Chapter 26: Izuku Midoriya and Kei Karuizawa: Part 2

'Izuku Midoriya… and Kei Karuizawa? That's an interesting combo.' Kiyotaka thought internally (The reason why he was out here all of a sudden was because he heard the hurried footsteps from 'the security guards' from earlier, and his curiosity was piqued because of that) before noticing several girls exit the room after them. Those girls being Manabe, Yabu, and Yamashita.

However, he had no idea what their names were and couldn't care less to learn them. But what caught his attention was the fact that they were looking at Karuizawa. Particularly the girl with a similar shade of hair to the aforementioned Kei Karuizawa. And just after Midoriya and Karuizawa left the scene but before the Class C Girls could-

"Excuse me. Would you lovely ladies happen to be free for a moment?" Ayanokoji spoke in his best impression of Ike while using the latter's tone of voice. Kanji Ike was known to hit on every girl in a five-mile radius so he needed to act like the guy because anything else would make people suspicious. Though he didn't find anything appealing about the girls and found their looks average at best. But of course, he couldn't admit that or that would destroy the illusion he was trying to create. The girls then looked at him with annoyed looks on their faces.

"Nice try. But we have better things to do then be hit on by some guy." Manabe replied while tossing the strand of hair that was covering her face before walking away along with Yamashita and Yabu. But before they could escape his reach, Ayanokoji put his hand on Manabe's shoulder to stop her. Though Kiyotaka knew full well this would piss her off. Not that he had a choice in the matter.

"Look, I'm not in the mood. I just got fucking suplexed by some bitch. I'd advise you to back off NOW, if you know what's good for you." Manabe continued while glaring daggers at the person she assumed was just 'some guy.' However, she could not be further from the truth in this assumption. Normally most guys would take the hint and leave before something that they would inevitably regret in the future would happen. But the man named Kiyotaka Ayanokoji wasn't a normal person. Far from it. That's why he had a proposition in mind.

"You see, I know you're incredibly angry right now. That's why you're looking at me like that. But I also know that you'd rather be taking out that 'rage' upon another person. Does that ring any bells? Or am I far off the mark?" Kiyotaka asked with a smile on his face that was absolutely fake as his words told a different story. In the midst of that he heard Yamashita mutter 'What the?' as well as Yabu muttering 'Just who the hell does this guy think he is?' As for Manabe, she was interested in listening to more.

"So, what if you're right. What if there is a particular person that I would want to take out my 'rage' on? What then?" Manabe asked with an unamused look on her face, but Kiyotaka knew that he just threw the bait and that the fish (Or Manabe in this case had bitten it.) Now all that was left was to reel her in.

"What if I told you that there was a place on this ship where you would be able to do whatever your hearts desires onto said person without the fear of being caught?" Kiyotaka whispered into Manabe's ear as her eyes went wide out of utmost surprise. But at the same time, a sinister smile formed onto her face. Ayanokoji noticed this.

'Got her.' Kiyotaka declared internally as if this were a game, and he had just taken the king of the enemy's camp out like in a game of chess. But this was no game, this was real life. And what Ayanokoji was doing could have disastrous consequences. But at the same time, he was interested in how one particular person would react to all this since he would inevitably become involved in one way or another, that man being-

'Ding.' I heard my phone receive a notification as I grabbed it out to check what it was. For all I knew it could have been an email or a text message. (Both made the same 'Ding.' After all.) But to my surprise, not only was it a text, but the sender was Karuizawa. I swiped on her text as my eyes shot wide open upon reading it. It was only one word. And that word was-

'Help.'

'Step! Step! Step! Step! Step!' I instantly spung to my feet and began charging forward! I inevitably bumped into some students as they yelled out 'Watch it!' But I couldn't help it! Karuizawa was in danger! Damn it! I knew this was going to happen! *It was exactly why I told us to stick together! Because that way I would be able to protect her! Argh! Is her reputation so important that she'd rather risk everything to keep it the way it is now?!

But even though I was running throughout the cruise ship, I had no idea where I was going. How could I?! All Karuizawa's text contained was the word 'Help!' No directions or any hint to her location whatsoever! I could search this entire ship for an hour and not even come close to finding every cranny and nook that it had! I don't have that kind of time! I must find her right no-

"Ah." I gasped after I bumped into someone and fell onto my butt. But I then noticed someone outstretching their hand toward me. It was the same person I bumped into. It was a tall and lean young man who had brown hair and eyes that matched his hair color. But his eyes looked really tired. (Like he hadn't gotten any sleep in a long time.) I didn't recognize him in the slightest. But even still, I grasped his hand as he helped me stand back up on my feet. But then my eyes went wide upon remembering Karuizawa. Damn it! I don't have time for this! But just as I was about to leave-

"Wait. You wouldn't happen to be looking for Karuizawa, would you?" The man asked after he put his hand on my shoulder. My eyes then shot wide open upon hearing what he said. Could he have seen where Karuizawa went?! If so, I've got to ask him about it!

