…~AMP~...
"Aaaand, done." Kyouka sighed as she stepped back from the wall, looking at their work. The couple had spent the last hour covering Kyouka's room wall-to-wall with soundproof padding. The walls were covered in simple, flat, white tile-like padding, with black and red checkered padding on the ceiling. "Sweet silence."
Izuku chuckled as he pushed the bed back into its spot, "Here's hoping. So, what do you think?"
Kyouka stepped back, taking in their new abode. Was it just a little bit cramped for two people? Well, duh, of course it was. It was a dorm room. But, that was just fine with them. Being close was kind of the point.
A queen-sized bed with red and black blankets, band and album posters on the wall, a bookshelf filled with both books and movies (she and Izuku both still collected plenty of physical media), a black and red checkered floor, a desk in the corner, and her Yamaha was next to it.
What instruments that weren't in her closet were being kept in Izuku's room. Any more and it really would be cramped in here.
During the move, Izuku had moved a lot of his essentials into boxes labeled as Kyouka's, so there wasn't much he actually needed to move upstairs. But, he had stuffed a bag with some more clothes, books, cleaning products, etc, and he was going to bring it up when he snuck in after curfew.
Unfortunately to keep up appearances, Izuku didn't have too much say on the decorating. It couldn't look like he lived here. But, of course, he had said "There's only one thing I need in this room."
God, she fell for one cheesy bastard.
"I like it. But, there's still one more thing…"
"Hm? But, the boxes are empt-" Izuku was cut off as one of Kyouka's jacks wrapped around his waist, spinning him around and pulling him right over to Kyouka.
She blushed, twirling her free jack in her other hand, "...We still gotta christen the place."
With a dusting of red to match Kyouka's own, Izuku pulled her in close, "Y-You know…technically we have two rooms to christen."
Kyouka's other jack reached up behind Izuku's neck, pulling him down to her, "Which means we have a long night ahead of us, so we better get started."
Their lips connected, both walking backwards towards the bed without separating. Izuku hooked his arms under Kyouka's thighs, lifting her up as they fell back onto the sheets, with one of Kyouka's jacks going back to lock the door, and the other was undoing Izuku's belt. Izuku reached down, his fingers slipping into the front of Kyouka's sweatpants an-
"Who's ready for the Dorm Contest?!"
Kyouka groaned against Izuku's lips as Mina's cheers echoed through the hall, slumping into him and sliding off onto the blankets. "Why do we have to be surrounded by extroverts?"
Izuku sighed as he reclasped his belt, "Because public schools are nightmares? We should go."
"Like we have a choice? What if I don't want everyone in here seeing all my stuff?"
"Your instruments? What's wrong with that?"
Kyouka pouted, clinking her jacks together, "My hobbies are just regular hobbies. I don't have anything interesting to share."
"Kyouka, music is far more than just a hobby to you. And, if you couldn't tell by my first reactions, it's extremely interesting to us non-musicians."
"Hey," Kyouka nudged him, "You're definitely a musician now. An amateur one, but I'll get you there."
"Now, we have to go be amatuer classmates and join the contest."
"Uuuuuugh!" Kyouka rolled into Izuku, trying to burrow under his body.
…~AMP~...
(Twenty Minutes Later)
This was stupid.
Everyone poking and prodding around her instruments, getting their fingerprint smudges all over them…Okay, nobody had actually touched, but if anybody touched anything with their GREASY GOD-DAMN FINGERS—
"This place is so cool, Kyouka!" Said musician was shaken out of her thoughts by Ochako bouncing up to her. "You can really play all of these?"
Kyouka shrugged, her jacks clinking together for what felt like the thousandth time that evening, "Pretty much…"
Tooru suddenly emerged from the side door, "Yo, Jirou! Why do you have two toothbrushes?"
"A much better question is: Why the hell are you in my bathroom?"
"You know, I gotta admit, I figured this place would be pretty girlie," Denki nodded as he looked around the room. "But, nothing like a girl at all."
"Yeah, real manly!" Kirishima grinned. "Not like that. I meant 'manly' as in how I typically use it. But-Ah! Ow!"
Both Kirishima and Kaminari were relentlessly jabbed by Kyouka's jacks, causing them to take cover on the floor, fruitlessly trying to cover their bodies. Kyouka continued her assault as the boys tried to crawl out of the room.
"Okay, that's it, everybody out. Move on to the next room! Goodnight!" Kyouka's jack circled around the room, basically lassoing everyone in and pushing them towards the door.
Mina cried out as she was being pushed by Kyouka, "We still haven't looked at my room!"
"Pink and purple chaos."
"Damn it!" Mina cursed as she, along with the rest of the participants, were shoved into the hallway. She turned back, trying to keep herself in the door, "But what about your vote?!"
"Sato. He gave us cake." Kyouka slammed the door, turning around and sliding to the floor. Why was socialization so difficult?
She felt Izuku come up next to her, sliding down to sit by her. "...At least she didn't mention that it was an All Might toothbrush. Not to mention the fact that Kaminari and Kirishima aren't red paste on the carpet right now, so that means you've really mastered your control of One For All."
Kyouka sighed, placing her head on Izuku's shoulder, "They also didn't mention how you're the only one I didn't make leave the room."
"We want to tell Ashido anyway," Izuku shrugged, wrapping his arm around her. "You know, they didn't mean anything by it. Well, Kirishima calling anything manly is a compliment. Kaminari…He just doesn't always think too hard before he talks."
"Was he wrong though?"
"Do you want a 'girly' room?"
"Ugh, hell no."
"Exactly. Your room is you, which is all that matters. And, like I said they would be, they were all really impressed by your talent."
"Yeah, well…" Kyouka trailed off, a blush blooming on her face. "...Not as impressive as your All Might altar."
"Very funny," Izuku deadpanned. "I'm pretty sure I creeped everyone out, even with the large amount of merchandise that I kept boxed up back home. Looks like we're still rookie classmates."
"I noticed you kept your journals in their box. Are you moving them up here?"
"Besides the current one, no. I-I just…I didn't want anyone to see them. The All Might room was creepy enough."
"Hey, your journals aren't weird."
"Kyouka, you are quite literally the only person I've met that didn't find them weird."
"You've never asked anyone here," Kyouka chastised him, her jack poking his shoulder. "Momo got you that book on quirks, remember? She clearly has no issue with it. You're not at Aldera anymore."
"That I am certainly not." Izuku kissed the crown of Kyouka's head, getting up from their spot against the door. "I'm going to go see if there's anything else I need to bring over from my room. I'll be back soon and we can…continue."
Kyouka reached up with her jack under Izuku's chin, pulling him down, "You better."
…~AMP~...
(Late Night: Third-Floor Boys' Side)
Izuku carefully opened his door, peeking out into the dark hallway. All the lights were off, and no light was emanating from underneath any of the other doors.
Izuku stepped out, slowly closing his door, making sure his duffel bag didn't hit the door frame and make any more noise. Tenya didn't have super-hearing, but he had a sixth sense for rule-breaking. He just had to not set it off.
Izuku breathed in deep, looking down at the boys' side exit. He was extremely grateful that he was the first room in the hall, meaning he didn't have to pass anyone's door. Izuku took a deep breath, green sparks barely lighting up on his skin as he made a quick leap to the door.
He made it to the double doors in a flash, making it through, and slowly closing it behind him. Izuku released his breath, the hard part over. Kyouka was the first room on the girls' side, so he could safely say the mission was already more or less accomplished.
He turned around, ready to walk to the other end of the hall to the girls' sid—
Aaaand, Katsuki was at the stairs.
Standing on the steps leading to the floors above, Katsuki stared at him with an empty glass of water in hand, clearly heading towards the kitchen. The moonlight streaming through the windows was the only light in the hall, but it was enough for both boys to see one another.
Katsuki furrowed his brow, seeing the duffel bag in Izuku's hands. He was heading towards the girls' dorms...
"Ugh. Fucking gross."
"...If that's all you have to say, then please move on and forget you ever saw me here." Izuku continued his journey to the other side of the hall, passing by the stairs as he went. Katsuki watched him go by in silence, something Izuku was eternally grateful for.
Finally making it to the other end of the hallway, Izuku had reached the girls' side. But, just as Izuku put his hand on the doors, Katsuki stepped down from the stairs.
"Hey," Katsuki called to him, making Izuku turn back. The distance between them had to be ten meters or more, but somehow it still felt like Katsuki was right in his face. "...Where'd you say your quirk came from?"
"...I didn't." Izuku backed into the doorway to the girls' side, disappearing without another word.
Once alone in the girls' hall, Izuku sighed in relief as he saw the lights on underneath Kyouka's door.
That question…was probably a bad sign.
But, there were far more pressing matters to attend to. Those pressing matters had the name of Kyouka Jirou.
Izuku opened the door and got in quickly, closing the door quietly behind him. He pressed his head against the door, groaning as he dropped his bag, "Bakugou saw me, but I highly doubt it matters."
"Izuku, for the love of all that's holy, don't say that prick's name while I'm like this."
"Like wh-...?" Izuku turned around, finding Kyouka in a pool of her blankets and pillows in the middle of their floor. The only light came from the lamp on the bedside table, shining on Kyouka's body. A body only wearing black and red lace…
"...Hey."
Izuku tried to respond, but his brain was more or less shut down, so it came out as an unfinished, "...He-"
Kyouka's face was almost completely pink by that point as she tugged on the straps of her bra, "...You gonna just stand there?"
"I-I-...Ahem! No, ma'am."
"Then get over here," Kyouka's jacks shot out, wrapping through Izuku's belt loops and dragging him across the room. Izuku fell into the blankets, his lips connecting to Kyouka's. Thank the heavens for soundproof padding.
