-51-
Moving into the Dorms
All Might sipped gingerly from his tea, stretching back in his chair. He was sitting at a large conference table at the Kamino police station, one of the few places in Kamino that managed to escape destruction during his battle with All For One. Three others were sitting at the table with him: Detective Tsukauchi, his old teacher, Gran Torino, and the Dark Knight himself, Batman.
"This meeting is long overdue," Said Tsukauchi. "As you know, this is all top-secret. What is discussed here doesn't leave this room."
"I understand," Said Gran Torino.
"Agreed," Said All Might. Batman merely nodded.
"I wanted to speak with you sooner, All Might," Said Tsukauchi. "But I didn't expect your impromptu trip to America."
"Neither did I," said All Might, shooting Batman a sideways glance.
"Let's address the elephant in the room," Said Batman.
"Tomura Shigaraki," said Gran Torino.
"Right," Said Tsukauchi. "All For One has given us no indication that he knows where Shigaraki is hiding. If he does know, there is no prying it out of him. However, I have interviewed him myself, and as you know, my quirk is Lie Detection. From what I gather from our interrogation, he is telling the truth."
"Or a very good liar," Said Gran Torino.
"I believe him," Said Batman. "He is purposefully keeping himself in the dark, so as to prevent the slightest chance of anyone finding out where Shigaraki is."
"So, we don't have any leads on where they could be hiding?" Said All Might.
"Shigaraki is never one to do things quietly for very long," Said Tsukauchi. "We expect him to tip his hand sometime soon. And when that happens, we'll be ready."
"I may not be of much help," Said All Might. "My body no longer supports my quirk, not even for a little bit. But I won't just sit here."
"You plan on going after Shigaraki yourself?" Said Gran Tornio. "In your condition? That would be suicide, Toshinori."
"You heard it for yourself," Said All Might. "If Shigaraki is Nana Shimura's grandson, then we owe it to her to do what we can to save him."
"The only proof of that is what All For One said," Said Tsukauchi. "Hardly a reliable source."
"Actually," Said Gran Torino awkwardly, looking at Batman.
"Gran Torino and I have known this for some time," Said Batman matter-of-factly.
"You what?!" Said All Might, standing in shock.
"Simmer down, Toshinori," Said Gran Torino.
"'Simmer down?!'" Said All Might. "You both knew about this? And you didn't tell me?!"
"We had our reasons," Said Batman.
"I agree with All Might," Said Tsukauchi. "This is vital information that should have been brought forward. It could have helped us in -"
"No, it wouldn't have," Said Batman. "All it did was confirm my worst fear about the boy: the grandson of All Might's master being groomed to be his greatest enemy. The reason we kept it secret was to protect All Might."
"Protect me?!" Said All Might. "How could this possibly have protected me? If I had known, I could have -"
"You could have what, Toshinori?" Batman shot back. "Given him a nice pat on the head, followed by an 'I am here, and everything will be fine' speech? You're not seeing him as a villain anymore, Toshinori. If you had known, you would have let your guard down, and he would have killed you without a second thought."
"You don't know -"
"Yes, I do," said Batman. "All For One has brainwashed the boy, filling him with lies all his life for a single purpose: to eliminate you and carry on his legacy. Do you think he knows about who his grandmother is? Do you think he cares? Not in the slightest. The only thing that matters to him is your death, and he will stop at nothing to achieve it."
"He's right, Toshinori," said Gran Torino. "This kind of thinking is dangerous. No matter his lineage, he is still a criminal."
"I don't understand," said Tsukauchi. "Didn't you keep in contact with Shimura's family, even though you were so close to her?"
"No," Said Gran Torino. "After her husband died, Shimura put her child in foster care to shield him from the Hero world. She told Toshinori and me that she didn't want any contact to be made with him, even if something were to happen to her."
"Then how did you find out his lineage?" Said Tsukauchi. "We couldn't find anyone in the national database with a disintegration quirk."
"Quirk registration is usually done by the parents after the quirk has manifested," said Batman. "This is usually at a young age. My assumption is that Shigaraki's parents were killed sometime before or shortly after his quirk manifested. As for how I found him, I managed to recover a blood sample from when he was wounded at the USJ incursion. Searching the criminal database yielded no results, so I expanded my search parameters to include hospital records across the country over the course of twenty years."
