The strongest warriors were always forged, not just with training and a strong base… But also through defeat.
Musashi had not become a swordsman known as the strongest in Japan, before he had suffered the bitter taste of defeat at Sekigahara.
Kamehameha had suffered a hundred defeats, but in spite of those had never given up his quest to unify his archipelago underneath the banner of Hawaii.
The greatest warrior of the modern age, All Might, had only gotten the final push to reach his potential after losing the most important person in his life.
In the long term, for Akane Tendo's martial potential as a warrior, this fight and the training leading up to it, was arguably THE most important period of her life as a warrior.
It was going to be the foundation she needed to finally grow.
Not that she knew that at the moment.
And even if she did… It would have been a rather hollow consolation for her at the moment, as she sat down at the table her family had shared so many meals on over the years.
It was a place she liked to be, where she felt at ease, that she took for granted.
It was her home.
A home she had, without really thinking about it, been okay with being opened to 3 other people she hadn't really known.
The contrast was so utterly clear, when now there was another person here who wanted to join this home.
One she DID NOT want here.
Her stomach felt like it was tied in knots of lead, as the three of them(Mostly her) had sat down with their parents, and explained it all to them.
Her father's horrified face, that seemed to have lost all color as his jaw seemingly could not fall deeper, could, at any other point, have seemed comedic, but right now Akane found about as much comedy in the situation as in finding out she had cancer.
Izuku's mother had the exact opposite reaction, having gone in the other extreme, having buried her face in her hands, elbows on the table as she slumped forward.
The groans as they talked was a pretty indicator she wasn't taking this any better than her father.
The only one of the adults who was taking it relatively well, was Hisashi, and he wasn't exactly positive either… Looking far more annoyed than anything else…
Mostly though he scowled at her, while looking at the third teenager with a curious expression.
Izuku… Well, she wasn't sure how she looked, with her bruises and with a bandaged, set nose, but somehow she imagined he probably looked similar to her.
Nervousness and dread personified.
The boy was absolutely shaking as he went through his version of events, clearly waiting for an explosion.
Akane was no different.
The main difference… Was the Hole in her stomach.
The dread of reality setting in, and it becoming clearer and clearer as the teenagers talked, that something absolutely horrible had happened… And she would not be able to undo the effects of it.
The feeling that it was her own fault.
Feeling the reality that she was, in fact, a violent maniac who had just screwed herself, and Izuku over by the single most impulsive course of action of her life.
This was her fault.
There was a lot of things going on through her head… But that thought just kept bouncing around in it.
Your fault. This is your fault. You damn, stupid girl.
She had never in her life felt more like a child than she did now.
Not a young woman, on the edge of true adulthood… But a little girl who had to come home and face her father's rightful disappointment.
Of course… The source of all her horrible, self loathing feelings was her polar opposite in every regard.
Kodachi Kuno, despite having her arm in a sling, a massive bruise across her face, and having her nose set just like Akane, looked as proud as a cat that had just killed a hare and had now returned home to her owner with this impressive prey.
As Izuku and Akane got through the conversation with nervousness and lifeless energy, Kodachi's voice was strong, powerful, confident, and utterly affectionate as she talked about her interaction with Izuku.
Finally though, as they had covered mostly everything, for the first time, the black haired woman got an annoyed frown.
"Though Izuku-sama… You could have mentioned that you had more than one fiancee!"
"I… I did! I told you my parents set me up with Fiancees when I was younger… As in several!"
"Hmmm… I suppose you did. I merely understood that as there having been engagements that fell through… But to think… My darling already has 3 wives prepared before we even meet!"
She squeed, as her good arm closed around Izuku's in a warm, proud hug.
"Just like Solomon, Moses or David of old! I was not aware though… That Japan recognized polygamous unions!"
"It didn't."
Hisashi chimed in.
"Until around when Izuku was 4, when we got strings pulled to change the laws to allow it."
Kodachi gasped a haughty, yet feminine gasp.
