Chapter 9: Itsuka Kendo: Origin!

The following days had been quite pleasant for the pair. Now that Itsuka knew the secret of One for All, she had spent quite a lot of time training with Izuku. Itsuka was full-on teacher mode while they were on the gym, but once the training was finished, she was just as sweet towards Izuku as she had been, and he couldn't get enough of it.

On his part, Izuku had felt incredibly happy these past few days. Not only was he getting taught martial arts by his crush, but he also felt like he was contributing to her growth as a hero to not make Itsuka feel so left behind.

Izuku had to adjust to the power of One for All and everything it entailed forcefully, more notably, its speed. During his internship with Gran Torino he had developed a new technique called "Full Cowling" which gave him more maneuverability, although he had crashed on a few walls on his way to master it. Still, it had paid off, since Izuku's reflexes, which were already fast, had improved drastically. Izuku saw that Itsuka packed a lot of firepower with her quirk and her training in martial arts gave her an outstanding technique, however, her attacks were a bit slow and predictable. Perhaps he could help Itsuka improve her speed and reflexes, he thought.

In no time, Izuku became just as much of a teacher to Itsuka like she was to him.

The pair kept training happily on the school's gym after classes for about a week, until a sudden notice from their teachers gave them a bit of a scare.

From everything that happened, almost no one remembered that the students were supposed to get their provisional hero licenses soon, and that the forest boot training camp was supposed to be a little preview of what they could expect. After the training camp was attacked, the mission to rescue Bakugo, All Might's fight with the villain in Kamino and his subsequent retirement, it was finally time to get things moving again. The teachers told the students that they'd spend the next week training for the upcoming provisional hero license exam, and thus, they'd have to use whatever training they had beforehand to impress everyone at the exam.

Most students freaked out, although Izuku and Itsuka had come to an agreement the afternoon the announcement was made. They'd meet up in Saturday at the entrance to go shopping for some training equipment, tutorial videos on martial arts, some water bottles and supplements for their training. If the provisional hero license exam was going to be as tough as their teachers made it sound like, then they'd have to step it up on their training to be up to standard.

Izuku met Itsuka outside the gates at U.A, and they waved at each other upon seeing each other.

"Hi, Itsuka!"

"Hey, Izuku! Ready to go?"

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, I am!"

Itsuka nodded before walking to the nearest mall while holding Izuku's hand. "So... This has been one helluva week, hasn't it?"

Izuku chuckles. "You can say that again. I don't think I've ever seen Mr. Aizawa so strict before. It's like he's a bodyguard half of the time."

Itsuka giggles. "You're right. Vlad King is also doubling down on the safety measures. Man... Everyone's pretty scared, aren't they?"

Izuku shrugs. "Can't really say I blame them. The greatest hero of our time DID retire not too long ago..."

Itsuka looks back at the school gate for a second. "Yeah, but did they REALLY have to go all out on the security measures? I mean, I can understand the dorm rooms and the blinded gates, but do we really have to schedule everytime we go out of the school as well?"

Izuku shrugs again. "I guess that's just in case something happens. If a student goes missing then the security staff will have an easier time sorting out the students who remained at the dorms and those who went out. That way, a search and rescue operation will be more efective since the individual who got lost can be traced and-"

Itsuka gives Izuku a peck on the cheek to prevent him from rambling. "You're quite the chatterbox sometimes, aren't you, Izuku?"

Izuku rubs his head sheepishly. "I... Uhh... Heh... Well..."

Itsuka chuckles and gives Izuku's hand a gentle squeeze. "That's okay. That's who you are and I wouldn't have you any other way."

Izuku blushes. "Thanks, Itsuka... You know... For someone with a heart of stone you sure are sweet when you want to be."

Itsuka's face reddens and she lets go of Izuku's hand to cross her arms. "Well-! I... Umm... M-Maybe so, but-!"

Izuku giggles and gives Itsuka a peck on her cheek to calm her down. "But that's something I realy like about you."

Itsuka huffs with a smile. "You know, you're lucky we get along so well, Izuku. Otherwise I'd beat that pretty face of yours into mush."

Izuku playfully pouts at Itsuka. "Oh come on, Itsuka. Would you really hit meeeeee?"

Itsuka pushes Izuku away playfully. "Only if you keep being so cheeky, you sly little-"

Izuku giggles before holding Itsuka's hand again. "Nah, I think I can hold my own pretty well after all the training we've done together, Itsuka."

Itsuka rolls her eyes with a smile. "You better, Izuku. Otherwise who will I beat at the gym if you're gone?"

Izuku smirks. "You say that yet I've been winning the last few sparring matches we've had."

Itsuka giggles before smirking back at Izuku. "Yeah, keep telling yourself that, you stubborn mule. Next time we fight I might even let you win... NOT!"

The couple share a couple of laughs before continuing on their path peacefully.

It felt weird for both of them to be this forward with each other despite not being in an actual relationship.

And yet...

It felt natural for some reason.

Neither of them knew what to think of the current state of their relationship. They were friends, sure, but they were acting a bit more direct and touchy to be "just friends". It would be hard to keep pretending that this friendship wasn't anything else if things kept going like this.

Eventually, the pair reached a split path, which snapped them out of their thoughts. Itsuka immediately went for a lonely alleyway, to which Izuku blinked in confusion. "Uhh... Itsuka? Where are you going?"

Itsuka looked back at Izuku with the same confused expression. "Well, to the mall like we agreed, why?"

Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Really? The mall is this way?"

Itsuka nods. "Yup, pretty sure it is. I've lived here my whole life and I can safely say the mall is this way."

Izuku's eyes widen slightly. "You've lived here in Musutafu, Itsuka?"

Itsuka nods again. "Yeah! It's a pretty lovely city, isn't it?"