The room might've been a tad small for two people. It might only be a dorm built for the sole purpose of protecting them and their friends from seemingly never-ending threats. They might be living with a bunch of people they still didn't know particularly well.
But, for now, it was Home Sweet Home.
…~AMP~...
(Next Morning: Unknown Musutafu Apartment)
"Ah, already got to work, I see." Tomura stepped through the portal leading to Nagant's room, finding the maps of Japan, Tokyo, and Musutafu all pinned to the left wall, specific locations circled in red marker. "I'm assuming th-Whoa!"
Tomura caught an empty beer bottle that was flung at his head, the glass disintegrating beneath his fingertips.
Kaina stood in the kitchen, black tank-top and sweatpants, clearly not happy to see him, "I'm a paranoid, wanted, highly lethal woman that could also be changing at any time in here. Fucking. Knock."
Tomura brushed off the lingering dust on his fingers, stepping around the pile of dust that used to be the bottle, "Point taken. Come on in."
Himiko, Magne, and Compress came through the portal behind Tomura, all holding bags and boxes. They set them down on the kotatsu, with Himiko skipping over to Kaina, "Hi, again!~"
Kaina barely acknowledged her presence, merely handing her a piece of paper, "Shopping list."
"Cool!" Himiko took it, moving back over to her teammates and handing the paper to Compress.
Compress looked it over, finding nothing out of the ordinary, until the end of the list, "...Jerry cans and paintbrushes?"
"Can you get them?" Kaina raised a brow.
"My lady, you're talking to the most skilled thief in Japa-"
"Then don't ask questions and just get them."
Compress grumbled under his breath as Tomura chuckled, "You heard the lady, Compress. Don't forget the other thing."
"Mm, right." Compress walked over to the kitchen counter, pulling two marbles out of his pocket and setting them down. The marbles popped open, revealing a wrist grapple gun and belt. The wrist grapple was fairly similar to Kaina's old one, a metal-plated gauntlet with a propelled collapsible hook. The belt was new though. It had the same grappling hooks on either side of her waist. "Are these satisfactory?"
"Mm," Kaina hummed, taking the gear and trying it on. She fastened the gauntlet around her wrist, flashbacks to her Pro days appearing in her mind, "Thanks."
"Look at that. She does have manners."
"Hey," Tomura warned Compress as Kaina side-eyed the thief. "Thanks, Compress. You can go."
"Right," Compress sighed, tipping his hat to Kaina and taking his leave back through the portal.
Magne and Himiko opened up the boxes of clothes, with the former pulling out a long, purple dress, "Himiko and I got some great picks for you. We stuck to the colors you wanted, but we went ahead an-"
"I can dress myself. Thanks," Kaina dismissed them, leaning back against the kitchen counter.
Both women looked dejected, but Tomura waved them back to the portal. "It's fine. You did great, Magne. She's got it covered, you can head back."
Despite wishing for a better outcome with their new teammate, both relented. They went back through the portal, leaving Tomura and Kaina alone. Kaina stepped away out of the kitchen, moving over to her balcony screen door. "I don't like her."
"Magne? What di-?"
"Not her. The blonde. She knows something."
"About the HPSC? Yeah, I caught onto that too; a couple weeks back."
"And you keep her around?"
"She's not a spy, if that's what you were wondering. She'd already be dead if I even suspected that. Toga's a killer."
Kaina deadpanned at him, her rifle extending out of her arm, "...You think that means anything?"
"...Guess not. But, she became a part of our group before we were even a big name, and has done far more than a plant would be willing to do."
"You have no idea how far the HPSC is willing to go."
"She's. Not. A. Spy. There's no way the HPSC would let you out of jail. They would rather lose a spy than have you on the loose, risking their biggest secrets."
"Fine," Kaina relented, slightly moving her curtains out of the way. She looked through her scope, finding the HPSC building on the west side of the downtown area. "But, I'd suggest figuring it out soon, or we're all fucked."
Tomura frowned as he stared down at the floor. He supposed his background checks ran through Giran, but he was always reliable. But, Giran probably never went up against HPSC-level threats. Perhaps he missed something…
…No.
No, he had faith in Toga. Something was fucked-up, but she wasn't a spy.
Tomura put it aside for now, looking back over to Nagant, "If you're looking for a target, might I suggest not shooting them from this apartment we just got you?"
"Just observing. I already told you I'm not killing anyone, and I can't even see anyone from this distance. I'm good— the best— but I can't do the impossible. I'm not hitting here now, anyway. Tokyo first."
"Hm, already? Not starting small?"
"I'm sending a message first. You'll see. Trust me, everyone will."
"Uh-huh. I guess I shouldn't question a professional at this kind of thing. It's ironic, isn't it? You work for us now, but you spent over a decade hunting my boss."
"How many times do I have to say I don't work for y-..." Kaina leaned back from her scope, slowly turning the barrel of her rifle towards Tomura. "...Your boss?"
Tomura didn't even acknowledge the gun aimed between his eyes, merely scoffing, "All Might never told you that, huh? How long did you know each other? Twelve years or something? Yeesh, talk about keeping things close to the chest."
"That monster from Kamino was the one we were after that entire God-damn time?"
"Hey, don't blame me. I'm not the one who didn't tell you. Do you not even know about One For All?"
Kaina peered at him, a brow raised, "The hell is One For All?"
"Wow, okay. I don't think I'm gonna spoil that one. But, now knowing this information…is this gonna be a problem?"
"I'll do what I set out to do. Doesn't mean I have to trust you and your boss. This is a means to an end. Tosh-...All Might already beat him, anyway. So, stop talking, and let me work."
"Ah, c'mon. My master is…extremely evil. But, at least he's honest about it," Tomura chuckled.
"An honest evil overlord? At least he's got that going for him," Kaina deadpanned. "A trait you and him don't seem to share, because you said that you would leave me be."
"I just wanted to ask you something-"
"No," Kaina turned back around, a stern glare on her face. "We made a deal. I don't have to talk to any of you assholes if I don't want to. I believe it was a part of the terms that it was perfectly acceptable if you gave me my supplies, and we never saw one another again. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to answer your questions. I may not be a hero anymore. I may just be a convicted murderer to the world now, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna help. Because, you were right about one thing. I would've done all this with or without your aid. I want my revenge, but I also want every sick and twisted root of the HPSC pulled out of the ground and burned. If that helps you, I don't care. You and your gang of misfit minions are nothing compared to the HPSC, and especially now that your boss is broken and beaten behind bars. So, please keep in mind that I'm not a part of your group. I may not be one of the good guys anymore, but I'm not a villain. I never will be."
Kaina turned back to her window, leaving the room to fall into the silence that she was longing for. One might think that she would be begging for people to talk to after all those years in solitary confinement, but villains weren't exactly the company she was looking for. Especially now that she knew they were in cahoots with the big bad Toshinori was hunting all those years.
…Why did he never tell her?
She always suspected there was something he wasn't telling her. Hushed conversations between him, Torino, and Nighteye were a dead giveaway. If she knew Toshinori, he was trying to protect her. Either that, or Torino heavily advised against telling her. Nighteye had to know purely because they couldn't keep secrets from a man who could see your future.
Yes, this was her rationalization, because she refused to believe Toshi would tell Mirai and not her.
And-…was Shigaraki still here?"
"...I'm not All For One."
Kaina peeked away from her scope, a brow raised at a Tomura, "Who?"
"My boss. Former boss. You're right. Compared to him, I'm nothing. I don't have his power, his influence, his money, none of it. But, right here, right now, as far as I'm concerned, fuck him. He's in jail for the time being, and I want to learn. You say a world ruled by All For One would be better than what we have now-"
"I definitely never said that."
"The point being, you want changes. Maybe I do too. Maybe, and this doesn't leave this room, I might want different things than All For One."
"...Like what?"
"I'm…I'm not totally sure yet. I want…I want a world where people aren't beaten, hated, and forgotten just because they're weak or different. I thought quirks made human differences irrelevant, but I guess not. I want a world where people stop worshiping lies. I want a world where my friends never had to become villains in the first place. But, admittedly, I don't know how to do any of this. To make things right, you have to know what's wrong. Start me there."
"..." Kaina turned back to her scope, returning to her reconnaissance. "I can't help you with most of that. But…I'll think about it. Please, I do have some work to do."
"Right," Tomura nodded, finally turning around and returning to the portal he arrived in.
…~AMP~...
(Two Days Later: Kyouka's (and totally no one else's) Room)
Izuku woke up just a few minutes before his phone alarm went off, the rising sun just barely peeking through the red and black curtains.
He remembered going to sleep on his side. Yet, somehow in her sleep, Kyouka managed to get him on his back with her directly on top of him, also on her back. Izuku blew Kyouka's hair out of his face, very carefully maneuvering her off of him. She could afford a few more minutes in bed, but she at least needed to start the process of waking up.
Izuku kissed the nape of her neck as he got up, eliciting a little grumble from her. He walked to the bathroom, shut the door behind him, and turned on the shower.
Izuku yawned as he shed his clothes and stepped into the shower, the warm water hitting his skin and bathing over his body. He put his head under the streams, running his hands through his hair and letting his unruly curls become heavy and fall. He wasn't typically a 'morning shower person', but there was a reason thinking in the shower was basically a cliche; it worked.
It was the start of the new semester, License Exams were on the horizon, his girlfriend was now arguably the most important secret in Japan, his dad was back home, the League was still out there, Kacchan apparently wasn't letting Kamino go, Nana was still radio silent after three whole weeks, and that wasn't even mentioning all the baggage that Kacchan brought with him just by existing.
The list just seemed to go on and on. But, he'd handle it. He had to. Thankfully, he wasn't alone.