"That's an extreme invasion of privacy!" Said Tsukauchi.
"We're at war," Said Batman simply. "After an extensive search, I finally yielded a result: a partial match to one Kotaro Shimura, Nana Shimura's son, and Shigaraki's father."
"So there really is no mistaking it," Said Gran Torino. "Genetic confirmation of All For One's words."
"You still should have told me," Said All Might.
"It was hard to keep the truth from you, Toshinori," Said Gran Torino. "But I agree with Batman. Knowing this information would have clouded your judgement and gotten you killed."
All Might sat down, saying nothing. He was at war with himself. All this time, the grandson of his beloved master was alive, and being groomed by their ultimate enemy, right under their noses. If he had known, he could have saved the boy a lifetime of pain and torment.
Master, I failed you again, he thought bitterly.
"At this time, Shigaraki's lineage is irrelevant," said Batman, stirring All Might out of his thoughts. "He is no longer Shimura's grandson. He is Tomura Shigaraki, now the leader of the League of Villains, and must be brought to justice."
"Agreed," Said Gran Torino.
"Where do we start?" Said All Might.
"You're sitting this one out for now, Toshinori," Said Gran Torino. "You need to work through what you're feeling about Shigaraki, and you're in no state to face him should we find him. You need to focus on your role as a teacher at UA, where you'll be safest."
"I don't like just sitting back and doing nothing," Said All Might.
"Detective Tsukauchi, Gran Torino, and I will continue our investigation of the League of Villains," Said Batman. "You will be kept in the loop, but you will not engage them in any way."
"I understand," Said All Might.
"Even though you can't be the Symbol of Peace you once were," Said Gran Torino. "Don't forget that All Might is still alive."
Izuku had little time to rest before the start of the next semester. He had just barely finished unpacking from his trip to Gotham before he started packing again, this time to move into his new life and new home in the campus dormitories. Heights Alliance, the new dormitories, were constructed on the edge of UA campus, personally designed and overseen by Bruce himself. They were outfitted with the latest in security technology on the market. Having the students live in dorms on campus allowed for UA staff and security to keep a closer watch on them, as well as greatly reducing the risk of a targeted attack on the students while in transit. As he approached the front steps of the dormitories, Izuku was greeted warmly by the rest of his 1-A classmates.
"Deku!" Said Uraraka, embracing Izuku in their usual hug.
"Midoriya!" Said Kirishima. "It's good to see you back!"
"Hello, Kirishima," Said Izuku, "Uraraka. It's great to see you both, too."
"Glad we all got the go-ahead to move in," Said Sato.
"It took a lot of convincing from my parents," Said Hagakure.
"We're glad to see the teachers got to come back, too," said Asui. "The people at the press conference seemed to be pretty upset with them. I was afraid they wouldn't come back."
"I was surprised too."
The students looked up to see Aizawa walking towards them, having just come from the dormitory entrance. "I expect it was simply easier to bring the staff back instead of revamping the entire staff," he said, scratching his nose thoughtfully. "Given everything that has happened, I am glad that we were able to bring Class 1-A back together. I'll explain how your dorm assignments will work shortly. Before that," he added seriously. "We haven't forgotten about the provisional hero licenses you were supposed to get during the training camp."
The class began to chatter among themselves at this. So much had happened they had forgotten that the whole purpose of the training camp was to prepare them for their provisional licensing exam.
"This is important, so listen well," Said Aizawa, silencing them. "Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Uraraka, Iida." Aizawa was pointing at them as he listed off their names. "You five are the ones who broke the rules and went to rescue Midoriya that night."
Though Aizawa was speaking directly to the five students mentioned, his eyes passed over the rest of the class, who looked away in shame. "Based on your reactions, I assume the rest of you were at least aware of their plan," Said Aizawa, sighing softly. "I'm going to set aside a number of issues and just say this: if it weren't for All Might's retirement at the Hero Scene, only Midoriya, Jiro, and Hagakure would remain students of Class 1-A. The rest of you would have been sent home. It's bad enough that the five of you went headlong into danger, but the twelve of you who were left did nothing to stop them."
A dark chill seemed to pass over the students, but they said nothing. "You betrayed our trust," Aizawa continued. "Even if it was to keep your friends from getting into trouble. In order to regain our confidence, you need to obey every rule to the letter, and live as model students. That is all. Enjoy your new home."
