Chapter 8: A big change!
Itsuka was sitting alone at home. Her parents had taken her little brother off to the cinema, so she had nothing to do at the time.
Her mind wandered to the argument Kirishima and Todoroki had with Iida. She still didn't know what to make of it at the moment. For one, she comprehended the frustration and anger Izuku, Todoroki and Kirishima felt. Itsuka knew she would have been just as fired up as them if it had happened to a member of her own class or to a member of her family.
However, she knew that they were acting mostly out of frustration and guilt. Acting so recklessly due to their emotions was wrong, and she knew it. If they got caught not only would they be risking their lives and Bakugo's life, but they'd cause even more problems for the U.A staff, who were already on their nerves because of all the blame the media had been piling up on them. While she didn't have an opinion on class A's argument to save Bakugo or not, she was leaning more towards the people that wanted Kirishima, Todoroki and Izuku to stay put. Recklessness could put them in danger, or worse, it could put others in danger.
Itsuka thought about Uraraka. She still felt guilty about leaving her alone to find Toga. The sight of Uraraka laying on the floor, covered in her own blood, barely conscious is one she'll never forget. And the worst part is that it probably wouldn't have happened if Itsuka had just stayed back with them.
Itsuka decides to not think about the issue for now. Uraraka was still out cold, and there was no room to apologize to her as long as she stayed that way. Perhaps something interesting was hapening on the news for once.
Itsuka turns on the TV and changes channels quickly, not being interested in most things by this point. The stress she had gone through at the camp had taken a toll on her mentally.
Itsuka was starting to feel... gloomy.
There it was again, that same old feeling of helplessness and inferiority.
Itsuka felt like she could have captured Toga if she was stronger, like she could have helped more people if she was smarter, like she could be a better friend to Izuku and everyone else if she was just... better.
Izuku was starting to be noticed by a lot of people, villains included. All because he was just... always there. He was always seen surpassing his limits. He was always saving people. What did SHE have to show for her time at U.A? A cringy commercial she had filmed along with Yaoyorozu and Uwabami? Ugh. How would people take her seriously if that's all she got going for her?
Speaking of which, that was also something that was starting to get on Itsuka's nerves. Ever since she filmed that stupid ad, people seemed to have put her and Yaoyorozu together in a box. That wasn't something Itsuka liked. It felt like people were constantly comparing them to each other now, and it was something Itsuka hated. If Itsuka managed to shine, she wanted to do so on her own, not because she was seen next to the "mighty, pretty and beautiful Momo Yaoyorozu".
Thinking about Yaoyorozu like this felt wrong, but Itsuka couldn't help it. Momo Yaoyorozu was smarter, prettier, had better grades, a better quirk, made better plans... The fact that people were constantly comparing them to each other wasn't helping Itsuka's self-esteem at all.
The fact that Yaoyorozu had been so friendly towards Itsuka thus far also didn't make her feel any better. It felt like Itsuka was feeling negative towards someone who had done nothing wrong, and she was right on that. How could Itsuka feel this way about someone who only wanted to be friends with her? Judging by how she had acted throughout the internship, Yaoyorozu didn't even want to be on that commercial either. The fact that people thought of them as a duo was something not even Yaoyorozu had expected. Yaoyorozu wasn't to blame for any of this, but the fact still remained.
Maybe people were just right. Maybe Momo was just better than her.
Itsuka sighed as she kept changing channels. She didn't like feeling like this, but it was becoming harder to deny the sad truth of her reality. Yaoyorozu was rising along her class, along with Izuku...
God. Would she even be good enough for Izuku if she asked him out? Would people tell him to ditch her because she wasn't "up to his level"? Would HE turn her down if she came clean? Would Yaoyorozu be better for him than her?
Perhaps none of this was true and it was just some temporary sadness speaking at the moment, but the fact is that most of these things were happening all the same. Izuku and Momo were rising in popularity, Itsuka was being compared to Momo everyday, society was becoming shittier as the days passed, and Izuku was always somehow surpassing her expectations.
Itsuka felt... lonely without him.
She didn't think much of him at first, but as she spent more and more time with him, Izuku Midoriya had managed to do what many others had tried in the past unsuccessfully.
He had won her over.
Seeing him in such a broken state at the hospital made her feel like her heart was being shattered, and the fact that he blamed himself for Bakugo's abduction just made her heart clench even more. He was so noble and self-sacrificing that she couldn't stay mad at him for hurting himself. He always had a way to make her feel frustrated when he hurt himself just to save someone.
