The next morning went as planned for Michiru. Celty and Sakon were up along with her before dawn and they left their room spotless save for a purposely left bag of the undercover girl's personal effects. The town, Shivmachi, made the one Michiru grew up in seem like a metropolis. Homes and farms dotted the mountains and handful of valleys and flat stretches that made up the community. The town center had a gas station, the inn/convince store the three had stayed in, a dozen shops and the like plus a small police station, city hall and school. All were within a few blocks of each other, the town only having three intersections that required stoplights. A small hot spring was the town's biggest draw if it could be said to have anything interesting at all and that was up the road from the town, further up the closest mountain.
It didn't take long for the three of them to drive around to get a feel for the town before they picked what looked like an out of the way spot to park their car where Celty and Sakon would remain. Michiru, mean time, would go on foot, talking to townsfolk to see what she could find out while the other two listened in. It was still very early in the morning though so there wasn't much to see or do.
While she waited, Michiru made her way back to the inn. Being at the edge of town, there were few obstructions to the view down to a valley below. The sun had just risen not long before, affording the normal looking girl an amazing view. As she stood there in the quiet, a wave of nostalgia washed over Michiru and her mind was flooded with thoughts of just how much simpler and quieter her life had been only a few short years ago. She had had her family…her friends and the most she had had to worry about was what embarrassing clothes her dad was going to wear to her next basketball game.
No other worlds, no quirks, no stubborn grumpy chimeras, no hiding for her life, no beastmen at all…
"Nazuna honey, is that you?" came a concerned voice from behind the introspective girl.
With a start, Michiru was suddenly aware that the innkeeper and her two children were behind her. When she turned around, Michiru could see Misa flanked on either side by two annoyed elementary school kids, a boy and girl. Embarrassed, the now normal looking black-haired girl reached up to rub her head. Her hand paused briefly when the fluffy ear she had expected wasn't there before she touched her head and said "Oh…um, Misa, right? Yeah, its Nazuna. Sorry if I worried you. I was just…thinking. Sorry to scare you like that."
Misa smiled reassuredly before she replied "No, its ok dear, I know you've got a lot on your plate. If your still around once I see these two little gremlins off, I'd love to talk if that's ok?"
The innkeeper's two children began to protest her loving insult and pull her in different directions. The sight made Michiru think about just how demanding being a parent really was, her heart welling with sympathy. "Sure, that would be great." She answered.
Finally able to get her kids moving in the same direction and literally being pulled away, Misa called back "Great! Oh, and say hi to my husband if you see him, he's a bit late getting out to work and don't mind him, he's kind at heart!"
Michiru was left to wonder what Misa had meant by that last part because before she could follow up, the poor mother was well out of earshot. Without anyone else to talk to, Michiru began to notice vehicles passing by. Mostly older model trucks, all of them with at least a few people riding in back, no doubt on their way out to the fields.
Being a new face, and a young woman at that, Michiru attracted more than a little attention. Some of the glances were questioning, or suspicious. Most though were…less becoming. No one said anything but the looks were unmistakable and it took everything Michiru had not to shout at them to stop leering at her. She had just about had it and was about to duck into the inn when the front door to the building slammed open.
Caught off guard due to her senses being dulled by her lack of animal features, Michiru almost reverted back to a beastman from the intimidating aura the man in front of her exuded alone. The man, presumably Misa's husband, was six and a half feet of pure, tanned muscle on a wide, stout frame. His short, squared off black hair combined with a strong jaw and nearly shut eyes made for an imposing figure in his simple black pants and white tank-top. "You her?" The man asked in a low, deep voice as he loomed over Michiru.
Defiant, despite her moment of unease, Michiru took a challenging step forward "What if I am?"
Misa's assumed husband took another long moment as if assessing his wife's new guest. With an approving grunt, the man stepped forward and aside to pass the much smaller girl in front of him. When Michiru turned to face the retreating form of the man, he spoke again, almost too soft for her human ears to hear "You were all Mi-chan would talk about last night…Welcome to town."
"Th…thanks." was all Michiru could get out before the taciturn apparent farmer continued walking away, clearly with nothing else to say.
"Real smooth there Michiru" Sakon taunted over the receiver in her ear.
Once she was sure Misa's husband was out of earshot, the undercover lighter shot back quietly "Shut the hell up! I'd like to see you do this!"
"You're doing just fine, Nazuna." came Celty's much calmer voice in response, though the alias was empathized, no doubt to remind Sakon to use it.
That brought a smile to Michiru's face as she imagined the dulahan slapping the oft-annoying ant girl. That little distraction had been enough, however, for Michiru to miss until just that moment a man that made Misa's husband look like a child. He was at least ten feet tall and had a squared off lower jaw that almost looked like it was made of rock. That sight wasn't noteworthy in itself though in a world of quirks though. The man's similarity to Gigantomachia, however, was. The four men armed with clubs walking behind the giant was also at least as alarming.
The procession reminded Michiru of a prisoner walking to their execution and instantly, Michiru knew exactly where she would be focusing her attention.
(X)
As much as Izuku hated to miss class with his friends and to fall behind even marginally, to be able to spend time with and help the adorable Eri the young hero-in-training would move heaven and earth. When the hospital had reached out the Aizawa, Izuku had been elated when his teacher had asked him to be the one to escort Eri on her first trip outside of the hospital since her rescue. The fact that Emeralda would also be there did nothing to dampen his excitement for this assignment since he was sure the green-haired lighter wasn't there in her capacity as a fellow licensed provisional hero.
Since he and Emeralda were effectively neighbors though, the two of them had agreed to travel together to the hospital to pick Eri up for her day at the park. Izuku found the de-aged girl quietly sketching away while she sat in front of the lighters dorm, dressed not in a UA uniform or her hero costume but in cute red top with little green wings printed across it and a red pair of long pants. As always, her white scarf wrapped around her neck and hid part of her face as well as her shoulders while she looked down at her work.
