Please pardon any mistakes. I'm literally so tired lol.
There's an Akita. Large and cumbersome. Colored in oranges and snowy white.
There's a Pomeranian. Small and irate. Spikey yet soft fur an ashy blonde.
The Akita gives a smile— the equivalent of one, with big sharp teeth and a bobbing tongue.
The Pomeranian yips angrily, joules pulling back in rumbling a snarl.
The Pomeranian wants nothing to do with the stupid, lumbering Akita. It's loud and annoying, always barking and bounding around. But the Akita doesn't get the message. The Pomeranian barks, and growls, and snaps, and snarls. Yet nothing. The idiotic Akita continues to smile at it, curled tail wagging.
Time goes on, and not once does the Akita retreat. It greets the Pomeranian happily, never returning the hostility the smaller dog shows. And at some point, the Pomeranian stops growling. It doesn't notice it at first, until it finds itself merely huffing at the Akita's company.
The Pomeranian keeps up pretenses, of course, hackles rising anytime the Akita tries acting too familiar. Too friendly. The Pomeranian is very careful about keeping the Akita at a distance.
But one day, the Akita is found curled up, ears drooping, alone.
The Pomeranian doesn't want the Akita— or any others —to assume it'd grown attached to the larger breed, but… somehow seeing the Akita in so much strife, concerns it more.
The Pomeranian comes up to the Akita, huffing importantly, as if it had no choice but to be here, and lays down beside the Akita.
It struggles to find some way to comfort its friend, but the Akita acts first, and wraps itself around the Pomeranian. It's tail gives a languid flap, before it relaxes and falls into a much needed sleep.
The Pomeranian stands guard for the Akita, making sure it could rest undisturbed.
Because at this point, not even the Pomeranian could deny the sway the Akita had over it.
…And deep down, the Pomeranian can't find it in its heart to be mad about it.
…
Most of the class sat around in the common room and kitchen, either eating or lazing around after the beyond stressful day they all had. Several pizza boxes were scattered across the island counter, a low quality action movie was playing on the TV despite no one really paying any attention to it, a game of Dos sat abandoned halfway through on a coffee table, and Kouji laid out cold on one of the couches. Someone had placed a blanket over him at some point, and if it hadn't been for a stern look from Tenya, Denki and Sero would have drawn something on his face by now.
Hitomi ran the tip of her index finger over the edge of her license, still grinning at it.
Her picture stared back at her, a matching grin mirroring her current one. To the left of the photo was her credentials, and in large text, "Ōkami".
I really did it.
"We should do something to celebrate." Denki suggested through a mouthful of pizza.
(They really needed to stop relying on take-out, or Katsuki's rare cooking.)
"Like what?" Kyoka sat next to him in the kitchen, looking over her own license.
Denki shrugged, making an "I dunno" sort of sound.
"Arcade?" Sero suggested, getting back tired shrugs and grunts.
"Would any of them still even be open this late?" Ochako asked somewhat nervously.
"Oh! I've got a Dance Dance Retribution set-up in my room, got the dance-pad and everything." Denki said excitedly, while still chewing.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Kyoka huffed with a poorly masked smile.
"Hitomi's wonderful at that game. She's held the high score in my family's gaming room for years now." Momo cheerfully chimed in.
Ochako choked. "G-gaming room?!"
Eijirou sat up, his hair down like it usually was in the late evening. "Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask earlier. But, Hitomi, what was it you meant before?"
Hitomi looked up from her spot curled up in one of the green armchairs, blinking and finally tuning in to the conversation. "Huh?"
"You said something like, two reveals, after you got super big and saved Kaminari."
Hitomi blinked, then shot to her feet.
"Holy crap how'd I forget?!" She whirled around, looking wide-eyed at Momo. "Momo! Something crazy happened!"
"Alright?" The ravenette's brows furrowed in obvious concern. "What is it?"
Hitomi stood, grinning excitedly. "Okay, just watch." She put her hands in the pocket of her father's old hoodie, hiding them from sight. She closed her eyes, focusing on triggering the tingle. After a moment of her classmates watching in anticipation, she felt it again. That strange tingling.
