Okay, so I meant to write one chapter, and I ended up writing the equivalent of three chapters in one chapter. So…you get two chapters! One right now and the other later today after I am done working!
Trial of Aldera Junior High Principal - Day Three. Two Days after the arrest of the Aldera Junior High Principal.
Nemuri's lawyer walked to the stand where Izuku Midoriya was sitting, fidgeting about in his clean green tuxedo and poorly tied red tie. His hair had evidence of being tailored too to give him a faux hawk haircut, but splinters of rebel strands came free to give the poor boy a less than stellar presentable look.
Midoriya examined the lawyer standing in front of him. Although this was Nemuri's personal lawyer who only wanted the best for Midoriya, Midoriya saw him as his greatest enemy to date.
Midoriya gulped and felt the pressure of the lawyer's aura weighing him down. Where Midoriya could feel his body flinching unwillingly, the lawyer stood tall with his back upright and his arms at his side, ready to present. He wore a navy blue blazer jacket with pants to match. Underneath the blazer was a light cyan suit, a red tie, and sleek back black hair with spikes at the end.
This was the one person between himself and the 'truth', and Midoriya was ready to do whatever it takes to protect reality.
"Mr. Midoriya," the lawyer spoke, his voice calm and composed, but with an air of authority and righteousness that he gained over the years of his career. "You began your attendance at Alder Junior High when you were 12 years of age. Correct?"
"Y-yes, sir!" Midoriya's voice squeaked with intimidation. Midoriya's nerves were beating him already, and his focus moved from the lawyer to the audience in attendance. The jury sat, watching the cross-examination unfold; the lawyer's assistant sat at their table with her unique spirit medium kimono outfit. Her outfit is purple and white with a magenta obi and a magatama bead on her neck.
"And through your time at Alder Junior High, one of your classmates was Katsuki Bakugo, an individual you claim to have known since early childhood and have attended previous schools with, correct?" The lawyer could see Midoriya's head was not in this. His focus was everywhere, and the lawyer wished he could convince Midoriya that everything was going to be okay, but Midoriya wouldn't hear it from anyone before the trial had even begun two days ago.
Midoriya's attention refocused on the lawyer momentarily. Midoriya barely registered the words being spoken to him and only heard if he knew Kacchan. "Yes, sir!" Midoriya quickly sputtered out with his locking on to Laura, whom he just found in the audience next to Eri, Nemuri, and his mom.
All four women could see Midoriya's quiet cries for help, but each knew they couldn't do anything. Nemuri eyed Laura carefully as the older sister was shivering in her seat, as if she was getting ready to attack. Eri, meanwhile, sought comfort by hugging Laura tightly and refusing to let go. Seeing her hero being tested like this with no means of help made Eri feel helpless. Inko glanced away, refusing to look at the pained expression her son was giving to her. It was too much to bear for her, but Inko knew it had to be done.
The lawyer went back to his desk and grabbed a file that held many of the reports of Bakugo's actions against Midoriya. "And during your time with Bakugo, Katsuki Bakugo physically and verbally assaulted you multiple times." Facing Midoriya, the lawyer opened the file and glanced down at the summary of the list. "Midoriya, the reported incidents are endless and we can classify them as criminal behavior."
"They're overblown!" Midoriya shouted with his hands gripping the edges of the desk, "I was just helping Kacchan practice with his quirk, and sometimes I would get hurt!"
"You know the use of quirks outside of legal areas or without a license is illegal, right?" The lawyer countered before walking to the judge and handing him the folder to look through. "In elementary school, they teach you about the law and remind you of it in history class in seventh grade."
Midoriya took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair. "Yes, I am aware, but-"
"Midoriya, that violates the law, something you repeatedly did with Bakugo," The lawyer closed his eyes and lowered his head with a shake, "You and Bakugo should know better. Good reasons or not, you should know better." The lawyer looked at Midoriya once more. "From what I read in medical reports, you suffered permanent damage to your right cheek because of the initial incident that caused this case."
Midoriya grimaced and lowered his head to the right while unconsciously touching his right cheek.
The lawyer knew he had to redirect the questions. Midoriya's defensive response only made him look less credible despite how damaging it made Bakugo look, which aids the case in his favor.
"Lets stay on that subject," The lawyer looked around the room to gather everyone's attention, "On that fateful day in question, Katsuki Bakugo and Laura Kayama got into a fight with Izuku Midoriya and several other students watching. The altercation turned life-threatening when quirks were involved that caused, as mentioned, Izuku Midoriya to develop a scar on his right cheek and property damage. Security resolved the situation and then took Midoriya to a nearby hospital. They also brought in both Kayama and Bakugo for questioning. The parents of each student were called in and informed of the situation."
The lawyer went to his desk again and grabbed another file containing the report of that specific day, "It reads here that Bakugo got off freely while he instigated the fight by blind siding Kayama, who was defending herself, leading to Kayama's two-week suspension. On top of that, her mother, Nemuri Kayama, had to pay ¥7,310,250.39 ($50,000) for property damages. Mind you, this is fraudulent. The actual cost to fix the damage was realistically ¥1,462,050.08 ($10,000)." The lawyer looked to the jury, "So I ask you, the jury, if Bakugo started the fight, why did the victim end up suffering to pay for the damages and having the child suspended?"
"Objection!" The lawyer for the principal jumped from his seat. "Kayama was the one who damaged the property, not Bakugo!"
"Not all of it," Nemuri's lawyer smirked and motioned to a nearby staffer to use his projection quirk to showcase his evidence. The evidence shown on a projector screen showed the pillar in question that had the two cuts from Kayama's claws. "As you can see, Kayama did damage the pillar. That is a fact. But what if I told you someone manipulated this image using Photoshop?"
"What?!" The rival lawyer gawked as the principal, who was sitting next to him, buckled in his seat with sweat rolling down his forehead.
The lawyer continued as the staffer changed the evidence to a video. "After reviewing the original video that I got from security, I noticed that something was off about the pillar." The video showed Bakugo backing into the pillar before Kayama jumped at him and swiped at him, leaving the pillar cut with debris falling off. By using his quirk, Bakugo quickly avoided the attack. "Kayama tries to attack Bakugo and fails, but watch closely." The video resets and zooms into the pillar. In slow motion, the video shows the pillar being blasted first By Bakugo and then cut by Kayama, causing pieces to fall off. The video pauses a few seconds later when the smokescreen of Bakugo's quirk disappears.
"Remember the original photo?" The staffer switches the evidence back to the pillar. "Notice how it is missing something?" The lawyer's smirk grows as they display both pillars side by side. On the left is the 'real photo' while on the right is the video. The left reveals debris on the floor with the claw marks; however, the video shows the same but with clear burn marks on the pillar!
The audience gasps in shock; Nemuri especially! Was she tricked?!
Izuku watched on in shock too. How did the principal edit that photo so quickly?! And why did he keep the original, unedited video?!
