Hey guys! It's me with a late night update to our little fanfiction. I am going to keep this short, since I am really tired, but I want to say thank you guys for the 160 bookmarks and the 260 favortites on Ao3 and FFN. The support means a lot too me and I glad to see you guys enjoying the story as well. Due to the nature of the reconcilation of our three protagonists, I decided to divide it up into two parts. Hagakure will be gaining the spotlight in this chapter while Marris will get hers in the next chapter. Anyways, with that out of the way enjoy this week's serialization.
Hagakure grumbled as she tried to rub the sleep out of her unseeable eyes on board the train to UA. Out of all the things she expected to happen on her internship, exhaustion was not one that immediately popped into the mind of the invisible girl. She shouldn't be surprised that working at an Agency like Sir's would take more out of her than the sports festival. Then again, it was easier to pretend that a two break would be enough to recuperate from 5 days of hard work.
She let out a raspy yawn while stretching out the long sleeves of her UA uniform in an effort to fight off the urge to sleep. After another round of rubbing her eyes, Hagakure blinked, and suddenly found a small elementary aged boy standing infront of her. The invisible girl managed to stifle a jump and the yelp that nearly escaped her throat.
"I'm sorry to bug you miss.", he said with hesitation while nervously fiddling with his hands, "But are you Salacia? The hero with the invisible quirk?"
Hagakure paused for a moment, "Um, I am not quite a hero yet, but I am Salacia."
The boy's eyes lit up, "Wow! Can I have an autograph? Please?"
The boy in turn pulled out a small Wild Wild Pussycats themed notebook and a bright yellow pen, and held it in front of Hagakure. Hagakure couldn't help but let out a small smile as she signed his notebook with the pen and saw the stars in his eyes grow into galaxies. He clutched the notebook like it was a valuable and delicate object.
"Thank you, Miss Salacia! My friends are going to be so jealous I got your autograph! You were so cool in that video when you fought Ghost!", The kid exclaimed as he hurried off without sparing a second glance.
A bucket of ice water splashed on Hagakure, removing any sleep left in her system.
"Video? Me? Fighting Ghost?", Hagakure spluttered in surprise.
A quick search on the internet had revealed that Hosu was being blown up by the media. Dozens of articles about the battle with the Nomu and more specifically, Mirko's assault on Ghost. Not only were there articles but there were also videos as well.
Most were of medium quality, and looked as if they were taken by a cell phone. Several of the videos were only a minute long and only caught portions of the fight before the taker of the video was forced to stop. But, the most popular of these videos was one that lasted eight minutes. It caught the moment in which Izuku went berserk and ended when she and All Might Sensei talked him down. Her brown cat-like eyes widened in surprise at the number of views on that video.
"Five million views?", she gasped quietly.
Her eyes drifted to the comments of the video. The commenters had mixed opinions on Ghost, with one side supporting his side in what can be described as self defence against excessive force. While the other half note that Ghost was too brutal in retaliation and was more like a villain rampaging than what the latter argued.
However, all of the commenters had one thing to say about her.
That girl did what Mirko and all those other heroes couldn't do, and drove Ghost off. She must be something special.
She must be really strong or so Heroic, that Ghost wouldn't try to fight her. So cool.
She has the heart of a true hero! Salacia stood against that villain without fear or hesitation, and all just to save her fellow heroes from that villain.
Hagakure wasn't sure what to expect when she opened the door to her homeroom. Between the video and her newfound celebrity status, she wasn't too optimistic about her classmates' reaction. She stared blankly into the room of her peers before they all swarmed the invisible girl and bombard her with questions. The only ones who did not swarm her was Bakugou, who was trying to get rid of a head of combed hair. A bandaged up Todoroki, who looked rather hesitant to join the monkey pile that formed up at the door. A blacked haired Kirishima who was trying his hardest not to look at her. And a surprisingly missing class vice rep, Iida Tenya.
Hagakure let out a breath of exasperation after what seemed the millionth question about Hosu was sent her way. She knew she wanted to be noticed by other people, but maybe it was a monkey paw wish, if she couldn't even make it to her desk.
"Guys Guys! Please. Can we just save it for later.", she finally managed to speak out.