As he got closer, Izuku hesitated to call out to his traveling companion. The freckled boy was unsure what to make of the other-worldly girl, especially after the Shie Hassaikai raid. The girl had always been quiet but after her accident with Eri, Izuku had an even harder time getting a read on the greenette in front of him. Sometimes she would be reserved and withdrawn, much like she had before her de-aging. Other times, she would be bubbly and excitable, almost like an entirely different person and Izuku couldn't be sure if that was a result of her change or not. It left the poor boy with the anxiety of not being sure which of the two versions of Emeralda he would get when he finally did speak up.
Izuku pushed past those worries though, and finally waved his hand and said "Hello Kasim-san, are you ready to go?"
Izuku was able to watch as the displaced girl in front of him quickly looked up at him, her eyes seeming to light up while a bright smile spread across her face, like a switch had been flipped. "Hi Midoriya-san! I was waiting for you! I'm ready to go!" Emeralda said cheerily as she pulled open her satchel to put her sketch pad away.
The tan girl had left the pad open to the page she was working on though, close enough for Izuku to get a good look at what she had been working on. Very impressed by the detail but surprised by the subject, Izuku's curiosity compelled him to ask "What is that you're working on? It looks like some sort of mecha! I didn't think that would be something you'd be interested in, Kasim-san."
For a moment, the smile disappeared, and Emeralda appeared entirely unsure how to respond. Just as quickly though, the smile returned and the greennette replied "Please just call me Emeralda and you're kinda right. I don't care too much about giant robots, not like some of my friends back home do anyway. But this one was special. You know where I'm from so I can tell you. This robot was my first real friend and my hero namesake. I used to pilot this robot and I miss her terribly."
"Seriously? You have mecha in your world, Kasim-s…sorry, Emeralda?" Izuku answered with uncontrolled amazement.
Standing up, her pad now safely in her satchel, Emeralda began walking before she replied "We did, yes. Crescens was special though. I was the only one who could pilot her because I would use my…abilities to connect with it directly. She was apart of me, in a way. That's why she was my friend! I could tell her anything!"
Izuku fell in beside the shorter girl as she lightly skipped, belying what the freckled boy thought was actually a pretty sad thing to hear since if what she was saying was true, it meant Emeralda had spent a lot of time talking to a robot. Instead of tackling that subject though, Izuku decided to focus on something he much preferred to talk about: quirks. Or at least, whatever Emeralda's unique ability was called in her home world. "So…um…mind if I ask you a bit about your, um, quirk?"
Again, the happy, almost carefree girl seemed to deflate. Her old, more stoic baring overtook her young features for just long enough for Izuku to take notice and begin to worry. Then, Emeralda seemed to recover and answered "Sure! What do you want to know?"
Guilt immediately grabbed hold of All Might's successor, waving his hands nervously in front of himself while he frantically said "S-sorry! You don't have to answer if you don't want to! It's hard to remember sometimes that you aren't from this world, and I get excited about quirksandwhenIgetexcitedItalktomuchandseeI'mdoingitagain." Izuku paused a moment to take a breath and start over again "I guess I just thought your powers were cool and I wanted to know more about them. I didn't mean to offend you."
Emeralda, for her part, giggled at Izuku's unease and for the first time in the conversation, Izuku thought he saw a genuine smile on his companion's face. "Sorry, Midoriya-san. It's just…back home when someone learned of my abilities…most didn't take it very well."
Izuku looked affronted by the very idea before he said indignantly "What? But why? What you can do is so cool!"
Her smile straining, the tan girl answered "I…don't want to talk about that right now, I want to look forward to having fun with Eri! But I'll still answer your questions about my, um, quirk, Midoriya-san."
Now notably more self-conscious, Izuku rubbed the back of his head and replied
"R-right. Well then, since you don't have a quirk, how can you change your body like you do?"
Emeralda raised her free hand to look at it as she walked before answering, her tone muted, "Its because I am a colony of nanomachines…I am built out of, and am maintained by, an uncountable number of cell-sized robots." As she spoke, Emeralda's fingers began reshaping into various tools: a fork, a hook, a hammer, a key and the like.
Izuku watched on with newfound appreciation at the marvel that walked beside him. "That's amazing…" he breathed.
Emeralda smiled bitterly before she spoke again "These abilities…I'm pretty sure my father hadn't meant for me to have them. I was supposed to be a perfect human to rectify all the damage done to the human genome over the years in his time. The morphing…that was something forced on me by an evil, evil man."
Izuku recognized quickly that the conversation had treaded somewhere that he hadn't really intended and spoke up, empathy clear in his voice "Emeralda…its ok, you don't have to tell me anymore."
Emeralda looked up for a long moment before answering the freckled boy beside her "Thank you Midoriya, I appreciate the thought. I think…I think I am glad that if anyone found out about us that it was you. Eri-chan is right, you are a good person."
At that, Izuku blushed and moved to rebut the compliment but was beaten to it by Emeralda who continued talking "The clamps on my shoulders…they are what facilitated my morphing. It was an experiment. I was forced to do it to defend myself. Generally, I don't need the clamps anymore, but they help, especially if its something new or complicated. Now, I can morph any part of my body or the whole of it. I can even infuse my clothing with my nanomachines to allow them to briefly morph with me. That way I don't ruin my clothes every time I do it. It's hard though. I have complete control over every cell in my body. It even allowed me to resist Overhaul's quirk and it's how I was able to replace my lost eye."
Hearing all that, Izuku couldn't help but be impressed and said so, "I just don't see how anyone could see you as anything but amazing, Emeralda."
The same bitter smile appeared on the girl's face as she said "Here, yes, doing all these things would seem great. But in my world…no one else can do anything like I can. To them, it's terrifying. Even though I was made long before everything that would cause the downfall of our world, I still stand as a reminder to so many of those that caused it. So no, I'm not amazing…I'm a relic…a monster that should have been left in my tube."
A silence fell between the two as Izuku considered Emeralda's harsh description of herself. Emeralda was content to let the conversation end there, having said her piece and explained her powers to her own satisfaction. Izuku, though, spoke up after a time "I…don't know anything about your world. So I can't truly judge what happened."