"I am! Did you see where she went?!" I yelled out as I didn't have any time to ask him calmly. But in response, the man nodded.

"I saw Karuizawa being led by some girls into the direction of where the ship's basement was in. I wasn't sure who they were. Perhaps Class C?" The man lied through his teeth, but I had no knowledge of that. In fact, I couldn't be more grateful to him right now!

"Thank you so much!" I replied with a shout while bowing forward at the man before running off. But I stopped in my tracks upon realizing that I had no idea that this ship even had a basement up until this point. (Much less where it was.) But to my utmost surprise, the man knew what I was thinking and proceeded to tell me where the ship's basement was in detail. I replied with one more 'Thank you so much!' Before heading off! But while I was doing so-

'Now how will this go?' Ayanokoji thought internally before licking a piece of blood on his finger and in the process transforming back into Kanji Ike. He then vanished from the scene. In the meantime, it didn't take me long, only a minute to reach the basement where I was. But upon opening the steal metal door-

"…" I was absolutely speechless over what I was seeing with my own eyes. The girls who were harassing Karuizawa from before, (Manabe, Yamashita, and Yabu.) Were all standing near the far end of the room. But that wasn't all, the person they were towering over, I knew who they were with a single look. That blonde ponytail, along with her legs being on the floor told me everything that I needed to know. This was a scene that I had seen before. Not just earlier this morning, but many many times from my own POV. I knew exactly what had happened. That's why I also knew that I had to be the one to stop it.

"That's enough." I spoke as I let my presence known but the Class C girls were already frozen in place due to them hearing the steel door open. They were at a loss for what to do. Not only had they recalled the voice of that person from before as 'Izuku Midoriya.' But they had surmised that he would without a shadow of a doubt snitch on them for beating the crap out of Karuizawa. If he tells the school faculty what they had done, they would be suspended! Perhaps even expelled! That's why neither Yamashita nor Yabu or even Manabe had any idea of what to do. But before they could think of something-

"I said 'That's enough.' Just leave. Please." I repeated myself while I made my way to them. And just upon reaching them, I noticed Karuizawa's face. She wasn't crying and there appeared to be no bruises from what I could see. Did I arrive just in time? No, of course not. Where they struck her was in places that were concealed by her clothes, meaning that she would have to expose herself in order for them to be caught.

Realizing that made a solemn look form onto my face. It was as if I was looking at myself in a mirror. How many times had that happened to me? Too many times. I was fine with it because it didn't happen to any other people. (That I knew of.) But upon seeing another person receive the same harsh treatment I did…

… It made me think of unsettling thoughts.

'Do you wish to obliterate them?' I heard Jokata ask me this from within my mind. After hearing those words that I had heard time and time again, I took a deep breath to calm myself down. No. These people aren't worth it. And even if I wanted to get revenge upon them for hurting Karuizawa, what good has revenge done anybody? None whatsoever. That's why I accepted this and reached out my hand toward her. Karuizawa didn't say a word as she looked at me with one eye open while repeating the same motion I was doing. But before our hands could grasp each other-

"Hey! Don't just ignore us! Do you think we're just going to leave because you told us to!? If word gets out, we'll get expelled!" Manabe snapped back as her friends chimed in with 'What she said!' But I didn't have time for this pointless squabbling. That's why I would only repeat myself one last time.

"I told you to LEAVE. Now GO!" I replied while glaring daggers at them. All three of the girls' eyes went wide out of sheer surprise. But it wasn't just surprise. Their eyes alone made it look like they had just seen the devil. That's how frightened they must have been. They must have felt like how I did upon seeing Stain's face for the first time.

