Written by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PKSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI. _
-Friday, 9 p.m., Danchi: Midoriya Residence-
Boring.
That's what it felt like for Izuku that evening without Ryuko around. Sure, they had dinner together when Ashido popped in. Though he kind of didn't know what to do except study after she left. It seemed as if he was in a time before UA when he would just hole up in his room.
Trying to break up the monotony, he went to the batting cages for about a half-hour and blasted some baseballs away to get some pent-up energy loose. Midoriya had to admit, it felt good having an outlet to use and try to regain some focus.
There was just one problem: Not long after he got back home from the cages, he realized Ryuko was still out with the other girls. Seeing nothing better to do, he went to his room to prepare for the next month's midterms. Who knew what the school would throw at the students?
As a little more than an hour passed by, Izuku was humming away when his cell phone lit up and buzzed.
"Is it Ryuko?" he mumbled before looking at the sender on his screen.
It was Ochako.
'I wonder what this is about?'
Izuku had to admit, he was crushing on Ochako. He'd often get butterflies around her, but he was surprisingly confident compared to even a month ago. He unlocked the phone and opened the message in his text app.
"Hey Izuku. What's up?"
Pretty simple text. He could take a break from studying to respond.
"Not too much. Studying. You?" he answered back.
He waited a moment before his phone buzzed again, reading off her reply.
"I was wondering if you wanna meet me at UA tomorrow for a sparring match? Ya interested?" Ochako's response read.
"A sparring match?" Izuku put a thumb under his chin as he mulled it over. Why would she want to spar with him?
Then again, it was a chance to hang out with her.
"Sure. That'll be fun!" He fired off the text quickly. "I can let Ryuko and Iida know we'll be there. What time were you thinking?"
A few minutes went by as he waited for an answer. Was this bad? What-
-BZZZ-
He could hold that thought.
"How about 11 tomorrow morning?" Ochako suggested. "This is one of the few Saturdays we get off after all."
Izuku smiled to himself and nodded his head. This would be a nice change of pace.
"Alright, deal. Fair warning, I won't go easy on you," he responded back with a little wink emoji, with the brunette firing back a laughing emoji.
"LOL you're on! See you there!"
Well, his Saturday was set. He went to the Four-chi group chat to send a message to the other two about their plans for tomorrow. This could be a fun day.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-Saturday, UA Gymnasium, 10:00 a.m.-
Ochako was just a moment away from getting into the gym. She was there a lot earlier than what she told Izuku. After he agreed to meet up, she couldn't sleep properly and ended up waking up at 8 a.m.
Her cheeks turned red. Was it excitement? Or was it the weird feeling she had from last night?
Before she could ponder on it more, she heard doors open behind her, revealing to be Izuku and Ryuko.
"Oh! Hey, Ochako!" Izuku greeted while blinking his eyes, a little surprised.
"What's up, Uraraka?" Ryuko said while waving.
"H-Hey guys!" Ochako turned away to rub away the blush on her cheeks before facing them. "I didn't think you'd be here early!" she tapped her fingers together timidly.
"Same here! Though, it's a force of habit for me to wake up this early," Izuku chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"And that meant that I was coming, too. Here I thought I was going to enjoy sleeping in," Ryuko sleepily whined while also yawning.
"How you're still this tired after we've been doing this for weeks, I'll never know," Izuku poked fun at her.
Ochako held her hand up to her lips as she giggled. Ryuko could only pout and turn away from Izuku as a response.
"Did you happen to see Iida come in?" Midoriya asked.
"Nope," Uraraka answered.
"Figured as much. He's more of the "on time" kind of guy. And nothing else."
"You guys wanna just sit and chat for a bit until he gets here?" Uraraka proposed.
"Hmmm, might as well. We have a whole hour to kill. Time would probably just breeze by anyway," Matoi commented before she walked on, going to the edge of the forest and sitting.
"Nice spot, Matoi," Uraraka smiled before she and Izuku joined her.
"Thanks! It's one of the skills I picked up from being a wanderer."
As Matoi plopped herself down near a tree, the green tea duo both joined her to bask in the large foliage's shade.
"So how long do you think Iida will be? I'd rather not accidentally fall asleep and be all groggy while we hang out," Ryuko asked.
"Probably not too long. Even without his Quirk, Iida is pretty fast on his feet. Which is weird since he has jet engines for legs," Uraraka said, earning a small snicker from Ryuko.
"Yeah, I'm still stumped by that. Just how can he move with all that weight on him? Do the engines have a different interior to make it more lightweight? Is he WAY stronger than he looks when it comes to his legs? It would explain how he was able to smash through those robot's during the entrance exam. But how was the skin from his legs not damaged by the impact? Are his legs actually made of metal and the only thing that's flesh and blood is his skin? Maybe it could be just that his bones are made of metal, it would explain how his legs don't give out by the weight. But how does his thighs handle the weight if that where the ca-"
Izuku's rambling was cut off by the sounds of giggling. He turned to see both of his friends laughing at the literal word vomit he spewed out.
"Uh, what's up? Was it something I said?" Midoriya asked, only for the two to laugh even harder.
"Never change, Izuku. I mean it," Ochako's laughter started to lessen as she wiped a stray tear from her eye.
