Written by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PikachuSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI.
Buckichamp A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays y'all! We hope you enjoy the final chapter of 2021! We're going to finally take a long deserved, full week break before returning to the writing process after the New Year and publish Chapter 15 on Thursday, January 13, 2022. We'll see you on the flip side!
—
-Mountain Zone-
It appeared that all the surrounding villains were now out of commission thanks to Kaminari's quirk. Jirou started to snicker as she watched the electric blonde fumble and mumble like an idiot in circles.
"Man, after what happened today, I could really use a laugh. Thanks, Kaminari."
"Y...Y-Your welcome…" Kaminari responded, still somewhat able to formulate some sense of his intelligence.
Meanwhile, Yaoyorozu stood in silence, feeling torn on her behavior towards the two and the villains. She acted rash and hot headed for the first time in her life. She felt disgusted about it. These were her friends. She shouldn't have been so spiteful towards them.
"Kaminari? Jirou?" She spoke up, grabbing the two's attention.
"Listen, I was acting very unpleasant with you two during the skirmish we had with the villains. I want to apologize for that. I barked orders at the both of you when I should have been working with you. You're my friends, and it was unethical for me to say what I said."
"Eh? What are you apologizing for? Well… I guess it can't be helped, given how mature you are. Don't sweat it. We were in a tight spot and full of adrenaline. I'm sure one of us would have been screaming our heads off if you weren't going to do it," Jirou shook her head, following up with a grin.
"Besides, I don't think enough people yell at Kaminari. Ryuko herself was close enough to giving him a black eye during the trials for being a perv."
'Wait. Ryuko? Come to think of it… could she be influencing me?' Yaoyorozu wondered to herself.
"H-Hey…! Don't mention that in front of her…" Kaminari gibbered, which sent Jirou from a snicker into a full laughing fit.
As far as she knew, the two weren't too concerned with Momo's outbursts and let bygones be bygones. But Yaoyorozu still didn't feel satisfied.
She was supposed to be level headed, and be able to form a plan on the spot. Instead, she spewed demands and lost her temper. Whether Ryuko was somewhat responsible for Yaoyorozu's newfound behavior, she would perish the thought. It was her own doing, and she knew it was irresponsible to put the blame on others.
For now, Yaoyorozu decided to relax and watch Kaminari's antics alongside Jirou. She too could use a good laugh.
Unfortunately, it was cut short once a hand emerged out of the ground in the distance.
Waiting for the right time, the villain sprung into action once Kaminari was in arms reach. Kyouka and Momo gasped at the sudden intrusion once the thug grabbed hold of the blonde.
"Get your hands up! And no quirks, got it?" The villain ordered, which froze the two students.
"Use your powers, and I'll kill your friend here."
"Damn it. Kaminari's helpless," Momo chided.
"Damn villain. He totally caught us with our pants down. I thought that electric blast would have fried them all. We're so stupid. How did we not see this coming?," Kyouka fretted.
"I feel a little brotherhood with other electric types. So I don't want to kill him. But I will if you make me," The villain threatened before lifting his hand, sparks of electricity began to emerge as he revealed his quirk.
Still having some brainpower, Kaminari had a visibly panicked look on his face. The two students noticed this and were stumped, reluctantly raising their hands above their heads. This was bad.
"An electric type. He's probably the one Todoroki said was jamming our communications," Yaoyorozu noted.
A sound of relief and a smile emerged from behind the villain's mask, seeing that he now had students right where he wanted them. He began to approach while keeping Kaminari in check.
The other thugs that were unconscious were slowly recovering from their injuries. As if things couldn't get any worse.
"Don't move a muscle. Let's take this nice and slow."
..~~~HLK~~~..
-USJ Courtyard-
Tomura Shigaraki was dumbstruck. What just happened? Why hadn't his Nomu destroyed the Symbol of Peace? The stems in his brain began tying themselves in messy knots as he tried to decipher the situation. He couldn't help but scratch at his neck again. It was so irritating!
'He's just as strong as he's always been… Dammit. Don't tell me I've been lied to.'
"What's wrong?" All Might interjected, which snapped the shagged looking villain out of his trance.
"You're not attacking me? Didn't you say you were going to clear this level earlier?"
His eyes focused singularly on Shigaraki, locked on target. "Well come and get me! If you dare."
This side of All Might spooked Tomura to his core. He was very shaken up and on the verge of running away.
"Man, this is intense," Bakugo reflected.
"As I expected. There's no reason for us to fight now. He'll handle this," Todoroki declared.
"Sounds good. C'mon Midoriya! We should go regroup with the others. The last thing we want is to get taken hostage or get in his way," Kirishima called out to his classmate.
However, Izuku did not seem to budge. His gaze was dead set on All Might.
With the smoke clearing out a bit more, Ryuko was able to get a better look at the hero and the steam that came off of him. It seemed familiar to Senketsu blowing steam whenever he and her were about to desync. Ryuko couldn't quite put it together. Was he about to transform into something else? Izuku however, knew that All Might was running out of time.
'Crap. I can't fight them. That Nomu guy took too much out of me. One more move, and I'm back to my weak form. I can't keep this up. I just have to stall until they get here," All Might articulated. This was his final stand.
"What, are you scared?!" He challenged, further chastising the villains.
Shigaraki was spooked yet again by All Might's continued pressing. This is not how the day was supposed to go! All Might was supposed to be on the ground, choking on his own damn intestines from his fight with Nomu, not looking at them...menacingly. However, Kurogiri saw the situation a bit differently from his accomplice.
