Going Home (His Sights) - Shiro Sagisu found in Shiro's Songbook Bleach.
"Here I am, if you accept me I'll stay,
And even if you don't, I accept my loneliness willingly,
Because it's not my punishment,
It's my way of life."
I woke up in the hospital.
More accurately, the sound of a machine monitoring my heart rate. It was a familiar sound to me considering every time something big happened I naturally found my way to the hospital, almost like a pre-paid for Uber with the payment being my health. Ironically, as I opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling I recognised the pastel colour. Musutafu General. It was the same ceiling that I remember Miwa's room being like.
Groggily, I sat up on my bed to only be greeted by sickly green curtains. My phone was on the tableside beside me, as was a lighter but no cigarettes. I guess you couldn't really smoke in the hospital, that would be a health hazard plus a bit stupid. I chuckled to myself, touching my phone screen only to realise that the battery had died.
Of course.
The last thing I remembered was beating Ryuukei physically and mentally, and of course passing out myself. I guess that was what was funny about the whole ordeal, I won but it didn't feel like I won. So I lay back down on my bed and closed my eyes, retreating into my mind. It didn't take long for me to end up at that house again. It was still as bandaged up as ever, with U.A. and my apartment with Hinata and Gekko merged together to create an abomination of a place to stay.
…
And the two inhabitants of this place stood outside, waiting for me.
Kurai and Shiro.
The former looked exactly the same as always. A black version of my Aozora outfit with the same old blue hair I used to have only with yellow eyes that reflected malice and rage to not just me, but the entire world. The latter was a child who wore a white outfit that only kids would find cool, a leather jacket, t-shirt, jeans and trainers as he had brown locks and looked more European than Japanese.
"Yo."
"...You returned," Shiro began. "After stealing power from us and not paying your dues, you return with a 'yo'. Not an apology, or perhaps a promise to pay back the debt that you now owe us - The keepers of your Quirks. You cast us aside and forcefully take our power, and we don't even get a thank you?"
"It's like I said, Shiro. This bastard needs to die," Kurai yelled angrily. "He doesn't know a single thing about respect! Just watch, when I take control of his body one day I'm going to make him regret ever making a full out of me! I swear, Sora Yamazaki, Never forget that while I exist here, I can always take control, just like that time during Camp! Or that time during the Raid…"
I nodded at him.
"You make a fair point. But like I've told you before, I'll beat you two just like before."
"We'll see," Kurai sneered at me. "But you won't sound so cocky when I destroy everything you love. Everything you've tried to repair, because you can't ignore the rage I feel. No one can. So don't even try to ignore me, Sora Yamazaki. Because the biggest threats you'll ever face aren't Zero or Yozora, they're right here."
I didn't reply to Kurai as I stared at Shiro who only studied me in silence.
"Got anything to add?"
"...Congratulations on clearing some doubt in your heart," Shiro replied, motioning to the amalgamation of different houses behind him. "It may be a chaotic mess, but even you can't deny it's serene. It'll be quite a while before it's hospitable, but it's a far better shape than what it previously was. I'd even go so far as to say it's big a leap from how it used to be, true growth has been reached, Sora."
"And what exactly is it?" I asked them in confusion. "I mean I've been here a few times now, but I always see you guys hanging around this place. I mean the house was decrepit, under water, in ruins and now… Now it's whatever the hell this is. A mess of different shit I guess. Is that U.A. stuck in there? I definitely recognise my parent's home there... But... What is it?"
"You don't recognise your own soul?" Shiro asked me in confusion.
"My soul?! Hold on, Yukari-,"
"What she showed you was your heart, or more simply, your will. It was empty because for so long after you sacrificed your powers, you were simply longing to fill that void in your life that you missed so much," Shiro cut me off. "But this is your soul. As you know, many people think that Quirks come from the body or the mind, but it's far more complicated than that. Quirks represent one's soul. Why do you think something like All For One has spiritually attuned elements to it?"
"Because the writer needed something to increase the tension of the plot? Listen, whatever, I'm just concerned as to why my soul is looking like it's been mashed together by a child," I replied with a sigh. "I mean, I guess I can understand why it's all chaotic. I've had a chaotic last few months. From being powerless, unable to protect anyone and feeling like I need to be punished to…"
"Being a better version of yourself?" Shiro finished.
"Yeah! That."
"If you were truly better, you would have murdered that annoying Zero fella' and you would have stuck it to everyone that told you off," Kurai added angrily. "Maybe you've grown a little. But you grew into a pussy. You're forgetting the fact that a lot of this is your fault, and if you think you can simply just ignore the pain and the scars you have on your body and mind, then you're wrong."
I shook my head at Kurai.
"I'm not doing that now. I… I do need to heal, I'm not ignoring that fact. But when the time comes for me to do that, I'll acknowledge those scars and the pain. Until then, I guess, I just want to go home," I said to Kurai, turning to face Shiro who still studied me without a shred of emotion on his face. It was weird for a kid that looked to be about twelve or thirteen to look like that. "You keep on studying me. I know you don't like me either, but could you tell me what it is that's pissing you off this time. Is it because I actually have grown? If so, sorry I guess."
"Who says I'm pissed off?"
"I mean, you exist within me. I've met and fought you enough times to know when you're a bit peeved off at me," I replied with a smile. "Are you really that annoyed about the power thingy? The fact that I took control of it from you? Cause' I would offer to give it back, but we all know that I'm just lying at that point."
"It's your power, Sora. How can I be angry that you took your power from us?"
Oh.
"I for one am angry about that. But it looks like our time is coming short, yet again," Kurai growled before he turned away from me, staring at the collection of places that I recognised. "Don't forget, Sora. You're only one step away from me using that anger of yours and destroying everything you love, just like I foretold you. Shiro, Keep it brief with the bastard, I'm sick and tired of dealing with him."
As Kurai disappeared, I saw Shiro crack a small smile for a hurried second.
"You have grown, Sora. We can both see that. But you still have a lot of growing left to do, your soul is still a disorganised mess. You may have stolen power from us, but you still can't control your powers," Shiro lectured me. "If you aren't careful, we'll steal those powers back. Your enemies might be far and wide, but don't forget that we exist here, in your soul. Don't forget that even should you change and grow, you still haven't accepted the white and black in you."
…
I grinned at Shiro, giving him a thumbs up.
"Like I said before, dumbass. Try me. I'm waiting for you and that knucklehead's challenges whenever and wherever, and I'll be sure to remind you that I'll win each time," I told him. "Because I'll reject you Shiro. Both you and Kurai. Because I'm me and only me, so how about we save this for next time?"
Shiro didn't reply as he disappeared as well, leaving only the amalgamation of my soul to stare back at me. In the distance, I could see the city of Musutafu with its distinct lights brightening up the world before it engulfed my vision entirely.
Within seconds, I slipped away from the image of my soul to the pastel ceiling.
Sigh.
I sighed heavily, sitting back up as the sick green curtains around my bed were finally drawn away and I could see that I was in a double ward. But the man in the bed next to me made me groan heavily as his tuff of orange hair reminded me of the fact perhaps I couldn't escape a fight both inside me and in the real world.
"Brat. Had a nice nap?" Ryuukei Hayate greeted me with a gruff smile.
