Written by Aduubo and Buckichamp
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI. _
The streets of the Honno City slums were as bustling as usual. Many people were going on about their day, trying to get through and survive. The loud volume made it perfect for a particular someone to skip by unnoticed. Not that it mattered to Nui Harime if anyone noticed her.
She was whimsically heading towards Honnoji Academy, once again going against the wishes of her feeble younger brother. Ragyo may have listened to him, but that didn't mean Nui had to. A little rule breaking here or there couldn't hurt anyone right?
While she walked up the increasingly steep hill, Nui stopped behind a crowd of people that were bundled around the appliance store. It looked like they all had their eyes glued to a small tv that was showing Izuku's fight against Sanageyama.
"Whoaa! Look at that kid go! Mako wasn't kidding about that Midoriya guy!" Barazo said in awe. He couldn't keep his eyes off the action.
"I don't think I've seen anyone look as mad as Ryuko does. It's actually kind of scary," Sukuyo muttered, unsure on if she should be worried about Midoriya's well being.
"Pfft. He's not that great," Mataro grumbled and looked away in a huff. He was still upset about knowing that Midoriya was the one that Ryuko would see everyday in Musutafu. What did Mako find so cool about him anyway? Midoriya looked like someone he would easily pickpocket and forget about.
Even so, he just couldn't take his eyes away from the screen. There was a sweet amount of ass kicking being shown from both sides.
Nui witnessed the back and forth between the two fighters and grew intrigued. "Huh. I guess these UA brats Ichi loves so much are actually pretty cool! And it's that green kid that the Kamui girl danced with! How fun!"
She turned and walked up the flight of stairs immediately, remembering that she was sort of in a crunch here. But the more she imagined what would happen when she got there, her smile stretched wider and wider.
"Wonder if I'll get to meet him too?"
After helping Midoriya up to his feet, Sanageyama left the platform without a win, but not a loss either.
Satsuki wasn't thrilled to call the match a draw at Uzu's request, but his pride wouldn't let him actually take the credit. Despite everything they threw at Midoriya, Sanageyama had even more respect for the green bean.
And Satsuki's respect for the UA first year grew as well. Midoriya looked like he was going to shrink away from the challenge she threw down earlier in the day, but instead proved everyone wrong. His iron-clad will was something to be admired.
'For now, I have to keep my priorities in front of me,' Satsuki let her silent acknowledgement pass before turning her eyes to the girl already locking her gaze onto the heiress.
"Let us fight."
"They're going to fight again!" One student cried out with excitement.
"No, you idiot! Do you not remember what happened last time?!" Someone else's voice shook with terror.
"We barely survived last time! We're all gonna die!" Yet another wailed as mixed reactions scattered across the courtyard.
"Relax! The UA kids will save us again, I'm sure!"
"I don't think they're prepared for what might happen here…"
"What're they talking about?" Kirishima wondered.
"Beats me," Tanaka shrugged, but he'd heard about a big fight a few months back. More likely than not, these two were involved.
Everyone was on edge. Some were excited to see Satsuki, their academy's leader, take on an outsider. Then there were the others who didn't want a repeat of being chucked through the air like ragdolls.
Ryuko was a bit on edge too. This was going to be her rematch against Satsuki, the true test of how far she'd come since she was transferred to UA. She was confident in her strength, but Ryuko would be lying if she wasn't a bit nervous.
Ryuko looked to Izuku, who had an eager expression on his face.
"You've got this."
Ryuko turned to her peers one last time before she would step up to the plate. From her classmates, to Mako, they all nodded, sharing the same sentiment. She smiled before giving Izuku a quick hug, as if to rejuvenate herself.
"You sure you don't wanna sit in the nurse's office? You did just go through hell and back."
"And miss this? No way. I'll be fine, don't worry," Izuku reassured Ryuko once again. He patted her back a few times to show that he could still move his arms and legs. Ryuko hummed a little bit upon receiving it before pulling back.
"Alright then. When I win, what do you say we celebrate with dinner tonight? It's on me."
"You know I'm not going to let you pay for it all, right?" Izuku chuckled.
"You might as well quit while you're ahead, cuz I ain't folding," Ryuko bantered back.
"I'll take my chances," Izuku jested.
Ryuko began to blush from what she was going to say next. But, she felt that she had been putting off her feelings for far too long. Maybe it was time that Ryuko chased what she wanted.
"And with umm… Just the two of us, by the way. You and me. Um. O-Only me," she said quietly enough so that nobody else would hear.
Izuku felt his reaction time slow down, nearly lagging behind to form a response. He blinked twice before his cheeks glowed red. They then curved into a smile once he nodded.
"Sure thing."
Ryuko's face lit up with joy. Izuku could have sworn he heard a gleeful sound from her. The Kamui wielder now had something to look forward to. The connecting walkway came up to the protective siding in front of their seating area. This was it.
"Ready?" Ryuko asked Senketsu as she began to climb up.
"Yes," he acknowledged with a sense of vigor as they noticed Satsuki finally making her descent.
"No hesitation. I'd expect nothing less from you, Ryuko Matoi," Kiryuin's ice cold persona never wavered, with several attendees shivering in response. Ryuko on the other hand kept her glare set on Satsuki. There wasn't even a twitch of reluctance in her gaze.
"If you think you're going to get a rise out of me, think again. I'm fighting for more than myself now."
Matoi had certainly changed. Whether or not this would alter the course of a battle was unknown to Kiryuin, who fought her in what was essentially an eternity ago. She had to prepare for the eventuality that Dr. Matoi's daughter had more tricks up her sleeve.
"Man, this is getting way too tense," Ichiro's nerves were on edge, as was the majority of the UA contingent.
"She won't lose."
Everyone turned around to Izuku. He wanted to see how this would play out. Things had really changed, and Satsuki had a rude awakening coming her way in a moment.
Both fighters finally reached the ring, as a cascade of silence fell over the academy, save for the breeze of the wind.
Without another word, Ryuko's right hand reached for the pin in her Seki Tekko on her left hand, yanking it out to sync up.
Satsuki did the same, the three latches on her left arm clicking into place as she initiated her own change.
A blinding light engulfed the stage for a moment as everyone in attendance had to turn away briefly before the two dynamos emerged, their Kamuis transformed and ready for battle.
"What the heck…" Mineta whispered. Once he laid eyes on the dominatrix like this, he wasn't sure whether to be lovestruck or terrified. This was the first time he'd seen Satsuki in her sync form.
"This looks like trouble guys," Ashido's eyes darted back and forth. Both fighters had their game faces on and were ready to attack at the drop of a dime.
"Ya ready for Round Two, Satsuki Kiryuin?" Ryuko's tone remained measured, shifting into an attacking stance that also would allow her to quickly counter.
"Are you?" Satsuki prepared herself as well, but a smirk quickly revealed itself. The act however didn't deter Matoi in the slightest.
"More than anything."
The two exchanged stares from across the platform. Their eyes darted around, analyzing each other's body language. Not a hint of movement went unnoticed. Ryuko's hand hovered over the holster of her scissor blade. Her fingers slowly moved, flexing and stretching every muscle in them. Satsuki did the same as her hand was just inches from the hilt of her Bakuzan. Their postures remained composed and steady, carefully waiting for the moment of a quickdraw.
In a flash, Ryuko and Satsuki drew their respective blades. The sharp metallic edges grinded against their casings, making for a sound that cut clean through the air. The whistling steel lingered, leaving everyone in awe at Ryuko and Satsuki's magnificent weapons.
"Let's see what you've learned since I sent you away."
And Satsuki was off, boldly making the first move.
"Finally!" Ryuko pushed off, seeing that her opponent wasn't going to waste any more time on pleasantries.
Both Kamui wielders were lightning fast. Soon enough, their swords clashed and created a seismic blast of wind that trailed in all directions. Several UA Students were trying to hold on to their seats, not expecting such sheer force. Students from Honnoji cried out as this was even worse than what they remembered from last time, as Cementoss quickly constructed a barrier to try and prevent any of his students from getting blown away.
"This is far more intense than I could have imagined," the pro hero grunted, seeing chips in his makeshift wall.
'And that was just from a single blow,' his eyes shifted over to Midnight, who nodded in affirmation.
–CLANG–
Two blows. Three blows. The intensity increased and each swing connected in quick succession, as the two girls duked it out and were quick to separate, to then regroup for a moment and launch back in. Kiryuin and Matoi clashed once more at the center of the platform, both of them smiling. For whatever reason, there was a thrill to this fight that neither could explain.
