been at a disadvantage against a flying opponent but had dealt more than their fair share of damage against the creature before the professionals had arrived. Were they to be in the same spot with the strength and skills they had continued to develop, they very well may have been capable of defeating the enemy on their own now, such was the difference time could make.
"Believe me Midoriya, one day you and I will stand among the best and be competing with one another for the top spot," continued Todoroki. "Now we've bore witness to what is needed to combat the worst villains out there. I know you and you know me. Neither of us believes for a second that the other is simply going to quit at this stage."
"Of course not," declared Midoriya boldly.
"Good, I'd hate to be at the top and not see you trying to keep up with me," goaded Todoroki.
"Please, if there's anybody who is going to be standing at the top, it's me!" stated Midoriya, raising his hand up to eye height before clenching his fist.
Only for hell to break loose as black tendrils burst from his arm and began to lash out wildly!
...
Hope you enjoyed.