"Oh, for fucks sake-,"
Chapter
Sixty
Nine
'Samurai Heart'
If it wasn't for the cast on his arm, I swore that Ryuukei would have reached out from his bed to hit me. I only had a few bandages compared to his casts, although the extent of our injuries were far different. I had lost some blood and fainted, Ryuukei had his arm mangled up and spat out as if it had gone through a blender.
Despite that, our beds were side by side as we stared at the windows in our room.
I'd never seen the city look so peaceful before.
"So, when did you wake up?" I asked Ryuukei awkwardly. "Fucking old geezer."
"Heh. Been awake for a while, but the doctors were concerned about you after all. Your body kept on rejecting the medicine, and had to call Recovery Girl just to patch you up. I overheard them say it's like your body was rejecting yourself… It didn't sound good," Ryuukei told me, and I nodded in response. It was just like Yukari had told me. "But you managed to pull through. You gave a few nurses quite the scare though. Never seen a kid ever do that."
"Eh, not the first time I've done that," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. "How's your arm? I would say that I didn't mean to turn it into a doner kebab, but I think we both know that I would be lying. How'd you get put in the same ward as me though? I thought there were some laws against that or something. Plus, it's not like you aren't a criminal in an active investigation."
"Not anymore."
"Huh?"
Ryuukei smirked at me.
"Kanto's dropped me. Or, in a sense, you could say I was excommunicated from my own gang. The higher ups didn't like the fact that we lost the small foothold we had in this city, not to mention the fact that ultimately it was your gang, the Tatsuya Clan, that ended up the victors in this situation despite its leader being assassinated - The only major casualty in this mess," Ryuukei explained to me. "Of course, I couldn't give less of a shit. I was thinking of retiring anyways, it's not like I'm getting younger plus the new generation has to come up somehow. Everyone I brought with me went back to Tokyo. As of now, I'm just a nobody."
Ah.
Nodding at him, I turned to look down at my bed.
"I see. And who brought you here?"
"Some lady and man. Nejire and Aizawa I think? At least that's what they introduced themselves as to me, in cooperation for helping you in your active investigation my charges were dropped. A nice little bonus I'd like to say," Ryuukei huffed out. "They also picked up that pig Ryuji and the rest of his men that were stupid enough to stick around. I don't know when their court case is, but they're chances of not being prosecuted aren't too bright. Especially with how the Japanese Justice System is, it looks like they're taking a one way trip to Tarturus."
I laughed at that.
"Well that's their duty. So, I guess we stopped the war then? No one got hurt."
"Kansai has been destabilised. Last I heard from some contacts there was that multiple gangs are now trying to fight over who represents them, let alone what to do with the massive power vacuum on their hands. Oddly enough Ryuji's finances seemed to have been wiped. Whoever was financing him and his war seemed to have disappeared off the face of the map, and so did that scientist he hired. Natsuki I think," Ryuukei told me. "So congratulations, kid. You successfully stopped a gang war. Or your first gang war. With how tense the entirety of Japan has been, you managed to grant everyone another day without the U.N. heavily interfering in our lives. Apart from the people of this city, no one else in the world even knew a gang war was so close to starting."
Nodding at that, I turned to stare at him.
"What?" Ryuukei asked me. "Why are you staring at me like that?"
"So, what are you going to do now?" I asked him. "I have a few more cases to follow up on. The stolen money that Ryuji and Natsuki mentioned. Plus, the Musutafu Redevelopment plan kept on getting mentioned in this case. Detrenat helped in shipping Ryuji's men and weapons to this city. Whatever is happening there, I'll look into it. Seems like a few long term cases have appeared... There's no rest for the wicked, but that's the path I chose for myself. But what about you? If Kanto dropped you it means that there's not much you can really do there now."
Ryuukei chortled at that, shaking his head at me.
"You're not subtle."
"I don't care about subtlety," I replied with a smirk. "You gave much thought to what I told you? I mean, what I beat into you. Seriously, don't think because we're in the hospital that I won't beat you up again if you want to continue down that shitty path of yours. I ain't going to let you willingly do that."
"You barely know me."
"You could be the worst person on this fucking Earth and I'd still do the exact same thing," I told him truthfully. "Miwa's seventeen, nearly eighteen. Soon she'll be graduating and finishing up her university course that she managed to get in early for because she's smart. Then she'll start work, become a doctor, fine someone she loves and get married and then start a family. Now I don't know about you, but I'm sure she could use her father in her life to support her every now and then."
"...What about your father?"
"My Dad's Gekko. My biological father… It's a little tricky, but you could say he's still in my life," I replied, thinking about Kurogiri. Oboro Shirakumo. "I guess in a similar way to how you were ignoring Miwa, you could say that he's ignoring me. But it's more complicated. Unlike you, he's an actual villain branded a terrorist by the government. Hah. And I don't think he even cares that I'm his son, not that I care that he's my father anyway. There are some bonds that just can't be repaired because they never existed in the first place. I'll still try to save him, though."
Ryuukei nodded at that.
"Sounds complicated."
"Yeah, but that's something me and my Uncle have to sort out. You just focus on sorting things out with your daughter, you deadbeat arsehole," I threw my pillow at the man. "You still have time before she grows up completely. She's still an immature child reading porn in public. The type of porn that's kinky too, if I'm being honest it sort of creeps me out that she enjoys it that much."
"Why would you tell me that?" Ryuukei asked me, groaning.
"I'm her brother, and you've been absent for over a decade. Might as well fill you in on a few things."
"I never said I was going to take responsibility for her. Or absolve myself of my sins and punishment," Ryuukei said. "Just because I don't want to be a Yakuza anymore doesn't mean that I can do what you've done. Or what you've said you wanted to do. As far as that Aizawa guy told me, you still haven't made things right with your friends. So why are you getting on to my case? Surely you should patch things up with your friends before you jump on my case."
"Grk-,!"
He had a point there.
"And don't tell me it's hard, kid. Nothing in life that's worth anything is easy, so why don't you go and change what happened between you and Class 3A. Heh. I was surprised when I found out you went to U.A., you don't really act it," Ryuukei mocked me. "I mean with your horrible language and the fact you are a detective, I never would have pegged you to be a hero too. Aozora at that."
"Aozora is dead."
"You can ignore the past, but it still exists, kid. If you want some wisdom from this old man, go back before it's too late. If you really want to absolve your sins and punish like you say you want to, if you want to be more responsible and change then go back," Ryuukei said to me with a grin. "But if you can't do that, then I'll be proven right. All we can do is punish ourselves for our sins, because we can't change. Either we can change as people because we want to, or we can't change ourselves because we need other people around us to force us to change."
"...Did I beat the five remaining brain cells out of you or what?"
"Hahaha," Ryuukei laughed gruffly at that. "Stop trying to prove me wrong by proving that you can change. Prove yourself wrong because it was you who put you in this position in the first place. I can accept when I'm wrong, the real question is that can you accept when you were wrong? Saying it and doing it are two very different things. One's easy, the other not so much. It's up to you, Sora Yamazaki. You get to decide your future, you always have and you always will."
…
I stared out of the window and sighed.
My decision.
As if I haven't made enough wrong decisions in my life, now I'm forced to make yet another. Deep in my heart, I knew my answer. What I needed to do. But my mind, and the rest of my body, they also knew what I had to do.
