Chapter 2: The Quirk
It took a while for Uraraka to calm down. Bakugo did not leave her side as she pulled herself together.
"I'm sorry." Uraraka breathed out as she pulled away from Bakugo.
"What are you apologizing for? For freaking out? Don't apologize for that." Bakugo flicked her head.
"Ow, and no I was apologizing because I hurt you."
It was true. Where Uraraka's body had pressed into him were holes in his suit. Blood came from the wounds as soon as she pulled away.
"They're just scratches. No big deal." Bakugo shrugged.
Eri walked up to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, "Still, it's better to heal them just in case."
The wounds closed quickly as Eri's horn shrank less than an inch.
"I'm guessing you already tried then?" Uraraka asked as Eri pulled her hand away.
"Yes, the quirk that changed you did something that's causing my reversal not to work. It's like your original form never existed almost." Eri explained with a concerned expression.
Midoriya sniffed as he wiped his face, "We were about to leave for the police station. Her sister might know more about her quirk."
Uraraka stayed silent.
"Just go. I've got it from here." Bakugo stated without looking their way.
"Alright, we'll be back Kacchan." Midoriya grabbed Todoroki by the hand.
Eri didn't move from where she stood.
"Eri, we should probably go too," Aizawa said gently as he put a hand on her shoulder.
"But..." She grasped at her shirt while biting her lip.
"I'll be ok Eri." Uraraka said to the troubled girl, "I have Bakugo here with me. Thank you for trying."
"Ok..."
Eri allowed Aizawa to lead her out of the meeting room. Silence enveloped the room. The only sound to be heard was the slow trickle of rain and quiet rumble of thunder.
"Do you need anything?" Bakugo asked as he looked at her blank face.
"No, I'm fine. Thank you for asking though. But I would like to know what happened. If you don't mind."
Bakugo nodded and retold what happened. He kept out the part where the spirits said they would take the one closest to his heart. He hadn't told anyone that part yet. He didn't understand what it meant or why Uraraka was chosen. He didn't want anyone leaping to conclusions. He hoped that Suka's sister would have answers.
Meanwhile, Midoriya and Todoroki arrived at the police station. Midoriya called ahead to detective Tsukauchi to warn him they were coming. A police officer saluted the two heroes.
"Detective Tsukauchi sent me to escort you inside. Follow me please."
Midoriya followed after Todoroki got off his back. They made their way into the station and were greeted with smiles and waves from a majority of the force. They were led to an office with Tsukauchi's nameplate on the front of the door. Midoriya knocked on it.
"Come in," They heard Tsukauchi call out from inside.
Midoriya opened the door and was greeted with the sight of Suka sitting on a chair in front of him along with an older woman beside her. She seemed more subdued than her lively sister. Her eyes were a darker brown and her hair was black and straight going to her mid-back. She was very pale, skinny, and tall. She wore a bright red shirt with a heavy black coat.
"Ah, Midoriya you came just in time. Suka's sister just arrived. Meet Masayoshi Harae." Tsukauchi motioned to the woman who bowed her head politely.
"I apologize for all the trouble my sister has caused you." Harae's voice was very soft and light.
Midoriya waved a hand around while rubbing his head, "It's ok. She's just a kid after all. We came here to get more details about her quirk from you. We tried healing the person affected by her quirk but it wouldn't work. So, if you could help us out, I would appreciate it."
"Of course, so was the person touched afflicted or was it a separate party?" Harae stood to talk to Midoriya more directly. She reached his height and she was wearing flat boots. Midoriya was surprised by her height for a moment.
"It was a separate party." He answered simply.
Harae sighed, "That is why the healing didn't work. If the person touched by her quirk had been affected you might have been able to reverse the effect, but it is a completely different person. Might I come with you to see what sentence was passed?"
Midoriya nodded, "Of course, do you think you can reverse it?"
Harae frowned, "It depends on the person given the sentence and what he says. I have to speak to him and find out what the spirits said to him."
"We can inform you on the way if you like. He told us everything that happened." Todoroki said as he went to open the door.
Harae shook her head, "No, I have to hear from him. Tsukauchi, thank you for your patience and understanding. I'll take my sister with me now."
