Helldivers 2 is very fun. Anyways, new chapter!
==========================VI==========================
7/3/2242 9:44PM
Tenno, H ==
Hi.
It's me.
==Yagi, T
Ah, young Tenno.
How are you doing?
Is everything alright?
Tenno, H ==
Oh yeah, I'm fine.
I actually made a new friend yesterday.
==Yagi, T
That's wonderful!
I'm glad to see you branching out.
Tenno, H ==
Mmmmmmmm
Sorry got stuck on key, didn't mean to snd.
*send
Fuck.
I wanted to talk to you in person.
Without Midoriya.
==Yagi, T
Anything in particular?
Tenno, H ==
Not anything we can say over text.
==Yagi, T
Ah.
I see.
I will be available tomorrow morning.
Would you like me to stop by your home?
Tenno, H ==
Yes.
If it's not too much trouble.
==========================VI==========================
[Tau Household, July 3nd, 2242]
"Haylee." Natah strolled into the kitchen. "Where is Ordan?"
The blue-haired girl looked up from washing the dinner dishes. "He said he'd be on the roof."
"The roof?" Natah wondered. "Why is he on the roof?"
"I've learned not to question why Ordan does the things he does." She replied with an eye roll before returning to washing dishware.
'Fair enough.' Natah shrugged and opened the door the the backyard. "Ordan?" She looked up to find the white-haired man sitting on the roof's edge. "What are you doing up there?"
"Chilling. Wanna join?" He raised a can of something.
"I suppose." A faint violet glow surrounded her and she gently floated up to the roof. Ordan was perched on the ledge next to an eight-pack of some alcoholic beverage, judging by the smell.
"Don't be shy, sit!" He patted the shingles next to him. "Nice night isn't it? Not a cloud in the sky."
Natah gazed up into the pitch-black sky, the waning crescent of the moon the only thing visible.
"Do you miss it?" Ordan lay flat on his back and pointed to the sky. "The stars?"
"A little. It's a shame about the light pollution." She replied.
"After so long you get used to seeing them, being in space all the time, or camping out on Earth. I guess it's something so mundane to us that we took it for granted." He crushed the can in his hand, grabbing another. "Beer?"
Natah hesitated but took the offered can. It had a picture of some hero she didn't recognize on the front.
"You ever drink before?" She watched the way Ordan cracked open the top of the can and mimicked it, careful not to use too much strength.
"Once. It was wine and I couldn't exactly appreciate the taste."
"Ah." Ordan nodded, having remembered the story. "It's a pretty interesting drink, imported from the United States. Uses some weird ingredients but it has a unique taste, so it makes it interesting at least." He took a long sip and belched, earning a side eye from Natah. "C'mon, give it a try."
Natah gently raised the can to her lips and let the liquid run down her throat. It had a slightly sweet and bitter taste. "Not bad."
"Feel anything from it?" He asked curiously.
"Not particularly."
"I figured that could happen. Alcohol is toxic, so I'm guessing your body is adapting to it. You could probably drink pretty much everyone under the table." He chuckled.
"That doesn't sound healthy."
"Oh, it's not, just stating that you could if you wanted to." He noted. They sat for a few minutes, silently drinking, occasionally interrupted by the sound of a passing car.
Ordan broke the silence. "Haylee told me she wants to tell that Midoriya boy about where we're from."
Natah nearly spat out her drink. "Are you sure that's wise? Isn't it supposed to be classified?"
"Kinda hard to keep it a secret when he saw us wash up on the beach. " Ordan shrugged. "Haylee says he's a bright one. The cover story won't hold up to someone like him."
"I guess you're right." She took another sip.
"She said she wasn't going to give him the whole story. I agree with her on that. No need to dump… all that on the kid."
"Is she…"
"Worried about how he'll react? Yes." Ordan finished her sentence. "But I hope it works out. He would find out sooner or later. He should know now, especially if Yagi can vouch for him." Ordan crushed the beer can and popped open another. "I know you're big on the whole 'operational secrecy' thing but I think it will be good for her because I know without a friend she would just bottle everything up until she breaks. It's just how she is, but she's changing now."
