Author's Note - Hey everyone, Silent here! I know it took a while but here's the next chapter and thanks for being patient! Just some quick replies to some reviews...
Darn - I don't know what you're talking about with everyone being "horny". It's not everyone, just a select few. Also, they have the same classes because it's more like an academy but is still called UA University.
Hero - Glad to hear that you're enjoying it. And yea, it's finally time for some normalcy so Izuku and the rest can winddown a bit, get to know each other, etc.
Izuku being class rep for this story makes sense for what it's about and this way felt sensible to me and it follows canon a bit. Heh, you got a point with Setsuna since she'll most likely derailing the train every now and then with her antics. Momo's gonna have a hard time with that and she'll either have to keep it a secret or let it be known and deal with the consequences.
Ochaco has been shown to be Izuku's rock and he, her. I agree that the canon should've ended with them actually together, not the ambiguous ending that it's up for debate. I don't like that but I guess its a way for the author to survive against rabid fans I guess. Yup, the guys and Izuku are slowly starting to interact and some will cross that friendship bridge faster than others, but will it last? And the situation regarding Mina, Eijiro and Izuku is gonna be an interesting subplot that's gonna take some time to see how it'll end up. I think will be fun to explore and it'll make sense due to how the characters are at their core.
Glad you liked Kaina's portrayal. I figured it'd make sense due to what she's gone through. And you're right that she needs help and that others should end up helping others instead of Izuku all the time...BUT, it's gonna take some time. Even in canon, it's always been Izuku extending a hand out first so that part of him is gonna be important to this story. His actions/behavior is gonna affect people around him and start making them do the same. Hence, the title "Symbol". So don't worry, other characters will get their chance to shine and help like Izuku.
Katsuki's path is gonna be very different compared to the rest and I have several plans/paths to take with that so I'm still debating on it because the path he takes, will affect some things in different ways. It all depends on how things will make the most sense story wise to do, regarding situations, experiences and how the characters' cores are. Shoto keeps going down the rabbit hole and it seems that he's too far gone too. But you never know...
Thanks for the compliments and praise buddy and I'll keep doing my best. Enjoy the chapter and I'll be looking forward to hear from you again.
Izuku's Life - lmao, that's kinda true. Izuku wanting some normalcy in his life was forfeited after accepting OFA. He should just roll with things, enjoy the things he wants to enjoy and should keep walking forward with his head held high.
You've got excellent points about that. And the story will address that as it goes on. Right now, Izuku's the one who always wants to help and extend a hand (as in canon). The story's title, "Symbol", is because his behavior/actions affect those around him and they too will start to become like him in some regards, like helping out others and extending a hand. And there's gonna be a very big plot point later on in the story that's gonna bring up that issues too; with everyone believing that everything will be fine in the end because Izuku's there...
Alright, with replies done, here's the chapter! Enjoy!
SYMBOL
CHAPTER 028 – DETAILS AND ACTIONS
Walking inside the office, Kaina saw that Nezu's attention was on her while he was seated at his desk. Vlad was also there and he was standing near the principal with his arms crossed and glaring at her.
"You called, Nezu? And what's your problem?" asked Kaina with some annoyance towards Vlad while coming to a stop in the middle of the office.
Vlad's eyes narrowed but Nezu was the one who began speaking. "Ms. Tsutsumi, I called you here because there's something important I wanted to discuss with you. Something that I hate to say has caused me some stress and made me upset," informed Nezu in a serious tone.
Kaina's eyebrows rose slightly. "Okay. So, what is it?"
Vlad spoke up this time while keeping his furious gaze locked onto Kaina. "Why did one of my students come to me and say that you were about to shoot him and only stopped because of Midoriya?!"
Realizing the reason behind her summons, Kaina felt apprehensive and somewhat annoyed since that student caused trouble for her. Doing her best to remain at least visibly composed compared to how she was feeling, Kaina replied back. "Are you talking about Monoma? That brat was being disrespectful, annoying and I was trying to make a point. If you were there, then you'd…"
Vlad exploded all of a sudden as soon as he realized what she was saying. "Nagant! I warned you didn't I?! Give me one good reason as to why I shouldn't fulfill my promise to you right here and now?!"
Kaina understood why Vlad was angry and from his position, knew that Vlad had every reason to be angry with her. But it still didn't sit well with her. She might have gone a little overboard but it's not like she actually did anything to that annoying little shit. Anger rushing in for her defense, Kaina quickly countered back. "I didn't actually endanger the damn brat even though he was being disrespectful, annoying and wouldn't shut up. And I had a reason why I did that. If you actually did some digging, like ask some of the other students, you'd find out that he was never in danger and that I'm telling the truth unlike some entitled brat!"
Vlad growled and was about to reply back but he was cut off by Nezu. "Ms. Tsutsumi, we do have video surveillance in all training areas. For your sake, I hope that what you say is true. So, let's go ahead and watch a video of what happened."
Without waiting for them to say anything, Nezu pushed a button on his desk and a large screen lowered down from the ceiling. Turning it on, Nezu had it connect as a duplicate screen to his computer. The two staff members watched him open a camera feed and selected an earlier recording from its list of saved files. A video started playing and it was Kaina's first heroics class at the gym. It showed her talking with the students and a couple minutes later, after Neito mouthed off to her, she brought out her rifle and aimed it directly towards his face.
"See?! He wasn't lying! What do you have to say for yourself?!" shot Vlad with barely restrained fury.
Kaina's hands clenched into fists and her body shook a little from her anger. "Keep watching," she snarled out through gritted teeth.
"Very well," replied Nezu and he resumed playing the video since he had paused it when Vlad snapped.
Continuing the viewing, they watched what happened next. How everyone else besides Izuku couldn't react. They did notice how it took him a moment to do so too. After that, Kaina let it be known how her rifle was actually empty and showed it to the class by opening her slide. She further began explaining what she was talking about before Neito interrupted her. How her demonstration proved that they buckled when the pressure was on them and how only Izuku was able to react. But even he made mistakes by not moving quickly enough and how he could've done things differently instead of sacrificing himself again by putting himself directly in harm's way.
They stopped watching the video when the students began heading towards different sections of the gymnasium. Turning it off and having the screen rise back up into the ceiling, Nezu turned towards the two. "I see now. It seems we've been misinformed.."
"I told you!" snapped Kaina with frustration evident in her tone.
"Yes, yes you did. But even so, Ms. Tsutsumi, there's something I'd like to say."
"Yeah? What's that?"
Nezu let out a sigh before looking her in the eye. "I understand what you were going for. We've mentioned it to the students before but I could tell that it didn't really hit home. Until you did what you did and I was able to tell that they finally realized it. Even through the video. Though I don't like the method, I cannot argue against the results. I apologize if this little misunderstanding has rubbed you the wrong way but please forgive us. And if I may request, please don't do such things in the future. Or at least, let me know of your class lessons ahead of time from now on."
To say that Kaina was surprised to hear Nezu actually apologize and say all that was an understatement. She never before had a superior or employer of hers do that. She thought she'd have to argue, kick and scream to get her point across and even then she believed it wouldn't amount to much. But all it took was some evidence? It was much more different that what she was used to. But even so, Kaina would be lying if she said she wasn't upset herself with how they immediately jumped to conclusions about what she was doing.
Doing her best to portray a stoic demeanor while inside she was feeling a multitude of different things, Kaina replied back. "At least you understand and I get it. I'll let you know what I'm planning in the future. But honestly, that was a spur of the moment decision that helped me get my point across to them."
"I see and I understand," replied Nezu calmly.
"Am I free to go, then?"
"Yes."
"Good." Kaina took a few steps towards the exit when her path was suddenly blocked. Her eyes narrowed a little. "What, Vlad?" she asked with noticeable anger.
The blood hero let out a sigh as he looked away to the side before facing her once more. "Look, I…I should've given you the benefit of the doubt. Especially when I know how that particular student of mine has a habit of blowing things out of proportion. I guess the USJ incident has me rattled more than I thought and my mind just jumped straight to the worst when he told me that. I should've found out more information before I…"
"Its fine, I get it," interjected Kaina, not wanting to hear anymore. She understood where he was coming from but she wasn't completely okay with it. If anything, she just wanted to leave already and go be alone. "Just remember what I told you before. I won't take anyone's shit. Not even from the students. But I won't endanger anyone. At least not intentionally. Alright?"
Without waiting for a reply, Kaina stepped around Vlad and made her way out of the office while saying some final words to him. "By the way, you should tell that brat Monoma that he should watch his mouth before someone closes it for him." With that final comment said, Kaina exited the office and quickly made for her living quarters.
After Kaina left, Nezu and Vlad looked at one another with uneasy expressions on each of their faces. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I feel awful…"
Nezu put his paws together and closed his eyes. "As do I. For multiple reasons. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone for a bit too."
"Alright. In the meanwhile, I gotta go talk to a certain blonde dumbass from my class," remarked Vlad while turning towards the door.
