Hello all, I hope that first chapter was enough to get you interested. I have to admit to being quite greedy. As I'm sure you've noted at this point, this crossover is with far more than just BNA. There were multiple characters I wanted to explore with the use of the world of My Hero Academia and instead of giving them each their own story, I wanted to weave them all together. I have no idea if I'm up to the task, especially given I know where I'm going with it all but barring some horrible life changing event, I intend to see it to its end. Please enjoy.
(X)
UA High School was widely considered the preeminent school for training heroes in Japan, if not all of eastern Asia. Its halls had seen many of the countries top heroes come though its halls over the years, including the very symbol of peace himself, All Might. Such prestige didn't come with taking breaks just because students were off for their summer break, however. So it was that the school's most illustrious graduate, now a teacher at his alma mater, found himself sitting across from the school's principal, reviewing lesson plans.
Nezu, one of the world's only animals to have expressed a quirk, one of extreme intelligence, appeared to be some odd cross between a bear and a mouse. Dressed in his traditional black double-breasted waistcoat and pants, he sat reading over All Might's proposed plans as he sipped from a cup of tea. The great hero himself to all appearances hardly gave the impression of the nation's top hero. No, Yagi Toshinori instead looked much like a shadow of a person. He was gaunt, eyes sunken and looked like a stiff breeze would knock him clean out of his chair. He appeared to be swimming in the yellow pin-striped suit he wore, an outfit he favored while teaching. The great hero sat nervously, fidgeting with his thumbs in front of the principal, knowing his past lesson plans often required revision. As the minutes ticked by, All Might's apprehension got the best of him, and he moved ask the principal's thoughts.
Before the question could pass by his lips however, the unknowable animal finished reading. Nezu raised his head as he took one more long sip of his tea, a content smile on his face. A sense of relief washed over the hero turned teacher as he sat back in his chair, the tension leaving his shoulders, now much more comfortable in asking "So the plans look alright, Principal?"
A warm smile graced the small white mammal's face as he jovially responded "Oh no, its awful! I was just enjoying the last of this wonderful tea!"
The emaciated man looked like he'd just been told someone shot his puppy as he hung his head in shame "I'm…sorry, Principal. I know I'm not nearly as experienced with this sort of thing as the rest of the faculty, but I will improve. Before long, none of my fellow teachers will worry about their student's education! Because..." leaping up, the skeleton of a man suddenly bulked up in a massive hulk of muscle, filling out his suit to the point of strain, a massive grin on his face "...I AM HERE!"
The bear-mouse remained entirely unfazed by the great hero's display of confidence, appearing quite placid, his hands folded on the desk before him. "Be that as it may, you're not there yet. Perhaps you should seek the help of another teacher this time?"
Deflated by his attempts to ease his boss's less than glowing appraisal, All Might literally deflated in a cloud of steam back into his shrunken state as he plopped back into his chair. "Oh? Another teacher? Who did you have in mind? Several are out with their classes for summer camp after all."
"Oh, I thought that perhaps Sanada-san would be able to give you a hand. He is one of our most experienced teachers after all and he has had to come up with some…unique lesson plans over the years. I'm sure he could lend a hand!" Nezu responded.
All Might raised an eyebrow "Sanada-san? Are you sure? I'd hate to bother him, after all, I-"
A knock at the door interrupted the symbol of peace as a muffled voice came through "I'm sorry to bother you Principal."
Cheerfully, Nezu rose his voice to be heard through the door "Ah, yes! Its quite alright, Luminaire! Please, please, come in!"
With that, the door opened and in stepped a middle-aged man of forty, arms kept behind his back as he came to stand beside the seated All Might. The new arrival had vibrant silver hair that flowed back from his forehead like a wave crashing just below his ears. He was of a slender build, accented by the three-piece blue suit he wore, the jacket of which continued to flow past his waist in back to the middle of his legs. He also wore a pure white scarf loosely around his neck, one long tail of which flowed over his right shoulder. There was a certain Victorian sensibility to the whole attire that gave a bit of flare to his otherwise business-like appearance. His expression was neutral, but his hazel eyes betrayed a kindness that shown through his otherwise serious demeanor. The lines under those eyes also spoke to his years of worry that were starting to add up.
After acknowledging All Might with a nod, which was returned, Luminaire regarded the principal "I'm sorry to bother the two of you. I wanted to let you know I just got off the phone with Kanzaki-san. She and two of my students are at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall and just witnessed a pillar of light."
All Might sat up in his chair upon hearing that, his beaty, sunken eyes widening a bit at the news. Nezu's demeanor took on a more serious note as he motioned for Luminaire to continue "She reports no panic from people, thankfully. Herself, Branford-san and Kusakabe-san were two floors up and are headed down to intercept the new arrival however."
Nezu nodded "Shall I contact the detective then, Luminaire-san?"
On hearing his hero name, the silver-haired man perched his lips, a hint of annoyance dancing across his features but just as quickly leaving them "Yes. If you could have him and his unit meet me there, I would greatly appreciate it, thank you."
