I am back after a long hiatus. It's been tough dealing with life lately after what has happened, hence the long time since updates. I am not gonna lie, I was feeling quite down for a while. But I didn't stop working on this chapter. I mostly worked in snippets here and there. For our schedule, we get one last chapter before we get into the endgame so look forwards to that. Anyways, If you guys have any questions or concerns let me know in the comments. Enjoy this serialization.
Amid the towering behemoth of a building, rested a single office on the very top of the east wing of a skyscraper. There were large clear windows that enabled the occupants to get a superb view of the surrounding area. It had enough room to house several pieces of furniture and had enough space to enable people of most sizes to sit comfortably in it. The room was also equipped with the best of the best when it came to technology both in terms of luxury amenities and beasts of administration. All in all, it was a room befitting for the top CEO of a Corporate Empire that spanned the globe.
However, said room was nothing of the sort as its sole occupant sat at the large mahogany desk whilst they were diligently typing away at a high dollar laptop. The individual working away was also an oddity in his own right as the clicky clack of the computer keys made the only noise in the room. Seated at the desk was a tiny figure dressed in an immaculate business suit with a sweater vest, bow tie, and fine dress shoes. The figure dressed in these clothes was no mere human, instead the creature in this office suite with the suit was none other than the animal hero known as Nezu.
The mouse-bear creature's face was as crunched in concentration or at least as far as his animal face could allow, nose deep in a computer monitor. On the monitor of his personal computer was a hodgepodge of pdfs, video files, and pngs that were all messily thrown about the screen. All the while Nezu's black eyes scanned the contents of the screen with intense interest.
"Just what are you, Ghost?", Nezu said to himself as he continued his work.
Ever since the USJ the animal principal had been borderline obsessed with the vigilante, and that had not only because of the power he displayed at the incident. Rather it became interested in Ghost at the climax of the battle, where his most powerful form manifested. Nezu paused from his work to reflect upon what he felt during that moment.
Danger. Fear. Run. Hide
Upon retrospect, such notions weren't based on any logical reasoning but rather on the most basic of animal instincts. Even now, as he stared at images of the Ghost's form he felt a tiny tingle in his very being, warning him to stay wary of such a creature. Illogical, for these were merely images on a screen and not the real deal, but Nezu wasn't too keen to ignore such things on the basis that they might provide insight that was hidden to everyone that was only human.
But beyond the basics of self preservation, there was nothing to note from the animaline side of the matter.
Luckily for Nezu, High Specs allowed him to be far more perceptive and intelligent than any human, and along with increases in these traits, Nezu could digest information at a rapid pace. The mouse-bear chuckled to himself as his famous party trick of flipping through an instruction manual and then reciting it word for word came to mind. A crude use of his quirk, yes, but one that showed its potency in an easy to understand manner. But enough fun, time to resume the monotonous working of shifting through blotches of information.
…
…
…
The sound of knocking made Nezu jump out of his stupor with his tail twitching and his nose wriggling in irritation. The principal of UA turned his head to face the door to where the noise had originated from. He stared at it blankly before turning back to the web of documents on his screen. Specifically, a partially declassified dossier from the Soviet Union that supposedly was a geological survey done in the pre-quirk era.
Монарх Экспедиция, остров Сахалин, "Молдавия", Июнь 17, 1959.
Monarch Expedition, Sakhalin Island, "Moldova", June 17, 1959.
Nezu blinked as he stared blankly at the rabbit hole he had fallen into whilst researching a vigilante. Documents pertaining to a forgotten scientific expedition written in the pre-quirk age under the brutal regime of a one party state? It made no sense, but the data analyzed by High Spec pointed towards these declassified papers. Even with most of the information on the dossier being omitted from the pdf, this should have nothing to do with a vigilante who first appeared on the streets mere months had to be a reason for this! Maybe the documents…
Nezu's train of thoughts was interrupted as the sound of knocking reverberated once again, this time a little bit harder. The mouse-bear flicked his tail in irritation before putting on his professional voice and speaking into the microphone on his desk, "You may enter."
The door swung open to reveal a bedraggled Aizawa standing in the entryway with his usual slouch and unkempt appearance. Aizawa's eyes flickered to Nezu before the homeless-looking hero strutted in the office, closing the door behind him.
"Ah, Aizawa-san!", Nezu said with his usual over-friendliness, "What brought you here so late?"
Aizawa looked at Nezu as if he had grown two heads, "Sir, It's 4 in the morning. You know when I finish my patrol and report for the school day."
Nezu held his poker face even as his best teacher raised his eyebrow at him.
"Did you stay here all night on the computer?", Aizawa said accusingly.
"It appears that I did.", Nezu admitted, "It seems that I got a little engrossed with my research."
"Research on what? If I may ask?", Aizawa probed.
Nezu hesitated, "On Ghost."
"The vigilante?", droned Aizawa
"Is there another one that we aren't aware of?", Nezu piped mischievously
Aizawa rolled his tired eyes, "The last thing we need is another one, and especially if no one can finally get their act together and catch him."
Nezu's ears twitched at Aizawa's comment, "For someone who is credited with saving your life at the USJ, one would have pinned for Ghost to be recruited."
Aizawa paused to look out the window and into the dark early morning, "Yet, he very nearly killed one of my students, or at the very least maimed one of them into early retirement."
"Ah Yes, it was fortunate that Miss Hagakure was there. Otherwise, Todoroki wouldn't have been so lucky.", Nezu said somberly.