"You do that and let me know if there's any more complications with him," requested Nezu and the blood hero said he would as he left. Pulling out a pot of tea, Nezu poured himself some before he just stared into the cup. And all the while, his mind raced with trying to find a way to fix the damage that just occurred with the infamous Lady Nagant…
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I knew it. I knew things were too good to be true…
Sounds of clacking heels echoed in the silent area as Kaina made her way through the shared common area of the staff building.
I mean, yeah, I did kinda go overboard…but I wouldn't have hurt the little shit…
DING* The elevator notified its arrival to the ground floor and opened its doors. Stepping inside, she pushed the button for her floor and the elevator began going up.
Was everything that Nezu said a damn lie? Do they…do they really have no trust or faith in me? Then again, I shouldn't be surprised. I haven't really done anything to build that up…but do I have to do that? Do I have to go out of my way to show that I'm not the bad person that everyone believes me to be? Wait, that was a stupid thought with what I've done and what everyone knows about me…
The doors dinged again before opening to her floor. Stepping out, Kaina used the bio-metric hand scanner and her door opened. Stepping inside her dwelling, she made for the shower. Getting in after taking off her attire, Kaina remained under the warm water for some time while thinking some more.
Should I even bother? Is there any point for me to even try? It's not like I'll be around for long anyways…
Reaching her hand up, she touched the metal choker around her neck. Even while under the hot water, a cold shiver traveled down her spine after imagining it going off. Kaina took in a long deep breath before exhaling it out a few times to calm herself down.
No point thinking about all this. And even if I did bother with it, it's not like anything will change. It's not like any of them really care about me. Or what I'm feeling or going through…
At that moment her mind brought up an image of someone. That image was of a young man with green hair and green eyes.
Midoriya…he did ask me if something was wrong…if I was angry with him…but, did he really ask out of concern? Or was it just another play? Like what he tried to pull during our first conversation?
Kaina remembered something else at that moment. How he put himself in harm's way in order to protect someone else without hesitation back during class. It did answer a couple questions as to why the HPSC was more interested in him compared to the others. He's definitely got the protective part of a hero down. But, that couldn't be the only reason…right? And why was he affecting her more than anyone else? Letting out a sigh, Kaina shook her head to herself that caused more water to fall from her head onto the shower floor.
I don't know what to think anymore. It's only been a few days and I'm already so damn lost. And I messed up two chances I had to get closer to my target and get closer to finding out the truth. All because I couldn't get over my past and made assumptions. The way I treated him….if I suddenly started being nicer to him….it'll definitely make him suspicious...it's gonna be harder to learn anything about him now…and even harder to try and get my freedom from that bitch…if it's even possible at all…
"Damn it!" hissed Kaina to herself as she banged the side of her fist against the shower wall. "Everything's just so fucked!"
She stayed underneath the water for a few more minutes while thinking about everything. Letting out a heavy sigh, she then turned off the water and finally got out. Drying herself and putting on some clothes, she headed to her bedroom. Not caring that it was barely evening, Kaina decided to go to bed early. It took her some time to finally fall asleep thanks to all the thoughts swimming around in her head along with the multiple different things she was feeling.
However, even after she fell asleep, Kaina wasn't able to rest. Tossing and turning throughout the night, she kept seeing the same few dreams that have been bothering her recently. But she never could remember them when she woke up the last several days. That didn't change the next morning. And neither did her waking up in a cold sweat like all the days before…
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"So, I don't wanna keep any of you from whatever else you might have planned, but is there anything else that needs to be brought up during our first meeting?" asked Izuku while looking at the ones he was with.
Both classes' representatives had decided together to met up in the UA library after their heroic's lesson so they could get on the same page with one another.
Setsuna lightly scoffed before leaning in closer towards him, making him redden a bit while three out of the four other girls in the group started feeling a little peeved over her actions. "Well, I don't need a reason to spend more time with you, Wonderboy~. I mean, I'd absolutely love to be with you while…"
"Stop," ordered Yui with a rather cold tone in her voice with her eyes narrowed onto Setsuna.
Cocking an eyebrow up as she looked at one of her best friends, Setsuna didn't move away from Izuku as she replied back. "Yui? Why so serious? You know I wouldn't mind you taking…"
"Okay, that's enough!" interrupted Itsuka as she enlarged her fist and smacked Setsuna upside the head.
"Shit! Fuck! That one hurt too!" cried Setsuna as she fell back onto her seat. She started messaging her head while simultaneously glaring at the red head. "What the hell?! You started hitting me harder lately!"
"That's cause you don't stop!" chastised Itsuka frustratingly.
Momo leaned in closer to Ochaco so she can whisper something into her ear. "And I thought Jirou and I had issues. And they're supposed to be close friends?"
"I know, right?" commented Ochaco quietly.
Nobody noticed the two's quick silent words but the lone male decided to voice his thoughts. "Hey, uh, I think we should get back on track," advised Izuku as respectfully as possible so it wouldn't come off as rude.
"Agreed," said Yui with her eyes back onto Izuku though her expression seemed to be much softer now.
"Yea, so, the whole point was to let each other know who has what position for class reps and we already did that. And we did decided on a couple things already," reminded Ochaco. Glancing at Momo, Ochaco gave her a subtle sign to say something too.
Momo however, didn't take it since she was feeling rather conflicted. She still wasn't comfortable speaking with the other girls at the moment. Sure, she might have spoken up to speak her mind about something here and there. But she was still not there yet due to not having hashed things out with them. Specifically with the ones seated with her at the moment.
A couple seconds later with no one noticing Momo's dilemma, Itsuka spoke up since no one else did. "Well, we did decide on different group chats and monthly class gatherings. I guess we could just end this first meeting and call it a day. Unless there's something else anyone wants to bring up or share right now?"
Groaning a little, Setsuna placed an elbow on the table and rested her chin onto her palm. "Seriously, Girl Scout? Unless it's something fun, I think we've done enough for now. And it's not like we don't have enough to do already. I mean, I still haven't done either of my writing prompts. Have any of you guys?"
"I've had the staying calm one finished since last week. Just have to do the new one," informed Itsuka.
"Same," stated Yui.
"Lucky! I still have to do both!" chimed in Ochaco with a slight whine. Looking over to Momo, she gestured for her to share too.
Unable to refute her quietly this time, Momo responded. "I have one finished but not the other."
All five girls turned their attention onto the only male of the group with expecting looks on their faces and that made him reply automatically. "I've got both finished already," revealed Izuku.
"What?!" exclaimed Setsuna in surprise.
"When?!" asked Ochaco for them all.
"Well, I couldn't really do anything during heroics class today so I decided to do the writing prompts."
"No way! There's no way you finished both prompts during class! Even with three hours!"
While looking Setsuna straight in the eye, Izuku reached into his backpack, brought out his folder, opened it and pulled out the completed assignments and placed them in the middle of the open folder. The girls leaned in over the table to look at the papers.
"Wow, I guess you can do something wrong, Midoriya. Cause that looks worse than chicken scratch," commented Itsuka in a teasing tone.
"I'm right handed, okay? And you can still read it," countered Izuku.
"Barely," said Yui jokingly after looking at them and sitting back down in her seat.
"Hey!"
Most of the girls giggled at Izuku's indignant reply but he soon started chuckling too since they had a point. Though one was still looking at the papers. Or more specifically, another one that was beneath the two completed assignments.
"Hey, what's that?" asked Setsuna as she reached over to pull out another paper.
At first confused over what she was asking about, Izuku only realized what she was talking about when she started pulling it out of the folder. "Oh, that. I mean, it's nothing really. Just a rough sketch," he told her.
At first Izuku was somewhat peeved that she brought attention to it but almost instantly got over it since it was kind of his fault for making it visible. And in the past, he would've become flustered, nervous and anxious over someone seeing his drawings. But thanks to his mentors and therapy, he had learned to just roll with things and stay composed. But he did make a mental note to even the score with Setsuna one day…
"Wow!" exclaimed Setsuna as fully brought it out and held it with both hands. "Wonderboy…you really drew this?!" she asked him in amazement while taking in the detail of it.
It was a drawing of Death Arms, Midnight, All Might and a short, elderly person who also seemed like a pro hero due to his costume. The four of them were posing together as if they were a team.
"Yea, I did," confirmed Izuku.
Raising her gaze to look at him, they could all see how astonished Setsuna was. "It's fuckin awesome! And you say it's just a sketch?!"
"Tone it down, Set! We're in a library," chastised Itsuka but she was ignored.
"Hey, can I see?" asked Ochaco out of curiosity.
"If you don't mind, Midoriya, I would like to see as well," added Momo as respectfully as she could.
"Me too, please," requested Yui.
Blushing slightly over their interest in one of his drawings, Izuku allowed them to since there was no real harm in them doing so. As Ochaco, Momo and Yui took turns to look at the drawing with Itsuka feeling somewhat bothered by it all, Izuku told them that it was one of his earlier sketches and that he needed to do a better one.