Emeralda considered that and nodded blankly, deciding that made sense. But then, Izuku continued "But what I do know is that here, now, there is a little girl who thinks the world of you. I know you have a whole class of people who think you're great not to mention Zelgadis and Michiru."
When he finished, Izuku turned to look at his pseudo-classmate. He wasn't sure what he expected to see but at the bottom of the list of reactions Izuku anticipated was the guilt that he saw on Emeralda's face. The poor de-aged girl's face seemed twisted in pain to the point that Izuku was sure he had somehow said the wrong thing. Before he could inquire further though, just as she had so often since her change, Emeralda's face went back to a big smile before she said, "Just about everyone in 1-A has been great and I am glad I met them, you're right about that, Midoriya!"
Izuku almost stopped then and there. Before he had been worried about what effect being made younger again may have had on the tan girl beside him. Now Izuku was sure something much more complicated was going on with the greenette. He just wasn't sure what and it troubled him greatly.
(X)
Ochaco had just grabbed her lunch in UA's cafeteria and was looking for a place to sit. Scanning about the bustling room, the brunette caught sight of Kyoka sitting by herself at the end of a table and hunched over looking at something. With no one else she knew well to sit with just then, the gravity defying girl headed over and sat down across from her classmate. "Hiya Jiro! What're you up to?"
The question was partly rhetorical, Ochaco realized as she sat. Kyoka was clearly looking over the composition of a song and given she was writing one for the festival, it was likely that very piece. Still, the rosy-checked girl expected more than the bare acknowledgement she ended up getting when Kyoka just slightly lifted her head to say "Oh, hey Uraraka." before returning to her work.
Ochaco briefly considered getting up and leaving to give her friend some space. That was dashed when Mina and Momo came up, food in hand, to join them. "Hey guys, how's it going?" Mina asked as she sat. Momo following, sitting opposite the pink girl and beside Ochaco.
The addition of more people was enough to get Kyoka to actually engage because she fully looked up and glanced about in confusion. After a moment, the rocker girl asked "Uraraka…where is Midoriya? Don't you usually sit with him and Iida?"
It was the other three girls' turn to look confused. After Mina, Momo and Ochaco exchanged glances, the brunette replied, a hint of concern in her voice "Jiro…Midoriya left to take the girl we saved in the yakuza raid on a field trip, remember?"
"Hey girl, you alright?" Mina followed up, as she leaned over to get close and look her friend in the eye.
Kyoka leaned away and tried to wave the acid-wielder away, replying "I'm fine! I'm fine! I just forgot, that's all. Sorry for worrying you, jeez. You don't have to get in my face…"
"Mina's forwardness aside Jiro, she has a point. You have seemed distant lately. Have you been getting enough sleep? You seem to be quite focused on that new song of yours." Momo pointed out.
A sly smile slid across Mina's face as she again got in Kyoka's personal space and said conspiratorially "I bet I know what it is…you're working extra hard because you-know-who is coming over tonight, am I right?"
Instantly, Kyoka's face flushed deep red before she angrily twisted to face the pink girl and quickly said "It's not like that Ashido! Come on! Don't just make stuff up like that!"
Momo looked on as though lost but Ochaco knew what the gossipy Mina was getting at, and her own face began to take on a pink hue of it's own. Sounding scandalous, the brunette said "No, Greywards-san? Is…something going on Jiro?"
"YES! I mean, no! Damnit it Uraraka, not you too!" Kyoka moaned before she planted her face on the table to hide her embarrassment.
The light finally clicking for the creationist, Momo's eyes went wide at the realization of what was being alluded to. Unlike the other two girls though, Momo was at least kind enough to ask the petite rocker "What is going on tonight, Jiro if not what Ashido and Uraraka seem to think it is?"
Refusing to lift her head, Kyoka's response was muffled while she said "Zelgadis IS coming over tonight but to practice, OK? Nothing more than that, you weridos!"
Mina continued to have a knowing smirk but said nothing while Momo seemed to accept the answer. Ochaco, though, wanted to know more. "I don't understand. Is that why you're pouring over the song then? Because Greywards is practicing with you?"
Sitting back up, her face mostly returned to its normal paler complexion, Kyoka answered "I don't know…yes? I just want it to be right, ya know? The last time we did it, the song felt like it was missing something and I want to make sure it's worth all the time we're putting into it. I want everyone at the school to love it."
"How much time he's putting into it? What do you mean Jiro?" Momo answered seriously.
"Well, Zelgadis said he'd never used an electric guitar before and the first time I heard him use it, it showed. Now though, he sounds pretty good. He'd have to had practiced almost non-stop to show such improvement. It's pretty impressive." Kyoka answered, a hint of admiration in her eye.
"Uh huh. That's what's impressive about him, I'm sure." Mina teased.
"Stop it!" Kyoka demanded while Mina stuck out her tongue in response. "I mean...it's just that he's so much more mature than the boys in our class, you know? He seems so focused on the task at hand and he's been respectful and interested. But!" Kyoka quickly added as Mina again crept closer with a cheshire grin "That doesn't mean I like him! He's just a great musical partner, that's all!"
"Sure, sure, Jiro. Deny it all you want but-" Mina began before being cut off by Ochaco.
"Guys, guys, look over there!" the gravity defyer said quickly.
Over in line to get food was their homeroom teacher. Shouta Aizawa had been patiently waiting for his chance to get a warm meal, a rare for him. That was uncommon in and over itself. But what drew the student's attention was Counselor Kanzaki was by his side, whispering something in his ear. Whatever it was, Shouta's face showed clear shock and after a moment, the two of them made for the exit in a rush.
"What was that about?" Ochaco asked.
"Yes, that was very concerning." Momo echoed.
"We'll have to ask later. Now, what were we talking about?" Mina asked, seemingly having forgotten their previous topic.
"You guys do the math homework?" Kyoka quickly asked.
The smile on Mina's face told Kyoka that homework was the last thing on her pink friend's mind.