Aizawa didn't look any happier from that comment, "It was a reckless thing to do to confront a wildcard like Ghost.", Aizawa almost snarled, "Confronting him would've been like running head first into the middle of a typhoon, and trying to talk it down with equally predictable results nine times out of ten."
Nezu's ears twitched once again as a metaphoric ding chimed in his head. A sign that High Specs made a connection and within milliseconds that information registered with Nezu's mind.
He paused for a moment to digest the information, "An interesting analogy, considering such a reckless move for anyone else would result in disaster no matter the circumstances. But I believe that there was more to that confrontation than meets the eye."
Aizawa raised his eyebrow again, "What do you mean?"
Nezu paused as his quirk worked itself inside his little skull until it formulated a missing piece of the puzzle,"I believe that Miss Hagakure's confrontation with Ghost wasn't mere coincidence, and that our student was intentionally trying to confront Ghost."
Aizawa tilted his head, "What are you proposing?"
"If the reports are to be believed, then the final moments of the fight indicate that Ghost went berserk and attacked everything that moved. He showed no mercy to those he targeted and caught.", Nezu said somberly, "Under that logic, Miss Hagakure should have been nothing more than another casualty, unless he had a compelling reason not to hurt her. Such as the two having a personal connection."
Even with his face half hidden by his hair and scarf, Aizawa failed to hide his surprise when the dots seemed to finally click together. "Let's say that your theory is true, and Hagakure knows Ghost. How deep would this connection go between the two?"
"Based on my analysis of the evidence at hand, I estimate that such a relationship at its minimum would be that of best friends, on a similar scale to you and Yamada-san. But there is a strong possibility that the two might be romantically involved.", Nezu stated with excitement.
"Sir, I think that idea is a bit of a stretch? Friends or allies maybe? But lovers?", Aizawa interjected, "Perhaps, Ghost was solely focused on Todoroki after he said those choiced words. Other villains have been known to do such things."
"Which is a fair assumption in itself, plenty of villains ignore civilians and such in favor of someone they perceived to wronged them. Yet, your comparison to Ghost being a storm is an apt metaphor for he is known to be volatile and unpredictable in which side he wishes to fight.", Nezu explained, "Which makes it all the more interesting to see Miss Hagakure choose Salacia, the name of the roman goddess who calmed the sea when Neptune went into stormy rages. A peculiar coincidence, don't you think?"
Aizawa grew uncomfortable as the words came out of Nezu's mouth, "If this theory is true, then there would be a possible route of finding out the identity of Ghost."
"Indeed, Aizawa-san.", Nezu said with a toothy grin, "But do you want to know the best part?"
Aizawa's poker face held even as Nezu's was twisting into the gleeful sadist.
"I know for a fact that Miss Hagakure has a boyfriend, and I think we should take a look into this individual and see who he really is?", Nezu said with a smirk.
Todoroki stared blankly at the television as the media went absolutely ballistic with the current story running on the news. It was all about his family or rather his former family given what had happened. He already knew what was being shown on the screen but was watching some pompy haired anchor air his family's dirty laundry to the public helped distract him from his mother's cold presence.
Everything felt like a dream to him the more he lingered on things. To be taken away from his father, to be free of his cruelty, to be free of his shadow. It didn't feel all that believable to Todoroki. And yet, it was most certainly real, and not a fictional delusion.
"Shoto, you really think you are free?", an icy voice whispered behind him, "Your father's sins are your sins, and you can't escape. You can never escape."
Todoroki shivered at his mother's words, and hoped that Hagakure would hurry. Yet, he couldn't shake off what his mother had said. He wasn't free. He had no path, no future, no purpose. And it was difficult to shake off the idea of being a hero, an idea that was decided for him before he was even born. Yet, did he even want to be a hero anyways or did he want to find his own way? He did not know what to do. He was lost.
Mina let out an annoyed groan as she escaped the confines of the dark abyss that was school. She slouched as she walked with bags of tiredness underneath her black eyes while her book bag was draped on her shoulder with only one strap. Her brain felt like a mashed banana as she trudged robotically down the stairs of UA High.
The last two weeks had been gearing up for finals, which would be taking place all week next week. To say that it was exhausting would be an understatement to all the physical training and studying she had to do outside of school, on top of all their usual work. It was hell for someone like her, as she vainly tried to cram all the information she could inside her skull, but she knew she needed to have a break when she looked at Mr. Aizawa. And he looked like a Pythagorean Theorem formula dressed in hobo clothes.
So, for the sake of her sanity, Mina decided to take a few hours off of studying to recharge her batteries. Normally she would just head home and blow some steam off in the comfort of her room by playing video games or watching gossip tv. But an animalistic growling coming from her belly quickly changed her plans. Instead the teen opted to get something to eat before taking the train home.
Yet in a twist of fate, class 1a's social butterfly found herself taking the trip alone. Her go-to friends of Tooru and Kirishima had declined her invitation to go and socialize over some food. The invisible Tooru frantically apologized as she explained that she was currently too busy and couldn't really spare a moment afterschool. Kirishima declined the invitation stating that he needed to study, but his downright depressing aura stated otherwise. No matter how much egging she tried, Kirishima would not budge. Seeing her friend like this tore a hole in her heart, especially since nothing she tried seemed to help.