Izuku looked to see the class around him in utter despondence. He could hardly blame them, and it made him feel even more terrible that they all risked expulsion for his sake. Gathering his resolve, he moved to the front of the group. "Listen everyone," he said, catching their attention. "I know I've caused you all a lot of trouble, but I want to make it up to you." He pulled out a wad of bills from his pocket. "Tonight, we're having sushi, all on me!" The class paused for a moment before erupting in cheers, continuing their excited chatter among themselves as they entered the dorm rooms. Izuku stopped Kirishima as he followed them, handing him another stack of bills.
"What's this for?" Asked Kirishima.
"To replace the night-vision goggles you lost," Said Izuku. "The night you came to rescue me."
"How did you know?" Said Kirishima, surprised.
"I'm a detective," Said Izuku, following the group into the dormitory.
The dormitory common area was large and lavish, sporting several couches around a large coffee table over fresh green carpeting. There was a kitchen area with three large tables and enough chairs to seat every student in Class 1-A. There were large picturesque windows that were lined along the walls, giving them a view to the lush green campus grounds around them. Everyone gathered and chatted excitedly among each other.
"Each student dormitory holds one class," Said Aizawa. "Girls are on the right, boys on the left. The entire first floor is a common area. This is where you'll find your kitchen, baths and laundry rooms."
"You mean our baths are located in the commons space?" Said Mineta, drooling slightly. "Is this heaven?"
"They're separated by gender, and you will behave yourself," Said Aizawa dangerously.
"Yes, sir," Squeaked Mineta.
"The living spaces start on the next floor," Aizawa continued. "Four boys and four girls on each level. Everyone gets their own rooms, so you should be comfortable. Your belongings you have sent ahead have already been sent to your assigned room. Go ahead and get unpacked."
Izuku sat on the couch in the common area, having just finished unpacking. He was surprised when he had gotten there that most everything was already set up. Bruce Had designed and built the building, so he supposed that it shouldn't surprise him that he had something special in mind for Izuku's dorm room. Soon after Izuku sat down, he was shortly followed by Kirishima, Kaminari, Sato, Sero, Iida, Tokooyami and Mineta.
"I'm so beat," said Kirishima.
"Me too," Said Sero. "Feels good to be unpacked, though."
"It's exciting to be living here," Said Kaminari.
"A unified class is the perfect way to increase cooperation and discipline!" Said Iida.
"You never relax, do you?" Said Kirishima.
"Hey guys!" Ashido, Uraraka, Hagakure, Yaoyorozu and Jiro came walking down the hall towards them.
"All done with your rooms?" Said Ashido.
"You bet!" Said Kaminari. "We're just unwinding."
"Well, the girls and I have been talking, and we have a great idea," Said Ashido.
"Let's go around and see who has the coolest room," Said Hagakure. "Starting with Midoriya!" Before he could protest, they all made their way to his dorm room. Izuku sprang up like a monkey from a box and ran after them, the other boys in tow.
"Wait!" He said, jumping in front of them before they could reach his room. "You can't go in there yet!"
"Why, what are you hiding?" Said Ashido slyly.
"Let me disengage the countermeasures first," Izuku replied.
"Countermeasures?" Said Yaoyorozu, alarmed.
Izuku took them to his room but stopped at the door. There was a small panel on the wall next to the door that stood at eye level. It looked to them like a small camera device. Izuku placed his eye right in front of the iris of the camera. After a moment, the sound of several locks turning in their tumblers came from the door.
"Offensive countermeasures disengaged," said a voice from the panel speaker.
"Offensive countermeasures?!" Said Ashido.
"Nothing dangerous!" Said Izuku quickly before opening the door. They all gasped in awe as they took in the room's contents. The room was small, but it housed a large workstation and monitor, reminiscent of the Batcomputer in the Batcave, but not as large. Next to the bed were several weights and other workout equipment, as well as a freestanding heavy bag.
"Look at this place!" Said Kaminari.
"It's like a military war room here!" Said Kirishima.