So I simply sighed.
"Yeah. It is my choice."
"As I said, Natsuki got away. As did those who funded Ryuji and his gang," Ryuukei told me. "Now, I'm not saying that you pull on that thread. I'm not the detective here. Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but… It's curious, don't you think? I know you stopped a similar situation in Sendai from occurring, and now you stopped it here. You're not exactly a quiet person."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked him.
"You've now stopped two developing cases along with your stunt during All Might's funeral. You may not think it, but many eyes are starting to fall on you," Ryuukei replied seriously. "If you think that this isn't going to change things, you're wrong. I'd be more careful if I were you."
I laughed hard at that.
"I ain't gonna stop here. I refuse to stop, even if it'll kill me," I said to him with a grin. "And my friends - As I said, they found an interesting piece of information. Detnerat was involved with Ryuji and his gang in shipping men and weapons here. Now that's a stone I won't leave unturned."
Ryuukei snorted at that, staring at our ceiling.
"You just can't stop working, can you?"
"Ha. How can I? There's a bunch of barriers in front of me, and I'm stupid and bored enough to want to climb them. For my own curiosity to see what's on the other side, but also because if I don't then who will. It's my duty, the path I decided on. That's all there is to it."
The people funding Ryuji, Detnerat's involvement, and even Natsuki. Something was itching at me, a common denominator that didn't escape past me.
It sounded familiar to what Power Loader had told me before he died. It sounded awfully similar to the missing ten billion Yen from the Bank of Japan that had been stolen months ago.
The very same case that Power Loader couldn't solve.
A case that led to the introduction of the very law that meant I had to become a Detective - One of Nezu's pawns.
And the game was slowly starting to be revealed.
I didn't like the look of the board one bit.
"Eh?"
I was discharged from the hospital, smoking my cigarette in the parking lot as I stared at Yuuya with a grin on my face. His crumpled green suit complimented his tied up black hair and shades that covered the black eye he had, and I watched in amusement as he bent down on one knee to light my cigarette with an ornate lighter.
"You're the Boss," Yuuya told me. "If I let you light your one cigarette, what message does that send to everyone else? We have to respect you and your position. To preserve the sanctity of the gang."
"Heh. Tity."
"Hey! This is important!" Yuuya snapped at me. "Our floor's undergoing repairs after the whole business that went down. I met with a few lovely officers and they said because we were on your side, they won't press charges on our gang for the violence. I say we gather everyone up and-,"
I patted Yuuya on his back, smiling at him.
"You can do that."
"Eh? But I'm not the Boss."
"Sure you are," I replied, reaching into my pockets and pulling out a paper I had signed with a pen I had managed to nick off one of the nice nurses. "I'm a detective. As much as I'd like to play Yakuza with you and the rest of your mates, I have to go to school not to mention I do have a job that requires me not to break the law. Ryutaro knew that too, that's why he made me interim Boss. So now, I'm making you the big Boss. Congrats."
Yuuya's eyes widened at that.
"Holy-fucking-shit, are you breaking my balls right now?"
"If I were, it would be with a sledgehammer," I joked, slapping his face gently. "Stop looking so surprised. Ryutaro took you under his wing and taught you a lot of shit about this business. More than I know. I don't know how to run the Tatsuya Clan, you do. And I know that you can do some good for the city by being the Boss, so pick your jaw back up from the floor before a mosquito comes flying in and stings your tongue. Or maybe a cock, I bet you'd like that."
"He-hey! I'm not gay!"
"Isn't 'Yuuya' written as genderless?"
"Mine is written with the Kanji for assistance. And you mean gentleness."
"Huh. The more you know. Still, I have my own worries and dreams that being a Boss of a Yakuza gang would be more of a hindrance than a help, plus it's not really my style," I told him. "I'm not a leader. And if I were, it'd be more so because people like me not because I'm the Boss. I command respect in the Tatsuya Clan, but you command that and everything else. The position was made for you."
"...I don't know what to say."
"Don't say anything, I'm a detective. Anything you do or say can and will be used against you in a court of law," I joked, smacking the back of his head lightly. "That being said… It was something Ryutaro was planning on doing. He cared about you a lot. I'm not talking out of my arse here, the man genuinely did give a shit about you. From what I hear, he was basically the man that raised my parents. I guess that makes him my grandfather in a sense, and since he cared for you like a grandson it sorta makes us very loose cousins. Think of it as a late birthday gift from the old geezer and an early Christmas gift from me."
Yuuya scoffed at that.
"Why's family always a difficult topic around you?"
"What can I say? Orphan's have like this invisible umbilical cord, I think. It connects us to everyone around us, making family connections easily. You know, like uh, like sending a friend request to someone on Instagram."
"Really?"
"What are you, fucking stupid? Of course not, I'm just breaking your balls. Heh. You've been watching too much of The Sopranos haven't you?" I asked, grinning at him as I twirled my motorbike keys around my finger. "I can't blame you. Cunnilingus and Psychiatry brought us to this."
"I'm losing my balls over here and this fuckin' moron's playing Hazel?!" Yuuya quoted, matching my grin as he took out his own cigarette. This time, however, I reached out over to light it myself. "You didn't have to do that, Sora."
"Well, what are ya' gonna do? You're the Boss now, I can't disrespect you without finding myself at the foot of the river, now can I?" I replied, putting out my cigarette. "You know where I live?"
"Yeah, I should. Why?"
"Come over for dinner tonight. Eight PM. And bring a bottle of wine, my Mum loves that shit," I told him as I got on my motorbike, putting on my helmet. "Something expensive too, Boss. Flex your muscles a bit, yeah?"
Yuuya nodded at me, patting my back.
"Cool. Also, did you forget common etiquette between Yakuza?"
"Huh?"
"Even if you're not the Boss anymore, you're still my Boss."
Oh.
How fucking great.
I waved goodbye to Yuuya as I drove out of the hospital, lighting up another cigarette as I drove through the city. Despite it all, this city stood tall. We all did. The streets were largely empty on my trip back to U.A. didn't take more than twenty-five minutes, even with finding a place to park inside the school itself. It was unusually busy with an unusual car parked in the spot that I usually took.
After parking, I sighed as I walked back to the Class B dorms tired.
I could have a little nap.
But as I opened the door, I was greeted with an unusual smell. Who the hell was cooking at three PM? Everyone should have been either at school or at work patrolling the streets, not in here cooking up a storm. I could smell paprika in the air which just made me aware as to how hungry I truly was, but I couldn't hide my surprise as I saw who exactly it was that was cooking.
"Yui?!"
Standing in the kitchen next to Monoma was Yui. She wore my yellow apron and had her long black hair tied back in a neat ponytail as she turned to grin at me. I hadn't seen her since she went back home to Hokkaido in December, outside of the brief stay she made during Valentine's day. Yui laughed at the expression on her face, lowering the heat of the hob she was using, running over to hug me tightly.
"Hehe. Did I surprise you?" Yui asked me with a sly smirk on her face. "I heard you were injured, and my parents were going to visit my Aunt and Uncle here anyway, so I thought hey, why not let them meet Monoma and walk around U.A. for a bit while I catch up with you. Did they let you out of the hospital already?"
"It wasn't a serious injury."