"To think, Izuku-Sama… Even at four years old… Your parents already recognized you as a stud of a Man who could NEVER be satisfied with merely one woman as your wife!"
Inko slowly sank down, until her face reached the table.
Hisashi seemed… Suddenly proud at that statement, giving Kodachi a sardonic grin.
Akane's father though…
The room suddenly changed, as Soun finally, finally managed to sorta pull himself together, though what he was thinking as he closed his eyes and after bringing up his hand, he coughed.
"Well… I must say… This is an… Awkward situation…"
He opened his eyes and looked at Akane with a look that… He had never given her in her life.
She almost started to cry.
However, before she could do so, he instead turned to Kodachi.
"I… Am not in a position to deny this… Outcome… Not when my own daughter was the one who made this bet… And I was the one who got the laws that made it possible happen…"
His face got a rather Annoyed look as reminded himself that this was indeed only possible due to him and his own political lobbying.
"However!"
His face suddenly snapped into something stern.
"If I am to accept this fourth marriage, I have conditions! You will be moving in here with Izuku after all. And I am still the owner of this place."
"Of course."
Kodachi didn't seem completely pleased, but she seemed to take it in stride.
At least so far.
"The first… Is that I will not allow you to move in here before the Wedding! When Izuku marries my little girls, he will become my legal and economic heir, and I can accept your… Inclusion once the wedding has taken place… Not before."
"That is… Fair enough I suppose."
Akane wasn't sure what Kodachi was thinking, but she actually seemed bizarrely pleased with that.
She was too mentally shattered to actually consider the why though.
"Secondly… The Tendo Dojo and ALL its accompanying lands will be inherited through the line of one of my grandchildren!"
Akane turned to look at him.
Suddenly, for a moment she completely forgot how utterly, totally miserable she felt as her father continued.
"Akane, Kasumi and Nabiki are my children, my pride and joy… The Tendo Dojo will be inherited by Izuku… As their husband, not as my adopted son. I will not accept it passing to you, your children, or anyone else."
For the first time since this miserable chat had begun, Inko spoke up, though she didn't raise her head from the table.
"I don't think… Anyone was going to suggest otherwise Soun…"
Hisashi nodded.
"It would sorta defeat the entire purpose of this union, if Izuku took over this Dojo… And it was not inherited by my third, second, or first daughter-in-law's children."
Akane felt… A sudden relief set in, somewhere deep, deep inside of her.
This term Kodachi didn't seem to mind at all.
"I have no objections to that."
Her father nodded.
"And finally… As my third term…"
Then suddenly, her father's head became a massive, demonic, purple entity with dark clouds and fire breathing dragons surrounding it!
"TATEWAKI KUNO MUST BE BANNED BY LAW FROM EVER SETTING FOOT IN MY HOME! NEVER TO INTERACT WITH ANYONE UNDER MY ROOF, EVER AGAIN! NEVER SHALL HE BE ALLOWED TO INTERACT WITH HIS NIECES OR NEPHEWS UNDER MY ROOF, NOW OR AFTER I AM GONE!"
The temperature had dropped so cold in the room that a glass with water began to freeze… But the cold was immediately undone as Kodachi very cheerfully replied, and made her father's demonic head vanish.
"Mr. Tendo! I can already tell… You and I are going to be the best of friends!"
I
Akane got a stay of execution so to say… As when she tried to talk to him after, he did something he rarely did.
He ordered her to bed.
"Go to bed Akane. We'll… Talk tomorrow.."
He said that last part, in a voice that was very painfully infused with forced calmness. Completely unlike him.
Akane did not argue though.
She wasn't in the mood, nor did she have the energy, and now that she had gotten the worst out of the way… All her pain suddenly seemed so much more real.
The broken nose… Bruises… The splitting and stinging Headache… It all just…
She did not immediately fall asleep… But it didn't take long.
Her dreams were no better, as she fell asleep, tears in her eyes.
I
Kodachi practically skipped with every step… Which was impressive given how much physical pain she was in.
