Welcome back to "Through the Rough"! As we got things slightly set up in the last chapter, this mini-arc is going to be focusing on the budding relationship between Izuku and Rebecca. I felt like it was owed to these two to have some time to be a couple in the wake of the Two Heroes Arc, at least until things get really rolling in the upcoming adapted arcs.
But yeah, this is the second of what'll probably be five chapters of these two being an official couple, along with a few hints to new characters down the road for this story. So without further delay and such, let's get ourselves into some new shenanigans.
THROUGH THE ROUGH
"M-Mom, come on!" Izuku stammered out, having gotten dressed in a t-shirt and some khakis with his signature red shoes, "It's not like I haven't hung out with Rebecca before!" he noted. Ever since his mother learned about him asking his best friend out on a date, she hadn't stopped fussing over him. He was kicking himself for being too loud last night.
"Izuku Midoriya, this isn't just you hanging out and playing videos games with your friend," Inko sternly noted, causing him to flinch from her sudden change of tone, "You're about to go on a date with a lovely young woman," she pointed out, "So I think you should be taking this a little more seriously, particularly with your wardrobe!" she added as she pointed at her son's clothes.
"Wh-What's wrong with what I'm wearing?!" he questioned frantically with a stutter.
"It's way too casual, especially for a first date!" his mother argued, letting out a sigh, "Though I suppose that since it's your first time, you might not be as prepared as you think…" she realized, lowering her gaze slightly with shame, "I'm sorry…" she apologized.
"Mom…" her son uttered out worriedly.
"I'm just worried because it's your first time going out on a date…" she confessed, "But I'm honestly so happy for you," she pointed out, "You and Rebecca," she added with a smile. Izuku managed to smile back.
"Thanks, Mom," he said with gratitude, "I promise, I'll be best date possible for her!" he declared, jogging toward the door.
"I'm sure she's feeling jittery herself!" his mother called out as she waved in farewell. The One For All inheritor chuckled.
"Knowing her, she's all set!" he remarked confidently before he left. She was far from all set.
"Oh man, do you think this is too much?" she asked, dressed in a striped blue-and-white tank top with jean shorts and high-heeled sandals, while her hair was in twin tails. She was talking to her cat, who yawned. "Ugh…" she groaned, "Why am I worrying so much about this…?" she wondered aloud, looking over at her mirror to see her reflection.
'I mean, I guess it's weird that after all this time, Izuku and I are actually dating…' she admitted inwardly, 'Still, I shouldn't be so nervous…' she insisted of herself, 'I kissed him first, darn it!' she pointed out through her thoughts, 'There's no way I'm gonna be intimidated by having a first date with him!' she declared inwardly, having a determined fire in her eyes. All of a sudden, she heard her phone buzz. She reached over to grab it, reading the notification upon it.
Izu: On my way!
Rebecca felt her heart flutter a little. But she smiled, typing a message back before sending it.
Becca: ill be waiting outside
She went ahead to grab her purse, strapping it over her left shoulder. Taking one last look in the mirror, she went ahead and smiled.
"Happy, I'll be back later with groceries," she promised to her cat, who purred as she scratched his head, "You be a good kitty until I'm back, okay?" she requested. The cat meowed out a yawn, lying back down on her bed. She giggled, heading for the door. Today was a big first step for her and Izuku. And it was one of many firsts that would happen throughout the summer.
OPENING
Insert "ODD FUTURE" by UVERworld
Opens with Izuku and Rebecca getting into lunging stances before taking off into the distance as a bright blue sky looms overhead. We see a scene of Nana Shimura holding out her gloved hand to a skinny All Might, who accepts it as a light shines between their palms. A bright light flashes across the screen.
We cut to the rest of Class 1-A running together at the campground in their P.E. clothes, with Shiki leading the way as he leaps ahead. Ochaco and Momo are staring at him from behind somewhat longingly. But once they notice each other staring at him, they blush and look away.
Elsewhere around the camp, we see Homura using her energy blades to slash down mounds of earth formed by Pixie Bob, Shoto practicing with shooting his flames from his left arm, followed by unleashing a wave of ice from his right foot, Weisz remodeling multiple machines to practice more with his Quirk, and Katsuki unleashing large explosions up into the sky. As Izuku takes a moment to catch his breath, he looks over to see Rebecca running alongside Tenya. She spots her boyfriend and shoots him a warm smile, which he returns as he blushes.