As a result, Mina patrolled the streets alone with a heavy heart and a lot on her mind. Such was her inner turmoil that she wasn't even aware that she had stepped inside a quaint little shop until one of the servers spoke to her. The lobby was a brightly decorated room with a few frilly chairs lined up against the wall with many tapestries, pictures and potted flowers decorating the empty spaces. A white table cloth was draped over the counter with an old fashion looking register along with a few baskets of candy. Mina digested the scenery in the room taking all of its colorful splendor, that was until a loud and terrified squeak took her out of her spectating.
Mina locked onto the source of the voice and was beholden to a tiny red haired lady dressed in a maid themed uniform standing in front of some double swinging doors. Her eyes were wide with fear while her lip trembled the longer Mina stared into her. A pang of guilt swirled inside the pink skinned girl as she awkwardly tried to put on a reassuring smile on the lady she inadvertently scared. This only seemed to make the lady even more terrified as her eyes began to welt and her hands began to noticeably tremble.
Before Mina could utter an apology to diffuse the situation, another figure emerged from the set of doors. The figure was way taller than the lady he stood behind, but they were not much taller than she was by comparison. The figure was a boy who looked close to her age but it was a little hard to tell with the butler themed uniform he was wearing, which made him look older. He had a rather exotic look with freckles and a pair of blueish-green eyes. His hair mimicked the same color as his eyes and it was combed neatly as well.
"Ah, a customer!", the boy said in an excited yet friendly voice, "Aiba-san, why don't you let Mr. Tobita have a guest, while I will show her to a table and get her set."
The boy then flashed a smile that was awfully contagious, yet somehow hid a more predatory connotation behind its cheerfulness. The tiny red haired lady, Aiba, mutters a quiet acknowledgement before scurrying off behind the swinging doors. The boy then turned to face Mina, his odd blue-green eyes boring into her.
He gave a light bow, "I am sorry about Aiba-san, she is a little shy and doesn't do well with new people."
"Oh no, I should be the one apologizing!", Mina replied with wide eyes, "I didn't mean to scare her! If it's not too much you wouldn't mind passing an apology from me to her."
He smiled again, without any predatory threats this time, but this time Mina caught a glimpse of his sharp teeth. "I'll see to it that she does. Now, if you don't mind, may I get your name so I can show you to your table."
"My name is Mina Ashido, and could I get a table close to a window?"
"I think that can be arranged. Follow me, Lady Ashido."
Mina couldn't help it when her pink face turned scarlet.
Izuku didn't know what he did in his past life to deserve any of this. Despite having a literal goddess as a quirk, who was also a friend and a family member, he still believed that some divine force had it out for him. No, if he was being honest Izuku was certain that some far off and forgotten divinity took it upon themselves to make his life as hard as possible.
To be fair, Izuku mainly blamed Nighteye for his predicament when he suggested he lay low in between now and the meeting. But such a task was easier said than done. It wasn't due to the fact that Izuku couldn't do it, oh no, he thought that he could resist the urge to prowl the streets at night, but suddenly dropping an activity he had done practically non-stop for months left the teen stir crazy almost immediately.
He tried to ignore it at first, but things predictably got worse with his restlessness. Tooru had to put her foot down on the entire manner when she learned he spent a whole night awake, staring out his window using all his will power to leap out the window and into the night. She promptly stomped on any smoldering embers before they could grow stronger, and gave Izuku an ultimatum to find something to occupy his time. As such, Izuku found himself in his current predicament.
"Izuku-san, Table 6's order of pastries and tea are ready!", said a gray haired man with a mustache and goatee.
"Yes sir, Tobita-san!", Izuku replied while taking said order on a silver tray.
Tooru's ultimatum was simple: Find a way to occupy yourself that doesn't involve vigilantism or else there would be consequences. Whatever threat she implied was enough for Izuku to get to work finding something to keep him occupied. His search bore fruit when he discovered the hidden gem in the form of a cafe that he visited every once while had a help wanted sign. One interview later and demonstration later, Izuku found himself as an employee of the Lady's Cup.
The job seemed simple enough. Bring food to customers, clean tables, put on a friendly smile etcetera, etcetera. His co-workers were also friendly and nice which was a bonus. Mr. Tobita was a giant of a man that took his business very seriously, but had a kind heart underneath his stoic front. He also had a tendency of being clumsy, but the man really knew all the intricacies of making tea and what bakery went best with it . Meanwhile, Aiba-san was a tiny woman who was more skittish than a mouse in a cat cafe. Izuku didn't see her do much aside from registar work and tech support for the various electronic devices the cafe had. She hadn't said much to Izuku beyond a few words here and there, but he supposed that she will become more outgoing with him once she gets used to him.
As a result of the dynamic of his two coworkers, Izuku found himself as the sole waiter of the establishment. As Aiba-san's shyness prevented her from having face-to-face conversations with people, despite the fact that she can work perfectly fine while hiding behind the registrar. At first, Izuku didn't know why Mr. Tobita didn't work as the waiter on top of being the chef, considering the actual kitchen work was light in this type of establishment. But he soon realized that Mr. Tobita was clutz with a capital C, at least when he tried to show Izuku the ropes. Day One of the job, and four broken teapots, six plates, and two cups shattered before Izuku could practice with them. And liberal uses of the mop and pail as well to clean up a lot of spilled tea showed Izuku exactly why Tobita didn't wait tables.
Despite the numerous setbacks, Mr. Tobita was satisfied with Izuku when he finally got to see what he was capable of, and thus Izuku was set to start the following week. He was given a uniform, themed after a Victorian butler, and his weekly schedule as well. Izuku went home that day with a big smile on his face and pride in his chest.
