Chapter 18: Ken Sudo: Restart

A few days had passed by since me and my class's arrival on the uninhabited island. In that time, we managed to gather supplies that would become beneficial in our tenure on this island. That was due to using the manual that Professor Chabashira gave us which included things such as cooking pots, pans, first aid kits, utensils, navigation tools, bug sprays, ext.

However, that meant using the S-Points that we were given. Just buying everything that I mentioned cost us fifty S-Points. I also had to use another two hundred points to buy the class a bathroom. Horikita advised me not to since that cost two thirds of our points, but before I knew it-

"Midoriya~Kun. You wouldn't want little ol me, to be in such a state where I'm utterly defenseless, would you?" Kushida spoke as she grabbed my arm while looking at me with puppy dog eyes. Not going to lie, seeing that certainly made me blush. But even if Kushida didn't do that, I would have still bought the bathroom. Because it was the right thing to do.

As a result, our class was left with a measly fifty S-Points. But I didn't mind all that much. In fact, these past few days had been quite fun. It honestly reminded me of when I when to the forest with my friends where we all met the Wild Wild Pussycats. Which was a delightful experience up until the villain attack. But that's beside the point! This has been so much fun and it's going to stay that way!

… Or at least I was hoping it would. But things would soon change once we reached the fourth day of our time on the island. It was effectively the halfway point as we would only have to spend the rest of today and three additional days on the island before we all had to go back on the cruise ship. Realizing that fact made me a bit sad that time was going by so fast. But that's life. I just have to enjoy it while it lasts. But then…

"Midoriya, mind if I talk with you for a sec?" Sudo asked me right after our daily eight in the morning rollcall. I stopped in place as our other classmates got ahead of us because we had to go back to our campsite so that we could gather our things and move onto the next location. But in the midst of that, I looked at Sudo who had a concerned look on his face.

"Is everything alright, Sudo?" I asked with what was surely a concerned look of my own. Now that I think about it, things have been different ever since the physical assault incident that took place a month ago. Sudo's been a lot quieter, especially when I was around which surprised me a bit considering how loud he usually was. I've been wanting to ask him about it for a while now, but I didn't want to upset him. If something was truly bothering him then he would tell me about it when he was ready. And now was that time.

"… No. Everything isn't alright. I've had something I've been wanting to say for a long time. It was just hard for me to put into words. The truth is… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that happened. You put your neck out there to help me when it seemed like I, you know. You really didn't have to do that for me. But… thanks. I appreciate it." Sudo replied as he spoke very clearly (Without using his Kansai accent) and looked at me in the eyes. I looked at him back and I knew that he was genuinely sorry. And that brought my smile back to my face.

"Apology accepted. But I really didn't do anything all that special. I just did what I felt like was the right thing to do. So, you don't have to thank me. I probably wouldn't have gotten involved if Horikita didn't tell me too." I admitted even though I would have gotten involved one way or another due to Doctor Garaki's schemes. But it wasn't a complete lie, since I wouldn't have gone to the Student Council Room on that day if Horikita hadn't asked me to do so. But when I told Sudo that his eyes went wide.

"A-Are you serious?! Horikita really asked you to do that for me?!" Sudo yelled out while gripping the neckline of the red tracksuit that I was wearing. (And the rest of my classmates as well as all the other students on this island were wearing too.) I was so caught off guard that my eyes went wide but I wasn't scared. I got to know Sudo just a bit through these past few months that I knew he wasn't a bad guy. Sure, he's a bit rough around the edges, but if that physical assault incident taught me one thing it was that Sudo wouldn't go around picking fights for no reason. That's why I stood firm and nodded.