"Yeah, what she said! My God, dude, how can you say all of that and not take a breath?! I'm starting to wonder if you have a secret Quirk that gives you super lungs or something," Matoi's laughing fit eased up as she started leaning onto the tree bark.
"I mean, c'mon! It's not like anyone could have more than one Quirk, right? I think the only exception is Todoroki, but other than that, no way. Honestly, it doesn't seem physically possible," Ochako threw in her two cents, leaning onto the bark like her fellow brunette-haired friend.
Fortunately for the other two present, she didn't pick up on the slightly uncomfortable looks that appeared on their faces, knowing a truth she had no idea of.
"Uh… yeah. Impossible," Izuku murmured while scratching the back of his head.
"Uh huh, right. That sounds like bad fan-fiction or some other shit," Ryuko looked away toward the ground, remembering what All Might had revealed only days before.
"Ah, hello there everyone! I apologize for the delay!" Iida said, running toward the group.
"Well, hey there, emergency exit! About time you got here! I was worried that we might fall asleep waiting for ya," Ryuko called out.
"First Kaminari, and now you?" Tenya groaned and rubbed his forehead.
"Don't you mean you were going to fall asleep if we had to wait longer?" Ochako snarked.
"Oi! Don't you start sassing me, chipmunk. I saw you getting droopy eyed also. Don't act all high and mighty," Matoi barked at the chestnut haired girl.
Uraraka playfully stuck her tongue at the brunette as the four friends moved to enter the gymnasium.
"So to be clear, this will be a hand to hand spar? No Quirks or gear from outside, correct?" Iida listed off.
"Correct. I want to see just how much I've improved during our internships. Plus…," Ochako looked to see her opponent stretching, feeling a fire setting in her stomach.
"I need to prove myself as someone who can make it in the hero business. When the chips are down, Uravity has to be ready to step up to the plate!" Ochako declared while throwing a punch into the air.
"Hmm, I do see your point. Having an arsenal in fisticuff's can prove useful in a fight, especially during one against villains. Just try not to overdo it, you two. The last thing we need is to visit Recovery Girl…again," Iida stated, earning a small shudder from Midoriya.
He could still feel the metal of her syringe cane on his head after she found out about Hosu.
"Ah, come on, Iida! It's just a sparring match. No need for the rundown on the rules and stuff. Just sit back and relax while they fiiiight…," Ryuko's words trailed off as she took a brief glance at her childhood friend preparing.
After seeing her friend zone out, Ochako looked to see the reason for her abrupt brain rot.
"Matoi, what's wrong? Is everything okaaay…?" Uraraka followed suit in her friend's brief moment of delirium.
The cause of said delirium was the sight of Midoriya stretching his legs. He was bringing one leg over his head and holding it, giving a testament to his newly found flexibility.
'The training I got from Gran Torino and Miruko really paid off. Who would've guessed that yanking my arms and legs with ropes could help loosen my limbs enough to be able to do this?' Izuku thought as he brought his left leg down and his right leg up to continue stretching.
"I-I-I-just-what in the hell made you be able to do that, Izuku?!" Ochako demanded, somewhat jealous of what he was able to do.
"Oh, this? It was part of my training during my internship. The Pro I was shadowing wanted me to get used to having my Quirk on a constant flow so my body could get used to it. All that training helped my body not only get used to the strain, it pushed me to new heights. For example," Izuku brought his other leg down and went toward Iida. And in a single move, grabbed and held the taller boy in one hand.
"I'm able to do this without breaking a single sweat!" Izuku exclaimed with a bright smile on his face.
"That's great and all, but a little warning next time if you're going to do this, Midoriya!" Iida chastised, surprised at the greenette running up and carrying him.
Both Ryuko and Ochako watched as Midoriya let Tenya down from his brief captivity, with the two thinking the same thought.
'I so wish that was me right now.'
"Okay! How about we get started?" Izuku clapped his hands, ready for the bout.
Ochako nodded her head and reached into her jacket, pulling out a pair of specially designed gloves. Once she put them on, she took her place for the match.
"I got these from Mr. Powerloader before I got here. The material inside will keep me from usin' my Quirk while we duke it out!" Ochako exclaimed while throwing a jab through the air.
Midoriya geared up and took his position, wearing his own pair of padded gloves.
"That makes sense. Those are so you don't have to worry about them accidentally floating away, since the material is technically touching your finger pads. Actually, I was wondering if-" Before Izuku could keep going, Ochako placed a finger to his lips.
"Why don't you break down the many things about my Quirk after our match, okay?" Uraraka hummed sweetly, garnering a red hue from Izuku.
As the two put some distance between themselves, Iida stepped to the middle of the arena.
"Now listen, you two. This is an unarmed match, so no need to activate your Quirks. If anything goes off the rails, Matoi and I will intervene. Any questions?" Iida explained, earning a nod of approval from Matoi.
"Got it!" The two combatants sounded off.
Satisfied with the response, Iida lowered his right arm down in one swift motion, signaling for the match to start. Midoriya and Uraraka started to circle each other, arms raised in case the other wanted to go for a headshot.
'This is it! Time to see the results of my training against Izuku! All I need to do is get close and pin him,' Ochako's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden image of herself pinning down her friend, their lips just mere inches away from the other's.