"But Hagakure-san, we want to know how you were able to get that monster to back down!", Kaminari argued, "How were you able to beat him when Todoroki couldn't?"
"Yes, and I would also like to know why you are insistent on blocking the door to my classroom?", a tired voice echoed.
All of the students paled and looked out to see their homeroom teacher staring at them impassively. The teens didn't even wait for Aizawa to even say anything again, and in the blink of an eye, they all returned to their seats. Aizawa didn't even acknowledge their swift departure and merely walked to his podium.
There was something different in the look of their homeroom teacher, and it wasn't just because the bandages trapping him are gone. No, Mr. Aizawa had the tell-tale look of someone who was angry, but was only barely trying to contain said anger beneath the surface. The class collectively let out a fearful gulp.
"It's nice to see that you all finally got the sense to stop wasting time, you just might make it as pros afterall.", Aizawa half-compliemented-half berated, "Before we begin our usual lessons, there are some announcements to make."
The class listened in silent nervousness.
"Iida Tenya will not be joining us as a member of the Hero Course. Had he not dropped out of the course due to health reasons, then he would've been expelled otherwise.", Mr. Aiazawa said with a bit of a bite in his voice, "Here at UA, we are training you to be heroes and we don't not tolerate acts of vigilantism against serial killers, no matter the reason. Let that be a lesson."
The class had a mixture of both horror and worry as many put two-and-two together. Their former vice rep was the anonymous third victim of Stain that the news outlets had mentioned.
"As for your vice representative...Hagakure Tooru!", He spoke monotonously.
Hagakure stood up in her seat with her arms at her side, "Yes, Aizawa Sensei?"
"You are an effective vice representative starting today. Speak with your class representative about your new duties. I do expect you to do better than your predecessor." , Aizawa said with a warning in his voice.
"Yes Sir!, Thank you Aizawa Sensei.", Hagakure said before returning to her seat.
"As for the rest of you...I hope you are prepared because your finals are coming in the next two weeks.", Aizawa said with a sadistic grin.
The class groaned in unison.
Hagakure groaned in exhaustion as she began to pack her things away as the final person to leave her class. The day was long and tiring with the amount of people that wouldn't stop pestering her alongside the usual grueling work of a Hero Course Student. Or the fact that Aizawa had punished her by adding extra work in the form of being appointed the vice representative.
But the icing on that cake came from the fact that three boys in her class had separately come up to her and asked to speak alone to her. She however, turned them down and more or less asked for another time to have a chat. Normally such a notion would excite the invisible girl, but it was seen as yet another burden onto an already burdened girl.
"I just hope they aren't trying to ask me out. I already have enough to deal with Izuku, and they aren't cute as he is.", Hagakure grumbled to herself.
However, Izuku disappeared yet again from the face of the earth, and finding him would be a monumental task that she hopes proves fruitful in the upcoming weekend. But as far as Hagakure is concerned such a task can wait, for she wants nothing more than to go home and sleep.
As the invisible girl turned away from her desk, an abrupt sound of someone knocking on wood pierced the air behind her. She jumped in surprise and turned around with her arms raised ready to fight whomever was with her in the room.
...
…
...
To her surprise no one was there, but sitting on her desk was a white sheet of paper. Hagakure frowned as every horror movie trope began to warn her about going to go look at that paper. But she had a feeling who might be the mysterious messenger, and she was fairly certain it was a Ghost and not a Ghost-Face. She strolled up to her desk and picked up the note and read the scribbles on his pristine surface.
Meet me at the old playground. We need to talk. -Ma'ken Ris
Hagakure treaded the familiar pathway towards the old park in the forest surrounding UA. Its lightly beaten pathway with an assortment of bramble obscured much of her vision. But as she did time and time before, she traversed the old roadwork with ease and without messing herself. The fresh scent of wet wood and the overpowering fragrance of the thick underbrush filled her nostrils. Birds of all shape and sized sung their own tunes of music while a light breeze added a waltz to the plants
She couldn't help but hum an indistinct tune as she traveled the path like any old inexperienced hiker would. Nature could be serene, even when she was troubled deep down. Hagakure had been dreading this encounter the entire remaining week of her internship. For it was time that she confronted Izuku in a more private setting. It was time to set this argument and family feud aside, so they can move on with their lives.