When he told the women in his life about the news, they each reacted accordingly. His mother burst into a stream of tears that obviously caused him to start crying as well. Mar'Ris was a different case, first he had to explain what a proper job was to her and then he had to explain what a waiter does and why. But by the end of it, he ended up in a spine breaking hug by the larger alien woman, with her being proud of his achievement as well as looking so adorable in his uniform.
Tooru was unfortunately unable to really talk much when he got his job, given that she was currently in the middle of school finals. The brief moments he walked her to school in the morning showed him enough that she was running herself ragged with all the studying. So, he opted to be the supportive boyfriend and did his best to help her out as best he can. Even if it was something as simple as carrying her book back for her in the morning or providing her with a morning cup of coffee or even just an ear to listen to her vent her frustrations out . It wasn't much, but his heart always fluttered in happiness when he saw Tooru smile.
Izuku nonetheless took the job on with his full might, giving it the 110% he puts into everything he does. So he donned his victorian themed uniform and straightened his unruly hair and walked into the cafe to begin his job. Things went swimmingly at first with Izuku doing his duties diligently and efficiently. But then came a problem he never expected to face when dining tables.
"One order of moshi and English Breakfast fresh from the kitchen.", Izuku exclaimed with a smile as he set the silver tray down on the table, "Can I get you ladies anything else?"
"Oh, I think we are fine for now, Zuzu-san.", cooed a girl in an UA highschool uniform.
"Yeah, but we'll let you know if we need anything? Right, Hina-chan?", said a girl with feathers for hair while she nudged a small girl with milky eyes.
"Y-Yeah.", she stuttered with a blush on her face as she tried to look away from him.
There was always a catch, wasn't there? It turns out that the Gentleman's Cup was the semi frequent outing of many of UA's female student body. However, with the latest edition of a young handsome boy dressed as a butler, it seemed to make the place surge in popularity on a scale never before seen in the quaint little shop.
Normally the mere notion of a girl flirting with him would usually leave him red faced and flustered, but after a few days of repeatedly getting hit on by school girls he more or less got used to it. His first real challenge came when a much older woman came barging into the store near closing time. She was dressed in a crumpled up set of office clothing with a pair of red glasses. Upon entering the store, Izuku could smell the scent of alcohol from several feet away, along with the fact she slurred her words.
The woman, whom he thinks called herself Nemuri, spent the better part of a half-hour lamenting in slurs about the plights of a single 30 year old woman. She then tried to miserably ask Izuku if he would be willing to hook up with her, after she spent 10 minutes silently eyeing him up like a piece of candy. When he declined the invitation due to a number of reasons, he then had to deal with over 20 minutes of crying and one pool of vomit before he called a cab to take the poor woman home.
After that particular incident, Izuku was sure he would be able to handle any woman that walked through the shop's doors. But once again, he was soundly proven wrong as a menacing aura seemed to be directed towards his back. An unconscious shiver ran down his spine as a result of this unsettling presence. Instantly, Izuku knew exactly who it was and he didn't need to look behind him to know that Tooru was there.
He knew that she was still dressed in her school uniform sitting at a non-descript table with a pot of tea that she would only take a few sips from. Instead, she would use her quirk's key ability to keep an eye on him or rather to make sure no girls would push boundaries with her boyfriend. The result of her bestie going in vivid detail on what she wanted to do with Izuku.
It took all of Izuku's discipline as a vigilante to keep his smiling face neutral while he gave the trio a slight bow before hurriedly heading back towards the kitchen. It was only then that Izuku let his face fall into a weary frown once he was safely behind the doors. Izuku wiped the heavy sweat that dripped down his forehead as he let out an exhausted sigh.
Mr. Tobita looked up from the pastries that he was glazing with icing and his eyes bore into Izuku with what can be described as amusement.
"They can be quite the handful can they?", He said sagely, "Even more so when you have your own to go home to."
Izuku looked at his boss with weariness, "Sir, can you please not do this?"
Tobita smiled mischievously, "So which one is she?"
When Izuku didn't respond Tobita's grin turned into a devilish smirk, "Come on my boy, don't be so coy. Unless you want me to go to each table and ask?"
Izuku frowned before blushing in embarrassment, "T-Table 5, sir."
"Ah, the invisible one? I must say Midoriya that I never took you as a romantic type? To love one that cannot be seen! It's almost story-like.", Mr. Tobita exclaimed with a poet's flair. "What's her name?"
Izuku looked away from his boss before mumbling out his girlfriend's name. Mr. Tobita nodded as Izuku spoke indicating that he somehow was able to discern it despite Izuku's attempts to hide it.
"Well, that's enough fun for now. There's work to be done and we shouldn't dally anymore.", Mr Tobita said, returning to his usual eccentric self, "But first, what kind of sweet does she like, lad?"
"She likes caramel.", Izuku said automatically.
Mr. Tobita turned to reach towards a rack of finished pastries and picked up one of the caramel cakes. He loaded the pastry on a tray with all the usual flare but added some additional decorations.
"Remember, to all the other girls you are merely a butler to treat them as princesses for a short time. But to MIss Hagakure, you are HER Gentleman. Never let her forget that.", Mr. Tobitas said seriously.
Izuku digested what his boss said before he lost the weariness in his face. He took the tray and left without saying anything. Mr. Tobita couldn't help but smile.