"You were in the hospital."
"I just lost a little blood."
"You were in the hospital."
"..."
"..."
We both laughed at each other's antics as I walked over to the kitchen and hi-fived Monoma, peering into the dish Yui was cooking. My brow was furrowed in confusion as I saw pasta being mixed with salmon and soy sauce. Oh. Yui happily continued to stir the pot as she flicked my nose playfully.
"I'm making salmon soy sauce garlic butter noodles. Care to have some?"
"I hate soy sauce. Plus, I'm going back home for the evening," I answered, trying my hardest not to gag in disgust. "...Thanks for the offer. Oh, by the way, has Setsuna come back, Monoma?"
"She's in your room."
Yui hummed at that, elbowing me with a knowing look on her face.
"Tokage, huh?"
"S-shut up! She's a friend!"
Yui rolled her eyes at me.
"Yeah, yeah. Friend. Whatever floats your boat, you love-sick idiot."
"Hey! There is only one woman I love!"
Monoma sighed at that.
"Sora. Jiro has a boyf-,"
"Megan Fox in the first Transformers movie!" I replied loudly. "That was every boy's first crush! I remember seeing her for the first time as clear as the water in the sea!"
"Sea water is dirty."
Grk.
I nodded at them in response as I twirled around and made my way up the stairs.
I may have lost this round, but I wouldn't lose the war!
Or perhaps, I had already lost.
It didn't take long for me to be standing outside my room while music was thundering loudly shaking the entire floor. I sighed as I tried the handle only for it to be locked. For fuck sake. I sighed to myself, knocking rapidly on my door as I awaited for Setsuna Tokage to open the door - Only for her to not only ignore my pleas but turn up the music she was listening to.
Indie Rock.
"Can you play something better at least?" I bellowed, resting my back against my door. "Something like 'The Strokes' or something. Or preferably rap if you can, American at that. I have some pride for Japanese rap but… yeah. I don't ask for much, Setsuna. Oh, and don't you dare touch my biscuits!"
I didn't get a response as the song was paused…
The feeling of falling backwards is unpleasant, and that has never once changed. I felt my door open before I could shift my weight, and the resulting outcome was my upper body flopping on the floor as I faced the ceiling of my room. Or what was supposed to be the ceiling of my room. Instead I was treated to an up-skirt shot of Setsuna Tokage's black knickers, something I never thought I'd ever see.
Interesting.
"I'm gone for a few days and you're already horny for me?" Setsuna teased, raising her left leg so that I'd have a greater view of her… behind. "Like what you see? I know I'm not your ex-girlfriend, but I'm sure if I wear a purple wig I'd look similar to her-,"
"Sorry, I ain't sticking it in crazy."
"You should be thankful for anyone allowing you to stick your one-inch wonder into anything," Setsuna replied, lightly stepping on my chest. "Your pointless rivalry with me out of the way, I'm glad you're not dead or in prison for murder. It'd be a shame for my cute little boy toy to be written out of my story so quickly after coming back. So, are you going to get up from your floor or are you going to continue to stare at my panties all day?"
"Black. You know what they say about girls who wear black knickers, right?"
"That they're going to be raw dogged all night? God I hope so," Tokage whispered as she helped me up from the floor. "Sadly, tonight isn't that night for me. Or any night. Unlike you and your lies, I don't need to sleep around to unsuccessfully make my ex jealous of me. But hey, if you want me to wear a mask and pretend to rob Jiro so you can heroically come in and save the day, I'll be a part of your play."
"This isn't a Year Three school crush!"
"It isn't? Huh. Well the girl you like is currently dating your best friend outside of me so-,"
I slammed my door shut.
"Can we not talk about my love life for once? I know it's a topic that brings you great amusement, and usually I'm down to parley back with you… Just not today, alright?" I asked her tiredly as I fell on my bed. I watched as Tokaged tucked her knees to her chest as she sat on my desk chair, twirling around to face me. "Did you do something to your ears?"
"I got another set of piercings."
Ah.
"So, I heard you had an eventful week without me," Tokage said, tilting her head to stare at me. "Gang war this and personal vendetta against a Yakuza boss that. It's like you enjoy stirring up trouble when I'm not here to help you out. Firstly, your little trip in Sendai goes sideways. And now this? Maybe you're a little trouble magnet."
"I wish that was the case. I just think I'm unlucky."
"How's Miwa?" Tokage asked me. "I messaged her, and she said that she was fine. But, considering she's your sister, what she and you idiots define as 'fine' and what normal people like me define as 'fine' usually have severe differences. It's almost comical how alike she is to you."
I shrugged my shoulders at that.
"Miwa looked up to me when we were kids. It's only natural she's taken some of my traits, such as downplaying how she feels. But this time she's not lying. Miwa was discharged earlier than me, and that says something," I told her. "If anything, it was Miwa that got the best outcome out of this. No school for a month, Mum and Dad are babying her plus everyone's now going to be buying her gifts? That bitch."
Tokage chuckled at that, throwing a pencil from my desk at me.
"And how are you?"
"I'm… Heh, why are you asking when you know what happened?"
"Because it's polite, and because I know you," Tokage replied. "Everyone thinks you're a horrible liar, and that's something you've even told yourself. I'd like to believe that I'm someone that can cut through your bullshit and generic 'Male Manipulator' starter skill set. It takes one manipulator to know another. What is it that your mind says is your fault this time?"
"..."
"Don't look at me like a gaping fish. I heard everyone gave you a proper talk about your actions, about trying to push everyone away again. You've been so good at accepting your responsibility and trying to make it up to the right people, but you've been afraid for so long of taking that actual step to do so," Tokage said. "I've observed you for a while, Sora Yamazaki. Whether you take the step that you've needed to take for a while or not isn't my concern. Do you blame yourself for not being able to take it?"
I nodded at her, refusing to meet Tokage's eyes.
What was my final 'step' should've been my first.
"...I can't help but blame myself for having carried my guilt along for so long. I could have helped so many people in that time-," I paused as Tokage kicked off the ground and stared directly at me. "I could have made things right sooner. But I was too wrapped up in my grief and self-hatred to have accepted the undeniable truth. What happened that day wasn't my fault alone. They aren't all my sins. And my sins were running away from my responsibility, not the deaths of everyone involved."
Tokage grinned at me.
"Then why don't you accept that being wrapped up in your own grief and hatred wasn't your fault either?" Tokage asked me gently. "Maybe I don't understand your grief. I don't know about real loss because I've only ever loved myself, not something or someone more than that. Unlike you, I'm a truly selfish person. You belong here, Sora… just not here. And I think you've known that for a while."
I slowly nodded at her.
"Yeah. The difficult part is mustering up the courage to…"
Tokage snorted at me however, resting her head on my lap.
"Someday, surely you'll look back in regret for not having the courage to do what you've needed to do sooner. For not waking up out of your grief and self-punishment to truly save yourself," Tokage told me. "Yukari saved you, and I think you were waiting all along for someone like Jiro or me to help change you. But only you can do that. People truly change because they want to, not because of others around them. I'm glad that you're alright, Sora. Truly. But we both know that your case isn't over yet."
I scoffed at her, flicking her nose in annoyance.