"Tomura Shigaraki, please try to calm yourself." Kurogiri said, hoping to ease his charges' already frazzled nerves.
"CALM DOWN?! Did you see what he did to my Nomu?! That was our only way to kill that walking, loose lipped tank and now it's gone!" Shigaraki barked back, completely confused on how his right hand man is still calm at a time like this.
"Look closely. It appears Nomu did a considerable amount of damage already. Also, the fight may have at least slowed him down as well. And would you look at that, our grunts are finally recovering. There is still a chance to turn this around, but that's only if we attack now." Kurogiri stated to the man child, hoping to get the gears turning in his head.
And would you have guessed it, it did.
Tomura's body began to relax, the itching on his neck started to subside as he looked at the bigger picture. All Might IS tired and wide open for an attack. With all of this in mind, a sadistic smile began to form behind the hand hiding his face.
"You're right...yeah, you're absolutely right, Kurogiri. We still have a chance. All we need to do is get close, and that wannabe hero is minced meat! This is the endgame now," Shigaraki said as his body loosened up.
Soon the nearby thugs stood on their feet, surrounding everyone. The students were immediate to ready their battle stances, while Izuku instinctively held onto Ryuko in a tighter grip, solidifying himself as a sort of makeshift shield around her.
"I think All Might can hold his own against those two main guys. Let's make sure that these dudes don't hurt anybody else!" Kirishima hardened his arms, creating talons.
Todoroki turned his head over to Izuku, who never once turned his glance away from the main event.
'Looks like he managed to secure Matoi without being caught. He's quite sneaky for someone with that kind of power.'
"Since you've got Matoi, we'll take on the other guys, Midoriya. Just stay put," Todoroki instructed before he joined Bakugo and Kirishima.
Izuku was the only one who truly knew what was happening. All Might was bluffing. He was too drained of power to even keep up with Kurogiri. If All Might further engaged in combat with these villains, he would die.
One of Izuku's free hands clenched, feeling his blood boil before he made a decision.
"Senketsu."
Ryuko and Senketsu both turn to Izuku, as he grabbed their attention. He looked at them with a wild look on his face. A look that Ryuko was getting VERY TIRED of seeing.
"I don't know if you can hear me or not, but please...watch Ryuko for me."
And with that. Izuku ran off towards the villains, leaving the two stunned at what he was about to do. Ryuko tried to stand, only to fall back down to her knees due to the vertigo and stamina drain taking its toll.
"Dammit Izuku! Now I'm really gonna kick your ass later…"
"I don't understand why he's trying to go back into the fight," Senketsu surmised. Izuku must have had some sort of plan.
Midoriya reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
"Wait! Is that?!" She gasped.
"Yes. But how did he get his hands on it?" Senketsu wondered.
Back at the courtyard, Shigaraki rushed toward All Might, who unbeknownst to him has been bluffing throughout their entire exchange. Fearing the worst, All Might tried to move his body, hoping there was at least a drop of power left for him to counter.
'Holy shit! This is bad! Where is everyone? I need backup!'
All Might's thoughts are cut off as he hears a sudden CRACK near him, seeing his successor getting between him and the villain.
"You...GET AWAY FROM ALL MIGHT, YOU DAMN VILLAIN!" Izuku shouts to the man who dared to try and touch his teacher.
All the onlookers gawk at the boy, seeing that his right leg has been broken and the teen was holding something in his right hand. And that would be...half a scissor?
They were amazed by his speed. Nobody even saw Izuku move from where he originally stood.
Tomura turned his attention to the airborne student holding said object, a little perturbed by his weapon of choice. Before he could make an insult, the completely insane happened.
The boy pulled on the trigger in the scissor handle.
-CLICK-
That trigger saw the blade unfold and expand into a giant blade, with the previous blood red coloring changing into a deep, emerald green. With the transformation complete, Izuku took aim with the sword targeting the now startled villain, who was trying to make sense of his current predicament.
"WHY IS HE HOLDING A FUCKING SWORD NOW?!" Tomura exclaimed, now turning his attention to the flying scissor blade wielding psychopath. Kurogiri, almost as if reading his leader's mind, made a warp gate for Tomura so he could safely attack his aggressor.
'Oh crap! I didn't think this through at all!' Izuku thought as he flew towards Tomura's extended palm. Deranged bits of laughter could be heard from the villain as his hand grew closer and closer to Midoriya's face.
-BLAM-
Blood spurt into the air, the source being from Shigaraki's hand as a bullet carved its way clean through. It happened so fast.
The villain had an intensely delayed reaction before mewling in the pain while holding his wrist. Izuku fell to the ground soon after, safe from Shigaraki's fatal blow.
"They're here!" All Might called out.
The perpetrator behind the gunshot was none other than the Homing Hero: Snipe, who then turned to fire two more rounds out of his gun. Traveling between ridges of rock, the two bullets made their way to their designated target.
"GAAAH!" A villain cried out as the two projectiles pierced into his two biceps.
Yaoyorozu and Jirou gasped as the bullets forced the thug to release Kaminari due to the sudden pain caused by the gun shots hitting home.
"What the hell just happened?!" Kyouka was starting to get tired of the constant surprises. But this might be the one that she would tolerate.
"Is it them?!" Momo gasped as she looked over to the only place where the attack could have come from.