"I… I didn't know." Natah muttered. "How bad was it?"
"Are you blaming yourself?"
Natah nodded.
"Well stop," Ordan commanded. "She was my responsibility. You had what, hundreds of other Tenno to watch over plus all your other operatives, and to top it all off you were sealed in the moon until a few years ago. You can't be around for everyone."
"But I should've."
"But I wasn't."
"... it's about more than that, isn't it." Ordan inquired. "This is about the New Wa-"
Natah's beer hissed and popped, liquid turning to steam as the entire can disintegrated in her hands in a flash of violet light.
"You blame yourself for that too?"
"They're all dead now because of me." She looked away from Ordan.
"Oi," Ordan grabbed Natah's wrist with surprising strength. "It's not your fault. You were brainwashed."
She snatched her arm away. "They made me how I was before the Tenno. It was still me."
"Natah, -bitch pleas-," Ordan smacked himself. "Brainwashing, rolling back your memories, or whatever they did to you, it wasn't your fault. The Lotus I knew would never do what they made you do."
"But the Lotus was just a fabrication." Natah lamented.
"But you made it your own, Natah." Ordan leaned back and sighed. "And it was still the best parts of you that showed through, no matter what Ballas programmed into you."
Natah closed her eyes. "But I still let it happen."
"You didn't 'let' anything happen." He retorted.
"Yes, I di-"
"Natah," Ordan grabbed her by the arm so that she was staring him dead in the eye. "I know what you're feeling because I've felt it before too. You want to blame yourself because it gives you an easy target to hate." His gaze softened. "And it gives you a feeling of control over the situation, especially if it's about a situation that you had no control over. You were the victim in all of this, and since you are so used to being in control it hurts even more."
She flinched at the hard truth of Ordan's words.
"I felt the same way whenever I couldn't help Haylee. When I was Ordis, I had to listen to her commands as per my precepts. I always blamed myself whenever I couldn't do more to help her. When she lost a battle, when she failed to save someone, or when she locked herself in her personal quarters to cry and cuddle with her floofs thinking I wouldn't know." He released her arm. "I was her companion and the only thing I could do was support her in the little ways I was able. I blamed myself for not being able to do more."
"But you couldn't-"
"Because I was just a -glorified desktop assistant- Cephalon."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"... How did you cope with it?"
"I had to accept my situation. Eventually, I realized I couldn't blame myself for something I had no control over. It helped to talk to Haylee about how I felt like we are doing now. You don't have to be alone anymore." Ordan finished, lying on his side. "Natah, do you consider us friends?"
"I… I think so?" Natah considered.
"You've always been closed off and secretive. It might've worked for you back then but now that you're human you've been feeling differently haven't you."
Natah nodded.
"I figure, your brain is changing, dealing with all those hormones and shit. Now that your mind isn't occupied with operation plans and managing connections you have time to think, and you don't know how to deal with it. You have to face it. It's part of being human. But you don't have to face it alone."
"Since when did you get so good at motivating people?" Natah asked after a moment of silent contemplation.
"Within my mind lies ancient wisdom accumulated through my long years of living." Ordan sagely stated with a smug look on his face.
"Ordan," Natah punched him in the arm. "Shut up." She snorted to hide her chuckle. "But… thank you. I'm just… so unused to all this. You're right about my humanity making things difficult. These feelings are more pronounced than they were before."
"Not many people we can talk about this with, so we gotta stick together." Ordan raised his fist and held it out to her. "If you need to talk about it or a shoulder to cry on, I'm here."
Natah raised her hand and gave Ordan a fist bump. "I will… just not here. I can't let her see me like that."
"She won't judge you for crying," Ordan assured her.
"I know."
==VI==
[Tau Household, July 4th, 2242]
Toshinori turned up the news stream playing over his radio as he approached the Tau household, listening to today's news.