"You're such a bitch, you know that? But I know. There's still one last conclusion I need to make," I told her, smiling sadly. "One final judgement to be made before I can close this chapter fully. Do you think they'll accept the truth?"
Tokage simply rolled her eyes at me.
"Everyone's known for a while. At least here in Class B. So you don't need to explain it."
I nodded at her in response.
"And what about your little trip up to Kanazawa?"
"Well, it didn't end in me finding a cure for you," Tokage told me. "So that's a bit tragic. I was hoping that maybe I'd get some good intel, and I did. Just not the intel I was hoping for. See I went to track down one of my mother's old houses. I thought since she was a scientist and worked with your mother, she might have some miracle cure or something. It was wishful thinking on my behalf… but when I showed up to a ramen restaurant I was confused."
"Don't you hate ramen?"
"I detest it much like I detest you," Tokage bluntly replied. "Now the woman in charge of the restaurant was nice. She was around thirty. And she had a beautiful tattoo of the number six on her. I didn't stay for long, but she had some interesting things to talk about. Sora, I can't believe I found another reincarnate. She seemed happy too."
Huh?
I looked down at Tokage in disbelief.
The other reincarnate that Gyro had helped escape with.
She was still alive and in this country!
"Did you…"
"I told her I'd be coming down with you this weekend, I hope you don't have any plans because you will cancel them," Tokage cheerfully told me. "And she was really happy too. She has a husband and a small kid too. I'd have thought that All For One being the bastard he was would have removed our reproductive organs, but apparently not. Heh. Pack your bags since I've booked our train for two days, Boss. Don't think I won't tease you about that."
…
"Fucking whore-,"
"Mum, Dad. Miwa. Yo."
The reactions of my family as I walked through the door was amusing to say the least. Gekko spilt his beer all over the floor as he stared at me in surprise while Hinata stopped fussing over the oven to shoot a bright smile in my direction, heading over to give me a fierce hug. And Miwa? Her reaction was the funniest as she tripped over her own foot to run and tackle me to the ground.
"Sora!"
Haha. I laughed as tears welled up in Miwa's eyes, her sobs echoing throughout the living room as she rested her head against my chest crying harder with each passing second. It's not like I didn't understand why. The last time she saw me… I wasn't myself. I nearly made a mistake that would have likely cost me my life, and possible the life of someone else she cared about.
"I'm fine, Miwa," I told her, ruffling her hair as I smiled softly at the sight of my now wet shirt. "The doctors cleared me, I'm all good. And I did what you asked me to do. So you just rest-up and make sure that you get good grades at school, alright?"
"Yo-you! You're unbelievable! You lie and ma-manipulate everyone!" Miwa yelled at me angrily. "I heard what you did before I woke up. You told everyone to fuck off, that you weren't going to do anything when secretly you were planning on doing this alone. I-, I thought you were better than this. Just because my life was in danger-,"
"I'm sorry," I cut her off, bowing my head down as I stared at the wooden floor of our home. "There's nothing I can do or say to make things right. I know that. And I'm not apologising for my actions, I'm apologising for not being able to tell you straight up what I wanted to do. There was a part of me that did want to kill him. He's still alive, toiling away as his injuries heal."
As Miwa pulled away from me, it was Gekko and Hinata who embraced me next.
"You're a reckless idiot," Hinata berated me, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You kept us in the dark, again. Although, I think I understand why. None of this was your fault, Sora. We will never blame you for this. For Miwa getting injured… We will never blame you for anything, so don't ever think that this was your fault."
"I know."
"Son. It's not your fault," Gekko said, his eyes watering as he looked at me sadly. "I know you've been through a rough past few days, but I don't want you to blame yourself. To think that this is your fault."
"I know, Dad. It's not my fault."
And I truly believed it for once.
There was nothing I could have done more to save Ryutaro, to have prevented Miwa from getting hurt. Ultimately, I couldn't control everything - Blaming myself for things I never had any power over was just punishing myself for no reason.
No.
It was punishing myself because I wanted to.
Because I thought I needed to.
"I'm done punishing myself," I told my family. "Sorry to have put you through all of this, but I swear it's over. I'm done now, I promise. Hehe. Now, we have a few people coming over-,"
"We do?!"
"It's just Aizawa and Nejire. I invited Tokage since I'm going on a trip with her soon. Oh, Yuuya too."
"Yuuya?"
"Ryutaros apprentice," I answered. "It's just a nice family dinner. Even if none of us are related, who cares. Family isn't just blood ties, I think we all prove that."
Hinata laughed as Gekko ruffled my hair.
"You're a great kid, you know that?"
"Geroff," I slapped Gekko's hand away in annoyance. "Don't touch my hair, damnit! And yeah, at least one of your kids has to be great to make up for Miwa."
"Hey!"
"Sorry, I'm not the one reading Yaoi on the train."
Miwa and I's laughter continued, even after Gekko and Hinata started to prepare dinner for us. Perhaps it was me, or perhaps Miwa had finally let go. But as she laughed, I could have sworn I saw a tear slide down her face.
And that was a sobering moment for me.
I was the one who had reached clarity in this crisis, the only one who learnt something - The only one who was able to move on. Because Miwa hadn't learnt anything. She was the one who wanted to search out for Ryuukei in the first place, the one who wanted to learn the truth from him about why he left. Despite everything that had happened, Miwa was the one alone.
…
"It's not your fault," I reached out to her. "That look on your face… You blame yourself, don't you? For not being able to find out the truth about why he left you. I…"
Miwa blinked at me in surprise before quickly smiling sadly at me.
"You're far more perceptive than you ever let on. Or maybe you've matured a bit? Perhaps it's both," Miwa told me, or maybe she was telling herself that as she nodded at me. "But you're right. In my mind I can't help but blame myself. I know I shouldn't, but maybe if I wasn't so desperate-,"
"You're an idiot."
"Huh?"
"Miwa, you weren't desperate. I know others may call you stupid, but I understand," I told her truthfully. "I understand what it feels like to not know something about why your biological parents aren't in your life. The anxiousness of maybe being the reason for it. All it does is feed into our own views of ourselves. I know that all too well. It's because of that why I thought I was a monster, why I thought I needed to be punished for my sins. It's funny how this all started because I just wanted the truth."
"So you think it's better for me to not find out the truth?"
I shook my head at her.
"Rushing to find out the truth won't help you in the long run. I get that now. I don't know if Ryuukei will ever talk to you, the same way I didn't know if Yukari would have ever reached out to me," I said. "But when she did reach out, I understood her. I was never a monster or a curse to her, I was simply her son that she didn't know how to raise. A son she was forced to carry, but I was her son nonetheless - And she sacrificed her life for mine. That's the truth."
Miwa was left in deep thought as I got up from the couch and walked over to the door.
Whatever happened between them here on out wasn't something I wanted to pry into.
I kept my promise to you…
Chiemi.
Now I leave the rest to your husband and daughter.
Miwa Hayate POV
Life quickly resumed for Miwa.
And why wouldn't it?
The villains had been locked up and the Heroes won. Their city was already beginning to heal, and the scars over the surface were beginning to fade. There was nothing else to say other than a job well done to those involved, and Miwa knew that. It was why instead of taking time off school, she got dressed and ready the next day Sora was discharged from hospital.
Life went on.