(X)
As much as Michiru had wanted to just follow the farm hands to see what was up with the large man that had more than a passing resemblance to Gigantomachia only smaller, Celty advised her that would have been very suspicious. Instead, the undercover girl headed over to the real-estate office which also doubled as a barber shop. The plan was to have Michiru shown around town and surrounding area to see if she liked it and what properties were available. Now though, there was a specific target to find while touring about.
Michiru had taken her time making her way over and managed to get there just as the office opened. The woman she encountered when she entered the shop/office was more casually dressed than one might expect for a real-estate agent but given where she was and the other service the woman provided, it didn't surprise Michiru at all. The woman was middled-aged with black hair in a bob similar to her own, though the woman's straighter hair moved much more freely. The agent was wearing a simple long-sleeved and collared white button-up blouse as well as practical navy pants and seemed quite surprised to see anyone so soon after opening.
"Oh! Hello, may I…help you young lady?" the agent asked, standing up after having just sat at her desk after Michiru stepped through the door.
A bit embarrassed herself for coming in so early, Michiru replied apologetically "I'm sorry miss to come so early but I just got into town and was hoping to get a tour around?"
The middle-aged woman briefly raised an eyebrow before settling into a more professional smile and said "A tour? Yes, I can do that but our town doesn't exactly have a lot of sights. It'll be pretty brief, honestly."
"Oh no," Michiru quickly responded, waving her hands, "I'm not a tourist! I'm looking for a home and this Shivmachi seems like just the kind of place I'm looking for."
The agent's expression softened a little on hearing that and she put her hands together in front of her, exclaiming "Oh! I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding! Yes, that's a different story entirely. My name is Tsubaki, and you?"
"Nazuna, madam! Nice to meet you." Michiru answered with a bow.
As she came around her desk and grabbed her purse from a hook on the wall, Tsubaki asked "So, what brings you to our sleepy little town, Nazuna?"
Michiru then went into the same story she had told the innkeeper the night before which went a long way to enduring her to the older woman just like the night before with Misa.
"They always seem so nice, don't they?" Michiru could her Sakon say in her ear as the two left the building and got into a small car parked along the road just out front.
Tsubaki gave Michiru a tour of the town as promised, seeing everything the undercover girl had seen when she and her team had looked around earlier. As they were finishing up, Michiru asked "So what's grown around here. Anything special?"
Keeping her eyes on the road as they began to head out of town and toward the fields, the real estate agent answered "Not really. Rice, soy, radish and various other vegetables though we do have quite the yugao crop this year."
"Mind if I see some of them?" Michiru followed up, mustering as much enthusiasm as she could for the question.
With a smirk, Tsubaki answered "I had a feeling you'd ask. We're on our way now."
Sure enough, before long, the car found it's way out to a series of rice fields, tiered along the side of a hill with a number of men and women tending the plants. As the two watched, waving to the farm hands whenever one took notice of them, Tsubaki asked "So, did you ever spend time in the fields when you were younger, Nazuna?"
"Yeah," Michiru said absentmindedly, "everyone in school spent some time around each of the crops we grew back home, to get a feel, you know?"
"As it should be." The barber/real estate agent said.
After that, they headed to another farm, this one however, was enclosed, made up of several large and long buildings. As they pulled up, Tsubaki said "The more tender veggies and fruit are grown here."
Michiru nodded and looked on as several larger men carried large boxes with freshly picked fruits in them to the front of the greenhouses. After a few minutes of looking on, Michiru, on Celty's prompting asked "I've noticed, Tsubaki, everyone here, they look so old-fashioned…close to nature you might say."
That caught the older woman's attention, who raised an eyebrow and replied "Yes…we like things the way they've always been in these parts. I'm curious, Nazuna, what about the city didn't you like when you moved there with your parents before you lost them?"
Inwardly, Michiru's heart sank. It seemed that Celty's hunch that a real-estate agent would be a kind of gatekeeper was right. As much as she didn't want to, Michiru answered "To be honest, to me, the city was wild, you know? Stray animals roamed the streets, and no one seemed to care. I couldn't take it."
When there wasn't a quick response, Michiru turned to look at her guide, who had an odd look on her face. It was as if she was trying to decide something and Michiru had to fight back the queasy uneasiness that threatened to overtake her. Finally, Tsubaki settled into a tight smile before she said "Well, Nazuna, here in Shivmachi, we know how to handle wild animals. Here, I have one more farm I want to show you. It's a bit out of the way, but I think you'll understand what I mean."
"Great." Michiru managed to get out, hoping desperately that her apprehension wasn't showing. Whatever it was that she was about to see, she was sure it wasn't going to be pleasant.
(X)
"You want to say that again." Shouta said, his voice dripping with barely contained rage.
Unfazed by the hostility radiating from the underground hero, Hitomi did as ordered, her tone even and calm, "I said that your old classmate, Oboro Shirakumo is alive."
"That's what I thought you said." Shouta answered before he shot up from his seat in Principal Nezu's office and got right up in the counselor's face and gritted out "It is taking every ounce of control in my body not to punch you for desecrating my friend's memory like that, lighter. I suggest if you wish to stay in my good graces, you not say such things again."
With that, the disheveled erasure hero turned to leave in utter disgust. It was only the firm voice of his boss that brought him up short as his hand rested on the door handle "AIZAWA-SAN. That is quite enough! I strongly suggest you sit back down and listen to Kanzaki-san's full explanation. Maybe have a bit of tea to calm yourself?"
"Yeah." Hizashi added, himself sounding quite shaken from his seat beside where Shouta had just been. "We need to hear the whole story before we judge her, even if it's upsetting to hear."
Shouta visibly shook while his hand remained tightly wrapped around the door's handle. After a long, tense moment, the man turned, his eyes narrow and hard as he glared back at the counselor from another world. The two locked eyes, Shouta clearly searching for something. When Hitomi matched his own intensity, refusing to back down under the weight of his ire, he relented. "Fine." Shouta spat while he walked back and heavily sat down, "Tell us your whole story."
Glancing at Nezu and Hizashi, Hitomi offered a brief flash of thanks in her eyes before returning to a stoic expression and speaking again. "I was asked to use my power on the teleporter from the League of Villains that Gran Torino captured recently. I discovered that Kurogiri is, in fact, your friend Oboro."