"Y-You got to be kidding me! Why would she do that?! Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!" Sudo yelled out as he let go of me and kicked a nearby tree's trunk in a fit of rage. He did that a few times before eventually stopping and standing there as it was crystal clear he was at a loss for words after what I had just told him. I often compared him to Kacchan and in this aspect they are the same. They would always showcase anger whenever someone pissed them off. As well as when…

… They were feeling an intense amount of regret. That's why I knew that Sudo was suffering right now. No. He's been suffering for a while. I just was too stupid to see the obvious signs. I can't let this go on any further. He's my classmate, and even though it's temporary, right now I'm Class A's leader. But even more then that…

"… We both didn't want you to be punished for a crime you may have not committed. And we were right. It's because we had faith in you. Faith in our classmate. So, don't beat yourself up over it, okay?" I replied as I approached him and put a hand on his shoulder. It took Sudo a few seconds to respond. But when he did-

"You… you don't understand! Even if you're right, can you honestly say that she has faith in me now?! After what I said about her brother?! Of course she doesn't! She hates my guts! I'm sure of it! And it's all my fault! If only I kept my fuckin mouth shut, then she wouldn't have cried! So even if I didn't do shit to those people from Class C I still hurt her! How am I supposed to make up for that?!" Sudo yelled out as I was taken aback by everything he was saying. I couldn't see his face. But I saw his tears that fell onto the soil beneath us. It was then that I recalled Horikita's words-

'Why?! Why do you hate my brother so much!? You think you know everything about a person due to one interaction with them?! You don't know a damn thing about him! You don't know a damn thing about me or anyone else! So, before you have the audacity to say something as hypocritical as that, try taking the time to actually learn who someone really is damn it!' I felt bad for Horikita in that situation. And even worse after not being able to help her get through it.

However, I never really thought about how Sudo was feeling did I? I was too caught up in the moment that I didn't even consider how he must have felt. All this time he was suffering, and I ignored it on the pretense that something was bothering him, and he would tell me about it when he was ready?!

'Why was I the one who end All Might?!' Have I learned anything after what happened with Kacchan when he confronted me about it in Ground Beta?! Just like back then I should have known that something was bothering him! But I was too stupid to see it! And the result is right in front of me. Sudo might not be someone who would consider me a friend but he's still my classmate! That's why I can't let this go on any further!

"I understand. It took me a while to figure things out and I'm sorry for th- I spoke only to be cut off before I could finish speaking.

"W-Why are you sorry?! I'm the one who fucked up everything! It's all my faul- Sudo snapped back only for me to cut him off before he could finish this time.

"Then let's go." I replied as I walked back to where our classmates were walking to while pulling him with me by his hand. At first, Sudo was caught off guard by this, but he didn't put much effort into resisting until-

"G-Go where?!" Sudo snapped back as he tried to break free of my grasp, but he failed to do so. After all, I wouldn't let him go. Not till everything was fixed between him and Horikita. So, I made that clear to him.

"Back to the campsite. The others are waiting for us. We still got about another thirty minutes before we have to go find another place to camp at. So, while everyone's packing up, you'll have your chance to apologize to Horikita." I replied while tilting my head to give him a smile with my eyes closed, this meant that I couldn't see the look of sheer surprise on Sudo's face until he made it clear to me.

"A-A-Are you jokin?! D-Did you not hear a damn word I said?! After what I said about her brother do you honestly think a 'sorry' is going cut it?!" Sudo snapped back as he yelled into my ear. But I didn't really mind it all that much. After all, I was used to being screamed at by Kacchan on a daily basis and while him acting a bit like him caught me off guard for a little while, I'm used to it again.

"Of course, just saying 'sorry' isn't going to be enough. If I were in her shoes and that was all you said to me, I'd definitely still not like you after that." I replied honestly as Sudo was caught off guard by it.

"Y-You know you don't have to be so blunt about it." Sudo replied with a face that was surely a bit annoyed. But I wasn't finished.