"What if I fail and can't go on the summer trip?! Or will I have to take remedial classes with Mr. Aizawa?! Oh man, I am going to die today Izuku, I know it!" Hagakure exclaimed, her eyes furrowed in dread.
Izuku held his tongue and listened to his nervous girlfriend as she vented out of the worries she had accumulated throughout UA's finals week. She had been a wreck throughout the week, having to take a final exam each day for one of her classes which accumulated to singular practical exam on the final day of the school week. All with the simple caveat that failure means losing your position in the hero course at worst and remedial classes during summer at best. It is safe to say Hagakure's future is at stake.
"I am sure you will do fine.", Izuku reassured, "If you that worried then I can get Mar'Ris to help you out. She could surely give you an advantage."
Hagakure tilted her head, "But Izuku, wouldn't that be cheating?"
"I think it will be more like creative use of quirk mechanics.", Izuku said with a grin.
Hagakure rolled her eyes at the boy who was more than loose with his definition of illegal and legal. "Easy for you to say, fish-boy. You don't have to study and you get paid for your work already."
Izuku frowned, "I wouldn't exactly say that I enjoy getting ogled at by girls all day as a good thing. I'd rather take your exam."
"You say that now until you take a test made by my teachers.", Tooru said with a shudder, "I think I would rather get ogled by girls all day."
The two remained silent until they both bursted into laughter at the sheer ridiculousness of their own laugher abated when the the two resumed their short stroll, this time with Tooru and Izuku locking arms with each other.
"Are you sure you don't want me to pick you after school?", Izuku aked.
"I am fine, Izuku. As much as I would like you to spend the afternoon with you, I am gonna have to pass.", Tooru answered, "But I don't want to leave you all by yourself tonight.
Unknownst to many, save for Izuku and Mar'Ris, Hagakure's invisible face betrayed the stress she had been dealing with the past two weeks. Her elven face was sunken and pale while dark bags hung limply under her eyes. Izuku looked at his girlfriend with concern before begrudgingly accepting his fate.
"Oh don't worry about it, Tooru. I bet Mar'Ris is more than willing to keep me company while you catch up on the lost sleep."
The invisible girl raised an eyebrow, "Can I trust you two to not get into trouble?"
Izuku smiled sheepishly at her, "It was only one time…"
"Izuku…I am being serious.", Hagakure warned.
"So am I, Tooru.", Izuku replied, "We're not like that anymore, and we certainly don't go looking for it anymore.."
"I know you've been on good behavior lately, but I also know that trouble loves to gravitate towards you.", Hagakure said with a seasoned experience, "I am just worried that you'll spoil your chances, just promise me you won't do anything reckless."
Izuku hesitated to reply as a million different scenarios played in his head, and each of them involved donning his robe and becoming Ghost again. Out of sheer necessity of course. Hagakure was quick to notice her boyfriend's hesitation and pounced on his indecision.
"Can you promise me, Izuku? Can you do this for me? Please?", Hagakure said as she nuzzled his shoulder while squeezing his arm a little tighter.
Izuku blushed as he caved in to his girlfriend's charm, "I-I am sure n-nothing will happen, but I think I can do that."
Hagakure smiled as she inwardly fist pumped in victory at all the girls in the cafe, "You're the best Zuzu!"
Izuku's face turned a deeper red at that comment. He pulled at his shirt's collar before letting out a nervous cough, "So, when you pass your exams when will your summer trip start?"
"Mr. Aizawa said we will be leaving a week after exams on Friday.", Tooru stated.
Izuku frowned as he mentally checked his dates and came to a simple realization.
"My meeting with Nighteye will be on Sunday.", Izuku stated.
With that Hagakure's chipper mood was immediately spoiled, "I am sorry, Izuku. I didn't realize…"
"It's okay Tooru.", Izuku interrupted.
"But, It's the day you'll be joining us, heroes.", Lamented Tooru, "I should be there for you."
"Tooru, I said it was okay. I don't want you to skip out on this trip for my sake.", Izuku assured, "Besides, I'll probably be joining you next year on it anyway."
Tooru paused as the realization dawned upon her, "You don't mean?"
"I do.", Izuku said with a smile.
Hagakure didn't even think twice about jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. Izuku returned the hug by grasping her lower and lifting her feet off the ground for a moment. Tooru showered Izuku's face in kisses as she expressed her gratitude, while his face turned a deep crimson.
"How were you able to do it?", she murmured in his ear.
"I guess it helps when All Might is sponsoring me in all the paperwork.", Izuku murmured back.
Tooru made a mental note to send All Might-sensei a gift basket when everything is all over. For now, she merely wants to get lost in Izuku's warmth.
…
…
…
Eventually the couple broke apart and continued on with their trek towards UA's gates. They walked hand-in-hand chatting their mouths off about the mundane things in a teenager's life. Until the couple came upon the wrought iron gate that separated Tooru's world from Izuku's.
"Well, I guess this is where we will part for the day.", Izuku said sadly, "Good luck on your exam Tooru. Pass or Fail, I'll bring you some of Mr. Tobitas' caramel cake."
Tooru's cheeks turned scarlet, "Thanks Izuku. I'll give it my best."
Their hands lingered together until the growing distance between the two grew enough to force them to break apart. Izuku would keep his eyes on Tooru as she moved along while she would often look back at him. Izuku lingered in his spot even after Tooru disappeared behind the doors UA, his stared directed on the gate that separated him from his future.