"The principal falsely claimed to Nemuri Kayama that Laura Kayama was the only one responsible for the damage, despite Katsuki Bakugo also damaging the property facing no consequences." The lawyer exclaimed mightily.
"Objection!" the rival lawyer pleaded.
"Objection overruled!" The judge barked and let Nemuri's lawyer continue.
The lawyer snapped his fingers as the staffer played the original video of the situation from the beginning. "This is before the fight happened! Midoriya and Kayama were walking together with lunches in hand before Bakugo suddenly attacks Kayama and Bakugo's acquaintances subdue Midoriya! Bakugo didn't hesitate to use his quirk on Kayama as she was struggling to fight back while being beaten up!" The video continues to play with everyone, looking on in horror at how brutally Bakugo was thrashing Kayama while she tried to fight back.
The audience was relieved to see her regenerate the damage, but it was still haunting to see her being attacked so viciously.
Nemuri, seeing the fight for the first time herself, instinctively wrapped an arm around Laura and held her. Laura looked up to her and before she could speak, Nemuri, still feeling regret, quickly said, "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. It will never happen again." Laura acknowledged Nemuri's apology and went back to paying attention to the lawyer. Admittingly, Laura was kind of liking the guy even if he put Midoriya on the spot.
The video showed Bakugo beating up Laura more before Izuku tried to interfere, only to be met with Bakugo's wrath. The video stopped just as Laura unsheathed her claws and was running towards Bakugo.
The lawyer glanced at Midoriya, "Midoriya, earlier you told me you endured Bakugo's quirk because you were helping him: 'train.'" Midoriya knew what was going on and waited for the lawyer to ask his question. "Are you sure you were helping him train, or was that a coverup for what was really happening?"
Midoriya gritted his teeth and looked at the desk. He was thinking fast of what to say that could still help everyone get out unscathed! "I-I…" Midoriya's eyes darted upwards to face the lawyer, "This is a situation entirely different from what Bakugo and I were doing! I'll admit what Bakugo did was horrible, but that is not what occurs between us! This was between Kayama and Bakugo, but has no relation to what Bakugo and I do on the side!"
Laura's eyes widened in shock and felt like she suffered a gut punch. What was Midoriya doing?! Why was he continuing to defend Bakugo even after all this time?! The entire world saw her being victimized and Midoriya refused to fully condemn Bakugo's actions?! Midoriya's words shocked Eri too, and she felt hurt by his refusal to defend Laura.
Inko lowered her head. She couldn't bear to look at the Kayama's and slightly scooted away from them.
The lawyer sighed and shook his head. "Midoriya, I am going to ask again, but in simpler terms. Are you positive that Katsuki Bakugo doesn't assault you with his quirk, or do you truly stand by your words that you help Bakugo train his quirk and that everything that happened to you is voluntary?"
Midoriya peeked up and came into eye contact with Laura. The two locked eyes and Midoriya read her emotions. Laura was in pain; she looked hurt and betrayed. Midoriya's attempts at defending Bakugo's actions were hurting her. Midoriya's eyes looked to Eri and felt his heart drop. Eri couldn't even look at him. Eri idolized Midoriya and called him her hero, but her 'hero' was excusing her older sister's tormenter and not helping the single most important individual in her life. Nemuri was so busy trying to comfort the two that she didn't see Midoriya glancing at her, but Izuku knew she was equally distraught as them.
What broke Midoriya was the reaction of his mom. His mother wouldn't even look at him. She hung her head as if she was ashamed of him.
Midoriya could feel the water welling up in the corner of his eyes. Midoriya didn't want to hurt the people he cherished the most, but how could he protect them without protecting Kacchan? Kacchan was his lost friend; none of this is his fault! They don't understand!
Kacchan…he's different!
He's the strongest person Izuku's ever known! Kacchan never loses, and he has stood up for Izuku before as well as for others!
When those two middle schoolers tried to pick on them when they were in the 3rd grade, Kacchan defeated them single-handedly for being bullies and trying to hurt them with their quirks!
Kacchan is fearless. He fears nothing, and he guided him and their original friend group through many adventures that everyone considered scary, but he didn't feel afraid, and that's why they followed him!
Kacchan is strong! He has a significant chance at becoming a pro hero! Kacchan is amazing! No one ever understands that Kacchan is lost because no one guides him. No one ever holds him accountable, and he thinks that gives him the right to do whatever he wants!
Why are they questioning Izuku?! Why not question the principal?! He's the one who let everything happen, not him! Why not Mitsuki and Masaru?! They can't be that blind to everything that is happening! Why not the other students?! Why not…why not…?!
"DAMN IT KACCHAN I WOULDN'T BE HERE IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!"
Two Days Ago - Two Hours after The Raid of Aldera Junior High
Tick…Tick…Tick…Tick…Tick…Tick…
Izuku and Inko sat in silence across from each other in the living room on opposing couches. The room remained frozen in time, with the clock on the wall being the only active sound in the apartment, ticking on as it did. Inko sat as still as a statue, unmoving and unnerved, leaning forward and looking down at her hands that were folded on her lap, not ready to meet her son.
Izuku sat opposite from his mother, shrinking and glancing small peeks at his mom. Izuku's heart raced and his body shivered from fear coursing through his veins like never.
Bakugo's wrath, Laura's anger, the slime villains hold. Nothing held a candle to the moment Izuku was in right now.
After the raid was over and Midnight promised to get justice for Izuku, Midnight escorted Izuku out of the school and took him to the police station for questioning. Midnight informed Inko they escorted Izuku to the police station, and despite Midnight's reluctance because of Inko's responsibilities towards Laura and Eri, Japanese law required the notification of parents when their child was escorted to a police station.
The police did not inquire about any of their discoveries about Izuku until Inko arrived with Laura and Eri. The mothers allowed for greetings and pleasantries between the kids before Midnight took the girls home.
Inko and Izuku settled into a room, and Izuku's worst nightmare slowly unfolded. Detective Tsukauchi asked Inko about Izuku's history at the school, his issues, the reports, everything. Nothing was off the table. Izuku wished he could disappear or that All Might would come and find some unexplainable excuse for him to be taken away, but that prayer would remain unanswered.
Izuku ignored everything when Katsuki was mentioned. Izuku was far gone into his own state of panic,that everything was noise and a blur. Nothing made sense to him, nor was it translatable. Everything he fought so hard to keep a secret until he was ready to talk about was being discussed. There were some confused yells and shrieks of anger, and although Izuku knew who was making those sounds, he couldn't comprehend them.
Izuku blanked out, and his mother's slamming of the front door after they entered the house brought him back to reality.
That brings them to the present. The moment of truth.
Tick…Tick…Tick…Tick…Tick…Tick…
BZZZZT...
BZZZZT...
BZZZZT...