And yet, that was one of the things she loved the most about him.
Itsuka sighs fondly at the memory of Izuku. For him, she would promise something to herself.
From that day, she would do everything she could to be worthy of him. Even if she had to work herself to the point of exhaustion, she would do it to stay by his side. Itsuka really hoped he didn't go through with Kirishima's plan to rescue Bakugo, but in case he did, she just hoped he was be fine...
Itsuka's train of thoughts is stopped abruptly when she reaches the news.
"What... the hell...?"
The news show All Might fighting some kind of villain at Kamino. The villain looks particularily strong, and All Might looks worn down for some reason. Seeing All Might not smiling is something no one was used to, but seeing him THIS angry was unsettling.
Itsuka witnesses All Might charge at the villain, but the villain shoves All Might back as if he was some lightweight wannabe.
'What the hell...? That villain looks stronger than any other villain I've ever seen!' Thinks Itsuka to herself as All Might recovers.
The villain shoots a large gust of wind towards the hero, covering the entire field. Once the smoke clears and the wind calms down, all Itsuka sees is a familiar-looking man. A very skinny, pale, weak-looking man with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes she had seen before.
Itsuka can't supress her voice anymore. "WHAT THE FUCK?! That's... the man that was talking to Izuku at the Sports Festival...! But... No... That CAN'T be All Might! It's as if... he deflated!"
For a couple of moments the battleground is silent. The villain can be seen talking to All Might.
Then, the unexpected happens.
All Might looks demoralized.
Itsuka couldn't believe it. What the actual hell had the villain said to All Might?
All Might lets out a scream, which can't be captured by the cameras, but the pain and remorse in his eyes are clear to see to the audience.
Itsuka panics. "No, no! You can't give up now, All Might! We're all counting on you!"
Itsuka notices that there's someone behind All Might. A woman is caught on the debris of a recently destroyed building, but she looks far from scared. The woman is shouting at All Might something the cameras can't capture, but Itsuka knows well what she's doing.
She's cheering for him.
Itsuka gets up to her feet and shouts at the TV, as if All Might could hear her by some miracle. "ALL MIGHT, COME ON! YOU GOT THIS! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!"
Itsuka hears many people from nearby apartments and houses shout with the same energy as her towards their own TV screens. Many cries of encouragement could be heard outside. As if millions of people across the city, or even the country, were cheering for All Might at this very moment.
Everyone's hopes and dreams are united, and they all strive towards one outcome...
To encourage All Might.
To see that mighty symbol of evil defeated.
To see their symbol of peace live another day.
"ALL MIGHT! YOU CAN BEAT HIM!"
"HE'S NOTHING YOU CAN'T DEFEAT!"
"DON'T GIVE UP!"
"YOU'RE OUR SYMBOL OF PEACE, ALL MIGHT!"
"WE'RE ALL COUNTING ON YOU!"
"NEVER SURRENDER, ALL MIGHT!"
"DO YOUR BEST, ALL MIGHT!"
"WE LOVE YOU!"
"YOU'RE NOT ALONE, ALL MIGHT!"
"YOU CAN DO IT!"
Itsuka feels some tears forming on the corners of her eyes, but she doesn't care. Right now, all she can focus on is All Might. "ALL MIGHT! YOU CAN DO THIS! BEAT HIM!"
Then, Itsuka sees that the cameras focus on some pro heroes who are just arriving. Endeavor and Edgeshot try to attack the villain while Tiger and Kamui Woods take the wounded woman out of the debris. Itsuka feels like everything would be fine now that help was finally arriving.
But that moment of happiness is stripped away as soon as it came.
The villain blows away the heroes that were pestering him before undergoing a monstrous transformation on his right arm, causing it to become an enlarged mutated arm filled with numerous deadly screws and hardened minerals.
Itsuka feels her heart drop. "Who the fuck is this guy...?"
The villain and All Might dash towards each other, clashing and punching each other's enlarged fists with as much strength as they can muster.
Itsuka felt her heart drop when she saw All Might's arm be crushed, but she saw that All Might had done it on purpose.
With his uninjured left arm, All Might launches a punch towards the villain's face, getting him to drop his guard.
And then, All Might inflates his broken right arm instantly before punching the villain in one last attack.
"UNITED STATES OF SMAAAAASH!"