"A better one?!" repeated Ochaco while giving a look towards Izuku as if he was crazy. "You gotta be kidding! This is one of the best drawings I've ever seen in my life!"
"I agree with her," said Momo as she too, looked at Izuku with an expression that was part shock over his words and part admiration over his skill. She knew how hard it is to draw properly because she had tried to make a better picture of him with her quirk for crying out loud. "And I've seen plenty in my life. The details you've put in it are astounding."
"Indeed," agreed Yui while looking over the drawing.
Izuku's blush deepened and he started rubbing the back of his head. "Thanks and I appreciate the compliments. But really, it needs work. My other drawings are much better and I…"
"You've got more?!" asked Setsuna, becoming even more excited. She started leaning in closer to him again while continuing. "Do you have any of Godzillo?! Do you?! Please, I wanna see them! I'll pay you for the ones I like! If you don't wanna sell them, what about a commissioned drawing of Godzillo?! C'mon, Wonderboy! What do ya say?! Don't keep me in suspense!"
Izuku had ended up leaned backwards a bit in his chair since Setsuna had gotten really close to him to the point that her face was barely inches away from his. Luckily, right before he was about to lose balance on his chair, Itsuka had grabbed hold of Setsuna and brought her back to her seat. "Thanks Kendo-san," said Izuku as he sat normally again.
"You're welcome, Midoriya," replied Itsuka before facing her best friend and shook her a bit. "Calm down, Set!"
"But its Godzillo!" whined Setsuna while being shaken. When Itsuka let her go, she ranted on. "You know how rare his pictures are?! Even a good drawing! I'd kill to have one!"
"Wow, you really like him, huh? I take it he's your favorite hero?" asked Izuku with intrigue. He did understand her obsession a bit. Hell, he was All Might's number one fan boy and still is even after learning the truth behind the 'Symbol of Peace' and becoming his successor.
Setsuna snapped her sight back onto Izuku. "Of course I am! He's the best damn hero ever because he's an actual freakin dinosaur! Heeeellllllooooo?! You don't get any cooler than that!"
They couldn't help it and everyone in the group became amused over her response and started laughing over her fan-girling.
Izuku smiled at Setsuna after calming down. "Alright, Tokage. After I get my right hand healed, I'll start working on the Godzillo drawing for you. I can't promise when I'll finish it, but I'll get it done for you. You won't have to pay me or anything like that. It'll just be the one thing I do for you. Deal?"
Setsuna opened her mouth to agree but then stopped herself. Crossing her arms over her chest, she closed her mouth before grumbling a little. About five seconds later, with everyone waiting to see what she'll say, she said something. "Damn it, Wonderboy, that's not fair," whined Setsuna.
Izuku quirked an eyebrow. "Why? You have something else in mind for my one favor to you?"
"Well, I mean, it certainly wasn't that. I was debating between a few things actually if you really wanna know," replied back Setsuna with a devious smirk forming on her face while raising her eyebrows a few times in a suggestive manner.
Yui, Ochaco and Momo all glared at Setsuna while a reddened Izuku turned away from her while doing his best to stay calm since he had an idea over what she meant with her words. Sometimes, he wished he was still oblivious to such things but unfortunately his mentors had made him become aware.
Itsuka however, rolled her eyes in annoyance and wanted them to stop with all the nonsense. Especially because she was feeling off for some reason. "Enough Set. You know the favor has to be appropriate. So just agree to the drawing," suggested Itsuka, making everyone look at her. "You said it yourself that Godzillo's pictures and drawings are super rare. And now you have a chance to get one for free. And apparently it'll be a unique, good one if Midoriya is really that good. So why not take advantage of the favor and get that?"
"Damn it, I really hate it when you make sense, Girl Scout," grumbled Setsuna. "And what do you mean if he's good? Did you even see the drawing?! It's amazing and he says it's just a rough draft! I can't even imagine how good his completed ones would be!"
Izuku couldn't help but smile a bit from Setsuna's compliments. Or the pride he was feeling over it. Though he did look down at his lap and rubbed the back of his head out of embarrassment and habit. That also made him miss the amused looks the other girls were giving him over his behavior.
Itsuka gave an exasperated look towards her close friend. "I didn't see it, no." At that moment, she felt a gentle nudge from Yui before she was handed the drawing. Taking it from her, Itsuka kept talking as she put her attention onto the paper. "If it's that good and you…" Trailing off, Itsuka's eyes widened as she took in the drawing. She couldn't believe it. I haven't even seen professional drawings look this good! And this is just a sketch?! What the fuck, Midoriya?!
As she drank in the picture, Itsuka suddenly remembered something else. The words that were said to her and her group of friends. About Izuku and how he had notebooks filled with drawings of others. And how it was said that they were perverted and disgusting.
But, this was nothing like what was said. The four were dressed in their hero costumes and posing in more badass ways than provocative.
It was then that Itsuka remembered that those particular words were indirectly told to them from Katsuki. The same angry, blonde bombardier who was suspended due to his behavior and actions. She, along with the girls in her class, was told what happened in detail from the girls from 1A.
Realizing that she had a lot of things to think about, Itsuka made a mental note about it. Removing her sight from the picture, she looked towards Izuku who was giving a concerned towards her. "What?" she blurted out without thinking.
"Nothing. Just, you were quiet for a while and we were starting to get a little worried," answered Izuku.
Feeling her cheeks reddening, Itsuka did her best to remain as nonchalant as possible. Even as she noticed through her peripheral vision of the other girls giving her peculiar looks. "My bad. It's nothing. Just that your drawing reminded me of something else so I got lost in thought. So, yeah, it's really good," she said before handing the paper back to Izuku.
"Thanks Kendo-san," replied Izuku as he retrieved it. "So, Tokage, did you decide?" he asked her while putting his sketch back into his folder along with his completed assignments.
"Hmm…damn it, I can't decide. Can I think about it and get back to you on this?"
Izuku just shrugged. "Sure, I guess."
"Alright, cool!" Getting into a thinking pose with her left hand on her chin, Setsuna looked slightly upwards as she started thinking out loud. "Alright, gotta choose between incredible, one of a kind, unique drawing of my favorite pro hero Godzillo who's the biggest badass around or…" Trailing off, she went silent but had her eyes shift onto Izuku. "…have Wonderboy do something else for me. Hmm, decisions, decisions…"
Shaking his head in amusement, Izuku couldn't help it and started chuckling while the girls looked both annoyed and amused somehow over her antics. "Well, unless you girls have something else to share regarding class duties or something, maybe we should…"
RING*RING*RING*
Izuku's phone going off interrupted him and he took it out. "Hello? Oh, hi! No, no, I can drop by. Okay, I'll be there soon." Hanging up, Izuku put his phone away and stood up.
"Everything alright, Midoriya?" asked Momo with noticeable concern in her tone.
Glancing at her, Izuku nodded. "Yeah, that was just Recovery Girl. I gotta go see her. Said something about helping me."
"Maybe it's time to heal your arm?" suggested Ochaco.
"I don't think so," replied Izuku as he picked up his backpack. "She said I have to wait until Friday. But who knows? I'll see you guys back at the dorms."
"Okay, see you."
"Bye Midoriya."
"Don't miss me too much, Wonderboy!"
That last one made Izuku redden a little even though they couldn't see his face anymore. Saying another bye while waving his hand, he left the library and headed to Recovery Girl's office.
"Wonder what she's gonna help him with," thought Ochaco out loud.
"Eh, like he said, who knows," remarked Setsuna as she got up and stretched while letting out yawn. "We should head back."
"Homework," reminded Yui as she too got ready to leave.
As they all got ready to leave, Ochaco glanced at Momo. When she caught her eye, the brunette once more gestured to the other three before mouthing out the words 'here's your chance, talk to them'.
Momo however shook her head slightly. Finishing up with her packing, she moved closer to Ochaco before the raven haired girl whispered to her. "Not ready."
Letting out a sigh, Ochaco understood and didn't force her. She picked up her backpack after putting away her stuff and began walking back to the dorms with the group. Momo stayed on her left side and remained mostly quiet. On her right were the other three. One was being talkative while the second attempted to keep her reeled in and the third was even more silent than Momo.
As they made their way home, Ochaco acted as a buffer between Momo and the three. She didn't mind but she hoped that things got better in the future. And she hoped that it'd happen sooner rather than later because there were other things that she wanted to put her focus on…
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"Ah, good, you're here, Midoriya," greeted Chiyo when the green haired young man entered her medical office.
"Hey, Recovery Girl. My bad if you waited long. I was in my first class rep meeting," replied Izuku. Walking up to a chair in front of her desk, he sat on it while taking off his backpack and faced her. "So, what's going on? What are you gonna help me with?" he asked her.