Izuku glanced at his phone that was laying face first on the coffee table. It had to be Laura wanting to check on Izuku, but Izuku couldn't bring himself to move. Any movement and Izuku thought his mother would denote like a bomb. The phone fell silent and did not vibrate for a second time.
"Ten years…" Inko softly and dryly spoke, her words cutting through the air and Izuku's heart like butter. "Do you know how long that is, Izuku? Ten years. I could not recall everything that I remember within those ten years." Inko let out a dry, pained laugh and silently sulked. "Every birthday, every new year, every memory we made together. I could go on and on about what I remember, but…"
Izuku couldn't sink further into the chair, but if he could, he would have ensured the only thing he could see was the darkness that would overtake him.
Inko laid back into the chair, her arms resting on the sides and her hands gripping the edges, "These past few weeks have been some of the most challenging in my life, but this…this is the worst I have ever felt, right next to the day when your father left to work overseas and when you revealed to be quirkless."
Izuku felt the same. This was becoming equally painful as that fateful day when he was told he would never develop a quirk.
"And…" Inko's jaw clenched and her teeth grinded against each other. Inko's fingers dug into the couch and pierced the fabric with some of the stuffing being revealed.
Izuku shut his eyes and tensed up. He knew this was coming; Izuku knew one day he would be on the receiving end of the harshest lashing his mother would ever deal. Izuku wasn't ready for it, but he knew he deserved it. For ten years, Izuku lied to his mom about his life. Ten years of lies after lies piling on top of each other, with every lie becoming more creative and wild after the other to where reality was the lie, and life was about how long can this lie continue for before it fell apart or became history.
Izuku braced himself. It was ten years in the making and now it was time to pay his dues.
"I'm sorry."
Izuku peeled his left eye open and looked at his mother, who hadn't moved an inch. Did Izuku hear that right?
Inko slowly raised her head to look at her son. There were no tears, but her eyes showed signs of being broken. Her body slouched and her hands lost their grip.
"I let it get this far." Inko's voice lost the dryness and was replaced with a defeated tone of a shattered woman. "I knew. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I always knew something was off between you and Katsuki, but I couldn't bring myself to say it. When I first got that feeling you were lying, you were still coping with your quirk results, and I didn't want to set you back."
Inko's arms slid down the armrests and laid between the couch and her body. Inko didn't move them despite the uncomfortable feeling. "I made every excuse I could to myself to not talk to you about your compulsive lying, and I told myself one day I would talk to you. Days passed…then weeks, months, and soon one year. And when that year passed, I told myself I would put an end to it, but then I remembered how…how broken you looked." Inko's head drooped. "Izuku, you were in a state of depression for nearly half the year. You wouldn't do anything except eat, sleep, go to school, and watch the same All Might clip over and over and over. I did what I could to help you, and by some miracle you were happier one day and stayed that way…and I didn't want to ruin that."
Izuku was slowly uncurling and sitting in a slouched position, almost mirroring his mother's. This wasn't what Izuku was expecting, but this was hitting him worse. His mom knew. She always knew he was lying, but why his mother did nothing wasn't because she was unsure of herself, or as Izuku always 'believed',' that she was truly in the dark.
It was because his mother feared hurling him back into depression.
Inko covered her eyes with the palms of her hands and lurched forward, her hair covering her face. "I didn't want to see you experience depression again. That was the worst year of my life, and I couldn't imagine how hard it must've been for you, but I should have done something! I allowed Katsuki to bully you for ten years! Every bump, scrape, burn, broken bones and now a scar! And yet that wasn't the worst thing to happen to you?" Inko felt a bump in her throat and swallowed hard to push it down, "Being told to jump off a roof? I let someone tell you that? I had ten years to stop that, and should've done more! Should've moved you! I should've done anything instead of pitying myself and living in fear!"
Inko felt herself on the verge of collapsing. The decades' worth of emotions were swirling her head and causing her to feel faint. Inko's eyes lidded and her chest grew heavy, but before she could fall, Inko felt arms suddenly wrapped around her by the neck.
Izuku hugged his mom tighter than ever before.
"Don't blame yourself," Izuku mumbled, his voice carrying endless guilt, "I made those choices. I made the choice to lie and to continue to lie to you. This isn't your fault, mom. This is all my fault."
Inko slipped off the couch, but Izuku secured her safely onto the floor without breaking his hold. They kneeled on the floor holding each other in their arms.
"I wanted to tell you for years, but I was afraid of breaking your trust because I wasn't sure if you knew I was lying to you or not," Izuku admitted, feeling his chest growing heavy yet his shoulders feeling lighter, "I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't want us to grow apart because you're right, mom. Ten years is such a long time, and to admit that I was lying for ten years would be catastrophic. How would I even tell you? Where would I start?" Izuku's lip quivered. "How would we move on?"
Izuku and Inko kneeled silently. Izuku expected the worst scolding of his life, but what he encountered was the lowest feeling he had ever experienced. Even surpassing the 'worst day of his life.' There was no cursing, no yelling, no screaming, no crying, nothing.
It was two beaten individuals coming to terms with what they knew already, but refused to see. A portion of a decade of their lives was a lie. A destructive lie that didn't end in a fiery explosion, but flamed out like a dwindling flame, desperate to stay lit.
"I don't know," Inko spoke, her voice still in defeat, "But no matter what I will still, and forever, love you, Izuku. And that is enough for me to know we can rebuild this."
Izuku's eyes watered and he pressed his eyes against his mom's shoulders. "I love you too, mom." Izuku's voice cracked with him failing to keep himself together, "And I am so sorry I lied to you…"
Inko rubbed her cheek against Izuku's head and stroked his hair gently, "I know you are, and I'll forgive you but you have to promise me one thing."
"What?" Izuku asked, thinking it would be to never lie again or something similar.
Inko pulled her head back and placed her hands on Izuku's cheeks with a gentle grip. In order to truly begin the healing process, Inko knew Izuku must make one more confession.
"When it's time…you must admit what Katsuki did to you."
Midoriya's head dropped onto the table, with his hands clutching his head.
"Midoriya?" The lawyer called out to him to break Midoriya's thousand-yard stare.
The lawyer walked to Midoriya, growing increasingly concerned about his mental state. He worried that Midoriya may have been pushed too far and could suffer from a potential migraine. He was about to call for the medical staff when he heard a faint whisper.
"...No.."
The lawyer, eyes and ears now open, walked closer to Midoriya. "What was that, Midoriya?"
Midoriya struggled to breathe properly as he slowly raised his head up to face the crowd. Midoriya's face was red and scrunched with tears streaming down his cheeks and pelting the desk repeatedly. His hands loosened and fell onto the desk.
"When it's time…you must admit what Katsuki did to you."
"No…" Midoriya quietly mumbled, defeated, "Kacch…Katsuki…" Midoriya hiccuped and let out a soft yet echoing sob, "Katsuki assaults me with his quirk…"
The atmosphere shifted in the courtroom. Midnight's lawyer internally was ecstatic. This was the breakthrough he needed to not only get the crowd on his side, but to also further damage the reputation of the principal!