However, that happiness is shattered as the forest is engulfed in blue flames that evening, courtesy of Dabi. He's joined by Himiko, Twice, Compress, Mustard, Muscular, Moonfish, Laguna, Fie, Daichi, Maria, and Shura. The latter of the group floats up and has Ether Gear markings expand along his right arm as he aims it down at the ground, which suddenly caves in. He grins wickedly as he dives toward Shiki, who retaliates with a Gravity Fist.
We see Laguna turning to face off with Weisz, who equips into his Arsenal armor before dashing out at him. Meanwhile, Daichi emerges from the ground, joining Maria in confronting Rebecca and Kyoka, who stand back-to-back and grimace. Izuku is in battle against Muscular, lunging forward and rearing his right fist back for a full-powered punch.
The scene changes to Drakken Joe atop a roof as the wind rushes around him. He's approached by Jaguar, who stares at him indignantly. A leaf blows by, revealing a flashback of the two confronting on the same rooftop. Drakken doesn't look like he's aged a day since then.
We cut to Tomura being approached by All For One, who rests his hand onto his head gently. Several Nomu emerge behind him, ready to act on command. We get a shot of Poseidon Nero, who opens his eyes as his dice rattle in his hands. We also see Noah Glenfield, who closes a book as he approaches the desk of Nezu at U.A.
All Might arrives, landing down mightily to confront All For One, roaring as his eyes glare onto his foe. There are several shots of Mirko, Endeavor, Justice, Holy, Eraser, Feather, Cure, Jaguar, Edgeshot, Kamui Woods, Gang Orca, and Eraser Head, with all of them battling against enemy forces.
We end on Izuku and Rebecca standing up alongside All Might, staring out determinedly towards the horizon, ready to go and save the world.
END OPENING
"So we're all set on the regimens for everyone?" Vlad King inquired, holding up a stack of papers as he looked over to Shota, who was organizing his.
"Seems like it," he answered, "Though I am considering cross-training between classes," he pointed out to his fellow teacher, "especially for those with similar Quirk types," he mentioned on.
"I agree," Vlad responded with a nod, "Husert's already shown amazing talent in the classroom, and he only joined just after the Sports Festival," he recalled.
"Hmm…" the Erasure Quirk user hummed in thought. Something about Laguna coming into the hero course rubbed him the wrong way. He already had exceptional talent to be a hero, yet he was originally in general studies.
'Did he fail the Entrance Exam?' the teacher wondered, looking over his notes, 'No… I would've noticed if he was one of them that participated at least…' he noted to himself.
"Eraser?" Vlad chimed in, trying to get his attention.
"Sorry," he apologized, snapped away from his thoughts, "You were saying?" he inquired. Before the Blood Control Quirk user could respond, the door to the office slid open.
"Hello, gentlemen!" Nezu greeted, "We have a special visitor today!" he pointed out, gesturing to his left. Standing beside him was a young man of average height with medium-length blond hair and green eyes. His attire consisted of a long-sleeved dark-colored dress suit over a white dress shirt with a teal tie, and sported dress pants held by a belt with a star on the center. Lastly, he wore a white coat draped over his shoulders like a cape with a gold, wing-like symbol on the back.
"A pleasure to see you both, Shota and Sekijiro," he greeted.
"Noah Glenfield…" Vlad uttered out of surprise.
"To what do we owe the pleasure?" the Erasure Quirk user inquired curiously, seeing the man step forward.
"In light of recent events involving UA's students, it's come to the Safety Commission's attention that we need to check in on you," he answered thoroughly, "I believe both the Hosu and Shibuya incidents speak for themselves, yes?" he assumed, earning a nod in response from the principal, "I also understand that both Hero Course classes will be attending a training camp within the next few weeks," he mentioned.
"We've taken the necessary precautions, if that's your concern," Shota assured.
"Haha!" Noah laughed, "I don't doubt that at all," he affirmed with a smile, "Still, the commission does have its concerns about having the students leave campus grounds, even just for a period of time such as two full weeks," he told the teachers.