Chiyo didn't say anything for the moment. Instead, she retrieved some books from behind her and placed them on her desk. "These books are gonna help you," she answered.
Izuku leaned in closer so he can see their titles. 'Biology 101', 'Physiology 101', 'Human Anatomy' and 'First Aid Basics' were the titles of the books. After reading their titles, Izuku leaned back into his chair and looked at the elderly woman. "This is to get me ready for my new healing ability, right?"
A smile spread on her face. "That's right Midoriya. Since we basically have no concrete information about your ability and how it actually functions, it's good to start with the basics. I also have some questions for you after thinking about it for some time. Some of which I should've asked earlier but here we are."
"Sure, but I don't know if I'll have any answers for you since I'm kinda in the dark about it too."
"That's alright. We'll learn together," replied Chiyo as she took out a notepad and pen so she can write down some notes. "My first question is this; was there any distinct feeling you felt when it activated on its own?"
Thinking about that for a bit, Izuku remembered how he felt at that moment. "I don't know if I was feeling anything unique or not. I was pretty upset, crying and kept wishing I could at least heal her. "
"I see. Next question; when it activated, did you feel any strain, pain or burden on yourself?"
Doing his best to remember if he felt anything of the sort, Izuku shook his head after a moment. "No, nothing like that."
"Alright. How long was this healing energy covering Nemuri?"
"I…I don't know. It wasn't long. Around a minute? Give or take."
"When you were healing Nemuri, were you thinking anything specific after realizing what was going on? Or was there something else you were thinking besides what you said before it happened?"
"During, no, I was too in shock. But before, besides wishing I could heal her, I kept imagining how I could make her injuries go away."
"When you were healing Nemuri, what changes did you notice happen on her?"
"Some of her cuts and bruises seemed to heal and fade right in front of me as if sped up."
Chiyo noted that on her notepad along with his other answers. "Last question for now; you said that Nana was communicating with you mentally when it happened and told you what your quirk did. What did she say, again?"
"Well, she said that my quirk heeded my desire to be able to heal by going through my and the previous wielder's memories regarding anything related to healing and created the ability afterwards."
Chiyo's mind began racing while jotting down some more notes. The possibilities of what Izuku's ability could do in the world of medicine and healing could be absolutely astonishing. Keeping her thoughts to herself, Chiyo looked at Izuku when she finished. "Alright, thank you Midoriya. This will help us understand your new ability. I have a few ideas and theories but I want to get some more evidence first. Right now though, my hypothesis is this; your new ability seems to be based on your and the previous wielders' knowledge as well as what you can imagine. With that said, I believe that the more knowledge you have about how the human body works in addition to medical practices and procedures…"
"…then it'll help me heal people better since I could imagine the process better," finished Izuku for her. Glancing at the books again, Izuku understood now why she wanted him to read them. "I get it, Recovery Girl. I'll do my best to learn what's in these books as quickly as I can."
"Good but don't overwork yourself, Midoriya," advised Chiyo as Izuku began putting the books into his backpack. "The art of medicine is an endurance race, not a sprint. Don't think for one second that you need to cram everything from these books in just a few weeks. Take your time to truly understand what is in those books. Do research. Ask questions. I'm also available to help you and I have connections to find the answer if I don't know it. Do keep in mind that I prefer daytime hours since I do need my rest unless it's an emergency. Do you understand?"
Izuku finished putting away the books in his backpack and shifted his gaze back onto the elderly doctor. "I understand, Recovery Girl."
"Good. Also, make sure that Friday after classes you don't have anything planned. You and I are gonna go to the hospital and meet up with Dr. Dobrev so we can run some tests there."
"Oh." Izuku felt some sadness creep in as he remembered his mentor. "Can…can we visit Nemuri-san too?" he asked.
"Yes, we can and we will. I'm sure she'll feel better seeing you, Midoriya."
Izuku let his head hang a little with his eyes becoming misty. "I…I don't know about that. I wasn't there in time to stop them and save her and I…"
SMACK*
"AAH! Damn it, that hurt! What was that for?!" shot Izuku a little angrily as he rubbed his left shin.
Chiyo's eyes had narrowed onto Izuku and she looked angry. "Izuku Midoriya! Do not wallow in self-pity! It is not your fault what happened to Nemuri, no matter what you think or believe and no matter what others say! Understand?!"
"But I took too long and didn't move fast enough and I…"
"NO!" snapped Chiyo loudly, interrupting him and silencing the young man due to her uncharacteristic shouting. Getting off her chair, she moved to be right in front of Izuku, let go of her cane and grabbed his face with both hands as the cane clattered onto the floor.
Making sure that his attention was fully on her, Chiyo began speaking in a serious tone. "Listen to me and listen well. The only ones at fault for what happened to Nemuri Kayama are those disgusting villains and them alone. You taking it upon yourself changes nothing and helps no one. It even cheapens her sacrifice since she was trying to protect your classmates."
Izuku took in a sharp breath at that with him feeling a horrible sensation in his stomach.
Chiyo let that sink in for a moment. "Remember, you're still a complete novice when it comes to hero work. And even if you had experience, it still wouldn't have been your fault! Even All Might can't be everywhere and help everyone at the same time! If you keep this up, then you won't be able to be there for your mentor! Do you want to be there for her and be her pillar of strength, comfort and support? Or do you want to wallow in self pity, which will do nothing for you, for her or anyone else that you can help in the future? Which is it?"
Izuku was frozen in place as Chiyo's words crashed into him. Shattering what he was feeling and thinking for a few days now as he did his best to keep it hidden, Izuku realized that she was right. He couldn't let this keep him from doing what he needs to do. He needs to be there for Nemuri. Be strong for her. Keep his promise to her. And she wasn't the only one. Eri needs him. His mother needs him. Toshinori needs him. And who knows how many more would need him in the future…
Closing his eyes, Izuku took in a slow breath through his nose and exhaled through his nose again before opening his eyes. "I'm gonna be her pillar. And anyone else who needs it."
Hearing the belief in his voice and seeing the conviction in his eyes, Chiyo was glad to see that she had gotten through to him. "Good. That's how the successor to the 'Symbol of Peace' should sound like." Letting go of his face, Chiyo picked up her cane and moved back to her seat.
"Thank you, Recovery Girl, for setting me straight. And, when did you learn to be so tough?" asked Izuku with a bit of a teasing tone in his voice.
Chiyo scoffed at that as she sat on her seat again. "Who do you think taught Natasha and helped her get her degrees? And have you forgotten the times I had to heal you and intervene when that buffoon went overboard?"
"Oh, right." Izuku chuckled a little as he remembered some of the stuff that happened over the past two years. How All Might, one of the most powerful heroes in the world, if not the most, was scared of the little old lady. "Again, thanks for everything. Is there anything else or am I good to go?" he asked as he stood up with backpack in hand.
Chiyo thought for a moment before letting out a sigh. "Actually, there is something. Come here."
"Uh, okay." Izuku got off his seat and went to stand next to Chiyo.
"Hold still." Using her quirk, the elderly doctor healed Izuku's right arm and hand. Then she got out a pair of extremely sharp scissors and began cutting the cast.
When the cast was finally off, Izuku moved his arm around while rotating his wrist and clenching his hand into a fist a few times. "That feels so much better! Thank you, Recovery Girl!" Lowering his hand down, Izuku shifted his attention back onto her. "Not that I'm complaining, but didn't you say that I had to wait until Friday?" he asked her.
"I did. But, I made a new decision today. You don't need to know the reasons why."
Izuku titled his head before he just shrugged. "Hey, like I said, I'm not complaining. Just curious."
"Yes, yes. Just make sure to take care of yourself better. And just because I healed your arm, doesn't mean you can start exercising or using your quirk just yet. Remember, next week you can start exercising and the week after, you can use your quirk. Understood?" When Izuku nodded and commented it too, Chiyo smiled at him. "Good. Here, take some gummies. And we're done for today. Just remember that we're leaving Friday afternoon."
Izuku tossed the gummies into his mouth and picked up his backpack. "Got it. See ya Friday. Bye!" he said before leaving the room.
After Izuku left, Chiyo let out a sigh. "I swear, that boy's gonna be the death of me. Either him, or that buffoon." A sudden thought entered her mind. "Or, could be that damn rat. Making me heal him sooner than planned…though it was for a good reason so fine. Well, back to work." Shaking her head, the elderly doctor faced her computer screen and began typing out a message to the red haired doctor.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
She couldn't believe how difficult it was. She knew it would've been hard to do so, but she didn't think it'd be this tough. And it was something that she never thought she'd have to do. Even after all the hardships she's been through, this was something that she was never prepared for. How could she have been? She's only started her new life barely a week ago.
Even with feeling that overwhelmed and not knowing how she was going to get through this, Eri didn't give up. She couldn't give up. Because if she did, then she wouldn't be able to get back to Izu…get back to her Papa. She had to stay strong until she could get back to him. He did promise to her that after he got things ready for her, then she'd be able to come back. And he hasn't let her down yet.