The first shock of the battle came as Ryuko was actually holding her own very well. This stirred conflicted looks on the benched members of the Elite Four's faces. Yet, they said nothing, their breath short. Matoi's moves were more precise, which aided her brute strength in the times she would actually break Satsuki's guard.
And next came the second shock of the battle when Ryuko ducked down and swept Kiryuin's legs out from under her. This caught the Honnoji leader by surprise as Ryuko quickly kicked her a good few feet away to get some separation.
"Shoulda figured you'd still block that," Ryuko sighed with her eyes closing, knowing what she intended to hit didn't connect, but still put Satsuki on the defensive.
"Look at that!" Ojiro was awestruck, seeing these two fight.
"She's winning! Go get her Matoi!" Hagakure cheered on.
'Damn! I didn't expect even Matoi to be able to take on Satsuki in a solo fight!' Ichiro tried to process everything he saw, his mouth agape. 'She might actually have a shot here!'
Satsuki finally lowered her arms that took the brunt of the blow, gazing back across the area to see Ryuko's stoic expression.
"Not bad," Kiryuin praised the girl, who didn't change her look in the slightest. But even with the impassive face she purports, Satsuki had to admit that Matoi was doing far better than she expected. Her development was downright impressive.
"I hope that you can do better than that, Kiryuin. Or it's going to be a long fight for you," Matoi threw down the gauntlet, drawing a scoff out of Satsuki.
"As you wish," she snarled as the two were ready to go for another clash. They buckled into their stances, tightening the grip on their weapons. That was just the first batch of the fight. And now it was time to really kick things into high gear. The two girls got a running start, kicking back heaps of dirt and concrete behind them. They roared as the distance closed between each other, with no one knowing what to expect now.
"Hehe."
Out of nowhere, a girlish giggle could be heard, which left Izuku particularly puzzled. He looked around to find the source. There was no way he was imagining things, right?
'Oh no!' Tanaka's face drained of color, knowing all too well who was about to make an appearance. He sunk into his seat, having to catch himself on the edge of it to not fall backwards.
Just as Ryuko's scissor blade and Satsuki's Bakuzan were about to connect, a girl clad in pink with blonde hair and an umbrella floated down from the sky, gently landing between the two. One of the girl's eyes was covered by some sort of Kanji-shaped eyepatch as well.
"What the?!" Ryuko jumped back, not expecting someone to intrude on their skirmish.
"Grhk!" Satsuki grinded to a halt, putting the brakes on as she was in shock to see who decided to crash the party.
Everyone else around them gasped, utterly confused about what was happening, save for the fashion model sitting with the hero students.
'No! No! No! No! Noooo!' Tanaka internally screamed, horror flashing onto his face as his worst nightmare was being realized. He bolted to the railing and looked on helplessly. This was not happening!
"What's the meaning of this? An uninvited guest?" Inumuta was seconds away from activating his Goku Uniform.
"STAY BACK INUMUTA!" Satsuki yelled out with a crazed look on her face. Cold sweat dropped from each of the Elite Four members' faces.
"Why does Satsuki sound so panicked?!" Gamagori wondered.
"I've never seen her lose it like that," Jakuzure soaked things in, completely oblivious to the danger in front of them.
"Hold on, is that who I think it is?" Cementoss asked.
"Nui Harime, just like Mikisugi said," Midnight answered.
"The one from REVOCS? But what would the Grand Couturier be here for?" Cementoss faced Midnight.
"I don't know, and I don't think Mikisugi knows either. From what his report says, Nui wasn't supposed to be here because of Tanaka's request. That means that she's directly disobeying Ragyo Kiryuin," Midnight grimaced. Could this event have gotten any worse?
"This can't end well. We'd better patch into the comms and see if Mikisugi has a plan."
Midnight tapped into her earpiece to try and reach Aikuro, all while Nui set her attention to Satsuki.
"What are you doing here, Nui Harime?" Satsuki asked as Nui leaned forward on her umbrella.
"I can't believe you didn't invite me, Satsuki! Looks like you're all having a lot of fun," Nui playfully pouted as if she were a child.
"I'm not obligated to tell you anything," Satsuki asserted.
"Aww, don't be like that! I thought you and I were close, like two peas in a pod!" Nui hopped over to Satsuki, reaching to play with a lock of her hair. Hearing this struck a nerve with Ira and Nonon. This no-name just came out of nowhere unannounced, disrespecting Lady Satsuki's event. Yet she had the gaul to claim that they were close?
"Who are you trying to fool here? You associate with no one," Satsuki calmly fixed her hair.
"Well, it's not my fault! Ichi's just a big ol' meanie! I would have been here sooner if he told me about these awesome events!" Nui pouted, peeking at Ichiro from the corner of her eye.
"Just one text and I could have changed my schedule, hmmp!"
"I hate to butt into whatever's going on between you two, but can we get on with this? I've got stuff to do, places to be!" Ryuko shouted at the two women in front of her.
"Ryuko!" Senketsu shouted through his teeth, trying to talk Ryuko down.
"What?" she groaned. For some reason, Senketsu seemed super apprehensive.
"Yeah, Satsuki! Let's not drag this on! All I want is to fight little ol' Ryuko over there," Nui pitched in.
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Satsuki and I are kind of in the middle of something. So if you wanna fight, you'll need to wait your turn," Ryuko quickly drew the line between herself and Harime.
"No can do!" Nui hopped right in front of Ryuko, practically invading her personal space. To make matters worse, she stuck out her pointer finger in front of Ryuko's forehead. "I came here to fight you and I'm not leaving till I do!"
"Well tough shit! Cuz I'm not fighting you till I'm done with Satsuki!" Ryuko roughly shoved Nui back so she could breathe her own air again.
Harime hopped back and blinked with a straight face, processing what was said. But then she started grinning, throwing off the Kamui wielder.
"Maybe this will get you to change your tune," Nui smirked as she reached behind her back and started twirling a gigantic purple blade. There was very much unneeded flair added to this. Harime wasn't shy from liking to showboat. She spun the sword a few more times before sticking it into the air for all to see. "TA-DAH!"
Ryuko's heart nearly stopped when she saw the weapon in its entirety. "Y-You… That's…" Her eyes widened, a hint of fear and horror escaping from her voice.
"Recognize this? The other half of your scissor! I got this from your dear-dead daddy!"
"No. No way!" Izuku's jaw dropped as he looked down at what the mystery fighter wielded. He then immediately set his sights on Ryuko. He was beyond worried. Having the news broken to her like this, it could never end well.
"It was you. You did it?" Ryuko asked, her voice dropped to a lower tone.
Good. Now she had Matoi's attention. Nui's lips shook before slightly splitting, revealing a manic toothy grin before she quickly shut them. Seeing her opponent's resolve crumble into pieces brought great joy to Harime, she could barely control herself.
"Yup! I'm the one who killed him!" Nui admitted with the same cheery tone.
The world stopped. Senketsu could feel the anger within Ryuko quickly boiling and it wasn't cooling off anytime soon. Everything grew quiet around her. There wasn't a sound that could be heard until Nui's cheeky giggles came scratching at her eardrums like needles on a board.
Shock and horror soon gave way to two other strong emotions: Rage and fury.
"YOU BITCH!"
Without a second thought, Ryuko swung her scissor blade with all of her might. Nui blocked it with ease, not showing a hint of strain as the air around them caused a whiplash. Satsuki leaped back, keeping herself at a safe distance.
"WHAT?!" Uzu shouted.
"THE HELL?!" Ira finished his sentence.
"She blocked Matoi!" Nonon gasped.
"Without a uniform?!" Houka's eyes widened.
"No way! How'd she do that?!" Kyouka asked.
'This isn't good! I-I don't even know if she has a quirk. I've got a bad feeling about this!' Izuku gripped the railing, feeling uneasy about the terror that Nui was able to exude.
'It was her? She killed Ryuko's dad?!'
The news dropped on everyone like an atomic bomb, and Nui just seemed so casual about it. Everything that Ryuko was suffering from.
"Damn it…!" Izuku gritted his teeth.
"Why?! WHY!?"
"I was really hoping to meet you back at the fashion show, but Ichi's detail wouldn't let me," she pouted, as Tanaka's grip on the railing loosened.
"The fashion show?" Ochako muttered aloud before turning to the model.
"That spoiled brat gets to tour around and swoon all the girls in Japan while I'm stuck doing the grunt work. Why does baby brother get all of the favoritism?"
Ryuko's eyes bolted open even wider as her classmates were wholly stunned.