And so did Miwa Hayate, after all she had an entire life to live out. She was studying to be a doctor one day, a childish dream that stemmed from her desire to help her brother when he got injured. But that dream was quickly shattered. It was funny, both her and Sora went down on their paths for others but decided to stay on them because they enjoyed them, because they couldn't imagine their lives as anything different.
Sora helping others, and Miwa supporting them.
In a sense, it made them true siblings.
That much was made clear to her as she took the train to school, like she always did. Gekko and Hinata were worried about her going back so soon, but she was fine. She couldn't mope around all day. Life went on, and so should she. Even if she didn't get what she wanted, it truly didn't-,
It didn't-,
Matter.
Yet, as Miwa stepped off her train and went up the stairs, walking past the open barriers to get out of the train station - She blinked in surprise. Standing right outside the station in a beige suit, matching his orange hair was him. Miwa blinked twice, hoping that it was a dream, but Ryuukei Hayate stood right in front of her.
Her biological father.
"...You?"
Confusion clouded her mind as Ryuukei bowed down to her.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly!" Ryuukei said to her. "I was born and raised in this city, and for a long time I was simply an orphan who wanted to protect everyone I could. I longed for battle, because I was a hot-headed child with no patience. I have been called many names in the past. Musutafu no Ryu, Boss, and even a husband. It's thanks to one boy that I have the courage to stand here and declare this to you as I shed that past - But you may call me Ryuukei Hayate, the father of Miwa Hayate."
"...Huh?"
"Forgive me, but who may you be?" Ryuukei asked her. "We have the same colour hair, not to mention the same eyes too. Are you by any chance my daughter, Miwa Hayate?"
…
"Pfft, hahaha," Miwa couldn't hold it in as she burst out into laughter. "What the fuck. Why are you being so autistic? I know who you are, and you know who I am. What's the point in this?!"
Ryuukei simply blinked at her in response.
"Er, I thought it should be more formal."
"You just sound goofy. Like an old samurai writing a poem."
"Maybe I am an old samurai writing a poem."
"Nah, you're just an old fart who has a lot of questions he needs to answer," Miwa replied. "I assume you're here to answer them, right? And then you'll fuck off. You'll go back to Tokyo and be a Yakuza, ignoring me once again. I get it. You want to protect me-,"
"I won't. I told you, I've shed all those names."
Miwa's eyes narrowed at him.
"You still look like one."
"I'm just wearing a normal suit."
"Yeah, well forgive me for not knowing the difference. Not like you've been much in my life to know what you dress like," Miwa shot back. "If you're not going back, then why are you here? I have school soon. I don't want to be late-,"
"I was wondering if you'd like to get some lunch."
"It's not even Nine."
"Well then, maybe some brunch? There's a good joint a few streets away from here," Ryuukei said. "School can wait. Or rather, you can always catch up on school. I'm not just going to be answering your questions. I…-,"
"I already ate," Miwa cut him off. "Just say what you have to say."
"...Your mother, Chiemi. I loved her. It may not seem like it, but she was the sun in my life, and I was just a fool orbiting her," Ryuukei told her. "When she died, everything was off. Your mother died because of me. Because I was a hotshot gangster, a few members from a rival gang targeted me, and they got Chiemi in the crossfire. So I killed them. But the emptiness didn't stop. Soon all I could be consumed with thoughts on why it was my fault, that you were going to be next."
"So you gave me up for my own protection?"
Ryuukei shook his head at that.
"I made a promise once. I was an orphan who had no idea what family was, but I knew that I didn't want anyone in my life to leave," Ryuukei explained. "So I made a promise to myself. That I would save and protect everyone in my life no matter what, it's what led me to join the Yakuza. A stupid goal. So when that promise was broken… it was my sin. And I could only punish myself, so I ran away stupidly thinking it would change everything. Thinking it was for the better."
Miwa felt her heart beat faster at that.
That was just like-,
So similar to-,
"For the first time in a long time, I had a real fight because of that brother of yours. A man-to-man fight. And I lost, which only makes me laugh for some reason. I've thrown away so much for the sake of my own promise, my own punishment, but in the end Sora was able to save everyone to keep his promise, even me," Ryuukei said. "But I didn't throw anything away, I was just running away. I was so scared of losing the last thing that was important to me that I isolated myself from you, I thought it would be better if I didn't exist in your life else you'd suffer for it. Else I'd be the cause of someone else dying, another sin I needed to be punished for. But eventually… I think that original promise to protect you rusted, and all that was left was my own self-hatred."
"So that's the reason why you left me," Miwa whispered. "Because you're an idiot. A selfish idiot who thinks he knows better. You know, for so long I just wanted to even get a card from you. To know that you were alive. For so long I thought you left me because I was the problem, because I was such a shit daughter. I thought that Mum - Chiemi that is - died because I was responsible. I thought that you hated me."
"...I only ever hated this city," Ryuukei answered. "The city that tore everything I ever cared about despite me sacrificing everything for this city and everyone in it. It was bitter irony that led to me abandoning you. Because I had no one left - Gekko and Hinata had their own lives, I didn't want them to suffer too. So I left. I ran away. I thought of myself as a samurai, but my heart was weak. I went from protecting everyone to protecting my own self-hatred."
"So what happened?"
"Isn't it obvious? Sora broke that self-hatred. He grabbed it with his hands and slashed it apart with his sword, then broke it into tiny little pieces. He proved to me that it's not impossible to keep on protecting. After fifteen years of running away, I can finally stop running around in circles because of that boy," Ryuukei told Miwa. "Everyone has done a lot for me. Hinata, Gekko, even this city. The same city I grew to hate for chaining me down and taking everything I ever cared about went on to protect you and prove me wrong. I'm sorry that I couldn't make you happy, Miwa."
Tears flooded her eyes as Miwa broke down in tears.
She sobbed loudly as she fell to the floor, hugging herself.
The truth.
Miwa had been searching for an answer, a reason, her entire life - A reason why she was alone. Not even Gekko, Hinata or Sora could cure that loneliness. The absence that Ryuukei had left in her life was never filled, ultimately all she ever wanted to know was why. To know if it was her fault, if she was the cause as to why she was abandoned.
But she wasn't.
And that was the truth she had been hoping for all along.
"Dad, both you and Sora never change," Miwa eventually whispered, wiping her tears away. "You're both a couple of selfish idiots. Only Sora accepted that he had people around him to help him, that the same way people needed him he needed those people in his life to help him, both being carried and carrying aren't an easy balance. It was something Sora was able to find after messing up so many times because he reached rock bottom. But, he always got up. And he always had those around him to smile and laugh with him all the way through that period."
Ryuukei smirked at that.
"I know. I've seen first hand how strong that boy truly is, why this entire city rallied alongside him - It's because of his heart," Ryuukei replied. "A true samurai heart. A man who's able to live his life at his own rhythm, a man who stays true to himself. Even if he stumbles like you said, the fact is that he bounced back. And I didn't. I couldn't. I was too afraid of losing you, but Sora was afraid of losing himself. That's why he won. I never even realised that after all this time, I had lost myself. That's why I'm here, Miwa. To change."
"Hu-huh?" Miwa asked between sobs. "What do you mean?"