"It's my job ma'am. Just remember that she can't do this again." Tsukauchi said with a meaningful look towards Suka.
"I promised that I wouldn't to mister Dynamite and I meant it," Suka whined with a determined look in her eyes.
Harae patted her head with a small smile, "I know, I believe in you Suka. Now come along. It's time to fix what has been done."
Suka nodded her head with a smile. She leaped out of her seat and followed after her sister out of the station. They were given a ride thankfully by the policeman who greeted them when they first arrived.
"Ms. Masayoshi," Midoriya began to say when she brought up a hand.
"Please call me Harae. Would you prefer if I called you both by your hero names?" Harae asked politely.
"My hero name is my first name so I don't mind," Todoroki stated with a blank expression.
"You can call me Deku or Midoriya. I don't mind either." Midoriya said with a small smile.
"Alright then, Shoto and Deku. What was it you were going to say Deku?" Harae asked.
"I was going to ask if you knew what Suka's quirk is exactly."
Harae smiled, "I think it would be wise to share that information with the affected. I don't like repeating myself."
"Oh, right. So, um, what's your quirk then?"
Harae continued to smile, "Another topic that should be shared in front of the affected. For a hero, you're not very good at small talk."
Midoriya blushed and fidgeted as Shoto chuckled, "She got you there Izuku."
"You're so mean Shoto."
Shoto smiled softly as he turned his attention to Suka, "I heard you talking with Dynamite earlier. I apologize if he scared you. He means well most of the time."
Suka nodded with a soft smile of her own, "I know, he was being nice. He should have hated me, but he didn't."
"That's what a hero does. They don't hate. They protect and teach. So, what kind of hero do you want to be Suka?" Todoroki asked sincerely.
Suka looked down, "I don't know if I should be a hero anymore."
"You should be a hero if you want to." Midoriya spoke up while looking determined, "If you did something bad that doesn't mean you can't become a hero. You're still learning and growing. Your quirk is unusual and I don't understand it, but I'm sure with practice you'll get better at controlling it. You can be a great hero as long as you give it your all."
Suka looked at Midoriya with shining bright eyes, "Then, I want to be a hero that everyone can count on. I want to show everyone that they have a choice in their lives. That no matter what, they can be heroes."
Midoriya allowed a few tears to fall as he grinned at her, "That's right."
"No wonder you're the number one hero. You're really something Deku." Harae said as she hugged her sister.
They arrived back at the agency. The rain was stopping finally as they made their way to the elevators and to the top floor. Midoriya was thankful that no one was on the ground floor or near the elevator lobby. They arrived without any incident.
The elevator doors opened and Midoriya was startled by shouting.
"Why didn't you call my family?! Why can't you just tell everyone what is going on?!" Uraraka's deeper voice did not have problems carrying.
"I told people! I didn't know you would want the entire world to fucking know! I'll call your stupid parents if it makes you happy, but I am not calling every fucking extra to be in on this!" Bakugo never had any issues yelling. Ever.
Todoroki sighed, "Somethings don't change. Come on. Let's break them up before they destroy the entire top floor."
Midoriya raced ahead, "They aren't stupid! And I don't want the entire world to know! I just want my friends and family here! You're such an asshole!" Uraraka retorted as Midoriya opened the doors to the room.
"Finally, what took you so long nerd?" Bakugo glared at Midoriya as he popped off a few small explosions in his hands.
"I can't carry more than two people at a time. We had to take a police car here." Midoriya explained as Todoroki, Suka and Harae filed into the room.
"You just had to bring back Lolli with you huh? And who's the Coraline rip off?"
Uraraka smacked him on the head with her arm, "Be polite for once Bakugo."
Harae looked at Uraraka and smiled softly, "It's alright, my sister caused you both to be caught up in her quirk. He has every reason to be angry. My name is Harae. I assume you are Uravity then?"
Uraraka nodded and bowed her head politely, "Yes, thank you for coming to help us."
"The spirits played a crueler trick than normal I see. Dynamite, I will need to hear what happened to you. Alone. That is the only way I can help you both." Harae narrowed her eyes at Bakugo to convey her seriousness in the matter.
"Alright, we can talk in one of the other meeting rooms. Stay here extras." Bakugo led the way out of the room.