"WHAT?!"
Everyone nearby Tanaka, even the Elite Four, turned to him while the UA students seated elsewhere looked down to see a visibly shaken friend. Ichiro's mouth was agape, trying to breathe in air. He felt like he was going to hyperventilate.
"Tanaka, what does she mean by that?" Uraraka asked.
"You guys are bro and sis?" Sero added to the pile of questions that soon flew into the air. Not only were the UA students wondering about this, but Honnoji as well.
"Did that slip out? Whoops! Teehee!" Harime stuck her tongue out in a cutesy manner.
"Now that the cat's outta the bag, I wonder what the others will think of you, Ichi?"
Nui slowly tilted her head all the way back. Her neck became disfigured, extending while bones could be heard cracking under her skin. Her perfect pearly whites could be seen in a smile as she caught Ichiro in her sights. This showed a twisted image of the "lovable" girl she presented herself as. Her eyes stared at Ichiro with full intent, knowing exactly how he felt.
"That you're just. Like. Me."
The model's lips quivered, trying to form words with nothing coming out. He wanted to deny it. That's all he could do, right?
But all eyes were on him, and he cowered with no ability to speak.
"I mean, we have the same hair and the same color eyes! I'd have thought it'd be obvious!" Nui chuckled. "He also stood up for you all last night when I was bouncing around the party, but I don't know why he forced me to leave. Ichiro makes some silly decisions."
Izuku looked to his right as he could see the utter despair on Tanaka's face. He wasn't sure if Harime was telling the truth, yet Tanaka looked like he'd seen his life shattered before his eyes. Izuku had never seen someone struck down in terror like this. It was different from what he had seen before. Was there something he could even do for Tanaka?
"You shut the fuck up and leave him outta this! Why'd you kill my dad?!" Ryuko intruded on the conversation, attacking Nui once again.
"Oooh yeah, you're right! We finally got the chance to meet! I shouldn't waste my time with such gloomy things! We should start doing something fun!" Harime directed her attention back to Ryuko.
"STOP JOKING AROUND! LIKE HELL I'D DO ANYTHING LIKE THAT WITH YOU!" Ryuko aimed the sharp end of her blade for Nui's neck, who easily dodged it like she was merely playing limbo.
"Cuz you're spending time with that cute green boy! Should I invite him too? I know how close you are!" Nui suggested.
"SHUT UP!" Ryuko swung again.
"Calm down, Ryuko! You're getting too worked up! Your blood's starting to boil!" Senketsu tried to apprehend Ryuko.
He then felt a strange itch, which directed him to notice a red string coming from in between his seams. The other end was connected to Nui's fingernail. There were hooks underneath it that caught it.
"What the hell is that?" Nonon leaned over the railing to get a better look, perplexed by what the Couturier held.
"I-I don't know!" Inumuta muttered.
Upon closer inspection, Satsuki came to a realization. "It's her Kamui's banshi!"
"The central thread?! But how?!" Iori cried out in disbelief. "That Banshi is protected by multiple layers of defenses! Nobody should be able to spot it that quickly, let alone grab it!"
"Wait, what are you talking about? What's a Banshi?" Inumuta asked.
"It's a Life Fiber that's key to creating a Goku uniform, and to keep it together!" Iori answered.
"A Banshi?" Izuku set his gaze on the thread Nui had.
'That must be what Jeanist was trying to tap into when altering Senketsu. That's why he was having so much trouble with it.'
"I'm dying to see what you look like…" Nui curved her finger, tugging on the thread.
"…NAKED!"
She severed the Banshi from Senketsu's body. He started to vent out steam, his eye bulged out as he felt an immense pain. Nui watched and reveled in it, finding intrigue from it.
"Ryuko! Senketsu!" Izuku cried out.
"HAH!" Sanketsu locked up, preventing himself from falling apart. Ryuko then slammed her blade down at Nui, missing as it made a deep cut in the concrete.
"I'm not so flimsy that I'd come apart from one thread being pulled!" He shouted in defiance.
"That's a Kamui for you! I guess that means it has more than one Banshi!" Nui noted before blocking Ryuko's next attack.
"Not that it matters though! I don't think you're strong enough to avenge your dear old daddy! Nope! Nope nope nope!"
Senketsu could feel everything in his being boil. The intensity of it was too much, even for him.
"THAT FREAKING DOES IT!" Ryuko screamed.
"Stop it, Ryuko! It's dangerous for your blood to get this hot! If you don't calm down, I won't be able to control myself!"
Senketsu felt himself slipping. All the life fibers in him loosed and scattered, wrapping around each other in a tangled mess. Blood hosed out of him profusely. The volume of force of the spills increased until Ryuko practically erupted like a waterfall.
Senketsu could be seen rising from it, but looking far more monstrous; his teeth were jagged. Unaligned. Rows of razor sharp teeth varying in size. His one eye that was open appeared bloodshot, like he was in pain. What followed next was a guttural roar that shook Izuku to his very core. He couldn't imagine that his friend could turn out like this! Things took a turn for worse when he was forced to watch Senketsu clamp his large teeth down on Ryuko, eating her alive.
"RYUKO!" Izuku screamed.
"Ahahaha!" Nui laughed with glee.
What emerged next was a horrifying sight that Izuku never thought he'd see, nor did he ever want to; Ryuko was disfigured. Her limbs were bent in the wrong ways, blood dripped from all over, and her skin turned into a sickly blue color. Bone marrow could be seen sticking out of parts of her body. She was absolutely mangled.
Izuku could barely recognize her and Senketsu.
Ryuko used her disproportionally large hand to crush Nui, but ended up bulldozing the ground, destroying the entire arena with it. She crashed down on the ground level, resulting in her blood spraying out from the injury, while Satsuki and Nui landed with grace.
"So that's what she was after?! Damn!" Satsuki gripped her sword and looked to the elite four.
The Elite Four quickly joined her, as they knew the cue.
"Lady Satsuki?" Gamagori said.
"Evacuate the students. Escort them and UA to safety. The arena won't hold out for much longer," Satsuki advised.
"What about you? It isn't safe here," Ira protested.
"This is my responsibility. I have to stop Matoi," Satsuki said.
"I didn't know Kamui's were so powerful. You think even the pro heroes can't stop her?" Nonon asked.
"This battle is mine to fight alone. I will not put this on their hands. Save as many as you can," Satsuki ordered.
"Right!" The Elite Four said in unison before they left to help their students.
Satsuki took a deep breath before she stepped forth into battle.
It didn't take a genius to know that Honnoji was not the safest place to be right now. Midnight and Cementoss called out to all of the students, issuing for an escape. Nemuri led one side of the stands while Ken guided the other.
"Everyone, we have to leave! Now! It's not safe here!"
As the students were scrambling together, Nonon came onto the scene to assist Midnight and Cementoss. Seeing a familiar face would help give the students an extra wave of assurance. They were able to overcome the paralyzing fear and follow her.
Tenya saw that everyone was evacuating immediately. He followed his instincts and instructed his classmates to run as well. While he was passing everyone, he found that Izuku was the last one standing at the railing. "We should leave too, Midoriya! This place is falling apart!"
"But- I-" Izuku stuttered.
Sanageyama arrived at the No-Star seating area to help pick up any stragglers. "C'mon folks! Time to clear out!"
"Midoriya! You heard him! We gotta go!" Jirou shouted.
"No! I'm not leaving Ryuko! I've gotta help her!" Izuku shouted.
"Not a good idea, kid! You don't wanna get close to Matoi right now! I don't know what's going on, but she's too dangerous," Sanageyama opposed.
Izuku shook his head and gritted his teeth. History started to repeat itself again; Izuku was choosing certain death to save someone he cared about. He was quick to ignore everyone's plea and climbed on the railing. Just when he was about to hop over the stands, Tanaka suddenly grabbed his arm.
"For god's sake, please listen to them! It's too late for Matoi! She's gone berserk! Don't die such a meaningless death!"
Izuku felt his face flinch. What the boy said struck a nerve with him. Meaningless? His friend might get killed down there! Izuku whipped his head back at Ichiro in anger, but stopped himself from going any further.
There was genuine fear in Tanaka's eyes, tears building up in them. Izuku then realized that Tanaka didn't actually mean what he said. He couldn't have. He was just scared for everyone and himself. After what happened today, how could he not be?
Izuku chose to say nothing and pulled his arm away from Tanaka. He activated his Full Cowling before hopping off.
"KID! NO!" Sanageyama barely managed to miss Izuku when he tried to reach over the railing.