"Sorry everyone! I know we're a bit late, but I got the teachers over here as fast as I could!" A familiar posh and preppy voice called out, which restored hope in the students' hearts.
Tears swelled in Uraraka's voice as she caught a glimpse of who arrived.
"It's Iida!"
"YOUR CLASS REP HAS RETURNED! I'VE FULFILLED MY DUTY!"
Multiple sounds of footsteps approached behind Iida shortly. Their presence carried the power of an entire army that shook the villains that saw what was to come.
"AND I'VE BROUGHT REINFORCEMENTS!" Iida announced as he stood beside the large squad of pro heroes.
Being immediately intimidated, the villains began to attack recklessly. Many of the close ranged ones charged into battle while the long distance attackers remained in the back. No coordination was made between them.
Present Mic scoffed, feeling pity for the pathetic grunts that he was about to wipe the floor with. He stood forward to the edge of the flight of stairs before stopping. The DJ reared his head back, taking a deep inhale before exerting a mighty bellow.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
The concussive force of his voice sent the charging villains into disarray, their eardrums bleeding from the high decibels.
Ectoplasm was next, spewing out several clones to send back the other attackers to the rest of the group.
"Our priority is to protect our students!" Nezu proclaimed, drawing acknowledgement from the band of teachers who moved forward.
"Ah man! The pros are here!" Shigaraki lamented.
"It's game over – for real! Let's go home and try this when w-"
He didn't get to finish his thought as Snipe fired a few more rounds through Shigaraki, who collapsed in a heap. Kurogiri quickly moved to shield him from the remaining bullets.
"We need someone who can capture them from a distance," the gunner said aloud.
"I'm on it."
Snipe turned around and stopped firing. This might work.
Just as the main baddies were about to warp out, a familiar force of wind drew Kurogiri's mist away as he struggled to stay put. Thirteen was trying her hardest to apprehend the getaways.
With both of them being dragged by the force of Black Hole, Shigaraki turned to face All Might within the safety of the warping mist.
"I may have failed to kill you this time, but your days are numbered!"
All Might coughed up some blood, his stiffened hand wiping away the dirt on his mouth.
"All Might, Symbol of Peace! I am going to kill you!"
And with that, Shigaraki and Kurogiri made their escape once the portal closed. Thirteen's Black Hole had ceased further activity soon after. Thanks to Iida's instruction, the other pro heroes formed groups to split up and retrieve the scattered students in the other zones.
Finally, everyone had a chance to breathe. The crisis was over, for now.
Izuku strained as he attempted to stand himself up with the scissor blade, using it as a crutch to support his other leg that wasn't broken. He managed to set himself upward despite the pain, but couldn't quite shake the feeling that ate him from the inside. Feeling dread, he clutched onto the hilt with force.
"I couldn't do it. I wasn't able to help you."
"That's absolutely not true."
Izuku's expression mended as he set his gaze towards who said that. What he then saw was a a half-and-half mix of All Might's two sides. The steam was evaporating off his body at a rapid pace, which kept him hidden from the public eye at the moment.
"You bought me a few vital seconds. If not for that, I'd be dead right now."
Izuku's eyes lit up as he had a clear view of his hero that remained in one piece.
"Young Midoriya. You saved me, once again."
With that, tears began to fill the corners of the young man's eyes. It was an emotional day, and he couldn't hold back the floodgates as the streams cascaded down his cheeks.
"Thank you... All Might. I'm just glad that you're okay!"
"Midoriya, hey!" Kirishima called out as he ran to Izuku.
"Kirishima… slow down. I'm coming too," Ryuko mildly limped behind Kirishima.
"Huh? Sorry, I can't exactly walk here," Izuku responded.
"What? Are you okay?"
'Ah, it's Kirishima and Matoi. It warms my heart knowing that the students are looking out for each other.'
Toshinori rejoiced as Izuku was going to be aided, which then turned into grimace once he realized one thing.
'Oh crap, wait. If they come over here, they're gonna learn my secret! Shit!'
Izuku could somehow recognize what his tutor was thinking the moment he saw his face. Kirishima was getting too close for comfort as he ran. Shaking his head in a frantic motion, he raised his hand out to him in hopes of stopping him in place.
"Kirishima, Ryuko! WAIT-"
Before he could respond, the red-haired teen saw a wall form in front of him, cutting him off from All Might and Midoriya.
"Whoa, Cementos?" Ryuko gasped.
"For your safety, please stay back you two," the cement hero gently warned.
"Both of you please go and join your classmates at the front gate. Leave the injured to us, we can take care of them."
"Are you going to try and get your blade back from Midoriya?" Senketsu inquired.
"I can do that later. I'm beat for right now."
Ryuko and Kirishima turned foot and began to head back to the front gate to meet with the rest of their class, with Bakugo and Todoroki in tow.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-Karaoke Bar-
Inside the building, a warp gate opened with Shigaraki tumbling onto the floor.
"Ow."
Thanks to the severe bullet wounds to his arms and legs, he grieved in the pain and being unable to move. Pools of blood formed underneath each respected limb.
"God damn it. Shot in both arms and legs. All those underlings wiped out. Even Nomu was beaten. We failed. Those damn kids were so strong. And the symbol of peace wasn't weakened at all. You were wrong, master. So WRONG!"
"No, I wasn't," A voice responded from a monitor that was mounted on the wall.
"We just weren't as prepared as we should've been."