It was because of that belief in him that Eri was able to push forward. Sure, she had warmed up to Inko to the point of being comfortable with her. Not only her but the blonde skeleton man, whose name she thought was Toshi or something, wasn't bad either. And the really old man who was just a little taller than her who walked around with a stick whose name she thinks was Sora. All of them were really nice to her and her Papa did say that she can trust the two men.
That was how Eri was able to push through the days without her Papa. Ever since she had come back to Izu's house with Inko, Toshi and Gran, Eri did her best to stay strong. Even though she missed Izu and wanted to go back to him immediately, she knew she had to wait. It may have only been two days but it seemed even longer for her.
The people around her did their best to watch over her and behaved nicely with her whenever they interacted with her. Eri did feel better because of that. But that feeling would go away as soon as she thought of her Papa. And when it was time to sleep, she had a tough time with that. Even when she asked Inko if she could sleep next to her and was allowed to do so, Eri still had some trouble.
Sometimes, Eri couldn't help but have bad thoughts and feelings. Sometimes she imagined Izu getting hurt again like she saw before. Sometimes she felt that Izu didn't want her around anymore. Sometimes she thought that the bad man with the beak had found her again when she heard loud noises from the neighbors.
But luckily, Eri didn't dwell on those kinds of things for long. Because the ones around her seemed to always bring her out of it. Toshi and Gran would check on things outside the home. Inko would have her do something together. Drawing, reading, taking a bath, watching something on the TV or even helping with preparing their next meal. Eri felt glad that they did that since it helped her not focus on the bad stuff.
At the end of it all however, Eri just wanted one thing. She just wanted to be by her Papa's side once more. Because as comfortable as she felt with them, it wasn't the same as what she felt when she was near her Papa. Because she knew that Izu would never hurt her, he wouldn't let her stay in a bad place and he'd do anything and everything to protect her. He was the first to do so and even when he was at death's door, he still found a way to protect and save her.
That was the only reason why Eri wasn't freaking out. Why she wasn't breaking down. Why she wasn't throwing a tantrum. Why she wasn't giving up hope. And because she'd be going back to be with him. She only hoped that it would be soon. With that in mind, she did her best to not think about it and Eri tried to stay busy. Right now she was coloring some pictures in a coloring book.
"Eri?"
Looking up from her booklet, Eri saw it was Inko. "Grandma?"
Inko smiled a little bit. Toshinori had taught Eri to call her that and everything she did, Inko couldn't help but smile that she was basically a grandma now. "Can you put away your coloring book and pencils?"
Eri looked back at her coloring. "Put them away?" she asked with noticeable sadness in her tone.
Inko felt her heart clench and she chastised herself mentally for starting with that. She hurried to say the rest. "Yes, Eri dear. Because I have a surprise for you."
Eri turned back to Inko. "A surprise?"
Inko nodded. "Yup! Guess where we're gonna go today?"
Eri tilted her head a little in confusion. Until a moment later when a thought entered her head and her eyes widened. "Izu?!"
"That's right! We're gonna go surprise him and help him finish getting things ready if he hasn't already," said Inko.
"Really?!" asked Eri with noticeable excitement.
Inko nodded with a smile. "Really! We decided that you've waited long enough and you've been such a good girl. The sooner you're ready, the sooner we can go! So what do you say?"
Eri couldn't believe it. She didn't have to wait any longer and she could get back to her Papa as soon as she was ready. "Yes!" exclaimed Eri as she jumped up. Closing her coloring book and grabbing her colored pencils, Eri cleaned up as fast as she could before running to her backpack that Auntie Nemuri had gotten her.
Inko's smile widened and she turned towards the two men who were behind her. "Told you," she said cheekily towards them.
Toshinori chuckled while taking out his wallet. "I guess you did."
"Damn it," grumbled Sorahiko since he owed her money now. At least he wasn't the only one though and he got to stay in the apartment so he can eat his fish.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Wow," whispered Eri, craning her neck to look up at the building in front of them while standing besides Inko.
Nezu smiled at her reaction as he held his paws behind his back. "Wow indeed. This is the dorm building for both class 1A and 1B of the heroics course. And welcome since it'll be your new home for the next three years."
Eri shifted her gaze onto Nezu. "T-Thank you," she said quietly while in Inko's arms.
Nezu's smile remained on his face. "Of course, little Eri. Now, why don't we head on in and find your Papa, hmm?" he suggested cheerfully.
Agreeing with the principal, Eri, Inko and Toshinori did just that with the hybrid animal jumping onto the number one hero's shoulder. Eri decided to hide a bit under Inko's coat since she was a little scared.
Walking up to the dorm building entrance, Inko asked if they needed a key or someone to open the door for them. Nezu explained that the entrance doors had a system in place that allowed authorized individuals to enter. He further explained that he had added both her and Eri into the system already. With that, they just had to walk up to the doors and it'll auto-unlock.
"See, very simple," remarked Nezu as the door audibly clicked and Toshinori opened the door.
After entering the building and walking a short distance in, they noticed that only a handful of students were there. They were sitting around the dinner tables and busy working on something. Sheets of paper were in front of them all and there was some food with them.
"Hey, what's up Principal Nezu?" greeted Tetsutetsu. He was the first to notice the arrivals since where he was seated allowed him better view of the entrance. His greeting alerted the rest and they all looked towards them.
"Welcome, Principal Nezu," spoke up Reiko as she stood from her chair and gave a slight bow to the UA Principal with the rest of them copying her actions.
Besides the two, the others there were Setsuna, Yui, Itsuka, Jurota, Ochaco, Toru, Mina and Eijiro.
Ochaco was about to do the same but stopped when she noticed who was with the principal. Her eyes widened slightly in recognition and her mouth opened slightly with thoughts of wondering if they were here due to what Izuku had mentioned.
Nezu gestured with his paws for them to stop. "Now, now, no need for formalities. But thank you for the respect. And hello everyone!" said Nezu cheerily. "Before anyone asks, there's nothing serious going on right now. I merely wanted to introduce you to a few important people."
At this moment, the students there shifted their gazes onto the three with the principal before Nezu introduced them. The man was wearing a rather large yellow coat. The woman was wearing a jacket over a white blouse and black pants. The little girl was wearing a red suspender dress over a white blouse and black shorts. "The gentleman whose shoulder I'm sitting on is Toshinori Yagi and he's All Might's secretary. He'll be around the facility every now and then." Toshinori put down the duffel bag he was holding before he waved at them while smiling and most of the students waved back or nodded. "The green haired woman is Inko Midoriya who'll also be around often. And the little girl with her is Eri." Inko gave a small smile. Eri hugged her tighter as she further hid underneath the coat.
Before anyone could say anything, a certain pink skinned girl suddenly blurted out a question. "Wait, you're Midori's Mom?!"
It had just hit them who the woman was along with the young girl after Mina asked her question. They became much more interested in the new arrivals with the girls subconsciously sitting up straighter in their seats.
Inko's smile widened a little after noticing that. "That I am. And Midori, huh? Never heard that one before but it's a cute nickname."
Mina's cheeks flushed a noticeable purple and she suddenly felt very embarrassed. Both due to the teasing and how a few were smirking at her. She looked away to the side and in doing so, missed how her childhood friend was looking at her with a concerned expression on his face.
Ochaco was holding back her sniggers. She had a taste of Inko's teasing before and seeing it happen to someone else was actually funny.
"Ochaco, dear, I wouldn't be laughing if I were you," warned Inko with that motherly tone of hers.
Instantly the brunette froze with her eyes widening with her cheeks reddening as many glanced at her now.
Nezu's perpetual smile seemed to grow more due to enjoying their embarrassment while Toshinori shook his head in amusement before he finally said something. "Okay, Inko, I think you've messed with them enough. Let's tell them why we're here."
"Really? I'm barely starting," replied Inko with a chuckle. "But alright. Back to business. Nezu, would you be so kind?"
"Gladly. So, listen up everyone," started Nezu and he looked around at his students while he spoke. "We're here because it's time for little Eri to move in with Midoriya. And he needs to do something that's very important. So, can someone go get him for us?"
All eyes shifted onto the barely visible little girl who was still hiding underneath Inko's coat within her arms. Seeing their attention on her, Eri trembled a little before burying her face into Inko's shoulder.
That was noticed by everyone and many felt saddened over how scared she was of them. They wanted to do something to help her be at ease. Yet they didn't know what to do and didn't want to overwhelm her either.
The redhead stood up. "Midoriya isn't here, Principle Nezu. He was called to Recovery Girl's office right when we finished our class rep meeting," informed Itsuka.
"Ah, I see. How long ago was that?"
"About thirty minutes."
"In that case, we'll just have to wait for him to come back. Hopefully it shouldn't take too long."