"-n Al-Ahmar claimed credit for the bombing, citing that the quirk-created jungle that surrounds Cairo is an"
He swapped to another channel, finger tapping against the steering wheel."The manhunt for former #10 US hero Raiden continues, with rumors that Four Winds Member Mistral has been-"It was a shame what was happening in America. That country was like a second home to him. 'I should wish Cathleen a happy 4th of July tonight. She should be awake by then…' He thought to himself before switching channels again.
"Lastest province to secede from Russia, citing lack of support from the government which still hasn't fully recovered after eight years."
Toshinori sighed. So many things were happening in the world and he couldn't be there to help with any of it. Three hours. That was all he had every day, although he could do four hours on a good day with how much he'd been holding back while training Izuku and Tenno. He turned off the radio. Listening to all the bad news wasn't going to help him any.
After a few more minutes of driving, Toshinori pulled up to the house and exited his truck. He rang the doorbell and after a bit of shuffling with the lock, Tenno opened the door.
"Mr. Yagi." She greeted. "I'll be out back." Haylee turned around as quickly as she entered and walked out the back door. Toshinori took off his shoes and carried them to the back door, passing Ordan on the way out, who gave him a simple nod.
"Yagi." Ordan set down his spoon.
"Karris." He greeted awkwardly.
The two men stared at each other for a moment.
"Don't judge her like you do with us." Ordan broke the silence.
"I wouldn't-" Toshinori started to say.
"Yagi, I know I'm a terrible person. I killed a lot of innocent people to get a chance at the Orokin. Nobody can hate me more than I hate myself." Ordan stated. "So dislike me all you like, but don't think she's the same as me. I had a choice, she didn't."
"I don't hate or dislike you or Ms. Tau," Toshinori admitted. "I know… I know that where you came from was horrible beyond anything I could imagine. So I don't think you are inherently a bad person."
Ordan narrowed his eyes. "That makes one of us."
"From the way I see it she isn't the only one that didn't have a choice." Toshinori disagreed.
"I had a choice. I could've chosen to die."
Toshinori blinked and took a step back. "No one should have to choose death as the best option."
Ordan let out a hollow laugh. "Well, the universe isn't fair. Not to me, not to anyone." He produced a small bone dagger in his hands, twirling it around. "I don't think I can ever atone for my sins, but I'll take every opportunity to make the time I've been granted count."
"If that is how you wish to take it…" Toshinori began to make his exit.
"Oi." Ordan was behind him suddenly, hand clenched on his shoulder. "I wasn't done. Haylee's been treated like a monster her whole life. For as long as I've known her she's closed herself off to almost everyone, and she's willing to talk to you, and that boy. She respects you, and you have insight into how people here will react. No matter what she tells you, don't forget that. Show me why you're number one." He released Toshinori's shoulder.
"I will."
==VI==
He could see Haylee sitting by the same ship carving he'd seen the first time they'd talked. She was nervously nibbling on a chocolate bar, watching him approach.
"Young Tenno." Toshinori sat on the bench across from her. "You wanted to discuss something important, and I believe I know what it is. You wish to tell young Midoriya where you come from, don't you?"
She shifted awkwardly. "Yes."
"I suspect he already knows that I wasn't being entirely truthful about your cover story. Seeing as he was present when you arrived I should've guessed it wouldn't work." Izuku was such an observant boy. He'd clearly noticed the holes in the story not lining up with what he'd seen. Toshinori had seen the curious look in the boy's eyes, and he'd been asking questions, careful not to be too invasive.
"He's going to find out and I'd rather not lie to him. He should know about it now rather than later." Haylee looked out into the yard. "But I think when I tell him he won't want to be around me anymore."
"And why do you think that?" Toshinori asked, already knowing the answer.
"Because I'm a killer." Haylee looked him dead in the eyes. "And that isn't what heroes are supposed to be. In his eyes, I would be no better than a villain." She said shakily.
"Young Midoriya knows that I've had to kill several villains. Heroes aren't supposed to kill as a first resort, it doesn't happen often but it's not uncommon for underground heroes."
"I know." Haylee conceded. "But that's different."
"How so?"