Izuku nods. "Yeah, but... I'm just a bit surprised."

Itsuka is the one to raise an eyebrow now. "Huh? Why are you surprised about it, Izuku?"

Izuku looks at Itsuka with wide eyes. "I've... I've also lived here in Musutafu since forever, Itsuka!"

Itsuka's eyes widen so much they look like plates. "Huh?! Really? Izuku, that's... Wow! What are the odds? But if that's the case... Then how come I've never seen you before?"

Izuku rubs his chin in thought. "I don't know... Musutafu isn't the biggest city, so I'm surprised to have never seen you before."

Itsuka shrugs. "Either way, it's like, what, a chance of one in a million that we both grew up here or what?"

Izuku nods with a small smile. "Yeah, it is..." Izuku looks at the alley behind Itsuka. "So... Uhh... Are you sure this is the correct path?"

Itsuka nods with a small smile. "Yup. I'm pretty used to walking down alleys like these, Izuku. I know my way around town."

Izuku sighs. "If you say so."

Izuku follows Itsuka through the alley. The alley is quite dark and soundless, plus, the fact that the only two people in it were Itsuka and Izuku gave a certain feeling of suspense to Izuku, although Itsuka looked perfectly fine for some reason.

Izuku whispers to Itsuka. "Itsuka... Did... Did you really use to walk through alleys like this one?"

Itsuka looks back at Izuku and answers in her usual cheery tone. "Yup!"

Izuku looks a bit perplexed. There was something wrong about this entire situation.

Then, the air stagnated.

Itsuka felt the mood change as well, so she stopped dead in her tracks.

Izuku stands beside Itsuka, ready to use his quirk if something were to happen. "Itsuka..."

Itsuka nods. "I know... I feel it too..."

Izuku puts his back against Itsuka's back. "Did... Did this always happen when you walked through here?"

Itsuka does the same in case something were to pop up out of nowhere. "No... This alleyway is one of the safest in the entire city... I've walked through here since I was a kid... Something is very wrong..."

Then, a shadow dashes past the duo at breakneck speed. Izuku and Itsuka look to the side to find out that the shadow is gone. "What was that?!" Asks Izuku in a panicked state.

The same shadow dashes past the duo yet again. Itsuka clenches her teeth in anticipation. "Be ready, Izuku..."

Then, Izuku sees the shadow directly in front of him approaching him at a great speed. Izuku clenches his fist and activates One for All at 5% on instinct.

"California..." Once the shadow is close enough, Izuku punches upwards. "SMAAASH!"

The shadow is punched, and a figure is sent flying once Izuku's punch connects. Itsuka and Izuku look towards the figure who is currently laying on the ground a few feet away from them.

Izuku looks at the figure expectantly. "Who... is that?"

The figure groans and gets on her feet. Itsuka takes a closer look and squints her eyes.

Then, recognition flashes across Itsuka's face, and she steps back out of shock. "What the... No... It can't be!"

Izuku looks at Itsuka with a concerned expression. "Do you... recognize them, Itsuka?"

"Of course she recognizes me."

At the sound of a female voice coming from the figure, Izuku looks at them with an expectant gaze. He takes in every detail about her. The girl is tall, has purple eyes, has short purple hair kept by a purple accessory, a sleek and form-fitting bodysuit in deep shades of purple and black adorned with intricate patterns and designs inspired by traditional Japanese motifs, a flowing, knee-length cloak in a rich crimson color, sturdy yet lightweight boots in a dark hue featuring subtle accents of silver and a belt around her waist with a sash keeping a sword. The girl almost looked like an elegant ninja, but she did NOT look pleased after being punched in the stomach.

Itsuka gasps in surprise. "No... It can't be... MISA?!"

Izuku looks at the purple-haired girl, whose name apparently is Misa, with a confused expression. Misa rubs her stomach with a small frown. "Hm. At least you remember my name, Itsuka."

Izuku looks back and forth between the two girls confusedly. "Wait... You two... KNOW each other?!"

Misa wastes no time before dashing at the couple again. Izuku and Itsuka react defensively by activating their quirks on instinct, but before they know it, the purple-haired girl disappears.

Itsuka's eyes fill with a tint of recognition and she looks behind, panicked. "IZUKU, BEHIND!"

Itsuka's warning proves to be too slow, as the girl immediately appears behind the pair and draws her sword, making a small cut on Izuku's waist. Although he was able to dodge a fatal blow, Izuku grunts. "Agh! What's HER deal?!"

Misa's frown hardens. "I am not in search of a quarrel with you, Izuku Midoriya. Leave this alleyway and never look back. Otherwise, I'll have to resort to drastical measures to make sure you don't pose a threat."

Izuku makes a stand with a pained smile. "Never!"

Then, the couple hear another female voice behind them.

"Then I guess we'll have to roast you alive, punk!"

Itsuka's brain racks with nostalgia and she tackles Izuku to the side on instinct before a huge pile of fire engulfs him. Izuku looks to the place the fire had come from and sees another figure standing with a menacing pose.

Itsuka squints her eyes before opening them wide at the recognition of another person she knew. "HARUKA?! You too?!"

Izuku takes in the appearance of the new combatant. The girl is short, has long pink hair with red accessories holding her pigtails, pink eyes, she was wearing a pink jacket, a white shirt with doodles of a cat drawn on it, a couple of shorts, pink sneakers and many bandages around her knuckles and knees. The girl was holding her right arm to her shoulder's height, and a bright orange flame on her hand illuminated her annoyed-looking face.

Izuku quickly shakes off the thoughts of Itsuka knowing the two girls to think of a plan. So far, he's in the middle of a fight with two girls who CLEARLY had hostile intentions.

The pink-haired girl called Haruka had a fire quirk by the looks of it and the way the purple-haired girl's quirk worked was still a mystery. What to do?