However, the lawyer also wanted to let Midoriya know everything was going to be okay, but he knew better than to say that. Simple words and optimistic promises would never fix the trauma Izuku Midoriya had to confront and admit to. It was a waste of time, especially coming from a stranger who pressured the truth out of him in front of his loved ones and more.
Laura, Eri, and Inko wanted to rush to the stand. With every fiber of their being they so desperately wanted too, and Eri was close to sprinting, but Nemuri held her arms out to block the trio from doing anything.
Nemuri was staying strong for all of them; her expression stoic. Nemuri could feel their pain and wished to do the same, but she knew she had to be the rock right now for them. Nemuri glanced at the trio and made it clear they had to wait and let the process continue, no matter how they felt. Nemuri moved her hands behind them and pulled them closer to her.
Nemuri felt a small head leaning on her side and looked down to see Eri resting her head on her. Nemuri thinly smiled and pulled her arm that was around Laura down to Eri's head. Nemuri gently stroked Eri's head as Eri reacted with a small whimper and sunk herself further into Nemuri.
As Nemuri was showing affection to Eri, Laura was side-eyeing Nemuri with her mouth closed and her jaw clenched tightly.
Inko appreciated Nemuri's efforts, but she felt empty inside. Her son finally admitted to something that they confronted together, but instead of handling it like a family, they forced Izuku to admit to it now. This was Inko's idea, but seeing it play out like this further eroded her. Inko never felt so low; so little of herself. No matter how much she tried, she could never bring herself to help her son the way she needed to. And now he is sobbing uncontrollably, alone, in front of everyone, and all Inko can do is sit down and watch.
The lawyer nodded his head. The confirmation of Midoriya being bullied by Bakugo seemed unrelated to the situation, but it was a huge step forward. This admittance shows that every single reported incident between Izuku and Bakugo was a bold face lie. Every student and staff member who reported the events was telling the truth, and they left Midoriya, possibly suffering from a mental disorder such as Stockholm Syndrome, to suffer. The principal should have protected Midoriya by urging a mental evaluation and imposing severe consequences on Bakugo for his actions.
Yet he never did because the one who deserved justice wasn't the 'chosen one.'
"No further questions, your honor," the lawyer said, asking for Midoriya to be dismissed. Midoriya served his purpose, and it was up to him to finish the job.
Just as the lawyer turned to walk back to his desk, Midoriya weakly spoke, "Wait…" The lawyer turned his head to Midoriya, "Please…" Midoriya sputtered, "You have to understand. Kacchan…Bakugo…he's a victim, too."
Laura and Inko lurched forward while Nemuri's jaw slacked. Is Midoriya still trying to salvage this situation?!
"Midoriya, you're the victim," the lawyer said with a sense of uneasiness, "Bakugo knew what he was doing. You don't have to defend him anymore."
"I know…" Midoriya lowered his head, "I know…I just didn't want to admit it, but I know Bakugo knew what he was doing this whole time, but please hear me out." Midoriya looked up to the judge, "Please, your honor."
The judge mulled over for a moment. With a sigh, the judge nodded, "Sustained. You may speak, Midoriya."
Midoriya smiled weakly for a moment before turning his attention back to the lawyer. "Bakugo is a victim of circumstances. I can't defend his actions anymore; I know that was the truth I was running from but Bakugo…he lives in his own world that was warped by others."
The lawyer placed his left hand on his hip. Where was Midoriya going with this?
Midoriya continued, "I can't speak for his parents, but I can speak on what I know regarding our school days both in elementary and junior high. Nobody punished Bakugo. No one ever said anything critical to him. Classmates were afraid, but the staff…they praised him. Every single person praised him, regardless of whether he earned it. Bakugo was never, as far as I know, punished or told any form of criticism regarding his actions. As you just proved, the principal had the actual damages of the pillar altered to make it seem like Bakugo had nothing to do with its deterioration. Is it so hard to believe that other adults did the same for him over the course of nearly eight years?"
The audience and the jury chattered amongst themselves. Although Bakugo's actions are not justifiable, Midoriya had a point. How could Bakugo learn from his mistakes if he was never told once that he was making a mistake from the people who held the authority to ensure that?
Nemuri's lawyer was stunned. He didn't expect Midoriya to defend Bakugo still, but he had to admit to himself that Midoriya was logical in his defense of Bakugo. Even after all that Bakugo did to Midoriya, Midoriya still believes that Bakugo was a casualty to the failure of the adults in his life.
"It's like a spoiled child…" Midoriya's posture changed. He shifted his posture, sitting upright with a more confident look in his eyes. "When a child is rewarded and not held accountable for their mistakes, how can we expect them to accept criticism when someone tells them they are wrong? Bakugo was being raised to believe that he could do no wrong, and that everything was everyone else's fault but his. So I was defending Bakugo. Not because I truly believed that he was innocent, because I know now that he isn't, but because he's a victim like me, just from a different perspective."
Midoriya turned his head to the principal and pointed at him. "And I blame him and every single adult at the school who never properly appraised Bakugo for his actions. Like me, they had a choice to admit that it was wrong. But unlike me, the principal couldn't admit to it, and instead he attempted to blackmail me. He'd rather let Bakugo do whatever he wanted, hoping he would bring fame and glory to him and his associates!"
Midoriya's words and actions surprised Laura, Eri, Nemuri, Inko. Gone was the denial in Midoriya, and in, was acceptance and a will to burn it down!
The principal wanted to suffocate Midoriya! This small, meek, pathetic, quirkless child was blaming him for Bakugo's abuse towards him?! How dare he!
The principal suddenly stood up and jumped over the desk as the crowd stood up. The nearby bailiffs rushed the principal as the two lawyers looked on in disbelief. Midnight's lawyer got in front of Midoriya, ready to protect him.
Laura, Inko, Eri, and Nemuri all stood up and were about to rush the stand when the assistant to Midnight's lawyer shouted.
"Spirit of the Fey Clan!" The assistant stood up and clasped her fingers together with a bright green aura surrounding her. The magatama bead glowed brightly in a green hue. The assistant pointed at the principal, "Chains of Binding Judgement!"
From beneath the principal, chains appeared and swarmed him, wrapping him a tight lock that stopped him from his attack. They tightly bound his hands together and his ankles. Red locked boxes appeared over his chest, hands, and legs.
The four women paused and were stunned to see the assistant's quirk quickly subdue the principal. The crowd clapped and shouted praise, with the four joining in, too. The assistant turned to the crowd and gleefully bowed and sat back down with her head held high.
The judge banged his gavel on the desk. "Order! Order in the court!" The judge demanded, and the court quickly fell silent. The judge looked down at the principal with a tough glare, "I will not have you disrespect this courtroom! For your actions I will hold you in contempt of court, charged with an attempted assault of a minor, and make sure that the next time you appear, you will be in chains and accompanied by police!" The judge looked at the crowd. "I am calling for an immediate recess! Dismissed!" The judge banged on the desk and promptly instructed for Midoriya to be taken away and reunited with his family.