As soon as he finished saying those words, the front door opened and the sound made everyone turn towards it. They saw a green haired young man enter and walk towards them a little before he stopped in surprise.
"Mom? What's going on?" asked Izuku in surprise.
Before Inko could say something however, Eri jumped out of Inko's arms and made a beeline for Izuku. "IZU!" she shouted.
"Eri!" Izuku swiftly moved forward while dropping his backpack onto the floor. He scooped her up into his arms and held her tightly as she did the same.
Eri couldn't help it and began crying a little out of relief that she was near him again. "I-Izu! I m-missed you s-so much! But I stayed s-strong like you t-told me to! I did g-good, r-right?"
"Of course you did, Eri. I'm so proud of you," replied Izuku as he kept caressing her head through her hair and rubbing her back. Thankfully, it only took a very short while for Eri to calm down.
"Awww!"
Hearing several girls say that made Izuku shift his attention to everyone else. And that was when he noticed some things.
Nezu was still smiling his usual smile. Inko and Toshinori were giving him proud looks.
The guys were a bit surprised but also happy to witness what just happened. The girls did too but they also were touched over what they saw.
"Hey, you got your arm healed too!" commented Tetsutetsu.
"Yeah, Recovery Girl said it was time. Thank God since someone said my writing with my left hand looks worse than chicken scratch," acknowledged Izuku with a joking tone while giving a certain redhead a pointed look. Itsuka smirked at him, making him chuckle. "Anyways, hey everyone. But, you didn't say what's going on, Mom," said Izuku after greeting them and walked towards the adult while Eri remained in his arms.
"To the point, I guess. Well, we thought it'd be a good idea for Eri to move in with you already. Even if you're not done getting things ready, we'll help you do that," answered Inko.
"Oh. That's fine with me. I'm actually as ready as I can be." He glanced at Eri who had turned her gaze to look at him. "What do you say, Eri? Wanna move in already?"
"Y-Yes, please!" replied back Eri immediately.
A beaming smile formed on Izuku's face. "I guess that's that. And don't worry, Eri. I'll help you get used to everything and everyone here."
"Oh, we can have a moving in party for Eri!" suggested Toru excitedly.
The invisible girl's comment made them all look at her before glancing at one another. Until Izuku spoke up and they faced him again. "Thanks, Hagakure-san but maybe let's hold off on something like that until Eri gets a little more comfortable with everyone and everything."
After listening to him, they all noticed how Eri was holding onto Izuku in a fearful manner.
Toru chuckled a little awkwardly. "Yeah, sorry, you're right Midoriya."
"Hey, no worries Hagakure-san. I appreciate the thought and I'm sure Eri does too," replied Izuku and that let Toru feel a bit better. Izuku turned back to his mother. "Anything else, Mom?"
"I'll bring the rest of her clothes later but there should be enough for a few days in this bag," informed Inko, pointing at the duffel bag at Toshinori's feet. "I think I can drop by on Friday if that works for you."
"That'll actually be perfect since I have to go to the hospital with Recovery Girl after classes on Friday," revealed Izuku.
Remembering the reason why, the adults nodded and said no more about that particular topic. Nezu, however had something else he needed to say. "By the way, Midoriya, there's one more thing that's also very important that you need to take care of right now."
"What is it?" he asked, glancing at his classmates sporting intrigued expressions before looking back at the hybrid animal.
"Don't worry, it's nothing too crazy," said Nezu in order to calm Izuku since he figured the young man might wonder if it had to deal with his quirk. "I just wanted to let you know that we've been able to get the appropriate documents finished and filed with the government. All that's left is this."
Toshinori took this moment to reach into his rather large coat and pulled out a folder. Opening it, he took out a document and handed it to Izuku.
Looking it over while Eri shifted her attention onto it too, Izuku did his best to quickly read and understand it. After a moment, he realized what it was and snapped his attention back to the adults with an unbelieving look on his face. His sudden action made many jump from being startled over it. "Are you serious?!"
Inko nodded happily. "Yup! I'm all up for it. We've already decided, haven't we? So, why not make it official?"
"And we made sure there'll be no way that someone could counter this and everything's gone through the appropriate channels. All that's left is for you and Eri to agree and sign it," explained Toshinori.
"Hey, what's go…"
Setsuna was interrupted by Itsuka elbowing her in the side. "Ssh! Not our business!" stated Itsuka in a harsh whisper.
"It's alright," said Inko, having noticed them. The two became embarrassed with the redhead being more so. "You'll find out soon enough," before facing her son once more.
As curious as they were along with the rest, they remained quiet and waited to see what was going on.
During that bit of time, Izuku was speechless and didn't say anything nor did he move for a moment. He didn't even notice the quick exchange between his mother and classmates. He was lost in thought until Eri caught his attention by tugging on his shirt a little. Snapping out of it, he looked at her.
"What's wrong?" asked Eri with slight fear.
Shaking his head, Izuku's expression became more jovial. "Nothing's wrong, Eri. In fact, everything's great! See this paper?" he asked her while raising it with his right hand while Eri sat on his left forearm. She nodded. "This paper is important because the moment I sign it and you sign it, it makes what we decided together official."
"Ofical?" asked Eri, trying to say the word.
"Official," corrected Izuku before he continued. "That means that it's known to the government and no one can say anything about it. So, remember what you wanted me to be to you?"
It took a moment for Eri to remember and understand what he was talking about and she let out a small gasp. "You mean…"
Izuku had a large smile spread on his face. "Exactly. All we need to do is sign this paper. So, should we make it official?"
"YES!"
Chuckling, Izuku nodded. Toshinori handed him a pen and Izuku quickly signed it before showing Eri where she had to sign it. Eri was barely able to write her name but it was enough. When finished, Izuku handed the paper back to Toshinori who put it back into the folder. Izuku turned his attention back to Eri before he started speaking. "There you go! You're now officially Eri Midoriya!"
"PAPA!" shouted Eri happily as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
Inko looked like she was about to cry out of happiness. Nezu was still smiling while Toshinori couldn't have been prouder of his successor.
Though the same couldn't be said for Izuku's classmates. All of them sported dumbfounded looks over what they just witnessed. Two of them recovered quicker than the others and found their voice.
"Wait, what just happened?!" asked Itsuka in a slightly high pitched tone of voice.
"P-Papa? D-Does that mean what I th-think it means?" asked Ochaco while barely able to keep herself composed with her pink cheeks reddening by the second.
Izuku turned his gaze to look at them. "Yeah, it does," he confirmed with a content tone in his voice. "With how attached Eri's become to me and how we can't find any relatives of hers, I have no problem with taking on that roll for her since Eri wanted me to become her new 'Papa'. So UA helped me get the right documents filed for her to become part of the family as my adoptive daughter."
Silence in the area for a moment as they took in his words. Clearing his throat as a means to compose himself, Jurota waited till he was given attention before speaking. "That is a rather large responsibility for one to undertake. Are you certain that you'll be able to meet the expectations and requirements that are needed in raising a child?" he questioned as respectably as he could.
Izuku took no offense from that. They didn't know him that well and what he was doing would seem reckless even if they did know him. "I know and I've already come to terms with what I need to do. I'll do my best to support, protect and guide Eri. And it's not like I'm on my own either." Izuku glanced at his Mom and Toshinori who smiled and nodded at him to show that they too were gonna provide help.
The aspiring heroes couldn't believe it yet they couldn't refute anything that Izuku said. Maybe it was because of the conviction in his tone. Maybe it was because they had witnessed him going 'plus ultra' against the Nomu. Maybe it was because his Mom was here and supporting him. Or it could've been several other reasons that they just couldn't explain as to why they couldn't challenge him on this. But it made each of them want to do better due to his example of taking on more responsibility even when he wasn't forced to do so. It affected them so much that they reacted because of it.
Tetsutetsu couldn't hold it in anymore. "SO MANLY!" he cried while pumping his fists. "I got your back, bro! No question!"
"Oh, me too, me too!" chimed Toru while waving her arms so she can be more noticeable.
"Midori, you just keep surprising us. And don't worry, I'll support ya!" exclaimed Mina happily.
"You really are a good guy, Midoriya. I'll help out too," said Eijiro with a small smile.
"Agreed. I'll help," informed Yui in that calm tone of voice yet her eyes twinkled with emotion.
"Damn, Wonderboy, you're making it even harder to not like you!" teased Setsuna with a smirk.
"I shall also assist you with no hesitation," stated Reiko in her monotone voice yet she sported a soft expression.
"You're words carried no falseness within them and I shall endeavor to provide support if and when you require it," promised Jurota seriously.
"Midoriya…how could we stand aside and not help out after you say things like that?" asked Itsuka, actually impressed over what he said.
"Remember what I told you? I'll help you out, Midoriya, no matter what!" promised Ochaco fiercely.