'No no no! Stop thinking about that! Focus on the match. I bet Izuku isn't having the same problem!' Uraraka shook it off, but she couldn't help but pout a little bit.
Midoriya wasn't having much better luck.
'Oh my gosh, she looks so cute when she's pouting! How can I focus on the match with her looking like the living embodiment of a mochi mascot?!'
Seeing Izuku lost in thought, Ochako took the chance and lunged, hoping to catch him by surprise. As soon as she was about to tag him, Midoriya snapped out of it and leapt off to the side, leaving Uraraka to roll and catch herself.
'I need to focus! Can't let something like that catch me off guard. If Miruko were here right now…' Midoriya's body shook as he found himself shuddering at the mere thought of the No. 6 hero. 'I don't wanna think about the things she'd do to me.'
On the sidelines Ryuko and Tenya watched as the two fighters prepared for another go at it.
"The way I see it, Uraraka has an advantage in close range. From what I was told, she interned with Gunhead. He's known for close quarter combat in his battles, so much so that he has his own school," Iida noted.
"I can tell. I looked him up and he's got one hell of a catalog. He's got a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Judo and a Red Belt in Brazilian Ju Jitsu. There's also some hints of Sambo and Aikido, too, whenever he's in a fight," Ryuko chimed in.
Moving their attention back to the match, Izuku began bouncing on his toes, trying to get a rhythm of some sort going. Ochako took note and moved into a battle stance.
'Looks like he finally decided to get serious. Still, why did he drop his guard? I can easily get him on the head if I wanted,' The brunette wondered as she began her advance.
Seeing an opportunity to strike, Izuku blitzed Ochako and performed a flying knee aimed at her head. Uraraka dodged by rolling to the side, gaining some distance. Trying to not get caught on the defensive, she rushed to tackle Midoriya, wrapping both of her arms around his stomach and suplexing him to the ground. Both of the onlookers were surprised at the sudden feat of strength by the brunette.
"Holy shit, that was so cool!" Ryuko exclaimed, stunned by Ochako's sudden display of strength. Iida was speechless, only nodding in agreement.
Kicking Uraraka off of him, Midoriya rolled backward while the girl rubbed the area where his kick landed.
"Sheesh! Gimme a warning next time ya do that, Izuku!" Ochako winced, nursing her side.
"I'll consider it if you don't suplex me again! Man, now I know how Ryuko felt when I did it to her during the Sports Festival," Izuku smirked, rolling his neck to remove some of the stiffness.
"Yeah! Sucks, doesn't it?" Matoi snidely remarked
Seeing an opening, Izuku went for a front flip before transitioning into an axe kick, which Ochako narrowly dodged. Before she could retaliate, her arms were put up to block an incoming jumping spinning roundhouse by Izuku, sending her back. The greenette caught himself by doing a Maccao De Empe and a backflip for distance.
'Holy…! What the hell was that?! I've never seen Izuku fight like that. Just what kind of training did he do for his internship?' Ryuko's jaw dropped as she analyzed the exchange.
Still on the ground from Izuku's last blow, Ochako massaged her arms as she stared back at him. The greenette skipped around from left to right, arms swinging to the rhythm that he made for himself.
"Weird. Why does it look like he's dancing?" Uraraka questioned, flexing her fingers as she got up.
The only person who understood what Midoriya was doing was Ryuko, who found herself bouncing on the balls of her feet. She'd recognize that footwork anywhere, given it belonged to the greatest heavyweight boxer in history
"Oh my God, he's doing Muhammed Ali's footwork!" Ryuko squealed internally as she looked at Izuku, who was absolutely working it.
"You having fun over there?!" Uraraka called out, garnering a grin from the boy.
Not wanting to keep things at a standstill, Ochako attacked again, actually catching him by surprise. Izuku was hoping she'd be more on the defensive for the rest of their fight. Instead, Uraraka threw a right cross at Izuku's head, with him quickly lifting his arm up to guard the oncoming attack. She went for another hook, and Midoriya guarded that one as well.
The back and forth went on for a good minute before the chestnut-haired girl went for a push kick to Izuku's chest, gaining some distance and earning an audible grunt from the boy.
'Okay, that hurt WAY more than I thought it did. Although it pales to what Miruko put me through, ow!' Izuku seethed through his teeth as he rubbed his chest.
"Aw, come on Izuku! This is supposed to be a sparring match, not patty cake! Stop holding out on me, and show me whatcha got!" Ochako called out, not wanting to waste time. Seeing Ochako serious like this, he decided to humor his friend.
Standing up, he casually walked up to Ochako, who looked a little confused at the sudden, nonchalant attitude Izuku exhibited. When Midoriya got about three feet in front of Uraraka, he hit the distracted girl with an Armada to the head. Ochako hastily dodged the ensuing kick, barely having time to put her hands up to guard from a surprise Martelo from the boy.
Ryuko and Tenya stood with their jaws practically on the floor as they processed the exchange of blows that the two were dishing out. Iida could only think about the huge lecture he planned on giving them on how rough they'd been during the match. Ryuko on the other hand…
'What in the name of all things real did I just FUCKING see?! Where the hell did these two learn how to fight like THIS? Ochako makes sense, since Gunhead has a history in hand-to-hand combat, both in training and professionally. Izuku on the other hand, all I know is that he trained with some geezer,' Ryuko pondered, rubbing her chin while analyzing the fight further.