The cameras barely had time to capture All Might's last message before the broadcasting helicopter was engulfed in a twister so powerful it carries nearby buildings through the air.
After the dust settles, the villain is seen badly beaten and unconscious on the ground, while All Might towers over the villain in his inflated form.
Itsuka feels like crying. "YES! HE DID IT!"
The next few moments pass quickly. Itsuka has spent most of them thinking about All Might's fight with the villain and thinking if she could ever hope to reach his level.
However, the camera focuses on All Might one more time. Itsuka immediately pays attention to the screen.
All Might faces away from the camera and raises his arm, pointing at it.
"Now... it's your turn."
Itsuka feels like crying again. All Might was truly the best hero Japan ever had. To send one last message to the remaining villains out there who might wanna keep committing crimes and assure that the symbol of peace was still kickin' around... God, he was great.
Unbeknownst to her, a green-haired boy on the other side of town was currently crying silently to himself, as he was the only one who had truly gotten the message.
And so, a new era began for everyone. One which was bound to be more unstable yet had potential.
Turns out that the pro hero that was missing was actually kidnapped by the villains as well. Ragdoll's quirk was missing, and she was officially no longer suited to be a pro hero. Best Jeanist and Mt. lady were badly hurt, but they were still in good shape to fight off crime after some time in recovery.
Endeavor was supposed to take the title of "Number one hero", although he had been missing ever since All Might's fight with that villain had ended. Some of his closest colleagues suspected it was because he didn't feel like he earned that place.
But perhaps the biggest change Itsuka had noticed was one that affected her directly.
She was supposed to move to U.A, as it was transitioning to a boarding school after the Kamino incident.
All Might had officially retired as a pro hero, and so, society had lost their symbol of peace.
All the pressure upon the heroes was starting to mount up. The USJ incident, the forest camp incident, the heroes' failure to protect their students... It was safe to say, the people were shaking in their boots. However, to Principal Nezu it just meant that they'd need to be extra prepared for any further incidents targeted towards the students that might happen in the future. Building the students dorm rooms would be a pretty efficient way to keep the kids safe, at least for the moment. The teachers needed to convince the parents of every student to stay at U.A, but surprisingly enough, most had happily accepted the offer.
Itsuka's parents were no exception. They were always too busy anyway, so having Itsuka safe at U.A would be better than leaving her at home alone as it usually happened. The only one who had been opposed to the idea was Itsuka's little brother, but Itsuka had assured him that it wouldn't be permanent. Itsuka was a little bummed out about her parents not putting up more resistence for her to stay with them, but she assumed it was because they trusted her... Right?
Either way, this was a pretty big change for everyone. The moment Itsuka walked into their class's new dorm she was surprised at how well it was built. And in three days only!
Still, as the class president it felt like she'd have to put her foot down in case her classmates took advantae of this one way or another.
That looked like wouldn't happen, though. Her classmates had gone through a lot, and the last thing on anyone's minds at the moment was breaking the rules.
One of the things Itsuka was the most grateful for was getting to see her friends again. All her friends who had been hurt were now back to normal. Itsuka would have never thought she'd feel so relieved to see Monoma in her life, but here he was. Tetsu was already back to his old cheery and straightforwarded self too, and he looked more eager then ever to train. Ibara had also warmed up to her friends again, and in general, the air felt lighter now that everyone was back together.
Itsuka had just finished putting the final touches on her room's decorations, and before she noticed it, it was late afternoon.
Itsuka sat on her bed, looking at the way her room had ended up. She was a bit tired from all she had to move, but there was something that was still bugging her.
Itsuka looked to her side and saw her phone. She rolled her eyes before unlocking it, and the first thing she saw was a message from the news depicting the current state of the country thanks to All Might's retirement. People were angry at the heroes, yet demanded them to fix everything themselves.
Itsuka sighed. When will people just be calm? Sure, there were a couple of unfortunate incidents, but it's not like the heroes can just make the problems and villains disappear with a snap of their fingers! Plus, they put all their expectations on All Might due to him being called the "Symbol of peace". All Might was the number one hero because he had a power do great it made bad guys tremble whenever they heard him say "I am here!" the way he did. What if All Might had never gotten that power in the first place? Or what if that power had ended up in the hands of a very bad person? Where would society be then?