Izuku was astonished over what they just said. Never before did his peers from his previous schools ever want to help him. But at UA, things were vastly different. He had multiple people declare that they're with him. He couldn't be happier. A beaming smile formed on his face while becoming misty eyed after each of them declared that they'd be there for him. "Thank you everyone. Thank you so much," said Izuku with noticeable appreciation in his tone.
Seeing that sunshine smile of his again made most of the girls there redden with the guys nodding back.
Inko, as much as she tried to hold it back, just couldn't anymore. Heavy and fast tears gushed out from her eyes and she started crying loudly out of happiness. But it made everyone look at her in concern and they all asked if she was alright. "I'm f-f-fine! I-I'm just so ha-happy for m-my son! Such g-great friends!"
Smiling over her behavior, Toshinori brought Inko in for a hug and started rubbing her back to help her calm down. "I know how you feel. It's alright and I'm happy too," he said.
As embarrassed as they were, the students were glad that Midoriya's mother saw them in a positive light.
"Aw, Mamadoriya is too adorable!" cooed Mina.
"Mamadoriya?" asked Izuku with his head tilted slightly.
"What? It makes sense and it's cute too, Midori!" stated Mina.
"Gotta hand it to 'Pinky' here, cause it does fit," added Setsuna with a grin.
Izuku could only chuckle in response. "Alright. But fair warning, Mom will probably never let you call her anything else after hearing that," he told them but they just grinned back at him. He was about to say something else when he felt another tug on his shirt. Izuku looked at Eri who was still in his arms. "What is it?"
"Papa, is Grandma Inko okay?" whispered Eri in concern.
"Yeah, she is. She's just happy that we have good friends here," replied Izuku while gesturing to the rest.
Eri turned to look at them. She found that they were looking at her and smiling at her. Some even waved at her. She recognized the brown haired girl with the pink cheeks who was one of the ones waving at her. Eri didn't say anything but after glancing at Izu, who gave an encouraging look to her, she faced them again before slowly waving back at them.
"Oh my gosh, she's sooo cute!" squealed Toru and the rest agreed vocally.
Eri became flustered out of embarrassment and hid her slightly blushing face against Izuku's chest. Her reaction made the girls gush over it while the guys smiled a bit.
Izuku felt ecstatic that everything was going better than he hoped. Turning his gaze back towards the adults, he found his Mom had calmed down. "You okay, Mom? Need some water?" he asked with a smirk.
"Oh, hush you!" shot Inko out of embarrassment but she was smiling. "Just let me say this; I'm happy for the both of you. If you need anything, no matter what or when, just let me know."
"I will and thanks again, Mom."
"Of course. Well, as much as I enjoy being around you all, I think we should take our leave since we've taken up too much of your time. Plus, I believe your classmates were working on something."
"Oh, that's right!" remarked Eijiro as he glanced at his half finished paper.
"Yeah, we still have to finish our homework!" whined Setsuna.
Nezu smirked rather evilly at them. "Better get to it. I'm sure your teachers won't be happy if you don't finish them."
Eyes widening with some fear building within some of them, they quickly went back to work. But before they did so, they bade farewell to Inko, Toshinori and Nezu.
"What about you? Want us to stay and watch over Eri until your finish your homework too, at least?" asked Toshinori.
Izuku shook his head. "No, I'm good. I already finished it so I don't have anything to worry about."
"Good job," remarked Toshinori with pride before he looked at Inko. "Shall we?"
"Yes." Inko hugged Izuku and then Eri before pecking her on the forehead that made her blush slightly again. "See you on Friday, Eri. And make sure to listen to your Papa, alright?"
"I will."
"See you, Izuku. Remember, you're not alone in this. Just let us know if you need anything."
"I know, I will and thanks Mom."
Izuku, Eri and the rest said their byes and goodnights to the three as they left the dorm building. Once they were gone, Izuku quickly introduced Eri formally to his peers while giving their names. They each greeted Eri who just waved at them a little again. Afterwards, Izuku grabbed his backpack off the floor and headed towards his dorm while telling them if they needed anything from him, to let him know. They offered the same to him as he left. Several from the group watched him go with many thoughts going through their head before returning their attention back to their homework.
But even then, certain individuals had a hard time focusing on their assignments since Izuku and now Eri kept occupying their thoughts…
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Izuku and Eri didn't see anyone else as they went to their dorm. Once inside, Izuku showed Eri around so she can know where the bathroom and closet were. "So, what do you think? Do you like it, Eri?"
Eri looked around the room once more before she looked up at Izuku. "It's nice. I…I think."
Izuku gave her an understanding look. "I know it's different than the apartment but it's a good place. There's a lot of security here and we'll be around good people like the ones you met downstairs. And there's more for you to meet. But we'll do that later. Things will get easier and better. Just have to give it time. Okay, Eri?"
Glancing down at her feet, Eri grasped the ends of her dress tightly. "I'll…I'll try. And…I'll be with Papa. R-Right?"
"That's right, Eri," replied Izuku softly as he knelt down in front of her. He waited until she looked up at him. "I promised you that I'll always be around. And I keep my promises. Nothing will ever keep me from you, no matter what. I know that a lot of things happened very fast for you in just a couple weeks. It did for me too. But now, we'll be here for a while and things will finally slow down a bit so we can catch our breath. So don't worry. Okay?"
Nodding a little, Eri then hugged Izuku and he reciprocated it. "Thank you, Izu."
"You're welcome, Eri." Letting her take her time with the hug, Izuku didn't move until she made the first movement of wanting to separate. When they did, Izuku stood up and went to her duffel bag. "Alright, Eri, let's get your clothes squared away."
As they worked on that together with Izuku doing his best to make it enjoyable for Eri, he couldn't help but think up of ways that could help his daughter become more comfortable with everyone and everything. He hoped that she'd become comfortable sooner rather than later but he'd never rush her. Though he did feel a little worried that he'd have to leave her on Friday afternoon for a few hours, that worry quickly faded away when he remembered that his mom would be there to watch over her with his friends.
That thought made Izuku realize something all of a sudden. Huh…I guess I do have some friends my age now. Unable to help himself, Izuku had a small smile stay on his face as he helped Eri get settled in.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After they left the dorm building, Nezu, Toshinori and Inko had gone back to the principal's office.
Once they arrived and were comfortably seated, the number one hero decided to get things going. "So what's this meeting about that you wanted to have with us, Nezu?" asked Toshinori.
Nezu placed his paws onto the desk. "I've been doing some research on something that caught my eye thanks to Nemuri-san. And I must say that I'm very upset with myself for not noticing something like this earlier. To think that I'd overlook something so important just because it seemed so simple that I left it to others to check."
Inko and Toshinori glanced at each other for a moment before facing the hybrid animal again. "What are you talking about? What happened?"
"I'm talking about how there seems to be some discrepancies. And they're found all over your son's school records."
Inko suddenly became very worried and concerned. "Wha-What do you mean? Is Izuku in trouble? Don't tell me that his UA career is in jeopardy before it really started! Especially after bringing Eri now! That can't happen to him and if that's the case, then I…"
Nezu held up a paw to signal her to stop and she heeded it. "I apologize. I should've clarified better. Midoriya's not in any sort of trouble."
Inko let out a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness. But really, Nezu, you should watch how you say things!"
"Again, my apologies. What I meant to say is that there seems to be many marks in his permanent record that don't seem to line up with who he is."
"Don't tell me…" said Toshinori as his eyes narrowed since he understood while Inko remained silent even though she too had an idea.
Nezu nodded. "Yes. Midoriya's file is marked with many negative marks. Disrupting classes. Bothering students. Causing scenes. Getting into fights and more. And it's across all of his schools. Do you have any idea as to why that'd be, Inko-san?"
Inko felt rage building inside of her. She knew of what her son had gone through at his previous schools after he finally revealed everything to her during their therapy sessions with Natasha. The bullying. The abuse. The insults. The betrayal of someone who should've been his friend. The betrayal from her own friend.
But she didn't know that his record was marred like this. Even with being so angered, Inko wondered if Izuku kept this hidden from her or if he didn't know either. Controlling herself at the moment, Inko replied back with her hands clenched into fists. "I didn't know about that but I think I know why."
"You think you do? What could it be from?" asked Toshinori.
Having a slight idea about what it could be, Nezu decided to drop the bomb right there. "And would this have anything to do with Katsuki Bakugo?"
"Bakugo?" repeated Toshinori in surprise as he glanced at Nezu.
"Yes, I believe so," answered Inko, preventing Toshinori from continuing.
Nezu let out a sigh. "I figured as much since it makes too much sense. Bakugo's record is completely spotless with many compliments and praise for him that mirror your son's blemished record."
"What?!" Toshinori was shocked. Sure, Katsuki had said he wanted to be a hero and seemed to be a natural born fighter. But he was also very volatile and his character flaws were visible from a mile away. "That can't be. I hate saying this since I want to see the good in people and I'm supposed to be impartial towards my students. But from what I've seen and heard about that young man, there's no way he'd have a clean record."
