In Izuku Midoriya's Room
6:00 PM
"...So...let me get this straight," Izuku said slowly, "...Katara...is...not from here...on Earth..."
"Um...yes," said Toshinori's voice from Izuku's phone.
"Uh, yeah, that's...correct," Katara's voice also came through a little sheepishly.
"...Okay...and Katara is from...a planet that can bend all four elements, water, earth, fire, and air?"
"...Yep," Katara answered on the other line.
"...Alright...and...Katara is here because...the moon spirit in her world, whom she knows, which controls...her waterbending, which isn't a Quirk, but it is something that she was born with, gave her another life here in...our world, while her other version of herself is in a comatose state after saving her friend from a lightning strike to her heart...is...that what I'm getting at?"
"...Y-Yeah..." Katara's voice sounded a little embarrassed at the moment.
"..." Izuku sat there stunned, trying to process all this.
"...Now, Y-Young Midoriya," Toshinori began to say, "I know this sounds a little...bizarre, but-"
"I don't think bizarre takes the cake, All Might," Izuku said in monotonous hyperbole.
"Either way! Someone I know, who knows my secret, has found her near the beach where you trained yourself at! You know, Takoba Beach?"
"...Yes..." Izuku just sounded tired.
"Look, Midoriya, All Might is telling the truth," Katara told him through the phone, "I know this all sounds really...really out there, and I would agree, it's just...well, All Might said you ate his hair, and you got his Quirk, that in itself is bizarre, wouldn't you agree?"
"..." Izuku sighed, "...I'm just...trying to process all of this."
"Okay, that's fine! Just...take your time..." Toshinori told him, "...Th-This really happened, by the way!"
"Toshi, just give him some room to think."
"Y-Yes, ma'am."
Taking a deep breath, Izuku just sat there for a moment to let everything settle in...he then said, "So...you're housing an alien, All Might?"
"...Kind of?"
"Wait, so...you believe us, right?" Katara asked him hopefully.
"...Honestly, I ate a hair that lets All Might's Quirk DNA inside of me, I beat Kacchan today, I'm in UA, and most of all, I would think this isn't the weirdest thing I ever heard, since all of humankind here are born with strange powers..."
"...Wait, so...you believe us?" Toshinori asked him.
"...I kind of do...I mean, maybe?" Izuku rubbed his head with his hand through his green locks, "I mean, you're not really one to make up stories, All Might, and Katara seems like a nice girl to make something up like this."
"Oh, um...thanks Midoriya," Katara said gratefully.
"Um, yeah, I...I mean, if my performance as a teacher at school was anything to go by, I'm not that good of an actor," Toshinori said.
"Oh come on, Toshi, you did really well!"
"I appreciate the praise, Katara, but I just felt a little...stiff while I was teaching."
"Um, anyways," Midoriya said to get back on topic, "Okay, so...Katara is from a different world, you're keeping her until then, All Might, and...I have to keep all of this a secret?"
"Well...yeah, if you...you know, if you can," Toshinori said, "Like you keeping my secret as well! I mean, same thing, right?"
"Please, Midoriya? I know this all seems really outlandish, but...well, Toshinori wouldn't be telling me that he was All Might for a reason! Really, just keep calling me by the name Yagi from now on if you can! I'm related to Yagi Toshinori, even though I'm not...I mean, I just...y-you know, just try to lie! I know that sounds bad, but try to lie!"
"..." Izuku pinched the bridge of his nose, "...First of all, I'm a little jealous that you're staying with All Might of all people."
"Um...I-I'm sorry?" Katara said in slight confusion.
Sighing, Izuku continued, "It's no problem. Secondly, I'll try to lie about the situation you're in, Kat-...uh, Yagi. I'm not the best liar in the world, so keeping two secrets is going to be hard."
"Well...just try as best as you can, Midoriya. I think the rest of the UA staff knows, right Toshi?"
"Wait, say what now?" Izuku blinked at that.
"Uh, w-well, yeah, but...some were a little skeptical. But most of them went along with it, like Aizawa!" Toshinori confirmed.
"Yeah, that I found out."
"W-Wait! Even Aizawa-sensei knows!?" Izuku asked in shock.