It had been two days of officially living with Kyouka. Their "Week of Solitude" at Kyouka's house during vacation was practically an unintentional test drive. He knew he had missed it, but he didn't realize just how much he had missed it.
It certainly was extremely difficult to go back to sleeping normally after getting used to waking up next to someone everyday. Or, when sleeping with Kyouka, sometimes "next to" wasn't exactly accurate. A few times she somehow had managed to get on top of him in her sleep, and also squirm under him. Izuku had never woken up during the maneuvers, which just made him more impressed than anything.
It was just nice to remember that after the difficult days that were surely to come, he had his own personal heaven to come home to every night. He just hoped Kyouka felt the same way, but thankfully he had a strong feeling she did.
Turning around, he let the water run down his back as he wiped his hair away from his eyes.
...To find Kyouka staring back at him.
"Can you pass me the loofah?"
"Ah! Wh-What are you doing here?!"
"Uh...Showering?"
"I mean why are you here now?" Izuku's eyes began to roam down, but Kyouka's jack poked under his chin and lifted his gaze back up.
"Eyes up here. I can save time, and get to shower with you. Win-Win. Just keep your eyes up."
"...But you're looking at me naked."
"Yep," Kyouka responded, emphasizing the "p" with a pop as she looked Izuku up and down.
"Then why c-can't I-"
"Izuku, we both know I'm working on this body stuff in steps. Out of all the times we've had sex, I was fully naked one time, and that was the first time. The fact that I'm in here is already a huge leap for me. Just...Just keep your gawking to a minimum, alright?"
Izuku was about to agree, but paused. "...I disagree."
"What?"
"If anything you need me to gawk so I can continue to show you I love you, and your body. If you really don't want me to, just say so. But, otherwise…"
"..."
"Anything?"
"...Just get started."
"Oh! Uh, right. So, i-if you'll excuse me…" Izuku moved his gaze down, looking Kyouka all over. She tried to put her hands up to cover herself, but Izuku gently laid his own hands down on her arms, moving them away slowly. Kyouka looked down at her feet, but a small smile grew on her face. "Perfect, as always. Now, are we going to get clean...o-or uh...you know…dirty?"
"Pfft, hahahaha! Wow, that line was bad, even for you. I'd like to, but I don't think Aizawa is going to like us being late on the first day back. Especially now that he holds us on even higher standards than before."
"You're right, but...Are we shower buddies now? Like, is this going to be a daily thing?"
Kyouka chuckled, "Have to see how we handle it first."
She picked up toothpaste and her toothbrush from the shower shelf, beginning her morning routine.
"...You brush your teeth in the shower?"
Kyouka raised a brow, "You don't brush your teeth in the shower?"
…~AMP~...
(Half-An-Hour Later: Gym Gamma)
"I've gotta admit, brushing my teeth while showering is a great idea. I can't believe I never thought of that."
Kyouka smiled as she grabbed the handle of the metal door, "For having such a big brain, you have such a limited imagination, my Broccoli Beefcake."
Izuku deadpanned at the nickname as Kyouka slid the door open, revealing the large, empty warehouse that was Gym Gamma, along with the rest of their class waiting for them inside. It almost looked abandoned with it being completely empty, the concrete floors making it look more like a construction site than anything.
They approached their class, everyone else chatting away. Finding their friend group, Ochako waved them over, "Hey, guys! Are you ready for the new semester?"
Kyouka scoffed, "After camp and Kamino back-to-back, I could've taken another month off."
"I understand the sentiment," Tenya nodded. "However, we must be diligent. If anything, camp has shown us that we can't slack off. Anything can happen."
"Understatement of the century," Kyouka mumbled under her breath. "Any chance Aizawa will be merciful today, after our pain and suffering?"
Momo merely sighed, a shake of her head, "What do you think?"
"Hey, is it so wrong for a girl to have hope?"
"For Mr. Aizawa? Yes. Have all of you been adjusting to your new rooms? Forgive me if this sounds privileged, but I must admit that I'm not used to the lack of space."
"Probably because your room is ninety-percent bed. But, hey, at least it doesn't look like your local eye doctor."
Tenya side-eyed Kyouka, crossing his arms, "Optometrist's offices are very clean and organized, so I'm going to take that as a compliment."
Ochako shrugged, "I'm just happy I don't have to pay rent anymore."
"My offer to pay your rent still stands if you ever move back," Momo added.
As a flustered Ochako tried to reject Momo's offer once again, Izuku felt a nudge to his side, turning to see Shoto had moved over to him. "Saw your dad during the move-in. How are things going?"
"They're…going." Izuku whispered back, a shrug of his shoulders.
"Going somewhere is better than going nowhere."
"I guess I can't deny that."
"Alright, everyone!" The class turned their attention to the entrance, finding Aizawa entering the training grounds with Midnight, Cementoss, and Ectoplasm behind him. "Welcome back to a new semester of public humiliation."
Midnight did a double-take, peering at her coworker, "How did you get this job?"
"How did you?"
"I…Fair enough. Continue."
Aizawa stepped closer to his class, looking around at his students, "Listen up, because I'm only going to say this once. Luckily, all of you were able to come back, despite previous events. With the USJ and now the camp attack, you've all been exposed to the dangers of your chosen professions far earlier than intended. I'm sorry for that. Really, I am. Then, Kamino happened. That villain was like nothing we've ever seen before, but that's just more proof of how dangerous this world can be, and how vital it is to have you prepared. Despite fighting like hell, one of our own was taken at camp. We're going to make sure that never. Happens. Again. Understand?"
"Yes, sir!" The class responded in unison, almost taken aback by their teacher's sudden sense of inspiration.
"The first step is to make sure you all no longer need anyone's permission to step-in and do your jobs. The Provisional License is coming up in a few weeks, and I'm expecting each and every one of you to pass. The main focus for training, at least for the first week or so, will be creating-"
"Your Ultimate Moves!" Everyone looked back to the entrance to see All Might in his buff form at the door, Pixie Bob at his side in casual attire. "Ack-!"
Toshinori popped back to his typical state with a cough and a puff of smoke. Pixie Bob chuckled, wiping away a dribble of blood on Toshinori's lip, "What did I tell you about doing that?"
"I can't not make an entrance."
Pixie Bob rolled her eyes, but turned to walk away, "Alright, I'll leave you to it. I've gotta go anyway. We're still looking at new locations for a new lodge."
"Are we still on for tonight?"
Ryuko tugged Toshinori down by his tie, pecking his lips, "Can't keep me away."
Toshinori watched her walk away, a clear exaggeration in the swing of her hips, "...Toshinori, you've still got it."
"...We're still here, you know," Aizawa flatly called to him.
"Oh! Right, uh- Ahem! Ultimate Moves!" Toshinori made his way over to the other teachers, smiling at his students.
Aizawa nodded down at Toshinori's arm, still in a sling, "You know you're technically still on leave."
"Ah, to hell with it. This is where I should be. Besides, I got nothing going on. Anyway, Ultimate Moves are more important than one might think."
Ectoplasm nodded, returning back to the topic at hand, "He's right. Ultimate Moves are your finishers. They're your most unique techniques, which means they're the least likely to be countered."
"Your ultimate moves are a representation of who you are," Midnight added in. "Not only are they effective in battle, but to the public. The stronger and flashier, the more memorable and popular. They'll think of you in their time of need."
Cementoss walked forward, moving past the class and reaching down to the floor beneath them, "Which is why we brought you here. This gym was of my design. I can manipulate it to my desire."
The ground began to reshape, rising up in dozens of rectangular pillars walls of different heights and sizes. The gym transformed into a destructible playground for the students to train in as they please. Ectoplasm split himself into multiple clones, all moving across the gym to different spots, ready to fight the young challengers.
"You have the entire class to work on your Ultimate Moves," Aizawa said, getting the attention of his class back. "Resident Hero Duo, you two should be made aware that the same rules you have for standardized testing apply to the Provisional License Exams as well. Both of you are scored separately, but if one of you fails, you both fail. Got it?"
"Got it," The couple responded.
"Whoa, hold on!" Kirishima turned to the duo, the confusion on his face matching most of the rest of the class, barring their friend group. "You guys are a Hero Duo?!"
Kyouka turned to Kirishima, shaking her head with faux disappointment, "This is old news dude. Keep up!"
Izuku chuckled next to her as the rest of the class continued to whisper to themselves. It was probably for the best to just play it off as if everyone should've known by that point. That's probably what was gonna happen whenever somebody asked them if they were dating. They didn't have to go out of their way to tell anyone, not that they wanted to.
"Okay, get to work!" Aizawa commanded them. "I expect at least some rough ideas by the end of today."
1A nodded, turning around to start their assignment.
Toshinori watched as all of his students began walking away to work on their ultimate moves. He looked on at the future of the hero world, but also thought back on its past.
His own career.
All Might: The Symbol of Peace.
He remembered what he and Kyouka had talked about during their internship, about who he really was. He had made a promise to be a better teacher to Izuku, but now he had Kyouka to work with. Not to mention an entire class of other students that would depend on him.
...Well, it was now or never.
"Hey, everyone hold up a second." Everyone stopped in their tracks, turning back around to face All Might. Aizawa raised a brow in question, but let All Might continue. "Listen...If you'd like, from now on you can call me Mr. Yagi. I mean, Aizawa doesn't go by his hero name with you, so why should I?"
While no one was against it, there were some looks of confusion. Denki was the first to speak up, "Yagi?"
"Toshinori Yagi. My real name." He could see Izuku to the side as the class murmured amongst themselves at the reveal, a look of confusion on his face as he tried to decipher what exactly Toshinori was doing. "I know it'll be weird. I've been All Might for your whole lives. But... I've realized that as my students, I need to be as straight with you as I can. You all know what you signed up for when it comes to being heroes, so you should be able to handle hearing this."