"Unfortunately, as much as I agree with you, it is as I said. Bakugo's record is squeaky clean with high praise while Midoriya's is stained and has every negative remark you can think of. And many of each type."
Nezu noticed Toshinori start shaking with rage but let him be for the moment. Nezu turned towards the Midoriya matriarch. "Both of them had gone through the same schools and been in the exact same classes. Many of the statements from their classmates or even the faculty on their records seem to correspond with one another. Many times I've read that Midoriya was doing something wrong, such as bullying or bothering someone. And each of those statements, on the same day and time, were mirrored in Bakugo's while saying things such as he stopped Midoriya like a hero. Do I need to go on?"
"No," growled Inko through gritted teeth.
"Then, can you please explain what you know, Inko-san? I'm already doing my own investigation into this matter. However, I'd like to know from you as well. Plus, I also wanted to know something else too; why haven't you or Midoriya informed us of this?"
Toshinori shifted his attention back onto Inko. He too wanted to know the answer to this.
Inko took in a breath before exhaling it out to calm herself down enough so she can explain. "Honestly? I didn't even know about the marks on his record. I didn't even know about his issues at school until therapy. That's when I realized what's been going on after some time of going to it with Izuku…" She trailed off as memories flashed through her mind's eye of what happened when she first found out. The denial. The sadness. The rage. Forcing herself to stay away from her best friend because she didn't know if she'd explode on her or not. Tears escaped from her eyes and they rolled down her cheeks.
Frowning, Toshinori placed a hand on Inko's shoulder. "I remember how hard it was for you to learn about all that. But we're here for you and Izuku. You've told us some things but even then, I could tell that there were some things you kept to yourself. I asked Izuku a couple times but he stayed tight lipped about it. I didn't press too much since he did mention that he talked to Natasha about it and it helped him. But now, it's not so private anymore. It seems something's up between Izuku and Katsuki. Something between your family and theirs. So please, tell us so we can try and figure out how to help you out."
Inko took in another breath before looking at the number one hero. Smiling slightly at him, she grasped his hand on her shoulder. "I know and thank you, Toshi." Squeezing his hand, she then let go before facing Nezu and her demeanor became serious. "Look, I didn't know about the records thing. But I'll share everything else I know."
And so, Inko told them everything that she learned about what her son's been going through since he was a child. They knew about the hardships and bullying he went through but not the details behind it. Izuku had told them that he just wanted to leave it all behind. He didn't want to be weighed down by it anymore and instead, he wanted to think about his future and focus on that.
But now, they were finally getting the details. How the schools covered things up. How they ignored the students picking on Izuku. How they ignored Inko's calls or questions and kept making excuses. How they kept blaming it on Izuku even when he was the one hurt. How Katsuki was usually the one behind it all.
Bringing up Katsuki led Inko to explain how they knew the Bakugos. That she and Mitsuki were the best of friends since childhood. How they had their sons play together since the beginning but things began to slowly change over time. How Inko noticed that Katsuki wouldn't come over as much anymore as they got older. How Izuku seemed to be less and less thrilled about going to their house and yet she never understood why until their therapy sessions. How Izuku had kept it all from her so she wouldn't get worried or cause a rift between her and her best friend.
Inko took a breather for a moment before she finished. "And that's when I realized that my best friend since childhood either lied about telling Katsuki to watch over Izuku, she didn't care about what her son was doing or couldn't control him." Inko's eyes watered and she started letting out tears out of frustration, rage and sadness. "Oh God, I'm sorry, I just…" Inko tried to wipe away her tears in vain but they just kept leaking out.
"It's alright, Inko. You know you can just let go in front of us," said Toshinori kindly.
Inko kept letting out tears and wiped her cheeks several more times before giving up and just let them come out. Taking in some stuttering breaths, she was able to compose herself enough to continue. "That's one of the reasons why I stopped talking to her because I was just so angry and disappointed with her for letting her son get away with doing all those horrible things to Izuku. I'd make up an excuse at first but after a couple times, I just stopped picking up her calls. I feared that if I talked to her again, that I'd explode on her. Because after I learned the truth…for a long time…I wanted to rage at them. I wanted to force them to apologize or do something to make amends. I wanted to give them a taste of what they've done. But after so long…and after seeing my Izuku walk on a much better path…I just don't know what I want anymore…part of me just wants to keep it buried and not think about it."
As angered as he was, Toshinori understood what she was saying. Hell, even Izuku had said it a few times himself. How he wanted to leave the past behind and just look towards the future. But even so, they couldn't just let things be like this. It wasn't right…
"Thank you for sharing all of that with us, Inko-san," said Nezu and Inko shifted her attention onto him. "I understand what you're saying but I must say that we cannot overlook this. This is not what UA stands for and I loathe the thought of us allowing such things to happen and those responsible to not receive consequences for it."
Inko didn't say anything for a moment. Letting out a sigh, she nodded. "I understand. I've been putting it off for so long. Part of me wants to just forget about it all, thinking that it'll be easier. But I know that won't help in the long run. And it's not right. Whoever does something bad, they should face the consequences for it." Locking her sight onto Nezu's, Inko's expression turned serious. "So what do I need to do? What are we gonna do?"
Nezu rested his paws together again on the desk. "You're right and I'm sorry, Inko-san. As I said, I was already conducting an investigation in this matter but now, I will make sure that no stone is left unturned. And there's something else you should know. It's about what happened earlier this week. When classes resumed…"
Inko listened as Nezu explained things. At the end, she was absolutely furious to the point of almost blowing her top. "That…damn brat! Tell me he's been expelled!"
"He's been suspended for this whole week. He's due to come back next week and must attend anger management and therapy sessions until they state he no longer needs them along with no heroics classes for a month." Nezu raised a paw to signal her to hold on for a moment since he wasn't finished just yet when she was about to retort. "That was the original decided punishment because we here at UA do our best to guide our students onto the proper paths and give second chances when possible. However, after learning of this new information, I'm starting to believe that perhaps Katsuki Bakugo does not deserve this chance. And that he needs much more help than previously believed."
"Are you saying that you're gonna expel him as soon as he comes back?" asked Toshinori for Inko while placing a hand on hers to keep her calm. Though he too was doing his best to keep his anger at bay.
Nezu took in a breath. "I'm saying that this testimony is pushing me more towards that decision. And if need be, I won't hesitate to make that decision. Though I won't just kick him out. I'll arrange for him to be sent to a place where he can receive the most help possible to hopefully, possibly, get back onto a proper path. But he'll still face the consequences of his actions and he'll no longer have the path of a hero available to him."
"I see. And when will you make that decision?" asked Inko, barely holding her anger back.
"Soon, Inko-san. I only ask for a little more time to finish my investigation. Either it'll give more evidence to help solidify that decision with no one able to counter it. Or, as unlikely as it is, perhaps we could find something else that could make us think differently."
Inko didn't say anything for a while before she let out a sigh. "I highly doubt it with everything that's happened and learning the truth. But…" Inko looked Nezu straight in the eyes before she continued. "...I understand with you wanting to help your students. Even someone as far gone as Katsuki Bakugo. But I won't wait around forever. Not anymore. How long do you need to finish your investigation?"
"One week. Two tops."
"Fine. I can wait two more weeks. And what are you gonna do once you finish your investigation?"
"If I find no positive evidence, then he'll be expelled without hesitation along with several other things that he'll have to do and he'll be sent away to get help in a more appropriate area."
Inko said nothing for a moment before she stood up. "Very well. I don't like being responsible for people's futures like this, but he brought it onto himself. I'm gonna head home. Please keep me updated."
Nezu gave a curt nod. "I agree as well and I surely will. Goodnight Inko-san."
"Goodnight, Nezu."
Inko stepped out as Toshinori stopped by the door and glanced back. "Nezu, I want to be involved with this starting tomorrow."
"Understood." After he too left and Nezu was left alone in his office, he took in a breath. He had a lot of work to do and so little time…
Author's Notes - Kaina's beginning to feel that she's walking on a tightrope, Eri finally joins Izuku at UA & officially part of the family and Nezu/Toshi finally learn the details of what Izuku has gone through along with the history with the Bakugo family.
Let me know what you think and liked/disliked.
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IMPORTANT NEWS!
I've started working on "The Blue Spirit" again and editing for the next chapter, 019, has been completed and uploaded on Patre on. ALSO! The very first chapter for "Tale of the Forsaken" has been done and uploaded onto that as well. AND! I've put up some concept drawings of the all original story's world (I can't draw to save my life, so just bear with me on that).
I wanted to give everyone an update and let you know that progress is being made and now that my mind is working again, I'm juggling several projects at once so stay tuned!
ONE MORE THING! I wanted to say thank you to all my supporters & readers. And a BIG shout out to all those who are patre on supporters. You don't know how much it helps to keep going when you know that they're are people supporting you and being there for you. So I just want to say THANK YOU!
Hope you're all doing well and take care!
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