"Huh? Damn it!" Cementoss overheard Uzu's cry and created slabs to try and stop Izuku. Each wall that stood in his way, he skipped right around or jumped over it. Izuku proved to be a little too fast for Cementoss to keep up, to the point he managed to get out of the pro hero's reach too.
"Izuku? Izuku! Wait! I'm coming tooooo!" Mako shrieked and jumped down to the battlefield, somehow landing flat on her face.
"Mankanshoku?! What the hell are you doing?!" Sanageyama cried out at her.
"Wait for meeeee!" Mako tried to catch up to Izuku, but unsurprisingly, he greatly outran her. Izuku was beyond earshot of her. Before she would call him again, Mako found a truck roll up right beside her; it was her family, the Mankanshoku's!
"Oh hey, Mako! How's it hanging?" Barazō greeted.
Mako stopped in her tracks. "Daddy?!"
"We wanted to see the fight live in person! So we came to stop by!"
"Sis, think you can sneak us any extra seats?" Mataro asked.
"It'd mean a lot to us!" Sukuyo clapped her hands together and pleaded.
"Shut up, you guys! We don't have time to joke around! Ryuko's in danger and Izuku's trying to save her! I won't let Ryuko die before those two finally confess to each other!" Mako set her family in line.
"CONFESS?!" both Mataro and Barazo exclaimed in anguish.
"GUTS?!" Guts blurted out.
"We need a back-alley doctor to be ready to help! STAT!"
Mako jammed her fist onto the button on top of the truck, which turned on its siren and swapped a panel for Barazo's business logo. She climbed on the side of the vehicle shortly after.
Barazo tried to piece together whatever the hell Mako said and what was going on, but shook it off immediately. "Ah, what the hell! I'll figure out what's going on later!" He shifted the gears and drove where Mako pointed towards.
As the students ran for cover, Midnight tapped into her ear piece to speak with Mikisugi.
"Matoi's going crazy out there! Any plan on how to stop this and save her?!" Midnight spoke as Mikisugi's device picked up her transmission.
He knew she wasn't going to like his answer.
"I don't know if it's possible at this point, Kayama," Mikisugi solemnly spoke before muting his audio for a brief moment.
"Tsumugu, can you get me a clear shot?"
"On it." Tsumugu got up and left the post.
"What? Mikisugi, what are you talking about?" Nemuri was starting to grow antsy. "There's gotta be something we CAN do!"
"There's only one thing we can do now," Mikisugi pulled out a sniper from a crate, loading it with a special bullet given to him by Tsumugu.
"Prepare for the worst."
Nemuri's breath drew short when she heard what he said. Deep down in her heart, she didn't completely trust Nudist Beach, particularly because of Tsumugu's run-ins with Matoi and Midoriya. If those words meant anything…
"No. No! Don't start acting cryptic with me, damn it! MIKISUGI-!"
Aikuro promptly turned off all communications with Midnight and Cementoss. Doing this made him feel ugly. He never wanted it to get this bad, but he had to be ready. The heroes were his last hope if things with Matoi went south.. He could only hope they'll forgive him.
Tsumugu jumped into battle, getting down to the ground level and firing off a few tranquilizing rounds at the disfigured creature. It was in vain, as the shots had bounced off of her with no effect.
"I freaking knew it. You've been taken over by that thing."
"Umm, who are you?" Nui appeared behind him, being rather annoyed.
"None of your business. Get lost!" Tsumugu pulled another tranq gun to fire at Nui, who somehow dodged with ease. He then turned both guns back on Ryuko in hopes that maybe a few rounds of needles would pierce her Kamui.
Ryuko immediately went in to try and cleave his head off, but he managed to evade by sliding under the sword.
"Damn parasite!" Tsumugu spoke through clenched teeth.
Just when he thought things couldn't get worse, Nui caught him off guard, standing right in front of where he stopped.
"Start running."
This wasn't good. Tsumugu had two monsters on top of him. He needed to get away! He pushed himself off the ground, leaping away as he pressed a button, which triggered several traps he laid out around the two girls.
Tsumugu managed to lure Nui into the school hallways, leaving Ryuko alone so that Mikisugi could get the shot he needed. The starch bullet he received should be enough to stop her. Permanently. As he was aiming his sights, he saw Midoriya in the distance, racing towards Ryuko.
"Midoriya," The undercover teacher sighed with grief before setting the crosshair on Ryuko.
"Ryuko. Both of you. I'm sorry."
His finger tried to pull the trigger, clenching around the surface of it. But, he was not able to go through with the deed. Hesitance wrapped around his finger like barbed wire. As he was struggling, Ryuko's demonic gaze set on him. Mikisugi felt a cold sweat drop down his face.
"She spotted me?!"
Ryuko lumbered in his direction slowly, her focus now set on him. But she herself wasn't set free from someone else's. An explosion soon stopped Ryuko in her tracks.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Tsumugu activated several switches at his disposal, detonating several explosions around Ryuko. He triggered bombs that were planted on the towers that the Elite Four originally stood on, making them topple over and crush Ryuko. It seemed to have stopped her for now.
"Another trap? That man's really irritating," Nui commented.
A light shined behind her, revealing none other than the Student Council President herself. The gracefulness of her appearance hid the burning rage she had towards the blonde.
"Oh hey, Lady Satsuki! You're as dashing as always~" Nui cooed.
Before Satsuki would wring answers out of Nui, another fighter made a surprise appearance. Izuku lept a large bound towards where Ryuko was currently stationary. He was shocked to see that Satsuki was there, along with the girl that instigated Ryuko.
"Kiryuin?" Izuku said, being confused.
"Midoriya?" Satsuki shared the same sentiment. Neither of the two expected to bump into each other here.
"Ohh! I remember you! You're that cutie that Ryuko fought in the Sports Festival!" Nui made her way over to Midoriya.
"You're here to help her right? Sorry, but you're not invi-eck!"
Nui's words were stopped by the sharp end of Satsuki's Bakuzan.
"What are you doing here, Midoriya?" Satsuki asked.
Satsuki was the last person Izuku wanted to see here, let alone ask for help. But with Ryuko's life at stake, he had no choice. He swallowed whatever hatred he had for Satsuki and let it out with a sigh.
"I'm guessing you've come to try and stop Ryuko. Please, let me help. Ryuko's my friend. I can talk to her. If we work together, I think we can put an end to this without injuring her too much."
"Tch, don't be naive," Satsuki scoffed, which unsettled him.
"She's too far gone to be negotiated with. I have to put her down at once."
"You're going to kill her?! You can't do this! There might be a chance we can save her!" Izuku pleaded.
Satsuki pointed at the melting concrete, with Ryuko rising from it. Her Kamui was burning hot. "Look at her, Midoriya! There's no coming back from that! How long will it take for you to see that not everyone can be saved? The sooner you accept that, the better! Now step aside!"
Before she attempted to walk past the boy, he planted his foot down in front of her, stopping Satsuki in her tracks.
"No - you're not going to kill her! Is murder your only go-to solution?! Or is one Matoi's blood on your guys' hands not enough for you all?! There's always a way!"
"Even if we tried, it's too dangerous. You could die-"
"I don't give a shit about what happens to me! I don't care if this ends up fucking killing me or anything! Ryuko's my friend and I won't let you kill her!" Midoriya stood his ground as he was nearly nose to nose with Kiryuin.
Satsuki winced at his words. Midoriya had a future ahead of him, one that could command respect from millions. Was he really willing to risk it all just so he could save Matoi? Satsuki understood loyalty very well, but this was on another level.
"Harumph! What a pain. Let me take care of this green bug, Lady Satsuki!" Nui leaped off of a rock and approached the two with her purple scissor blade in hand.
"Eh-" She was then met with a sharp end of Bakuzan's shaft pressed against her throat again.
"Fine. I'll play your game, Midoriya," Satsuki begrudgingly agreed.
"Harime. Take so much as a breath on the battleground I stand on, your other eye will be next,"
"Awww, fine. You're no fun," Nui took a few steps back and sat on the nearby debris.
"Hmm… Now that I think about it… It would be fun to see close friends fighting one another."
A devilish grin crept its way onto the doll-like girl's face as she thought of the possibilities.
"What the hell is that kid doing? Is he trying to get himself killed?" Tsumugu watched as the boy and the queen bitch were talking. This was the closest he had seen anyone besides Matoi stand up to Kiryuin like that.
"Fall back, Tsumugu! It's not safe down there!" Mikisugi made the call over the walkie.