The blonde-haired skeleton of a man interjected before Luminaire could turn to leave "Sanada-san, would you like me to come along? It's the least I could do."
Luminaire had already turned to leave but twisted his head back to reply, smiling and said, "Thank you All Might, but no. It doesn't sound like things are urgent." All Might moved to counter but was cut off "Besides, this is my responsibility, after all."
As the silver-haired man started to walk away, the symbol of peace was left feeling helpless, not because his offer had been turned down, but by just how hollow Luminaire's smile had been. As he opened the door, Luminaire called back just as Nezu was reaching for his cell phone "Also, principal, I would ask that once again, you stop using my hero name. Please, Sanada-san would be much more appropriate."
Pausing in his scrolling through his contacts, Nezu smirked as he replied "As long as you are still saving people, I will continue to use your hero name. Good luck, Luminaire-san." That last part said with as much sincerity as the little fuzzy mammal could muster.
Sanada's eyes narrowed as a scowl formed on his face "I wouldn't call it saving anyone…just cleaning up my own mess is all." With that, he exited the room, shutting the door a bit louder than was likely necessary.
As Nezu pressed Detective Naomasa's number on his phone and placed the device by his ear, All Might slumped his shoulders as he realized "I'm…not going to get his help any time soon, am I?"
Nezu wistfully chuckled "Oh goodness no! You know how he gets about his students. Oh! Hello Detective! I just heard from Sanada-san and…"
(X)
As he drove toward Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, Jun Sanada, formally the Lighting Fast Rescuer Luminaire, considered the situation. His other two students were off at martial arts training and would be there most of the day. He'd texted them to let them know what was going on and not moments later he'd heard back from Principal Nezu that Detective Naomasa was mobilizing his team via text as well. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, with the added bonus of actually having people at the arrival site, a first. It had never been so simple, but then again, the hard part was what came after. Jun clenched his hands on the steering wheel. This couldn't keep happening! If it took all he had left to give, Jun vowed that that no more lived would be ruined like the previous nine had.
It was times like these that Jun thought back to all the other poor souls ripped away from their lives. All because he had been a fool. All because he had let his quirk get stolen and his family destroyed. Slamming his fist on the steering wheel, the former hero fought back tears, trying to clear his mind and focus on the task at hand. His right hand still on the wheel, he gently felt the fabric of the scarf on his neck with the other, his trademark as a hero and a gift from his wife when they were still dating. Jun narrowed his eyes. All he could do was atone the best he could, to do right by those harmed by his failure.
The sound of his phone ringing brought Jun out of his thoughts. Kanzaki-san again? That wasn't a good sign. Tapping the speaker in his left ear, he answered "Everything ok Kanzaki-san?"
"Sanada-sensei! Theres another pillar!" came Hitomi's rather worried response.
"You mean after the first arrival, another one appeared there in the mall with someone else?" alarm starting to creep into his voice.
"Yes, I let Branford-san and Kusakabe-san head over. Its almost in the same exact spot as the last one…and the new girl followed after them."
"Wait, you let the new arrival go?"
Jun could hear a chuckle "She didn't really give me a chance to stop her, she just ran after them, saying she wanted to help. It didn't seem like she was going to take no for an answer."
The silver-haired teacher couldn't help but sigh "I suppose she could have turned out worse. Can you tell me what's going on now?"
After a grunting sound, Hitomi answered "Yes, I've just stepped up on a bench and can see what looks like another girl in her late teens or early twenties. The three of them are helping her up, everything looks fine."
Relief began to wash over Jun as the light he had been waiting at turned green "So no villains appearing or widespread panic in the streets? I dare say we've dodged a bullet if the worst thing to happen is we got two instead of one."
"Yes, but its pretty worrying in and of itself that there were two though. It's almost like he's trying to tell us something" came Hitomi's somber reply.
That was a good point, but still…"Perhaps, but that's not our priority right now, these two are. Did you get the name of the first one, and did you ask if she can use magic? Kanzaki-san?" Silence. "Kanzaki-san? You still there?"
After another prolonged silence, her answer finally came, grave and urgent "It happened again, Sanada-sensei...another pillar! Whatever came out of the light, it's not human! It's attacked the others! Get here as soon as you can, I need to help evacuate!"
Jun was left with the beeping of a disconnected line. Shit. Switching on his police dispatch radio, calls were already going out for units and heroes to be dispatched to the mall. Things had just gone from perfectly manageable to a complete mess. Short of him showing up, there wasn't much else that could happen at this point that would worry the former hero more than a public spectacle involving a lighter and people getting hurt. Jun sped up as fast as he felt he could get away with as the mall drew ever closer, unsure how how things could get any worse…
(X)
Things had definitely gotten worse.
Upon arriving at the Kiyashi Ward Mall, Jun found the main entrance swarming with evacuated people at the entrance, along the sidewalk and in the streets. The mall entrance itself was being blocked off by nothing more than simple wooden barriers set up by a few security guards. Police were just arriving to shore those guards up and organize the situation.