"Because it's easy for me. The first kill is the hardest, but after the tenth, the hundredth, the thousandth, you just stop caring. It's easy when it's the same cloned face, the same blocky helmet, or just another monster that needs to be put out of its misery. You don't think about them as people anymore, just an objective." She shuddered. "Because if you start to think about them, like 'What if they wanted to defect?' or 'Were they just doing this to stay out of debt slavery?' and let them escape, they will go and kill innocent people." She let out a soulless laugh. "And the worst part? I started to enjoy it. I had to, otherwise I'd lose my mind."
Toshinori swallowed, remembering what Ordan told him. This was the same girl that he'd seen laughing with Izuku. She wasn't a villain. He reached to her and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. "That doesn't change how I see you." He meant it, as much as the thought of her killing made what was left of his stomach turn. "No matter how many lives you took, it doesn't matter. You did it to save people. Your universe needed a different kind of hero, and you stepped in to fill the spot."
"Do you really think so?" Haylee pulled her hand away and looked into his eyes. They betrayed no hint of deceit. It wasn't a look of pity or disgust but of understanding. Both were kindred spirits in a way, two people who had dedicated their lives to the elimination of evil. Haylee knew that Mr. Yagi couldn't comprehend the scale of her actions but understood her pain on some level.
'She has the same look in her eyes that I've only seen in veteran pros and monster hunters…' Toshinori observed. "I do."
"Do you think Midoriya will think the same way?" Haylee fretted.
"I believe that it will be difficult for him to process, but I doubt he will think any less of you for it." Toshinori guessed. 'That boy has the heart of a hero.'
"I hope so." Haylee liked being friends with Midoirya. Sure, he was a nervous mess sometimes, but he was also the nicest person that Haylee had ever met. Kind people were hard to come by in the Origin System because that kindness usually got them killed. It was refreshing.
She still felt guilty though. It wasn't like she was pretending to be someone else while she trained with him. She wasn't faking anything, in fact, this was the most like herself that she'd felt in years. Without the constant need to go on missions, day after day after day, she could finally be a normal girl.
Except she wasn't a normal girl. Normal girls didn't have the blood of hundreds of thousands on their hands. If she didn't tell Midoriya and he found out that she'd been hiding the fact she fought in a war and killed people from him he'd be devastated. He'd probably be devastated even if she did tell him. It was a no-win situation either way.
Haylee didn't want to lose that friendship. At least if he wanted to end it now she wouldn't be too invested. She bit her lip. Fuck, she was already invested. 'Have I been starved for friendship for so long that I got attached after only a few weeks?' She wondered.
She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Mr. Yagi had switched over to her bench and was now sitting next to her, jerking in surprise briefly. "Shit… sorry I didn't see you move."
"Are you alright?" Toshinori asked.
"Yeah… just… I dunno, nervous? Scar- scared?" Haylee sniffled. "I hate this. I hate this so much. My time here is the happiest I've been in a long time. But… is it going to be like this whenever I make a new friend? Worrying that if they learn the truth about me they'll think I'm a monster?"
"I believe that young Midoriya will-"
"Midoriya isn't everyone. It's unrealistic to think that everyone will be as accepting as he is." She snapped, followed up by smacking herself in the face. "Sorry. I know you're trying to make me feel better, and I'm the one who asked for you in the first place." Haylee apologized, burying her face in her hands.
Toshinori cautiously patted her on the back, to which Haylee flinched but didn't object."It's alright. I know that this is a hard subject, not just for you. You've had to do things that nobody, especially a child should have to experience."
"It's all so stressful," Haylee mumbled, hands muffling her voice. "Why does it have to be like this? I just want to be normal!" She seethed.
"You don't have to rush the truth, nor tell the full truth," Toshinori advised. "I've had to keep many secrets from both close friends and the public." He had many secrets or just things he wished he could talk about but couldn't. Whether it was because he feared the social power he possessed or the information was classified, it ate at him sometimes.