"Um, well, yes," Toshinori answered, "They also know the whole, um…'me being in a bad shape' deal. Thus they know my real form."
"...O-Okay..." Izuku blinked again.
"Uh, yeah, so...I mean, you might need to not let Aizawa and the staff know about you...knowing that I'm not from here, and knowing about Toshi's condition...w-we don't want to make things too complicated, right?"
"...As if this isn't complicated enough?"
"Oh come on, you know what I mean!"
"Um, look, Young Midoriya, simply put, we just got to play along with all of this secrecy! You don't talk about my damaged state, my identity, and One For All, and you also don't talk about Katara's situation, where she's from, and don't make her the center of attention to any Villains and the classmates out there!"
"Wait, what's that last part?" Katara asked Toshinori.
"Uh...not gathering any attention from your classmates?"
"...No, Toshi, you know what I mean. The part before that."
"...Where you're from?"
"Toshi!"
"Uhhh...I...um-"
"Wait, that's right, All Might! You might put Katara in danger if word got out you're All Might and you're letting her stay there with you!" Izuku said suddenly, the realization hitting him.
"H-Hey! Now, hold on! It won't come to that, believe me!"
"Huh? Wait a moment, I can take care of myself!" Katara countered.
"Wha? I mean, well...these Villains that will try to go for me are pretty ruthless, Katara."
"What Villains? You can handle them, and so can I if it comes to that. Besides, I thought All For On-"
"ANYWAYS!"
"Ack!"
"Uh...just...try to act normal tomorrow at UA, okay, Young Midoriya?"
"...Uh..." Izuku blinked a third time. "...Okay."
"Good! Okay then, well, we'll see ya tomorrow!"
"Wha, Tosh-"
And then All Might hung up.
...Izuku looked at his phone for a moment after All Might hung up on the other line.
"...Definitely a lot more bizarre than eating a hair."
Back at Toshinori's Place
"Toshi! What was that all about!?" Katara exclaimed.
"Uh, s-sorry, Katara, I just...well...I-I don't want Young Midoriya to know about...him, as of...yet."
Katara blinked, "Really? But why? He's gone right?"
"Uh, yeah, but...I mean..." Toshinori's brows furrowed, his face turning serious, "...Honestly, Katara, I don't know if he'll ever be gone. Some cases he haunts a lot of Heroes dreams, including mine...I just don't want Young Midoriya to know a man like him even exists, as well as knowing the truth behind One For All just yet."
Katara frowned, looking at Toshinori in concern and pity, "Oh...I'm...I'm sorry, Toshi."
"...Nah. Don't worry about it, Katara," Toshinori said, lifting his hand to pat the top of Katara's head, "I, as well as any other Hero, can only move on and let people know that we as Heroes can keep the public safe from anyone that wants to do harm to others."
Katara smiled and added, "To let them know that you and any other Hero are there for them. Like you're saying 'I am here'."
Toshinori smiled back. "Yes...Yes, indeed." Letting go the top of Katara's head, he also added, "Well, Little Lady, we told Young Midoriya about your situation and whatnot. I just only hope Midoriya will follow through with our pleas and commands."
Katara giggled, "Honestly? I think he'll do fine. He may have sounded a little skeptical, but I think he was slowly beginning to believe us."
"Heh. I can only hope so," Toshinori claimed with a smile, "Until then, Katara, I think I'll let you do your homework now. Unless you want me to help you with some of the problems?"
"Ah, nah, I got this in the bag," Katara waved him off, "Thanks either way!"
Toshinori chuckled, "No problem, Little Lady."
Katara's Room
8:00 PM
After finishing her homework (she was getting good at answering the questions), Katara decided to get to bed early to start another day at UA tomorrow. Bidding Toshinori goodnight, she went up to her room, changed into her night clothes, and got into her bed. As she lay there in her bed, she recalled her second day at UA, meeting and exchanging conversations with the students. To Midoriya, to Ochako and the girls, to Iida, to that jerk Bakugou even...
And then to Todoroki...
...That Todoroki guy sure is an odd one...
...
...
...He actually reminds me of...