But she feared the worst possible scenario. Call it nerves or a gut feeling but instinct told her deep down that everything was still as volatile as they were in Hosu. She didn't fear Izuku, nor did she believe that he would attack her if agitated, but she did fear the severing of ties. Yet, she couldn't deny it was a possibility if one or more of the parties involved wouldn't accept the olive branch.
The branches and tall grass gave way to a clearing in the midst of the thick woodlands and into the remains of an old playground. Its old and rusted bones contrasted greatly with the greenery with its bright red pigment of rust. But the dilapidated equipment was nothing but a minor stark compared to a bright white figure sitting on a faded wooden bench.
Sitting hunched over with his hands in their lap quietly was Izuku Midoriya. He was dressed in the signature robes of his vigilante persona, but the robes were filthier and littered with holes and torn up in many places. His blue hair now had a touch of green at the roots of his long unkempt locks. From the ripped and torn places in the sleeves of his robes, Hagakure could make out the signs of scarring and injuries still fresh on his flesh. He was staring at his feet and appeared to be oblivious to the world around him.
Hagkure slowly and hesitantly walked her way up towards him, but he didn't acknowledge her presence and merely continued to watch his feet. When she was nearly upon the bench and its occupant, she raised her voice in the quiet atmosphere.
"Excuse me sir? Do you mind if I sit next to you?", She asked somberly.
With a small jolt, Izuku looked up to her, and the two locked eyes for the first time since that night. And just like that, she was no longer invisible to the world, but now had her sharp fae-like features being watched by him. His eyes were now tinged with the same green coloring with his hair, and retained the blue that she had known him for having. Her brown eyes locked with the orbs of the mixing colors.
…
…
…
She sat down next to him after he failed to give an answer. An awkward silence ensued as the hero and vigilante sat next to each other. The wordless air would not last long as it was pieced by the language of the vigilante.
"Why did you do it?", Izuku said as he looked down.
Hagakure turned to look at him, "Do what?"
"Why did you come after me and talk me down?", Izuku elaborated, "After the way I treated you, the way I yelled at you, and after I left you alone at the Festival?". He turned his face back to meet hers, and she noticed a scar running down his cheek and jawline. "Anyone would've turned their back on me and left without a word. But you stayed, and more than that. You came to me to try to make amends. Why?"
Hagakure kept her gaze on the vigilante before turning to stare at her shoes, "I guess there are a couple reasons. But I told you most of them at Hosu, which only leaves two others."
Izuku tilted his head in puzzlement.
"To be honest with you Izuku I didn't understand why you became a vigilante. And your explanation didn't give enough idea, so I had to...force Marris to show me."
Izuku flinched before once again returning his eyes to the ground, "How much did you see?"
"I saw enough to understand.", Hagakure quickly responded, "I am sorry if you didn't want to share it, but I needed to know why you...did what you did."
Izuku hesitated. "I didn't want to be him again. I didn't want to be Deku.", He admitted.
"The insult your bullies used?", Hagakure interjected.
"Deku was more than an insult. It was...reality.", Izuku said with hurt in his voice, "That wimpy green haired kid was everything I didn't want to be anymore. Quirkless. Weak. Pathetic. So, when Marris gave me those quirks, I wanted to become someone new, someone who was the opposite of Deku."
Izuku let out a shaky breath from his lips. Hagakure turned to see his face locked directly on the ground while his eyes were glazed over with tears. Hagakure moved her hand over his own hand.
"Do you want to talk about it? I am here for you.", she affirmed.
Izuku said nothing before he began to slowly speak about his life as the quirkless kid. He stuttered and took long moments of silence in between every detail of his younger days. Hagakure listened intently and carefully as Izuku spilled out the ten years of trauma before her.
She gently squeezed his hand every time he faltered or hesitated, and it seemed to bolster his resolve to continue the tale. Tears began to form in her eyes as well as his as she heard the heart wrenching story of being a quirkless boy in a world of superpowers. It made Hagakure want to do something. It made her want to travel back in time and protect the younger Izuku from his tormentors, or hunt them down and face punishment for their actions. It made Marris try one extreme from another in the name of protecting a little boy.