She opened her eyes, beaming. "Prepare to be… amazed!" She whipped her hands out, repeatedly splaying and then closing them.
"Your hands…!" Izuku marveled.
"Holy crap!" Eijirou gasped.
"Whoa, Hitomi!" Ochako laughed in shock.
Momo just stared, her eyes like saucers.
But Hitomi faltered, looking at her hands in disappointment. "Aw, hang on, they were bigger earlier…"
Her hands were paws, but were still their usual size. And her claws were substantially shorter.
Katsuki stood back, absently tracing his left palm.
"Hitomi…" Momo breathed. "It's… like Aunt Naomi's."
Hitomi smiled softer, her hands slowly shifted back to normal. "I know. It just kinda… happened."
Izuku opened his mouth, likely to spout off a ton of questions about her Quirk, and what this meant for it. But then Katsuki lowly spoke first.
"You."
Izuku jumped, turning and looking somewhat fearfully at the blonde.
"Meet me out front, later." Blazing carmine eyes narrowed at the green haired teen.
As he passed Izuku, he added something that only he, and Hitomi with her superior hearing could catch.
"We need to have a talk about your Quirk."
A chill went through the prinkette, her tail tucking involuntarily.
His tone and expression were seemingly calm, but there was a frigid rage hiding there too. One that scared her, if she was being honest. Because it wasn't his usual anger. It was like… like the kind she held for Best Jeanist.
The kind of fury that burned bright in order to distract from the shame beneath it.
"Um, okay?" Izuku croaked, affected even more so than Hitomi was.
Katsuki continued walking, ignoring her as he nearly clipped her shoulder.
Hitomi's stomach tied itself up into knots.
…
No one said anything about the scar.
Hitomi laid restless in bed, staring up at the ceiling thoughtfully.
Sure, there were some stares— that was unavoidable —but after they all got it out of their systems, no one acted any different.
She wasn't looked at as if she was weak. To them, it wasn't a sign of her greatest failure.
Not like it was to her.
With a deep sigh, Hitomi got up, trudging out of her room and down the halls.
It was well past curfew, and the whole dorm was dead silent. Which was why she nearly jumped ten feet in the air when she saw someone sitting at the island-counter in the kitchen.
"What are you doing up?" Mr. Aizawa demanded without turning on the stool.
Hitomi fidgeted, shuffling in place. "Uh, I wanted to make some tea…"
At the sound of her voice, his tensed shoulders fell slightly, and he peered back at her.
"Saito."
"Hi." She lamely waved.
There was a small jerk of his body, and she felt proud upon realizing it was a snort.
Taking his lack of a response as a go-ahead, Hitomi put the electric kettle on as quietly as she could, before hesitantly sitting down on the stool to his left.
"So, uh, why're you here?"
Mr. Aizawa sighed through his nose, running a hand down his face. He looked different, she noticed, with his hair up and scarf missing.
"I'm waiting for two troublemakers to be dragged back here."
"Mm." Hitomi nodded as if she understood.
For a beat, neither of them spoke, just patiently waiting for their respective tasks to be completed.
But then—
"That's Naomi's hoodie, isn't it?"
Hitomi felt like all the air was sucked from her lungs.
Mr. Aizawa was looking at her tiredly— but it wasn't his usual kind of tired. It was one she'd only seen on him a handful of times.
All those times happened to include her, incidentally.
Hitomi swallowed, struggling to find words. "Ah, it— No, it was Papa's, actually."
Mr. Aizawa actually grinned at that, shocking her again. "Any hoodie belonging to Riku, eventually became Naomi's."
Hitomi felt like the rug hadn't just been pulled out from under her— it was like she was being told it was never even there in the first place.
But that's when it all clicked.
Hitomi stared at him, ears sitting low on her head. "Sir, it's… it's strange to have three recommended students in one class. Right?"
Mr. Aizawa nodded once. "Yes."
Hitomi clenched fistfuls of her parents' hoodie. "And… It would've taken more than just Aunt Nemuri's word to even make the recommendation, right?"