"I don't know about you, Ochako, but I think it's time for us to finish this. It's been super fun!" Izuku declared, setting himself up to rush Uraraka one last time as she widened her stance. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on her opponent's movements, waiting for the perfect time to strike.
'This is it!' The two thought as Izuku rushed at the brunette, with the girl standing her ground.
"What's going on? Why is Uraraka not moving out of the way? If she stays there, Midoriya will get a clean hit on her," Iida questioned, not sure what to make of the situation.
"Just wait and see Iida. She's got this match made," Matoi stated, earning a confused look from the speedster
With Izuku nearly nose-to-nose with Ochako, she began her own assault by grabbing Midoriya's shoulders. She then dropped to her back while holding him, executing a Tomoe Nage. The greenette jumped up from the throw and went in again, with fatigue slowly starting to set in.
Sensing what was coming, Uraraka jumped to her feet and grabbed onto Izuku's outstretched arm. She then pulled his arm over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground.
Midoriya coughed since he had the wind absolutely knocked out of him. He struggled to get back up before he felt a heavy weight land on his chest. Thanks to that, his body was now completely spent. There was nothing he could do.
Izuku wearily opened his eyes before widening immediately once he saw the fierce animal that was Ochako. Her eyes were narrowed and tightened, only focusing on him. The breaths she took were so heavy and hot that he could practically feel it on his face. Her expression screamed of triumph, and it was stimulating.
Brown locks of hair hung down the sides of Ochako's face. It blocked out the outside surroundings so that he would only be focused on her. And only her.
"Hey Izuku," Ochako said smugly.
"Hey," That was all that Izuku could get out of himself as he stared into Uraraka's eyes.
As the two continued to stare at one another, Ryuko felt her chest tighten at the sight of the two looking so… romantic with each other. Not wanting to feel like the third wheel, she called the match there.
"Looks like we have a winner! Congrats Uraraka! Now how about ya get off of Izuku's stomach so he can breathe?" Matoi called out, causing the two to scramble away from each other. Midoriya crabbed away while Uraraka rolled off, her hands covering her face to hide from the sudden rush of embarrassment.
"Well, it appears that Uraraka came out on top in the end. Isn't that right, Matoi?" Iida said, completely oblivious to what the double meaning of his comment meant. It only made Ryuko laugh and the green tea duo growing deeper crimson blushes on their faces.
Ryuko didn't move from her spot, as her body completely froze up. Sweat ran down her face, making her shiver from how cold it felt. At the same time, her head grew hot, almost to an irritating degree.
"Ryuko?" Senketsu checked in on his friend.
"I need some air," Ryuko muttered, booking it for the exit while everyone was preoccupied. Once outside, she slumped against the outer wall.
"What the hell am I doing?!" Ryuko slapped her palms against her cheeks, trying to dial back in on reality.
"Talk to me, Ryuko. What's wrong?"
While the Kamui wanted to be of assistance and bring Matoi back to a more stable state, he already knew why she was acting out.
"I dunno! I just… When I see those two together, I really want to be happy for Izuku."
She paused, looking down at her right palm before gently closing it into a loose fist.
"But… my head starts spinning and my brain doesn't think. It's like I'm panicking, Senketsu. And I don't understand why or how to make it stop!"
The girl brought her knees to her chest, resting her forehead on her lower extremities and trying to focus on something else.
"Have you ever thought about why you're reacting like this?" Senketsu asked.
"Huh? What're you talking about?" Ryuko mumbled, unsure what her companion was saying.
"You and I have grown close over the last few months. Even more so since you arrived at UA and were surrounded by a solid support system. Your blood has different tastes with different emotions," he explained.
Ryuko lifted her head up slightly, somewhat intrigued with what he had to say.
"I equate a salty taste to cockiness. While I could prattle on about every single taste, there's one over these past few months that has occurred more and more frequently."
"And what would that be?" Matoi mumbled.
"When you're with Izuku, there's a very sweet, rich taste to your blood. And it's only gotten stronger the more time you've spent with him, and then turns sour when something like this happens," Senketsu noted.
"So what?" Ryuko wondered, not really trying to follow his message.
"I'm saying that you've grown very close and attached to Izuku. He's always spending time with you and you with him. Ryuko, have you ever considered that you love him?"
The girl's face grew red again as she was jolted straight up, with her thoughts scrambled for the second time in short succession.
"Th-There's no way! I-I-I mean, Izuku's my best friend! I've known him since we were kids! Why would I be in lo-lov- WHATEVER!"
"Try to calm down, Ryuko. Breathe," Senketsu tried his best to soothe her as she felt like a firework had been set off in her head. Once she finally regained control, she slumped back down against the wall.
Moments passed, but she was struggling to push the force she felt back down.
"Izuku… he's so kind, helpful, determined, handso- what the hell?! Whyddya get me all confused?!" Ryuko groaned. The tie, his uniform, the flexibility. Her head was so screwed up.