"I agree. We underestimated them. Thankfully we failed under that cheap "League of Villains" name instead of our own," A second voice spoke from within the monitor.
"What about the creature that Master and I created?"
"Yes, why is he not with you?"
"He was blown away," Kurogiri answered.
"WHAT?!"
"It was All Might's doing. Without precise coordinates to his location, I couldn't use my warp to bring him with us. There was no time to search for him."
"This is a travesty! After all that work we put into him!" The second voice shouted in frustration.
"Well I suppose that things can't be helped, unfortunately," The Master remarked.
"Power… that reminds me. There was a kid there who tried to protect All Might. He was just as powerful as him," Shigaraki added.
"Oh?" The master asked with interest.
"He cost us the chance of killing the Symbol of Peace by getting in our way. That damn brat… if he hadn't!-"
The dull blue haired villain used whatever muscle he could feel to grip at the floor, scratching the wood with his nails. Deep cuts were made that reminisced how angry he was towards Izuku.
"Naturally, you're upset. But this mission wasn't in vain. We've learned many things. Gather the villainous elite. Take all the time you need," With a new plan, the Master began to lay out the groundwork for Shigaraki.
"I must remain in the shadows, which is why I need you to be my face. A symbol of your own. Tomura Shigaraki. Next time, you will show the world that it should be afraid of you."
..~~~HLK~~~..
Meanwhile, the students were all escorted outside of the USJ while the injured were immediately transported elsewhere to get fixed up. The students were then given a briefing on the whereabouts and conditions of the injured.
Mr. Aizawa had a splintered arm and facial fracturing, but fortunately he was spared from any brain damage. It was far from certain how his eyesight would come out of this battle given that his orbital floor was almost destroyed.
As for Thirteen, she'd end up pulling through the ordeal just fine. The Spaced Hero only suffered some lacerations to the back.
As for the remaining folks that were wounded, Ryuko had suffered a hairline fracture in her right wrist from the Nomu's grip. Recovery girl would be able to fix her up quickly.
Lastly, All Might and Midoriya both suffered injuries, but none that Recovery Girl couldn't also fix. The former was just beat up and exhausted for the most part, while the latter had a few broken fingers on his left hand and a busted up right leg. They'd need to rest up for a bit before moving around.
Aizawa and Thirteen remained at the hospital while Ryuko, Izuku, and Toshinori were at UA's Nurse's office.
-Nurse's Office-
"I'm not going to die, am I?"
"What do you mean?" Recovery Girl asked Matoi.
"I remember you saying that if my stamina is shot, I'd die from your quirk instead of healing."
"It's not too major of an injury, so you'll be just fine in a bit. You'll likely be a bit sluggish for a while."
Ryuko turned her head away as Recovery Girl's lips touched her skin and retracted soon after. Her wrist healed within seconds – though she indeed was sluggish.
"Holy crap, Izuku wasn't kidding about the drain. Jesus, I need a nap after this."
Ryuko looked toward the divider curtains, seeing two silhouettes on the other side. One, being that of Izuku of course. The other however, is very unknown to her. No one she knows has that specific hair style in Class 1-A.
"Strange, I don't believe I've seen anyone who looks like that in class. What do you think, Ryuko? ...Ryuko?" Senketsu asked his partner, who for some reason was spacing out while staring at one specific silhouette.
Today was a nightmare. A full on, no-holds barred, watching a Westernized Live Action Anime Adaptation, nightmare. The girl was used to fighting for her life, that wasn't the problem for her. For Matoi, she'd never seen people close to her get hurt...for her sake.
Mr. Aizawa, Thirteen, All Might… and Izuku. They got hurt to protect her and her classmates. No one had gone so far out of their way to protect her other than Mako, something she never had happen before.
Back in her time in the Kanto Gang, camaraderie was a bit of a rarity in those parts. Sure, they fought and raised hell together, but they never really...well, liked each other. Not in the way she liked Mako and everyone in 1-A.
Those thugs never really stuck their necks out for her to this sort of extent. Most of the time, those kinds of fights were done by herself. So to have this happen...it was absolutely terrifying. To have people care for you and see them spitting blood for you and being completely helpless to stop the coming onslaught, it was like being back in the mansion again. Over, and over, and over again.
"Ryuko!"
The teenager was brought back to reality by Senketsu, who sounded increasingly worried due to her silence.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah...yeah, I'm good, Senketsu. Just got a lot on my mind right now, you know? If you haven't noticed, I almost died like...twice today."
"Oh right… Sorry," he responded.
Senketsu looks down, somewhat dejected. Ryuko saw this and patted her Kamui in hopes of cheering him up.
"Hey, Recovery Girl? How are Izuku and All Might right now? Are they doing okay?"
The medical hero turned to her current patient, who was sitting up from her bed and preparing to move.
"Those two are doing fine, the wounds they got are nothing I can't handle. However, they won't be taking visitors right now. I would suggest you wait until tomorrow to catch up, dearie."
Ryuko looks back at Recovery Girl confused.
"Wait, how did you know I wanted to talk with Izuku?"
"I didn't. You just told me, young lady," the school nurse stated to her patient, with Ryuko's face starting to blush a mild red from her comment.
Ryuko said her thanks to Recovery Girl before stepping away from the bed and walking out of the office. She let out a sigh of relief. Everyone made it out, and they were okay. But now she had another lingering thought bothering her. Back when she attempted to take Izuku out of the fight, he committed the reckless act of squeezing her fractured wrist to escape and help All Might.