"What? But the kid's out there! I can't just-"
"It's too late! You've gotta go! NOW!" Aikuro cut him off.
"Damn it!" The mohawked mercenary complied and leaped away to safety.
Izuku and Satsuki set their gaze forward as Ryuko slowly marched her way towards them. He then took charge, walking a little bit ahead of Satsuki.
"I'm going to fight her head on. There's a lot of strategies I can use against Ryuko thanks to the sparring matches we had. I'll only need you to watch my back, in case things get dicey."
This was the second time that Izuku would fight Ryuko. He never expected that it would be like this. He wished it wasn't. And the fact that it forced him to team up with Kiryuin for the first time, Izuku felt disgusted.
Ryuko's unhurried stomps and stumbles steadily became a furious gallop; her ginormous arm created small craters in the ground to boost her momentum. Izuku immediately broke into a sprint towards her, with Satsuki following him from the back. Once he was in reach, Ryuko pulled her large limb back, ready to attack.
'One for All: Full Cowling! Eleven percent!'
Midoriya ducked under her large arm swinging at him before shoulder charging her non spiked leg, causing her to trip over herself.
"Ryuko! It's me, Izuku!" He attempted to call out while Ryuko got up and swung at him again. "Try to calm down!"
Midoriya had many techniques to counter Matoi's attacks without actually hurting her. For the time being, tiring her out seemed to be the best option. Kiryuin only kept herself at a distance, only stepping in to block whenever Ryuko would use her scissor blade. So far, she surprisingly hasn't had to engage yet. If she didn't know better, it seemed that Matoi also refrained from using lethal attacks on Midoriya.
Thanks to this, Izuku was able to keep a steady advantage over Ryuko. She wasn't thinking as clearly as she normally would, which made it easy for him to exploit her shortcomings.
This team up that took place surprised the Nudist Beach agents on the far sidelines of the school courtyard.
"So, Midoriya and Kiryuin are teaming up now?" Mikisugi was impressed by how well the two were able to cooperate. The coordination was solid, considering the tension between them. Not only that, Izuku was the one taking the leadership role.
"That kid's got spunk."
Tsumugu only scoffed as he focused intently on Midoriya in particular.
'If there's anyone that can save the girl from that Kamui, it's you, Midoriya. Godspeed.'
Down on the seating area, each member of the Elite Four were rallying up the last of the lost Honnoji students. While they escorted them out, they happened to catch what was quite a sight; Midoriya and Lady Satsuki working together. Jakuzure's eyes nearly popped out of her skull, being the first to see this. Sanageyama was the second one to witness this.
"Well I'll be damned. Look who's down there kicking ass with Lady Satsuki. I knew I made the right call on fighting Midoriya!"
"Hey! Since when did Lady Satsuki start taking orders from a shrimpier mop headed monkey?" Jakuzure sassed.
"Lady Satsuki understands what's at stake here. She isn't foolish to let pride jeopardize what needs to be done," Gamagori kept her in line.
"Leave it to Team Green to reign supreme. Maybe you should start using that head of yours," Sanageyama barked.
"Oh shut it, Kanto monkey," Jakuzure barked back. She was quite displeased with how the power dynamic changed between the two fighters below.
Izuku's fighting techniques and leadership over Satsuki proved to be efficient, but Ryuko's rage still boiled like magma. In a moment of desperation, she tried to lunge towards Satsuki. This time she lifted the blade up high to cleave her in two. Izuku anticipated this and locked his arm with hers, side stepping around Ryuko and then putting her in a full nelson. The crimson blade stopped right over Satsuki's head.
"Ryuko, please stop! I don't want to hurt you!" Izuku cried out in a strained voice.
The monster violently flailed its arms in an attempt to escape his hold. Her monster form proved to be much stronger than Izuku could have anticipated. He could barely hold on, rapidly losing his grip the more she went on her rampage.
'I've… I've got to take it further!'
Izuku's body was still aching from his fight against Sanageyama. What he was about to do could be a huge risk, but if it meant that he could save Ryuko, he had to lay everything down! It's now or never!
'Fourteen percent!'
With all of the strength that he could summon from his limited use of One for All, and from himself, he maintained the full nelson. Everything was hurting. He was already pushing himself to the absolute limit with thirteen percent. Jumping from eleven all the way to fourteen might as well have been a suicide call. It felt like pins were being stuck into every one of his muscles.
To make matters worse, the very intensity of Matoi's anger started to amp up, the heat burning him in the process. But he didn't care. Izuku did not regret his decision in the slightest. He'll take any kind of pain head on for her.
"If you don't stop now, Satsuki's going to kill you!"
Satsuki stood on standby, in case Midoriya was overwhelmed. At any moment the monster would dare to strike a lethal blow, she would step in and end things here, regardless of the boy's request. But then, the unbelievable happened.
As Izuku held on, Ryuko's spasms began to lessen. The crazed look in Senketsu's eye slowly began to reform. The violent movement slowed down, being nowhere as intense as before.
Satsuki couldn't believe it. Midoriya's plan was actually working. Matoi was calming down. He might just save her. Satsuki could not help but be impressed by the strength that the UA student showcased. Resolve was the only source she drew her judgment from, and Izuku Midoriya had just that.
Izuku noticed that Ryuko's posture began to relax as smoke started to sizzle its way out of her Kamui. If that smoke meant anything from what he experienced, she was starting to power down.
"It's okay, Ryuko. I'm here," He consoled her, speaking as gently as he could.
Meanwhile, Ichiro could be seen running back into the stadium. He felt like a coward for running, for telling Midoriya to leave Matoi. If there was anything he could do to help, he had to! To his relief, he could see that things were settling down, with Matoi not showing any hostile movements. Ichiro assumed that this was thanks to Midoriya's doing. A shaky, but alleviated exhale escaped his lips as it looked like it was finally over.
"You know! If you got this uptight about your father dying, I'd LOVE to see what would happen if this cute bushy headed boyfriend of yours were to bite the dust!" A voice shouted, stemming from none other than Nui.
The monster snapped its neck to gaze at the girl, only to find her ever so smug shit-eating grin. But that wasn't the worst thing she saw.
The look in Harime's eyes.
Widened.
Pupils shrunken.
Those weren't just words to spite Ryuko. It was a threat.
Putting the two details together while still somewhat conscious, the heat resurfaced almost immediately, which continued to burn while Izuku held her. From the very depths of her throat, Ryuko released a monstrous bellow that could be heard across the entire Tokyo bay and the residents along the shorelines. The rage had resurfaced as the Monster's body had returned into its spastic motions.
"Ryuko- no!" Izuku reaffirmed his grip, keeping the monster from lunging directly towards Nui and tearing her a new one.
This new level of anger would continue to disfigure and alter Ryuko's body in grotesque ways that would make her look even more unrecognizable; Ryuko's teeth grew to the point of piercing her skin, and her bones continued to snap in places, some of them surging out from under her skin.
"Ryuko! Ignore her! Please don't-"
Suddenly, everything went quiet.
For some reason, he didn't feel the blistering heat from Ryuko's body anymore. Izuku's nerves had completely directed all of its attention elsewhere. He strangely started feeling his uniform becoming moist. Something was dripping down his body. And from his mouth.
It was then he realized it was blood. Izuku looked down to find that one of Ryuko's ribs had completely impaled him.
"MIDORIYA!" Satsuki cried out.
"Gck-" Midoriya could feel his body driving him to retch before he coughed up blood that would pool onto the floor below. It also made its way onto the Kamui, which absorbed it. The fluids poured out of Izuku as the four inch thickness of bone marrow was clean through him and his suit.
"Oh my god! Midoriya!" Tsumugu exclaimed as he peered over the railing.
"Aikuro, I'm not waiting any longer! I'm going back in!"
"Don't be stupid! There's too much heat down there!" Aikuro stopped him.
"But-" Tsumugu paused once he realized why Mikisugi commanded him to stay. Amongst all the chaos, he completely forgot they planned to kill Matoi if absolutely necessary.
Mikisugi knew what he had to do. Yet, he continued to struggle to pull the trigger. What the hell was taking him?
So much blood was being lost from Izuku that he started to feel light headed, his eyes starting to flutter nearly shut, just being dragged to the borders of losing consciousness.
"Oh! Ho! Ho! I did not expect that! I would have been more than happy to stab him, but this is so much better!" Nui stood up and waved her hands in the air.
"Damn it all!" Satsuki readied her stance, which triggered a reaction from Ryuko. The two stood, ready to clash.