Closing up the store wasn't a task that Izuku did often by himself and that was due to the fact that either Tobita-san or Aiba-san would linger with him in the late hours to help with the task. However, the responsibility was thrusted upon him when both his co-workers left for plans they had made in advance. As to what specifically called for both his co-workers to leave that evening, well, Izuku couldn't think of a reason. At least not one that wasn't scandalous.
Even so, Izuku wasn't one to pry into the private affairs of his compatriots, especially given that he was wholly responsible for shutting down the shop and had a lot of work to do. The work wasn't difficult, but rather monotonous, especially if one was alone and no one to help pass the time. Luckily for Izuku, he wasn't alone.
"And what does this little machine do?",asked a curious fish lady whilst pointing at one of the many appliances.
"That's a whisking machine. It mixes all the ingredients into dough.", Izuku replied.
Mar'Ris' black eyes shone in curiosity as her thin mouth twisted in concentration as she began to examine the object. She stared at the dirty appliance as if it were the most amazing thing in the entire world, despite the mundane nature of the little contraption. Izuku for his part had taken off his coat down to his white dress shirt with its sleeves rolled up while he washed the mountain of dishes leftover from the day.
"And this 'dough' is something you eat?", Mar'Ris asked while she squished a piece of dough between her fingers, "Or do you throw it on the fire, like all the other food, before you eat it?"
"Sort of, we put it in a box that has fire in it and it cooks the dough a bit differently than the other food.", Izuku replied while scrubbing a plate, "Cooking it that way makes the dough into bread.
Mar' Ris swished her head to look at Izuku before she resumed her examination of the dirty appliance, "Sometimes it amazes me the lengths humans will go just to be able to eat, but I must ask, how does bread taste?".
Izuku raised an eyebrow and paused his scrubbing, "You never eaten bread?".
"No." Mar'Ris deadpanned after a moment of silence.
…
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…
"Do you want to try some?"
"Izuku, I cannot eat."
"Can't or won't? Come on, just open your mouth and have a little piece."
"Izuku, if I open my mouth then I will become ravenous and I doubt that you could find something to satiate it."
"Okay…how much do you need to eat if you do?"
"The last time I ate was when I was pregnant with Ma'ken. And I had a craving for those little fluffy animals with the white hair."
"You mean sheep?"
"Yes! That was the name! I ate over a thousand heads of sheep that day to ease that undesirable feeling!", Mar'Ris exclaimed before becoming somber.
She began to fiddle the whisking machine in front of her, but it was nothing more than to keep her hands busy as the memory surfaced. Izuku recognized the gesture instantly due to his years of watching her during the night. It was only now that he realized that she was reminiscing about her long dead son. Without any hesitation, Izuku reached out and grabbed the webbed hand of the fish lady, and the tension in her relaxed.
"You would think that he would grow up to be a predator like his mother, but he never ate flesh of other creatures or anything from them.", Mar'Ris reminisced, "I was frantic when I couldn't get him to eat anything I gave him."
"How did you manage to find something he was able to eat?", Izuku asked.
"I sat him down by some discarded kelp on a beach while I went to go find some other prey to feed him.", Mar'Ris replied with a small hint of humor in her tone, "I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw him chewing on the plant! I thought maybe someone had swapped him with a plant-eating changeling, but I was just so relieved that he wouldn't starve. That little tadpole decided to run me ragged before he decided that he was going to eat plants!"
Mar'Ris let out a small huff of chuckling before she fell silent, "I am sorry. I just miss him."
Izuku tightens his grip on her hand, "You don't have to apologize for anything. It's only human to miss someone you loved."
The words uttered by the small human made the fish woman pause for a moment as she pondered the meaning of the words. Izuku could only gaze awkwardly as the still form of Mar'Ris glared off into empty space. At least until she returned from what deep thought she had been mixing within the sea of her brain.
"Yes, it's only human…", was all that Mar'Ris muttered.
The sound of the locking mechanism clicking indicated that the final piece of work of the night was now done. Izuku let out a sigh of relief as he pocketed the shop's key and began to stroll back towards his home. Mar'Ris shadowed the teen with the gait of a crane causing a distinct click to echo as her claws touched the pavement. If anyone could see Mar'Ris, one could assume she was a towering monster silently stalking an unassuming teenager.
The two bickered with each other as old friends do about the mundane things in life. Except that their version of mundane things involved vigilantism, quirks, and for some reason shellfish. It was no different than any of the other nights Izuku returned home from his job as a waiter, but unlike the others this trip was occurring late into the night. Not that such a thing scared Izuku nor did it bring worry to Mar'Ris. Izuku had long been used to staying out in the seedier parts of Mustastfu, and Mar'Ris was adapted to live in a place shrouded in cold darkness. If anything, the two found the daytime to be scorching and blinding. However, that meant many other denizens who used the darkness as a cover came out. And when they came out, so did their crimes.
As Izuku turned the corner, something came barreling into him causing the teen to stagger while whatever had hit him came crashing down with a thud. Izuku winced at the sudden force that came barreling at his midsection before his face hardened into sternness. He opened his eyes, his mouth opening in preparation to tell whoever ran into him to watch where they were going. However, his stern face scrunched up in confusion at the scene before him.
The person that had ran into him was a little girl no older than the age of six. She was dressed in a faded hospital dress while her exposed arms and legs were wrapped in bandages. She was walking on bare feet, which were black with filth from the street. Her hair was long and gray and showed signs of never being washed or combed. A horn jutted from the right end of her forehead as the only aberrant sign on what would be a "normal looking girl".