The girl's head remained in a lowered posture as she walked down the halls. The idea that Izuku was so hellbent on throwing his life away to save people without realizing there were people that needed him in their lives.
"Ryuko? Are you feeling alright? You're spacing out again," Senketsu once again questioned.
"O-Oh no, I'm fi-"
"Don't give me that again, Ryuko. You should be more open with your feelings. Bottling them up will only make you feel worse."
"N-Not now, Senketsu. I… I just need time to think. We'll talk about it later," Ryuko responded with a melancholy tone as she reached the front doors of UA and made her exit outside.
The pain in her chest was going nonstop, nearly overflowing. She could feel her hand grow numb. She needed a moment of silence, otherwise she'd have to go right back to Recovery Girl.
..~~~HLK~~~..
Earlier when she left the Nurse's office and ventured down the hall, All Might and Izuku sat up in the medical beds once the coast was clear.
"Phew, that was close. Good thing Ryuko listened to Recovery Girl," Izuku brushed his hair back in relief.
"Right. I should have chosen the furthest bed from the door," Toshinori responded.
The two stretched themselves a bit afterwards.
"So Midoriya, You never mentioned that you've known Young Matoi for a while."
"Oh, yeah! I knew her back when we were kids. It's still hard to believe we've been reunited after all these years."
"And she's living in the same apartment complex as you, right?"
"Um, yeah. How did you know?" Midoriya replied.
"Principal Nezu told me about that this morning. I was hoping to have a minute with you sometime earlier before the chaos went down."
All Might let out a wistful sigh before continuing on.
"Listen, I know you both are quite close. But don't forget, those who know about One For All are put in danger. It's best to limit who knows about that secret."
Oh crap! Midoriya hadn't mentioned to All Might he talked about receiving his quirk from someone else. This was going to be tough to explain away.
"Well…" Midoriya tried to start. He was so nervous to explain this problem to his mentor and idol.
"Kid? What's going on?" Toshinori pried.
"Um, you see… I was going to say something to Kacchan that would have tipped him off after the battle trials, but Ryuko talked me out of it… and…"
The boy gulped. No turning back now.
"I said I would tell her instead. And I did, last night."
"You what?" All Might sat up slightly to get a better look at his protege.
"I didn't tell her exactly about One For All… but I told her that someone lent me their quirk. She knew I was quirkless when we were kids. I'm sorry, but I couldn't hide that from her. I know she wouldn't tell anyone else, especially when I said even my mom couldn't know," Midoriya murmured. He felt terrible for betraying his promise to All Might. What was going to happen now?
The Symbol of Peace pondered over this information. How would he handle someone else potentially getting to know about One For All? Recovery Girl looked on with some concern as well.
All Might wasn't sure what to say. But then he remembered what Nezu had told him earlier.
"But do try to make her feel welcome around here. She's had a very hard life and it seems she's experiencing far more joy and support than anywhere else she's been."
All Might took a deep breath and exhaled the air out through his nostrils.
"Perhaps it's not a bad thing that she knows something. You didn't exactly tell her about One For All, and it probably was bound to happen at some point given how close you two live from each other. I'm fine with where things stand, but I don't think we should bring her into the know for the time being. I want to try and get to know her a little more before she knows anything else about the shared bond between us."
Just then, the office door slid open. A tallish-looking man with black hair and matching eyes stood within the door frame. He wore a brown overcoat, dress shirt and tie with a fedora.
"Excuse me," the man said as he removed his fedora. He smiled as he spotted who he was here for.
"Hi, All Might. Been a while."
All Might sat up and coughed up some blood. He didn't expect this visitor to be stopping by.
"What the hell? I didn't know that you were investigating."
"Whoa, All Might! It's okay he's seeing you like this?" Midoriya questioned.
"Oh yeah, it's fine. This guy's all right," he reassured.
"Meet Naomasa Tsukauchi, my best friend on the police force. He's legit. I trust him."
"That's quite an introduction," Tsukauchi started as he reached All Might's bed side.
"Sorry to cut to the chase, but we could really use any information you might have."
"Hold on. Before all that. Tell me all of the students are okay. And Aizawa- er, Eraser Head, and Thirteen," Toshinori inquired. He needed to know so his heart could be at ease.
The policeman smiled softly. It was just like his friend to worry about others.
"Not counting this boy and the one girl who had the hairline fracture in her wrist, the only other student injuries were scrapes at worst. And both of the teachers are in stable condition right now. Relax," Tsukauchi said.
Izuku let out a heavy sigh while All Might finally could feel some relief.
"That's good to hear."
..~~~HLK~~~..
-7:00 p.m-
Night fell on the school with Midoriya back in school uniform. His leg and hand were bandaged, but he could move around just fine. He thanked Recovery Girl for all her help that day as he took off down the hallways, heading toward the main entrance.
'What a day! I really hope my mom isn't worried that I'm not back yet.'
He halted his stride at the main steps to the brick pathway. Despite how late it was, Uraraka, Iida and Ryuko stood waiting for him near the benches they sat on the other day.
Uraraka and Iida's faces lit up while Ryuko remained silent and calm, grinning quietly and flashing a quick wave.
"Deku! You're here!" The brunette jumped up.
Izuku's eyes glistened with life. They'd all waited for him to come out of the school to head back to the station.