Pushing through the mass of bystanders, Jun flashed his hero license to the guards and police who waved him through. The sounds of battle could be heard as he dashed toward the bend in the mall's structure, a stray fireball darting into view and smashing into a storefront as he approached. Getting closer, Jun eyed what looked like the remains of a mannikin, burned and broken laying in a crater. Its head was smashed in, its six arms smashed along with legs missing and the remaining torso smoldering. Was this the monster Kanzaki-san mentioned? Then what the…hell…is…going on?
Turning the corner, Jun stopped dead in his tracks.
(X)
"Damn it, Form-a-doll, or whatever you call yourself, your just making things worse!" Michiru angrily yelled at the ant girl.
Formidable had had just about enough of this vigilante wannabe getting in the way of her time to shine "Listen here, trash panda! The only way this girl is going down is unconscious, I'm just doing whatever I can to get the job done!"
The two of them were hovering in place, Michiru sporting wings in place of her arms once again and Formidable her own insect-like wings. Zelgadis was keeping the transformed and berserk Terra at bay with a series of fireballs he was shooting at her that she kept deflecting, causing even more property damage. The two were supposed to be trying to come up with a plan but the two having different ideas of what the goal even was had made things a bit of a challenge. "Trash Panda? Hey, I'm not the one who just keeps making things worse by getting her angrier! We should be trying to calm her down!"
From the opposite side of Terra, Zelgadis called out, "Hey! What's the plan you two! I can't keep this up forever!"
Michiru glared at the hero-in-training, who glared right back. After a few more tense moments, the tanuki girl broke the stare-down and began surveying as Formidable smirked at the perceived victory. The weird rock man was right, Terra was floating closer and closer to him as he pelted her with balls of fire. Caraprince lay unconscious off to the side, having bore the brunt of Terra's counterattack earlier. When Terra had first charged, the stupid ant-girl had sucker-punched her so hard Terra had been knocked into the concert stage. Terra had come roaring back and the old hero had flung himself in front of them and took a nasty hit along with a series of slashes that cut right through his shell in addition to the blow from her charge.
Near the fallen hero Hitomi and Sakura were huddled over Shinra, who was also laid low with deep cuts across his chest thanks to Terra apparently being able to send out blades of energy from her hands at a distance that caught him off guard. Shinra kept his smile up while Sakura applied pressure to his wounds with the sleeves of her dress that she had torn off for the purpose. Emeralda stood between them and Terra, guarding them from further attack. Overall, things were looking grim and Michiru was starting to think the fire ant was right. The rest of them had been trying to talk to her or immobilize her and it just wasn't working. Poor Terra was nothing but a raging monster at the moment.
Michiru was looking frantically around for something, anything to form a plan around when she noticed that someone had stepped into view around the bend, behind Zelgadis. He looked to be some old guy in a stupid looking suit and a scarf. Was he another one of these 'heroes?' The tanuki girl hardly had time to think on it because when Terra realized the man was there, Michiru witnessed a whole new level of anger. The berserker stopped blocking Zelgadis' attacks altogether as she shrieked, the fireballs hitting her like they were nothing, her eyes wide with fury.
Hitomi, too, had looked over to see what had grabbed Terra's attention and as the berserker charged over Zelgadis' head toward the newcomer she called out to him "Sanada-san!"
Jun did manage to jump out of the way just as Terra crashed into the spot he had just vacated, tumbling to the ground as he was showered with bits of concrete. Terra stood up, snarling as she turned to face him. Jun felt the loss of his quirk nearly every moment of his life but it was times like these that he truly felt just how powerless, how useless he truly was. Without his assailant barreling toward him, he doubted he could dodge her again at this distance.
Luckily, he didn't have to as Formidable smashed into her. The two tumbled to the ground, wrestling about as Terra tried to get back up and Formidable tried to pin her down. "Goddamnit, where are you trash panda!?" Formidable angrily bellowed as Terra bit into her left lower arm, piercing its exoskeleton.
"Fuck! That HURTS!" Formidable yelled as she let go of Terra's left arm so she could punch with her right, creating some separation from the two. Just as Terra was pulling her mouth out to meet the incoming punch, Michiru came crashing down on top of her. Having flown above them, Michiru started diving down to build some speed. As she shot toward the two, she shifted her arms from wings to the same massive gorilla-like arms from their fight with the mannikin. Just missing Formidable, Michiru was able to pin Terra face first into the ground, each or her arms pinned in place by Michiru's.
Terra immediately tried to get her legs under her to get enough leverage to get Michiru off her, snarling and struggling the whole time. Formidable, having recovered from the shock of having a tanuki girl nearly smash her into the pavement, threw herself on the ground in an attempt to keep Terra's legs from getting upright. The ant girl was able to pull Terra's legs out from under her again and get her flat on her stomach but got several swift kicks to the head from clawed feet for her trouble.