However, the joy in her heart was something that burned out everything else, and the pain in her broken nose seemed nonconsequential and small by comparison!
It was a fire that burned out everything, removed doubt in her mind, every worry in her heart, or suffering of body.
The arm that was intertwined with her own, the body pressed up against her good side as she clung to it, was like a beacon… A small sun… A star that had come down to the Earth… No… Had been SENT down to the Earth.
Sent to HER.
Izuku-Sama for his part seemed a bit adorably bashful, cute in a way no boy she had ever seen had been.
He'd been content to let them walk in silence, just enjoying her company as they walked, but near the end of him escorting her back home, he finally said something.
"Are you… Really okay with this. Me, and… The rest… I mean?"
Her heart skipped a beat, but she blushed as she smiled.
"Of course! I did not exaggerate in any way when I spoke before father and mother. You truly are a man, amongst studs, the likes of which I have only read about in old tales and stories from the old testament! I was a bit… Taken aback initially…"
She blushed even further as she continued, and squeezed Izuku's arm even closer and tighter.
She had been taken aback… The initial shock though… Had quickly worn off, as the thought… A tantalizing realization had come to her.
Of being married to a man who, like the Kings of old, had multiple women who belonged to him, heart, body and soul!
That was what she had been committing herself to… What she had wanted ever since she fell for him as hard as any woman could have!
But the thought that she was not alone… That she was but ONE of several women who would dedicate her life to be his beloved bride with all that came with it…
It was not a thought she had ever had before today… But that it was reality… It had awakened something in her.
A craving she did not know was there!
Not that she had any plans of playing second fiddle of course! She would prove to him that SHE was the best woman for him in every regard!
"But I have no complaints now. I will be your fourth bride!"
It would have been more fitting for her to be the ninth bride… And the thought of there being so was so… Scandalous enticing… But it was not to be.
"I will dedicate my heart, body and soul to you… Darling! All I ask… Is that you do the same for me, as you do for all of your girls! You are not a man who would do that halfway are you Izuku-Sama?"
Izuku's face went up like a traffic light… But he nodded… If rather slowly and stiffly.
"I… I'm not, no. I… I will try to… Make you happy… If… You want me…"
Her stomach fluttered at those words.
"I do! Oh I do Izuku-Sama!"
He blushed even further at that, if such was possible… And the silence returned until a few minutes later, when his cheeks had become less red.
"I… This is probably not… The point to ask this… But… After this school year is up… What do you plan to become? You're… A… You're going to become a sport's star right?"
She saw immediately where he was going with this.
She actually giggled.
'Oh don't worry Izuku-Sama! I have no plans to not support you all the way by becoming your devoted sidekick bride! True, I am going to continue Rhythmic Gymnastics as a sport… But I will devote myself to you all the way! As any good wife should!"
From her info gathering of the Tendo Estates, she had now realized that her fellow brides-to-be were doing the same in their own way! She could hardly not do the same… But she would have to do better!
"I… See… That is…"
He stopped talking with those words, no doubt impressed and flattered that she was so willing to declare and show her love for him like this!
The comfortable and warm silence as they walked, was unfortunately(But not surprisingly) broken as they finally reached the gates of her home estates.
"So! You two actually went through with this madness!"
Her boorish, annoying brother was standing there, looking down on them with his annoying scowl.
The newly minted fiancees both immediately scowled back.
Before she could reply though…
"What do you want, Kuno?"
Izuku said in an agressive, powerful tone Kodachi had never heard him speak before.
Her brother narrowed his eyes.
"Kuno? You are aware that Kodachi is also named Kuno?"
"Not for long, dear brother!"
Kodachi pressed herself up closer against her beau as she too glowered at her older sibling.
"In a year's time, I will be Kodachi Midoriya!"
"Eager to throw away our family name I see?"
"…I think what she meant to say… Is that she will be happy to distance herself from you."
Kodachi felt her angry heart skip a beat at just how in sync she and Izuku were at that moment!