...Katara frowns at remembering who she left behind, as well as the others...
...I can only hope he's doing okay...along with everyone else...
...She then went to sleep...
...Katara was floating...
Floating in the vast darkness...
Glancing around the empty space, Katara wondered what this dream would entail...if she is dreaming, that is.
"Um...hello?" she called out.
Then, an image materialized, a large, stark white, and round entity that was in front of Katara. She instantly recognized what, or better yet, who it was.
"Yue!?"
"Yes, Katara. It's me."
Yue's image began to materialize in front of the moon, but this time, she looked to be the size of the moon, dwarfing Katara. She smiled down at the waterbender and announced, "Hello, Katara. It's been a while."
"Yue? Then...wait, does that mean..." Katara's eyes went wide, "A-...Am I...Am I going back to my-"
"No, not yet," Yue told her.
"Oh...o-okay," For some odd reason, Katara felt...relieved?
"As of right now, though, I just wanted to tell you a slight difference in your bending. You must've realized how your bloodbending worked without the moon and how it didn't work while you and your friend were facing that Bakugou character."
"Oh, uh...you saw all that? You know their names?" Katara asked her in surprise.
Yue giggled, "Being a Spirit has its...well, I guess I should say 'Quirk' depending on the situation you're in."
Katara couldn't help but laugh at that pun.
"Haha!" Katara laughed, "Wow, Yue, that was a good one."
"Thank you! But yes, I see your time with the inhabitants of this world...you must really enjoy being around them." Yue said with a tender tone.
"Oh, well, I...yeah! I mean, I go to school for once, I got friends, real gal friends, and the people here are actually really friendly, including Toshi! Oh, do you happen to know about Toshi? He's like a big superhero called All Might!"
Yue chuckled, "Yes, I saw All Might. It seems you're getting along with him and everyone else just fine."
"Yeah..." Katara then quickly added, "But, yeah! Can I ask how Zuko, Sokka, Aang, and everyone else are doing?"
Smiling at her mentioning her friends and family, Yue answered, "Believe it or not, as your eleventh month has passed in this world, it has only been eleven days that passed by back in our world. The passage of time works as months from this world would be the equivalent of days."
"Really?" Katara blinked, "Wow...so...time goes faster here in this world?"
"It's...a cosmos thing. It's kind of hard to explain," Yue said a little sheepishly.
"...Um...okay," Katara raised an eyebrow at that.
"Either way, your friends and family are setting things straight back at our world. Aang and Toph are searching for more airbenders-"
"Wait, what!?" Katara shouted in shock. "Looking for more airbenders!? You mean...some have survived!?"
Chuckling, Yue said, "Yes. But only their descendants. There are more that are in hiding because of the war."
"That's...That's great!" Katara exclaimed with a smile, "Then, that means Aang won't be alone anymore! He has his people back! Oh that's wonderful news, Yue!"
"Yes, indeed it is." Yue nodded with a smile, "And also, Sokka and Suki, along with your father, members of the White Lotus, and Iroh are helping out with rebuilding efforts to the Earth Kingdom and soon the Water Tribes if things are in working order. Lastly, Zuko is crowned as the new Fire Lord."
Katara smiled at that last part. "Oh that's great...is...is Zuko doing alright?"
"He is doing fine...although, he feels guilty at times for your circumstances."
Frowning, Katara told Yue, "He shouldn't...like I said, I'd do it again if I had to."
Yue smiled warmly, "That's what I said to him. Although, he still blames himself...he waits for your return."
Blushing a little, Katara glanced down to hide her features, "I...I will...I will return...just...not now."
"Yes...not now." Yue nodded, "But back to the subject at hand, your bloodbending."
Katara looked back up at Yue and straightened, listening to her friend.
"The reason why your bloodbending didn't work against Bakugou while you were in that building was because...well, first of all, you were not outside for the moon and sun to fuel your bloodbending."
"Wait...the moon and the sun?" Katara asked her curiously. "But...I understand the moon gives my bloodbending a boost in power, but...why the sun?"