From her fallen position, Izuku could make out a pair of crimson colored eyes that were contorted in absolute horror. It wasn't just her eyes either. Her entire face was one of the most frightened faces Izuku had ever seen. Her eyes watered with tears, her mouth clenched tight in a frown that was trying to silence any noise, an uncontrollable jitter rocked her frail frame as she desperately tried to still herself. It was not difficult to imagine that the girl was a victim of an abusive household and likely had run away from it. But she was probably scared out of her mind and untrusting of anyone out of fear.
Izuku's expression immediately softens and he kneels down to be level with the girl. He reached a hand out towards the girl causing the girl to flinch as his hand got closer. Izuku hesitates at her reaction and pulls back away from her. But his arm was abruptly stopped by an invisible force whilst a feeling of cold warmth invaded his skin through his dress shirt.
"Don't.", Mar'Ris hissed in his ear, "She is afraid, very afraid. Use your quirk."
Izuku looked at the face of his alien friend and gulped down the tightness in his throat before once again reaching out to the little girl. She reacted in the same way as before but this time it was accompanied by some incoherent mumbling followed by her tremors getting worse. Izuku braved against his instinct to pull away and press his arm forward. In the dark they wouldn't have been able to see clearly enough to see Izuku's arm had transformed into the clawed limb of his patron. But whether she could see that or not didn't really matter because the girl flinched at the approaching hand anyways. Izuku held his breath even as his much larger hand gently caressed the girl's forehead and a bit of her scalp.
The tension in the girl immediately disappeared alongside the jittering with the touch of the clawed limb on her head. The girl opened her closed eyes, overflowing with tears, and looked directly at Izuku. Even in the darkness of the night, Izuku could see that she was confused, like his touch was something alien when compared to what she was used to. Yet, it was all just confusion, her aura contained disbelief like what she was experiencing wasn't real. A convulsion of sorts materialized somewhere from within, and he acted on it without a second thought. He pulled the girl into a hug. She didn't reciprocate the hug, instead, she remained as rigid as a board and unbeknownst to him her teary eyes widened with shock and surprise.
"It's okay.", He told the girl, "You're going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay."
That was all it took to break the fragile walls the girl had hid behind. Tears ducts broke as the little girl finally began to cry in earnest. She didn't return the hug but appeared to merely wrap her arms tightly around his neck and underneath his arm like he was a safety blanket. Izuku remained stoic and calm despite his emotional nature. Mar'Ris kept a hand on his shoulder to help steady him.
"I wasn't expecting to have grandchildren this soon or that they were going to be a lost hatchling.", Mar'Ris remarked with a slight curve to her forever closed mouth.
The emotional breakdown seemed to be too much for the girl to handle as she passed out in Izuku's arm's not long after that. He carried her with her head resting on his shoulder. Her death grip on him had faded while her breath tickled his ear. It was both a boon and problem that the girl passed out. Firstly, he wasn't able to get any information out of her for her parents or even her situation, so he could help her better. On the only plus side, she wasn't awake to see him talking to Mar'Ris, which would look like he was talking to himself in any other case.
"Mar'Ris can we not talk about adopting this little girl.", Izuku grumbled, "If anything she needs to go to the police so they can get her what she needs. Besides, I don't know the first thing about taking care of a kid?"
"Lucky for you, I am well versed on taking care of hatchlings. Both human and anything else," Boasted Mar'Ris.
"Mar'Ris, she probably experienced a lot of trauma, so she'll definitely need way more than the simple basics. And you and I both know that someone like me shouldn't be doing this kind of thing."
If Hosu taught Izuku anything, it is that he is way too volatile to handle his own trauma much less anyone else's. After being struck down too many times, all he knew was to strike back and destroy. It was a poisonous urge that hadn't gone away, merely suppressed, patient and waiting to explode again.
Izuku shook off the horrible thought and added, "I wish Tooru was here. She would know how to handle this."
Mar'Ris motioned herself in a way that would indicate she was going to reply, but she paused midway through the gesture and turned her head away from Izuku. Her unblinking eyes strained in focus while her tentacle hair began to stand up as if they were trying to locate something. Izuku was immediately thrown on guard as the perception he inherited from Mar'Ris gave him a feeling of severe uneasiness. He clamped his mouth shut and strained his ears to listen while his eyes scanned the darkness.
Silence…
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KHUTHUD KHUTHUD! KHUTHUD KHUTHUD!
It was the unmistakable sound of a pair of heavy boots treading across the concrete streets of the city. They were slow and nearly undetectable by the senses of hearing. But most importantly, they were deliberately going in his direction, clearly trying to stalk after something or maybe someone.
"We're being hunted.", Izuku thought to himself
Without sparing a second thought, Izuku immediately ducked behind some trash cans as cover and activated Octopus. As he turned completely invisible, he placed the unconscious girl in the darkest corner of the trash cans, but kept his unseen head above them in order to keep a look out for who or what was stalking them. Mar'Ris for her part got down on all fours and scurried to the same group of trash cans that Izuku had hidden behind. She lingered close to Izuku and the girl as close as she could trying to mask them with her presence.