Trial of Aldera Junior High Principal - Day Four. Three Days after the arrest of the Aldera Junior High Principal.
Nemuri sat in the courtroom as the sole witness to the ending of the trial. Yesterday, when recess had ended, her lawyer held nothing back. He had rained down an endless amount of evidence against the principal. Besides the findings at the office, her lawyer presented other crucial information from witness testimonies, bank transfers, voice memos, and additional camera footage taken from the school's security.
There was nothing the rival attorney could say that would end the trail in his favor, so the principal said he would accept a guilty verdict for a plea deal. They agreed to the deal. The judge slammed his gravel onto the desk and announced the adjoining of the trial and for the accused, the principal, to be sentenced tomorrow.
Nemuri smiled and watched the principal shamefully being taken away in handcuffs to the nearest jailhouse. The next day, which is today, they formally sentenced him to fifty years in prison with a chance of parole after serving twenty-five.
Nemuri stood up from her seat and exited the room with her lawyer and his assistant in tow.
"You sure came at him hard at the end yesterday," Nemuri cooed as the trio continued to walk down the hall. "Harder than most of your victims."
The lawyer smiled and gave a slight nod. "He tried to attack Midoriya. After that, I couldn't hold back. Plus…" The lawyer stopped and unconsciously stood to the side to avoid blocking traffic. His smile had disappeared and was replaced with a pained expression. "This case was more personal to me. I felt a relation to Midoriya's situation. That feeling of being alone and not having anyone to back you up. Although our situations are vastly different, including the resolution, the feeling of helplessness is easy to relate to when you understand its true impact."
The lawyer regained his smile. "But just like the ending to my experiences, Midoriya had several people there to help him when he needed them. Your daughter especially." The lawyer rubbed his chin with his index and middle finger, "I am shocked that even after everything Bakugo did to Midoriya, Midoriya still found it in his heart to defend Bakugo and convince the court that he is a victim too. I'm proud of his courage, and for that, I believe him."
Nemuri frowned lightly. As much as she didn't like it, Nemuri had to admit there was some merit to Midoriya's words. Bakugo is a victim in some sense, but Nemuri still feels strongly that Bakugo was aware of what he was doing and didn't care. If it was Nemuri in Midoriya's place, Nemuri wouldn't be so forgiving.
"Nick!" The assistant tugged on Nick's shoulder. "Let's go! I am hungry!" The assistant smirked when Nick looked at her. "You still owe me a burger for yesterday!"
Nick laughed and nodded. "I know, I know. But I have to wrap things up with Nemuri real quick."
Nemuri giggled and glanced at the assistant. "That was some quick thinking, Maya. It seems the emergency quirk training paid off. I'm glad you took my advice to get a license for defensive quirk usage only."
Maya beamed and nodded her head jubilantly, "It was thrilling! I saw him rushing the stage and at first I was stunned and wondering 'who's going to stop him?! Oh wait a minute, I can!' Then I used my quirk and stopped him and I never felt so cool before!"
Nemuri patted Maya on the head with the younger woman giggling in response. "You were cool. Cool enough for a burger…" Nemuri reached into her pocket and pulled out two papers. "For a year."
Maya squealed and jumped in place while she took the papers from Nemuri's hands. "No way! Free burgers from Chef Rush's restaurants for a year?! Oh Nemuri, you are the best!" Maya quickly hugged Nemuri tightly with both women hugging each other and laughing a bit with Nick watching the two with a smile of his own.
After Maya released the hug, she became completely absorbed in her own thoughts about customizing her burger, when Nick pulled Nemuri to the side for a moment.
"Maya and I are going on vacation for a while," Nick said, handing Nemuri a file he had been holding in his hands. "This is everything about the case from beginning to end. I doubled-check everything so that nothing was missing. In there you will find a law firm I recommend. Call him if you need any help."
Nemuri opened the file and saw the card attached to a paper clip.
'Matt Murdock: Attorney at Law. The Best Defense Against Crime and Corruption.'
"I never heard of him," Nemuri stated, closing the file and holding it to her side.
"Murdock is new to Japan. He just moved from the United States, actually." Nick explained, "I worked with him and his partner, Foggy Nelson, once when I went on a business trip to America. Somehow Maya got into a scuffle with a criminal and-"
"You said you wouldn't talk about that!" Maya shouted with a pout on her face, "Burger time!"
"Alright, alright!" Nick chuckled and shook his head, "Well, until we meet again, Nemuri. You take care now."
Nick held his hand out. Nemuri took it and shook it. "Thanks. You take care, Phoenix. You too, Maya."
"Bye, Nemuri!" Maya gave Nemuri a quick hug before the duo left, with Maya talking about the best burger she could think of.
Nemuri smiled and let out an enormous sigh of relief.
It was over. The drama with Aldera Junior High was finally settled. God, that school was such a pain.
Nemuri opened the file and read through it as she walked outside the courtroom. The court ordered the principal, whose real name is Nise Shuyō, to reimburse Nemuri for all the yen she paid for the school. Alder Junior High's emergency principal agreed to pay the legal fees, fines, and all financials to the Midoriya's and Kayama's, settling the lawsuit.
In addition, Phoenix's side note mentions they will investigate Shuyō for criminal charges linked to additional financial dealings and various neglectful charges.
"Serves him right," Nemuri mumbled and closed the file. She stopped in front of her car and thought back to everything that had transpired in the last few months. So much has happened in so little time.
Nemuri helped rescue Midoriya, Laura, and Eri with All Might; she adopted Eri and Laura, had to make a financial deal with the principal to not suspend Laura, had a deep verbal altercation with Laura, learned the principal was lying, helped sue the school, had to arrest the principal because he attempted to blackmail Midoriya, and attend the hearings before finally winning the court case.
Nemuri was stressed. She needed a reliever. And so did her daughters.
Nemuri smiled when she thought of the girls. Inko was right…Nemuri was falling in love with them more and more as the days went by. Laura was still a bit of a pain, but she's more relaxed and open around her. Not as open as Nemuri wanted to be, as Laura still hasn't talked about her past or any other secrets she's keeping, but Nemuri feels like she is getting closer to her than when she first attempted to.
As for Eri, the moment Eri leaned on Nemuri for support during Midoriya's cross-examination touched her heart. It was the first time Eri wanted comfort from Nemuri, even when Laura was around. If it wasn't for the situation at hand, Nemuri would have bursted into tears and held Eri so close to her heart. Nemuri finally felt like she was making actual progress with this milestone.
This was all for them, and the girls were slowly coming around to it. They were slowly becoming the family Nemuri wanted so desperately.