The green-haired teen joined the rest of the group as they all walked down the hill on their way to the transit station. Fortunately, the trains operated late into the night, so they weren't stuck at UA until morning.
That entire walk, Ryuko remained silent. Midoriya was too busy chatting it up with the other two, but she could wait. A part of her felt happy to see him in good spirits, though she wasn't fully satisfied.
The two of them waved goodbye to the gravity girl and the speedster as they boarded the line headed to Musutafu. It wouldn't be a long trip home. They only had to walk a few minutes to reach the housing complex once they got off.
There was something else going on between the two. A lot had happened to them that day. Both came out of the attack with injuries, but that wasn't it either.
The two finally reached Musutafu and disembarked, taking a short walk to the building in silence as they entered the complex. Midoriya felt something was off here, but why?
Ryuko opened the door to her apartment when Midoriya remembered what he meant to do earlier.
"Ryuko? Hey… you've been quiet the entire walk back. Are you feeling okay?" Deku asked out of concern for his friend.
All Izuku was met with was silence. This wasn't like her. Izuku mildly pursed his lips, unsure of what to do. He wanted to push… but he hesitated. Something kept him back. The last time he ever tried to be a helping hand was to Kacchan back under the log, which led to him receiving a few bruises and walking home soaked.
He began to tremble a little, but he then showed resolve as he stuffed his hand into his pocket. Izuku was scared, but Ryuko was still his friend regardless. Bullies be damned.
Midoriya pulled the red scissor blade out of his pocket and held it out for her to accept.
"L-Listen, I wanted to give this back to you while we were in the infirmary, but now it seems like-"
Ryuko slapped him, knocking the scissor blade out of his hand and promptly cutting him off. Izuku's cheek stung a bit as his eyes watered up from the jolt of pain. The blow sent him backward a few steps and peering down at the floor.
His eyes shot a look of fear, the memory of Katsuki's violent reaction seemed all too familiar now. The boy then looked up to see Ryuko's face, dreading what would come next. But he saw something completely different. Her eyes were slightly wet and she looked both concerned and pissed off at the same time.
"You put yourself into the damn fire so many times today: First, you fight me when I try to get you to safety, then you steal my scissor blade. And to top it all off, you try to throw yourself into the fight TWICE without a plan. Why didn't you run away when I told you to? What kind of idiot are you?"
Ryuko pursed her lips together, immediately cutting off her lecture while Izuku looked to the floor dejected. She struggled to keep her emotions from boiling past the limit.
"R-Ryuko… I couldn't. If I ran away, more people could have been killed…"
"And maybe they wouldn't have. Even if you are right, making the decision to die like that is only something an IDIOT would do. What good of a hero are you if you're dead?"
Ryuko then reached over to Izuku's collar, pulling him up to meet her eyes. The closer he got to them, the more he could read her emotions. She was angry, but it was nothing like how Kacchan was. She was hurting inside. The tears were so close to bursting.
"Survival is the only way, Izuku. Move forward, keep improving on being a hero. You can find a way to make that power of yours work and help people. You can't do that by dying!"
At the mere sound of that last word, Ryuko's tears fell in streams down her face. Her voice halted as she held back from sobbing. What she had just listed off for Izuku, is what happened to her father. The difference here was that Isshin's life was taken against his will.
"I know life has been hard on you… People have beaten you down because of something you can't control. You wanna prove them wrong. Prove that you're not useless. THOSE PEOPLE CAN ALL GO TO FUCKING HELL! THEIR WORDS DO NOT DEFINE YOU! I'm not going to sit back and let you destroy yourself."
Izuku felt his heart sink. For many years, his life had been an absolute hell. He had cried more times than he could count, to the point it was almost a default emotion for him. But the thought of making someone else cry tore him apart.
Matoi released Izuku's collar and then stepped over to enter her apartment, picking her scissor up off the floor on the way. She stopped once the door opened. There was something she wanted to say, but nothing came out. She stepped inward and closed the door behind her, leaving Izuku to reflect on what she said.
Her legs quaked before finally giving out, resulting in her sliding down the door and sitting. Sniffles and huffs could be heard as she momentarily broke down, her emotions were spiraling. She was mad at Izuku, but at the same time, she was already conflicted on her decision to approach that.
Was she being too harsh? For god's sake, she SLAPPED him. Maybe it was deserved for what he did. Or was it? God, could she come to a solution with anything other than her fists? What has time changed her into? Her tears continued to stream as she sobbed.
"Ryuko."
Senketsu's voice snapped Ryuko out of it, directing her attention to him.
"Sorry. I just wanted to try to ease the tension. I know you're upset with Midoriya, but you should talk to him sometime. Clear things up. But for now, just take the time you need. Get it out of your system. But just know that you're not alone. I'm always here when you need me, and so is Midoriya."
..~~~HLK~~~..
Midoriya stood in place, his hand holding his cheek that still singed with pain. Suddenly, his wrist began trembling, a slow ache beginning to swell in the joint.
It was only then that he remembered in the foggy daze earlier in the day that he had messed with her already fractured wrist to break free and help All Might. It was pure instinct on his part, and he could only feel an extreme amount of guilt for doing that to her. He couldn't shake the image of fear in Ryuko's eyes as he left her behind.
'Oh god. What did I do? Why did I do that?' Izuku thought silently as tears welled up. He'd screwed things up big time and he knew it.