One last kick was enough to cause Formidable to lose her grip and she flew back a few feet, with several bleeding cuts across her face. Upon seeing the legs free again, Shinra yelled out "Emeralda! Get her before she's free!" Without a word, the greenette rushed in, sweeping her leg in the arch of Terra's body as she was again attempting to get up. The leg sweep caught both of Terra's legs, knocking her flat yet again. As Emeralda completed the motion with her leg, she was able to use the momentum of the sweep to swing around to face Terra's legs and moved to grab them. As Emeralda's hands found their mark, they shifted into simple metal braces that smashed into the cement and locked Terra's legs in place.
With Terra secured for the moment, Michiru called out "Thanks Emeralda, that was awesome! Also, this is why we needed a plan!"
Sitting up, her face still dripping with blood, Formidable grunted out "Hey! If I didn't do something, Sanada-sensei here would be dead!"
Michiru had no come back to that, instead grumbling something about hot-headed ants.
Climbing to his feet, Jun dusted himself off and said, "It wasn't the best plan in the world but you did save me..Yoshimura-san? From Class 3-B? Aren't you supposed to be interning with Caraprince?"
Beaming, despite the stinging pain smiling caused her, Formidable stumbled to her feet "That's right, Sanada-sensei! He's over there" pointing near where Hitomi, Sakura and Shinra were. "Makes me pretty happy if even the substitute teacher knows who I am! Um, what are you doing?"
Jun had walked over to the hero-in-training and pulled off his white scarf and began cleaning the blood off her face, worry in his eyes even as he said nothing. With most of the blood cleaned up he pressed it against the deepest cut before saying "Just keep the pressure there. I expect that back as soon as possible though."
As Jun was cleaning up Formidable's face, Hitomi came dashing up, Sakura left to watch over the wounded. Terra continued to struggle against her confinement, Michiru having a hard time keeping the berserker at bay. Urgency in her voice, Michiru called out "Guys, what are we going to do about Terra, we can't keep her like this forever!"
"Wait, did you just say this was Terra?" Jun answered, twisting to look down at the three girls on the ground.
With a bit of hesitation, Hitomi answered "Yes, Sanada-san. After the blue skinned man and purple-haired one appeared, she started screaming in pain and then…this happened."
Taking a closer look at this pink fur-covered creature before him, Jun searched the face of the snarling beast, looking for any hint of the kind and thoughtful young woman he had come to know. There was none however. Instead Jun could see only a feral fury one sees in a caged animal. How? How was this possible? "I don't understand, but I suppose that's not the point now. Now we need to get her to a point she can be moved. If that means knocking her out, then…" He sighed "so be it."
Michiru shot her head up, a look of shock at hearing the suggestion again after just arguing with the ant girl about it. Before she could object though, Zelgadis stepped forward, having joined the group as well "Before it comes to that, let me try a sleep spell."
Jun's shoulders sagged upon hearing the request, a frown forming as he asked, rather dryly "You know magic?"
Raising an eyebrow, Zelgadis sounded a bit put off as he crossed his arms and answered "Yes…is that a problem?"
The former hero sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose "No, no. It just makes things more complicated every time a magic user shows up, that's all. Go ahead."
That answer did little to reassure the sorcerer who kept starring at the scarfed man as he knelt down by Terra's head. Zelgadis raised his hand, keeping just far enough away enough to keep from getting bitten. Returning his focus to Terra, Zelgadis called out "Sleep!" after which his hand glowed green. After a moment, Terra did start to calm and gradually her thrashing stopped as she rested her head on the cement. Everyone started to relax as the spell appeared to be working.
Terra had almost closed her eyes entirely when she caught sight of the same purple-haired man who had appeared with Zelgadis. He was standing some distance away, just beside a pillar so that only she could see him, that same menacing smile on his face. Seeing him, combined with the premature relaxing of Michiru's grip was all Terra needed to snap out of the sleep spell, violently flinging Michiru off her back as she pushed herself up.
With her arms free, Terra was able to aim a blade of energy from her claws at Emeralda. The greenette realized what was happening and was in the process of shifting her hair into a shield but wasn't quick enough. The blade of energy glanced her across her head and upper torso, knocking her off balance as she lost focus and her hands reverted back from clamps to normal, releasing Terra's legs. Freed, Terra shot back up into the sky, twisting back and getting ready to let loose a barrage of energy.
Before the berserker had a chance to get a shot off however, a massive gust of wind sent her barreling into a store front on the third floor, courtesy of Zelgadis, who had quickly cast what he called a "Bomb de Wind."
Michiru and Emeralda had barely had a chance to get back on their feet before Terra burst out of the store. Cloaked in purple magical energy, Terra starred down at them, clearly ready to attack yet again. By no means out of the fight but weary of having to try and take a girl above them down again, Michiru stepped in front of Jun and Hitomi, a look of steely resolve on her face "You three ready?"
Formidable, who had tied Jun's scarf around he face like a mask to keep the pressure on her wound, stepped beside Michiru "Always!"
Emeralda came up to Michiru's other side, starring upward, she almost whispered "I'm sorry I can't be more help while she is up there. I'll protect the others, like before."
Zelgadis drew his sword as he came up in line beside Emeralda, his own apology to give "Sorry the spell didn't work. I still have no idea what is going on but I'll see this through."