Nemuri, feeling rejuvenated and better than ever, got into her car and drove home. She had left the girls in the care of Aizawa and Yamada. She would have asked Inko, but Inko said she had to talk with someone and couldn't watch them. Nemuri wondered who that person was that needed Inko's undivided attention.
Inko sat at the table quietly, looking down at the wooden table. Across from her were Mitsuki and Masaru, both of whom couldn't look Inko in the eye.
The Bakugos and Katsuki were present throughout the entire trial, but they separated during the seating and hid amongst the crowd. After the first and second day, they were talking about the success of everything and how Inko was going to win the lawsuit! They had planned a party and everything despite how off Inko was acting, but Mitsuki chalked it up as the pressure getting to Inko.
But when day three happened, and Izuku took the stand, everything changed. When the truth came to light about everything Katsuki had done to Izuku, that's when it dawned on Mitsuki about why Inko was acting strange.
The feeling had nothing to do with the pressure of the trial, but the knowledge of knowing what was really happening between Katsuki and Izuku. And now, Mitsuki and Masaru knew too.
When the trial ended, The Midoriyas and The Bakugos avoided each other. For the Bakugos, it was shock and disgust at their own son that made them avoid talking to Inko. For Inko, Mitsuki guessed it was for protecting Izuku.
However, for Inko, it was more than just protecting Izuku. It was resentment at Katsuki that made her avoidant. Inko knew, she always knew something was off between Izuku's and Katsuki's relationship, but to hear and see how long and how often Katsuki was abusing her son to various degrees?! Not to mention what he did to Laura, Izuku's real friend?! That sent her over the edge and it was her own need to get Izuku home that stopped her from tearing Katsuki a new one.
Mitsuki, her expression hurt and pleading, hesitantly breathed and looked to Inko, "Inko-"
"A swan dive off a building." Inko cut in coldly, not even looking at Mitsuki. Mitsuki quickly silenced herself and held a hand to her mouth. Her head immediately went downwards to the floor. Mitsuki wanted to throw up from the sickening words Katsuki said, and from the potential darker thoughts that flooded her son's head.
"I swear I never knew!" Mitsuki whimpered loudly, her body threatening to shut down from the violent emotions circulating throughout her body, "I-I didn't know! Inko, please, I swear on my life I didn't know Katsuki was doing this to Izuku!" Mitsuki looked up to be met with Inko's glacier look. Mitsuki's heart leapt into her throat. This wasn't the woman she knew since high school; this was a mother grizzly bear looking to disembowel the ones who hurt her baby.
Masaru stayed silent. He didn't know what to say or do. Masaru knew nothing could reach Inko, and that this wasn't a regular meeting. Instead of trying to prevent what was to come, Masaru was ready to be there for his wife.
"Are you that sure?" Inko questioned, her voice as calm as ever, "Are you sure there was never a time when Katsuki ever dismissed Izuku or called him a bad name? Maybe a derogatory name? A racial slur? Mockery? Anything?" Inko clenched her teeth tightly. Her hands were underneath the table, clenched into the tightest fists she ever formed.
"N-No!" Mitsuki quickly replied, leaning forward, "I..I mean…maybe, but I didn't think…" Mitsuki slumped down onto the table with her arms crossed and her head planted on it, "Inko please believe me I didn't know! I didn't know. I'm so sorry that Katsuki hurt Izuku. I'm so sorry…" Mitsuki sobbed loudly into her arms. Masaru gently took his wife into his arms to attend to her, but Mitsuki pried herself off to face Inko still.
Inko didn't budge. She heard what she needed to hear. "You knew." Inko spoke gently.
"Inko…" Mitsuki begged, watching her best friend of several decades stand up.
"You knew, and you did nothing to stop it," Inko lowered her head to hide her face underneath her hair, "Izuku was being hurt every day, and you knew but never once tried to tell Katsuki anything? Just like the Alder Junior High staff?"
Mitsuki was feeling her heart being ripped out from her chest, "Inko, please! I am so sorry! I didn't think it was like that! I should have realized something; I should have done something when I felt like something was off, but I didn't and I am so sorry! Please, don't hate me! You're my best friend; my sister! I love you like a sister! You're the sister I never had!" Mitsuki was throwing everything she had to change the rapidly approaching outcome.
Inko stood silent, the sounds of Mitsuki's cries of desperation being the only sound filling the room.
"I love you too, Mitsuki…" Inko's voice cracked with tears falling to the floor and her body flinching from her sobs, "I love you like a sister, too. You were the only one there for me when I needed someone in high school. You were my bridesmaid when I got married. You were at the hospital when Izuku was born, and when Hisashi left, you wouldn't leave me alone in my home until I was okay. I could never hate you…" Inko looked up to the roof and moved her hair to the back of her head, "But this isn't about you…it's about Katsuki…which is why this is so hard for me." Inko walked past The Bakugos and headed to the door.
Mitsuki saw part of her world crashing down on her. "No. No, no, no. Inko!" Mitsuki jumped from the chair and ran over to Inko, grabbing her arm, "Inko, please, no. Please don't do this. I'm sorry! Please! I love you so much! I need you!" Mitsuki begged feebly. "Don't leave me…"
Inko grabbed the door handle and opened the door, "Goodbye, Mitsuki." Inko gently removed Mitsuki's frail grasp on her arm and walked out, closing the door gently with a soft click.
Mitsuki fell to her knees and openly wailed hard. Her right fist banged against the floor as her cries of anguish flooded the house. Masaru, with tears of his own, gently lifted his wife up and held her. Mitsuki clung onto her husband, her fingernails burrowing deep into his shirt and practically ripping into flesh despite it.
Mitsuki howled and wept for Inko to come back, to forgive her ignorance of what happened, but Mitsuki knew it was over.
Inko was gone. Her sister was gone from her life, possibly forever.
Mitsuki removed her head from Masaru's chest and halted when her eyes landed on Katsuki, who had just exited his room.
Mitsuki gritted her teeth so hard that her teeth made a crack that made Katsuki jump.
"You…" Mitsuki snarled, her voice oozing with venom, and her body shaking violently, "You…" Mitsuki knew what she wanted to say, god knows what she really wanted to say and do to her son, but Mitsuki had to stop herself from doing something she would regret forever. Instead of saying or doing anything to her son, Mitsuki ran in the opposite direction towards her room and slammed the door, where she continued to lament to herself.
Katsuki stood frozen. This was the first time he's ever seen his mother this emotionally ruined.
"Are you happy, Katsuki?" Masaru spoke, breaking his silence and looking at his son with disdain. "Are you proud of who you are?"
Katsuki eyed his old man with the same furrow he always has.
"He was going to get himself killed," Katsuki spat out, "A weakling like Izuku could never-"
"Oh, my god shut up!" Masaru suddenly lashed out and kicked the table, causing it to fall onto its side with everything on top of it crashing onto the floor. "Shut your damn mouth, Katsuki!"