"Handle what?" Sero chimed in.
Toshinori took a deep breath, looking directly at his students. "I know you've all seen the fight I was just in, and you heard what I said on the news. But...I know some of you have likely already figured this out, but despite what I said to the camera...Well…" Toshinori scoffed as he motioned down to his casted up arm, skinny body, and bandages. "...I'm done. All Might is no more."
Toshinori gauged everyone's reactions to it. Some looked surprised, others seemed confused and looked to their classmates for an answer. And, then some like Izuku and Kyouka weren't surprised. Kirishima stepped forward, "I mean, you're All Might. One of the manliest guys to ever walk the Earth. You'll get better. You just need to recover."
Toshinori chuckled dryly, "As much as I love your optimism, Young Kirishima, I'm afraid it's not that simple. My body has been like this for many years now, and was getting worse by the day as my powers waned. I prolonged it for as long as I could, but it was inevitable. While my body may recover, that fight was my last. I've given it all I had and more for thirty years, but no matter how much I want to, I can't continue. Which has me thinking about things, about everything I've done up until now...And uh...someone told me that I should start thinking about who I really am. All Might did so much for the world, but what can I, Toshinori Yagi, do? And, how can I stop separating the two?"
"What do you mean by that?" Kyouka asked. Toshinori looked over to her, a small smile gracing his features since it was her who asked the question. She knew All Might was talking about her.
"You don't need this big, smiling, bumbling goofball, always trying to sugar coat everything. You need a mentor, a guide, someone who can tell you all the evil he's seen in his career. Someone who can be completely honest with you. All Might would tell you that things will turn out okay, as long as we have hope. I'm here to tell you dark days are coming. I don't know when. It could be years from now, or it could be tomorrow. But, they're coming. Don't get me wrong, hope is a wonderful thing and we should all have it and hold on to it for dear life. But, you never know how low the odds may be. And, as your teacher, I need to show you how to beat them. You kids are the future of the hero world, and it's my responsibility to make sure you're ready for it. Now, I want you all to get back to your ultimate moves. I'll be walking around, checking in with each and everyone of you to assist in any way possible. Understood?"
The class responded in unison, "Yes, Mr. Yagi."
They all walked away, whispering quietly to their classmates. "Hm...That name is definitely gonna be weird for a while."
"I'll say." Toshinori turned to Aizawa. "Not sure how long it'll take me to get used to calling you that."
"All Might is still fine. I know you won't go by my first name."
"Hm, not yet. So...What brought this on?"
Toshinori began walking towards the class, shrugging his shoulders, "I might as well tell them now instead of when those dark days I mentioned are knocking right at our door."
As 1A dispersed throughout the training grounds, AMP and their friend group found their own spot amongst the concrete, each of them beginning to brainstorm.
Kyouka smirked, nudging Izuku with her elbow, "We're already set. We have ultimate moves already."
"Nope!" Aizawa seemingly appeared out of nowhere behind them, causing the couple to jump in shock. "Previous ultimate moves don't count. Make new ones."
"What?!" Kyouka cried out. "You're just saying that because you still want us to work when we already did the work!"
"Yep. Good luck."
"Wh-?!" Kyouka sputtered out, completely befuddled as their teacher walked away. "...Well, square one. What do we got?"
"It's easy for you," Izuku shrugged. "Your soundwaves are far more versatile, especially with your gear. I just punch things, and sometimes zap things."
"Let's consult the tome. You brought it?"
"You need to ask?" Izuku reached back, pulling out Hero Journal #14 from his belt. He flipped through, finding Kyouka's new page. Her page back in the thirteenth journal was technically outdated by now. Besides, Izuku had no complaints with drawing her again. Izuku didn't write anything about One For All in the journal, just in case anyone somehow got a hold of it. He was thinking of maybe buying an invisible ink pen, or maybe using codewords. "You're a lot stronger than before."
"Pfft, no kidding," Kyouka scoffed, the mention of One For All going unspoken, then whispering, "I'm surprised we didn't go over this during training."
"I have a feeling Mr. Aizawa knew it would be pretty suspicious if we showed up on the first day of the new semester already having the surprise lesson completed. Besides, he said the test was all about adaptability. This is probably a test for us personally, too."
"Ugh, fine. Okay, Let's see…" The couple huddled together, looking at Kyouka's page. She couldn't help just the tiniest blush seeing the drawing of her again. "Just smashing the Boombox into the ground is an easy answer, but really boring. It hardly could even count as an ultimate attack."
"Mhm. Besides, you already have a big attack with it. What about your other gear?"
"Yeah, I haven't actually pulled out The Equalizer in a while. Not since Stain, I think. Carrying two giant hunks of metal on my back won't exactly be the most convenient, but I can do it. Especially now. Hm…"
*BOOM!*
Kyouka flinched at the sudden explosion, grumbling as she turned to see Bakugou blowing up concrete in the far corner of the gym, Ectoplasm's clones dodging him to the best of their ability.
"Asshole…" But, then her eyes caught onto the cracked, shattering concrete, a memory flashing into her mind. She nudged Izuku, whispering, "Remember back on the first day of training? When I broke the roof of that one building?"
"Mhm?" Izuku nodded, signaling her to continue.
"Guess who just so happens to have an awesome vibrating sword?"
"Club."
"Shut up, it's a sword. I can cause quakes with it."
"...Don't you already do that?"
"Yeah, but with The Equalizer I can jam it into the ground, cause the quakes, and then keep my hands free to do whatever else I need to do. It's still a little basic, but it works."
"We'll write it down, but we'll need more than one just in case. Not to mention we still need something that involves both of us."
Kyouka nodded, but still sighed, "I hate homework."
"You guys got anything?" Ochako asked, causing everyone in the group to turn to her. "I'll be honest, I'm coming up with a blank."
Tenya sighed, "Unfortunately I can't say my luck has been any better."
Kyouka nodded to Izuku's journal, "Do you guys need to consult the tome?"
Izuku perked up, his cheeks turning red, "Kyouka…"
Ochako raised a brow, "The wh-? Izuku's journal?"
"Izuku is like, the quirk guy. If there's anyone to come to for advice on how to use them better, it's him."
"Th-They're just notes. I'm not reall-"
"Advice!" Ochako bounced up to him, smiling brightly.
"Uniting our minds and working together will be necessary during the exams, so it's assuredly important now," Tenya joined in.
Momo closed her book, moving next to Ochako, "I have a few ideas of my own, but nobody knows quirks like you, Izuku."
Shoto walked up to them, simply shrugging, "Sure."
Izuku sat frozen, an iron grip on his journal. The last time he had people crowd around him with his journal in hand, he ended up with a burned shoulder and a charred/soaked book. He wasn't joking when he said Kyouka was the only person to ever react positively to his journals. He supposed the closest was his mom, but at the time there was clearly some underlying concern.
Kyouka's jack shot out in front of them, creating a barrier around Izuku, "Okay, back it up. Give the boy some space. He'll get to you in due time."
Izuku looked around at his expectant friends, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He opened his journal, flipping through the pages. "Okay, u-um, easy one out of the way first. Shoto, remember what you did during the Sports Festival? You heated the cold air around you to cause a shockwave."
"That was by accident."
"Exactly. Now it doesn't have to be. Besides, since it technically wasn't a move before, it doesn't count as an old one."
"Isn't that too dangerous to practice? A lot of people could get hurt here. Most people aren't like you and can just take that kind of hit dead-on."
"Run it by Mr. Aizawa. You can probably get time to practice alone or in a specific training grounds. These are ultimate moves, and this is about as big and flashy as you can get."
"Hm. Thanks."
"Alright, um…" Izuku flipped through the pages again, finding the page he was looking for. "Ochako. I know we didn't get much time to train during camp, but how much did you improve in terms of reducing nausea?"
Ochako blushed, rubbing the back of her head, "Eh, not much. I can work on it though."
"Hm, okay. My idea was mainly if you were able to float yourself, but it still works. What do you think of grappling hooks? Anything you float, people included, can be maneuvered at your will. It's both useful in a fight, and for Search and Rescue."
"That sounds amazing! Do you think Mei-...What am I saying? Of course she will."
Izuku smiled, flipping to the next page, "Tenya, your quirk isn't exactly the most versatile in terms of different functions. It's all about speed and becoming faster, which isn't something we can really control at will. But, I think there's a way to protect you, give her something damaging, and also give you easier access to different places. What about a battering ram?"
"A battering ram?" Tenya questioned. "That…actually might work. However, I'm not entirely sure about carrying one around."
"No, it would be a part of your suit. I-I don't really know how that would work, to be honest. We'll have to pin that as another thing to ask Mei about, I'm sure she'll come up with something. Now, I saved the ironically most difficult for last. It's more like you have too many options, Momo."
"Believe me, that's not lost on me," Momo sighed. "Although, anything extravagant would more or less drain me. So, I suppose that limits my options just a little bit."
Izuku hummed to himself, trying to reach Momo's page. Ochako watched him flip through pages, her eyes widening, "Whoa, you're a really good artist Izuku…A lot of Kyouka drawings, though."
"Hey," Kyouka chastised her, her jacks covering Izuku's journal, "My eyes only."
Finding Momo's page, Izuku turned to her, "Your quirk is any non-living material. You can create gasses, chemicals, anything of the like? And, you can even create a mixture of chemicals and materials? Like when you make flashbangs it contains all of the chemicals inside. Even the complicated and complex ones that are mixed together?"
"Of course. Flashbangs have a multitude of chemicals inside that are oxidized together. They're very complicated and took me a bit to get down. What are you getting at, Izuku?"