Mr. Aizawa was silent for a moment, before he nodded again.
"Yes."
The kettle clicked off, and Hitomi slowly got to her feet.
…
"Hey," Deku pulled that face again— the one he hated, and reached out his hand, "are you alright—"
Katsuki slapped it away, snarling up at him. "Don't you dare worry about me!"
Deku stared at him, his brows furrowed and lips parted.
Katsuki staggered to his feet, feeling more desperate by the second. "Attack me! Why won't you fight back?!" He growled, and let loose on the things that had been chaining him down— drowning him slowly over the course of recent past. "Why did I end up having to chase after someone who was always so far behind me?! Why did a damn small-fry like you get strong and become the Number-one Hero's sidekick? His favorite? You got so much better, and I destroyed All Might! I admired him so much…" He stood straighter, gripping the front of his tank top, over his racing, agonizing heart. "But it's because of me that he ended up losing his power! If I had been stronger… if I hadn't been kidnapped by Villains… then it never would've happened. None of it… All Might knows it was my fault, but hasn't said anything. And Saito— Damnit! She couldn't use her Quirk! She thinks she's weak! She blames herself, I know it! When it was my fault she was even there! Most amazing Hero? What a fucking joke! Why can't she just blame me too, damnit?! Everyone else has to! I can't get any of it out of my head! It's like it's all constantly playing on loop!"
All Might's fall. Saito's borderline torture. Having to be rescued by the likes of him.
"Katsuki Bakugou is going to become the most amazing Hero the world has ever seen! And no one, especially not you league of asshats is going to change that!"
It rang like a broken record, a taunt and a comfort at the same time. It hurt, but almost in the way that stitches do. Sharp and daunting, but there to mend and heal. He wanted to hear them again, uttered aloud, but also thought he didn't deserve to.
Bent over, tears streaming down his face, Katsuki roared.
"So what the hell am I supposed to do?!"
…
Neither said a word, until Hitomi had two mugs of chamomile tea, and slid one over to her teacher after sitting back down.
"…You knew them. You knew my parents. You really were at the wake. Weren't you?"
Mr. Aizawa took a sip of the tea, then looked down at her.
"How'd your family take the good news?"
Hitomi blinked, then remembered everything with a start. "Oh, well, they seemed happy for me. Even Nori."
"Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!" Ayami had praised thickly over the phone.
"If you think this means I'll stop giving you shit, think again—"
"Language!"
"Yeah, language, Nori."
"I hate you."
She cracked a smile, taking a sip of her own. "I also texted Uncle Soichiro, so Papa's side will probably know by morning. And I called Nonna Isabella, so I bet all of Mama's side already knows."
"So that woman's still the backbone of the Tanaka and Ricci family, hm?"
Hitomi couldn't help but gape for a second.
"You— you know Nonna Isabella?!"
Mr. Aizawa put a finger to his lips, lightly shushing her. "Yeah. She's terrifying."
Hitomi snorted, nodding along in agreement. "Oh absolutely."
After another stretch of silence, Mr. Aizawa broke it by gesturing to his own cheek.
"So, it's finally healed?"
Hitomi tensed, fighting the urge to cover her scar with her hand. "I—"
"You don't have to explain yourself to me, I won't judge you for wanting to hide it. You're a kid, a teenager, it's normal to care about appearances—"
"No."
Mr. Aizawa stopped, watching her inquisitively.
Hitomi gripped her mug tight, but was careful not to crush it. "I… It's not about vanity. I just… I hate it so much." Her shoulders bunched, and her eyes stung with shameful tears. "I hate seeing it, because it just proves I can't do shit. I was weak when it mattered. I had to rely on Katsuki to save me, because I'm pathetic. If I had just tried harder… Maybe All Might wouldn't be gone, and Katsuki wouldn't blame himself for everything. I hate this scar because it shows everyone that I'm not worthy of being a He—"
She lifted her gaze, and it fell on his right cheek— below his eye.
She paled.