Itsuka frowned at the thought of All Might. Now that his secret had been exposed, Itsuka was one hundred percent sure that HE was the person talking to Izuku at the Sports Festival. Itsuka tried to remember more of the conversation, but a lot of time had passed since then, and she could only remember small snippets that came and went, although Itsuka DID remember Izuku talking to All Might about something called "One for All" and not getting hurt while using it.
Itsuka had to admit, she missed Izuku. She wanted to see him and just... talk to him. It had been about a week since she had last spoken to him at the hospital, and she already missed him dearly. She looked at the clock in her wall and saw that she still had quite a lot of time before curfew, so perhaps seeing him wasn't out of the question.
Itsuka sighed before getting up. Class A's dorms were just next to theirs, so the walk there would be pretty short.
It was then that Itsuka finally realized that she was essentially living next to him already.
Itsuka shook her head to fight off the blush on her cheeks before exiting her room.
Itsuka's classmates were pretty tired from decorating their rooms themselves, which meant everyone was either already asleep or resting in their room. This was a relief to Itsuka, since she wouldn't have to bump into someone unexpectedly and explain herself.
The sky was already dark, and yet, Itsuka noticed that the 1-A dorms had their lights on still, meaning that the students were still up.
The moment Itsuka comes around the corner and takes a peek at the class A entrance door, she sees Izuku, Todoroki, Kirishima, Iida, Yaoyorozu, Uraraka and Tsuyu huddled up and hugging each other. Itsuka was a bit surprised at first, but judging from the sounds coming from them, they appeared to be crying. Itsuka decides to stay back for now to not disturb their privacy.
Seeing Uraraka in better conditions was a relief, at least.
Izuku withdraws from the group of students and looks away from them, as if he was ashamed of something. It was then that he noticed Itsuka at the end of the path to the dorms with a small smile on her face. Izuku looks back to his friends briefly before walking up to Itsuka with a small, teary-eyed smile of his own.
"H-Hey, Itsuka..."
"Hey, Izuku..."
"W-What are you doing here...?"
"I... wanted to talk... if it's not too much trouble, of course..."
Izuku looks back to his friends, and notices that they are looking at him with small smiles. Iida and Yaoyorozu nod to Izuku before walking back to the dorms with Tsuyu huddled in between them.
Izuku looks at Itsuka, wiping the remaining tears on his eyes. "I... I think we can talk."
Itsuka smiles at Izuku. "Great... Maybe... We can walk while we talk?"
Izuku smiles back. "Yeah... Yeah, we can."
Itsuka holds Izuku's hand and walks off with him. The couple wander around U.A aimlessly, finding comfort in each other's presence after not having seen each other in a week.
Eventually, Itsuka speaks. "So... Crazy week, huh?"
Izuku chuckles. "Yeah, you can say that."
Itsuka squeezes Izuku's hand gently. "Say... Is Uraraka okay?"
Izuku smiles reassuringly at her. "Yes, thankfully. She lost a lot of blood but she managed to recover just fine. She is amazing..."
Itsuka lets out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad she's okay. And... What about the rest of the class?"
Izuku sighs. "We're all fine, but we're still a little shaken up about... Well... You know..."
Itsuka nods. "Yeah... I know... And... What were you doing just now? Did I interrupt something important?"
Izuku shakes his head. "No, we were already done, don't worry about it. You see... We... Uhh... We kinda DID wander off to save Kacchan..."
Itsuka frowns. "You know, I weirdly expected that. Of course you did, you stupid, self-sacrificing, righteous idiot..."
Izuku sighs. "Sorry, Itsuka... But... At least we managed to save him."
Itsuka groans. "So... What does that have to do with that back there?"
Izuku looks down in shame. "Well... You remember Tsuyu's comment at the hospital, don't you? The fact that we still went off on our own really upset her, but what upset her more was the fact that she thought we wouldn't see her the same way after she basically called us villains..."
Itsuka's gaze softens. She hadn't spent nearly as much time with Tsuyu as she had with Izuku, but Tsuyu always seemed like a blunt girl who didn't care much for making friends, but to find out that her own words affected her THIS much was both surprising and saddening to Itsuka. "Oh... I see... So... She wants things to go back to how they were before, huh?"
Izuku nods. "Yes... The girls of our class put together a quick competition between the entire class to see who had the best room. I thought it was something they came up with out of the blue, but they really did it to make sure we all let bygones be bygones..."
Itsuka smiles softly. "That's nice... I'm glad you have such good friends and classmates, Izuku."