Before Izuku could finish his train of thoughts, a third person entered the alleyway, walking in a more relaxed and easygoing manner. Izuku looked to the side and saw a girl with long blonde hair that reached her shoulders. The girl had blue eyes and a red bow on the right side of her head, adorning her adorable face. She was wearing red sneakers, yellow leggings and a blue tank top. Judging by the way the girl looked, walked and the way she was smiling, she seemed a bit more calmed than the other two.

Itsuka thought she couldn't be more surprised, but her jaw practically dropped to the floor upon noticing the cheerful-looking girl. "What the fu... HIKARI?! Don't tell me, is HONOKA in this too?! Did SHE put you up to this?!"

The girl giggled before looking at the couple with a smile. "Nope! She couldn't come, so it's just us for now, silly!"

Izuku and Itsuka get to their feet, looking at the three girls with expectancy and adrenaline pumping through their bodies. What did they want?

The girl whose name was Hikari nodded to her teammates, and they recluctantly walked to her side with skeptical expressions. Hikari bows to Izuku before speaking. "Sorry about that. These two can get real sassy if they don't fight as soon as they spot someone new."

The pink-haired girl whose name is Haruka scoffs and crosses her arms. "Hey! That's not true! I can contain myself!"

Itsuka steps in front of Izuku defensively. "What do you three want? I think I made my stance pretty clear when we last spoke."

Hikari rolls her eyes. "Oh come on, Itsuka! Don't be such a stranger, old buddy! It's been so long since you came home..."

Izuku stands beside Itsuka with a calm yet guarded expression, ready to defend himself if something were to happen. "Excuse me... I don't think I understand what's going on... Do you know Itsuka by any chance?"

Itsuka visibly cringes. Hikari giggles. "Why, of course we know her! We used to be friends, after all!"

Izuku's eyes widen in surprise. "What? You... But... Since when?"

The purple-haired girl steps in with a serious and firm expression. "We have known Itsuka since we were kids. Our business is with her and HER alone, Izuku Midoriya."

Izuku's expression falls a bit. So they knew who he was, probably due to the Sports Festival... Right? "Well, what do you want with her?"

The pink-haired girl steps forward with a glare. "None of your business, punk! Leave or we'll have to make-!"

The blonde girl covers Haruka's mouth and smiles sheepishly. "Ahaha...! Don't listen to her! She's just a little fired up as usual... But..." The faint cheerful glow on Hikari's eyes falls briefly, and Izuku immediately feels the entire air around the girl change, as if he was talking to someone completely different. "She's right on one thing... We came here looking for Itsuka and Itsuka only, Midoriya. You don't have to be a part of this, you know. Leave Itsu to us and we'll leave peacefully. You could leave and forget any of this ever happened..."

Itsuka and Izuku's expressions harden. They weren't about to let the other get hurt, not after everything they've been through together.

Itsuka and Izuku activate their quirks and take on fighting stances. Izuku speaks in a low, yet serious and threatening tone. "I'm not leaving Itsuka. If you want me to leave her to you, make me."

As if on instinct, the three girls take Izuku's words as defiance to their wishes, and they adopt fighting stances as well.

Silence falls upon the alleyway.

Both sides now know that confrontation is inevitable.

The three girls look at Itsuka with resentful glares and give Izuku ocasional pitied glances.

On his part, Izuku looks at the girls with indignation. He didn't know who these girls were or what they wanted with Itsuka, but their actions made it clear to him that they were willing to do anything to get to her. Izuku wouldn't let that happen. He'd stand his ground for Itsuka, no matter what.

Meanwhile, Itsuka looks at her former friends with irritation. Misa, Haruka, Hikari and the absent Honoka... Itsuka could already predict what the girls wanted, and she wasn't gonna budge.

Itsuka quickly thought of a plan to deal with their current opponents. It was more of a concept rather than an actual plan, but it'd have to do for the moment.

Itsuka whispers to Izuku. "You take care of the girl with pink hair. I'll handle the other two. Always keep an eye out for the blondie just in case."

Izuku nods. "Got it."

Hikari regains the glow on her eyes, and she smiles brightly at her two friends. "Let's show them that we're serious, girls!"

The three girls charge at Izuku and Itsuka in unison.

Izuku takes on the pink-haired girl known as Haruka, launching a quick punch towards her. The girl also punches Izuku head-on, and their fists collide.

'Agh! She's stronger than she looks, and my waist hurts...!' Thinks Izuku, trying to get his mind off the burning sensation on his bleeding waist.

The pink-haired girl jumps back and extends her hand. Several fireballs come out of her hands and fly at Izuku at high speeds.

Izuku barely dodges the fireballs. 'Looks like her quirk is similar to Todoroki's! But her fire seems hotter and more intense...!'

"Watch your back, broccoli boy!"

Izuku looks to the side and sees the blonde girl about to attack him with an aerial kick.

Izuku dodges the incoming kick before jumping back in order to avoid a barrage of fire being sent his way. 'They're not throwing random attacks... They must have worked together before...'

Izuku attempts to throw a punch to the blonde girl only to not find her anywhere. 'What-? She was just here! She must be some sort of hit and run fighter!'

The pink-haired girl shouts at Izuku. "Oi! Don't ignore me, punkass!"

Izuku looks at the girl and barely manages to block a fiery punch aimed to his face. 'And by the looks of it, this girl must be a direct fighter!'

Meanwhile, Itsuka enlarges her fists and dashes at the purple-haired girl, who activates her quirk and sends multiple shadow tendrils from her own shadow towards Itsuka.

Itsuka groans. "Still relying on these things, Misa?"

Itsuka jumps over the tendrils and attempts to strike Misa down with her enlarged fist on impact. Itsuka's attack misses as the purple-haired girl jumps backwards elegantly. "You're one to talk, Itsuka. You're not much different from last time."