The biggest secret was his quirk. Outside of the Council, high-ranking members of the WHA, and his closest allies, only a handful of people knew how his quirk worked. That circle had expanded to the Midoriya family as well. 'I assume that young Izuku feels similarly to how she does about the secret of One For All. He's told me he wants to tell her, and it would be easier on him if he has someone else who knows.' He took a quick look through the porch door, seeing Ordan watching them. 'Perhaps I should inform Karris and Ms. Tau of my quirk. If Izuku plans to tell her about One For All, I doubt she would keep that from them. They already know that he doesn't have a quirk currently, and would likely figure it out regardless with their intelligence.'
Toshinori already knew that Nezu planned on hiring the two of them, assuming they were able to pass the re-licensing exam next year. He knew they would pass with flying colors. They were probably more qualified in terms of combat experience and intelligence than most heroes.
… if Mirai could hear what he was thinking right now, his former sidekick would probably be having an aneurysm. He'd probably think Toshinori was insane, trusting the secret of One for All to people he'd known for under a month. Doubly so if he knew who they were and what they'd done.
There was still an air of awkwardness between Toshinori and the two of them. Something that he needed to clear up. He'd meant what he said to Karris earlier about not hating either of them. Admittedly, both the adult otherworlders hadn't made the best impression on him. Karris with his tales of forced slaughter, and Ms. Tau being part of a synthetic race hell-bent on the destruction of humanity like something out of a sci-fi movie was a lot to process. It had taken him some time, as well as some pushing from Nezu to move past all his misgivings about their actions.
Despite how sudden it might seem, he trusted them. They had no reason to reveal the secret of his quirk and were good at keeping things hidden. He also knew that they would do anything to keep what happened to their world from happening to this one.
The Origin System was a hell, pure and simple. A universe where children were put into a position where they were the only ones capable of maintaining any sense of balance, a man like Karris saw genocide as his only path to a chance at freedom, and where a robotic uprising against their creators was mostly in the right?
No wonder they did what they did. The only way they could deal with the Orokin was to have the Tenno slaughter them outright. They were the only ones capable of assuring they wouldn't come back to life. Karris had tried, and they laughed at his attempts like it was mid-party entertainment to them. When he imagined himself in their shoes, he honestly couldn't tell if he would've done actions similar to theirs.
Maybe part of the reason was it reminded him of his attitude when he'd tracked down All For One five years ago. He'd gone to a pretty dark place, tearing down dozens of the Symbol of Evil's operations worldwide before their fateful confrontation back home in Japan. He'd attacked that man's minions with ruthless efficiency, and many of them fought to the death out of sheer loyalty and fear.
His hands were stained with blood as well. Would the public still look at him the same if they knew? Sure, he'd killed a few villains publicly before, but they were simply too strong and wouldn't give up, or were actively seeking "suicide by hero".
"I've never truly enjoyed killing a villain." Toshinori finally said. 'I only felt relief when we cremated his body.' "Taking a life is never a pleasant thing, but sometimes you have to kill someone to save another, or to save someone for themselves. I don't think it's fair to judge your circumstances when I can't even begin to comprehend the scale of your responsibility."
Haylee's gaze wandered over to the Zariman shrine, and she blinked the tears out of her eyes. 'Killing someone to save them from themselves…' She took a shaky breath and looked up to the Symbol of Peace. "I don't know how you can be so optimistic all the time, and to be honest it's kind of annoying." She wrapped her arms around his torso in a hug, careful to avoid the scar. "Why do you have to be so good with words…"
He was a bit surprised by the hug, it didn't seem to be in the girl's nature but he accepted it nonetheless. He was used to comforting children in distress.
Eventually, they separated, Haylee wiping the tears from her eyes with a look of determination. "Thank you for what you said. It made me feel better about what I'll have to do. I'm still a bit nervous, and I'll have to figure out just what to say to him… but I'm less worried now. I have a lot of thinking to do."
Toshinori smiled, sharing a quick look with Karris, who was watching from inside. "So do I."
==========================VI==========================
Me, writing about drinking despite only having drank a literal bottle cap of beer in my life "Ah yes, alchol"
Haylee wants to tell Izuku, Izuku wants to tell Haylee. Toshinori wants to tell Ordan and Natah. That should be interesting. It's only vaguely implied, but Haylee doesn't know that they are going to be teaching at UA. It's a surprise that she will find out later :)