"You keep trying to push him in a direction away from you," Senketsu sighed. "That's when reactions like today happen. When you're around him, you're much more relaxed and comfortable in your own skin. And it's true, you have known him for a long time. It only makes sense that you'd be attracted to him, Ryu-"
"Shut up," Ryuko cut him off with a curt tone, trying to regain some composure as she walked a few meters away towards some trees. Her legs shook as she braced an arm up against some tree bark. Slowly but surely, her heart rate slowed and her mind cleared up.
Matoi slowly moved backward and stopped using the forestry as support, looking down at the green blades of grass as the wind gently blew each strand like an ocean wave.
'This is for the best. I can't be there for him. He likes Uraraka and that's-'
"Ryuko!"
That thought would have to wait.
"Ryuko, where are you?" Izuku's voice called out.
Her heart started to thump slightly, but it wasn't as bad as before. Senketsu knew she had to confront this at some point, but now wasn't the right time to continue.
"Go on. Go back to your friends," Senketsu urged.
Iida and Uraraka's voice joined the chorus, as the girl went running in the direction she heard their vocals originating from.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Ryuko!" Izuku shouted with his hands cupped around his mouth.
"Matoi! Where are you?" Iida joined in, as all three of them took turns calling out for their missing comrade.
"Do you think she's okay?" Izuku wondered, a little worried that she'd run off like that.
"I'm sure she is," Ochako gave a reaffirming nod. "It's kinda tough to keep her down, ya know?"
Izuku couldn't help but worry. This wasn't really like Ryuko to ditch out of the blue. His anxiety was cranked up and he was afraid of what might have happened.
Without warning, Matoi emerged from the deeper forest, huffing as she came to a stop in front of her friends.
"Sorry about that guys," Ryuko apologized. "I just got really pent up and needed to let off some steam."
"We're just glad you're okay," Izuku said with a warm smile, placing a hand on her left shoulder.
Ryuko felt her heart thump more and more. The way Izuku disregarded her lame excuse, and prioritized her well-being, made Ryuko's center race even more. Seeing him be so worried about her made her happy for some reason.
"Y-Yeah," Ryuko muttered while not making eye contact with Izuku. "You don't need to worry. It's the effects of not being a morning person."
"Well, maybe a nice meal will help get your energy going. Iida knows this nice ramen shop downtown that we can stop at," Izuku offered to her.
Even with Ryuko's current stress, Izuku's cheerful nature always found a way to relieve her of it. Him always considering what his friends were feeling was another trait she admired. Her heartbeat settled down, and just like Senketsu said, her blood became that much sweeter. Ryuko's neutral expression slowly stretched into a smile as she faced Izuku.
"Yeah, I think I'm ready to chow down," she said with a bright look.
How the hell was Izuku so good at cheering her up?
"Alright, Iida! Lead us down the path!" Izuku called out to the head of the group.
"On it! If you would please follow me, everyone," Iida said politely.
"If we hurry, we could probably fit in some time to just hang out. Today's a beautiful day," Izuku said.
"-Gasp- We should check out one of the cedar forests here! It's been so long since I've been to one! I wonder if there's anything cool we can find!" Ochako glowed with excitement as she had a wide, toothy grin.
"Ahh, It's been a while since I've been to a forest myself. Sounds like it could be a lot of fun," Iida said, opting for their next activity.
"It totally does! What do you think, Ryuko? Wanna try it out?" Izuku asked.
"Let's do it!" the Kamui wielder nodded with enthusiasm.
"It's settled then! Lunch first, then a trip to a cedar forest!" Iida announced the game plan.
"YEAH!" The trio that followed him cheered.
..~~~HLK~~~..
After making a stop at the ramen shop for a quick bite, the Fourchi gang made their way towards the forest. The trees surrounded them on a pathway they walked on, creating a narrow view of the skyline that served as an amazing sight.
"Wow… This looks really pretty!" Izuku stared in awe as he looked right up into the sky.
"Yeah! The trees really help make the skies look bright!" Ochako added.
The two were absolutely giddy, while Tenya and Ryuko were a lot more composed.
"You two are really enjoying this, huh?" Ryuko chuckled as she watched the two.
"Can't say I blame them. This all looks very breathtaking," Tenya took a whiff for a moment. This was the first batch of fresh air he was able to take in and enjoy in a long time. He had forgotten how to enjoy the simple things when he was fueled with vengeance.
"It is. It's one of the things that I really enjoyed when I was traveling back then."
While they talked, Midoriya and Uraraka continued to explore the forest, taking interest in anything they found. They were quite sporadic about it, either following the sidewalk or darting a bit into the forest. They couldn't quite stay still.
"Be sure to stay on the path, you two! This is a big forest!" Iida called out. "We don't want to get lost!"
"Whoaaa! Look at that!" Uraraka gasped and pointed in the direction of the forest.
It wasn't noticeable at first, but there was a small dirt path that led somewhere before being blocked off by foliage and large tree stumps. This peaked the brunette, and soon the greenette's, curiosity.
"Ooooh… Looks like a path there. You think there's anything past it?" he asked, squatting down next to Uraraka as she stared.
"Not sure, those trees cutting it off look so mysterious," she said back to him as she squinted hard at the objects.
"I can't even tell if that's a natural formation or not."
"There's only one way to find out, and it's by going over it! C'mon!" Uraraka cheered before running ahead.
"Whoa, wait up!" Midoriya laughed before joining her.