Itsuka dashes at Misa with her enlarged fists. "I've grown! I'm better than how I was back then!"

Then, Itsuka is sent to the side by a kick from the blonde girl, who glares at her. "Well, aren't you a liar?"

Itsuka stumbles to her feet, glaring back at her former friends. "Don't call me a liar! It's the truth!"

Hikari scoffs. "Right. Then why did you drag some boy into our stuff, huh?" Hikari launches a barrage of swift kicks at Itsuka, who blocks them.

Itsuka grits her teeth while blocking the onslaught of kicks sent her way. "He had NOTHING to do with this! We were just going to the mall! It's not HIS fault that you're all a bunch of-!"

Itsuka freezes once she feels multiple tendrils of darkness wrap around her body, locking her in place. Itsuka looks at Misa, who has her hand outstretched and a cold glare in her features. "And now, because of you, we'll be forced to hurt him as well, Itsuka. You always hurt someone in the end, don't you?"

Hikari smiles. "Darn right!"

Hikari kicks Itsuka's immobilized body, and Itsuka coughs aggressively.

Itsuka's mind drifts to a corner of her memories she thought she had left behind.

"Get up, Man Hands!"

"What, don't tell me you can't get up, Clumsy Claws!"

"Show us what you've got, Monster Mitts!"

Izuku looks at Itsuka and sees that Itsuka is currently being attacked mercilessly while she's immobilized.

"ITSUKA!"

Izuku tries to rush to her side, but Haruka steps in his way with a grin. "You're done for, chum!"

The girl tries to punch Izuku again, but Izuku remembers a similar situation he had gone through with Itsuka at his training sessions with her.

Izuku blocks the incoming fist with one hand and grabs Haruka's elbow with the other. 'Come on... Just like Itsuka taught you... Grab two points, spin and...!'

Izuku slams Haruka to a nearby wall with a loud thud. "SMAAAASH!"

The pink-haired girl cries put in pain. "ACK!"

The blonde girl looks to the side and steps away from Itsuka to help her comrade. "Hey! Leave her alone, meanie!"

Izuku looks back and sees that Hikari is about to pounce on him with a high jump, so he fixates his gaze upwards. 'I got it... When she's close, I'll-!'

Izuku's eyes widen in surprise when he suddenly sees the blonde girl in front of his face, smirking. "Surprise!"

Hikari knees Izuku in the waist, just below his fresh cut. Izuku grunts and clutches his waist in pain. "Ugh...!"

Hikari proceeds to grab Izuku's arms and pin them to his sides. "Haruka, now!"

The pink-haired girl gets up and glares at the now immobilized Izuku, activating her quirk. "You'll pay for that!"

'How...? I thought she was above me! How did she move so fast-?' Izuku's train of thoughts is abruptly interrupted upon feeling a punch to his chest by the now enraged Haruka. "AGH!"

Itsuka looks at Izuku with panic and fear strewn across her face. "IZUKU!"

Misa scoffs. "I wished it didn't have to come to this, but you left us no choice, Itsuka."

Itsuka clenches her teeth. "You... LITTLE... SACKS OF...!"

Misa delivers a swift kick to Itsuka's stomach, shutting her up. "Oh, hush. Don't feel so surprised, Itsuka. This is but a fraction of the pain you made us feel."

Itsuka coughs and tries to free herself unsuccessfully. "There's... THERE'S MORE TO IT AND YOU ALL KNOW IT!"

Misa glares at Itsuka. "Just... JUST SHUT UP!"

Misa kicks Itsuka again, and her mind goes back to that same corner again.

"Huh? Who are you and why are you defending Ham Hands of all people?"

"That's mean! Stop hurting her!"

"Look! Someone's standing up for Lumber Fists!"

"Oh, really? Then let's show 'em and Sasquatch Fists their places on the world!"

Itsuka curses under her breath. 'Damn it... Why... am I... remembering this now...?'

Itsuka lifts her gaze to look at Izuku, who is being pummeled by Haruka while Hikari holds him to the wall.

Hikari looks back at Itsuka with a smile. "Don't look at us like that, Itsuka! You were the one to blame for all of this!"

Haruka stops punching Izuku briefly to look at Itsuka with a smirk. "Yeah! You're a weakling like this guy here! You really HAVE become soft!"

Itsuka looks down again. The pain she feels on her body won't let her move against her restraints, and there was really no point in doing it.

Her former friends were right.

She was nowhere near as good as Yaoyorozu, and she was way far behind everyone else, just like she always suspected. No one would ever take her seriously, not even her former friends were taking her seriously at this instant.

She was weak and unable to do anything for anyone.

Too pathetic to stand out at the Sports Festival.

Not good enough to get an internship with one of the better pro heroes.

Too stupid and slow to save Uraraka at the Forest Training Camp.

Too weak to save Izuku right now.

Izuku lifts his gaze to look at Itsuka with a pained expression. "Itsu... Itsuka..."

Everyone looks at Izuku, including Itsuka.

Izuku speaks in a pained tone, yet with a small bloodied smile. "You... You're not weak... You... You're one of the most strong and capable people I know... You were good enough to make me open my heart to you... You were good enough to take care of everyone at your class... You were good enough to shine on your own..."

Itsuka's eyes widen at Izuku's statements.

Izuku looks at Itsuka with tears in the corners of his eyes. "You're not weak... You are Itsuka Kendo... and I believe in you..."

Itsuka feels her heart stop for a moment. Her mind goes back to the same corner one last time.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes... I am. Thank you... Thank you so much..."

"No problem! Don't listen to them!"

"But... They called me names and made fun of my quirk..."

"I think your quirk is amazing! You can do awesome stuff with it!"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah! I believe you can!"