"That's why you're going to tell her exactly what you told me. If you tell her that, then I'm sure she'll forgive you." I replied as I was genuinely sure of myself. After all, Horikita is my friend, and I knew the type of person she is. She's very considerate of others even if it doesn't seem like it most of the time. But if my tenure at AN has taught me anything about her, then it was that she was undoubtably a good person. But even then-

'… You really are a good person.' I was sure of that since the day I learned her name. That's why I can say with certainty that she'll forgive Sudo as long as he gives her a genuine apology. But even though I was convinced of that, Sudo on the other hand-

"I don't know… the way's she been lookin at me lately… she's definitely been holdin a grudge." Sudo replied as his accent reverted back to using Kansai. (In fact, it seemed like whenever Sudo was nervous he would slur his words on instinct) I then thought back to every time that he and Horikita had looked at each other only for the latter to give him a look of utter disgust before looking away from him. For that reason, he wasn't completely convinced. But I had no idea about that, so I didn't know. But even still I was sure of myself!

"Oh, come on. I mean she's a bit aloof. But once you get to know her, she's very friendly! That's why I'm sure she'll come around." I replied with what was surely a smile on my face as I recalled the time I spent with Horikita throughout these few months. But even still, Sudo wasn't convinced.

"I-I… hope you're right." Sudo replied as he accepted this and looked toward the ground out of regret over how things have turned out. Horikita had done so much for him, sacrificed so many of her points to save him from expulsion, fought for his sake when everyone was convinced, he was nothing more hooligan who loved beating the shit out of people, and was overall very easy on the eyes. Sudo didn't want to admit it out of fear of being rejected but he had feelings for her, feelings that have only made him regret his actions all the more. But before he knew it-

"Horikita, mind coming over there for a second?" I whispered to Horikita who was already finished packing up her things and reading a book in her hands. She then looked up to see me and smiled.

"Midoriya and…" Horikita replied only to stop speaking upon noticing Sudo as a look of utter disgust formed onto her face. I was so surprised that my eyes shot wide open, and my jaw dropped to the ground.

"Hey? Was that what you meant by when you said she was still holding a grudge?!" I whispered in Sudo's ear with a look of surprise on my face.

"No shit sherlock." Sudo whispered back with a face that showcased nothing but aggravation. But not long after that, I managed to convince Horikita to accompany us away from the campsite. Unbeknownst to me, someone from our class noticed me, Sudo, and Horikita walking away and discreetly followed us.

"…" Sudo stood in place like a stone statue as he didn't move an inch as he looked at Horikita. In the midst of that, Horikita was looking back at him as she wondered what this was about. As for me, I was right behind Sudo while whispering 'you got this!' As I proceeded to slap him on the back out of encouragement. However, the result was-

'Bam.' Sudo falling face first onto the ground. I blinked my eyes with a smile for a few seconds until-

"Are you okay?!" I yelled out with a face that was surely full of worry and concern for Sudo. He then leaped off the ground and confronted me. It was at that moment I realized that he was pissed.

"Why the hell did you slap me so hard you nerd?!" Sudo snapped back as he gripped the neckline of my tracksuit before pulling me back and forth out of anger. Meanwhile I-

'H-How did that happen?! I just slapped him on the back! He shouldn't have fallen like that! I wasn't even using all that much strength! D-Do I seriously not know how to control my strength?!' I thought internally with a face that was without a shadow of a doubt utterly dumbfounded. But then…

"Ahem." Horikita coughed as Sudo stopped shaking me around like a ragdoll and looked back at Horikita. But after being shaken so much I was kind of dizzy, so I ended up stumbling around for a bit after that.

"So, do you have anything to say to me? If not, then this was a total waste of time. But if you do have something to say then just spit it out already." Horikita spoke bluntly as she crossed her arms with an annoyed look on her face that made it crystal clear that she was displeased by this and more specifically Sudo. Sudo might be a bit of an idiot but even he knew how Horikita felt about him. That's why he wanted to change things between him and her. And the first thing to do was-

"Horikita, I'm sorry. I know that you don't like me ever since what I said about your brother. In fact, you probably hate my guts. I really wouldn't blame you for that. That's why I'm really really sorry about saying what I said about your brother… and making you cry like that. It's unforgiveable… I know that. But even still… I… don't want that. I don't want you to hate me. Is there anything, anything at all, I can do to not make you think I'm some bastard?" Sudo admitted as I looked at him with what was surely an astonished look on my face.