"Can I see your book?" Izuku looked like he had hit the jackpot on something. Momo was confused, but she gave him her book on atomic structures and chemical formulas of different compounds. Izuku began flipping through the pages, seemingly searching for specific items. "So you can make stuff that reacts with one another. Like, say you create multiple chemicals, combine them, and then push them out of your body. They would react to one another?"
"They should. I've made ethanol before which is a combination of liquids and gasses. I still don't know where you're going with this, Izuku."
"Sorry for all the questions. Your quirk just has so many possibilities, I need to understand what I'm working with." He tucked her book under his arm, and began writing down a chemical formula in his own journal. He then raised it up for Momo to see. "Can you create this from the palm of your hand?"
"Izuku, I don't-"
"Trust me."
Momo saw the excitement in his eyes and she couldn't resist. She wasn't sure what he was making her create, but even if it was impossible to make it she would do her best for him. Momo took the notebook from him and read the formula. "Hmm...This seems simple enough. I know the components. I sh-...Wait...is this...?"
Momo raised her palm out and up, facing the ceiling. She brought the chemicals into her hand as her skin glowed blue. Momo felt the materials all combine and exit her skin to see...
A small puff of light popped from her hand, and went away in an instant.
Momo tried again, "Maybe if I continuously use a small amount of materials to keep it going..."
*Fwoosh*
Momo's jaw dropped as she looked down at her hand. Upon Momo's hand...was fire.
A very small fire, but still a fire.
Momo could feel the heat on her palm and the light illuminated from the flame. In fact, it was hot. Too hot. Burning her ski- "Ah!"
Momo stopped the creation process and shook her hand wildly. She would have to create a protective lubricant next time. But, Momo still couldn't believe it. She had created actual fire.
"So cool." Izuku was nerding out internally. It was a gamble, but the idea of Momo being able to create combustion was just too cool to pass up. She essentially had Todoroki's quirk! Except she couldn't exactly control the fire, and it still burned her, and it was likely far more draining on her due to fire needing constant fuel or it would die out...
Okay, she didn't have Todoroki's quirk. But, it was still amazing.
Momo's arsenal had just significantly increased. She had never even thought to create things like fire or gasses straight from her own skin. She knew she could create a flamethrower, but now she could simply create small controlled fires from own skin. And with training she might be able to make even more.
Izuku began vigorously writing down in his journal, "Now you know you can create matter and combustible properties and utilize them straight from the skin. You could even create any kind of gas or plasma from your body for combat purposes. Creating matter such as fire is going to be draining due to its need to constantly have fuel to keep going, but maybe we could find some sort of propellant to use and fire it off in short bursts to-"
"Izuku," Momo quickly stopped him before his analysis became unstoppable. "I think I need to learn how to make it safer for me to use first before I do anything big for an attack. Really this is just a handy replacement for a match for now. This might now even be any use fast enough to make an ultimate move out of it."
"Y-Yeah. Yeah, sorry. It's just awesome."
Momo smiled, "Yeah. Very awesome. In fact, I think I have an idea for an ultimate move. There's no fire, but this proves it can definitely work. Thank you so much."
Izuku rubbed the back of his head nervously, "I'm glad I could help everyone. Now all I need is to figure out how exactly I'm going to make my own move."
Kyouka nudged him, "Look at you. Using that big, sexy brain of yours. How'd you come up with all that so fast?"
"I've been watching them use their quirks for closing in on a year. I've had these ideas for a while. The only downside is Ochako and Tenya can't start without new gear. Oh! That reminds me. I can't believe we forgot about our new suits. Mei said they should be ready for the new semester. After class, we should all head to the Support Studi—"
"DID SOMEBODY SAY SUPPORT?!"
"AAAAHHH!" The friend group— minus Shoto— all screamed as Mei popped up behind them, her crazy smile on full display.
"Hey, guys!" Mei waved at them.
"For the love of-! Mei!" Kyouka yelled. "I should be mad, but I'm mostly just impressed that I didn't hear you."
"Too focused on Muscles' Muscles."
"I…Damn it. Why are you even here?"
"To tell you two that your new suits are ready! Oh, and to see all my best friends. Technically only friends, but that makes you all my best friends by default."
"I like that logic," Kyouka chuckled. "We'll come see you after class. Unfortunately I don't think Mr. Aizawa will want us gone for that long. We also might have some new projects for you."
"Awesome! I'll be sure to leave room on the list!"
Ochako furrowed her brow, "I'm afraid to ask how long the list is."
"If you gave me a week I still wouldn't finish saying it all. Later!" Mei pulled out two small white discs, tapping the sides and tossing them in front of her, each levitating off the ground. Mei hopped on, a foot on each disc, and rode out of the gym.
Kyouka was speechless, turning back to her friends, "...Anybody else feel like we should be extremely grateful she's not a villain?"
Momo sighed, "I'm just grateful nothing explod-"
*BOOM!*
…~AMP~...
(After Class: 1A Girl's Locker Room)
Kyouka checked herself in her locker mirror, making sure no more soot or rubble was on her body or in her hair. How Mei managed it every single time, she would never know. After being completely certain she was clean, Kyouka reached into her locker and grabbed her white button-up for her uniform.
Mina sighed, closing her locker as she threw her shirt on, turning to her friends. "So, girls...Are we just gonna ignore this? I mean, it's just right here, and we're saying nothing."
Tsu raised a brow, buttoning up her blazer. "What're you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the fact that Jirou is freaking ripped!"
Jumping at the sound of her name, Kyouka quickly wrapped her arms around her body. Despite being in a tank-top and skirt she somehow felt naked in that moment, "I-I'm not that strong."
Mina scoffed, "Are you kidding me?! Look at you!"
"Please don't."
"I'm assuming Midori is totally into that?"
"Stop."
"Mina, Kyouka is clearly uncomfortable with the attention," Momo stepped in, Ochako nodding in agreement next to her.
"All I'm saying is I'm kinda jealous, honestly. All those muscles…"
Kyouka quickly threw her shirt on, trying to button it up quickly. "Ashido, quit it."
"And yet you still have those curves!" Mina chuckled, giving Kyouka a little poke on her hip.
"Don't touch me!" Kyouka yelled angrily as she jerked to the side, hitting the locker in her attempt to escape. Everyone jumped, Mina especially as she quickly backed up. Silence pierced its way through the room, no one moving.
"Jirou, I didn-...I'm really sorr-"
Kyouka slammed her locker shut, grabbing her vest and blazer in her getaway, ignoring Momo and Ochako calling after her. She threw her vest on, not even bothering to button it up as she headed towards the Boys' Locker Room door.
"Ashido!" Kyouka could still hear Momo in the locker room, her jacks picking up everything.
"I-I didn't mean anything by it! They were compliments! You guys know I would never do that."
"That doesn't mean everyone is comfortable with it."
Kyouka growled, shifting her hearing down to normal levels, "Shut. Up."
Izuku suddenly appeared from his locker room, looking frantically around the hallway until he spotted her. Izuku walked up to her and took her face in his hands, caressing her cheek with his thumb, "What happened?"
"The hell-? How did you know something happened?"
"I…I-I don't know. I just felt something was wrong."
…Well, they'd probably figure out what that meant eventually.
Kyouka sighed, leaning into Izuku's hand and feeling the roughness of his scars against her, "I'm fine. Just Ashido being Ashido."
"In what way?" Izuku pushed for her to reveal more.
"She just…starting talking about me, is all. My body, I mean."
Izuku furrowed his brow in confusion, in complete disbelief, "Ashido insulted you? Her? Are you sure?"
"No, it…it was all compliments. I just…She wouldn't stop, even after I asked her to. She touched me, and I…I kind of freaked out."
Izuku sighed, pulling Kyouka into a hug, "She should've stopped."
"I shouldn't have freaked out, and she was just being nice."
"It doesn't matter. You asked her to stop."
"But now everyone's gonna ask God-damn questions," Kyouka growled against Izuku's shoulder.
"You're not the first person in the world that doesn't like to be touched by people you're not particularly close with. I'm certainly not a fan of it."
"With your past, other people touching you were probably physically violent more often than not. You actually have good reasons."
"So do you," Izuku pulled back from the embrace, kissing the crown of her head. "C'mon, let's just go back to our room. We can talk to Mei later."
"...Okay." Kyouka hugged Izuku's arm to her chest, starting the trek back to the dorms.
"She was right, though."
Kyouka raised a brow, looking up at him as they rounded the corner, "What?"
"Ashido. She was right."
"You don't even know what she said."
"Doesn't matter. You said they were compliments, therefore she was right."
"Yeah, well…" Kyouka shrugged, leaning her head against his shoulder, "It sounds a whole lot better coming from you."
…~AMP~...
(Downtown Tokyo)
Kaina needed to learn how to cook. Like, how to really cook.
Now that she was free, every meal felt like a blessing. She knew that in the grand scheme of things, she wasn't in jail for that long. Especially compared to a lot of her fellow inmates.
However, she dared anyone who had never been to jail to go there for six years. Each day was like an eternity, knowing you were going to die there. Or well, thinking she was gonna die there. Second chances were a hell of a thing, even when given out by villains.
Kaina popped another takoyaki in her mouth, sighing as she savored the blissful taste, burrowing further into her big All Might hoodie. The hood was up, her hair brushed back to keep her colorful locks out of sight.
She sat surrounded by others in the outside eating area right next to the street. Hundreds of people walked by or drove by, none the wiser that they were so close to an escaped convict. She looked up, seeing the HPSC headquarters only fifty meters away. Hell, some of the people near her could've worked there, probably on their lunch break.
She had walked around the entire building three times, finding every camera, both from memory and ones she had forgotten. Security was tight, but not so tight where she couldn't do what she needed.
They wouldn't be looking that high up anyway. She'd be fast. They probably thought no one would dare break into the building, all the heroes that were in and out of that place on a daily basis.