"Let's call your parents while they're talking," Midoriya suggested as Uraraka's face looked toward the closed door.
She nodded with a hum.
Bakugo opened one of the farther meeting room doors with his ID card. Harae walked into the room and Bakugo closed the door behind them. The room had a table big enough to seat twelve people and a small TV at the end.
"These meeting rooms are soundproof. No one will hear us in here. Why is it so important to hear what happened from me?" Bakugo asked as he sat down.
Harae sat next to him without any hesitation, "I have to hear the truth of what happened from your lips. It cannot be watered down or altered. I have to know if you're worth saving."
Bakugo bristled and bared his teeth, "I'm not the one that got turned into a giant bug. Uraraka did."
"I know, she was part of your sentence somehow. So, start from the beginning. Tell me everything. Do not lie to me or leave anything out. I am used to people lying to me being a defense attorney. If you lie to me once, I will leave and Uraraka will stay a bug for however long the spirits deemed right for your crimes." Harae did not blink as she looked into Bakugo's eyes seriously.
Bakugo nodded as he narrowed his eyes, "Fine, you have a deal."
Harae smiled and sat back in her chair, "Alright, then let us begin."
Bakugo told her everything. He did not leave out a single detail. He constantly looked at her face for signs or tells see if what he was saying sounded familiar. She wore the perfect poker face the entire time. When Bakugo finally finished his tale. She stared at him for a long moment.
"Is it true? Did you kill those people?" She asked softly.
Bakugo groaned with a far-off look in his eyes, "My conscience tells me, yes, yet everyone else tells me no. I'd have to tell you that too for you to understand."
Harae was silent for another long moment, "The spirits my sister has control over are strange. They are spirits who seek justice, yet they can only look into a person's soul. They see that person's regrets. They interpret these regrets into crimes. Whether or not these are actual crimes is not their area of expertise, yet. My sister is still quite young and is learning about her quirk. The regrets you carry weigh on you heavily and that's why they chose Uraraka. The closest to your heart. Your soulmate."
Bakugo narrowed his eyes at her, "I don't believe in fairytale nonsense."
"Yet, fairytale nonsense is happening right in front of you. You saw the spirit realm and they took Uraraka and they will not let her go until they want to. Which will most likely be until you die."
"They took her? What are you talking about?" Bakugo frowned as Harae sat forward and folded her hands together.
"The spirits aren't able to change a form. They can exchange a form. They're holding Uraraka's true form. Her consciousness is being streamed into the host they replaced her with. They like to show off and make it seem like she's transformed when she actually didn't. I saw this once before but it was on the accused person instead of a separate party. That being said, I think I can help you get her back."
Bakugo sat forward, "What do I need to do?"
Harae looked at him sadly, "How much are you willing to sacrifice to fix her? I can fix this, but I need to know... are you willing to die?"
Bakugo was silent for a moment, "Would I have to die?"
"You might die. There's no guarantee that you'll make it through this alive." Harae said truthfully.
Bakugo rubbed his head and nodded, "I put my life on the line every day. This is no different."
Harae smiled, "If, you're sure. I can make it happen then. Come along, we've got work to do." Harae got up and opened the door.
Bakugo followed her with a grin.
Harae opened the doors to the main meeting room. Uraraka's parents were already there along with almost everyone from the agency.
Bakugo groaned, "Great, you just had to make it a fucking party."
"They needed to know Bakugo," Uraraka said as she turned to them.
"They're just in the way. But whatever," Bakugo rolled his eyes, "Harae says she can fix you."
"That's great! What do we need to do?" Uraraka asked. Bakugo could almost see her old smile of excitement on the black surface of her face.
"Well, I would rather not everyone know about what I'm capable of. Would you mind if we pop back into the meeting room?" Harae said as her eyes scanned over the multitude of people.
Uraraka nodded, "Sure."
She followed Harae to the meeting room with Bakugo.
Harae sat down again, "I was not expecting that. You have quite a lot of friends and family."
"Yeah, it's annoying," Bakugo stated as he sat down as well.
"We might need their help with this Bakugo. They were going to find out one way or another." Uraraka huffed as she sat down next to him.
"Alright, well what's done is done. So, let's go over what we need to do." Harae took control of the room easily grabbing both of their attentions.