Izuku smiles too. "Yeah... I'm glad too... I honestly feel like I recieve too much sometimes..."
The conversation ends as quickly as it had started. There were many things bith had to say to each other, but the way to talk about them felt... out of reach.
Izuku sighs before looking away from Itsuka. "Itsuka... What's the REAL reason you wanted to talk to me?"
Itsuka looks at the ground. "Well... I've been wanting to talk to you for some time now... About important stuff, stuff only YOU could understand, Izuku..."
Izuku looks at Itsuka with a curious expression. "Stuff only I could understand? Like what?"
Itsuka sighs. "Well... Many things... Like... Your deal with All Might for one."
Izuku gulps. "Ah... My deal with All Might? What do you mean, Itsuka?"
Itsuka looks at Izuku with a firmer expression. "I... I might have overheard you talking to him before the battle tournament at the Sports Festival, Izuku."
Izuku's brain freezes for a moment. "H-Huh? A-Are you sure that was me talking to All Might, Itsuka? M-Maybe you got the wrong guy...?"
"That's what I thought at first, but after the Kamino incident and All Might's exposure I can safely say you were talking to All Might, Izuku." Itsuka crosses her arms. "So? What's your deal with him?"
Izuku's mind starts to panic. How much had she overheard? Was she mad at him? Had she figured out the secret of his quirk? "U-Umm... I... Uhh..."
Itsuka uncrosses her arms, letting out a sigh before a sad expression covers her features. "Izuku... It's fine if you don't wanna tell me, but I guess I just wanted to let you know that... This hurts me. I thought I had made it clear at the Sports Festival and again at Twinkle Park that you could tell me anything, but you either don't trust me or just feel like you can hide stuff from me I'll find out eventually."
Izuku feels his chest hurt as Itsuka talks. "I-Itsuka... That's not it... That's not true..."
Itsuka looks away from him. "Well, that's what it feels like to me. I'm sorry about this, Izuku... I know I shouldn't be talking like this to you, but... I'm just frustrated and tired..."
Izuku looks at Itsuka with a worried expression. "Why, Itsuka?"
Itsuka crosses her arms again, looking at the ground as the couple continue to walk. "I just... I feel like people don't take me seriously... At the Sports Festival, after my internship, in public... I feel like no one takes me seriously, and I'm tired of it."
Izuku's eye widen in surprise. "Huh? But... Why would they do that? You're Itsuka Kendo, the class president and big sister of class B!"
Itsuka groans. "And yet, I always feel behind everyone... I mean... Just look at yourself, Izuku! People recognize you in public, you managed to survive numerous villain attacks, you saved one of your friends from a really dangerous villain... What have I done all this time? Nothing, that's what!"
Izuku feels like his heart is about to burst in sadness. "Itsuka... That's not true..."
Itsuka faces away from Izuku. "Yes, it is... I just... I want to be taken seriously, Izuku. I want to be my own hero, and be recognized by people as the capable person I know I am, but... It's just hard for me to do so when it feels like people don't see me as anything other than some dumb meathead tomboy or Yaoyorozu's second in command... I mean, hell! You even went off to save Bakugo with HER! I...! I just...!"
Izuku feels like crying again at the sight of his crush starting to tear up. Izuku places his hand on Itsuka's shoulder. "Itsuka... I take you seriously..."
Itsuka places his hand away softly. "Do you, Izuku? Because I feel like there's a lot of stuff you don't tell me. Is it because you don't trust me? Is it because you don't think I can handle it? Or is it because I'm just not enough?"
Izuku feels torn. On one hand, he had already betrayed U.A's trust by going off to save Bakugo, but on the other, being secretive was hurting him and Itsuka.
Then, Izuku makes a decision.
"Okay... You have a point, Itsuka... From now on, no more secrets."
Itsuka looks at Izuku with doubtful eyes. "Izuku... I... I really want to believe you, but... How do I know you won't just lie to me again?"
Izuku stops in his tracks, holding Itsuka's hands on his own and looking at her with a serious expression. "Because I feel safe with you, Itsuka. All my life I've felt like I couldn't trust anyone. I... I always felt like no one would watch my back, because all I've ever gotten out of people is judging stares and disappointed looks... But I don't feel that way with you. I feel like I can tell you anything, like I can accept the past and embrace the future with a smile with you... You are my safe place, Itsuka."