'One clean cut at the neck up, and it'll be over quickly,"
She knew her objective. Now it was up to if she could complete it. Satsuki charged directly towards Ryuko, initiating her final attack. The monster would start to follow suit, but its movement was still hindered by Izuku. Deep inside, Ryuko wasn't the only one being affected by him.
Senketsu laid dormant, trounced and locked away by Ryuko's rage. As she continued her rampage, everything around Senketsu felt like it was on fire. There was so much pain, yet he was helpless to stop it. Was this how his journey with her would end? In that time of despair, he heard drops that doused the flame. Senketsu could taste the liquid; It was blood that tasted surprisingly sweet. Never before had he drank something so gentle and pure.
Senketsu's vision cleared up suddenly. He could see the destruction that was caused by him and Ryuko. Senketsu then found Izuku dripping with blood. Was that his blood that Senketsu had been ingesting? If that's the case, it may have just saved him and Ryuko. His blood brought tranquility back to him, as well as newfound strength. Senketsu had control of himself again!
He had to use this time to try and reach Ryuko. There was no telling how long Senketsu could keep this going for. "Ryuko? Ryuko! RYUKO! STOP! YOU HAVE TO STOP NOW!"
Another source of a voice rung in Izuku's ears, snapping him back into consciousness. Who said that?
"THERE'S NOT MUCH TIME BEFORE I LOSE CONTROL AGAIN!"
Izuku perked up from that desperate cry. Did he hear that right? There was no ambient echo in the voice, meaning it wasn't anyone nearby. The voice was clear as day. How could he hear this? Could it be that he could hear Senketsu? It didn't matter though. It woke him up and gave him a chance to stop Ryuko. The marrow that remained in his body would keep any further blood from being spilt. He had one last chance.
Izuku's eyes widened as he saw that Satsuki was charging Matoi head on. Damn! She's very quick to jump onto last resort at the mildest inconveniences. Even though the inconvenience was staked clean through his abdomen.
"SATSUKI! WAIT!" Midoriya called out in an attempt to stop Satsuki.
But she did not listen and only tightened her grip on the Bakuzan.
'I'm sorry, Midoriya. But more people will die the further we delay this. I'm ending this. Now.'
"NOO! WE'RE COMING, RYUKO! WE'RE COMING!" Mako screamed as the Mankanshoku automobile barreled its way into the crossfire.
The very proximity around Ryuko and Satsuki had burst in a forceful push of air that stopped the vehicle in its tracks. However, this ended up propelling Mako forward directly to her objective.
"RYUKOOO! STOP IT!" The brunette landed straight into Ryuko's side. Upon the painful collision with what felt like a brick wall, Mako wrapped herself around the girl in a bear hug.
"M-Mako?" Izuku expressed shock as he suddenly found Mako alongside him.
"A-Ahhh!" The girl winced in pain from the burning sensation on her face and body from the Kamui wielder, but refused to let go under any circumstance. A new sense of warmth began to emerge from Ryuko's heart as her two closest friends were now arms-in-arms with her, which began to suppress her heated body temperature.
"Don't do this, Ryuko! Stop it right now! C'mon, this isn't like you at all!" Mako pleaded.
"Oooh, another? Can't wait to see how this one gets sk- Ack-"
As Nui further showcased she failed miserably to learn, she was silenced with a Bakuzan blade placed to her neck again.
"Hold your tongue and watch," Satsuki ordered.
"We're here for you, Ryuko! W-We won't let you go!" Izuku shouted.
"That's right! Before the day I met you, the only friends I had were inside my head! You were my first real friend! You always stuck your neck out and protected me! You introduced me to new friends! I made a promise when I said I'd work hard for you guys! How can I do that if you're not here?!"
The monster attempted to simply fling Mako away to no avail as Izuku's restraints kept its arm usage to a limit. Though it would prove fruitless since Mako had such a specialty in hugs that it might as well be a quirk.
"I know you're in pain, Ryuko! But you can't fix what happened with your dad like this!" Izuku said while full cowling was still enabled. "Remember when you said that you wanted to make the world a better place?
Ryuko's body stiffened, as if to process what Izuku just said.
"You wanted to move on. Be more than your past. That's why you keep shouldering everything for everyone," Izuku swallowed, finding it to be difficult as tears were welling in his eyes. "You don't need to do it all alone, Ryuko. Izuku planted his head against Ryuko's shoulder in hopes to further comfort her. "Can't you see all that you've already done for me? For the others? When I was acting recklessly at the USJ, you set me straight!"
"You've done so much for all of us, Ryuko!" Mako's eyes also bubbled up with tears leaking out. "S-So now, it's our turn!"
"HUT!" Mako raised her hands into the air and put them into a cross formation.
"WE'LL GET YOU BACK, RYUKO! YOU HEAR ME?!"
Mako's right hand formed into an open palm before she pulled her elbow far back.
"WE'LL GET YOU BACK!"
Mankanshoku's palm slammed right underneath Matoi's deform chin with such force that it sent the head rearing back completely.
"H-huh? M-Mako?" Izuku was befuddled by Mako's methods of getting through to Ryuko.
But it did not stop there as the brunette would continue to slap Ryuko across the face multiple times, gradually getting faster in her speed until she finally stopped. A brief silence took center stage before blood began spraying out of Ryuko's neck, and a familiar smoke resurfaced at a much faster rate.
Midoriya could feel the girl's body pulsating before the stinging pain in his abdomen returned as the bone spike had retracted and fitted itself back into Ryuko. This must have been the body now trying to reform. He released the girl and took a step back. Izuku groaned in immense pain as the spike was pulled from him. It hurt so much that he nearly screamed. But it didn't matter to him.
What could be heard next amongst the fog were sounds of whips along with Matoi's pained grunts. Her disfigured arm was reverting back to a normal size, her scissor blade was no longer morphed into her other arm, and her body resembled something that was human. Ryuko was returning to horrible silhouette of the monster soon vanished, and out came the one that both Izuku and Mako recognized.
"Mnngh.. Mako…?" being in a daze, the girl struggled for a brief moment to open her eyes and regain her composure. Once Ryuko did, she was then met with a brown furball launching itself towards her again.
"WAAHHHH!"
-SMACK-
"PLBLLBLBLB!"
Mako continued to slap Ryuko as it seemed she may have gotten carried away. It wasn't until Izuku caught the girl's wrist, that the barrage of open palmed strikes stopped.
"Mako! It's okay! You can stop now," he said while trying to keep his coughs to a minimum.
"Darn it!" Comically large tears streamed down Mankanshoku's face as she began punching at Ryuko's chest.
"Huh…? Izuku too?" Matoi turned her attention to the boy next to her until she began to start losing balance.
"H-Hey! Ouch! Take the hitting down a notch! W-Whoa!"
Mako's weight at the moment was too much for Ryuko's battered body to handle. Thankfully, Izuku caught the duo. The landing was much softer as Ryuko's back was cushioned on his lap.
"H-huh? Oh you're back!" Mako spoke, having just noticed that Matoi had turned back.
"Heh. Yeah, I am. Thank you both," Ryuko thanked with a heartfelt smile.
"Ryuko…" Senketsu spoke out of despair.
"Hey Senketsu… Sorry that I dragged you all into my drama there."
"No. I'm just glad you're alright," Senketsu responded.
"You're safe now, Ryuko. That's all that matters," Izuku also remarked as he wrapped his arms around Ryuko and hugged her.
"You dummy… You were… You were about to die from blood loss! You big bloody dummy!" Mako then threw herself into the hugging pile, sandwiching Ryuko between herself and Izuku. This didn't bother Ryuko in the slightest as she fully embraced the loving affection that her friends gave.
"Thanks for saving me back there. But it's gonna take a lot more to kill me, thanks to the endurance training I've been working on with Izuku," Ryuko remarked with a sported confident smile that she was known for.
Izuku returned the gesture and chuckled.
"Please try to be more careful though," He responded and coughed before his breathing became more labored and hoarse.
"Izuku? You okay?" Ryuko asked.
His arms around her began to lax and go limp before his upper body began to follow suit.
"I-Izuku?!" Her voice became more fearful.
Midoriya fell to his side, rendered unconscious as blood began to form a puddle below him.
"Izuku! Oh God… Oh nononononono… Izuku!"
Ryuko attempted to hold him, but stopped dead in her tracks once her hands touched his blood.
Midnight returned to the stadium, leaving 1A in Cementoss' care. She hoped to recover Midoriya, Matoi, and Mankanshoku without complications, but things were never easy. Midoriya was fatally wounded and unconscious.