But I didn't care. I had no desire of apologizing to these people who would go out of their way to hurt an innocent woman. But I wasn't planning on doing anything that would incur the girls receiving an expulsion. Because that would be completely missing the point of what I had to do here. That's why my goal wasn't to defeat them. It was to save 'her.' So, I just wanted them…

… To get the hell out of here before they end up regretting it. And they did just that as it didn't take any time at all for them to leave without so much as saying another word as they closed the steal door behind us. It was then that me and Karuizawa were the only ones in the room. Just me and her. I wasted no time in reaching my hand out to her again. But upon looking at her again. I noticed two things. First was what appeared to be a scar where her stomach was. (Since part of her belly was exposed with the hem of her shirt being pulled ever so slightly above it.) And as for the second-

"…" Was that she was silently crying in front of me. I realized that she was staying strong in front of the C-Class girls so that they would eventually give up and get bored of beating her up. I knew this because I tried to do the same thing. (But I would always cry after a certain point because I couldn't resist the pain after a while.) But now that they were gone, she couldn't contain her tears any longer as they ran down her cheeks. After seeing that, I couldn't help myself as I kneeled down in front of Karuizawa and hugged her.

"Ah." Karuizawa gasped as she was completely caught off guard by the suddenness of me hugging her. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, because we might have shared similar experiences. But at the end of the day, we were two completely different people. I was Izuku Midoriya, and she was Kei Karuizawa. That's why unbeknownst to me-

'Why? Why is he doing this? Is he trying to make me feel better? Or is he trying to make himself feel better? It's probably the latter. He's hopelessly in love with me after all. This is without question an excuse for him to show me some sympathy and have me return his feelings in kindness. Like hell that would ever happen. I don't give a damn about him. I just want him to leave me alone. I don't want to see a single other person for the rest of today. I'm tired and hurt and I just want to go to sleep and forget about all th- But before I could finish that thought-

"I'm sorry… I'm so so sorry that I couldn't help you when you needed it, Karuizawa… But it's alright now. You got through it… I know how hard it was for you to take that abuse." Midoriya admitted with a whisper as my eyes went wide upon hearing his words. 'I know?!' What did he mean by that?! It's like he was trying to say that he went through something similar! That made me grit my teeth out of anger. And then…

"What could you possibly know what I had gone through?! Day after day after day of being beaten up like this again and again and again! Are you honestly trying to say that you know how it feels?! You don't know shit! You don't know what I had to endure my entire fucking life!" I snapped back as I couldn't help it. In hindsight, I was being really awful to him by saying such horrible things when all he was trying to do was comfort me. But I couldn't help but take out my anger onto him.

Those days I tried to bury had returned with a vengeance. Once again, I had found myself bullied for just being 'me.' What a sick joke. I didn't deserve this shit. So, why did I have to endure it?

'Kei… just take it, okay? So, what if you get hit? It won't kill you if you are hit a few times.' What could ANYONE possibly know about me?! What I had to endure again and again because others were too scared to do shit about it! My whole life has been a tragedy of endless suffering at the hands of others who wanted to inflict it onto me because they found it 'fun.' I'm sick and tired of people hurting me! I'm sick and tired of people trying to be like they understand what I'm going through! I'm sick and tired of having to accept all of this and smile like nothing ever fucking happened! But before I knew it-

"… I know. I know how hard it must have been because I too have suffered at the hands of others. Getting beat up just for wanting to be the person you've always wanted to be. I know that feeling all too well. That's why I share your pain. But that's also why we don't have to bottle up these feelings inside of us and just accept that this doesn't happen to others. Because it does. People get beaten up for the most minuscule of reasons. It's horrible. But I've grown to accept it. Not because it's impossible to stop stuff like that from happening, but because I believe that it's possible to make a difference." Midoriya whispered as I was taken aback over his words.

The way he was talking, the tone of voice he was using, his choice of words. They weren't just something that anyone would have been able to make up on the spot. That's why I knew for the first time that he was telling the truth. He knew what I had gone through because he experienced something similar. But even knowing it, I couldn't believe it. That was a contradiction, but even though I had known that I wasn't the only person who had been harassed before. (Far from it.) This was the very first time that I had met another person who had also shared my experiences.

It was then that I came to a sudden realization. Those scars that I had seen on his face every day. I didn't think much of them because I assumed that Midoriya was just a clumsy guy. (He had that kind of vibe about him.) But that's wrong. Wherever he got those scars from was because either he fought back against the people trying to hurt him, or they were self-inflicted like my scar. I didn't want to ask because it must have been a touchy subject to him. (I assumed that because I felt the same way about mine.) But there was one thing that I didn't understand…

… What did he mean about wanting to make a difference?