"Regardless of such, that is not going to change the fact that I AM her brother… And now, unfortunately… It seems I am to be yours as well…"
Silence followed.
Both the Kuno siblings could FEEL Izuku's Ki, suddenly rising… Though their reactions were very different, as Kodachi was overwhelmed, and awestruck by the massive POWER the boy was suddenly emanating, feeling it wash over her as she hugged him, while Kuno once again could have sworn that he saw a dragon coil itself, ready for an attack.
Today though, he did not take the bait.
"I think not Midoriya. I have, despite what you might think, not come for a duel today. Just to congratulate you on your match. Truly, I hope you get exactly the sort of marriage you two deserve."
Izuku's eyes for a moment went black, all the green going out of his pupils… But it was Kodachi who acted first.
To his clear, sarcastic belittling of her hubby and their engagement, she felt a flash of searing, burning rage through her head, and she let go of Izuku's arm and promptly pulled out a taser gun from her chest, which she fired in his direction.
Tatewaki Kuno had the reflexes and speed that he could have dodged, but he was so utterly off guard that he barely managed to blink as the metal rods sank into his Kimono and skin and unleashed a good helping of electrical power.
He went down like a crash dummy, though he did not fully lose consciousness.
"Damn… You…"
Kodachi promptly threw the gun itself unto him so it wouldn't get dirty from the ground for when she inevitably had to pick it up.
"Oh I'm so sorry about this Izuku-Sama! Your first visit to my home… And my idiot brother had to taint it…"
"That… That's alright… It is his fault, not yours."
He was so understanding!
She smiled… Then considered whether she wanted to actually invite him in or not… But she decided against it.
Her stupid brother had already ruined the night.
Not to mention, she had something else she could, and wanted to do.
"Well then my Darling… Thank you for escorting me home… But it is time to say goodbye… At least for now…"
She then did the most logical thing in her situation.
She closed her eyes, and brought her head forward slightly.
Then puckered her lips expectationally.
Part of her felt uncharacteristically nervous, especially given that Izuku did not immediately give her what she wanted, leaving her standing there, eyes closed.
Another part though, felt her heart pound in expectation, the anticipation, the expectation of the moment when-
She felt something warm and wet, accompanied by a small, soft sound touch her forehead.
She froze, utterly and completely.
She did not manage to open her eyes again before Izuku had pulled back though.
"I… That…"
She felt utterly stunned, as her cheeks went up like two pink traffic lights!
Izuku looked nervous… Immensely so… But Kodachi couldn't tell.
In her eyes, the shy teenage boy looked as beautiful as if he had stepped out of a romance Manga from before the 21th century.
He gave a weak wave, as he slowly began walking away.
"L-later Kodachi-Tan…"
Suddenly she snapped out her daze, and lifted her hand and waved goodbye far, far more enthusiastically than her fiance.
"Later Izuku-Sama!"
As she waved, it began to really set in.
She had WON!
Izuku-Sama was hers!
I
Akane… Woke up feeling absolutely awful.
Both her body, and her mind. That was to say her mind was a lot clearer now after sleeping off her concussion, but that only reminded her about the reality of it all… Including how much her body was smarting.
Though truth be told, her body wasn't feeling as bad as it could have been.
Her nose… didn't really feel broken anymore.
That… Surprised her, and as she woke she gently prodded it, more out of instinctual curiosity than anything else.
It was… Not broken.
It was stupidly sore… Like a lot of places on her body… But… It wasn't broken anymore.
That was… Weird.
The thought though, was very, very quickly overshadowed by the reality of the situation.
Shit.
She slowly got up, and began putting on her clothes, feeling like… A lot of things.
Like an idiot, a moron, and someone awaiting their execution.
The truth was it wasn't THAT bad… But there was no getting around the fact she was waiting for a coming explosion.
She… She did not know exactly what shape it would take, but she knew the hammer WOULD drop… Very, very soon at that.