"Midoriya! Uraraka! Where are you going?!" Iida tried calling out to them, but the two were already jumping over the stumps.
"Ah, shit!" Matoi tried to follow them and jumped as well. As she got on the other side, the two teens were already out of sight.
"Matoi? Do you see them?" Iida asked as he followed behind her.
"Nope. They just had to get excited and keep running. Sheesh!" Ryuko rolled her eyes.
"We don't know how big the forest is. Should we call someone?"
Ryuko was thinking for a moment, almost considering that idea. But then, something clicked in her head. Soon, a small pain struck her chest that she forced down immediately.
"Nah, c'mon, Iida. We're not little kids anymore. I'm sure we'll find them in no time. Plus, Izuku could probably do one of those smashes to signal us, or Uraraka could just float."
Tenya wanted to protest, but found that he couldn't quite argue with her. They all had grown a lot since they first started at UA.
"Well… I suppose that's true. With all that has happened lately, I'm sure a forest isn't anything they can't handle."
"Might as well keep going and see if we can find them ourselves. This new route they took could be cool," Ryuko smiled and went ahead.
Tenya nodded before joining her as they took their time.
Izuku and Ochako continued jogging down the trail. Ochako was leading the way, completely driven by her excitement that Izuku nearly thought he'd need to use his quirk to keep up.
Ochako's training with Gunhead must have been really intense.
"Where are we going exactly, Ochako?"
"Beats me! I wanna see where this leads!" she said while cutely hop-scotching, stirring up a smile that made Izuku's heart skip a beat.
With invigoration in his system, he kicked it into full gear and started running faster.
"Me too! Race you there!" he shouted before running past her.
"No fair!"
The two ran further, with Ochako lagging behind Izuku by just a hair. Whatever stump they came across, Izuku would hop right over it, with Ochako doing the same. For a relaxing walk, they were getting quite a workout with their acrobatics. They were having a great time! The calm atmosphere of the forest was bathed by their laughter as it echoed throughout the area.
They could have kept going, but soon found themselves stopping right in their tracks. There, Izuku and Ochako were treated to something spectacular.
Large trees stood, towering above them like giants. Their shape was more spread out, creating a unique appearance that differs from how trees usually looked. But they had yet to look at what was up above.
"Wow…" Ochako gasped.
Perfectly straight trees sat above the one before them, with foliage so dense that it looked as if it was the one carrying it.
"That looks amazing! I-I didn't think trees could ever look like that!" Izuku marveled, unable to fully decipher how this was at all possible.
Izuku and Ochako walked to get a closer look at the tree, with it getting bigger with every step.
"That's a Daisugi tree. Back at Kyoto, there was a shortage of wood and people were still trying to figure out how they would cut trees without killing the environment. So the locals created a technique called "Daisugi," which translates to 'Platform' or 'Stage. "
Izuku turned to Ochako, being surprised by her knowledge about this.
"Oh, so they basically started growing trees, that would grow more trees!"
Izuku found it funny how something that sounded so simple would actually be quite a big deal.
"Mhm! Now that they have extra trees, they can harvest the wood without having to cut down the mother tree!" Ochako smiled brightly.
"That's actually a really smart idea! I never would have thought of that," Izuku admitted.
The two stared at the tree for a bit longer, taking in everything. Ochako then thought of an idea.
"Ya wanna climb it?"
Izuku was met with a wide, excited grin from Ochako, who looked as if she was hoping he'd say yes.
"Sure. Looks like it could be a lot of fun," Izuku started stretching his limbs. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up."
"I can just make you float, Izuku."
Izuku looked as if he didn't know how to respond to what she said, but was able to stumble on some words soon after.
"You don't have to. I don't want to make you go through the trouble, you know?"
"It's okay, Izuku."
Ochako touched her fingers together, activating her quirk. She then lent her hand to him, smiling warmly while doing so.
Izuku's cheeks turned a mild red as he looked at her. He could even see a small blush on her face too. Ochako looked so earnest, and cute. How could he say no?
"Alright."
He took her hand with a firm grip that she reciprocated. Her quirk soon made him float. Ochako buckled her knees ever so slightly before pressing her other hand on her chest. With her quirk activating, she gently pushed off of the ground in the direction of the tree.
Izuku watched Ochako closely as they soared through the air. She always looked so graceful whenever she floated in the air. Her hair flowing with the wind, the look in her eyes, they were so bright. It was full of adventure and happiness, and it made Izuku's heart flutter. The only other person who had eyes like that was Ryuko.
Whenever they touched the side of the mother tree, both would kick off to ascend higher while using branches to keep themselves in close proximity. Ochako yanked on the peak of the mother tree's branch in order to pull herself and Izuku towards the taller ones that weren't as close to the edge.
"Ready? I'm going to let go now," Ochako asked as they were approaching the top.
"Ready," Izuku said with a smile.
Ochako did just that and tapped her fingers together to deactivate her quirk. The two perched themselves up on some thick branches, witnessing a view that they rarely ever had the chance to see. The buildings they normally saw in their daily lives were replaced with the sky that went as far as the eye could see. The man-made structures were just barely visible, being covered by the freedom of the blue sky that traveled endlessly past the horizon.
Izuku closed his eyes and took a deep whiff of the air, wanting to never forget this feeling.