Hizashi sat back in his chair and took off his ever-present shades, pinching his nose with his free hand, a pained look on his face before he whispered "no way…"
Shouta had managed to calm his fury but his skepticism remained and he brought to bare logic to keep himself in check "How is that even possible. They don't even have the same quirk. On what basis am I supposed to believe such an outlandish tale?"
Hitomi took a deep breath before she continued, sure this would be the hardest part to hear. "After he died, All for One's assistant, a Doctor Garaki had his body recovered and he was rebuilt as a kind of prototype nomu. From the visions I saw, they were actually after your erasure quirk but settled for him. Kurogiri didn't even know who he had been until I touched his mind."
"Can we see him?" Hizashi blurted out, desperation clear in his voice.
"Hold on" Shouta interjected, turning to face his friend, "We still don't even know she is telling the truth."
"You got stood up."
"Excuse me?" Shouta growled, as he swung back to glare up at the counselor.
"Oboro and Yamada-sensei here set you up on a date but the girl never showed." Hitomi continued, a look of sympathy on her face.
Shouta's eyes widened before they narrowed again. "How could you know that. No one but Oboro, Hizashi and that girl could have known that. Did you tell her!" the enraged teacher accused as he stood up and glared down at the blonde beside him.
"Even if he had, he wouldn't have told you that he and Oboro were actually watching you stand there all that time." Hitomi added, making Hizashi shrink in his seat when Shouta turned to look at him again after glancing over at Hitomi.
If Shouta was mad before, he was livid now. His anger, however, was now completely focused on the voice hero. Nezu, though, brought things back to order as he lightly coughed and said "Gentlemen, I think Kanzaki-san has proven her point and I think you should be thanking her for brining you this news."
Begrudgingly, Shouta tore his attention away from his long-time friend and looked over at Hitomi, as did Hizashi. Instead of thanks though, the perpetually tired man asked "Why did you wait to tell us? If you knew how close we were…"
"With all due respect Aizawa-sensei, it was my responsibility to tell his family first. I'm told he hasn't been responsive since I met with him so there wasn't exactly a pressing need either. No offense." Hitomi answered, trying to sound apologetic.
Shouta looked away, ashamed he hadn't even thought of that much. Standing up, Hizashi put his hand on the other man's shoulder before he said "Thank you Kanzaki. You didn't have to tell us but you did and now we may have a chance to get our friend back."
"Indeed, the counselor has done you two a great service and has given us valuable information on All for One and his experiments. Yet another example of the value of the lighter problem, I must say!" Nezu cheerily added.
For the first time since she had spoken, Shouta looked on Hitomi with something other than rage. Shame, exhaustion and perhaps relief played on 1-A's homeroom teacher as he struggled to say anything. Hitomi patiently waited, sure the older man would sort his feelings and presently was rewarded when Shouta opened his mouth and said slowly, methodically "Hitomi Kanzaki…I have in the past been on the record as opposing having the lighters here at UA. I think, maybe, I have been too harsh in that assessment. Thank you for your help and for giving us our friend back."
A warm, beaming smile spread across the brunette's face as she fought the urge to embarrass the two in a hug. "You're so welcome, Shouta." She said instead, bowing deeply.
(X)
The park that Eri, Emeralda and Izuku went to wasn't far from the hospital. It was, however, quite large and surrounded by apartment complexes, which meant it was quite busy. To Emeralda, it seemed like hordes of children of all ages were running about in a chaotic sea of people doing anything and everything that they wanted to.
Between swings, slides of different heights, sizes and shapes and structures to climb, run and jump from, it was a paradise to any small enough to enjoy it. Naturally Eri's face was lit up in joy and wonderment, eager to do and try everything, even if the sheer number of people was a bit intimidating. Emeralda, on the other hand, was far less sure of herself. She saw everything going on and had no idea where to even begin. It showed on her face because Eri's excitement seemed to dim when she looked back at her tan friend. "Wha-what's wrong, Emmy-can?" Eri asked out of concern.
Emeralda tried to school her features back into a smile and failed miserably, instead settling on being honest, her face distraught. "It's just a lot is all. I'll be ok, I promise." she said.
The single-horned girl's smile returned before she grabbed Emeralda's hand, saying "Ok then! I want to go on the big slide first! Let's go!"
Before she could be pulled along, Emeralda turned back to look at Izuku, who offered a thumbs up and a nod before the greenette could truly be taken into the throng of children.
While he stood at the edge of the playground along with other guardians and parents, Izuku watched as the two girls ran about trying out all the toys and other options available to them. It wasn't long before he noticed an earnest smile appear on Emeralda's face while she chased after Eri under one of the play structures, the white-haired girl holding her stuffed bunny aloft as if it were flying. The sight brought a warm smile to the freckled hero-in-training to know the two of them were finally getting the chance to forget about the world around them. Izuku, however, wasn't as lucky because before long several of the other people watching began to recognize him from the sports festival. Before long, Izuku became flooded with well-wishers, autograph seekers and back-seat drivers with their own advice.
So it was that the two girls were no longer being watched over while they played about. After some more fun, Eri and Emeralda settled down to take a break under a slide, pretending to give the stuffed bunny a nap when several boys came over to them. The one in front, the largest and most menacing, with slitted eyes and a forked tongue that he kept sticking out of his month declared "Hey, this is our spot! No girls allowed!"
Emeralda was about to stand up and explain they had been here first but before she could, and much to her surprise, Eri declared "NO! You can join us if you want but we're not moving!"
"Guess you didn't hear me little girl. This is OUR spot! You're going to leave or we're going to make you." The boy barked, his two friends moving to push both girls out of the way.
Eri clearly looked distressed but before the horned girl could do or say anything else, Emeralda stood up, causing the boys to stop themselves. "Seems pretty pathetic for a group of older boys to bully a little girl. Still, if it will sooth your fragile ego, we will move." Emeralda explained as if scolding a child.