"Simply put, the moon and sun here in this world are different from ours. While I am the moon, and you get your power from me only, the moon here is different, much like the sun in this world. And since I am not present in this world, as I'm only present in your dreams, the moon and the sun here substitute for our moon. However, since you are not limited to the moon in our world, you can bloodbend whenever you can. So the moon and the sun here is your power to bloodbend."
"Oh...so, I can bloodbend anytime?" Katara asked, a little wary.
"Yes. But there is a difference between the sun and moon here with the moon back in our world. While our moon controls bloodbending, the sun here can control bloodbending as well. However, the moon here amplifies that power to an extreme, whereas the sun here is the same as our moon. So you can freely bend blood at any time...almost."
"Almost?"
"Yes. Which leads to the second thing: Like I said, you were not outside of the building to use your bloodbending. In other words, you can't use your bloodbending when natural light and moonlight doesn't shine on you."
"Oh...so...that was why I couldn't control Bakugou's blood that time? I was just in a building where no natural light was on me?"
"Correct."
"...Wow. Tsuyu was right."
Yue giggled, "You certainly made some smart new friends."
"Heh...yeah," Katara smiled, "Wow. Okay then...so, I need to have natural sun and moonlight on me to bend blood...got it."
Giving her a sympathetic look, Yue asked, "You're still a little wary of using bloodbending, aren't you Katara?"
"...I'm not gonna lie, I kind of am. But...I could use my bloodbending for good, I think..." Katara looked down at her hands, "...I don't want whatever form of waterbending to be evil..."
"Katara...bloodbending can be a good tool as well. You could use it for medical procedures and cleansing toxins from blood."
Katara looked up at Yue in surprise. "What?"
"Yes. There is no bad or evil form of bending. That's just not true. Bending is bending. You could either use it to fight or help. And you helped that Midoriya boy from almost being attacked by Bakugou by controlling Bakugou's blood. And you even used your waterbending to help others, so why would bloodbending be any different?"
"...I..." Katara thought about that. "...Wow...you...make a good point, Yue."
Yue smiled, "Don't be afraid to use bloodbending whenever you can. However, you need to fully adapt to it and control it fully so you can grasp it. I understand it can be a foreign and scary concept, but...you may need to use it in this world at times."
"...I..." Katara sighed, "...I understand. I'll...try."
"And that's all I ask from you. To try." Yue nodded. "Now, I think our time is up."
"Really?" Katara blinked, "But...you just got here?"
Chuckling, Yue said, "Don't worry, Katara, there will be times when we will talk again. We will meet again in the realm of dreams."
Katara looked a little crestfallen, but understood, "Okay...just...tell them all I said 'hi', okay?"
"I will...do good out there, Katara...we will meet again."
7:00 AM
Katara's eyes opened casually...and soon realized that it was morning outside of her window. Glancing at the sunlight that was emitting through the window, she mumbled, "Huh...wow...that was quick."
She got up and out of her bed to get dressed for school. Once she did, she made her way downstairs and saw that Toshinori left a note on the counter with breakfast for her. Thankful for Toshi's thoughtfulness, she ate up and made her way to the train to get to UA.
Once she was at the train station and waiting for it, she started to wonder what she and her classmates were going to do today...
...Glancing to her left, she glanced in that direction to see...
...A young man with a hetero red and white two-toned colored hair standing a little ways next to Katara.
Blinking at this sudden and odd turn of events, Katara muttered, "Todoroki?"
Todoroki glanced to his right at Katara, his expression turning a little surprised for a second, but went right back to being stoic. "Oh...uh, hey, Yagi."
"Uh...hey."
...The train arrived just in time.
Once the doors opened, Katara went in, followed by Todoroki. Once inside, she turned to Todoroki and asked him, "Um...didn't know you lived around here."
"Hm?" Todoroki blinked, "Oh...um...yeah. My place is...uh, little ways...back there." he awkwardly said as he pointed his thumb with his left hand to his left.
"Ah. Okay then..." Katara then sat on one of the seats on the train and held onto one of the bars to steady herself when the train moved.
Todoroki just stood in place and grabbed a loop handle to steady himself as well. He was standing a little ways from Katara...
Soon, the train moved and went toward their destination.
...Katara sat there, while Todoroki stood there...