Horikita had the same look as she was genuinely surprised by Sudo's confession. Silence went on for a few more seconds as Sudo stood there and awaited what he was sure was going to be Horikita not forgiving him. But to his utmost surprise-

"… Since when did I say I hated you?" Horikita asked as Sudo's eyes shot wide open as his fears vanished without a trace as he looked back at her as she had a confused look on her face.

"S-So all this time y-you didn't hate me for what I said?!" Sudo yelled out with a face that was utterly dumbfounded as Horikita nodded.

"Of course I didn't hate you. How could I hate someone who was almost convicted of a crime he didn't commit? Like you, I was frustrated. I didn't mean to say what I said. I was just… hurting. I didn't want my brother to go to prison. So, I took out all that anger on you. I mean don't get me wrong, what you said made me dislike you. But 'hate?' No. In fact, I don't want to hate anyone. What good has hating someone done for anyone?" Horikita replied with genuine honesty as Sudo was taken aback by her words.

But ultimately Sudo stared back at the ground after realizing that Horikita didn't like him even though he liked her. He might not have confessed his feelings to her. But in this moment, he thought 'I might as well have gotten rejected.' He was heartbroken and he didn't want to see the girl he had a crush on with such a pathetic look on his face. That's why he chose to stare at the ground. But then…

"However, that was before you admitted all of that to me. And after hearing it… I don't dislike you anymore. But don't get the wrong idea, I don't particularly like you either. I'm simply indifferent. So, if you really want to make it up to me, then this is a good start. Keep it up and perhaps… I might view you differently in the future." Horikita admitted with her usual stoic look on her face and a tone of voice that matched it. But even though it was her usual way of interacting with people, Sudo was surprised by it all. But more than that…

… He was relieved to see that Horikita didn't hate him.

"Horikita." I muttered with a smile on my face as I looked back at her with was surely an expression of awe as I knew she would come around in the end. As for Sudo-

"Yeah. Mark my words, by the end of graduation… no. By the end of our freshman year, I will make sure that I you think of me differently." Sudo replied as he said that vow out loud for both me and Horikita to hear. I was speechless and couldn't say a word. Horikita was the same for a few seconds until-

"I don't know. I'd say I'm pretty stubborn. It's going to take a lot for me to change how I view someone. So, don't get your hopes up. See you around." Horikita replied as she walked back to the campsite while Sudo looked back at her with conviction in his eyes. For a while his confidence was at an all-time low. But now after hearing that Horikita doesn't hate him, that means he actually has a chance to change things in the future. And who knows? Perhaps she'll feel the same way about him in the end. Because just like Horikita-

"Yeah, I realized that. But… I'm pretty stubborn too." Sudo muttered to himself with a smile on his face as he stood firmly. Ken Sudo was just a human. He didn't have any superpowers. But so was Suzune Horikita. Humans are prone to saying stuff they don't mean from time to time and going as far to hurt each other. There is a chance that Sudo might end up failing, he is only human after all. But even still, he's going to give his best shot, so he won't have any regrets at the end of it all.

"Midoriya." Sudo spoke only for my eyes to go wide as I was caught off guard by it and almost jumped out of my skin.

"Y-Yeah?" I yelled out with what was surely a surprised look on my face. But unbeknownst to me, Sudo took my surprise differently.

'Was he looking back at her this whole time, like I was? Could it mean… that he feels the same way that I feel about her? … There's a chance considering how much time they spend together. A part of me thought for sure that he liked Sakura but for all I know he might genuinely like Horikita. After all, I remember him not denying what that girl said the other day. But even if that's the case…' Sudo thought internally before taking a step forward to close the gap between him and Midoriya. And then…

"Thank you for everything. I really mean it. I couldn't have done any of this if you didn't help me find my resolve to say what I said. But not just that. You bailed me out of having to leave this school twice. You've done so much for me even though I don't really deserve it. So, if you ever need any help with something, anything at all, just name it. Cause I owe you one now." Sudo admitted with a genuine smile on his face as he extended his fist toward me. I looked back at him with a smile of my own before-

"Yeah. Sounds good to me." I replied before fist bumping him. We stood like that for a few minutes with our fists touching each other until I came to a sudden realization.