"Damn it!" she rushed over to him, giving a onceover over his wounds. This trip couldn't have been more of a disaster. Satsuki then attempted to step in.
"Bring him into the council room, my medical team will-"
"I think Honnōji has done enough today," Midnight snapped back coldly. Shortly after, paramedics that she called rushed in to escort Midoriya away on a stretcher.
For the first time ever, Satsuki held her tongue and did not speak further. By all means, she was not intimidated. But, there was still a discomforting feeling she had in her core. Perhaps it was that for the first time ever, she lost control of a situation, and it almost cost this boy his life. An innocent bystander's blood on her property, would have been blood on her hands.
Midnight joined Mako, who was attempting to console Ryuko. The girl couldn't move as her gaze was fixed on the puddle of his blood like a steel trap. Flashes of her dying father had burst into her mind. Her body felt heavy, her very being crumbling.
"Midoriya will recover, Matoi. I've observed him enough to know it'll take a lot more than that to kill him."
Ryuko was suddenly snapped out of the dead zone and turned to meet Satsuki's eyes.
"If it weren't for him and Mankanshoku, you would have died. They knew this, and the risk of getting close to you. But they did not yield."
Tears began to swell in Ryuko's eyes, nearly bursting. Normally she attempted to keep her composure, especially when it was in front of the likes of Satsuki Kiryuin. But Ryuko couldn't do it. Not today. A small hiccup escaped from her voice before she collapsed into Mako's arms and began to sob uncontrollably. Blood smeared on Mako's hands as Ryuko held onto her. There wasn't a hint of repulse or resistance from Mako. Her friend needed her, and Mako was going to do all that she could.
Midnight allowed Ryuko to cry for a little bit longer before escorting them to the exit. This getaway trip was no longer possible. Their only option now was to return to Musutafu. Satsuki placed her Bakuzan into its hilt before turning away as well. As Nemuri reached the high point of the stands, she turned to look at where Mikisugi and Tsumugu sat.
Her brows furrowed as she shot a cold glare at them. Once everyone was back at Musutafu safely, Nemuri was going to have a serious talk with Mikisugi.
The nudist agent sighed as he slid down the rail and let his legs sway on the edge of the platform. Somehow, this disaster managed to come to a complete end. And no casualties were reported it seems. "Phew…glad that's over now."
It wasn't long before Tsumugu joined him.
"Thanks again for helping out. Looks like we didn't need the bullet after all."
"Those monsters," Tsumugu mulled. "Everything I had, my weapons, it didn't even phase them. They just kept fighting like nothing happened. I couldn't stop them. The kids could have died."
"Don't blame yourself, Tsumugu. This was a dangerous fight that could have gotten worse. Midoriya knew this," Mikisugi consoled his comrade.
"I know. But…damn it," The mercenary punched the railing, denting it greatly.
"I need to get back to my training."
Back into the courtyard, Harime's cheeks puffed, though she still maintained her smile. "Aw MAAAAN! What a total letdown!"
"You have gone too far this time. What's your game?" Satsuki demanded an answer as she approached.
"Just testing how powerful her Kamui is. And I'd say she passed, don't you think?" Nui responded.
"Oh, save it. You're here because Ishin made you look like a fool and took your eye," Satsuki said, which made Nui clench her fist.
"I never would have guessed that a mere human could have you so shaken up like that, Nui Harime. After all, they're just insignificant little pigs, right?"
Satsuki knew that her taunts would be able to get a rise out of Nui, as it was evident in her shaking wrist.
"Are you trying to say that I'm scared of them?" Nui asked coldly.
"You know, Satsuki. Sometimes you can be less than charming."
"Hmm. Good to know there are ways to break that perfect facade of yours. It's a reminder for you to know your place," Satsuki declared with a grin.
Even though she faced away from Nui, she could tell that the doll-like girl was clenching her teeth.
"Furthermore, you are banned from Honnōji Academy."
"What? Why?" Nui asked.
"I will deal with Matoi and her Kamui from now on. Understand? If you disobey me again, grand cantourier or not, I will show you no mercy."
"What? I-" the blonde tried to speak up.
"Begone," Satsuki said coldly before walking away.
"Damn it!" Nui cursed under her breath. Not only did she get totally burned by Satsuki, she got banned too!
"Hey there, sis."
"Wha-?" Nui turned around to find a pair of wide and furious eyes before she was grabbed by the throat. The assailant slammed her against the wall with an iron grip, lifting her up so that her feet couldn't touch the ground. Nui wondered who would be ballsy enough to attack her like this, and was surprised to find it was none other than her little brother.
"Aww, if it isn't lil' Ichi! So good to see you as always!"
With all the crap Nui had to deal with today, she at least found comfort that there was someone she could pick on with ease. But for some reason, she found it difficult to free herself from his grip.
Satsuki simply watched as Tanaka overpowered the blonde. Whatever happened to Nui was none of her concern.
"Lady Satsuki. Please. Let me. I'll get her out of your hair," Ichiro said coldly.
"Very well. Do as you please," Satsuki responded before heading back up to her quarters.
Tanaka was fuming. He grabbed Harime by her hair and dragged her along the ground as she protested how the boy was treating her.
"What the hell, Ichi?! Let me go!" Nui whined. She was actually feeling pain from how hard his hands were.
"Hell. No. You ruined a lot for me today. I won't give you another chance to cause more chaos!" Ichiro scowled as he tightened his grip on his big sis, eliciting a yelp. If it were anyone else, Harime would have broken free. But he dragged her out of sight, and they disappeared without a trace.
"Okay! Okay! Fine, geez!" Nui waited until Satsuki was out of sight before crossing her arms, pouting more than anything else.
"Yeah right!"
As the Life Fiber beings approached a waiting car, Nui's train of thought shifted gears onto other, more intriguing matters.
"That boy, Midoriya was it? He was the one who fought Ryuko during the Sports Festival. Hmm… He's really interesting. I want to learn more about him too!
"Shut it!" Tanaka growled as he dragged her into the car, garnering another yelp out of Harime.
…
After an hour of nonstop work, Class 1A were successfully transferred into a hospital in Musutafu. Each student was being looked after, with nurses working overtime to tend to their injuries. Once word got out about what happened, many of the students' families rushed out to see them. The Mankanshoku's also paid a visit, as Midnight had allowed them to join on the trip to Musutafu. Whenever they were ready to head back, they would also be given a ride back to their home.
Another hour passed. Toshinori was heaving as he ran through the parking lot and into the main entrance. He stopped at the front desk, nearly toppling over it.
"E-Excuse me! Where is Izuku Midoriya's room? I-I'm his mentor! I need to see him!"
"Izuku Midoriya… hmm… Oh, yes. He'll be in room 35 on the third floor," The attendant answered him and pointed in the direction that led him to where he needed to go.
And just like that, Toshi bolted for the nearby floors of stairs. Any moment that he tripped, he got right back up and continued running. Neither his frail stature or fatigue was going to stop him from checking up on his student.
"33… 34… 35!" Yagi marked as he spotted the room number on the wall. He made it to Izuku's room, finding Ryuko seated next to his bed. Her head was lowered and her hands laid lifeless in her lap. Ryuko perked up once she heard Toshinori's footsteps.
"All Might?" She wondered quietly.
There were clear dried tear stains on her face, showing that she had been like this for a while. Toshinori approached Izuku's bedside and saw that his heart monitor was beeping steadily.
He sighed a breath of relief, knowing that his protege would live another day.
"How's he doing?" Toshinori asked.
"T-The doctors were able to close the wound. They planned to have Recovery Girl help speed up the healing process. But…Izuku hasn't woken up yet," Ryuko's voice cracked in between her sentences, which Toshinori recognized right away.
He sat down to meet her at her level and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"And how are you doing, Young Matoi?" he asked softly.
Ryuko's lips quivered and her hands clenched on her skirt. "It's my fault… I did this."
Tears started streaming down her face.
"I lost my cool again. Some bitch at Honnōji really got under my skin and I snapped. I lost control and… and Izuku saved me. "
Then it all came flooding out in waves, as her face scrunched up under distress.
"I… I know I wouldn't be here without Izuku. But I almost killed him," she sobbed as All Might could only sit there and console her.
"I tried to tell him to look out for himself. I don't want him dying like… like my dad did. He's always been so selfless and I still nearly got him killed for saving me, All Might. I don't know..."
She squeezed Izuku's hand in her own. Senketsu wanted to say something, but he knew better. It was best for the girl to vent out her frustrations.
"...I don't know what I'd do without him!"