The two sides seemed to stare each other down for moments that stretched far longer than the actual time elapsed. In the distance, Michiru could hear the rising sound of people cheering and that seemed to be what broke the standoff. Michiru, her arms wings once more, shot upwards. Formidable and Zelgadis, who cast another spell apparently allowing him to fly, were right behind her.
Seeing Terra motion to attack with the energy blades, Michiru prepared to dodge, trusting Emeralda to defend their companions. It never came to that. As if shot out of a canon, a mountain of a man in a blue body suit trimmed in white and yellow with blonde hair came flying down from the roof of the mall. He smashed right into Terra, taking her straight into the ground with a crash, dust kicking up from the impact.
The three mid-air combatants were left stunned, their attention now turned landward at the dust cloud. After only a moment, a confident, if reassuring laugh could be heard coming from the dust that would be immediately familiar to any who called this world home. "HA HA! I'm sorry to have interfered, Sanada-san, but I couldn't stand aside and do nothing! KNOW THAT I AM HERE! TO HELP!"
As the dust began to clear, Michiru could see the giant man was sitting on Terra, her arms pinned once again by the latecomer. The pink-furred berserker was still clearly trying to break free but this massive guy, who had a gigantic grin on his face, was having no trouble keeping her in place. Who the hell was he?
The three landed close by them as Jun, Hitomi and Emeralda also approached. Having been addressed a moment ago, Jun was first to speak "No, its ok All Might…If I had known this was happening, I would have taken you up on your offer earlier. Thank you."
Leaning in close, Michiru whispered to Formidable, who was clearly starstruck "Um, do you know who that guy is?"
Formidable looked like you'd just told her quirks weren't real "Where the hell have you been that you don't know who All Might, the greatest hero in the world, is?"
Not happy to hear that condescending tone return, Michiru turned away as she muttered "Anima City…" a sour look on her face. Neither noticed Zelgadis' eye twitched when the word hero was mentioned as he stood beside them, arms crossed.
The trio's attention was brought back to the matter at hand when Hitomi spoke up "All Might, the person you just subdued is one of our students. Something happened, we don't know what, but please try not to hurt her."
All Might's constant smile never left his face but hearing Hitomi's words did concern him. He tried to know as many of the students at UA as possible, at least from the hero course and the lighters. He didn't recognize this one though. "I make no promises, Kanzaki-san, she doesn't seem to want to go quietly! May I ask who this is, I don't seem to recall her?"
"Its Terra Branford, she arrived here two years ago, if you'll recall." Jun answered, still having a hard time believing it himself.
"This is Branford-san?" All Might replied, looking down at his still struggling prisoner "I thought she could shoot fire from her hands, not transform."
Hitomi again spoke up, her hands clasped in front of her chest as she struggled to share what she had promised to keep secret "You're right All Might, as long as shes been here that's all she could do. But during our first interview, I saw her like this. She said it was her esper form…but she told me she lost it years ago. It was something she was trying to forget; I think there was alot of pain she associated with it. She made me promise not to share it…"
Jun was less than pleased to hear his co-worker had withheld such important information for so long but seeing how pained she was, he decided now wasn't the time. Placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, he spoke softly and reassuringly "Its ok, Kanzaki-san. You did what you thought was best at the time. What matters is what we do now. I admit, I don't know what that is though."
"Then please, allow me to be of assistance!" came a voice right behind the assembled group.
Zelgadis recognized the voice immediately, his blood boiling just hearing it. As attention turned to the voice's owner, the rock-encrusted man hissed out "Xellos…and just where have you been this whole time, huh?"
The sorcerer swordsmen regretted asking the moment he finished speaking, knowing full well what the trickster 'priest' was going to say in response. Sure enough, Xellos bent slightly, placing a single finger in front of his own face, opening one eye wide enough to see the mischievous glint in his purple eye as he replied, "Now that, will have to wait!" Zelgadis nearly fell he was so stunned by the unexpected twist on the other man's answer, his eyes bugging out of his head. As Xellos passed the chimera, he placed a hand on Zelgadis' shoulder and whispered, "You make it so easy, Mr. Zelgadis."
Leaving the stunned rock-encrusted man behind him, Xellos walked up to Terra and All Might "I believe the poor girl has absorbed far too much magic at once. I can stem the flow and that should calm her down. With your permission, Mr. All Might, was it?"
The mighty hero regarded the oddly dressed newcomer. There was something about his smile that screamed trusting him may be a costly mistake. Still, he was offering to help, and the purple-haired fellow had done nothing to warrant suspicion, so the great hero answered, "Yes, I will allow you to try, but please take care!"
Xellos' smile grew a bit wider as he rose the staff in his hand, pointing it at Terra "But of course! I am happy to help!"
Both Xellos and his staff began to glow a soft white as Terra began to do the same. After a few moments, Terra quickly calmed down. As she rested her head to the side, her eyes slowly drew closed, the glowing growing brighter. Before long she was enveloped by the light, blinding in its intensity, if only for a moment. Then, in a flash, the light was gone.