"I'll explain to you how my quirk works. I call it The Wish Trial. It grants anyone who enters one wish as long as they pass the trials within. The wish cannot affect the outside world though and that's why you must go with him Uravity. But I have to warn you that these trials are extremely dangerous. There's no guarantee that you'll come out alive."
Uraraka clicked her claws together and then put them under the table, I don't want to stay like this. I don't even have a quirk. I can't be a hero. I'll risk it if it means that I get to be myself again. I wouldn't have allowed Bakugo to go in by himself anyways. He blames himself too much for this."
Bakugo sneered, "Who says I do dumbass?"
Uraraka rolled her head, "Your attitude. It's the same as back then. After the Battle at Kamino. After the explosion too."
Bakugo looked away from her.
"It's settled then. I'll need cooperation from the hospital before I use my quirk on you both. You'll both be put into a coma-like stasis after I activate my quirk."
"Ok, I think we can make that happen easily. Anything else?" Bakugo asked.
Harae smiled gently, "No, that's all we'll need. I'm not sure how long you both will be gone, so you might want to spend the day with your friends and family. I can come back tomorrow when the preparations are done."
"I don't want to waste time," Bakugo growled looking a bit annoyed.
"Well, I do. Thank you, Harae. Oh, you should probably exchange contact information with Bakugo. We'll need to notify you of where we'll be tomorrow."
Bakugo slid over his phone to Harae with it unlocked on the contact screen. Harae put in her information quickly and then handed it back to Bakugo.
"I'll keep an eye out for your call tomorrow. Have a good day." Harae exited the room and she quickly made her way to the large meeting room.
"Guess I'll set up what we need with the hospital," Bakugo said as he began to look up the correct number.
Uraraka huffed, "Bakugo you should call your parents."
"Like I want to talk to that old hag."
Uraraka got up, "She's your mother. She loves you and cares about you. You don't know what is going to happen to us in Harae's quirk. Just give the courtesy of a call. It's the least you can do."
Uraraka walked out of the room and Bakugo groaned. Her words hurt more than she realized. He dialed up his mother after staring at the number. He knew Uraraka was right.
Uraraka got Yaoyorozu to set up everything they needed at the hospital. They even came up with a plan of how to get to the hospital without being noticed. She did not want civilians to panic over her appearance. Mutant quirks were normal, but people were just starting to recover fully from the effects of the war seven years ago. It was hard to say how they would react to seeing a humanoid bug walking around.
The evening quickly came. The day had been eventful, to say the least.
"Ochako dear it's getting late. Let's take you home dear." Uraraka's mother said as she gently took hold of Uraraka's arm.
Uraraka shook her head, "I can't go outside Mom."
"I can make you that trench coat and hat now Uraraka. It won't be too much of a problem." Yaoyorozu stated firmly.
"I don't want to trouble you after a long day Momo. I'll be fine here." Uraraka stated as she tried to reason with them.
"No, you should go home with your parents."
There was a ringing coming from Bakugo's phone. He answered it after exiting the room.
"Hello?"
"Dynamite? It's Harae. Listen I just talked to my sister and she told me that Uraraka is a dream eater. The form she has taken only eats dreams. That means that wherever she sleeps tonight needs to have enough dreams to sustain her or no dreams at all. You might be in danger in the trial world too. If you don't dream enough, she might starve."
"Well, that's just fantastic... Can she overeat? Would enough dreams sustain her throughout the trials?" Bakugo asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I don't know. But I would assume that if there are enough dreams for her to eat then she might be ok during the time you're in the trial world."
Bakugo sighed, "Alright, thanks for telling me. I'll make sure she's ok."
Bakugo hung up and gritted his teeth. He walked over to Mina as she hugged Kirishima.
"What's up Baku-Bro?" Mina asked with a grin.
"Hey man!" Kirishima showed his sharp tooth grin as well.
"Hey, um, I need a favor. You can't fucking ask why." Bakugo gripped his hands into fists tightly.
"Ah, the don't ask don't tell favor. I think we can do that. But you'll owe us one down the line." Mina wiggled her eyebrows at Bakugo with a sly grin.
"Yeah, yeah whatever, are you in or not?"
Kirishima punched a fist into an open hand, "Hell yeah man! Just tell us what you need."