"You've got no need to worry," Sekijiro promised confidently, "Our students will be safe wherever they are," he proclaimed. However, the safety commission member didn't seem that convinced, closing his eyes in thought for a moment.
"May Nezu and I have the room to ourselves for a moment?" he requested of the teachers, who looked to each other in confusion.
"We were just about to wrap up…" Shota noted before he and Vlad left the room. The principal's expression shifted into a concerned frown.
"You aren't just here about the students are you, Glenfield?" he assumed of the safety commission member, who walked over to the windows, staring outside.
"Japan has a… unique method to ranking its villains," he noted, "The commission votes on the worst of the worst and puts them into a sort of… tier list…" he explained on, "That's how the Oracion Seis started," he pointed out.
"Indeed," Nezu responded as he walked up to Noah's side, "And with Elsie Crimson's recent appearance, perhaps the others of the Seis are bound to make some kind of move," he inferred additionally.
"They already have," the safety commission member noted, "I've been keeping tabs on one member in particular, one that's withstood the test of time for many years…" he told the principal, who looked to him curiously.
"Drakken Joe, I assume?" he guessed, earning a nod from Noah.
"I believe he may be working behind the scenes with the League of Villains," he pointed out, "Though that assumption has yet to be totally confirmed," he admitted as he turned around and walked off, "But I do have a sinking feeling that his next target may involve your students," he confessed on, "So please take care to protect them well," he advised seriously as he stopped at the door.
"Of course," Nezu responded. The safety commission member opened the door, heading out into the hallway. He pulled out his phone, dialing a number before holding it up to his ear.
"Do we have any updates on the League's location?" he inquired.
"Negative," a voice over the line replied, "Still just hearsay," he confirmed, causing Noah to sigh with frustration.
"If only All Might were working with us…" he grumbled quietly as he pinched the bridge of his nose, continuing to walk down the hall.
"Don't sweat it, Chief," the voice on the other end of the line responded reassuringly, "We'll have this all done and dusted before you know it," he affirmed with confidence.
"Hm," Noah chuckled, "You're always the optimist aren't you, Hawks?" he inquired rhetorically, "Still, I wish there was some kind of hint that we could pick up on…" he admitted over the line.
"Pretty sure what happened in Hosu and Shibuya were big hints," the Wing Hero noted, "All we need to do is crack the code and figure out what's next," he pointed out, standing atop a building and spreading his red wings.
"That's what I'm counting on with you involved," Noah retorted, making him chuckle, "Thank you, Hawks," he said in gratitude, ending the call. That allowed for the Wing Hero to fly off. Looking for the League of Villains was still complicated. And things were only bound to get even more so.
X
Izuku never realized up until now how adorable it was to see Rebecca slurping up ramen noodles, hearing her hum happily. The two hadn't gone out too far into the city, especially as they needed to get groceries later on. So for lunch, they decided to stop at a ramen shop.
"Ah~!" the Leaper Quirk user gasped in delight after finishing another set of her noodles, "Oh, this is the best!" she exclaimed happily, using her chopsticks to take hold of the noodles again, "Eating these up really makes you feel like Naruto or something, right?" she assumed of her boyfriend.
"Y-Yeah," he stammered in response, smiling before going ahead to slurp up his noodles as well. Meanwhile, a women seated at the countertop glanced back at them curiously.
'Teenagers on a date, huh?' she noted to herself, 'Must be nice to be young…' she muttered inwardly.
"So anyway, what's the plan for you and All Might when it comes to camp?" Rebecca quietly asked.
"Oh, basic strength training still," he answered, "I think he wants me to have at least fifteen percent output before moving on to trying new techniques," he explained, looking at his scarred right hand, "What about you?" he questioned of his girlfriend.
"Ah… well…" she uttered out, sheepishly scratching at her right cheek, "That's the tricky part…" she admitted to his confusion, "When we were flying back, All Might asked me to keep my Reverse technique a secret from the teachers…" she told him as he blinked in surprise, "at least until I get a better understanding of it," she mentioned.
"But… you already have a great understanding… don't you?" Izuku inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Not to the point where I'm not hurting myself from using it…" his girlfriend argued in response, "I wanna be able to use my power without worrying anyone," she affirmed seriously, "Honestly… just like you," she added with a small smile to her boyfriend, "But there's something else I wanna work on," she mentioned.