Itsuka feels like tearing up. Those words had impacted her very soul.

'I believe in you...'

Haruka rolls her eyes. "Ugh, boring! How about you shut up!"

Haruka punches Izuku one more time.

Itsuka feels all sense of self-restraint be erased from her brain.

"RRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHH!"

In one swift motion, Itsuka enlarges her fists and spins on place, getting rid of the shadow tendrils around her body.

Misa gasps. "Oh MY-!"

Before Misa could react, Itsuka enlarges her fists and claps her hands on Misa's body, making her feel pain throughout her entire body and fall on the floor unconscious.

Haruka, Hikari and even Izuku gasp at Itsuka's sudden burst of energy, and Hikari lets go of Izuku unconsciously.

Itsuka dashes at the two girls with murderous intent.

Haruka tries to send fireballs at Itsuka to at least slow her down, but Itsuka doesn't care.

Itsuka enlarges her right fist and puts it in front of her body to block the incoming fireballs before striking Haruka with her left fist, enlarging it right at the moment of the impact for maximum damage.

The pink-haired girl clenches her teeth in pain before falling down on the ground, severely hurt.

Itsuka looks to the side, and notices that the blonde girl is missing. "HIKARI!"

Then, a sound echoes from the end of the alley. The blonde girl is suddenly standing there with both of her comrades on her arms. "Darn it, Itsuka! Why did you have to go and make everything so DIFFICULT, HUH?!"

Itsuka growls at the blonde girl. "SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!"

"THIS ISN'T OVER, ITSUKA!" Hikari snarls before leaving the alley in a hurry with her friends on her arms.

Izuku places his hand on Itsuka's shoulder to prevent her from chasing down the blonde girl. "Itsuka, calm down..."

Itsuka looks at Izuku in the same anger-induced state for some moments before starting to calm down. "THEY... I... You... Ah... I... I'm... I'm so sorry, Izuku..."

Izuku smiles softly at Itsuka. "Why are you apologizing?"

Before Izuku could react, Itsuka hugs him tightly, burying her face on the crook of his neck to not let him see her cry silently. "I'm sorry! I'm so, so, so sorry!"

Izuku is surprised for a moment, but he quickly embraces Itsuka in the hug, rubbing her back to bring her some comfort. "There, there... It's okay..."

Itsuka stays in Izuku's arms for some time, basking in the warmth of his body and the soothing sensations of his hand on her back.

After some minutes pass, Itsuka finally lifts her gaze to look at Izuku with a small, teary-eyed smile. "I... T-Thanks, Izuku... I really needed that."

Izuku smiles. "No problem, Itsuka. How do you feel?"

Itsuka sniffs back the remaining tears on her eyes. "I feel better, but really tired... What about you?"

Izuku rubs his stomach. "A bit roughed up and still bleeding. Thank goodness it was a small cut..."

Itsuka looks at Izuku's waist in concern. "Oh no... We have to take care of that."

Izuku giggles. "We can go to the mall and take care of it there, Itsuka. It's not very big or noticeable. If I tuck my shirt no one will notice."

Itsuka looks at Izuku with worried eyes. "Are you sure...?"

Izuku nods. "Yeah... Plus, you need to rest too..."

The couple had gone to the mall as they had originally planned, although the original plan was the last thing on their minds at the moment. Izuku had bought a bandage to cover his injury while Itsuka waited for him in the food area, resting from her violent outburst.

By the time Izuku had returned to the table Itsuka was at, Itsuka had ordered a small burger to try to forget about the events that just transpired, though she had just been staring at it the whole time Izuku was out.

Izuku sat beside Itsuka and looked at her with a worried expression. "I'm back, Itsuka..."

Itsuka looked at Izuku briefly before staring at her food again. "Great..."

"Do you... wanna... maybe... perhaps... talk about it?"

Itsuka groans. "I'll have to do so at some point, won't I?"

Izuku nods. "Yeah... But we can postpone it if you want. I know it must be pretty difficult for you if you really were friends before..."

Itsuka sighs. "Well... Might as well get it over with now, huh?"

Izuku shakes his head. "We don't have to talk about it right now if you're not comfortable, Itsuka..."

Itsuka smiles faintly. "You've been open to me, Izuku... It's only fair that I open up to you too..."

Izuku nods again. "If that's what you want..."

Itsuka looks at Izuku with a concerned expression. "Izuku... Before I tell you what I'm gonna tell you... Can you promise me that you won't be mad? Or at least that you'll try to understand?"

Izuku doesn't hesitate. "Sure. Go ahead, Itsuka."

Itsuka leans on the table, crossing her arms. "Those girls... Well... They were my friends at some point... I've known them since I was a kid..."

Izuku looks at Itsuka, worried for her. "Yeah... That's what that blonde girl said..."

Itsuka looks down. "I met them because I was angry at the world back in the day, Izuku..."

Izuku raises an eyebrow in concern. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Itsuka looks at her food thoughtfully. "You see... My parents are always too busy to spend time with me... I love them and I know they love me, but I've always felt... alone, unwanted, rejected... Things just got worse when my little brother arrived... I love Syouzou, but it felt like my parents wanted me to be a babysitter for him..."

Izuku looks down solemnly. He knew that feeling of loneliness all too well... Back when he was quirkless he never had a single real friend, since everyone just turned their backs on him upon discovering his quirklessness.

"Plus, the fact that my quirk is too goofy to be taken seriously didn't help my mental state at the time whatsoever... I felt alone all the time... Syouzou was too young to be real company... I was harassed by many people because of my quirk... Until..."

Izuku looks at Itsuka sadly, wanting to comfort her but opting to let her finish her story first.

Itsuka smiles faintly. "Someone stood up for me. I don't remember their face or voice very well, but I'll never forget their kind words... They said they believed in me..."

