MY HERO: NEW AGE OF HEROES

~ Part 06: The Calm Before the Storm ~

As the party continued into the evening, stars beginning to fill up the night sky above, Yaoyorozu began to call everyone's attention by tapping against a glass.

"May I have everyone's attention? Your Class Representative and Vice President would like to make a proposal!" Momo called. Iida followed up by inviting everyone into a group photo to commemorate the night.

"A group photo? Aww…I always feel jipped whenever my picture is taken. No one will see me except for my gloves and boots." Hagakure said. Ojiro lightly chuckled.

"It's okay, Hagakure. Maybe you should ask Momo if you can borrow a shirt or something." he replied. As they started getting ready, Kirishima looked around confused.

"Huh? What are you doing, Kirishima?" Bakugo asked.

"Uhh…has anyone seen Midoriya or Uraraka?" he asked "We can't have the photo without them." Iida paused to think.

"I believe Uraraka said she had to use the bathroom, so I let her use the one inside." Momo explained "As for Midoriya…I think he had to take a call." Ashido's horns shot straight out as she grew the look of an excited kitten. Asui happened to notice, catching her attention.

"Don't even try it. Ribbit." she said, Ashido heavily sighing afterwards. In actuality, Izuku and Ochaco had adjourned to a quiet place in the gardens nearby. They quietly stared up at the starry sky, standing at each other's side. A gentle breeze whisked by them. Inside their heads, they were thinking the exact same.

C-Come on, Izuku! You CAN do this! J-Just tell Ochaco…how you really feel about her…
C-Come on, Ochaco! You can DO this! J-Just tell Deku…how you really feel about him…

Izuku slowly moved his hand towards hers. But just as he was about to touch her, it came to a halt. But Ochaco happened to notice and reached back to hold his, surprising Izuku greatly.

"O-Oh! Sorry! I-I wasn't trying to…!" he shouted. Ochaco silently shook her head.

"It's okay, Deku. I…I actually wanted to ask you something." she said, clenching tighter "Will you hear me out?" Izuku saw her cheeks beginning to turn red as she turned to him with anxiety on her face. Her eyes were lightly shaking as well. He could tell that she wanted to say something but was worried about harming their friendship. To calm her down, he took both of her hands and gently held them.

"A-Actually, would it be okay…if I went first?" he whispered, making Ochaco gasp. He began blushing as well, fighting with his worries to manage his next sentences. His time speaking with Toshinori and Inko wormed their way into his head, both telling him to just let it out naturally and try not to overthink it. He took a moment to take a deep breath before reaching into the pocket of his jacket, taking out the ring. Seeing it made Ochaco gasp.

"D-Deku…?" she muttered, tears beginning to build up as he slowly placed it on her finger. She then looked back to Izuku, the young man also showing signs of tearing up.

"Ochaco…this has been something I wanted to say. B-But…I couldn't say it properly before. It's been weighing on me, but…n-now I think I'm ready." he said, Ochaco waiting in anticipation.

"Y-Yeah? Me too…" she stuttered, trying to hold back her tears. Izuku lightly gasped but kept his smile as he held her hand.

"Ochaco Uraraka…I love you." he continued, the tears finally dripping down her face "Ever since we first met at the entrance exam, you've always had my back in helping me through my hardest times. I wanted to tell you so badly…but I guess I never even noticed. I was so fixated on bettering myself so I could keep up with everyone." Just then, he felt Ochaco's hand move atop his own, making sure to keep one finger up as to not trigger Zero Gravity.

"Dek….no. I mean.." she said with a sniffle "Izuku Midoriya….I love you too." Izuku's gaze softened as she held him tightly.

"I've been holding back my own emotions f-for so long. Ever since we were going to train at summer camp, I knew…I had a crush on you. But I put those feelings aside…so I could focus on improving myself for the sake of my own goals. I…didn't want to be a burden to anyone else either, especially you." She leaned into his chest, letting out sniffles as they held each other's hands. Izuku rest his head against hers.