Her eyes widened as Ryuukei stepped forward and hugged her, it was something she had been dreaming about since she was a child. His comforting arms as he patted her back reassuringly, just like a father would.
"I'm here, Miwa. And I will always be here from now on."
And that was all Miwa Hayate had ever wanted.
"Aren't you supposed to be at homeroom right now?" Mei asked me, twirling around on her chair to give me a pointed look. "If you're bunking to discuss our babies, I'll be sorta' annoyed at you."
"You're bunking homeroom too!"
"Oh. Yeah."
I laughed at Mei's forgetfulness, tossing the dragon guard from Chiemi's sword at her. It was all that remained from the sword, and as Mei caught it she looked down to study it in confusion and fascination.
"What's this?"
"A memento from a sword that fulfilled its function," I answered. "The guard - Is there any way you can implement it into our baby? I know it's still a while away from being made, you still haven't even finished the design for it but-,"
"A dragon. Heh. You know, you're quite like a dragon, Sora."
"Eh? What are you waffling about?!"
"I mean, you may not breathe fire or anything. But you give off the same vibe as a dragon, you know what I mean?" Mei asked with a grin on my face. "Whatever, the point is you're cool like a dragon. If you were an animal, I bet you'd be a dragon. Were you by any chance born in the year of the dragon?"
"We're born in the same year…"
"Oh. Right."
I rolled my eyes at Mei.
"Can you or can you not implement the guard?"
"Yeah, it's interesting. Although I'll have to melt it down and make it from scratch, this is a guard for a katana - Not our baby," Mei answered. "Is that a problem? Well, you already know that, so I don't think it should be a problem for you. But I've been told to stop assuming things, so."
"It's fine," I replied, laughing at her antics. "Alright, I'll go to homeroom now. See ya' later?"
"So long as you don't blow yourself up, sure."
I waved goodbye to Mei, heading over to Class B's homeroom. Even though I was a little late, it's not like I listened to Vlad King's rant over late students. I went to the back, grabbing my bag that Tokage had placed on my desk. Monoma shot me a strange look as I put on my bag and didn't sit down at my desk.
"Going somewhere?" Monoma asked me.
"I have an overdue appointment," I answered. "I'm sort of nervous, but it is what it is. Wish me luck, won't you?"
"I swear you're going to visit Recovery Girl, aren't you?"
"Sorta. See you soon."
As I turned around to head out of the class, it was Tokage who stopped me. She had a sly smile on her face as she looked up and down, analysing me. She had changed her hair colour to a dark red now, something that oddly suited her.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Tokage asked me. "I'd hate it if your 'appointment' led to some bad news. You know, I sort of enjoyed having you in here. Even if it was just more of the same."
"I'm not going anywhere."
Tokage rolled her eyes at that.
"Right. And I'm the Queen of Atlantis."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Just go, Sora," Tokage replied, bushing past me to sit back down in her seat. "I think we both know the truth about this class. You looked decent next to us, but ultimately we're just second rate. It's why we are Class B."
"...This is my home."
"Homes can change," Tokage replied. "And this isn't your original home. But I doubt I can convince you to go, so just know this seat is reserved for you. And when you come back from your appointment, I'll be taking some of your sweets. Call it the Setsuna-Tax. Well, taking more sweets than I already have."
"You fucking-,"
"Ahem," Vlad King's stern cough interrupted me as he opened the door. "I trust you know where to go, Yamazaki. I'm only making an exception for you this once, considering Recovery Girl has told me about your… health issues. I expect you to be back before the start of your first lesson, nevermind the fact that you're already late. If not, I'll see you in detention after school for bunking yet again."
"Yeah, yeah. Got it. I'll be back in a giffy."
As I left Class B, the door slammed shut.
And I turned away from the class, or even the direction of the infirmary, and walked the other way. I did have an appointment. But not with Recovery Girl. I walked a familiar path across the corridor and took a left, walking past the empty rooms for music and drama as my memories slowly returned to me, memories spent with Kaminari and Jiro walking down this corridor.
Memories of Class A.
I sucked in my breath nervously as I stopped hesitantly, staring at the massive door in front of me. Even now, I looked so tiny compared to the door into Class A. That hadn't changed, even after all this time, which was ironic in a sense. I exhaled loudly, building up the courage inside me as I tapped my knuckles against the door into that class, despite the fact that it was homeroom for them.
My only response was silence.
That was until the awkward voice of Aizawa called out to me.
"Come in."
I took in a heavy breath, swallowing my pride and fear as I opened the door and stepped in. The class hadn't changed at all. Not that I expected it to, but the seating plan was exactly how I remembered it, something that made me smile slightly as the confused looks of Class A and Aizawa stared me down. Yet, I kept on walking forward right next to Aizawa's desk, who turned around in his chair to send me a pointed look.
"Did Vlad King send you here? Is something happening? Wait, don't tell me he kicked you out," Aizawa muttered to himself, sighing as he slowly sipped his black coffee in a mug I had bought him for Christmas. I shook my head at him, taking in the early March sunlight. It didn't feel like it was still March. "...Sora, did something happen? If you want to speak to me, I'm sort of busy right now-,"
"Well, it's not that I want to speak to you. Well I do, it's just," I trailed off, pausing to think of what to say next. Shit, maybe I should have planned what I wanted to say?! "I sort of want to speak to everyone in this class, I guess. No, I guess. Uh. Yeah. Can you give me a few minutes?"
Aizawa blinked owlishly at me, shrugging his shoulders at me.
I sighed in relief, turning to face the rest of the Class.
Class A.
Each and every one of them was staring at me in confusion as I sighed heavily, forcing myself to clear my throat as I met their eyes. C'mon, Sora. You can do this. I slightly dropped my bag on the floor as I paired my feet together and bowed.
"I'm sorry."
Their stunned silence spoke volumes as I straightened up.
"I'm sorry for everything I've done to you all. The lies, the hurt, the isolation, I'm truly sorry for all of it," I apologised to them. "I was wrong. I was under the impression that I didn't deserve to be loved after what I had 'done', but that was never my call to make. And that happened even back in first year, I was convinced I was a monster and hurt you all for it. So I'm sorry. I'm sorry that my pride and ego got in the way of my promise to you all - That I'd be your friend and protect you, but in the end I was just protecting my own self-hatred. I ruined our friendship, and that's a regret I will have to live with for the rest of my life."
My mouth felt dry as certain eyes widened in the class.
As some people smiled at me.
"I know I can never take back what I've done, so I've resolved myself to make things right between us, no matter what," I added. "I know it's hard, but I can't start doing that until I've apologised. Until I've made it clear that you guys were in the right. I should have trusted you, leaned on you the same way you leaned on me. But I was a stupid idiot who didn't know any better, and all you're hearing probably sounds like an overdue half-assed apology, so I'm just going to go now-,"
I paused, staring heavily at the ground.
Pause, Sora.
Let your heart speak.
"...I really am sorry. And it's hard for me to admit it, that I abandoned you guys and stood against what we had been fighting for together for so long. That I tried to make you guys hate me in a half-cocked plan I thought would make you better than me, that it was to protect you because I was so weak and felt powerless, that it was my own self-hatred unable to accept love, it was for so many reasons that I can't even begin to explain," I whispered. "And all of them are wrong. I was wrong. I admit it. I was just a sore loser who lost and could only view himself as the monster who ruined everything he ever loved, so I needed to be punished."