Itsuka looks at Izuku with wide eyes. The way he was holding her hands was firm and serious, yet it felt reassuring and calming instead of forceful. Itsuka felt her heart soar at the idea of Izuku being more open with her, and she smiles faintly.
"I... Wow... Izuku... You have no idea how much that means to me... I don't think I've ever felt this way with anyone else before..."
Izuku smiles at Itsuka. "I feel the same way... And... I'm sorry if it feels like I've been keeping secrets from you, Itsuka... I promise that won't be the case anymore. Ask me anything and I'll answer honestly, like you would like."
Itsuka smiles before planting a quick kiss on Izuku's forehead. "Thanks, you dork."
Izuku blushes a bit before giving Itsuka's hands a gentle squeeze. "I should be the one thanking you for staying with me despite my... Uhh... You know."
Itsuka chuckles. "Yeah, I know. Say... Perhaps you could start with your quirk, Izuku. I feel like that's the most secretive thing about you."
'Well, there's no backing down now.' Izuku sighs before continuing to walk with Itsuka, holding her hand. "Well... I guess I should tell you the story from the very beginning, like he told me."
"Okay...?"
"A long time ago, back when quirks were just starting to appear, society erupted into chaos... People began to question what it ment to be normal anymore, and fights began to arise between people with different types of quirks. Society decayed, and human progress slowed down to a halt."
Itsuka nodded. "That sounds about right... No matter what, it seems like we humans will fight over everything and anything..."
"In that time of chaos, a man was able to gather many people together. He went by the name of his quirk... All for One."
Itsuka felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She could swear she had seen that name before... in a really obscure history book depicting the absolute darkness of a previous era of human history.
"All for One's quirk allowed him to steal quirks for himself, and he could then decide to keep them or give them to other people. He gained many followers this way, since many people despised quirks and others desperately wanted one. Soon enough, he was the undisputed lord of the darkness, ruling Japan with an iron fist from the shadows..."
Itsuka felt the weight of Izuku's words, feeling goosebumps on her skin.
"However, All for One had a quirkless little brother who was sickly and weak, but had a strong sense of justice. The younger brother continued to resist All for One and condemn his actions, but All for One kept himself in power all the same."
Itsuka looked down thoughtfully. Whoever that man was, he had her respect. The level of bravery and endurance they must have had to resist All for One for so long... It must have been unbearable.
"It's unknown whether it was an act of love or a way to make his brother submit to him, but one day, All for One gave his brother a quirk. A stockpiling quirk. However, not even All for One expected his brother to have a quirk! The brother had a useless quirk that allowed him to pass on quirks, and he decided to give this power to future generations hoping it would grow stronger to defeat All for One one day."
Izuku looks at Itsuka with a proud smile. "That's the story of the quirk called One for All."
By the time Izuku finished the story, Itsuka's eyes were practically saucers. "One... for... all..."
Izuku continued. "Yeah... One for All has been passed to All Might, and he eventually passed it onto me. That's why I've been spending a lot of time with him, Itsuka. Beca-"
"Because you're bound to be his succesor!" Interrupted Itsuka, whose surprised expression turned into a huge smile. Itsuka stopped on her tracks to hug Izuku as tightly as she could. "Oh my God! I'm SO PROUD of you, Izuku!"
Izuku could barely breathe. "Ack... Thanks... Itsuka..."
Itsuka let go of Izuku with a grin. "Sorry! I'm just... Wow! The greatest hero of all time gave you his quirk? And you're bound to surpass him?! You'll do amazing, Izuku!"
Izuku chuckles while rubbing his head sheepishly. "Ah... Thanks, Itsuka... But I'm still-"
Itsuka interrupts Izuku again. "Now I get All Might's final message! He was talking to you, wasn't he?"
Izuku chuckles. "Well... Kinda, but-"
"And now the way you punch makes sense! I always wondered why you looked so much like All Might!"
"Itsuka, I-"
"Plus, the effects of your quirk also make sense now! I still wonder about the green lightni-"
"Itsuka!"
"Ah... Sorry, Izuku." Itsuka rubs her head sheepishly. "I'm just... really excited and happy for you! I mean, just look at you! On your way to become All Might's successor!"
Izuku sighs. "Itsuka, I still have a long way to go... I can't be All Might's successor if I can't even save someone in front of me... I still haven't forgiven myself for the training camp incident..."
Itsuka's smile turns into a small frown. "What? You're still blaming yourself for that? But... Why?"