"What is that?" said Uraraka. On the far right wall of the room stood what looked to be a large safe. It stood the exact length from the floor to the ceiling, and had two large, heavy steel doors that were closed and sealed tightly. Izuku walked forward and placed his hand on a control panel on one of the large steel doors. After scanning his hand, everyone jumped back as the doors began to slide open, revealing a large array of different gadgets, weapons, tools and various other instruments lining the shelves of the safe.
"Holy crap, it's an armory!" Shouted Sero and Mineta in unison.
"This is so cool!" Said Ashido, picking up one of the orbs on the shelf. "What is this?"
"Smoke grenade," Said Izuku.
"What about this?"
"Grapple gun."
"How about this one?"
"Ice grenade."
"This one?"
"Explosive Batarang."
"This?"
"Explosive gel."
"You have an alarming amount of explosives here, Midoriya," Said Yaoyorozu.
"The explosives are inert. They won't go off unless they are rigged and triggered," Said Izuku. "The safe is made of steel, tungsten and titanium, and the building is reinforced. Still. . ." he picked up the explosive Ashido was carrying and placed it back on the shelf before shutting the safe. "Best not to play with them."
After examining Izuku's room, the girls, followed closely by the boys, made their way to Tokoyami's room. He was resistant at first, but relented after some "gentle" nudging by Ashido and Hagakure. His room was darkened and illuminated by a purple backlight, lined to the wall with skulls, candelabras, crystal orbs and other occult-like objects. He began to lose his patience after Kaminari and Kirishima began to examine the sword he kept on the wall, so they left quickly.
Next was Aoyama, whose room was filled to the brim with mirrors, jewelry, a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, and even a suit of armor in the corner of the room. His curtains, carpeted rug, pillows, and comforter all were lined with sequins, so the room sparkled brightly around them.
The last person on the floor was Mineta (who the group deliberately ignored). They made their way to the second floor, where they looked in Ojiro's room next: a simple room with only a desk, television, computer, bed, and a small coffee table. Moving on, they made their way to Iida's room, where it was lined wall-to-wall with books of various subjects, as well as a shelf with over a dozen pairs of the same style of glasses.
"I expect them all to be destroyed during training!" He said when asked about it.
Kaminari's room was reminiscent of items one would find in a department store in the nineties, filled to the brim with various hats, shoes, leopard-print bedspreads, tiger-print curtains, and other strange odds-and-ends. Koda's room was bright and welcoming, filled with warm colors, stuffed animals, and even a pet rabbit.
As their tour of the rooms continued, most of the rest of class 1-A began to join them. Everyone started to get more and more competitive, even those who at first appeared uninterested. Mineta brought up the point that so far only the boys had shown their rooms, and motioned that in the spirit of fair play, that the girls had to participate in the contest as well. The girls readily agreed, and an accord was struck.
They continued their way to Kirishima's room. As they entered, Izuku could see that if anyone wanted to know about his friend's personality, all they had to do was look at this room: a shrine dedicated to Manliness. The walls were lined with posters of his personal hero and inspiration, the Crimson Riot; Like Izuku, he had a free-standing heavy bag, flame-embroidered curtains, comic books, and even a camouflage-print bedspread.
The group was disappointed by Shoji's room, as it was very sparsely decorated, only a small futon bed and tiny desk, to fit his minimalistic personality. Sero sported an exotic room, filled with souvenirs and items from various countries across the world, including China, Mexico, and even Africa. Todoroki was next, who had completely transformed his room into a traditional Japanese-style den, including sliding rice-paper doors to serve as curtains, soft tatami mats to replace the hardwood flooring, and a roll-away futon for sleeping.
The last of the boys was Sato, who had a simple, humble room with a bed, dresser, desk, and television. Upon entering the room, however, they were all besieged with a heavenly smell of the chiffon cake he was cooking in a small personal oven. He explained that since his quirk transformed ingested sugar into raw strength, he had gotten into the habit of fixing his own sweets, as store-bought ones had gotten expensive. He had certainly won the girls over with his expert baking skills, who had devoured his cake in the blink of an eye.
With the boy's rooms all viewed and judged, they all made their way back down to the second floor to view the first of the girl's rooms, starting with Jiro. The room was bursting with musical instruments, including drums, guitars, even an electric piano. Hagakure's room was cutesy as cutesy could be, lined with pink and purple drapes, bedspread, stuffed animals that lined the walls and floor, and a heart-shaped mattress frame to go with. Ashido's was artistically decorated to fit her unique personality, with all the items and furniture decorated in matching purple, black and pink color patterns.