The reality of her future was also hanging over her mind like a dark, dark shadow…
The thought threatened to overwhelm her… But at the very least, Akane didn't have to deal with Kodachi
After getting up, she… Just stood for a while, not really managing to muster the will and energy to go anywhere… But eventually she managed to muster the courage to walk out her door.
It was a beautiful day outside.
That… Felt wrong.
She considered where to go next.
She… Didn't want to deal with her family immediately… So she went over to Ryoga's room instead.
She was hoping to get to chat with the boy before… However things would go down, but he wasn't there.
Great.
She swallowed.
Her family it was then.
The more direct route was to go along the side closer to the gate, where she would end up directly at the entrance and through it, to the kitchen and main room.
She instead took the long way around, going out behind the back of her current rooms, and along the outside of the house the opposite way.
There was no logical way of doing this, and by passing this way besides the property's empty sections, she made the trip 3 times longer at least.
Finally though she did indeed stumble onto somebody, who was sitting along the edge of the building on this more empty side.
She froze, as she spotted Inko, looking up over the wall at the blue sky far above, seemingly lost in thought.
She looked melancholic, sad, and just all around lost.
It was… Something she had never seen on the older woman's face before.
It did not last long.
Inko heard her footsteps, and though she didn't immediately snap around to look, she did eventually turn, curious to whom it was who was walking here.
The transformation was immediate.
Calmness gave way to fury, the melancholy to cold anger, and the relaxed body snapped up unto her feet, where she towered over Akane.
She had never really thought much about that before.
That Inko was the tallest person in their home, even more than her dad.
The discrepancy was hard to miss when the older woman looked down on her with a thunderous, and yet subdued anger.
Like Izuku, Inko wasn't the kind of person to shout and scream… Not unless she was pushed past a certain point.
Akane felt her stomach turn in knots, but she didn't say anything.
Neither did Inko.
The two women just… Stood there, Akane a bit frightened and definitely not feeling confident in the slightest, quite the opposite, and Inko with an angry expression, a pot just waiting for the steam to blow the lid off in an explosion.
It didn't come though.
Eventually Inko opened her mouth… Then closed it again, and turned away, and stomped off the way Akane had been planning to use to get to the main section of the house.
Akane looked after her… Then after standing there for a while, she swallowed… And followed after.
She reached the main room, where she heard her father's voice coming from his own room beside it.
Memories of days when she, him and mother had all slept in that room came unbidden to her then, but it was words carrying through the corridors from the exit of the house, which caught her attention then.
"Oh, Mother. You're heading out?"
Kasumi's voice was her usual one.
Calm, serene, supporting.
"Yes. I… I'm going to be out for a day or two… I… I need some time away from… Well, I need some time away, before I say something that… That I won't be able to unsay."
Akane felt her heart turn to cold, burning ice at the tone, and the acideness in it when she reached the part clearly talking about her.
For a moment, as the sounds of Inko leaving sounded down the halls, Akane felt the realization of the truth of Yodoka's words set in.
Things really had… Changed. In a way that she couldn't simply take back.
It wasn't until he was gone though, that her father emerged from his room, and broke her out of her trance.
"Sit down."
His words were simple, but it had none of the forced calmness of yesterday, instead sounding in his usual tone when sad.
Dramatic, depressed, and incredibly dramatic.
The father and daughter found themselves seated on the opposite ends of the dinner table.
It did not take long before her father burst into tears.
"Oh woe! Oh the sorrow! I cannot believe it has come to this! A fourth bride, NOT of our family!"
He slammed his hands down at the table.
"And to think I almost could have nipped this in the bud long ago!"
Akane blinked.
"You… You could have?"
"Yes! When I arranged for the laws regarding marriage to be changed, I could have, and SHOULD have pushed for only a maximum of 3 partners at most being accepted as legal! I thought nothing of it back then, and just let it pass without any specifications… Such a fool I was!"
"You… I mean… There's no way you could have known that I would…"
She bit her lip as she stopped talking.
"Sorry… I'm… Sorry about… This I mean…"
She tried desperately not to cry.
Her father looked back up at her.