Emeralda motioned for Eri to get up as well and the other girl reluctantly complied when the lead boy spoke again, annoyed "Fancy talk from a girl. Especially one that doesn't look any older than us! Don't think you can just insult us like that and get away with it! Seems like a punishment is in order. Maybe we'll take that stupid little rabbit of yours." the boy sneered.
"NO!" Eri cried, clutching the bunny tightly to her chest.
Emeralda stepped fully between Eri and the bullies, ready to meet force with force if they really did try to take her friend's prized toy.
"Is…everything ok over here?" Izuku's voice came from out of view before his head appeared from behind the slide.
The boys, recognizing the outfit Izuku wore as that of a hero, clamped up immediately, the fear of being caught evident on their faces. "Just a disagreement about the use of this space, Deku." Emeralda calmly answered, making sure to use Izuku's hero name to drive home the point that they were under his care.
Sensing the tension in the air, Izuku turned to look the boys in the eye and asked "Is that true? I thought I heard Eri here cry out."
"Ye-yes, that's all it was, mister hero! We just usually use this place as our base, that's all. They can have it! Sorry for the trouble sir!" the lead boy said, his tone having flipped entirely while he practically groveled in front of Izuku.
"No, you can have it." Emeralda quickly responded, stepping past the three boys, Eri quickly following as they came to stand beside Izuku. "It seems more important to you anyway. Sorry to have…upset you."
That last part angered the lead boy even more but he had enough awareness not to show it while the hero and his two charges left.
"You two really ok?" Izuku asked as they walked to a bench at the edge of the playground.
"Uh huh!" Eri nodded "Emmy-chan got all serious so everything was ok!" she finished smiling at her friend.
"That's a relief! I couldn't see you for a bit there and then I had the idea that maybe you'd want some crepes and when I went looking for you I heard that cry and assumed the worst. Thanks Emeralda." Izuku explained, looking quite embarrassed at having nearly let something happen.
"Crepes? What're crepes?" Eri asked, as she adorably tilted her head in confusion.
When Emeralda too looked over at Izuku for an explanation he realized he was the only one who actually even knew what they were. "Oh…heh heh, well, they're a great dessert you can get that's kind of like a thin pancake with all sorts of fillings."
"Oh! I want one!" Eri declared, hopping up and down.
"Me too!" Emeralda mimicked her friend, seeming to return to her less serious persona once more "Strawberry for me!"
Izuku smiled and asked, "And what about you, Eri-chan?"
Taking the question far too seriously, Eri made a show of thinking hard on the question. Her answer broke Izuku's heart "I don't really know that many fruit…so whatever Emmy-chan is having, I want that too!"
"Ok then, you two stay here at the bench and I'll go get a couple of strawberry crepes, ok?" Izuku said.
When he got yeses from the two girls, Izuku turned and left for the little vendor at the far side of the park. Once he was far enough away though, the same three boys made their way over to the bench, the trio coming to stand behind Eri and Emeralda.
"You had your previous spot back, is this your super secret boys only bench too?" Emeralda asked dryly, without turning to acknowledge the bullies.
The question did prompt Eri to turn to face the boys, however, just as the lead one raised his hands and shoved Eri clean off the bench. The mono-horned girl tumbled to the ground, her stuffed bunny falling from her hands. In an instant, Emeralda was up and spun to face the trio, ready to protect her friend from any further violence. "I suggest you leave now." She said coldly as she raised her arms.
The lead boy snickered while he waved his hands defensively, backing up, which prompted his lackeys to do the same. "Hey, hey. We didn't do anything, she just slipped out of her seat, that's all." The lead bully said.
Emeralda was about to leap over the bench and chase the kids off when a heart-breaking cry turned her attention to Eri. Said girl was openly weeping, having moved over to where her bunny fell. "It's…it's ruined! Emmy, I'm so sorry!" Eri cried.
The trio of bullies forgotten, Emeralda turned and knelled down to face the distraught horned girl. When she got a good look at the stuffed bunny however, it appeared perfectly fine. Confused, Emeralda asked, her voice shaking with worry "E-Eri-chan…I don't understand? What's wrong with the bunny?"
Eri torn her attention from the toy to look at the greenette like she had grown a second head. "What do you m-m-mean, Emmy? Look at it! It's torn to pieces!"
That was all Emeralda needed to know that something was wrong sure that kid had done something to her friend. Emeralda stood and turned to face the horrible little kids but instead found they were no longer in sight. Before she could twist to look around her, the lead bully came from behind her, having moved around while she was distracted, and gave her a good push as well.
The heavier, battle tested nanomachine girl didn't budge, which surprised the bully but it didn't matter. That contact was all he needed for his quirk to take hold. The next thing Emeralda knew, Eri was on fire, screaming in pain and rolling about on the ground.
Emeralda knew, in her mind, that what she was seeing had to be some sort of illusion. It HAD to be. Her mind told her this but her heart broke all the same and she stood, unwilling to act on the horrible sight but unable to ignore it either. Instead, tears began to stream down her face as she stared at the image of her friend.
The boys, meanwhile, began laughing uncontrollably while the two girls were left crippled by illusions. At least, that had been the case until the trio's laughter got loud enough to pull Eri's attention away from her torture. As one boy pointed at Emeralda, the white-haired girl followed the finger until she saw the look on her friend's face. The pain, the tears…Eri realized those boys had done something and she decided she was going to do something about it.
In the throws of laughter, the bullies hardly noticed Eri stand up, a determined glint in her eye. She stomped over to the boys and yelled "What did you do to my friend!" as she pointed back at Emeralda.
Meanwhile, Izuku had finished buying the crepes and was headed back to the bench he had left the two girls at. He had just gotten close enough to see something was going on. The incident only a few minutes ago fresh in his mind, the freckled hero-in-training hastened his step.
As for the answer to Eri's question, the older boys seemed to laugh even harder, before one managed to get out "Wha…HAHA…what're you talking about? HAHAHA! We, we didn't do anything!"
In that moment, Eri knew she had to do something more. They…they had done that terrible thing to her toy…they had done something to Emeralda and if she didn't act, they would continue to do bad things.