"Then I failed. No matter what I did. No matter how hard I worked. I would always be that kid. I will always be Deku.", lamented Izuku, "I just wanted to be a hero. I just wanted to help people. I wanted to be useful. I...didn't...want to...to admit that they were all right."
"Is that why you snapped at me when I brought up the idea of becoming a hero.", Hagakure replied gently.
"Yes.", Izuku said after a moment of silence,"I either got hatred or pity from people growing up. I-I...just...I...was so angry deep down for so long that...I...took it out on someone who didn't deserve any of it. I am sorry, Tooru. I am sorry for everything."
Silence once again filled the clearing with its presence.
"I forgive you, but next time will you please talk to me about it. I don't want to fight with you, Izuku.", Hagakure said firmly, "Just promise me one thing."
"What do you want me to do?", replied the vigilante.
"I want you to stop lingering in the past.", said the hero, "I want to have a future with you and that can't happen if you are stuck on the misgivings of the past."
Izuku's mouth opened, but Hagakure was quick to silence any noise.
"I am not asking you to forget and forgive, but instead I want you to make peace with it.", the hero affirmed, "I know it is not something that will be easy for you, but I will be by your side through it all."
Izuku's hand tightened its grip on hers, "You promise?"
"I promise.", she replied softly as she returned the squeeze.
"You really are a hero, Tooru.", Stated Izuku as he focused his gaze on her, "Going through all this effort and risking everything for a quirkless vigilante with borrowed powers. You really care too much for me."
Hagakure took in the image of Izuku and for a moment she could've sworn that she saw an elf girl with brown eyes reflected in the irises of the vigilante. She would follow him, no matter where he may go. He was the anchor that grounded her to the earth, and made her feel like she was a normal girl who wasn't cursed with invisibility. But he was also a storm, a vortex of power and wild emotions that was almost impossible to control. Yet, she could calm that storm. Salacia was more than the goddess that hid from Neptune, she was the one who calmed the raging storms of the sea. Her heart began to pound like a drum in her chest, and a voice deep down told her to reach out and never let go of him. She won't let him run away again.
"I don't care that you were quirkless until Marris gave you those quirks or the fact that you used them to become a vigilante. Because quirk or not, you are still the boy that decided to cheer me up on a bad day. You are the boy that risked life and limb to save my class from the League of Villains. You are all that and so much more to me, Izuku.", Hagakure affirmed, "Because the other reason is…"
Without any hesitation or warning, Hagakure quickly moved her face towards Izuku's while cupping her hand over his scarred cheek. She kissed him on the lips. Her face grew hot as her lips intertwined with Izuku's. He, in turn, also turned red with a blush while his eyes widened in shock. However, his shock was soon dissipated when he returned the kiss that Hagakure gave him unexpectedly. For the moment, the world around them vanished as the vigilante and the hero were locked in the passion of the kiss.
Eventually, the two were forced to separate, but they kept their hands locked together while their foreheads pressed against each other. The sound of heavy breathing was the only sound that could be heard coming from the two as they took the moment to gaze into each other.
"D-Do you want to go somewhere together? M-Maybe, we can go see that n-new movie o-or go eat s-somewhere?", Izuku stuttered out with a small smile on his face.
"I-I'd like that.", Hagakure replied with her own face occupied by an ear-to-ear grin, "Can we go as a...a...couple?"
"Y-Yes!", Izuku shouted softly, "But first…"
Without any warning, Izuku went limp and rolled off the park bench and onto the grass with a soft thud. Hagakure quickly rushed to check on her new...boyfriend, and was surprised to see that he had fainted. A small chuckle escaped the lips of the invisible girl as she cradled the bicolored head of Izuku in her lap and began to fan air in his face. Her hand soon found itself wandering towards the chest of the unconscious teen.
Thump Thump
Thump Thump
Thump Thump
For the first time in a long time, Hagakure took comfort from the soft beating of a heart that nearly became silent forever. She closed her eyes and thanked the gods above for bringing back Izuku. A small smile appeared on Salacia's lips as the sea became calm once again.
So the two warlock children are finally a couple. Took me long enough, right? Anyways, if you guys have a comment, concern, or question be sure to write it below. Thank you again, and I'll see you in the next update.