"I… Dammit all… This is such a mess… And Honor binds us to accept it!"
He wiped away his tears, though the flow didn't actually stop at all.
"It is going to cause us nothing but problems, and worries, and an inevitable split in "Anything goes martial arts"! I have no doubt that once we're gone, the art, and the Dojo will split itself into two, bitterly feuding halves! Our branch on one side and… The young Kodachi's branch on the other."
Akane… Hadn't even considered that… But honestly the idea of rivalries between her and… Kodachi's… Children was so far down the list of everything wrong right now, that she couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed by her father's despair about it… Even if that feeling was buried under an avalanche of other, brutally depressed emotions.
Her thoughts on that was immediately cut short though, as besides her, a faint… Pink, glowing aura emanated like mist on both sides of the room, starting from behind her.
She was immediately taken aback, but before she could do anything, her father looked up.
"Ah… Kasumi dear… I… Will leave the rest to you sweetie… I…"
He raised himself up.
"I must return to your mother's shrine…"
As he slowly, with a slump, walked out the room back the path he'd come from, Akane, feeling her instincts scream at her, slowly, slowly turned around.
It had been a while since Akane had seen Kasumi MAD.
In fact, she had only seen her, truly, genuinely mad, not disappointed and stern, but actually ANGRY, once before in her life.
The last time she had seen her like this, was a few months after their mother had died… When she had caught Nabiki flat out stealing money from their monthly budget.
She remembered being both a bit scared… But also kinda impressed by the way her big sister had shut down Nabiki, for stealing from their means to live.
Actually having it directed at her though, was… A different experience altogether.
Kurumi's eyes glowed pink as she stared down at her youngest relative.
No, not glowed, they BURNED a pink glow, with the dots inside the orbs of her glowing pupils, two, searing white pricks in a sea of fuchsia.
Her expression was anger… And though there was yet a calmness over her, it was not serene… It was controlled.
Anger, brutal, obvious, and yet clearly on someone who was completely in control of herself.
That made the fury as she looked down on her, with bitter total disappointment, anger, fury and a level of genuine disgust that Akane had never in her wildest dreams expected to see on her sister's face, far more terrifying than just a full on angry scowl and grit teeth.
Akane swallowed, her miserable state suddenly giving away to fear… Though exactly what she thought Kasumi would do, she didn't know.
"H-hi sis…"
She… Honestly didn't know what else to say.
"Morning."
Kasumi's greeting was quick, to the point, and utterly without mirth.
She continued.
"Your nose is healed. It means your Ki control is finally beginning to manifest in a more productive manner. That is good. I'm glad to see that something good has come out of this mess."
Her words did not suggest she was in any way happy about that.
"You screwed up immensely, Akane. You have made everyone here, sad, confused, angry and above everything else, Hurt."
Akane swallowed.
Her sister's gaze made her feel… Small. Little. Suddenly she was a little kid again, and Kasumi towered over her.
She looked down, feeling so… Tiny.
"I'm sorry…"
"You saying sorry to me, is not going to fix anything."
She let the words hang in the air, before she continued.
"Father, is HURT Akane. He is hiding it in large part, because he just isn't the kind of man who is able to raise his ire against his little girls, no matter how much we might deserve it, but he is utterly, completely miserable… But he is not the only one. Because he put aside most of his own feelings of utter shame on the matter and all throughout last night he tried everything to comfort and console Inko-San, who more than anyone else is absolutely hurt and sad because of you."
Kasumi sighed, but as she spoke not an inch of her anger had gone away.
"She has been crying into the night, feeling absolutely horrible… And why shouldn't she be? You bet her son, your fiance, someone who both respects and cares about you, in a bet. I cannot believe you actually did that. There are limits to stupid mistakes in the heat of the moment… And this one went over the line beyond imagining… And rather than admit to that, and seek help for your match from all of us, you instead kept it all secret from all of us that you could, until after you had lost and had to face the music, showing that you have no faith, nor trust in any of us."
That… Was another side to it.