Bakugo gulped, "I need you to suggest a sleepover to Uraraka and everyone here." Just the word sleepover tasted gross coming out of his mouth.
Mina gawked at him, "No way... nope, I promised I wouldn't ask. But I wanna know! But I promised!"
"Come on Mina! We can't let Baku-Bro down! Let's get it done!" Kirishima took Mina by the hand without any hesitation.
Bakugo went back to his corner feeling exhausted already. He watched as Mina and Kirishima pitched the idea to Uraraka. Momo seemed to jump in on the idea. It was like old times at the dorms. Despite Bakugo wanting to hate it, he actually missed it.
Before long Todoroki and Momo were both using their credit cards and the table was hauled away into the ceiling above. They really put a lot of thought into the war room layout and how to get rid of the giant table. They brought in tables from the other rooms and soon had refreshments on the tables and beds lined up along the floor. Bakugo had gone to his office to get changed and was hit with the image of everyone in their PJs as soon as he got back.
"Kacchan we're about to randomly select a movie to watch. Any preferences?" Midoriya asked as he inputted the last movie request he was given.
"You know I don't care about shit like that." Bakugo picked a bed near Midoriya.
"I know, but I thought I'd ask just in case."
The movie picked was a cheesy rom-com that the girls gobbled up with much joy. Uraraka was covered in pillows as Mina and the rest of the girls cuddled around her. Bakugo smiled at the sight. Despite her appearance, she was still Uraraka.
Little did he know that a certain pair of green eyes noticed his gaze and smiled.
Bakugo fell asleep in the middle of the movie without much trouble. He didn't have dreams that night.
When he awoke, he noticed Uraraka's form gone from the cuddle pile that had been built. He looked around and noticed her sitting in front of the large window looking out over the city. The sun was just cresting over the horizon. The sky kissed with a touch of pink and orange as it slowly started making the dark sky disappear. The city shined and sparkled below them.
"Hey," Bakugo announced his presence softly as he sat next to her.
"Hey," She answered back without moving her head.
"You doing, ok?" He asked sincerely.
She nodded her head, "I feel so satisfied and at peace for some reason. I also had a strange dream last night. The strange thing about it was that I knew it wasn't mine."
"What do you mean?"
"I had a nightmare of my body twisting and contorting and then turning into a bloody pile. Then I looked up at myself and my bloodied form asked, 'Why Bakugo? Why?'. Was that your dream? Please tell me." Uraraka's voice quivered as she spoke.
Bakugo put a hand on her arm, "I think so."
"I didn't realize that I looked like that when I changed. I'm sorry you had to see that." Uraraka whispered as she tried to get her words out.
"Don't apologize. It's not your fault." Bakugo stated simply.
"It's not yours either."
Bakugo didn't respond. He looked back toward the city and retracted his hand.
"Did you call your mom?" Uraraka asked.
Bakugo nodded, "Yeah, she bitched at me like usual for not calling enough. So, fucking annoying."
Uraraka giggled, "Sounds like you had a good talk then. What about your dad?"
"Yeah, he was happy to hear from me."
Uraraka sighed, "I'm scared about what's waiting for us. I know I shouldn't be but I am."
"Insert poetic bullshit about how being scared is ok," Bakugo smirked and Uraraka laughed. "Once we get in there and we know what we're dealing with it'll be better. You're just not sure what's waiting for us and that's what has you on edge. I don't blame you honestly. I'm on edge too."
"You know for someone who's angry all the time you wouldn't think you would be very wise, yet here you are. Being wise."
"Hey, don't go making me sound old now."
Uraraka laughed again and she turned to look at him, "Whatever happens, we're in it together. I trust you to have my back and you know that I'll have yours."
"I got that right."
They sat and watched the sunrise for a moment longer. The quirk could wait just a little longer.
AN: So, what do you guys think of my made-up quirks? I thought they were cool and I really can't wait to write about the trials. I'm not sure how long I will make this story but I plan on making it pretty long. So, I hope you all are down for the long haul. As usual be sure to hit me up on Twitter or Tumblr. Please leave a comment or follow or favorite this story! Or all of the above! It really helps me to know how many people like my writing and how well received it is. Thank you as always. Until next time!