Mr. Aizawa calmly turned in his seat to face her, reaching out and putting a hand on her quaking shoulder.
"I— I didn't mean— You—"
"I know." He gently cut her off. "It's alright. I know that's not what you meant. But it brings up a good point." He raised a hand to his own scar, tracing it lightly. "Heroes aren't invulnerable. We get hurt all the time. We mess up. We enter fights that we have no hope of winning. It's just how it goes. I got this as a fully-fledged Hero. And you…" He lightly tapped her cheek. "You got this before you even got your provisional license. In a fight for your life with Villains that gave Pros a run for their money."
Hitomi sniffled, wiping her eyes and looking away sheepishly. "All I did was survive. I couldn't fight them like Katsuki did."
"You came out of it physically injured, but Bakugou isn't unscathed either. His wounds aren't the kind you can see, but they're just as real. Do you think he's weak?"
"What? No! Of course not!"
Mr. Aizawa nodded slowly. "See. You think he's strong for surviving. Something you managed to do as well… Surviving is more than a lot of would-be Pros can accomplish." There was something reminiscent, and heartbroken in his voice. "All that matters is that you're alive. Use this to motivate you. Don't think of your scars as a brand, think of it as a badge. One you earned by still standing. Still being here. By being stronger than them."
Hitomi blinked hastily to fight back more tears, her face undeniably hot from all the firm praise.
"You say everything's okay when it's really not. And you smile when you're hurt too. I don't think I've ever seen you act how you're really feeling when you're upset or sad." Shouto's words rang in her head.
The dam finally burst.
"I… I…!" She curled up, breath hitching, and face scrunching. "I—"
"I know." Mr. Aizawa put a hand on the back of her head, gently pulling her in, until her trembling form collapsed against his.
Hitomi muffled her sobs in his shirt, clinging desperately to him.
"I know… I know…" His hand smoothed down her hair, raising back to the crown before sliding down again. Over and over, mimicking soothing motions her mother once used.
…
"Okay, so talk. Who knows about you two?"
"Recovery Girl and Principal Nezu do." All Might readily answered. "As far as students go, only you."
Well…
"And you don't want this to get out." Katsuki summed up, resting his head in his left hand. "'Cause that would be bad. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. I won't tell anyone what's going on. Unlike Deku, I can keep my mouth shut. This'll stay between us."
But he wasn't the concern, little did they know.
"Thanks, Kachan."
"I don't deserve this." All Might mused softly. "I should be down on my hands and knees begging for you to keep this secret for me. Yet here you are, being considerate, and helping me out. Thank you."
Katsuki stood, unable to look his idol in the eye. "I'm not doing this for you. It would just be a real pain if this got out and messed stuff up. But… it's not me you need to worry about."
Deku and All Might tensed.
Katsuki sighed, rolling his aching shoulders. "…Saito knows something's up."
"W-what?!" Deku squawked, wincing when he waved his arms in alarm.
All Might frowned solemnly. "Did you tell her what Young Midoriya said—"
"No, I didn't tell her anything." Katsuki barked, crossing his arms as he looked resolutely to the side. "Tch, she's smarter than any of those losers give her credit for. She's figured things out on her own."
Deku sat stunned, staring dumbfoundedly like an idiot.
But Katsuki was thinking about what she said, only a few days ago. The thing that had caught him so off guard, and helped cement an idea he had already had planted.
"Katsuki, hey! Do you think All Might's training Izuku to be his replacement?" Saito looked ahead, brows furrowed seriously. "I mean, it just seems like All Might favors him in a lot of ways. And the two even have lunch together regularly. I can smell it on them sometimes. It would make sense, I guess, with how similar Izuku's Quirk is to his. I dunno— There's just a lot of weird stuff going on, like during the first training exercise we did, All Might wouldn't stop your fight, even though he should've. And—"
Katsuki huffed through his nose, keeping his eyes on the ground. "Yeah… she's catching on. You're not exactly subtle, either of you."
Deku and All Might both jolted, then looked down, abashed.