"But, after all we've been through…I'm saying it now… because I don't want to lose you." she continued. Izuku softly chuckled.

"Looks like…we both needed time to mature." Izuku muttered, making Ochaco laugh followed by himself. They then looked each other in the eyes before, started by Ochaco, they leaned in for a gentle but meaningful kiss. Their tense feelings felt like they were being washed away the longer they kissed. They remained fixated on the other as their lips drew apart, still holding each other's hands.

"I-If you'd like…maybe we could go on a real date sometime? I've had so many ideas for places we could go. But, I…I want to make sure we both have the time." he continued.

"If it's for you, Izuku…I'd gladly make time. I'd like more "Us Time"…now that we cleared that hurdle." she chuckled, leaning against him. They then began laughing at the same time as, nearby, Bakugo was leaning against the wall. A large shrub concealed his presence. With arms crossed, he shed a short smile.

"About time…you idiot." he thought before leaving. The two managed to return in time to avoid suspicion by their classmates as Momo and Iida set everything up for the group photo. The class rep then invited the photographer over, surprising all with it being Mr. Takuda. In his head, he thought back to the call he received from Momo before the party.

"An exclusive chance to snap a photo of THE students from Class 1-A? Heh heh. How could I miss an opportunity like that?"

Using his Quirk, Whole-Body Lens, he made sure everyone was in their pose before he snapped multiples and printed them for each of the students. He had also received their permission to print their picture for the newspaper, due partially to the big success of his article of Izuku. For the photo, Ochaco took off and stashed her ring away. They all made the same victory pose as All Might together with Izuku in the center, wearing his battlesuit. A huge surprise was, due to the camera flashes, portions of Hatsume's true self were in the photo, making her glad that she asked Yaoyarozu for spare clothes.

"Whoa! No way! I never thought we'd see your actual face again, Hagakure!" Jiro gasped.

"Yeah! But…it's definitely worth seeing again." Sado replied, Tokoyami agreeing. Hatsume looked towards Mineta, seeing him eyeing her face in his photo before she started frantically bonking his head with her invisible hands. As she shouted to stop staring at her, calling him a creep, others began to laugh. Izuku handed Kazuto his copy of the photo, showing that he was caught in it as well as Eri and the present teachers.

~ The Next Day ~

When the next day came, Izuku had talked his friends into assisting him in the search for Kazuto's brother, the young boy having fully recovered. Before they separated, they were given his physical description by Kazuto. They were looking for a child about his height with the same white hair but with soft reddish colored eyes, explaining they were nearly twins. As most of his friends covered the lower streets, Kazuto rode piggyback on Izuku as he hopped across rooftops with the likes of Bakugo, Shoto and Uraraka following. Tokoyami also took Jiro to the skies on the other side of town, carried by the wings of Dark Shadow, to spread out the search. As Izuku continued moving, memories of earlier that day came back, the Heroes being contacted by Officer Tsukauchi.

I understand how important this is for you to reunite Kazuto and his brother, but I would like to request your eyes in another matter if you'll take it alongside. As you know, Doctor Garaki, All For One's lead scientist, had managed to escape from police custody during the reconstruction of Japan. He has been on the run since and, despite our best efforts, we have yet to locate the madman. It's not likely he has left the country because we've put tabs on all his activity during our manhunt. If you happen to find any clues or catch a sighting of the lunatic, please contact me immediately.

Izuku's eyes narrowed.

"Doctor Garaki…the creator of the Nomu. He's capable of cloning Quirks and mutating test subjects to fit his mad goals, like what he did with Tomura Shigaraki." he thought "Don't tell me Kazuto's brother…is in your hands, you madman." he thought. He received a ring in his ear from an earpiece.

Izuku: Deku here! Is that you, Chargebolt? Any sightings?

Kaminari: (Groans) Nothing yet, Deku. Just checking back in for a reminder of the kid's profile.