"What could you possibly do to make me feel better? Perhaps, we've gone through similar things. But we're not the same… I appreciate your kindness. But there's nothing anyone can do to help me now. You… don't know the real 'me.'" I admitted with a melancholic look on my face. I couldn't help it. He might earnestly believe that we aren't alone because we have each other, but that couldn't be any further from the truth. I've always and forever will be alone and misunderstood by oth- But right before I could finish that thought-

"That's right. I can't say that I know who you are completely. No person can know everything about what another person had gone through. So, I'd be a liar if I said that." Midoriya replied to me as I expected no less. It was a response that made sense. No person knows everything about another person. It was just impossible. There will always be 'secrets' that we have to hold deep and close to our chest because if the other person found out they would look at you differently. Worse, they might even disassociate themselves with you out of learning the type of person you are that you've concealed with a mask. Knowing that I can say for certain…

… That he and everyone else would hate me if they found out who the real 'Kei Karuizawa' was beneath all these layers of masks and lies. That's why there was nothing anyone could do for me because no one knew who I really was but me. But just upon finishing that thought-

"But I can tell you what I do know about you. You are short tempered, I met people like you in the past. Another thing that sticks out to me, is that you hate it when you lie, don't you? I don't like lying to people, that's why whenever you were lying to Ichinose, I could tell how forced your smile was. There's also the fact that I know you're the VIP." Midoriya continued as my eyes shot wide open out of sheer surprise. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. (I mean the first thing was obvious, but the second, and the third…) How did he know? But as if he was reading my mind-

"First, Hirata asked the question of what was stopping the VIP from divulging their identity to another person. It was a bit out of character for him to ask that because the answer should have been obvious to him. But even still he asked it. You told him to say that didn't you? I also noticed something when you said- Midoriya spoke while my eyes were wide open before stopping as he repeated what I said this morning-

'So basically, this exam is about 'exposing' someone.'

"You were sweating a bit when you said that. It was a bit weird for you to do that with how nonchalant about everything you usually are. So, what I'm getting at is while I don't know much about you other than what I just said, I do know you. That's why I don't want you to be alone. It's easy to smile and act like everything is okay. It's much harder to admit when it's not. That's why I'm not expecting you to tell me anything that you don't want to talk about." Midoriya continued as I couldn't say a single word but listen to every word he said until-

"But even if you don't want to talk about it, we can still be here for each other. Words alone don't need to be said for what we had to go through. What matters is that we're here right now. We both got through it even though it was tough. Others might find you weak for just taking all those hits without fighting back. But I disagree. Karuizawa, you are strong. You showed them. You showed them how strong you are. I wish… that I was as strong as you." Midoriya admitted and after that it was as if time had been frozen for me in that moment.

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Time and time again, I had been called so many insults that were used to belittle me. Everyone around me, even my parents, thought I was weak and pathetic for not being able to cry after getting beaten up. I got better at holding my feelings in after a while. But that wouldn't change the fact that I would always go back to my room and cry in my pillow over it all. I wanted to be better than that. That's why I was the person who thought that I was weak and pathetic more than anyone else. But for the first time in my entire life…

… Someone called me 'strong.'

"K-Karuizawa? Are you alright?" Midoriya asked while I was crying on his shoulder. How long had we been so close like this? This is the first time that someone has held me like this before. It felt nice. But even though I was crying, it wasn't out of sadness. It was because I was feeling immense joy. Someone had finally said the words that I wanted to hear for so long. Not only that, but it was from the person that I least expected to hear them from. But even still I was happy.

"Yeah… I'm alright now. Because I'm… not alone anymore." I admitted with what was surely a smile on my face. How long had it been since I smiled like this? Far too long. I was wearing that fake smile so much that I almost forgot how to smile. But Midoriya reminded me how to smile. That's when I finally realized the truth. He didn't like me the way I thought he did. I doubt he even has any feelings of lust toward me. The truth is…

… Izuku Midoriya is just a good person who likes lending a hand to others when they are feeling down. And in the end, against all odds, he really did save me, didn't he? Even though, I lied to him. The truth is… I pushed that 'Rika' girl. I didn't really have much of a reason why I did it. I just… 'felt' like it. Perhaps, I wanted to see if I could get away with doing something like what the people, I once knew would have done to me? Whatever the case was… it didn't make me deserving of being comforted like this. But even still, I didn't want him to know that. Because he would probably hate me for using him like this. And in the end…

… All I ever was and will always be, is a parasite who latches onto other people and use them to feel better about myself.

However, I couldn't possibly know that Karuizawa was hiding that from me. And even while me and her had a tender moment together, things weren't going to stay like this forever. Because unbeknownst to me, something, no someone was coming. They were coming for this very cruise ship as we were hugging each other. Even in the dead of night they wouldn't stop until they had reached us. And by daybreak…

… I would meet a person who proclaimed themselves to be a superhero. Even though that couldn't be further from the truth.

To Be Continued…

Next Chapter: World's Finest

Go Beyond!

Plus Ultra!