"Aww, feel that wind."
"It's amazing," Ochako did the same, letting it blow her hair back. "I never would have thought we'd find a Daisugi tree here. Well, I knew the technique would migrate from Kyoto, but I never got the chance to see it."
"Really? You seem to know a lot about trees. I always took you as someone who did this a lot," Izuku said.
"I've always loved nature. Back in Okinawa, my parents and I always took walks around the island. My favorite spot was the beach in front of the Morning Glory Orphanage. I like to research about a lot of places I go to. But… since I've come here, it's been a lot harder to do any of that. I would still look up some stuff while being cooped up in my apartment," Ochako reminisced, feeling a wave of nostalgia as she gazed at the distant sun.
Izuku's face softened a bit. It wasn't for the same reason, but he knew what it was like being stuck in his room. He was shut off from the outside world, missing out from what it had to offer. That loneliness could do things to a person.
"Now I know why you were so excited when we found that dirt path," he chuckled.
"Hehe! Yeah…" she said rather bashfully. "I acted like a kid going out for the first time. Pretty embarrassing, huh? Guess that's what happens when I'm in my room all the time."
"Not at all. You like adventure and that's always a staple for a fun time! Plus, did you really forget that I was like that too? You're not the only one who was stuck in your room," Izuku said rather proudly, which he regretted immediately since that sounded absolutely sad. "Wait. Ughh…"
Ochako laughed, and Izuku followed suit.
"Hahaha! Yeah, yeah… Then I guess this forest was a much needed trip. I really have to thank you for that."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Izuku asked.
Ochako folded her legs while playing with some of the foliage on the branch.
"I never had the chance to get out as much as I used to because I was so worried about classes. I spend all day inside studying, since the courses have gotten a lot harder. But, after you invited me and Iida to start studying with you and Matoi, I guess I have that chance again."
Ochako's lips curled into a smile as she looked at the boy.
"That really helped a lot, Izuku. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Ochako. We'll always be there to help you," Izuku returned the expression.
They looked back at the sun, the mood becoming a lot more tender because of their discussion.
"Since we're spilling our guts today…" Ochako started, looking back at Izuku. "I wanna ask you something."
"What's up?" Izuku turned his head toward her.
"You mentioned that you were stuck in your room a lot. What for?"
Izuku's expression hardened a bit, turning away from Ochako. He was completely silent for a moment, curling his legs close to him. He then relaxed his body, despite the internal tension he felt.
"Well… You know a bit about what's going on with Kacchan, right?" Izuku trailed off.
"Yeah."
She definitely knew. Ochako saw the many instances where Bakugo lashed out at Izuku, and she remembered what Matoi said about him when they first met.
"After Kacchan got his quirk, he got everyone to turn against me and bully me. I was alone for a long time because of it, and only found comfort in my room," Izuku rubbed his thumb against the wood, keeping a neutral expression.
"Things haven't been easy since then. Thankfully, I've been getting better. I still have a lot of issues to work out. I haven't even told Ryuko everything that's happened between him and I."
Ochako's mouth was agape, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.
"I…I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Ever since I first told Ryuko that, it feels like a lot of weight just came off my shoulders. Like I said, I've been getting better. Reuniting with Ryuko, and meeting you and Iida. I've gotten really lucky lately, and I'm forever grateful."
Izuku's hand balled into a fist as he stared at it, a smile forming again.
"One day, I do want to tell you guys everything. I just need time until I can fully believe in myself."
Ochako was going to speak up, but was lost for words again. This really struck a nerve with her. Why was she so stumped?
Before she could try again, both of their ears perked as they could hear a voice calling out to them.
"IZUKU! URARAKA! YOU HERE?"
"URARAKA! MIDORIYA!"
It was Ryuko and Tenya. Both Izuku and Ochako completely forgot that they were there with them. Their brains seemed to link on the same thought before they both started snickering.
"I can't believe we forgot about them," Izuku leaned his head back against the branch.
"It really says a lot about how we think, huh?" Ochako jested amongst her laughter.
"We should probably get back to them. It'd be a lot more fun if we stayed with them instead of having you listen to me drabble on," Izuku said as he shifted his position on the branch.
"Ya know, Izuku…" Ochako said before stopping in her tracks. He soon looked at her with his full attention.
"I don't mind just being with you."
Izuku blinked, processing what she just said.
"Really? He asked.
"Yeah. Today was a lot of fun. I'm… glad I got to spend time with you like this," Ochako timidly stroked a lock of her hair while getting those words out. "I wouldn't mind doing it more often."
Izuku tucked his hands into his pockets. His heart was beating heavily in his chest. Was she asking him out on a date?
"Me too. Let's do this again sometime," Izuku said, letting his brain go into autopilot as he felt he couldn't manually say the actual words he wanted to.
Both teens were stuck as a blushing mess. It was starting to get awkward. With quick thinking, Ochako had an idea.
"Izuku, wait."
"O-Oh! What's up?" he shook his head.
"They don't know where we are yet. We should totally jump down and scare them!" Ochako grinned through mischievous snickers.
"Really? I don't know. Weren't they worried enough as is?" Izuku protested.
"If they were really that worried, there probably would have been authorities looking for two missing kids," Ochako laughed.