He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "It doesn't help that she's got built-in lie detectors. And can hear things across a fucking building. At this rate she's gonna have you made before the school year ends."
Deku opened his mouth, hesitated, then whispered, "Kachan… you must really respect Hitomi, huh?"
A vein bulged from his head. "The fuck is that supposed to mean, huh?!"
"Nevermind that." All Might raised a hand. "Young Bakugou, now that it's come to this, I can explain what's happened between me and Young Midoriya. It's only fair."
Katsuki swallowed, patiently listening to All Might as he laid it all out on the table.
And there was a part of him that felt like Saito deserved to know. Not about Deku or any of that, but how All Might really was weakening on his own, and would've lost his power anyway. It did nothing to assuage his own guilt in the loss of the Number-one, but it could probably help her feel better, at least a little.
But she could never know.
…
"You fought the night you finished the preliminary Hero licensing exam?" Mr. Aizawa tightened his capture weapon around Katsuki and Izuku, his expression stone-cold. "I'm glad to see that you two have so much energy."
Hitomi winced, standing back in the doorway and watching in morbid curiosity.
They were both roughed up pretty bad, covered in scuffs, bruises, and cuts. In Katsuki's case, he had gashes on his forearms, made by brutal blunt force.
Yeah, Hitomi never wanted to go hand-to-hand with Izuku, if Quirks were allowed.
"Aizawa, wait, hold up with those restraints! It's my fault that they sparred in the first place!" All Might hastily came to their defense.
Mr. Aizawa's eye twitched, and he turned his glare on his fellow teacher. "Your fault? And how is that?"
Katsuki and Izuku stiffened and yelped.
All Might leaned over, whispering in Mr. Aizawa's ear.
Of course, Hitomi heard all of it.
"It seems Young Bakugou has been feeling like he was responsible for my retirement. He had to face the licensing exam with those pent-up emotions and then his inferiority complex exploded and this happened. It's all because I didn't realize I was being negligent. This whole fight was brought about because of the failure of his teacher."
Hitomi looked down.
Katsuki really was hurting, then… it was just like Mr. Aizawa said. He didn't come away from Kamino unscathed.
Mr. Aizawa grunted, and loosened the scarf. "I understand that they felt they had to break the rules. But this isn't something I can just ignore." His eyes flashed red. "There must be a suitable punishment. Who threw the first punch?!"
"I did." Katsuki plainly declared.
"I also went pretty hard. It wasn't just him." Izuku admitted.
"You're both on house arrest! Four days for Bakugou and three for Midoriya! During that time, you'll clean all the common areas in the dorm, morning and night! Plus, I want a written apology! If your injuries need to be checked out head to the infirmary. But don't rely on the old lady's Quirk this time! Figure out a way to heal yourselves!" He sighed deeply, releasing them from his bindings completely. When he spoke again, it was back to his normal, lower tone. "That's all."
Hitomi took that as her queue, and entered the room. At her sudden presence, All Might jumped and sputtered some blood.
"Hey guys," Hitomi smiled sympathetically, holding out two more mugs of chamomile. "You two look awful."
"Ah, thanks!" Izuku squeaked, taking the offered drink. For some reason he was rigid, almost looking downright terrified of her.
Katsuki snatched up his, almost spilling the hot beverage over his hand, and harshly jabbed Izuku in the side with his elbow. He shot the freckled teen a short but fiery look.
Izuku jolted upright, his back ramrod straight. "Um, I mean…"
Hitomi hugged her middle, brows furrowing. "You okay? Both of you? All Might said—"
"All Might?! What about All Might?! I'm not— Ack!" Izuku rubbed his head where Katsuki hit him again.
Katsuki scowled at him. "My expectations for you were low, but holy fuck—"
"Enough! Go!" Mr. Aizawa barked.
Katsuki and Izuku hurried out of the room, heading for the infirmary. All Might awkwardly lingered, before trailing after them. Maybe to make sure there wasn't another fight to break up.
Hitomi watched them all go, and shook her head.
"Those two… I hope their injuries don't hurt too much."
Mr. Aizawa irritatedly spooled his capture weapon. "They deserve it, after the stunt they pulled."