Izuku smiles. Oh, what he would have given to have someone say that to him in his quirkless middle school days. It was nice to see that Itsuka at least had someone say that to her.

"That day I swore I'd be stronger... I swore I'd live up to be someone people looked up to."

Izuku's smile widens. "You already are, Itsuka."

Itsuka's smile turns into a sad and remorseful expression. "The story doesn't end there, Izuku."

Izuku's smile turns into a concerned frown. "Oh, sorry..."

Itsuka sighs. "Despite my promise, the harassment I suffered from those people didn't stop... I felt my anger rise... I felt like I started to hate... I felt like I had no place to turn to... So I began to look for some way to release all my anger and hate."

Izuku feels a twinge of surprise. The thought of Itsuka having so much hate on her soul was one that had never crossed his mind. She always seemed so composed...

"That's when I met the girls outside my elementary school one day... Misa, Haruka, Hikari and Honoka... They were a bunch of poor girls on the streets with no place to call home when I met them. We spoke to each other when a coin fell off my pocket and Haruka tried to steal it from me. We started to yell at each other and the argument ended up in a physical fight between me and Haruka. No one won, but we all had a laugh at how awful we were at fighting. We became friends and decided to form a little martial arts club to grow stronger together. We called it the "Ochita Hoshi" club, since we all felt like fallen stars at that moment."

Izuku smiles softly. "Well... At least you found a group of people who understood you, Itsuka. I'm happy for you."

Itsuka sighs again and looks at the floor sadly. "You shouldn't be, Izuku. We hated everyone... All we did in the club was feel badass, steal from people, get into fights with smaller boys or girls, drink sodas while walking around town, and talking trash about the world and its society..."

That caught Izuku by surprise. "What? Itsuka... Was that club a gang in formation? Were you really part of a gang?"

Itsuka groans and closes her eyes, cringing at herself. "Izuku, that was a long time ago... We were dumb kiddos, so of course we weren't a "gang". We were all too young, unexperienced and frail to be taken seriously. Plus, I was a stupid kid and did a lot of dumb shit I regret now... I mean, hell! Sometimes I left Syouzou home alone just to spend another day with the girls, stealing and fighting whoever crossed our path!"

Izuku looks at Itsuka in genuine disbelief. This was something he certainly did NOT expect from Itsuka of all people. And yet, he felt like he saw where Itsuka was coming from. She was angry at the world for giving her a goofy-looking quirk, she was bullied for it, she was alone... It probably wasn't so far-fetched to think that Itsuka might have resorted to immoral activities to release her pent up frustrations and hate against the world...

Izuku looks at Itsuka with a softer gaze. "I think I get it, Itsuka... I guess I'm just surprised..."

"The Ochita Hoshi club was a phase of my life I'm not proud of nowadays, but my younger self felt really happy with it. I guess we were all a bunch of troubled girls that looked for a place to belong to, or a purpose, or company, or understanding... Whatever it was, we felt happy back then..."

"So... What happened?"

Itsuka looks away. "One day... the girls took things too far..."

Izuku freezes in place. "How so?"

"The girls decided that our next objective was to break into a house that didn't seem vigilated to steal whatever we could find... We thought the house was unguarded and empty, but in reality, an old man was watching TV inside. Once we were in the living room, we stood in front of him in shock, wondering what went wrong with the plan. The old man saw our intentions, and he had a heart attack..."

Izuku's eyes widen again.

"I felt like fainting, screaming, crying... The old man was laying on the couch, clutching his chest in pain... And my friends? They immediately ran around the house to find whatever valuable objects they could find."

Izuku felt a pang of anger surge within him, but he chose to stay silent for now.

"I tried to get the girls to stop, but they wouldn't listen to me. I eventually had to shout at them to get their attention, but they were firm on their intentions. We argued and shouted at each other, but I couldn't get them to change their minds. They said that society hadn't given them anything, so they wouldn't give anything back to it. Then, I couldn't contain my frustration anymore. I told them that I was leaving the club permanently. They simply stormed off with the house's most valuable items while I remained there, looking for a way to help the old man."

Izuku felt a bittersweet sensation in his chest. He was proud of Itsuka for making the right choice, yet he also saw where the girls were coming from. It appeared that their hatred for society had clouded their judgement, and it had completely covered up their sense of empathy and morality at that moment.

"I called emergencies, and the old man was taken to the hospital in time. I went to see him because I couldn't live with my guilt... And..."

Izuku noticed the pause Itsuka made. Izuku looked at Itsuka and noticed that there were some tears falling from her eyes.

A younger Itsuka entered the old man's room at the hospital, feeling like her heart would explode at any moment.

The old man was laying on the bed, surrounded by many people.

Itsuka didn't have the courage to look up at them. If they were his family, how could she excuse herself for what she did?

Itsuka made her way to the man's bed, looking down all the way. She didn't know how the people were looking at her, but she could feel their judging stares and disappointed looks.

The old man speaks in a weak, yet warm and comforting tone. "Ah... Is it you? Are you one of the girls that broke into our house...?"

Itsuka feels a stab of guilt rip her heart apart. She responds, looking even more ashamed of herself. "Y-Yes, mister..."

"I see... And... What were you doing...?"

Itsuka gulps. "I... We were trying to steal stuff to sell..."

"Oh... In that case... Would you like it if we invited you to eat at our house sometime so you don't have to resort to that?"

Itsuka looks up at the old man in shock. It was then that she saw that his expression didn't harbor any kind of resentment or hard feelings against her, but rather, the old man was smiling warmly at her.

Itsuka replied, full of shame and guilt. "What...? You'd... You'd do that for me?"

The old man chuckles weakly. "Sure... I don't know what happened to you to make you resort to stealing... But you must have done it because you needed it, right?"