Katsuki's glare lost its aura, and he stepped back in fear now. His dad never yelled at him…
"Listen to your mom! Look what you did! You broke her heart! Not Inko, not Izuku, you! You did this! You did all of this!" Masaru pointed his finger at Katsuki and walked towards him with Katsuki stepping back, "I can't even express how utterly furious and disgusted I am at you! I knew you had a temper and an attitude, but this?! Telling Izuku to kill himself?! Not to mention you've been bullying and harassing him for years behind our and Inko's back all because he's quirkless?! Who in the hell do you think you are?!" Masaru had cornered Katsuki into his own room, "You think just because you have a powerful quirk that you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want and that you are some type of powerful dictator who'll suffer no consequences?!"
Masaru looked to the left and saw a poster of All Might on the wall, "And that's your idol?! You idolized All Might! Well, I'll tell you right now that you are nothing like All Might!"
Katsuki wanted to push back but felt his words refusing to come out.
"All Might saves people! He doesn't tell people to go kill themselves!" Masaru shouted, his arms and hands at his sides, "All Might helps people who are weak; not put them down and mock them for being weaker than him! All Might fights villains and rescues civilians; not beat up everyone because he can! All Might stands for truth, justice, and peace! Peace, Katsuki, Peace! He is called the Symbol of Peace because he brings peace to conflicts, not starts them!"
Masaru walked over to the All Might poster before ripping it off the wall, much to Katsuki's dismay.
"Hey-!" Katsuki attempted to speak up but his father's icy glare immediately silenced him.
"You are not All Might, you are far from All Might! You are the furthest thing from All Might!" Masaru crumbled the poster in his hands into a ball, "You have acted as everything All Might fights against! Abuse of power; a bringer of destruction, a bully!" Masaru chucked the poster at Bakugo's trash can. "A villain!"
Masaru inhaled sharply and closed his eyes. After exhaling loudly, Masaru opened his eyes to see his son almost curled up on his bed. "You plastered yourself with All Might merchandise yet you don't know the first thing about him. If Izuku had taken his own life, would you be proud that you killed him?"
"Would you watch him die and say you're a hero?"
Katsuki said nothing. He hid himself in his own body, not daring to meet his father's gaze.
Masaru knew he got his point across. Masaru gave Katsuki the verbal lashing he deserved. It wasn't as loud or as brash as Mitsuki's, but his style was equally effective in his opinion.
It was far from what Katsuki deserved, but it was all he was going to get for now.
Masaru quietly left the room to leave his son to his own misery. He brought it upon himself and has to live with it.
Katsuki sulked quietly. His father's scolding broke everything he held to himself. Katsuki was questioning where it all went wrong. Katsuki couldn't comprehend why this was happening, as he was always getting his way. How did it get here? Who cares if Deku died?! He was going to die anyway if he became a hero!
Katsuki was doing him a favor by trying to get Deku to stop being a hero, but he never would quit! Deku would never stop!
Deku isn't worth a fu-
"Would you watch him die and say you're a hero?"
Katsuki's thoughts halted. Those words seared into his head.
Had Deku taken that jump…
"Would you watch him die and say you're a hero?"
Nemuri had arrived home about two hours ago with a pep in her step. With how everything has been lately, why wouldn't it be? Hizashi was trying to teach Eri how to talk like she was on a radio when Nemuri entered the door.
In a surprise twist for Nemuri, Laura was watching clips of heroes in action with Shota and discussing details about the fights and why the hero did what they did. It was like a coach going over a film with a player.
The men were interacting with Laura and Eri, and Nemuri felt happy to see that the girls were getting along with them. Especially Laura.
After a few minutes, Hizashi and Shota wrapped up their sessions and left with the girls, waving them off. Not even a minute later, Inko had called Nemuri and asked if she could come over with Izuku.
That is where Nemuri is now. Standing outside in her backyard with Inko watching the kids have it in a game of sakkā (soccer). Izuku vs Laura with Eri acting as a ref and fan. Laura had the swiftness and trickery to keep the ball with her, but Izuku countered with keen senses and fundamentals that kept the inexperienced Laura on her heels.
"Don't you just love it?" Nemuri sighed joyfully, holding a glass of iced tea in her hands, "After everything that has happened, the kids got the justice they deserved." Nemuri swirled her drink in her hands, "And you got at least seven years' worth of your salary dumped into your bank account. You can take a vacation, go sightseeing, maybe even move to a new house!" Nemuri was embracing the light at the end of the tunnel. Nemuri had her funds refunded too, but it was little compared to the Midoriya's.
Inko glanced at Nemuri and nodded, "Maybe. All in good time. Right now I'm thinking of more important things." Inko fully turned to Nemuri to make her next statement. "We need to find out where to send the kids to school. Sending them back to Aldera Junior High is not what is best for them. Although that parasite is gone, there are too many terrible memories there. Not to mention Katsuki may remain there if his mother doesn't take him out too," Inko bitterly expressed with a scowl.
Nemuri understood where Inko was coming from. Although the case is over, the amount of trauma that was put on the Midoriya's shoulders was immense and Nemuri couldn't imagine what was going through their minds when everyone's dirty laundry was exposed.
"I agree," Nemuri took a sip of her drink, "I was thinking the same for Laura too, and I was going to text you about that tomorrow. Aldera Junior High was the school that was picked by the government, but after everything that transpired, I think I earned the right to send them to a school of my choosing."
Inko giggled a bit. "I guess we should give them a little credit. Without them choosing Aldera Junior High, the girls and Izuku may not have rediscovered each other and became friends."
Inko and Nemuri watched as Laura and Izuku tripped over each other and Izuku immediately went to Eri to 'complain' that Laura was playing dirty. Laura lightly shoved Izuku and claimed he was the cheater, while Eri stood on the side and laughed for a moment before getting in between the two and getting them to reset.
Laura used her left hand to do the 'I'm watching you' signal to Izuku, while Izuku balked and got ready to go once more.
Both mothers smiled warmly seeing this interaction. Inko wanted to continue to watch, but knew she and Kayama had important matters to talk about. Inko walked towards the door that led inside the house. "I have a few schools in mind, actually, and I would like to show you them on the computer. I had researched them a while ago and they each look promising."
Nemuri kept her attention on the kids for longer before turning to follow Inko inside. "As long as none of these schools have a Midnight fanbase."
Inko looked back, confused. "Why is that?"
Nemuri let out an exhausted sigh and walked inside, "It's a long story…ever heard of V-Tuber fans?" Nemuri and Inko walked inside and closed the door.
Izuku and Laura, meanwhile, were in the middle of the field with Laura trying to get around Izuku, but Izuku was keeping her on her toes.
"You're pretty good at this! Do you play sakkā?" Laura asked, keeping the ball between her feet and walking back with it to get room.
"Sometimes," Izuku responds and jogs backwards too to scout her next move, "I played a few pickup games when I got a chance. Some games are played by traditional rules. No quirks allowed."