Slowly, Eri raised her hand, as arcs of power began to jump and spark off of her horn, itself getting a bit larger. As he approached, Izuku caught sight of the glow that appeared on Eri's head and knew exactly what that meant. Dropping the crepes, Izuku pushed as much as he dared of One for All into his legs and rushed forward.
The bullies seemed to suddenly become aware that the little girl in front of them was doing something with her quirk and quickly became terrified as her hand reached out to touch them. Izuku pushed his legs almost to the point of breaking, sure that contact with Eri would simply heal them and desperate to make sure the poor girl didn't do anything she'd regret. Everything seemed to slow to a crawl for Izuku as he reached out to catch Eri's hand while her hand neared the largest of the three boys.
It was suddenly clear he wasn't going to make it and the freckled boy began to call out the silver-haired girl's name in desperation even though he knew it was too late. Then, Eri's hand clasped down, her power racing through it.
Only, it wasn't a mean-spirited boy with an abusable quirk that she latched on to. No, instead it was Emeralda's arm Eri was holding with her quirk activated. Apparently Izuku had been so focused on Eri that he had missed Emeralda snapping out of her own illusion and rushing to stop what was happening.
Eri and Izuku both watched on in horror as the light of the mono-horned girl's quirk subsided. However, to Eri's and Izuku's eyes, Emeralda looked entirely unchanged, save for the look of mournful regret on her face.
"Whatever that was, we're sorry! We, we were just trying to have some fun! Honest!" the leader of the boys croaked while the trio fell over themselves running away.
Slowly, Izuku took Eri's arm, which still clasped Emeralda's and gently pushed it down. The little girl seemed to be starring at nothing, as if shocked at seeing what she, herself was about to do. Finally, slowly, Izuku spoke, "Eri…Eri-chan. You know what you almost did…don't you?"
That was the final straw and the little girl broke down sobbing as she broke contact with Emeralda and threw herself at Izuku. "I, I'm so sorry! T-they were doing something to me and Emmy a-a-and I couldn't let them! I thought…I thought if they were being so mean then they needed to grow up again! Maybe then…maybe then they would learn not to hurt people…Midoriya, I'm sorry!"
Izuku put a gloved hand on the girl's head and gently stroked it and let Eri continue to sob. Looking up, Izuku's eyes met Emeralda's as the obvious question passed wordlessly between them. Instead of an answer, Emeralda looked away and shook her head. With the tan girl refusing to answer, all that Izuku could think of was their earlier conversation when she had said she had complete control over her cells. It was then that a thought took hold of him that he knew he couldn't ask, at least not now. Instead, Izuku was left to wonder and unable to act, one of the worst places a hero could find themselves.
Instead, the three of them stayed there until Eri calmed down enough for the three of them to quietly make their way back to the hospital.
(X)
Another day, another pain in the ass for Katsuki Bakugo. Today had passed like pretty much every other since his punishment began for attacking Izuku and the lighters at a training ground after hours.
Wake up with the rest of his classmates before studying and doing assignments sent to him from his teachers. Break for lunch before training by himself as best he could without damaging anything in the dorm or just outside of it. Then, after some light cleaning, the angry blonde would get ready and head out for training for his provisional license with Zelgadis and Minoru.
After that, it was back to the dorms for dinner, clean up followed by bed. Then repeat all over again. It was humiliating, boring, frustrating and as much as he waited to admit it, it was lonely for the once self-proclaimed strongest of his class.
Everyone in 1-A still acknowledged Katsuki, sure, but he knew he was isolated...left behind while everyone else got ahead of him, improved when he did not. This evening was no different. He had returned from training, ate dinner by himself and went about cleaning after everyone, as was part of his punishment. Izuku would say hi to him, like always, though today he seemed upset by something. Eijiro would also greet him but nothing more. No jokes, no jabs, just words in passing. It was like Katsuki was nothing more than part of the decor, not worth a conversation with.
The worst part? Katsuki knew it was his fault. He had pushed his classmates away. Looked down on them, demeaned them and insulted them. It only made sense that when he had crossed beyond the line that they wouldn't want anything to do with him. He hadn't exactly made it easy for them back when he was just skirting the line between aggressive and outright assaulting someone.
Such was Katsuki's mindset when, as he was vacuuming, the blue-skinned and rock encrusted most recent object of his scorn came through the door, holding a guitar.
The blonde explosion wielder shut off the vacuum and asked with no small amount of hostility "Hey. What the hell are you doing over here Rocky?"
Zelgadis was very close to just ignoring the arrogant prick he had so easily laid low that night in the training ground, having already had enough of Katsuki during training earlier. Instead, the sorcerer decided to answer honestly, hoping it would placate the rapid dog of a teenager. "Practicing for the festival. Jiro-san isn't satisfied with our sound yet so we need to practice. Sorry if the music bothers you."
The straight answer actually caught Katsuki off guard, expecting anything from derision to being ignored outright, like all the others. After a few moments of silence, Zelgadis gave up on a response and continued on his way. Much to his annoyance though, he came to a halt once more when another "Hey." Came from behind, though this time much calmer.
"Why do you even bother with this?" Katsuki inquired, having left his cleaning entirely.
The question didn't sound like it had been asked in malice. Still, considering the source, Zelgadis still took it as an insult, replying defensively "And what's that supposed to mean? What's it to you what I do, hmm?"
Keeping his raising temper in check, Katsuki ignored the tone Zelgadis used and plowed ahead, responding "I mean, it just seems like doing this festival isn't actually your kind of thing. Never pegged you to be the artist type is all."
Zelgadis raised his eyebrows in surprise before he turned to face the younger dirty blonde. The rock-encrusted swordsmen took another long moment to consider whether Katsuki was being sincere or not. Just before Katsuki turned away, tired of waiting for a response, Zelgadis spoke "Truth is, I don't really consider myself to be artistic either." When Katsuki opened his mouth to say something but just as quickly shut it, Zelgadis continued, "But then, I realized I don't have a lot I do for fun. I tend to obsess and having something to do just to relax…I think that can help keep me grounded. So, I'm trying this whole musician thing out and if I can help someone else or make others forget about their own troubles then all the better. That's all."