They all remained silent and unmoving as the faint sound of the boots grew only slightly louder and louder. Then silence…
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…
And from the darkness of the night emerged the creature that had been stalking its prey. It was a tall creature with a lengthy and thin body. It was covered from neck to toe in a black dress clothes with its clawed hands covered in pale white gloves. Yet the most striking features of the creature was the tuft of purple fur around its lower neck and a large beak covering most of its face. From the darkness, Izuku could make out a pair of sickly glowing yellow eyes etched into what can only be a scowl on the creature.
A chill emerged in the air as a pressure descended upon the alley, clearly emeninating from vulture-man. The alley grew eerily silent, save for the soft muffled breathing coming from the beaked creature as it scanned the alleyway with a gaze belonging to a bird of prey. Izuku kept his gaze honed in on the vulture and held in his breath as he remained frozen in place trying his hardest to draw attention to his cluster of trash cans.
Even without his quirk's ability to see things that one would normally overlook, everything about the man screamed danger to Izuku. And not in the same way Nomu or Stain, but rather more like how Mar'Ris invoked danger when she became enraged. A cold-calculating and unforgiving predator. He remained on guard as a result with his eyes lingering on the talons of the beaked man as they were bathed in swishing colors of a deep black. The teen silently thanked Octopus for his true invisibility and keeping him out of sight from the beaked man. At least until, the vulture-creature looked in Izuku's direction and locked eyes with Izuku.
Alarm bells immediately went off in his head while his chest tightened from the shear stress. Izuku's heart thumped violently in his chest the longer and longer the beaked man kept his eyes on him. Instinct and logic clashed as Izuku fought the urge to flee with the little girl while his mind tried to rationally reason a way to doubt his supposed discovery. However, all that nearly was broken when the beaked man suddenly tilted his head and squinted his eyes. Clearly the man had spotted something out of place, and it was most likely himself. Izuku nearly lost his cool and almost broke into a frenzied panic were it not for Mar'Ris.
"Nila ya'ka iru!", Mar'ris softly ordered from behind him and immediately Izuku's panic vanished.
Simultaneously, the vulture man broke his vigil after the sound of faster and louder footsteps broke though the silence. Even though Izuku was numb to the effects of his own emotions, he still felt relief wash over him when the man turned away.
Three men suddenly emerged from the darkness, each of them panting heavily. All three men looked like the typical street thugs he's encountered. Baring that these thugs had these dumb looking cloaks and beak-like masks. Each of them were huffing and puffing like they had been running at full speed for quite a distance.
"Any sign of the girl?", Man-Vulture hissed at the men.
"None, sir.", one of the thugs said in between bated breaths
"I didn't see anything, sir", said a different goon.
"Nothing on my end, Overhaul." said the final thug.
"Idiots!" Overhaul scowled, "How difficult is it to keep an eye on a little girl?! How can anyone be so incompetent?!"
"Sir, I don't understand, it's just a little brat. What's so important about some bratty kid?", one thug spoke out.
True to his appearance, the man the thugs called Overhaul, turned his head in a manner befitting of a carrion bird. Overhaul then slowly stalked towards the minion that had spoken those words of idiocy until he was nearly in the face of the minion. Even if the man towered over Overhaul and his slouched posture, Overhaul somehow seemed a lot larger than him.
"Our entire operation hinges on that brat, you fool! Without her, the yakuza have no chance at returning to their former glory!", Overhaul's voice said, dripping with rage "How do you explain yourself for losing our most important asset?!"
The thug shrinked back at his boss' anger, "I-I am s-sorry, boss. It w-was a m-mistake!"
That only seemed to make Overhaul even angrier, "Mistake? MISTAKE?! The only mistake made here was me trusting somebody useless like you with an important task! Allow me to show you what happens when you make a "mistake" in the Shie Hassaikai!"
It all happened in the span of five seconds. A quick flutter of a coat and a shower of shredded white fabric were all Izuku saw before the scene was showered in blood. Izuku quickly ducked behind the trash cans to avoid the chance that blood was splattered on his invisible form. His heart was pounding in his head as he no longer was watching the scene before him. He frantically grabbed onto the unconscious girl and held her firmly in his chest. He slowed his own breathing to nothing more to short shallow breaths and stayed as still as a statue.
"O-Oh m-my God.", meekly said a thug
"H-He killed Yugi!", the second thug exclaimed in disbelief
"So vile and so dirty.", the man vulture his voice dripping with disgust, "Go find the girl and if you come back empty handed…you'll end up like your friend here. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir!", the remaining thugs said in unison.
With that, two very fast and frantic footsteps echoed in the alley before they slowly faded away. It would be a very long while before the slow methodical footsteps of the man-vulture called Overhaul did their own echoes. Izuku dared not move, even as the faint footsteps of Overhaul disappeared into nothing. He waited and waited and waited until he heard the skitting steps of city vermin once again appear in the alley. Only then did he drop Octopus and emerge from his hiding place with the little girl in his arms.
No one spoke, they dare not too. Izuku stared at the dark alley with trepidation before he became aware of Mar'Ris' presence behind him. She put a clawed hand on his shoulder and he eased up a bit with its touch. He stared up at her before he returned his gaze onto the child in his arms. Izuku held the girl tighter in his arms and before he even knew it, the white cowl was obscuring his features. Mar'Ris in turn, abandoned her true form in favor of her mermaid form, her blank face showed a determination within its visage. It was their own silent conversation that was nothing more than an affirmation of what must be done.
Like it or hate? Let the comments roll! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy it and I'll see you next time!
Next: Ghost vs Overhaul