He looked back to Ryuko's door to contemplate his next move; the door's aura beckoning him to come forth, but his fear formed a barrier that kept him out. Deku swallowed hard before he unceremoniously turned to go back into his apartment. For now, it was best to let Ryuko be alone to calm down.
Upon entering, he made a quick and passive greeting to his mother before going into his own room, his safe haven, plopping down onto his bed. Sleep seemed like an absolute blessing right now. Except, he couldn't sleep.
Deku sat up and seated himself against his pillows. The irritation that started from his wrist had now spread throughout his entire body. It was clearly about what happened just a moment ago. He would sit and contemplate for minutes, which then turned into hours.
..~~~HLK~~~..
Meanwhile, Ryuko sat in the middle of the bedroom floor with an ironing board in front of her. She placed the iron onto Senketsu, followed by pleasant hums coming from the piece of clothing. After fighting like hell today for survival, he definitely deserved this.
"Ryuko? Is now a good time to talk?" Senketsu inquired.
"Talk about wha-?"
Matoi paused for a moment, trying to think of another excuse. But she remembered how relieving it was when she opened her heart to Izuku. Senketsu was right. It was only going to get worse if she held it in. He was always here to help, and she didn't want to take it for granted.
"It's about Izuku. When he… ran away from me to go save All Might."
"When he ruptured your wrist to break free."
"Well, I know he didn't mean to. I saw the look in his eye, Senketsu. It was faded. Like he wasn't even conscious when he ran off. It really hurts knowing how far he was willing to go to save someone. I don't even know if I'm mad at him for it or not. I'm just…really worried for him…"
"Do you think this has to do with anything in the past? I remember you mentioning how rocky it was back then."
"That's what I'm most worried about. I know he wouldn't think twice about saving someone, but it feels like he's trying to prove himself to the world. I know it beat down on him hard when he was diagnosed as quirkless, especially Katsuki. That damn bastard. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for him to deal with that all alone," Ryuko then stopped for a moment, remembering some key details about the episode she had with him.
"Then I had to go and slap him. Such a boneheaded move. He must be traumatized from the last ten years, and I just brought it all back. I saw the look in his eyes, Senketsu… He was scared."
"Both of you have had a rough day. Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure this could all be resolved after an exchange of apologies."
"I hope so…"
"I'll say it again, you should talk to him when you get the chance. From what I can tell, you've had a similar predicament from all the fighting back at Honnōji. You're the one that can understand him the most. He's a very headstrong type of person, so it may take some time, but I'm sure he will listen," Senketsu remarked.
"Thanks, Senketsu," A faint smile rose on Ryuko's face with renewed vigor. She planned to speak with Midoriya later and patch things up, but she'd wait until the morning after, so that he could get some sleep.
..~~~HLK~~~..
-10 p.m-
The greenette sat for a long time, thinking over everything Ryuko said to him, and what happened hours prior. With all of the thinking, he went through multiple paths in the process that all led up to one conclusion: She was right.
Midoriya had had enough. The past three hours were nearly suffocating. He couldn't stand not confronting Ryuko and trying to mend their friendship. At this point, he was so close to falling into a state of despair.
Slipping on some shoes, he moved out to the living space, asking his mom if she could prepare a quick plate of food for Matoi. He had to fib a bit, saying she texted him to see if there was any chance Inko could make something quick, which she gladly obliged.
It took only a few minutes, but with the food prepared, he thanked his mother before heading back up the stairwell to the floor above. Izuku couldn't waste time freezing up or keep thinking right then and there, otherwise nothing would happen.
Mustering the courage to keep going, he rapped the door three times with his left hand. He waited, hoping she would come out to meet him.
Seconds passed by, but Izuku thought he might have heard some shuffling from within the unit. The door handle turned and slowly opened to see Ryuko peering into the hall. She wasn't pissed now, but she was clearly troubled, something he picked up on quickly. This was it.
"I… I'd like a minute, if you don't mind."
Matoi couldn't help but feel warmth encapsulate in her chest. What she said must have really left him thinking for a long time to come back up. She nodded silently before opening the door and letting him inside to set the plate of food down on the table.
The two teenagers sat there, not knowing what to say next. It was a hellish day for the pair, and what they had to discuss wouldn't be any easier.
"Uhm, Your food is getting cold," Izuku said, trying to break the ice.
"Oh, yeah," Ryuko replied solemnly, grabbing her fork to dig in.
Inko was a lifesaver. Whatever she did to make each dish so delicious, it was like mana from above. Her lips curled up ever so slightly, though she still had that same somber gaze from a few minutes before.
Seeing Ryuko's smile was practically the refreshment that Izuku needed for this draining day. But he wasn't done yet. His mom helped him get a head start, and now he had to finish it.
'What should I say? I don't want to take up her time. It's already so late. M-Maybe I can try to get through the points quickly. Maybe-'
He then remembered the look in Ryuko's eyes when she opened the door. She was clearly tired, but he could see a sense of happiness when he came back to see her.
'No. This is Ryuko. Be serious, Izuku.'
"I know I screwed up."
Ryuko stopped eating. Her eyes traveled to Midoriya, who had a few tear drops plop on the wooden table. It wasn't a stream of tears, but he was hurting in his own way.
"You're my friend, Ryuko. Even after all these years, you've found a way to support me. And yet… I broke that trust. You were right about me being completely reckless with my life. I guess for the longest time, being shut in for so many years… I couldn't help but try to put myself in the shoes of the man I admire most."