Uraraka's room was simple and quaint. She came from a humble household, and didn't have much to her name, but Izuku felt that her room had a homey, lived-in feel to it, one that made him feel at ease. As they made their way along, they noticed that Asui's room was next. It wasn't until then that Izuku realized that she had not joined them in the contest.
"Tsu's not feeling well," Said Uraraka. "She went to bed early."
They continued on their way, not wanting to bother their friend. But as they passed her room, Izuku had the distinct impression that someone was watching them. As he turned back, he caught a glimpse of Asui, looking at them through the crack in her door, before shutting it closed.
Last up was Yaoyorozu, who had a huge four-poster bed that took up most of the space in her room. There was barely any space for a bookshelf and end-table. Izuku forgot how rich her family was, so she wasn't used to a space as confined as this one. The walls were lined with expensive paintings and artistic sculptures, the likes of which Izuku had only seen in Bruce's mansion back in Gotham.
After they returned to the common area, they all tallied their votes as to who had the best room. Sato won by a landslide, having bought the girl's votes with his Chiffon cake. Izuku couldn't help but laugh as Kaminari and Mineta argued with him over the results.
"Is it over?" Said Todoroki. "I'd like to go to bed."
"Don't forget to brush your teeth," Said Iida.
"Wait!" Uraraka called out. "Todoroki, Iida, Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, and you too, Deku. Can you come with me? It's really important."
Izuku and the others followed Uraraka outside, down the front steps of the dormitory. They all stopped as they saw that Asui was waiting for them. Izuku had a feeling that something was off with her by the way she had distanced herself from them. He supposed now would be the time they got the truth.
"Tsu said she had something important to tell us," Said Uraraka.
Asui paused as they stood before her. "You all know that I'm pretty straight-forward," she said. "I pretty much say what's on my mind. But sometimes, I don't know. I'm at a loss. You know what I said back at the hospital? About how going after Midoriya would break the rules, and you would be acting like villains instead of heroes."
"Every word," said Todoroki.
"My heart was hurting," Said Asui. "And seeing you tonight, Midoriya, made me feel so guilty. I wanted to go with them. I wanted to rescue you too. But I knew that it wasn't the right thing to do, that we could end up putting you in more danger if we went after you. I didn't want to lose any more friends to the villains."
"I understand Asu-er, Tsu," Said Izuku, correcting himself. "I didn't want you all to get involved either. You could have all been killed."
"That's why I had to stop them," said Asui. "And until this morning, I thought I had stopped you. But it turns out, I was worthless. I wasn't strong enough to stop Midoriya from getting taken, and I wasn't strong enough to stop you from going after the villains, and felt guilty for not going with them. And suddenly, I had no idea what to say."
"What do you mean?" Said Izuku. "I don't blame you for that."
"I didn't think I deserved to joke around and have fun with everyone else," Asui continued, tears streaming down her face. "It made me so sad that I couldn't stop my friends from getting hurt, and I couldn't save them when they needed me. What kind of a hero will I be if I can't even stop that from happening?"
"I'm sorry, Tsu," Said Uraraka.
"Me too," Said Kirishima.
The group of friends all came to comfort Asui as she burst into tears. The weight of her words hit Izuku's heart like a freight train. He hadn't had much time to think about it since he left Gotham, but he realized that his friends had risked everything to come after him, to rescue him from All For One, and those who didn't come after him had almost paid the price for it. Maybe they were feeling guilty and confused, like Asui, or maybe they were just glad they didn't get expelled. One thing was for certain: when Izuku was taken, the Villains had taken away their sense of stability, the feeling and confidence that they as a class, as a family, could withstand anything.
"This isn't going to happen again," Said Izuku. "Things are going to be okay. Together, Class 1-A is strong, and there's nothing we can't handle. And together, we're all going to get stronger."
"Yeah!" Said Uraraka.
"Count on it!" Said Kirishima.
Eventually, the class returned to their dormitories, and everyone went to bed.
Author's notes: This chapter was mainly a fluffy, filler-type one. Sorry about that. But it was also a way to set the stage for what's to come, the "deep breath before the plunge." More exciting chapters are to come, so stay with me!
Thanks again for reading!