"...So...what do you think we'll learn at school today?" Katara asked Todoroki.
Todoroki glanced at Katara, "Hm? Um...I don't know. Maybe more Hero training?"
"Oh...well, I was hoping I could touch up more on my English! English is a very interesting language..."
"Hm...yeah, it kind of is..."
...They remained silent as the train kept going...
"...Hey," said Todoroki.
"Huh?" Katara looked up at him.
"...I...I didn't finish what I said back at UA yesterday. It was about...my Quirk..."
"Oh! Uh, yeah..." Katara remembered.
"...It's...Ice and Hot...or Hot and Cold...either one describes what my Quirk is," Todoroki explained.
"Oh...so...your quirk is a mixture of...Ice and...wait, can you do Fire?"
"..." Todoroki looked to the other side, his right, glancing out the window of the train.
Blinking at his inability to answer, Katara asked him, "Um...can you do...warm...stuff?"
"...Yeah," Todoroki mumbled.
"...Okay..." Wondering why Todoroki was acting the way he is, Katara decided to just let it go and wait for the train to reach their destination.
...The ride was silent once again...
...Todoroki then spoke out, "I'm not really here at UA to make friends, alright?"
Katara looked up at Todoroki, "Huh?"
"...I'm at UA for one thing...to be the Number One Hero in the Hero Charts..." then, a faint and distant mumble, "without his fire."
She couldn't quite hear that last part, but she did want to ask him, "To be...the Number One Hero? You mean, like...All Might?"
"...Yeah. Exactly," Todoroki mumbled.
...Katara sat there quietly, letting the words ring in her head...until she decided to ask him, "That...can't be all that you're shooting for...is it?"
"..." Todoroki shifted his eyes at Katara, "Of course not. I want to help people..."
She looked up at Todoroki to see if he somehow meant that...
...Seeing his face, his gaze at her, his eyes, a mixture of cold and...pain?
Pain?
Then there was the scar on the left side of his face...
...Zuko...
Todoroki fully turned his attention to Katara, "Zu...ko?"
Eyes widened in shock, Katara froze.
Oh crap. Did I say that out loud!?
"Um...y-you reminded me of someone I know!" Katara made the (true) excuse.
Todoroki stared at Katara...
"...Oh..." shifting awkwardly in his stance, Todoroki just stood there, his gaze not on Katara anymore.
Katara sat there in silence...
...Great. Way to creep out a classmate of yours, Katara...but...his eyes did carry some sort of...pain in them. They were almost like...like Zuko's...back at Ba Sing Se...
They waited for about five minutes until they reached UA...
Once the train stopped, Katara got up from her seat, and waited for the doors to open...
...Todoroki then spoke, "Hey, um..."
"Hm?" Katara looked at him.
"...I do want to help people," Todoroki said without looking at her. With that, he walked out of the train.
Blinking at his statement, Katara stood there confused...until she realized that she was on a train, and snapped out of it. She rushed out of the train before the doors closed. Relieved that she hadn't made that mistake, she looked on at the retreating form of Todoroki, walking off down the stairs out of the train station.
...Todoroki is...sort of a mystery…
Either way, Katara followed suit, going on her route to UA...
End of Chapter 18
Ugh...okay. So first off, I'm so sorry for this short chapter everyone. I'm trying so hard to update fast, and I got so many stories, that it gets hard for me to get to every one of them. D8 I'm really trying folks, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I know it's short, but I got to think of my other stories, you know? I'm trying to update at least three to four times a month, and so far, I'm in the middle of this month and this is my second update for this month. Don't worry, I'm getting to the ones that are hanging by a ledge to be updated, I just want people to know that I'm still here and writing these stories! :O
But yeah, got the whole 'Midoriya knows that Katara is from another world' stuff out of the way! Now I'm going to focus on the UA stuff from here on in! :D Believe me, we will get to the USJ Incident soon! Just got to get past the whole Class Representative Arc and we'll get going! ;D
Until then, I really hope this chapter was worth some wait. :( Please tell me what you all think regardless! Leave me a review, fave, and a follow! I'll get back to this, no worries! More will come! :O
Thank you all for reading and keep on rocking everybody! :D
-TSP