"Wait… so are we friends now?" I asked with what was surely a curious look on my face but this made Sudo roll his eyes.

"I guess. But you're still a nerd." Sudo replied with an annoyed look on my face as I looked back at the ground and muttered 'aw man.' With what was surely a look of disappointment. But then, I heard-

'Haha.' Laughter coming from a certain direction. And from the looks of it, there was someone behind a tree. Sudo recognized this too.

"Who's there?! Show yourself damn it!" Sudo yelled out with a pissed off expression on his face. The person who laughed then revealed himself as my eyes went wide as I recognized him instantly. He was one of my classmates, after all. His name was-

"I-Ike? What are you doing here?" I spoke with what was most certainly a dumbfounded look on my face as I didn't see this coming from a mile away. However, Sudo wasn't all too surprised as it seemed like he expected this from his expression alone.

"I heard you and Horikita chatting. I then noticed all three of you going into the woods so I thought I might as well tag along. I mean who wouldn't want a front row seat at seeing Sudo getting hopelessly rejected? Haha." Ike replied with a laugh as I heard Sudo mutter 'You ass.' Which only incurred more laughter from Ike. But I was surprised by Ike's wording. Specifically, the part about being 'rejected.' Because this word has multiple meanings. But the one it's most known for in this situation is… OH MY GOD!

"Sudo? Do you have a crush on- I replied but Sudo covered my mouth before I could finish.

"Not another word or I will kill you." Sudo replied as he glared daggers into my eyes as I was instinctively reminded of Kacchan. He even said he was going to kill me just like he did! OH NO!

"Wait, did you seriously not realize that he had a crush on 'you know who' for a while now? No offense, but are you seriously this dense?" Ike asked with a smirk on his face. But I couldn't respond as Sudo's hand was still covering my mouth completely. So, I chose to nod in response.

"Man, you really do have some stiff competition here. And from the looks of it, he might have already stolen her heart." Ike whispered into Sudo's ears as I didn't hear a thing, but I saw the latter's eyes twitch out of anger.

"You know you really are an asshole; you know that?" Sudo replied with a smile as he closed his eyes as his words went completely against what he was saying to the point that I realized he was really angry!

"I know. But I'm just messing with you dude. To be honest, I really hope you win. Plus, if you get 'you know who' to be your girlfriend then me and my future babe can go on double dates together. Man, that would be a ton of fun." Ike admitted with a smile on his face as Sudo smiled back before leaving the scene. But before I could join him, Ike stopped me by placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Wait a minute, Midoriya. I have something that I've been meaning to get off my chest for a while too." Ike spoke as I turned around to face him.

"Go on." I replied with a smile on my face as Ike nodded. A few seconds passed by of nothing but silence until-

"The truth is… I'm sorry for what I said before. You know, during introductions?" Ike replied as I thought back on what he said. Man, that felt like so long ago. But if I remember correctly-

'Anyway, I'm glad you're pretty plain looking and have such an awful haircut. That means you won't be hurting my chances with the ladies. That's right. The applications are still open for whoever wants to be my girlfriend, free of charge.' Yeah, that sounds about right.

"You said that, right?" I asked as I repeated back his exact words with a smile on my face much to Ike's displeasure.

"Y-You know, you didn't have to say what I said word for word back to me." Ike replied with a bit of an embarrassed look on his face as I realized my mistake. I replied with a 'Sorry about that.'

"You don't have to be sorry. I was an asshole and if I'm being honest with myself, I still am. But I just want you to know that I feel bad about it. That and… um… want to be friends?" Ike asked with a bit of a nervous look on his face as he sounded a bit awkward at the end. But even still I-

"Sure." I replied with a smile on my face while closing my eyes.