"Tch, whatever." came Katsuki's quick dismissal, which got nothing but a shrug from Zelgadis as he turned and continued on his way.
"Hey." Katsuki called out again. This time though, Zelgadis was ready to get down to business and kept walking.
"It's percussion!" Zelgadis heard the blonde call out, which finally did get the chimera to stop and turn one more time.
"That's what's missing. You need someone on drums. Ain't nothing dangly ears gonna be able to do to write around that problem." Katsuki explained, his voice less loud now that he had Zelgadis' attention again.
Said chimera stood there, not really sure what to say. Katsuki's suggestion made sense, but the song was Kyoka's and he hardly felt he was in a position to just go to her and suggest such a change. Katsuki seemed to take his silence as disbelief because after a moment, the blonde added, almost too softly to be heard "I…I could do it. Play the drums, I mean. If you want."
Zelgadis was nearly floored by the almost vulnerable tone Katsuki had just used to actually ask to be a part of something he wasn't the lead in. Again, the chimera could only be left to think Katsuki was being honest. That being the case, the sorcerer was hard pressed to deny the request, himself having only recently been granted a second chance for his own arrogant and selfish mistakes.
"Alight," he said, "We'll see what Jiro-san has to say and maybe we can try it out. Just remember, this is her song so it's her decision."
Katsuki simply nodded, put his hands in his pockets and walked over to join Zelgadis, the vacuum left alone in the middle of the room and ignored the rest of the night.
(X)
Tsubaki had taken Michiru down a number of twists and turns, taking out of the way side roads around a couple of small mountains to the point that the undercover girl had absolutely no idea where she was. That was, she was sure, the entire point. Eventually though they reached their destination, which looked like nothing more than the end of a dirt road to Michiru.
The thought occurred to the human-looking beastman that this was a trap and this woman intended to dump her body out here where no one would presumably ever find her. That meant being ready for anything and Celty reminded the former tanuki girl even though Michiru was already well aware of the risk.
Such worries ended up being unfounded as Tsubaki stood by her and asked Michiru seriously "Nazuna, you're a country girl, I could tell the moment I met you so I know you get it, how hard it can be to keep animals out of the barn or stealing what is rightfully yours."
Michiru listened on with wrapped attention and said when the real-estate agent finished "Yes, ma'am. Never could get anyone to come out and case them away though, back in the city, I mean."
"That's what I figured. Come on." Tsubaki commanded with a knowing smile as she pushed forward into the bushes that marked the end of the road.
Just as the two could begin to see through the other side of the foliage Tsubaki spoke again "Here in Shivmachi, we decided we were tired of chasing out the vermin or waiting on them to just leave on their own. No, the best use of a rat is to put it in a wheel and make it run for you."
As she finished speaking, Tsubaki pushed aside the last of the brush and the sight that awaited Michiru almost took her breath away. It took everything she had not to show any sign of a negative reaction to what lay before her. Another field of crops lay before the pair but this one, instead of being staffed by people simply working had, instead, a number of heteromorphic humans toiling away as others stood over them with weapons. Some were even in the act of beating one, a boy Michiru thought, who looked like a monkey as he tried to carry a box full of fruit.
All of the heteromorphs had some degree of restraints on them. Some wore metal muzzles, while others were in chains or had rope around their necks. It was, in a word, horrifying.
"How's that for pest control?" Tsubaki said with smug satisfaction. "Now, want to see some available farmhouses?"
(X)
Another warm and fuzzy chapter set during what was the most light-hearted period of MHA canon is in the books. Truth be told, there is so much more I wanted to pack into this chapter but I only have so much time in the day and with a once a month release schedule, if I dwelled any more on things than I already do, my son will have graduated college before I was done. Anyway, Michiru is going to have to stomach some pretty unsettling things for awhile if she wants to get anywhere on her mission. Hopefully no one else shows up to complicate things for her team.
Emeralda and Eri can't seem to catch a break and now both have things to answer for. I don't know if any of you have been in a position to watch children at a playground but its funny how you can stand in the middle of them and they don't even seem to notice you. I usually have to try very hard to get to get people to not notice me. If anyone was curious what the bully's quirk did, it lets him make anyone he touches see what he wants them to. I saw that Eri cared for the bunny and afterwards saw that Emeralda cared for Eri so made them both see what they cared for destroyed. Children can be great but they can also be horrible little monsters.
Zelgadis and Bakugo both made returns this chapter. I admit I hadn't really intended to give Bakugo an out. I had in mind to let him stew as he deserved. Trouble is, redemption is hard to ignore. The little shit still has a long way to go but someone has opened the door for him, he'll just need to walk through it.
Ok, on to this months review!
Endericus writes:
Hey VSauce Nick here! Sorry for not writing this earlier my lazy ass only got to writing this review after a while. I thoroughly enjoyed the chapter, as usual Hitomi's session are really interesting to read plus I wonder if you will write a scene with Eraserhead and Present Mic meeting with Oboro since this seems like an emotional reunion, also glad that my speculation about the beast factor is giving some inspiration if we could call it that, Eri's and Emeraldas relationship is really wholesome and cute can't get enough of them. Also Michiru opening up at least a little bit is pretty cool, overall peak chapter and can't wait to read the next one!
I swear I already planned to write the Eraserhead and Present Mic before your review! You just read my mind, that's all, Endericus! I hope this chapter's scene met with expectations. An actual reunion will come later, I promise! Thank you as always for the kind words and you need never apologize for any perceived tardiness in reviewing. Getting to hear from you at all is wonderful and always appreciated so thank you. I just hope to continue to produce something with reading for you.
Ok, I think that's everything for this month! As always, thank you for your time, feel free to let me know what you think, I would enjoy hearing from you. On a side note, I am considering commissioning a proper cover for the story and would welcome any suggestions as to an artist if you have any or what you would like to see in the cover itself. See you next month!