The boy took a deep breath. He had to keep going.
"I-I'm not the best at this, especially since I've never hurt someone like this. I…"
"I don't know if saying sorry is good enough after what I did to you," he choked out. "I can understand if you're mad at me and decide to never talk to me again."
It was at that moment that Ryuko closed in and hugged him. It was a gentle embrace, much to Midoriya's surprise.
"I'm sorry for slapping you like that earlier, but that was for being fucking reckless out there," Ryuko spoke softly.
"You're already such a damn good hero, man. You don't have anything more to prove by pulling that shit. I don't want to see you doing so much that you… end up getting killed," Ryuko choked out those last words, trying to recompose herself.
"I'm also sorry for acting out of line. I don't want to hurt you. It… It was just the only way I knew how to make you understand."
Izuku's demeanor softened as if a huge amount of weight had just been lifted off of his shoulders. He smiled, seeing that Ryuko still had her soft side. He must have been crazy to think she was anything like Kacchan.
"I'd argue that you didn't have anything to apologize for. If anything, you just gave me a wake up call. But we'll be here till morning arguing about who's in the right or wrong. So… I'll accept the apology if you can accept mine," Izuku spoke softly, wanting to make a compromise.
Ryuko felt a heartfelt grin grow on her face.
"Deal," She chuckled.
Deep breaths could be heard from the two now that this drama had thankfully been settled. Now they would be able to sleep without worry. But Izuku still had plenty to say.
"Ryuko."
"Hm?" She raised an eyebrow, wondering what he was going on about.
"If I learned anything from what happened today, it's that I still have a lot to improve on. Iida likes to talk about me being able to act under pressure, but that's still something I need to work on. There could have been ways I could have helped without endangering myself and others. You were right. I shouldn't be acting so carelessly. Which is why I have something to ask."
"What is it, Izuku?"
"You're already pretty strong, and I need to get stronger. I'm proposing that perhaps… If you don't mind, maybe we can start training together when we get home after school. That way, something like what happened today won't ever happen again!"
Izuku showed profound assertiveness with his last words. Matoi respected that and couldn't help but smile. It'd be pretty boring to just shadow spar. And who knows how much they could each benefit from helping the other out.
"Yeah. I like the idea. So, how about we start tomorrow?"
She raised her fist out. Ryuko felt a bit better talking things out, and for Midoriya, he was given a second chance.
"Deal!" He exclaimed, returning the gesture.
"Also, one more thing."
Ryuko then flicked Izuku on the forehead, drawing a yelp from the boy in response.
"OW! What was that for?!"
"That was for my wrist, ya jerk!"
Ryuko then followed up with a snicker, which immediately triggered a chuckle out of Izuku.
..~~~HLK~~~..
After he left for the night, something still stuck with Izuku as he laid in bed. It was just like the other night when she talked about her father. Ryuko was still hiding something, and he'd have to get her to open up again. But not now.
There would be plenty of time for that. Rome wasn't built in a day, and getting her to open up about whatever she held silent needed time to happen. Tonight wouldn't be that moment. They had training to prepare for tomorrow.
With that concluding thought, he drifted off with a lighter heart. Better days would come.
To Be Continued…
Buckichamp A/N: YAY! We're through the material from the first season of MHA!
Don't worry, we still have more Kill la Kill material being produced for this, some parts far sooner than you might think. We have a somewhat general timeline for when certain events from KLK will happen in this crossover. But rest assured, shit will go down!
I'll also say this in the vaguest way possible: At some point in the events of MHA Season 2, we are potentially set to take a huge gamble and we won't say what that might be. The only thing I'll say in what I'm referring to, it isn't during the sports festival. Or could it be linked somehow in an indirect way?
I'll shut my mouth before Pikachu or Aduubo decide to kill me (LMAO). But seriously, thank you all for the support you've continued to show us, and Happy Holidays!
Anyway, on to Pikachu.
Pikachu A/N: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFuuuuuuuuuuuck, this was a ride. Like, I did not think we would have made it to 14 chapters by the end of the year. Hell, I'm still surprised we're making this into something bigger. I've been wanting to write again since my time in High School, so I'm glad this project got me back in the motions…somewhat. Still got a few kinks to work through.
Honestly, I'm just glad that people enjoyed that work that was put out. Have a Merry Christmas ya'll. And here's to the New Year…please God, let there be no more insurrections. I'm getting sick of seeing these fuckers in my job. Alright, it's your turn, Aduubo. I'm gonna go make some soup.
Aduubo A/N: It's crazy how much work we can get done when you're actually staffed. Remember to get a good staff on projects or you'll either take forever or never get it done lol. Really proud of this chapter and hope that you guys enjoyed it. A lot of thought was put into trying to explore Ryuko's psyche more since we didn't see that side often in the original anime until near the end. PLEAAASE START A DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS CHAPTER CUZ ITS ONE OF MY FAVORITES THAT I WORKED ON LOL. Anyway, I'm really excited for the future of this crossover as we definitely have big plans for how both Izuku and Ryuko's dynamic will play off, and the comics are going to be INSANE. Especially with the talent I get to work with that is the VA's, so stay tuned for that!
I'm hoping to get the other projects such as the IzuOcha Summer Festival comic dub, and the Mistletoe drawings done relatively soon! They will be uploaded, but it may be a few days after christmas (hopefully not) I've been so busy BLEEGH.
Anyways, have a Happy Holidays!