"What's that?" the One For All inheritor asked.
"I wanna figure out the kind of hero that I want to be, without having to worry about following in your footsteps or anything," she answered thoroughly to his surprise.
"Rebecca…" he uttered.
"No need to worry," she assured, "I'll figure it out my own way, just like you did with yours," she declared confidently, "That doesn't mean we can't still help each other, though," she pointed out.
"R-Right," he stammered in agreement with a nod. They went ahead and continued slurping away at their ramen bowls. By the time they were almost finished, Rebecca noticed a stray noodle upon her boyfriend's right cheek. She grabbed her napkin and reached over to wipe it off.
"There!" she said, "That should be—" She stopped talking upon realizing what she just did. Both she and Izuku instantaneously went red. She immediately sat back down. "Sorry…" she meekly apologized.
"I-I-It's okay…" Izuku stuttered out, "Th-Thank you…" he mentioned with gratitude. The woman at the counter glanced back at them again.
'How adorable…' she remarked inwardly with a little smile. A while later, the new couple was walking down the Mustafu streets, awkwardly glancing back and forth at each other. They didn't know what to say after what had happened earlier at the ramen shop. Finally, Rebecca let out a sigh.
"We've got a bit more time before I need to do some shopping…" she pointed out, "so why not hit up an arcade?" she offered to her boyfriend as they stopped, "Maybe burn off some calories with DDR?" she suggested with a grin.
"Or maybe some first-person shooters like you'd love," Izuku mentioned, causing his girlfriend to blink in surprise before she giggled.
"Come on!" she beckoned, running off. Izuku followed after her and smiled. In terms of a first date, things were going really well. Sure, there were some awkward moments, but that was to be expected. He and Rebecca were treading into new territory, no longer as just friends.
They arrived at the arcade moments later, with the Leaper Quirk user heading inside and excitedly smiling at the various choices of racing, shooter, and simple puzzle games scattered around the venue. Izuku entered and immediately took notice of one game in particular.
"A dinosaur shooter?" he said, causing his girlfriend to look over and gasp in surprise.
"Oh my gosh, the new Jurassic World arcade game?!" she exclaimed as she zipped over to it, "But… I thought this wasn't supposed to come out for another year!" she noted in remembrance, letting her eyes sparkle, "Oh man, I really gotta try this out!" she insisted, reaching into her purse to find any change that she had. Her boyfriend smiled, glad that she was enjoying herself.
"Hey, Midoriya!" a voice called out, getting his attention as he turned to see Eijiro walking over alongside Denki and Hanta.
"Oh, Kirishima!" the One For All inheritor responded, seeing him approach, "What are you doing here?" he inquired.
"I live in the area," his spiky-haired classmate responded, "And I invited Kaminari and Sero out to hang at the arcade," he mentioned, gesturing to the others.
"You out here on your own?" the Tape Quirk user asked curiously.
"Oh, uh…" Izuku started to reply, only to realize something. If he said that he was with Rebecca, then they'd likely deduce that they were on a date, which would be a little embarrassing to admit. Then again, Eijiro and Denki did witness him kiss the Leaper Quirk user back on I-Island, so it probably didn't matter. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to say anything.
"Izuku, come on!" Rebecca called out, waving him over from the shooter game as she was seated in her seat, "It's multiplayer!" she noted, gesturing towards the two plastic guns that were set up.
"Uh… I-I'll be right there…" he stuttered in response, blushing a little. The Leaper Quirk user was confused as to why he was suddenly so meek, but then saw why as she noticed their classmates.
'Oh crap!' she yelped inwardly. The trio of boys glanced back and forth at her and then Izuku, who lowered his gaze.
"Are… you guys on a date?" Denki guessed after another moment. The One For All inheritor lowered his head in defeat.
"Yeah…" he answered in admittance.
"Wow, great for you guys!" Eijiro complimented, going over and wrapping his right arm around his classmate's shoulders as he yelped in surprise, "Kinda had a feeling about you two after that whole fiasco on I-Island…" he pointed out.
"Uh… um…" Izuku stuttered.
"Don't worry, we won't say a word…" Denki promised, holding his hands up.