Bakugo groaned, using his earpiece to join the call. Kaminari flinched upon hearing his voice yelling back at him.

Bakugo: You MORON! The kid says he looks just like him! How hard is it to find a kid with WHITE hair?!

Kaminari: Yeah, sure. Whatever you say, Dynamight. But you forget how many people live in this city.

Momo: This is Creati. I thought I located the target, but it turns out it was a different child.

Ojiro: Yeah. I'm having no luck either. I tried asking others if anyone knew about Kazuto and his brother beforehand.

Izuku: Thanks for that, Tailman. We'll keep up our search as well.

~ Meanwhile ~

As the Heroes continued the search above ground, in his hidden lair, Garaki looked on at the slumbering Aku in his chamber. His computer gave him the clearance to unleash the monster, its physicals and mentality stable. He pressed a button on a remote, the pod hissing before it began to open and the liquid inside pouring out while a sinister grin lined his face. The tubes attached to Aku also released him, causing him to drop to the ground. The doctor laughed eccentrically.

"It is TIME! Arise…Aku! Rise so we can begin our destruction of the Heroes and their feeble society!" he shouted, raising his hand. Aku's eyes flashed open, blood red in color with thin slits for pupils. With a monstrous snarl, he began rising up on his own. Small black flames, similar to Dabi's fire, flickered off him as he rattled his body and whipped around his long white locks. He had a well built body, a mix between Shigaraki and All For One's bodies while having facial features similar to Shigaraki with pitch black skin. His mouth were lined with razor sharp teeth as he looked towards Garaki. They smiled at the sight of each other.

"At last…Midoriya will know TRUE terror. His days are finished." the doctor muttered. Aku began moving before suddenly stopping, collapsing to his knees and surprising the doctor. Sounds of wretching and violent coughing could be heard.

"W-What?! Aku! What is wrong with you?!" he exclaimed. The monster continued coughing before, in a explosive letout, he vommited out the fluids of inside his body as well as a small human figure. The body hitting the ground was a young boy with slobbered over white hair and raggedy clothing. Aku continued spatting out the rest as the doctor was flabbergasted.

NOT…ENOUGH…

"What are you saying?! Aku! You just rejected the host body I built you upon! What do you mean "not enough"?!" Garaki exclaimed, a look of fury on his face. Aku began slowly rising up, grumbling softly.

"Don't you know?! You cannot function to your fullest capabilities without a host to feed off! That's what makes you so special to the other Nomu I've made! WHAT'S WRONG?!" he continued. Aku's slits looked towards him and then the child.

NOT ENOUGH HATE. HOST BODY…WORTHLESS. TOO WEAK.

Garaki gawked, growling as his hand crushed the remote to his tank.

"So what?! It was the best I could do with the resources I had! You had all the time necessary to become one with this…this Quirkless child! Do what I say and merge back! It's the only way you can fulfill your purpose!" the doctor screamed. Aku showed signs of rejection, swatting the boy's unconscious body away. Garaki snarled as veins bulged on his bald head.

"LISTEN TO ME, YOU MORON! I am your Master! YOUR CREATOR!" he screamed "I poured ALL my reserves into creating you so you would SLAUGHTER Midoriya, his friends and the other Pro Heroes! YOU cannot do that if you're fighting INCOMPLETE! NOW DO AS I SAY!" Aku's snarling rose in intensity before he casted his gaze towards Garaki, the look of bloodlust leaving the doctor frozen from fear. From his perspective, he felt as if he was staring back at an enraged All For One as he trembled with mouth gaped open.

IN THAT CASE…YOU WILL SUFFICE, DOCTOR. YOU WANT VENGEANCE? THEN LET US DO IT TOGETHER!

The monster quickly lashed out at him, Garaki screaming in genuine fright as he was thrown to the ground, his glasses flung off of him. Aku pinned him down before unleashing a loud ferocious roar. Nearby, Garaki's glasses laid with large cracks on each lens.

TO BE CONTINUED…