That was fine. She wasn't breaking-in.
Kaina got up, weaving through the tables and throwing away her trash. She began her walk back to the apartment, ready to begin preparations for tonight.
Walking across Shibuya Crossing, she merged with the sea of people. She glanced up at the large screens on the buildings, mostly just staring blankly at the different advertisements. Her personal allowance from the League was sizable, but it was the only money she would get for a long time. Their budget was limited with their boss in jail, but that was fine. She had some cash stored away at Toshinori's place…if he hadn't moved.
She figured something bad would happen eventually once she started to realize what she was really doing for the HPSC. She hid some stuff at his house, without his knowledge. HPSC would seize everything, so she had to put it somewhere they wouldn't look.
They wouldn't disturb their golden boy, especially when it could lead him on a trail back to them. Besides, Toshi never actually updated his address with the HPSC after moving into the house. He knew the media would get it somehow if he did.
Speak of the Devil…
Kaina's eyes latched onto one of the big screens, finding one of the trash gossip shows plastered up high. Whatever the hosts were saying, she couldn't hear. All she could focus on was the headline underneath.
[All Might X Pixie Bob?! Purrfect Power Couple?]
The screen flashed with pictures taken from a distance, showing All Might and Pixie Bob dining together through a restaurant window. One of the photos even showed them…kissing.
That's…fine.
Just fine.
Good for him. Toshi deserved it more than anybody.
Sure, did it suck that she knew him for over a decade filled with sexual tension and nothing ever came of it, and only now he decides he had time for love? Yes, of course.
But…
…Kaina forgot the point she was making.
She shook her head, looking down as she continued her walk home. It's not like it mattered. She was an ex-assassin, a murderer, and now an escaped convict. Whatever chance they had, whatever tied them together for all those years was gone. She watched him dedicate his life for the sake of everyone else's, time and time again. Nobody deserves to be happy more than he does, and she unfortunately just never could be the one to give it to him.
She never made her move either. She was a secret assassin. It didn't matter if she was tricked into the job and blinded by good intentions, it was what she was.
She didn't reach out for help then, and paid the price for it.
All she could do now was try to do what she believed was right, even if it meant working with the wrong people to get her there. She'd die before she went back to Tartarus. If this whole ordeal ended with her death, then so be it.
She'd show the world, and Toshinori, what was hiding right under their noses.
…~AMP~...
(UA Staff Room)
"Achoo!" Toshinori sneezed, groaning from the movement to his arm. "Bless me."
"Huh?" Aizawa looked up at him, a brow raised. "Oh, right. You and your western sayings. Who cares if someone sneezes?"
"Technically that's half my culture you're talking about," Toshinori chuckled.
"Mm. What's up with you today? You've been smiling all day, and not your typical smile. It's all…goofy."
"Hmhmhm," they heard Kayama giggle.
Both men turned towards her desk, Aizawa raised a brow, "What?"
Kayama smirked, nodding towards Toshinori, "He got laid."
Aizawa grimaced, turning back to Toshinori for confirmation. All Might merely avoided eye contact, his cheeks turning pink. "...Gross."
"H-Hey! It's not gross!"
"He's right, it's not gross," Kayama defended him, smiling at All Might. "Way to go, big guy."
"Ugh," Aizawa groaned, straightening out his papers as he got up. "I'm gonna go copy these. I'm afraid you two need to continue your gossip without me."
Toshinori chuckled as he watched Aizawa leave the room. They had a copy machine here, but he'd much rather make the trek than listen to them any further. It was actually kind of nice with Aizawa knowing about One For All. The help was great, of course. It just felt good to be a part of this team.
"So, that speech you gave the kids today." Toshinori looked up, seeing Midnight walk up to him and lean against his desk. "Just Toshinori, huh?"
Chuckling to himself, Toshinori continued to go through his paperwork, "It's been too long since I've gone by my birth name. I've been working with some of you for over a decade, and even in our off time you call me All Might."
"It'll take some getting used to, that's for sure. And, what you said about dark days approaching…That villain you fought at Kamino was only the beginning, wasn't it?"
Toshinori pressed his lips together, a sigh escaping through his nose, "...Unfortunately."
Kayama furrowed her brow as she crossed her arms, staring down at her feet. "You knew him. How? A man like that can't just go under the radar, his power was like nothing anybody has ever seen before. How has nobody ever known about him? If you knew of his existence, why didn't you say anything?"
Toshinori capped his pen, idly playing with it as he avoided eye-contact, "I can't say much. Not right now, that is. But, I thought I killed him years ago. But, it seems neither of us were able to finish the job. We both just left each other in mortally wounded states, and ran away to lick our wounds."
"Your stomach…"
Toshinori nodded, his hand absent-mindedly moving to his side wound. "He'd be the one."
Kayama ran through his story in her mind, trying to think back on specific dates, especially the point in time where All Might had mysteriously disappeared for a while.
It was close to a certain event.
"Remember that date we went on some years back?"
Toshinori's eyes went wide as his gaze darted back up to Kayama, "Sudden topic shift. A surprising topic, too."
"Sorry, it's related, I promise. It's just that…Even back then, I could tell you were just trying to humor me. You'd had others ask you before, but you never said yes. Just to me. I thought I was special, but the entire time you were just so distracted. Your mind was anywhere but there."
Toshinori blushed, internally cringing at his past behavior, "Eh, sorry. So much for being a gentleman."
"It's not that," Kayama chuckled. "I knew it was coming, but you said that it wasn't going to work. You were married to your work, you had a job to do. But, you weren't speaking in a general sense, were you?"
Toshinori closed his eyes as he nodded, memories flooding back.
"A week later, I fought that villain. I knew it was approaching. And I…I said yes to you as a sort of Hail Mary. I knew my chances, which weren't the worst. But, there was still a good shot at dying. I've spent my entire life dedicated to my work, to the All Might. It was my dream. But, because of that I've spent most of my career alone. And, at the time, there was this woman that I…cared for deeply. But, it never worked, because it never even started. I just thought, even if only for a night, I could have companionship and peace. Yet, clearly I wasn't even able to do that. I'm very sorry, Nemuri. I hope you don't think I used you or anything. I was simply looking for a pleasant evening, I swear. Even if it wasn't the best date."
Kayama was a little taken aback by the sudden confession. She didn't know he felt guilt for that night after all this time.
"Don't be ashamed of wanting companionship. It's what we're all here for." She reached out, putting a hand on his shoulder, "And, if it makes you feel any better, you were still better than half of the dates I've been on."
"Hehehe, you've told us some of your horror stories before, so I can believe that. Don't tell me Mt. Lady was that bad."
"Ha! Yuu was an interesting first date, but she certainly has enough moments that keeps me coming back."
Kayama smiled down at him, analyzing his features and expressions. Even after all he had been through, he was quite the lively man. Sometimes it was hard to remember he bore the weight of the world on his back for decades, and some of it was apparently in secrecy.
How long had he been fighting, externally and internally?
Had he ever found the peace he stood for?
Even now, still broken, beaten, and exhausted, he was doing everything he could just to make the world better.
…Was there a better man alive?
Nemuri smiled, leaning down and kissing Toshinori's cheek, "Tsuchikawa's a very lucky woman. I'm happy for you, big guy. It's about time things went your way. Well, personally. Career wise? You've quite literally never not been on top."
Toshinori blushed, but smiled back.
"Don't jinx it. I'm not done yet."Kayama chuckled, returning to her desk. Toshinori slid open his desk drawer, pulling out the case file for Lady Nagant. "Not done at all…"
…~AMP~...
(Heights Alliance: AMP's Room)
Izuku stared up at the ceiling as Kyouka rested against him. She wasn't really asleep, but he could tell that she was fading fast. The day's events still rattled around in his mind, fully expecting the same was happening for Kyouka.
Momo and Ochako had stopped by earlier, but Kyouka was insistent that she was okay. They clearly didn't believe that, but Izuku texted them afterwards, reassuring them that things were fine and that he would handle it. Which, that part was true. If they couldn't do their job as friends, they trusted Izuku to do his job as her boyfriend.
They had made progress, he had no doubt.
But, Kyouka's problems were like his own. Until they were fully eradicated, there would always be flare ups. Many times, those flare ups made it feel as if you never got any better to begin with. He wished so badly that he could find a way to let Kyouka see her through his eyes.
Although, he supposed his eyes weren't the problem. It was hers.
"Kyouka...How often do you daydream?"
Kyouka hummed to herself in thought, burrowing a little further into Izuku's shoulder, "I don't know. About as much as everyone else, I guess."
"...I daydream a lot. O-Or, at least I used to. I still do, but...it's different now."
Kyouka heard the tone in Izuku's voice, quiet, nervous, the way he talked when thinking back on his life. Bringing her full attention to him, she listened carefully. "In what way?"
"...I daydreamed about myself, but...better. I dreamed about people talking to me, being like All Might...the hero. All these different lives I thought up for myself on a daily basis. Some of them I would develop for weeks, months on end. Some days I would…"
"What?"
"...Some days I would imagine having a girlfriend, or just imagine someone liking me in general."
Kyouka looked up at him, "Was this imaginary girl prettier than me?"
"Trick question. That's not possible."
"Good answer."
Izuku smiled for a second, but his train of thought returned, the darker mood returning. "But I had a problem. I became too…invested per say. The double-edged sword of daydreaming is remembering that the reality you want so badly to be living in isn't real...And you don't like the one you're stuck in. I know I had it really bad when I was so focused on the reality in my head, that when I looked in the mirror, I jumped. I scared myself. I didn't recognize who I was looking at, until I remembered it was me. That's who I was, that was my reality."