"You better not," Rebecca chimed in as she approached, "I don't want to have to deal with Mister Pervert as a constant problem in our relationship…" she noted, "At least… not until we're ready to tell everyone about it…" she mentioned as a correction.
"Well, you know how nosey Mineta is…" Hanta commented.
"But hey, he'll be stuck in extra lessons with us," Eijiro pointed out, "So these two'll have nothing to worry about!" he assured. With that though, he and his friends sighed.
'Guess they're still not totally over the fact that they failed in the finals…' Rebecca realized as a trickle of sweat rolled down the back of her head.
"You guys wanna hang out with us?" she offered to the trio of boys, causing them to perk up in surprise.
"Wait, but you're still on your date, right?" Denki questioned back.
"Yeah, we don't wanna get in the way of that…" Hanta pointed out.
"It's fine, really," Rebecca assured, "Besides, it's only our first date," she noted as she looked over to her boyfriend, "It doesn't have to be just us having fun," she mentioned, "Right?" she inquired of Izuku.
"Yeah," he responded with a nod.
"Well, I guess…" Eijiro uttered out.
"Dibs on the Double-X Racer!" Denki exclaimed as he ran toward one of the racing games in the arcade.
"Hey, wait!" Hanta yelled, chasing after him. Rebecca giggled at their enthusiasm.
"Oh, right…" Eijiro said, "Did you guys hear about what happened on I-Island?" he inquired of the couple, getting their attentions, "Apparently, some of the villains that were captured made bail," he told them.
"Wait, what?" the Leaper Quirk user inquired out of shock.
"But… they worked to try and steal an important piece of technology from the island!" Izuku noted.
"Yeah, but word was that since Mister Shield's partner was the one who brought the villains in, their punishments would be a little more like a slap on the wrist," the Hardening Quirk user explained, "Luckily, that metal guy didn't get out, so that's good," he pointed out.
"I guess…" Rebecca responded, folding her arms over her chest, "Still, it's crazy to think that villains are just getting off scot free…" she noted.
"Yeah…" her boyfriend agreed, "I wonder why only they got out…" he said, putting his hand onto his chin.
"No need to worry about it right now," the Leaper Quirk user assured as she placed a hand onto Izuku's shoulder, "Besides, I'd rather you didn't go on a mutter spree…" she mentioned cheekily, causing the One For All inheritor to blush.
"Haha!" Eijiro laughed, "Well, come on!" he beckoned as he hurried off into the arcade, "Let's game 'til we drop!" he insisted excitedly. Izuku and Rebecca turned to each other. They shared a laugh, heading over to play as many games as possible.
From the shooting games to racing, the two of them were having a lot of fun. The One For All inheritor didn't really care that they were being watched when they played Dance-Dance Revolution together. He just saw his girlfriend's smile, enjoying everything. And he wanted to preserve that smile forever.
X
"Oh, this is awesome!" Rebecca exclaimed as she held up the plush toy of a certain fictional cat in her hands, "I can't believe you were able to get me this Litten plush!" she noted in remembrance, squeezing it tightly in her grasp with a cute look upon her face.
"I'm glad you like it," Izuku said. The sun was setting in the near distance as the couple walked down the streets back to the Leaper Quirk user's apartment. After a few more arcade games and saying goodbye to Eijiro, Denki, and Hanta, the two decided to run the errands for the day, heading back home afterwards.
"Sorry for making you carry all the groceries…" Rebecca apologized to her boyfriend, who was carrying a few shopping bags in his hands.
"It's okay," he assured in response, "There's not that much, anyway," he pointed out.
"Yeah…" his girlfriend replied. He looked to her and smiled, but then noticed the broken B-Cube that was upon her necklace.
"You kept the B-Cube?" he inquired, getting her attention, "Why?" he asked, "I thought it couldn't be fixed…" he recalled.
"Well, yeah…" Rebecca responded in confirmation, "But I kept it because it was a gift from you," she pointed out to his surprise, "And thanks to it, we finally started this new… relationship thing of ours," she mentioned with a giggle, "So I'm keeping it, whether it's broken or not," she declared. Her boyfriend's eyes shimmered before his face scrunched up. "Ah!" she yelped, followed by laughing, "Don't do that!" she insisted, "You're gonna make me bust a gut!" she noted over her laughter.