Michiru, who had raised her arms to block the sudden flash, saw the result as the light disappeared and excitedly exclaimed "It worked! She's back to normal!" Sure enough, Terra lay there, looking as she had before the transformation, clothes and all, unconscious as if nothing had happened at all.
Jun let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. New arrivals were almost always complicated and sometimes messy, but this, this was a wreck. The silver-haired former hero took a moment to take stock of the mall. The concert stage was little more than a pile of rubble, there were craters everywhere, and multiple stores had been destroyed. This was going to be a media nightmare. Oh, and the paperwork…so much paperwork. But that was for later as now, however, was clean up. "Kanzaki-san, could you stay here with everyone while I go get the police and paramedics? We'll do the formal introduction when things are a bit more under control."
Michiru and Zelgadis moved to protest, the tanuki girl first to speak "Hey, wait a minute! All Might still has Terra pinned and what about-"
Jun raised his hand as he cut off Michiru's questions "In due time, I promise. But for now, please have patience, there will be answers when I get back."
About to press further, Michiru was held back by Zelgadis "Fair enough, we'll wait but we do expect those answers, or we will find them ourselves."
The older man bowed, a hint of guilt on his face "That is all I ask. Now, if you'll excuse me."
With that, Jun turned and headed back to the barrier at the mall's entrance.
(X)
An hour passed. Police and paramedics came flooding in. Shinra and Caraprince had been carried away on stretchers right away. Terra had taken longer because it was felt she needed to be secured despite being unconscious, the main reason All Might remained in place on top of her until help arrived. Once Terra had been taken away, Hitomi and All Might had both left, All Might to wave to the cameras and Hitomi had insisted on being allowed to accompany Terra and Shinra to the hospital.
Police had collected the strange mannikin that had attacked them. Much to everyone's surprise, there was a living creature inside of it. A rather large, if normal looking spider had been in the mannikin's abdomen, somehow controlling the eight-limbed puppet.
The paramedics had come and checked on everyone else as well, taking vitals and checking for injuries. The fact that Xellos didn't seem to have a pulse or a heartbeat was at least of some concern to the poor guy who attempted to take the measurements but not as much as Michiru thought it should. Then again, she had already met a zombie today.
Formidable had been asked to file a report, something she openly whined about, complaining continuously to the officer who took her away. Right or wrong, Michiru already didn't like the brash ant girl and took a bit of pleasure seeing the other girl squirm about her responsibilities.
Now, though, Michiru found herself sitting on a bench that had somehow avoided being destroyed, sipping some lukewarm tea that a rather plain looking detective in a trench coat named Naomasa had given her after he had taken all their names. All the while the papamedics tended to the others. Emeralda sat passively beside her, completely unreadable but clearly watching everything going on around them with sharp eyes. The off-putting Xellos stood to her left, also sipping his own cup, that smile never leaving his face. Zelgadis stood on the opposite side of the bench, beside Emeralda, arms crossed and his hood up. He was keeping a strict eye on the man who had appeared with him, animosity radiating off of his hooded form. The purple haired man though was paying him no mind whatsoever.
With no weird puppets attacking, no one transforming into rage monsters and nothing else left to keep her attention anymore, Michiru was left with her thoughts and her exhaustion for the first time. It had been much harder to believe the fact that she was in another world before all this madness had happened. Still, knowing the fact wasn't the same thing as realizing all the implications the fact may mean. Was there a way back home? Did anyone back home know what had happened to her? What was going to happened to her? Where the hell was this Jun guy?
Michiru had finally made a life for myself in Anima City and now…and now what? The tanuki girl shook her head, trying to clear her mind of the what ifs. Best to focus on what could be done right now, and that was getting to know her fellow abductees!
Jumping up from the bench, Michiru spun around and clapped her hands together, trying to muster as much cheerfulness as she could "So everyone! I thought while we waited, we could get to know each other, what do you say!"
Michiru wasn't expecting everyone to burst into full blown life stories or anything but she was expecting a bit more than Xellos conveniently "sipping" from his tea continuously while Zelgadis rolled his eyes and grumbled out "Pass."
Somewhat wounded, the tanuki girl turned to Emeralda for any sign she would get anywhere with this idea. She was met with the other girl looking sheepish, trying desperately to avoid eye contact by looking at what had to be the most fascinating piece of cement of all time. "Oh, come on! Here, I'll go first. Um…ok, lets see. I'm eighteen, I help solve crimes with my friend Shirou, I love basketball and just recently I helped save an entire city of beastmen from being forcibly made human!"
"Yeah, I have no idea what basketball is." Zelgadis curtly replied "You want to talk, fine. We're not on a date, we don't need your whole life's story. Why don't we talk about something useful, like where here even is?"
"Oh yes, I would very much like to know as well!" Xellos piped in, doing a great job of ignoring the fact that Michiru looked like she was about to explode from Zelgadis' disparaging of her efforts at conversation.