Itsuka feels like crying.

The old man was wrong.

She didn't need to steal in order to survive. She had a place to call home, parents to turn to, a brother to take care of and money to subsist. The only reason she'd tagged along with the girls was because she felt angry at the world for her treatment.

Itsuka looks to the people surrounding her, and she sees that no one is expressing anger or disappointment. Everyone was giving her warm and understanding looks.

Were they just good people? Was she about to steal from people who did absolutely nothing wrong?

God, what was wrong with her?

Itsuka clutches her chest, not being able to stand upright from her guilt and shame. "I... I..."

The old man opens his arms. "Come here, little girl... You're not alone..."

Itsuka doesn't hesitate before hugging the old man tightly, crying and sobbing loudly. "I'M SORRY! I'm so, so, so sorry! I'm awful! I'm horrible! I'm a bad person!"

The old man rubs the back of Itsuka's head softly. "You're not a bad person... No one truly is... We're all just trying to cope with our own problems... If you ever feel alone, come and have dinner with us sometime..."

Itsuka looks up at the old man with tears streaming down her cheeks. "But... But I'm a bad person! Why would you do that for me?"

The old man smiles warmly. "Because I believe in you, little girl... You're way too young to call yourself a bad person... Even if you're a little misguided now, you're still on time to take a better path... We all believe in you, and we know you'll get to wherever you want to if you just try..."

Itsuka goes back to sobbing into the old man's chest, crying even louder when she feels the rest of the people in the room hug her softly as well.

Izuku felt moved by that, and he felt like tearing up as well.

"I fully left the club after that... I promised myself that I would become a hero... A hero that people would look up to... A hero strong enough to take care of myself and everyone else... A hero that can be taken seriously... A hero who can be there for the people who need it, like I did when I was getting bullied and like the old man when we broke into his house... A hero that would be famous for building her own path with her own hands..."

Izuku wiped the tears on his eyes and wrapped his arms around Itsuka. "You already are, Itsuka... You already are..."

Itsuka sniffed back some tears and hugged Izuku tightly, not wanting to let go. "I'm not, Izuku... I know I'm not... But I hope I can get there eventually..."

Izuku lets go of Itsuka while smiling at her. "So... I guess they didn't take your retirement too well...?"

Itsuka sighs. "No, they didn't. The reason I know my way around town is because I was paranoid for a long time about them, Izuku. I didn't want to bump into them again, so I changed my path home frequently. I took different streets, alleys, avenues and means of transport everyday. At one point I stopped doing it because I thought they'd let bygones be bygones... Ugh... I should have known they'd be back... And now they hurt you because of me..."

Izuku puts his hand around Itsuka's shoulder to reassure her. "Itsuka, this isn't your fault... Although... I'm curious... What did they expect to gain out of this whole thing?"

Itsuka groans. "They want me back in the club. They tried to talk me into joining the club again a week after I left. I didn't think they'd still want me there..."

Izuku shakes his head in disbelief. "I guess they miss you more than you think..."

Itsuka pushes Izuku away a little bit to stare into his eyes. "There's no way in hell I'm coming back. They hurt you, Izuku... I'm not going back there and that's final..."

A few moments of silence pass.

Izuku smiles, trying to lighten up the mood. "Well... You sure showed them what you're made of, Itsuka... I'm sure they'll think twice before messing with you again after that!"

Itsuka looks away. "I really went all out back there, didn't I? I'm sorry, Izuku... I shouldn't have done that... Now they probably hate us even more..."

Izuku's smile grows. "But still! You were amazing! You took on three talented fighters on your own!"

Itsuka smiles faintly. "Heh... I just couldn't stand seeing you get hurt, Izuku... I don't know if I'm strong enough to battle them yet, but I didn't care at the moment... My body just moved on its own... You are a lot more important to me than you think, dummy..."

Izuku giggles. "Thanks, Itsuka. I'm sure Haruki and her gang won't get in our way for some time."

"Hikari."

"Huh?"

"Her name is Hikari... She was my best friend back then..."

Izuku raises an eyebrow. "Huh... You still remember them after all this time, don't you?"

Itsuka giggles. "Well, obviously... They were my close friends at one point. I'd never forget about them."

Izuku leans his head on Itsuka's shoulder to comfort her some more. "Tell me more about them, Itsuka."

Itsuka chuckles. "Well... The blonde one is called Hikari, and she's the heart and soul of the club. She's the second in command and her quirk is called "Photic". She has control over all kinds of lights in a large area, and she's able to create illusions based on her use of the lights around her or her opponents. Her fighting style is a pretty weird one, with her being more of an "agile acrobat" than a direct fighter. She mostly uses hit and run tactics and brings support to the other fighters. Her quirk reflects her personality, since she always brightens up everyone's day and is super cheerful most of the time, but when she's sad or serious she's almost unapproachable..."

'Wow... So THAT's why she moved so fast... Better remember to write it down later.' Thinks Izuku to himself. "Huh... And the rest?"

Itsuka puts her finger on her chin in thought. "Well... The girl with pink hair is called Haruka, and her quirk is called "Ignis Inferno". She can create intense bursts of flames in a short range and control them to her will at the cost of some of her oxygen being drained. She can engulf her own body in fire, launch fireballs, create fire columns, make burning walls and more. She's a melee puncher, and she preffers to duke it out with more direct attacks. I don't know if it's because of her quirk or not, but she always seems to be angry. It's like she has a fiery temper that could go off at any second."

Izuku chuckles. "Seems like you had to deal with your own Kacchan in your time, Itsuka."

Itsuka chuckles. "Now that I think about it, they'd get along well."

"What about the tall girl with the purple hair?"