"Kick the ball! Take a shot for once!" Eri shouted at Laura, then immediately turned to Izuku. "Oh, come on! Rush her and steal the ball!" Eri complained, then went back to refereeing the two. This was fun for her! Laura and Izuku looked over at Eri with the little girl eyeing the two of them. "It wasn't me. It was the fans!" Eri giggled and pointed behind her to the 'crowd.'
Laura and Izuku both rolled their eyes and laughed to themselves. The two got refocused on each other, with Laura kicking the ball on her tippy toes and bouncing the ball on her knees. "Match point?" Laura challenged.
"Sure," Izuku accepted, "When I win though, I'll show you that All Might video I've been meaning to have you watch. It's my favorite video."
Laura became slightly miffed by the bet. "Ugh…you and your All Might obsession." Laura grumbled. "Okay. When I win, though, you show me what a pole dancer is, since that idiot called me that in a video during the trials."
Izuku almost lost focus and gave up his guard by the request. His face flushed lightly, thinking about how he would explain to Laura what a pole dancer was. Izuku then immediately lost all focus when his mind wandered to imagining Laura dancing on a pole and felt himself recoil.
Despite being befuddled by Izuku's sudden disjointed motions, Laura didn't care. This was a prime opportunity to win! Laura let the ball fall to the floor, then quickly rushed Izuku head on! Despite feeling foggy and uncertain about his movements, Izuku quickly got back into position.
Laura smirked as she picked apart Izuku and knew how to get around him for an easy victory! Laura was rushing to Izuku's right and was going to go for an outside skip juke to get Izuku to trip up. Laura got within a foot of Izuku and tapped the ball to her left to change the direction and perform the skip.
Right as Laura skipped, her body froze, and her head snapped up. Laura's eyes dilated as her nostrils caught a whiff of a familiar 'scent' she had long forgotten about.
Laura didn't have time to register what she picked up when she crashed into Izuku. Izuku quickly snapped into action and held onto Laura as he fell onto his back, with Laura landing safely on top of him.
Izuku winced in pain from Laura's knee, crushing his sternum and his back aching from the sudden fall.
"Ack!" Izuku groaned and caught Laura's attention.
"Midoriya!" Laura called out, looking down at him, and moving her legs to his sides to sit upright. "Shit…sorry I lost focus…" Laura mumbled and looked to her left to see Eri rushing to them.
"You okay?" Eri asked, concerned. "What happened, Laura?"
Izuku looked up to Laura with concern of his own, "Yeah…it was like you saw a ghost. One second you had me beat, then you froze up in the middle of the juke."
Laura grimaced and glanced between the two. "Yeah…I'm fine. I just…" Laura looked towards the fence to her left where she caught the smell from. It was gone. Was it real? Laura shook her head and glanced back down at Izuku. "I'm fine. Don't worry."
"Okay." Izuku nodded. He was hoping for more information, but Laura said she was fine, so Izuku would not push it.
Izuku closed his eyes a bit when the sun's rays blinded him a bit and moved his hands to his face to block it out. Izuku got his left hand to the right position to block most of the sun and still see Laura, but that's when Izuku's world changed.
Izuku's heart skipped and his mind blanked when the sun rays were perfectly shining over Laura and giving Izuku a whole new appreciation for Laura's natural beauty.
Laura's skin was flawless. A smooth, perfectly porcelain skin tone with no scars, not even a scratch, dimple, or anything to add or subtract from it. Her eyes, almond-shaped with an emerald green color that matches her beautiful yet hardened personality, accompanied perfectly by her dark eyelashes, thin eyebrows, and a small, slender nose. And her long brown hair flowed freely down her slender body and over her well-shaped breast with a beautiful, full, soft texture that made Izuku want to feel its alluring pull. The most enticing part was Laura's lips. They looked so full and soft. Izuku felt himself wanting to feel them…wanting to know how her lips pressed against his.
Laura tilted her head and felt disoriented by Izuku. He was silent but wouldn't stop staring at her like he had just met her for the first time.
Laura pulled her head back a bit from the uncomfortable feeling she was getting but couldn't help but find it…appealing? It was embarrassing, but also pleasant. Laura couldn't figure out how or why, but she liked this attention.
"Uh…Midoriya?" Laura called out and waved a hand in front of him. "Now it's my turn to ask if you're good?"
"Huh?" Izuku blinked and immediately became red in the face. It only worsened when Izuku fully recognized the position Laura and himself were in. "Uh…uhhh! Y-yeah! I'm good! Just thinking! Lots of thinking! Yeahwe'regoodwecangetupnowpleasemylegsarefallingasleep!" Izuku pleaded and moved around. Laura got off of Izuku and didn't lose her turbulent feeling as she watched Izuku jump onto his feet and turn away from them.
"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" Izuku screamed in his head. His body hunched forward, beads of sweat rolling down his face, and his hands opened up about two inches away from his face. "She's so beautiful! Where did this come from?! Why is this happening?! Do I like Laura?! Did I call her Laura?! Why is she suddenly so beautiful?! And why did I want to kiss her?!" Izuku looked up from his hands and stared at the house, "Did she notice I was checking her out? Oh, I will die from embarrassment if Laura knows…and in front of Eri, too!"
Eri and Laura glanced at each other with equally lost looks. Laura twirled a finger next to her head to signal that Izuku had gone crazy. Eri laughed and did the same, but stopped when both girls went to check on Izuku.
"Okay, I think the sun's getting to you," Laura said, placing a hand on Izuku's left shoulder. "Let's go inside for now."
"Yeah…" Izuku nodded, looking over his shoulder and nodding, "Yeah, I think the sun is getting to me…good idea."
Izuku straightened himself out and walked inside with the girls. He waited for the two to go inside first before closing the door behind him and locking it.
Soooo how is it going? Hopefully, well.
Okay what happened was that I got really into this chapter and kept going, and going…and going…and going…
…and going.
And then I stopped and realized I wrote 40 pages.
Yeah, 40 pages.
When I realized that, I decided to tweak some things and split it into two chapters for the price of one upload! (That'll be posted soon!)
Anyways, how do you guys feel? Izuku and Laura are going to a different made up school where Hagakure is; Bakugo gets an early introduction to Kirishima and Mina, and Eri is now on an adventure of her own with Osore!
And Izuku has gotten his crush on Laura. Oh how joyful! The journey to seeing these two become a thing has officially started!
So Izuku and Laura will be in a group of five! Deku Squad lives on, but none of the OG members are in it aside from Izuku!
So, you have Izuku, Laura, Hagakure, ?, and ?.
I am particularly excited for one of them in particular because I have big plans for them!
A special thanks to DA User Fataladicto for the cover! Although you can find the full picture on a profile on DA called "AQuickBuck" under the name "Cover for Fanfic."
And a bigger thanks to user drako900 for the suggested artist!
Thank you to everyone who DM'd me or commented an artist!