Kyouka hugged tighter, "...And you didn't like what you saw." She felt Izuku nod against her hair, sighing at his memories. "I know how that feels, believe me."
"That's the point I was getting to. You've done the inverse of what I did. You've made up this image of yourself in your head that you've invested years into. It's become your reality, one you're lost in. I think everything I say about you is starting to become the norm."
"Hey, I never get tired of hearing your descriptions of me."
"That's not what I mean. I just mean I can only do so much, just as only you can do so much for me. The real problem is we both have trouble digging ourselves out of these mental pits we've made, especially when we've been digging them for over a decade. I-I was just thinking…maybe you should talk to Ashido, hear everything she had to say. Maybe hearing about how beautiful you are, from someone besides me, might make it easier for your own mind to completely believe it."
Kyouka sat up a little, hovering over Izuku. "I…I don't know. I can't talk about that stuff with anyone else."
"I didn't say you had to. Just ask her what she was going to say, or something along the lines. You don't have to do it today, tomorrow, a week from now. Just whenever you're comfortable. If you decide you really can't, that's fine. Either way I'll be doing everything I can for you."
Kyouka's jacks clinked together, but she eventually smiled sheepishly down at him. "...I love you so much. You know that?"
"I love you too. Does that mean you'll think about it."
"I will. I promise." Kyouka leaned down, kissing him softly. She rested her forehead against his, her side bangs forming little curtains around them. "What about what I can do now?j You said you still daydream, but it's different. What do you dream about now? Which reality do you see?"
"...This one. The future-...Our future. I dream about you and I...Pro Heroes…" Izuku blushed a little, his gaze averting to the side. "...Married. Happy. Just...happy."
Kyouka went red, too, biting the inside of her cheek as she also began imagining it. "I daydream about that. But, this time, we can do something you couldn't do back then. Let's make that daydream a reality someday."
"That was the plan," Izuku smiled, nodding his head. Kyouka dipped down, kissing her partner deeply. Izuku whispered against her lips, "You also daydream about kicking Kacchan in the dick, don't you?"
"Hehe, yup."
"God, I love you."
…~AMP~...
(One Hour Later: Outside of Support Studio)
Izuku, Kyouka, Ochako, and Tenya all made their way towards the Support Studio, ready to give their ideas to Mei. They reached the Support Course wing, finding the right hallway.
"Mei is always busy, but she loves working on new costumes," Kyouka said. "Izuku and I are her only exclusive clients, but I'm sure she'll be more than willing to add you guys to the list."
Once they made it to the door, Izuku took hold of the Support Studio's metal door handle, pausing as he fully realized just who they were going to visit. "...It's going to explode, isn't i-?"
*BOOM!*
Izuku was blown back, along with the steel door. Smoke and errant dwindling cinders exploded into the hallway. The billowing dust clouds began to dissipate as everyone coughed and waved the smoke.
Kyouka stepped closer to the outline that she assumed was Izuku, "You okay, Izuku?"
"He's fine!" A cackle came from the smoke. As the dust finally cleared, everyone saw Izuku flat on his back, with Mei right on top of him.
…With her boobs in his face.
Mei, utterly socially ignorant of the situation they were in, just smiled down at him, "Heya, Muscles! When'd you get here?"
Izuku shifted his completely red face up and away from Mei's breasts, making sure his hands were visibly not on Mei's body, "J-Just now. B-But, could y-you please get up?"
"Sure! Just let me-Huh?" Mei looked down, seeing Kyouka's jack wrap around her body, slinging her up and into the ceiling, "Weee!"
Kyouka's expression showed that she was very clearly unamused. She looked up at the hole in the ceiling that she just created, "You okay, Mei?"
Mei's head popped out of the hole, her crazy smile still on full display, "Are you kidding? I'm around explosions everyday! I'm invincible!"
"Uh-huh, thought so." Kyouka then looked down at her boyfriend, "Get up, Boob Boy."
"How'd you do that?!" Ochako sat dumbfounded, staring up at the hole in the ceiling as Mei climbed down.
"Do what?"
Tenya pointed up, just as shocked as Ochako, "You just threw Mei into the ceiling. Also, please avoid destruction of school property!"
"The power of possessiveness does wonders," Kyouka quickly shrugged it off. "Besides, Mei can fix it. Right, Mei?"
"Already done!" Mei smiled, pocketing her hammer as the ceiling above her looked good as new.
"Wh-?!" Tenya sat baffled once more, unable to comprehend the sheer impossibility of what he just witnessed.
Kyouka motioned towards the door, or what was left of it, "Shall we?"
Thankfully, her friends seemed to accept that answer. Either that, or their focus shifted fully to Mei, making them forget Kyouka's show of power. As the other two walked in, Izuku got up and brushed himself off. He chuckled, whispering to Kyouka, "Nice save, and great control too."
"Doesn't excuse the fact that I did that at all. Sorry, I wasn't thinking."
"It's fine, they believed it. That actually might help us, honestly. If they believe you can do that, then maybe you can use more of your powers publicly than we thought."
Kyouka's jack poked his shoulder, "Don't make excuses, I'll reign it in…But, maybe."
They followed their friends in, finding the Support Studio empty outside of their group. Classes ended a while ago, but this was Mei's second home. Every spare storage locker they had was filled with her things, and even then they had to just start piling a lot of her "babies" in the corner. That wasn't even considering any of the Support Course storage units they had on campus.
Mei giddily ran over to one of her lockers, punching in her code and pulling out two suitcases. She ran back to them, placing the cases on the workbench, "Two new suits for my two favorite clients, given the Mei Hatsume & Associates treatment, as usual. Instructions are inside, and sign here please."
Mei held out a contract and pen to the couple, both sharing a look. Kyouka peered at her, "What's the contract for?"
"You sign it so I won't be liable for any possible explosions that occur while you're wearing them. The chances are very, very slim, but you can't take chances."
"How are you not liable for any explosions?"
"I won't be once you sign the contract," Mei smiled brightly. The couple shared a look again, each shrugging as they each took the pen and signed their names. "Perfect! A pleasure as always! Now, what can I do for you two?"
Mei swiveled around in an instant, becoming nose-to-nose with Ochako. Realizing Mei had no intentions of backing up, Ochako went ahead and answered, "Tenya and I are looking for upgrades to our costumes."
"Whole new suit!"
"Wh-? No, I just need upgra-"
"New suit!" Mei cackled, already pulling out a fresh roll of graph paper. She shoved a pencil in Izuku's hand, skipping over to the storage room, "Start drawing, Muscles! I'll get some materials to choose from."
They all stood there in silence until Izuku shrugged, taking a seat at the drafting table, "It's just better to just do what she says. It's the same philosophy with Kyouka."
Kyouka chuckled, leaning on Izuku's shoulder as she watched him get to work, "You're a smart man, babe."
…~AMP~...
(Late Evening: Heights Alliance Kitchen)
The tea kettle whistled, with Kyouka quickly turning off the stove. She was still more of a coffee person, but Momo had admittedly given her quite the taste for hot leaf juice.
A description Momo was very insistent wasn't accurate, but agree to disagree and all that.
Besides, all of Momo's tea was the real fancy stuff, so that helped. The perks of having a rich friend.
She poured her tea, steeping the bag and watching the water change color. She needed to hurry back upstairs before Izuku decided to take another shower. If anything, they were just saving UA money on water and electricity by living together, so breaking the rules was actually a good thing this time, right?
Kyouka's jacks perked up as she could hear someone approaching the kitchen, hearing them stop at the door. That pause meant it was probably who she thought it was. Kyouka turned around, finding Mina standing in the doorway. They stared at each other, neither making a move.
"...Okay." Mina walked up to Kyouka, leaning against the counter. "I'll just get straight to the point. Jirou, I'm really sorry about the locker room."
Kyouka put her tea down, shaking her head, "I-It's fine."
"No, it's not. You were clearly uncomfortable, but I kept pushing. I know you don't really like talking about yourself, which I should've known included your body. But, I kept talking."
"Mina, it's okay. I mean, you were just complimenting me and I...I guess I wasn't used to it."
"So...We're cool?"
Kyouka raised her fist out, "We're cool."
They fist bumped, a small smile on Kyouka's face and a wide, toothy grin on Mina's. "I'll leave you to it then. I'm sure you want to get back to your boy toy."
"Shut it." Mina chuckled, turning around to exit. The conversation with Izuku flashed in Kyouka's mind. She really, really didn't want to do it, but… "Wait…"
Mina stopped short of the door, a brow raised, "What's up?"
"U-Um…I-...Uh…" Kyouka's jacks began tapping together, her gaze unable to meet Mina's. "What, uh…What exactly were you going to say about me? Back in the locker room…"
Mina didn't respond immediately, she just looked at Kyouka quizzically. She turned towards Kyouka, this time with a serious expression. "Hm. Ya know, I guess you haven't figured it out yet, but you're seriously gorgeous."
"I-I-...What?"
"You are. I don't even swing that way...I think...but, it's not hard to figure out you're stunning. Midoriya clearly saw that, despite your insistence that he doesn't. How you two aren't together is God-damn staggering. He doesn't even know he's hit the jackpot with you before anyone else even had the chance. Swept you off your feet before you guys even got into UA. I can't even say I hope he knows how lucky he is, because we all can see he does. He treats you like a damn queen. No, a goddess. He's not the only one. Did you know Tsu said she wishes she had hips like yours? Tooru said if her face could be seen, she'd want it to be like yours. Angelic. Her exact words. And Ochako said she wishes she could make her looks work like you do."
Kyouka was in a complete stunned silence, "I-I don-"
"And, I love my body, I'm confident in my own skin. I think I'm very attractive, but...I kinda wish I had your ass."
Kyouka stared back, completely baffled at what she was hearing, "E-... Excuse me?"