Grabbing my bag, I slowly raised my head to meet their eyes.
"But I don't need to be punished by myself anymore. That punishment is living with the fact that I can never be close to you guys again, because I broke that trust and it can never be earned back fully," I explained. "And I'm okay with that. I will still try to make things better. Not to make me feel good, but for you all. Because I hurt you. And I kept on hurting you. So I'm sorry for taking so long to build up the courage to do this… I'll go now. Back to, uh, Class B."
No one said anything as I slowly walked toward the door, my heart thumping as my hands clasped the handle. But the scrape of a chair alerted me to the fact that someone had gotten out of their chair, and as I turned around, I was surprised to see Hitoshi Shinso staring at me with a smile on his face.
"Ha, that was a good speech," Shinso told me, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "But it doesn't really apply to me. I mean, you never actually hurt me. Outside of our little fight during our first Sports Festival. You remember that?"
I scoffed at him.
"Remember it? You bastard, you hated us in the Hero course so much because we had 'better Quirks' and were 'lucky' that I had to beat that mentality out of you," I replied. "I'm glad to see you earnt your position here. It suits you, Shinso."
Shinso grinned at that.
"That's exactly my point. I didn't earn it."
Huh?
My hand slipped off the door handle in surprise as he said that, and everyone's heads in the room snapped to Shinso as he shrugged his shoulders at me. I tried to think back to our fight, a purely physical exchange with no Quirks involved but my mind went blank as I couldn't understand what he was trying to say.
"You taught me a lesson during our fight," Shinso explained to me. "You didn't use your Quirk because you had figured out mine and I was too stubborn to use it. You beat me using your own physical skills and sharp mind. We were on equal terms, yet you still beat me. Because you had put in the effort and I hadn't. I thought that you needed a lucky Quirk to be a Hero, but I was wrong. You helped to teach me that."
"Oh, yeah. You're a far cry from that asshole back then, aren't ya'?"
Shinso laughed at that.
"I have changed. Because I learned to try my hardest that day, all because you promised me one thing after I lost to you," Shinso threw his bag over his shoulder. "You said that I could challenge you for your spot in Class A at any time. To prove to you that I've grown. And if I beat you, your position in this class would be willingly given up. I still haven't challenged you for your spot here, but I took it anyway because you left. So I'm giving it back to you, Sora."
…!
My eyes widened as he said that.
"Sh-Shinso, I can't-, you-,"
"You promised me a fight for your place here, Sora," Shinso cut me off with a grin. "And I'm going to honour that deal. The same lesson you taught me is one you should preach yourself. I gave up on applying to the Hero track because I thought I'd fail and no one would give me a chance because of my Quirk - And right now I'm giving you the chance that you think you won't ever get. To come back to this class, your home. I can take your place in Class B without a problem."
"But-,"
"Sora!" I looked over Shinso's shoulder to see Kaminari stand up from his desk. An empty desk sat next to him on his right, squished in between him and Mineta. It was my old… "Get your arse over here, you bastard. And don't you dare say no! I won't forgive you if you do!"
I-,
"C'mon, asshole! Stop keeping us waiting!" Bakugo yelled at me, pretending to be annoyed but he couldn't even wipe the smirk off his face. "We have a fucking class to get started! Don't make me force you to sit your arse on your desk!"
"As your Class President, you really are halting important learning time," Yaoyorozu smiled at me warmly. "Come on. Just sit down already so our lessons can begin. You don't have to be a hardass about it."
Shinso patted my shoulder assuringly.
"Go home, Sora."
I hesitantly stepped forward.
"Stop stalling," Jiro's voice captured my attention as she twirled her pen around her fingers, a massive grin on her face. "We all know what you want, so stop being a bitch and get your arse sat down already."
…
"Sora," Aizawa's gruff voice had a tint of amusement in it. "It's your decision. Either way, I think it'd be nice to have you back in my class."
I closed my eyes, deep in thought.
My decision…
…
…
Decisions.
A conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.
I'd spent a lot of my life reeling from bad decisions, facing the consequences of them. But I also spent a large majority of my life surrounded by people who cared about me because of them, and it was scary. That in a sense, I controlled the balance of that. That just as easily as it was to make strong bonds, I had the power to cut them off as well.
That was power over everyone around me.
Power we all had.
But I was foolish enough to try and use it once.
Yet, despite the pain and hurt I caused - I'm still welcomed. Even those not over the pain and hurt still desperately wanted me to make a single decision that I knew I should have made ages ago, one that required me to be brave. And I was not brave.
I've never been brave.
My true nature was one of a nervous fool, but one who was so stupid he acted brave.
It was why I was in my head so much.
Yet, I sighed heavily, opening my eyes to look at them all.
"Shinso, you can fight me whenever you want," I whispered calmly. "I'll take you on whenever and wherever you want, even if we know I'll kick your arse. Get used to Class B. Tokage will surely bully you, and I can only imagine that you and Monoma are going to get along like two peas in a pod as you talk shit about me while he praises me like I'm God or something."
Shinso snorted at that, opening the door to leave the class.
No one said anything as the door slammed.
"Ahem," Aizawa cleared his throat. "Anything you want to say, Sora?"
There were many things I wanted to say.
A mixture of emotions I couldn't really begin to explain.
But the words came to me naturally.
"I'm home."
NOTE: I'm gonna go on a hiatus for a month or so! Nothing serious just for exams and I need a break every now and then! As much as I love writing, it does get exhausting! But do not fret! A month is all I need!
This was always going to happen.
How could it not? It took twenty-four chapters, but Sora is finally back in Class A. Cliche? Yeah, I'll admit it. But how could I not write this? It's a perfect bookend for Sora's character arc from Part 1 and even some of Part 2, something his character has been building toward for a while now.
There's no way he can change without coming back to the place that changed him.
His true home.
And yes, Shinso's memory is right. Check Chapter 21, it's been there the entire time. I hope some of you remembered this call back because I thought it was a sweet little full circle arc for Shinso, someone who was taught by Sora allowing Sora to learn his own little lesson.
Which is sorta funny that I've always written Sora to be someone who taught others lessons, and that's his sorta current character arc that hasn't been resolved yet. Obviously Class A and him aren't going to be best pals, well not all of them.
I've made that clear.
But I've also made it clear that not everyone wants him gone, that many also want him back. And that's what is important. It would have been easy for Sora to use that as an excuse to 'run away' again, but he didn't - This time he ignored that and did what was hard.
Because Sora's always chosen the harder path in this story, and he always will.
In some aspects, Sora needs to change and in others he doesn't - That's the beauty of being a human and growing up. So this Arc has come to a conclusion, as has the first Act 1 of Part 2 which is a mouthful to say.
The next Act is going to be more action-packed and will delve a lot deeper into the things I've set up. These next three arcs are really going to be fun and easy to write because I've done a lot of the heavy lifting here.
So, I hope you enjoyed Chapter 69 (lol) and I'll see you soon!
AND YES KENDRICK THE GOATS DROPPED! THE PROPHECY HAS BEEN FULFILLED AND DRIZZY DRAKE HAS BEEN COOKED AS FORTOLD!
Hall hail Lord Kendrick! D1 Rider mode commence!