Deciding it wouldn't do to murder anyone on her first day in a new world, the tanuki girl made sure to glare as hard as she could at the cross blue man as she thought back to her conversation before the madness started. After a moment she snapped her fingers "That's right, Kanzaki-san called this the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall. I'd never heard of it before but aside from that, when I first got here I could have easily thought I was still in my own Japan. The name of this city wasn't familiar either, I think it was… Musutafu?"
Zelgadis was glad to finally get some useful information, even if he didn't show it. The chimera was about to ask a follow-up but it was Xellos who asked the most obvious question "So this all looks familiar to you, Miss Michiru?"
Zelgadis followed up "Does that mean you can read all of the unusual script as well?"
That took the tanuki girl by surprise "Well, yeah, of course I can read Japanese. You mean to tell me you're speaking it but can't read it?"
"Don't be presumptuous. What you call Japanese is just what's referred to as the common human language for me. We use an entirely different alphabet for it. I guess we were lucky we at least speak the same language, all things considered." Zelgadis said, a hand placed on his chin as he spoke.
Annoyed at being called out by the rocky, blue-skinned guy, Michiru glanced over to Emeralda, noting she had remained quiet throughout. Time to change that. "Emeralda? What about you?" Michiru asked with a bright smile.
The greenette looked up, a bit surprised she was being addressed. She had been trying to avoid being included in the conversation at all partly because she wasn't one for it and partly because that would mean confronting reality. That, and she didn't think she had anything meaningful to add. Oh, how she wished her sketch pad hadn't been ruined in the fight. With nothing to draw attention away from herself, the tan girl was left to answer after an uncomfortably long pause, saying "Its…the same for me as well. Emeralda can't read it either, I'm sorry."
Michiru's reassuring smile crunched up in confusion "I don't understand, what are you apologizing for? And…did you just refer to yourself in the third person?"
Emeralda's eyes widened as she turned her head away in embarrassment "I'm sorry, its an…old habit of mine. When I was younger, I spoke that way and I slip sometimes when I'm nervous."
Michiru smiled again and gave the quiet girl a light punch on the shoulder "Hey, nothing to worry about! You're a badass! What do you have to be worried about? You know, besides the whole ripped from your reality thing?"
"Real subtle" Zelgadis interjected, dripping with sarcasm. "Look, I know your trying to make us all feel better and all, but you're not doing a very good job plus we're getting side-tracked here."
Michiru's temper flared as she was sure she was going to kill the hooded jerk as she snapped, "Hey jackass, at least I'm trying here! Keep up with that attitude and-"
"And you'll what? Not answer any more questions? Come on, I'm not threatened by you. Once that guy comes back, we're getting our answers one way or another. I was just trying to turn your little attempt at moral boasting into something useful." Zelgadis belted out, his voice rising higher than he had intended. As focused and cool as Zelgadis was, it was remarkable how slow he was to react to the fist that smashed into his face. Being partly made of rock, it didn't hurt Zelgadis, really, but it was surprising.
Michiru pulled her fist back, shaking her hand, not having expected it to hurt so much. There was a cold fury in her eyes as she spoke "You're a heartless asshole, aren't you? Yes, your right, we'll get our answers. It's just…I don't know about you, but I have friends, family that I don't know if I'll ever get to see again! I've already gone through that once and I kind of figured you might be feeling the same way!"
"Michiru, I'm sorry, I just-"
"Its Kagemori-san. That's how you address someone in this country. You don't get to address someone by their name until you've earned it. Consider that the last thing I'll help you with."
With that, Michiru's arms morphed into wings and she shot up into the air, flying up to the fourth floor of the shops on their left. She changed her arms back and leaned with her back again the guard rail, starring up at the sky. She'd had enough for one day.
Emeralda watched the weird demi-human (or had she called herself a beastman?) fly off, concern playing across her exotic features.
Zelgadis just stood there, stunned at his own sheer callousness, unable to even watch as the girl flew off. Xellos, meanwhile felt this was the perfect time to comment on their tea "Not the best I've ever had, a bit bitter."
Looking away in shame, the chimera couldn't help but agree "Yes, very bitter."
(X)
"AH! There you two are!"
Standing at the entrance to the mall, Jun and Detective Naomasa turned to see the great titan of a man that was All Might approaching with a wave. The two had been comparing notes now that the crowd had dispersed, and the press has gotten the usual cover story about the lighters being saved by Jun with the twist that he had mistakenly brought that mannikin creature as well. They also pinned Terra losing control on the creature as well, saying the spider contained within the mannikin was an animal that had manifested a control quirk of some kind. It was a weak and flimsy story but the best the two could come up with on short notice.
Waving back to the number one hero, the detective replied, "how many villains did you stop this time?"
"I stopped three separate criminal acts and seven more villains won't be bothering anyone anymore!" All Might responded, giving a thumbs up.
"Getting pretty close to your limit then, aren't you? This is exactly why I refused your offer earlier, even if I turned out to be wrong. You still need to take it easy." Jun admonished.
All Might looked apologetic as he scratched the back of his head "Yes, I know. Principal Nezu keeps telling me the same thing. It's just…it's very hard not to help when I know I can!"