Izuku looks down. "I still failed to save Kacchan... If I had been faster, stronger, smarter... Then perhaps none of this would have happened. I could have saved him... I could have prevented All Might's retirement... I could have made a difference..."
Itsuka looks at Izuku with sympathetic eyes. The way he was talking about himself... It was like she was listening to herself at home, sulking over the fact that Uraraka got hurt and she was unable to prevent it.
Hearing Izuku made Itsuka have a small epiphany.
Itsuka didn't hesitate once before wrapping her arms around Izuku, enveloping him in a warm hug.
Izuku looks at Itsuka with a small hint of surprise. "I-Itsuka...?"
Itsuka lets go of Izuku with an understanding smile on her face. "Izuku, I understand how you feel. Believe me, I do. And now I realize something I should have known... We all make mistakes sometimes, but that's just how life goes. We have our high moments and low moments, but none define who we are. We are just humans, after all. Besides, the training camp incident was a situation no one could have seen coming. You can't blame yourself for something you had no control over, Izuku. It took me listening to you to understand I need to forgive myself too."
Izuku smiles briefly before looking at Itsuka with a small hint of sadness. "But... Kacchan was kidnapped because of my mistake... All Might retired because of my mistake..."
Itsuka places her finger on Izuku's lips to hush him. "That's not true, Izuku. Sure, Bakugo got kidnapped, but it's not like you could have done much more. You were barely standing, and your arms were almost ripped off. As for All Might... Well... What if you DID save Bakugo? All Might would have been rendered powerless some other way and that villain would have been on the loose by now. Either way, we can't know that for sure. I know it sounds cliche for me to say it, but you need to forget and let go of that burden you put on your own shoulders, Izuku. None of this is your fault."
Izuku smiles at Itsuka's words. The way she always calmed him down and supported him... was one he would never get tired of.
Izuku rests his forehead against Itsuka's forehead softly, and she doesn't resist. "Thanks, Itsuka..."
Itsuka nuzzles her forehead against Izuku's for a moment. "No problem, dummy... You know... I think now I understand why you didn't want me to know about One for All. If society knew about it they'd begin to question All Might as the symbol of peace, and it would bring both you and him a whole new set of problems, wouldn't it? Like, the press would eat you two alive. Plus, knowing you, you probably didn't want to "burden me with the knowledge of One for All" as only you would put it..."
Izuku chuckles. "You know me so well..."
Itsuka holds Izuku's hands and rubs his fingers softly. "Maybe so, Izuku... But I've said it before and I'll keep saying it until you get it once and for all. You're not alone. I'm here for you. Thanks for trusting me with this... I won't tell anyone..."
Izuku sighs fondly. "Thanks for listening, Itsuka..."
Itsuka pushes Izuku away a little bit to stare at his eyes. "By the way... If you really feel SO insecure about the control you have over your quirk at the moment, then let me help you."
Izuku raises an eyebrow. "Help me? How?"
Itsuka chuckles while ruffling Izuku's hair. "Not to sound rude or anything, but you're kinda a one trick pony, Izuku. One for All can get you so far but you'll need to get better with it. I can help you find some more ways to train with it! Like, I could teach you martial arts if you'd be willing to learn!"
Izuku widens his eyes in surprise before a grateful and giddy smile covers his face. "That's a great idea, Itsuka! I could learn offense and defense from you! Not to mention all the possibilities that could be opened to me by learning martial arts, like-!"
Itsuka presses her finger to Izuku's lips again. "Hold your horses there, cowboy. We can think about that later. Right now I just wanna keep talking to you."
Izuku smiles while blushing slightly. "I... I'd like that. What would you like to talk about, Itsuka?"
Itsuka looks at her watch for a moment. "Eh. We have around twenty minutes or so before curfew. How about... Oh! I know! You said your class held a room contest? I might wanna do that with my class! Tell me, tough guy... What were their rooms like?"
Izuku chuckles. "It's a long story..."
"So? Got any updates on Itsu?"
"Yeah, but you won't like it."
"What is it?"
"Seems like she moved to U.A."
"Ugh. That'll make things slightly more difficult."
"But are we still good?"
"Yeah, we are. She'll have to come out eventually, and when she does, we'll be ready."
So, there you have it!
I am SO glad to be here AT LAST!
I feel like I have more freedom now that the two lovebirds are at the dorms!
See ya in the next chapters!