"W-Wait just like that?" Ike asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah. I'd like to be friends with you too. So, tell me a bit about yourself if you don't mind?" I asked while maintaining a reassuring smile on my face. But this surprised Ike as he contemplated what to say next until-

"Well… I like camping. Me and my folks used to camp all the time, so I really don't mind being on this island. In fact, it's a breath of fresh air after being in that classroom for so long. But it's kind of a weird hobby, right? I mean… if I told a girl that she'd probably think I'm a weirdo." Ike admitted while he divulged his hobby to me. But I disagreed with him.

"There's nothing weird about it. To be honest, I never really got to camp all that much since my mom had multiple jobs, so she really didn't have any time to take me out camping." I admitted with a smile as I thought back to my childhood. Sure, it wasn't the greatest, and we couldn't afford many things, which forced us to live in a cramped apartment. But I didn't mind that, as long as she was around, I was happy.

"Really? Wat about your dad?" Ike asked as my smile vanished while thinking back to my dad. A man who abandoned his family. I didn't want to think about such a horrible man. Ike noticed the look on my face.

"Crap. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring back any painful memories." Ike apologized as his smile vanished too. I noticed that and-

"It's okay. It's all in the past. But if you want to make it up to me… maybe show me how to pitch a tent? I've been struggling with that." I replied honestly but my words incurred a laugh from Ike as I gave him a confused stare with a smile. And then…

"Sorry, I couldn't help but laugh. A word of advice, don't go around saying 'Help me pitch a tent' to other people because that has multiple meanings." Ike replied with a smile on his face as I tilted my head out of confusion since I had no clue what other meaning that 'Pitch a tent' could possibly have. But before I could ask him about it-

"But yeah, sure. It's actually pretty easy, so I'll show you how to do it once we get to our new spot. Anyway, I got to grab some firewood since we're out. You can go back to the campsite in the meantime." Ike finished as I did just that and vanished from the scene. Ike then went a bit deeper into the woods until he found a river and out of curiosity, he checked it out.

'Man, how did I not notice this before? We could have had fish the other night. Oh well.' Ike thought internally until he heard some footsteps approaching him. He deduced that it could have only been Midoriya.

"Midori-oh. You must be from one of the other classes. Sorry, I thought you were someone else for a minute. But don't worry we're leaving so just give us a few more minutes." Ike replied as he noticed a person who he had never seen before and turned back around to face the river after hearing a fish swim. However, the footsteps didn't stop as the man approached him further.

"Hey. I told you that we'd be done in a few- Ike repeated himself with annoyance in his voice and a face that matched it but before he could finish-

'Stab.' He was stabbed. Ike's eyes shot wide open as he felt the knife go through his chest and pierce something important. He wanted nothing more than to scream bloody murder, but his mouth was being covered by the man as he prevented Ike from doing so. All the man named Kanji Ike could do was stare back at the man who was killing him, the latter of which had lifeless eyes. But it didn't take long for Ike's eyes to become just like the man's eyes as his life was extinguished.

'Bam.' Ike collapsed onto the ground as his blood oozed from the gaping wound in his chest as the killer stood above him with the knife in his hands before licking the blood off of the blade. It was then that the killer heard footsteps as something monstrous approached him. It was someone that the killer was instinctively familiar with.

"Make sure he gets back to the Doctor in one piece. Also don't allow him to lose any more blood. I need as much of his blood if I want to keep up this charade." The Killer declared as his appearance changed completely until he looked utterly identical to Ike. The monstrous creature named 'Nomu' nodded with a truly horrific smile on their face before taking Ike's corpse and vanishing from the scene. But it was then that the Killer heard footsteps once more as he made sure to wash the blood off of him and discard the knife into the river. The footsteps came from-

"Ike. Are you alright?" I asked upon noticing Ike bent down near the river. He then stood up before turning to face me. And then…

"Yeah. Better than ever!" Ike replied as he smiled back at me. Unbeknownst to me, that man was not Ike. The real Kanji Ike was killed by this imposter pretending to be him. It would be a long time until I learned that fact. But when I did…

… It would shock me to the core.

To Be Continued…

Next Chapter: Suzune Horikita: Origin

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