"Sorry…" Izuku apologized, calming down. They were getting closer to the apartment. "…This is the first time we've been out and about since what happened at the shopping mall in Kiyashi Ward…" he remembered.
"Yeah…" Rebecca responded quietly as she clutched her plush in her arms. She recollected the events of Maria coming to threaten her in the video game store, followed by her witnessing Tomura almost choke the life out of Izuku. "Hey… Izuku?" she said as she came to a stop for a moment.
"You okay, Rebecca?" he asked out of concern, arching an eyebrow. The Leaper Quirk user tensed up a little, remembering Maria's threat.
"No, it's nothing," she concluded, turning to her boyfriend with a smile, "Sorry about that," she apologized with a sheepish grin. The One For All inheritor was still a little concerned and confused. Moments later, they arrived at the door.
"You sure you don't want me to carry any of this in?" he asked of his girlfriend, who took the shopping bags into her arms while putting her new plush toy in one of them.
"Like you said, it's not that much," she pointed out in response, "And besides, you've done enough heavy lifting for a week or two," she mentioned on with a giggle.
"Heh…" Izuku chuckled, "You too…" he added. There was a brief silence as Rebecca pulled out her keys to open her door. As she twisted the key into the lock, she turned… and was immediately met with her boyfriend kissing her on the lips. He hadn't realized it himself until he opened his eyes, jolting back. "I-I'm sorry!" he stammered apologetically, "I-I was going for your cheek and… uh…!" he tried to say, only to hear the Leaper Quirk user giggle again.
"Don't worry about it, Izuku," she assured, "It was nice," she said, opening her door, "Well… goodnight," she remarked in farewell as a cute blush dusted her cheeks.
"Text you later?" Izuku assumed.
"Yeah," she replied. They shared another laugh, with Rebecca entering her apartment and Izuku heading down the stairs, feeling like he was on top of the world. And then… "Uh… Izuku?" his girlfriend uttered out, sounding frightened. Immediately, the One For All inheritor turned and bolted for the door without hesitation, entering the apartment.
"What's wrong?!" he asked loudly. He blinked in surprise to find his answer. Standing in the apartment was not only his mother, but also Witch, who held a snoozing Happy in her arms.
"Apparently, someone didn't inform me of you two going out on a date…" the Sorcery Quirk user noted curiously. She was smiling, but it felt ominous to the two teenagers. They were only just starting to dive into the complications of being in a relationship…
ENDING
Insert "Update" by miwa
Opens with all of Class 1-A standing in front of U.A. together. Izuku and Rebecca stand at the front, with the former balling his left hand into a fist as he looks to the sky. His girlfriend glances over and smiles, happy to see him determined.
We go through a few scenes of Homura shaking as she struggles to withstand the heat of the hot spring, while her fellow female classmates are just fine. Weisz and Minoru attempt to peep on them, only to get struck by wash tops flung at them by Rebecca. They crash down on the other side of the while, with the rest of the boys there shaking their heads.
We see Izuku and Rebecca sleeping against each other on the subway ride back home. Ochaco smiles at them from nearby, but then notices Shiki sleeping on her shoulder and drooling. She screams in surprise, waking him up while also startling everyone in the train car. She blushes in embarrassment, burying her reddening face into her hands.
The scene changes to Homura joining Shoto on an excursion along the beach, where they're joined by their friends. Shoto finds a seashell and offers it to Homura, who accepts with a smile. Mina looks at them excitedly, while Kyoka rolls her eyes and sighs behind her.
We then shift to the class training, with Katsuki racing against Tenya and Weisz with his explosions. Shiki passes them all by to their shock, making him the winner. In the meantime, Rebecca practices kicking with Tsuyu, sharing a smile with her as they work together.
Everyone is doing their best around school, whether in the classroom or in the field. Izuku shares a moment with All Might on the beach before they shake hands firmly. We close out on a scene of some of the class standing on a tower together. Izuku smiles brightly, and Rebecca plants a kiss onto his left cheek under his freckles. She giggles as he blushes, happy to be with him and their friends.
END ENDING
Uh oh. Looks like more people are going to be finding out about Izuku and Rebecca. And that list of people who know will grow throughout the rest of this mini-arc.
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! The summer weather feels like the perfect time to start writing these up, so I'm very happy! Thanks for reading!