"And I have a great butt! Spectacular, even! But, you, Jirou? I mean…" Mina shook her head, making a popping noise. "...Damn. I can only dream of having that thing."
"I didn't think...I didn't know you guys thought that way about me."
"Kyouka, we're all knockouts, including you. I just thought you knew that already. Hell, did you know Momo is afraid of back problems and kinda wishes her body type was more like yours." Mina gripped Kyouka's shoulders, quickly realizing what she had done and let go, not wanting a repeat of the locker room. "Sorry! But, I mean, Momo! Momo! The Amazon herself is jealous about a part of your body! You're good lookin', girl!" Mina knocked on Kyouka's forehead, "Get that through there!"
"I...Well, I…"
"My work here is done. I've said my piece. I just think you needed to hear that. Now, go work that body Midoriya loves so much. I'm sure he'll enjoy the view."
Kyouka's blush grew more as she groaned, "...Actually, wait."
"Hm?"
Kyouka's jacks clinked together again, her eyes shifting to the side. It already took her six months to tell her closest friends that she and Izuku were in a relationship, and now she was telling Ashido. Ashido was great and all, but they weren't too close. So, what was supposed to be a victory lap about keeping this secret from Mina for so long, just made her reserved tendencies pop back up again.
…It also didn't help that she was planning to ask Mina to keep their secret of living in the same dorm.
"The thing is, Izuku and I…"
"ARE FINALLY TOGETHER!" Mina cheered, her hands pumping into the air.
"SHUSH!" Kyouka's jacks wrapped around Mina's head, covering the pink girl's mouth. An action that made Kyouka extremely grateful for the One For All training, because three weeks ago she would've accidentally popped her head. "I may be sharing, but that doesn't mean to scream it from the rooftops! Just keep it to yourself, alright? Everyone already assumes we're together anyway, or going to be. So, if no one is asking, we don't have to tell. Might as well keep the pestering to a minimum. Yes, that means you specifically."
Mina used a finger to pull down Kyouka's jacks, giving her mouth an opening, "So, why tell me? Not that I'm not deliriously happy. You two are so cute."
"Th-Thanks," Kyouka blushed, her jacks unwrapping around the girl's head. "But, it's for a couple reasons. For starters, we figured you deserved to know, because…we…we've kind of already been dating all year."
"...Excuse me?"
"Like, since the second day of school."
"..."
"...Ashido?"
"..."
"Oh boy."
Ashido's jaw dropped, in a combination of shock, confusion, and exasperation. She held her hands out, her fingers clawed, almost like she wanted to strangle Kyouka. "Wha-...What the hell is wrong with you?! Are-! Are you just evil or something?! Why?! Seven months of torturing me? For WHAT?!"
"Hey, to be fair, we didn't tell anyone. It took our friends six months to know, and two of them only learned purely by accident. We wanted our relationship to be completely private, and I mean absolute no offense when I say this, but…You? Private?"
"Wh-?! Hey! I would've…told only a small amount of people."
Kyouka swiveled around, heading for the kitchen exit, "This was a terrible mistake."
"No!" Mina grabbed onto Kyouka's arm, keeping her there. "I'm sorry! I was just joking! I mean, only a little, but still! I'm a good friend! I'm an amazing friend, I promise!"
"Okay," Kyouka relented, stopping her retreat. "But, no gossip."
"Fine! Fine, I get it," Mina pouted, crossing her arms. "Well, besides getting tired of torturing me, why else are you telling me?"
"B-Because…we'd like your help."
Mina's eyes went wide, "I can't lie, I'm actually the wrong person to come to for relationship advice. I've never been in a relationship. I was actually kind of hoping you could teach me."
"Wh-? You've never been in a relationship?"
"You being surprised is actually very flattering, but no. None of the girls have, which is why this place is such a dry well for romance. Whaddya guys need?"
Kyouka shifted her eyes, twirling her jack around her finger, "Izuku and I need someone to act as our alibi, if say, someone were to go to his room and find him not there."
"Hm? But, why? They'll just assume he's with you."
"Yeah, but I'm talking about…at a specific time of day. That's all I'll say."
"...You mean at night?"
"I'm not confirming or denying anything, and please no questions…Seriously, please?"
Mina raised a brow, but much to the musician's surprise, she simply continued to play along. "But Tooru is on your floor. Shouldn't you ask her?"
"We're well aware that you won't be able to control not telling her, and we know you better. We want you two as our alibi's. Tooru can say she saw Izuku leaving, or never saw him at all. You can confirm her stories. Ochako is on your floor, so you can say you saw us— or just me— going there."
"Why not ask Uraraka then? Or anyone else in your group?"
"We're her friends, and she'd help, but we don't want to make her uncomfortable. Any of them, really. We try not to throw our relationship in their faces, and asking them to do this for us might be a little awkward for them. Besides, we don't want Momo and Tenya to feel obligated to break any rules for us. You're a third-party, and you and Tooru live for this kind of crap."
"We do, you've got us there. Alright, I can swing this. I'm sure I can make Uraraka play along if I gotta."
"Do you think Tooru will help?"
"Been here the whole time, actually!"
AH!" Kyouka jumped at the bubbly voice appearing from the other side of the kitchen island, not seeing any floating clothes. "First off! Rude! Second! Are…Are you naked?"
"Sure am!" Tooru giggled, not seeming to care about Kyouka's disturbed tone. "You can count on us! Mina and I create juicy stories all the time. We can make anyone believe anything. You and Midoriya are extremely adorable, by the way. We've been rooting for you from the beginning."
"...I have to live with you people for the next two-and-a-half years. Yep, okay. Thank you both, really. But, remember, the whole point is you two are only in case of emergency. The whole idea is we don't arouse suspicion at all, but you just never know. This conversation never happened, please pretend you know absolutely nothing about Izuku and I so I can continue to ignore my shame."
"We gotcha," Mina smiled. "...You gonna go die of embarrassment now?"
"Yep!" Kyouka beelined it from the kitchen, utterly relieved it was over. She ran up the stairs, the conversation running rampant through her mind. The dark part of her mind kept screaming at her that Mina was making it all up, that none of it could be true.
But, when the hell did Mina ever lie?
Why would she lie about that?
That was just the thing. She didn't.
Kyouka reached her room, quickly going inside. She shut the door behind her, looking up to see Izuku lying on the bed, scrolling on his phone.
…He hit the jackpot, huh?
Hm…
Izuku exited out of his news app, nothing in the Hero News being anything of note. Suddenly, he felt the weight at the foot of the bed shift. He moved his phone out of his face, expecting to find Kyouka sitting on the bed.
…Instead, he found her standing on it.
He looked up, seeing Kyouka had taken off her striped cardigan, leaving her in a black tank top. "What are you doin-MMPH!?"
Kyouka fell forward, catching herself so that she didn't hurt Izuku, but just enough to where her breasts landed directly on his face. "Cleansing you of your previous experience."
Izuku sat there frozen, not sure what to do with this. He thought he had started to get used to relationships and romance, but then he got curveballs like this. Izuku tried to look up at her, but all he could see was Kyouka's chest and neck. "...Okaph."
"...Do you like mine more than Mei's?"
"Noph compharishon."
Kyouka raised herself up a bit, "Huh?"
"No comparison," Izuku wrapped his arms around Kyouka's lower back, hugging her back down to return his face to its previous position.
"Mei's are literally the only boobs you can compare mine to."
"Don't careph. Theesh are the besht."
"...I somehow both heavily doubt that, yet…I want to believe you." Kyouka raised herself up, straddling him. She pulled her tank top off, taking a deep breath as she unhooked her bra and dropped it on the floor. "...So, prove it to me."
Kyouka blushed even harder as Izuku's eyes were completely latched onto her chest, his hands rising up her body to find their target.
"...Not a problem."
…~AMP~...
(Night: Downtown Tokyo: Rooftop near Shibuya Crossing)
"So, what are we doing here?"
Kaina turned around from her position at the edge of the rooftop, packing up her things, a brow raised asTomura and Kurogiri appeared through a portal. "I've got no clue, saying as I never asked for you to be here."
"Ah, c'mon, I wanna see what you had in mind."
Kaina didn't respond, merely transforming her arm into her rifle. She took aim at the HPSC building, looming like a dark tower in the night. She fired, her bullet just barely grazing the edge of the rooftop and flying off into the distance. The speed and friction caused sparks, igniting the left behind trail of gasoline. The flames spread down, setting a blaze to the trail she left behind.
The citizens below began to point out the flames, pointing it out to others.
The word "Corrupt" lit up across the front of the building, shining brightly for all of Tokyo to see.
"Huh…" Tomura clicked his tongue, turning to Kaina. "Not one for subtlety, are ya?"
Kaina side-eyed him, her face remaining expressionless, "I'm not looking for subtle. I'm looking to catch their attention, just like you wanted. Is that good enough for you?"
Kaina nodded over to the edge of the building, leading Tomura to look over at Shibuya Crossing. Thousands of murmurs and whispers echoed into the air as heads turned to look at the building in the distance. Every television and jumbotron had switched over to the news, the flame-lit building streamed for all who couldn't be there in person.
The orange lights from the televised fires shined upon Tomura, his smile growing behind his hand. "Oh yeah, that's good enough. But, you do know this isn't the first time these words have been thrown at them publicly. True, there's never been a stunt like this, but they'll probably just think it's another political extremist."
"...For now." Kaina turned away from him, facing Kurogiri. "My apartment."
Kurogiri didn't respond, merely opening a portal in front of her. As she began to walk towards it, Tomura asked, "Aren't you afraid they'll eventually hunt you down?"
Kaina didn't turn back, stepping through the portal, "I'm counting on it."
…~AMP~...