"Right, right," Izuku chuckled before balling his hands into fists. "Okay, let's do it!"
"Hold on tight!" Ochako tapped her fingers together and extended her hand, which Izuku took immediately.
Ochako's quirk activated and they lowered themselves on the tree. Once they were low enough, the two pushed off so that they could descend safely onto the others. Ryuko and Tenya did not stop calling out to their friends, so it made it easy for the teens to follow the voices.
Izuku and Ochako were surprisingly able to find the others quickly. Ryuko and Tenya continued like normal without noticing their friends up above.
"Good, they still haven't seen us," Ochako whispered.
"I think this is a good opportunity to jump down then," Izuku pitched in.
"Ready?" she asked while trading smiles with him.
"Yeah."
Since Ochako's quirk was still in full effect, both teens angled themselves under the tree branch and pushed off of it.
"Do you think we should start getting worried now?" Tenya asked, starting to question if they could keep this up any longer.
"C'mon, Iida! Lighten up! There's nothing to-"
"WA!" Both Ochako and Izuku shouted as they descended right in front of Ryuko.
"WA-AAAAAAAAAH!" the Kamui wielder fell right onto her tush.
"OH MY GOODNESS!" Tenya shielded himself with his stiff choppers for hands.
"HAHAHA! GOT YOU!" Ochako shouted as if declaring victory.
"You guys are asses!" Ryuko shouted, being reasonably upset.
"-sigh- Glad to see that you two are alright," Tenya rolled his eyes and readjusted his glasses.
"Sorry we left you two behind. We got a little too excited about all of the trees," Izuku said while running his hand through his hair.
"I'll say! You two were basically kids! But, I can't blame you. It's really beautiful out here. I even got a nostalgia trip from when I was exploring. I always loved sitting underneath trees," Ryuko smiled.
"OH! Speaking of trees, there's something you guys really need to see! Come on, we'll show you!" Izuku said eagerly. He then tried to get a head start, but saw that he was still in place.
"Umm, you two are still floating. And holding hands," Ryuko smirked at that last sentence.
"Huh?" Both teens looked and found that she was right. They quickly pulled back from each other, with Ochako deactivating her quirk.
"L-Let's just go!" the brunette said before turning around and walking.
Not wanting to dwell more on that, Izuku ushered both Tenya and Ryuko to follow. They literally movedon from that.
During their trek, Ochako's blushing face started to take on a more somber expression. What happened up on the Daisugi tree with Izuku, it really caused an uncomfortable pain in her being.
When he was opening up about being bullied, she felt that she should have said something to comfort him. But, nothing came out. Ochako was basically stunned. How could she let that happen? What kind of friend would let that happen?
She carefully turned her head, sneaking glances at someone.
Ryuko would have said something.
As for the Kamui wielder, she had a neutral look on her face. She knew what possibly happened when Izuku and Uraraka disappeared, which was why she talked Iida out of calling for a search. Izuku definitely was able to get a good amount of alone time with Uraraka thanks to that. And it seemed like they were definitely getting closer now that she caught them holding hands.
Izuku was truly making progress, and Ryuko couldn't be any happier for him. But…
Something made her body feel weak, almost numb. Ryuko tried to tighten her fists to get control of her nerves, but she couldn't muster the strength for it. It made her wonder if she even had the strength for what might come.
To Be Continued…
Buckichamp A/N: Man, a lot of folks weren't around for the last chapter, huh? Make sure to catch up on Chapter 39 to understand the context of this chapter. There is one review to address after PK speaks his piece.
PKSpartan A/N: Alrighty then! For those who know their fight scene history, you know where a good chunk of the first part came from. The Caporeia used by Izuku was taken straight from Scott Adkins fight with Lateef Crowder in Undisputed 3. And the Judo and BJJ came from Flashpoint by Donnie Yen. The fight was WAAAAAAY longer in the first draft, but had to be cut down due to time. The fight was more or less my idea since I wanted a part of the chapter to highlight the growth Izuku and Ochako had during their internships.
Q: "That aside, I have a question of my own. I forgot if this was answered already, but in the Sports Festival Arc, during the Ryuko vs Deku fight, why didn't Deku not use his Delaware Smash? At first, I was curious because I was disappointed it wasn't used due to the fact that it's one of my favorite moves of his. But now it's mostly because it seemed like a good advantage. It's a widespread attack that can be applied at both long and short distance. It was basically Deku's only ace in the hole, so why wasn't it used?"
-LoneWolf427
Buckichamp A/N: I cut the review in half to answer this question. Aside from the two 100% finger flicks against Todoroki in the Sports Festival, Izuku's power percentage of One For All isn't high enough to use Delaware Smash yet. He needs to be between 15-20% for a short burst, which he's not capable of handling yet (referring to Season 4 of MHA). Not sure when he'll reach that point.
Q: "If I may ask, isn't the two heroes movie after the exam arc. Because if it is, you guys are doing arcs out of order."
-Mark Rocha
Bucki: I thought Two Heroes was earlier in the timeline, but the INTENTION of what I meant to say was that we didn't HAVE TO put it in the time frame where Two Heroes is supposedly in. If we did it when the suggestion is being made here, it would completely scramble our timeline of events.
Trust us, it'll make a lot more sense later on. There are plans already in place.