Jun let out a small laugh "Kanzaki-san mentioned Kagemori-san said something similar as she dashed away from her…I don't know about the rest of my new students but that one…Well, there's already promise there." The former hero's continence turned more serious "For now though, the detective and I were just talking about the location of this latest arrival."
All Might tensed "Because this was the same place that Shigaraki had his 'talk' with young Midoriya, wasn't it?"
Detective Naomasa nodded "It was, yes. And there can be no denying the fact that four separate pillars were used, not just one like the past nine years."
Crossing his arms, Jun grimly added "The detective and I fear All for One is letting us know something big is coming and I shutter to think what that monster has planned."
"As do we all, Sanada-san. But that is for the detective and I to worry about! You should see to your newest young charges! It's a big world you have to show them, you should get to it!" All Might exclaimed, patting Jun on the shoulder, nearly toppling him over.
Regaining his balance, Jun took a long breath to ready himself before glancing back "I do indeed, All Might, I do indeed."
(X)
As Jun approached his new students, he noted the somber air of the three of them. Wait, three?
Zelgadis wasted no time getting to the point as soon as Jun was close enough not to yell "Well? You've been keeping us waiting long enough. What the hell is going on?" Both Xellos and Emeralda looked on expectantly as well.
Unfazed by their combined gaze, Jun looked about "I would prefer to speak to all of you at once. Where is Kagemori-san?"
Not wanting to get distracted (or think about her) Zelgadis curtly relied "She probably got tired of waiting for-"
"She got into a fight with Mr. Zel- Pardon me, Zelgadis-san here and is sulking up on the fourth floor!" Xellos cheerily interjected.
"I hate you…so much." Zelgadis growled out.
His arm behind his head, Xellos laughed it off "Oh, I'm sorry if I embarrassed you, Zelgadis-san! I was only trying to be helpful."
This…was going to be a challenge. "Thank you, Metallium-san. Just a moment." Jun put his hands up to his mouth before calling out "KAGEMORI-SAN! I'M SORRY FOR TAKING SO LONG! COULD YOU PLEASE COME BACK DOWN, I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY BEFORE WE GET MOVING!"
Catching movement high above them, Jun caught a brief glimpse of light. A moment later, Michiru jumped up and over the guardrail, diving briefly before opening her wings to catch herself. A few moments later she had landed, changing her wings back to her normal arms. She said nothing at first but took the time to shoot a sideways glare at Zelgadis who couldn't meet her gaze. With that message delivered, she drew up straight, facing Jun and forcing a smile on her face as she spoke "Sorry 'bout that, what was it you wanted to say?"
Jun regarded the shorter tanuki girl for a moment. He had just got done talking to Naomasa and All Might about her potential and the last thing he wanted was for that to be tarnished by the circumstances he had brought upon her. Speaking of which. With everyone's attention of him, Jun started the speech that he had become far too familiar with. Standing with his head slightly titled and his hands outstretched Jun began to speak "Before we go any further, let me welcome you, I am Jun Sanada, formally a hero who specialized in rescue. As I am sure you are aware by now, you are no longer in your worlds. Indeed, you may not have even know there are other worlds, I certainly didn't a decade ago."
Jun paused to read his audience. Zelgadis looked impatient, no doubt wanting to get to the point while Xellos kept the same smiling façade. Emeralda, still sitting, kept a neutral expression but her eyes were wide, giving the impression she was hanging on his every word. Michiru's expression gave the impression she was bracing for news she knew was coming but didn't want to hear. Jun continued, his hands now held behind his back "This is the tenth time this has happened now and yours is the first to include multiple people. I wish I could tell you that we have a way to send you home, but we don't."
All four showed various levels of anguish at that, even Xellos, who let his smile slip slightly. "BUT!" Jun declared, bowing as low as his back would allow "What I can do is my very best to teach you about this world and help you find a place it. I do this because it's my fault…my fault that you are all here and for that, I am so, so sorry."
(X)
And thus, our first step into this new world has begun. Obviously, this is a multi-series crossover, though Michiru is serving as main character, which is why, for the time being this story is listed as a MHA x BNA crossover. If you were curious where the various lighters are from the ones that have been introduced are Zelgadis and Xellos hailing from Slayers. Terra is from Final Fantasy VI and Emeralda from Xenogears. Sakura is from Zombieland Saga and Shinra from Fire Force. Hitomi is from Vision of Escaflowne.
You might be wondering why I'm barely using any actual MHA characters thus far and made use of OC characters. We'll get to more MHA characters soon enough. Chances are if you're reading this your pretty familiar with them anyway. The OC characters I thought would be needed to help add to and fill in the world. Not everything revolves around class 1-A after all and we've only had a handful of students outside of the first years introduced to us in canon.
It was also important to me to not start this story at or before MHA starts. I've read so many stories that hit the same beats over and over again, I wanted to start off later on in the story. Since the events that shape this story take place a decade prior, it seemed to me that canon would of already been changed regardless so it wasn't important to start at the beginning.
I very much hope you've enjoyed. Thank you for your time, I hope it was worth it. See you next week!