Hitomi smiled. "They've got a lot of energy that feeds off of the other. I actually admire them for that, how they push each other to do their best. I could never have an all-out fight like that with Momo."
Mr. Aizawa stopped, seeming to consider her point.
Hitomi shrugged, turning to head back to bed, finally. "And besides, for the first time, Katsuki didn't smell really angry with Izuku. I think this fight was good for them. The two used to be friends, so maybe they can be that again."
…
She didn't see the fight as a stupid competition.
Saito saw the good it did for Midoriya and Bakugou's relationship. She seemed so sure of it.
Her optimism was almost blinding.
"…You remind me of someone."
Saito paused, head cocking. "Who?"
Shouta swallowed, and for a fleeting second, her hair was cotton-candy blue.
"He would've loved her." Hizashi once mused softly. "They've got the same spirit…"
Sometimes Shouta couldn't help but wonder if that was true. If Hitomi Saito was born with the spark that Oboro Shirakumo once carried. He didn't much consider himself a religious man, but it was a nice thought nonetheless.
"A friend… a very close friend."
Saito's ear twitched, and she seemed to sense the weight of what he was saying, because her smile was tender.
"You know, sometimes… sometimes you make me think of Mama."
Shouta never knew a compliment could be so tender, yet painful.
(Omake: The Family Tree)
"Hi! I'm Hitomi Saito, and I'm here to clear up my family tree!"
Hitomi, wearing glasses and a tweed jacket with elbow patches, stepped aside and revealed a white board smattered in pictures and writing.
"My father's side, the Saitos, is fairly cut-and-dry, everyone hailing from Japan— Kanagawa mostly. Strangely, the Saito family has a genetic predisposition to produce people who turn out Quirkless. Very few in the family have ever developed Quirks! So it was quite a shock when Riku was born and later became a Pro Hero! Despite this, the family is largely in the profession of law enforcement! A strong sense of justice runs through their veins, and being Quirkless wasn't going to stop any of them! Now, there's just my grandparents, my father Riku, and his brothers, Junpei, Hikaru, and Soichiro— who's actually a police chief to this day! Junpei and Hikaru both got married and had two kids each, while Soichiro never settled down. And you already know that Riku would meet and fall for a girl in his class, getting married and having two amazing kids together.
Hitomi turned the whiteboard around, revealing the other side to be almost completely covered in numerous photos and writing. She grinned sheepishly.
"Now this is where it gets a bit complicated. So let me start from the beginning." She cleared her throat. "It all started when Isabella Ricci, also known as Kitsune the Pro Hero, took up a transfer position from Italy to Japan. And there she met Satoshi Tanaka— who was a painter at the time. They fell in love and quickly got married. However… I forgot to mention that Isabella and Satoshi both already had three kids each from previous marriages. These kids were Kara, Renzo, and Naomi Ricci. And Haru, Aoi, and Katashi Tanaka. Thankfully though Isabella and Satoshi adored their partner's kids, and they adored them right back. Right after the marriage, the children were all officially adopted, and changed the Riccis' surnames to Tanaka. Haru settled down with a charming young man who he adopted several dogs with. Aoi met a nice American woman who he would later have six kids with. Katashi would go on to have three divorces and no children to speak of. While Kara would choose a lifestyle free of romance, having been deterred by watching her brother's repeated failures. Renzo would marry a beautiful single mother of three. And Naomi would of course meet and fall for a boy in her class, getting married and— well you know the rest."
Hitomi clapped her hands, taking a deep breath after talking on-end.
"I think I'll save you all the trouble of hearing about my many cousins and their many kids. And I didn't even mention Nonna Isabella's brothers and sisters! Needless to say, the Tanaka/Ricci family is extensive! And who knows, maybe you'll get to meet them someday! We do hold a family-reunion every winter! Anywho, that's all for now. Remember to brush your teeth and drink lots of water. Bye for now!"
Did I really just mask boring family exposition in the form of a crack bit at the end? Yes. Am I ashamed of it? Not really.