She leaned into All Might, an arm wrapping around her to support her.
"I know the feeling," he spoke softly as Ryuko continued to sob.
"Several years ago, I let my anger get the best of me when I thought I took down All For One."
Ryuko looked up, tears still flowing and her voice hiccuping as she tried to listen. She wouldn't let go of Izuku's hand.
"It's the reason why I lost my stomach and look like this now the majority of the time. Gaunt and ghoulish, admittedly. I'm not trying to teach you a lesson, but if there's any time to let something like this happen, it's when you're young. Not when you're the No. 1 hero in Japan," All Might sighed before giving off a soft smile.
"And I know my protege wouldn't blame you in the slightest. He saved you not only because that's who he is, but he cares about you, Young Matoi. Perhaps a lot more than you and I could ever imagine."
'He… cares about me,' Ryuko's heart started thumping fast.
'Is that what I've really been feeling all this time?'
She still couldn't bring herself to let go of his hand, but it wasn't because she couldn't.
"Don't blame yourself, Ryuko. Everything's going to be okay."
Ryuko looked up to see those emerald green irises she had come to adore fluttering, as Izuku's eye lids barely stayed open and he squeezed her hand back.
"I'm sorry for worrying you," Izuku said softly with a smile before drifting back off to sleep.
Perhaps she didn't mean to say what came next out loud, just being spaced out from the trauma of the day. She probably wouldn't remember her words, either. But this was something she'd known for a while but couldn't admit… until now.
"You're always going to worry me, you dummy. I love you too much," Ryuko whispered as she laid her head on the bed while holding onto Izuku's hand and swiftly dozing off.
All Might blinked twice, making sure he registered her words properly.
'I guess the feeling's mutual.'
He carefully stood up and shuffled to another chair to grab one of the extra blankets the nurses laid out and spread it out over Matoi. Without another word, he stepped outside the room and
went to the hospital cafeteria.
Outside of Revocs headquarters, a company owned car pulled up to the private entrance as Tanaka exited the car, still dragging Nui by her hair and into the building's elevator.
"Geez, you could at least talk to me on the way up if you're going to drag me all this way," Nui tried to charm her way out of his grip, but it led to him only grasping harder and really causing her some pain as they quickly reached their stop.
As soon as the door opened, Tanaka's enhanced strength kicked in. He effortlessly lifted Nui like a baseball and chucked her hard into the wall on the other side of the room.
"GAH!" Nui coughed out as she slammed into the structure before sliding down to the ground.
And then she started giggling. Harime stood up with her eyes closed, a smile showing.
"Ichi, I didn't think you'd throw me like that! Well done! Though why so h-"
She opened her eyes as Ichiro whipped out his Life Fiber blade and essentially pinned Harime there.
"What the fucking hell is wrong with you?!" Tanaka growled.
"Huh?"
"Every time I try to have fun, you just have to show up and ruin it! The Fashion show, the dance, and now this! Hell, people almost died out there, Nui! I hope it was worth it," Tanaka kept his icy stare locked on Nui, which didn't faze her in the slightest.
"I still don't understand why you're so protective of those little humans," Nui chuckled. "You seriously think they'll accept a nobody like you? A Life Fiber creation? Don't make me laugh!"
Ichiro paced around in place. HIs hands were frantically running up his face and into his hair. "I can't go back out in public again, let alone do any modeling work now. Those UA students, I don't know if I can face them again."
He thought back to the last two days' events. They treated him like a normal person –like one of them– and he felt accepted. Yet every time he found enjoyment in life, Nui was always there to bring things down.
He was sick of her interference. She always got her way and never faced the repercussions!
But maybe…
"Ya know," Ichiro spoke with a devilish grin plastered on his face. "I remember what you told me last night; saying you could have done everything without me."
"Well, duh!" Harime stated before finding Ichiro's custom sword now firmly pressed against her neck and actually cutting slightly in to draw blood like she'd tried to get him to do the night prior. Now Harime was worried, but not scared.
"Oooh! So are you gonna do-"
Any teasing tone immediately vanished. Her panic meter went up exponentially as the blade moved a centimeter further into her neck.
"Ichiro?" her voice squeaked. The devilish grin was still there, but there was an ice-cold vibe present as well.
"It got me thinking… I wonder how much easier shit would be if we got rid of you instead!"
Silence cascaded over the room. Tanaka stood there with a look of triumph. She was pinned to the wall and literally shaking. For all the times she'd caused him grief and headaches, he couldn't help but enjoy this.
The blade crept a little further to the left, cutting more into the girl as she was shaking.
"You're-you're serious!" she shakily exclaimed. This was not like the Ichiro she knew. He seemed so different that Harime hardly recognized him.
"That's quite enough, Ichiro. You know how hard it is to control your sister."
Both of the blondes gasped as the matriarch entered the room: Ragyo Kiryuin.
"Lady Ragyo," Tanaka and Nui muttered aloud. They didn't expect her to be around this late in the evening.
The head of REVOCS strode over to where the two Life Fiber beings stood. She gently held Tanaka's extended right arm and cupped his chin with her free hand as the hot stream of stinging tears still flowed.
"While I wish she would have had more restraint, remember that in the end, she is your sister. It wouldn't be right to kill your own flesh and blood, would it? The only thing you have is each other," Ragyo cooed.
Tanaka shut his eyes tightly in distress. He really wanted to teach Nui a lesson, but his good-nature ended up winning the day. He slowly removed the blade from Hairme's neck and lowered his arm to let it hang limp by his side.
Ragyo circled around Ichiro, letting her hand slither over his shoulder. "Besides, no one knows the true nature of what Nui said. For all the public knows, she could be a nobody spewing some petty allegations. Who's going to believe her? Nudist Beach? The children at UA?"
Ragyo chuckled, feeling a great sense of entertainment in the entire controversy. REVOCs' reputation was the least of her concerns. Any kind of controversy seemed to make things a lot more interesting. Nui, on the other hand, felt a little bit hurt over what Ragyo said. For all the work that she did, not many people knew who she was.
"You're very important to me, Ichiro," the matriarch spoke, eliciting a gasp from the teenage model.
"I'll find a way to make it up to you, but fighting with your big sister won't solve anything. Surely you can cover it all up with your power over the press. I'll even help you. As long as you behave." Her words turned cold. It seemed that Tanaka wasn't completely exempted from his outburst. "So, will you find it in your heart to move on for now?"
Tanaka desperately wanted to say no, but he knew incurring the elder Kiryuin's wrath would be a painful proposition. The tears slowed, as his body started to slump from the emotional exhaustion.
"Yes, Lady Ragyo," he responded with a hushed tone as he sheathed the blade in the hidden holster.
'Phew! That was closer than I would've liked,' Nui mentally sighed as her Life Fiber healing factor kicked in.
"Thank you, Ichiro," Ragyo ruffled the boy's hair as she smiled. "I understand this is hard for you right now, but go and get some rest. Nui and I are going to have a chat."
Ragyo's eyes traveled to her top lieutenant with an unnerving glare, causing Harime to gulp.
"I understand, Lady Ragyo. Thank you."
Without another word, Tanaka departed from the office space and headed up a couple floors higher to his room, waltzing in and flopping right onto his bed and burying his face into his pillow.
'Ya know, for all the luxury that I have, I've never really lived a normal life. I was born only three years ago, yet I look like I'm at least 16 years old. I've never had friends or the ability to do what I want to do. Yet those UA students…'
Ichiro's eyes squinted at the ceiling as he processed through everything. He really let himself get worked up and nearly killed Harime. Not that he would have missed her, but still, the thought of going that far gnawed at his soul. Could he really be blamed for being so frustrated?
Ragyo Kiryuin already had Nui, and Hoomaru was a useful soldier as well. But the conglomerate matriarch wanted a teenage model to help in her plan to spread the Life Fibers to the younger demographics. She enhanced his growth rate so Tanaka could look like a teenager now instead of waiting over 15 years for him to mature to the age she desired.
It was only a year ago that Tanaka's body started maturing as it actually should at his current biological age and he would age normally going forward.
'I wonder…' Tanaka turned over onto his side as his eyes started to flutter.
"Could I get out of here – away from Nui – and do more of what I want to do?" the teen mumbled as his eyes closed and he slowly drifted off into a blissful rest.
To Be Continued…
Aduubo A/N: WOWW this was the longest chapter written so far! 38 pages! But it's good to finally conclude the Honnoji Academy arc! I hope that everyone enjoyed it! What was your favorite fight and why? I'd love to see it in the reviews!