Itsuka smiles. "Ah, yes... Misa, our very own shrinking violet. Always formal and shy, but a talented expert on the inside. Her quirk is called "Anima Tenebrae", and it gives her control over all shadows in a large area. She can engulf her body in shadows for sneak attacks, ensnare opponents with shadow tendrils, create shadowy constructs or illusions and increase the darkness in a small area. She preffers to wield a sword most of the time and attack using deceptive tactics similar to the ones ninjas used when Ninjutsu was relevant."

Izuku looks at his bandaged stomach briefly. "She seems like a dangerous opponent..."

Itsuka nods. "She is. She might come off as someone with no social skills whatsoever at first, but she's deadly if she puts her mind to it."

Izuku nods. "So... What about the last one? You said there were four of them, right?"

Itsuka sighs again. "Yeah... Honoka... The leader of the club... She has short brown hair kept in a small ponytail by a black ribbon. Her quirk is called "Psychosis", giving her the power to move things with her mind. She can also play with her opponent's mind with her quirk if her opponents are weak-minded... Out of every single one of us, Honoka is the one that has never lost a fight, ever... I don't know what it is about her, but... She's just PERFECT. If anyone's unbeatable, it's her."

Izuku raises his eyebrows. "Then... Why wasn't she with the rest of the girls at the alley?"

Itsuka pushes Izuku away a little bit. "I don't know, and that's what worries me the most... Honoka has never been one to let loose ends... She's a mastermind, and if she ever finds herself at a disadvantage it will have been on purpose..."

Izuku widens his eyes. "Is she... really that smart?"

Itsuka looks at the table with a pensive expression. "Yes, but... This still doesn't make sense... There's NO WAY she knew we were going to the mall today... And even if she did, she must have guessed that I would have said no to their proposal... Something's wrong..."

Izuku sighs and holds Itsuka's hand to snap her out of her reverie. "We can worry about that later, Itsuka. I don't think they'll bother us again for some time..."

Itsuka leans against Izuku's body softly. "I don't know, Izuku..."

Izuku giggles, trying to lighten up the mood again. "Even if they DO come back at some point, just go berserk on them again."

Itsuka chuckles softly. "Right... No one messes with you and gets away with it while I'm here."

Izuku scoots closer to Itsuka. "That sounds good to me."

Itsuka's gaze falls briefly. "Still... I wish I could have done something more back there... I could have talked to them..."

Izuku rubs Itsuka's shoulder reassuringly. "Itsuka, don't think like that. I don't know if there's anything else you could have done... I mean, even if you DID talk to them there's no guarantees that they would have listened. Plus, we were lucky that the fight was in that isolated alleyway. We're not allowed to use our quirks until we get our provisional her licenses, so-"

Then, Itsuka's eyes open wide.

"HOLY CRAP! THE EXAM! WE TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT IT!"

Izuku looks at Itsuka with a small startled expression. "Uhh... Yeah, Itsuka... That's why we came here in the first pla-"

"Izuku, we have to hurry!" Said Itsuka, getting up from her seat and dragging Izuku behind her.

Izuku pouts. "But...! Your burger-!"

"No time! The mall could close any second now!"

"BURGER, NO!"

In a place far from the mall, Hikari drops her friends on the floor while gasping for breath.

A door opens, and a girl comes in.

The girl is tall with short brown hair kept in a ponytail by a black ribbon. She wears a blue pleated skirt, a black open jacket, a green blouse, a golden necklace with a green gem, black knee-high thighhighs and black high heeled boots.

The girl steps in with a serious expression. "Jeez, were they really THAT much of a challenge to you, girls?"

Hikari pants while looking at her friend with an annoyed glare. "You... You said that only ITSUKA would be there, Honoka!"

Honoka smiles, crossing her arms. "I did, and everything went according to our plan."

Hikari huffs. "WHAT plan?! Misa and Haruka are out cold and I could have been knocked out too!"

Honoka smirks. "But you didn't, Hikari. I knew you'd get out of there safe and sound with Haruka and Misa with your illusions. Plus, neither of them would have been able to do anything to you without their hero licenses."

Hikari grunts. "So you mean to tell me that you KNEW Itsuka would have company and yet you didn't tell us?! Why?! They sent us packing, Honoka!"

"Yes, they did... With all kinds of valuable information! We got a clear vision of what they're capable of at this moment of time while all they got were bruises and dust. It'll be of great help when Satoshi's plan comes into actio-"

"WHAT?! Honoka, you can't be serious! I know we all miss Itsuka, but... HIM AND HIS GANG?! Surely you don't mean that we're gonna work with them!"

Honoka rubs her head. "I... Look, I know it's not ideal, but..."

Hikari groans. "Honoka, we can't do that... Satoshi and his gang are-"

Then, a male voice is heard from behind Honoka. "Me and my gang are what?"

The girls freeze in place.

Hikari giggles nervously. "Hehe... Umm... You and your gang are powerful forces to be reckoned with!"

"Good... I thought I heard someone talking trash about me and my gang..."

Honoka turns around nervously. "N-No! We were just... admiring the hard work you put into every single one of your plans, Satoshi!"

"Hm. Whatever. Just keep it down, will you? You two are annoying me."

The door closes, and the sound of footsteps fading away brings relief to the girls.

Honoka speaks in a nervous yet soft tone. "Hikari... I know this isn't what you were expecting, but this benefits all of us..."

Hikari looks at Honoka with a concerned expression. "Maybe, but... Really? Him? There's got to be a better way to get Itsuka back..."

Honkoka looks away briefly. "Don't get me wrong, Hikari... I don't like working with them either... I'm just doing what needs to be done. I swear none of us will get hurt again."

Hikari sighs. "I just hope you know what you're doing, Honoka..."

Be honest with me. Are you liking the story so far?

I kinda need more reviews to see if you guys like this or to see if I should stop for good.