Yodoka had been right about what a horrible idea it was to tell their parents… But Kasumi was right. She could… And probably should… Have confided in her sister about it all.
She hadn't… And that was yet another thing she couldn't take back.
"And of course there is the big matter of the consequences of your stupid bet. The fact that we now have to tolerate another woman in this house."
Akane looked up at that, hearing… Something in her sister's voice.
Something different than all the rest of her controlled anger.
It would probably have been smarter to just keep her mouth shut.
But if there was anything recent events had proven, it was that Akane could be remarkably stupid.
"You… That's why you're so mad isn't it?"
It was obvious… But Akane managed to say it in the worst way possible.
Her sister though… Did not misunderstand her.
She bent over and looked the seated Akane in the eye at a shared eye level.
"Did you think… There was any scenario where I was going to be happy with a fourth woman in this relationship? A woman I did not know, I had never met before, who I'm now going to have to share my boyfriend with? Someone who isn't part of our family?"
Akane… Once again felt like an idiot.
Of COURSE Kasumi would be absolutely furious with her.
She had focused so much on her own, depressed feelings on having to accept Kodachi into her home, that she hadn't considered how Kasumi, the girl who genuinely, no doubt about it, liked Izuku, would feel about it.
"I don't WANT Kodachi in my home. I don't want to share Izuku with a girl who isn't part of my family… I don't want her children competing with my own to take their place as Izuku's heirs. But that is exactly what is going to happen, thanks to your idiotic bet."
Kasumi closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and looked at her with a disappointing glare, the likes of which she had never seen on Kasumi.
She suddenly raised herself back up into her full height again.
"Regardless of what you do now… You, me, and Izuku will have to live with the consequences of your choices. Father is disappointed beyond belief, and wondering if he and mother were a complete failure as parents. Inko will never be able to trust you unconditionally again, and God knows how Hisashi actually regards it... As for your punishment…"
She felt like a knife was slowly, but steadily being plunged into her ribs. Akane had expected it though. The thoughts of punishment had been overshadowed by… Everything else really… But she was not so naive to not understand that there would be a punishment.
Strangely though… It wasn't the punishment that bothered her so much right then and there.
It was the feeling of burning shame, as Kasumi gaze looked down on her with that controlled, yet so utterly disappointed gaze.
The feeling of having let down everyone she loved and cared about.
"Your punishment is simple. We were going to take money out of our limited budget and get your room fixed up this year. It would have required us to really tighten our belts and spending… But that was the plan. Because we CARE about you Akane. I want you to understand that. The reason I am disappointed beyond words with you, is because I care about you. Because you're my sister. My family. But being part of a family isn't about doing everything on your own. It's being part of something bigger, and that requires understanding that your actions can, and will affect other people besides yourself. A lesson you have proven that you need to learn. Badly at that."
"And… How does that relate to my room?"
"Rather simply. Who pays for your food?"
"Um…"
This… Wasn't quite how she had expected Kasumi to take her down a peg… But she understood her point.
"Daddy…"
"Correct. We live on daddy's pension money. That bit of money has been divided between the four of us for years now. We rely on it to live. As a family. It is why I got so mad at Nabiki all those years ago, and why I had to take her to task with the same lesson I am trying to teach you now."
Her big sister gave a rather uncharacteristic huffing sound, that more than anything could have reminded Akane of herself in any other situation.
Not now though.
"I didn't quite succeed in that back then… But Nabiki took my point… As will you. You WILL take my point Akane."
The tone, even if everything else hadn't hammered in the point, made it clear that she was going to broker nor accept ang argument from Akane's side.
Not that she was inclined to do so.
If there was anything Akane was disinclined to do right now, it was repeating this… Fiasco, in the future.
"As for the punishment… It is simple. We are NOT going to forgo all the monetary sacrifices we were all fully onboard with going through this year, for your sake. Tomorrow, we are sealing your broken room up completely from the outside, and it will remain like that until next summer, when we have actual money to fix it. For this winter, you are to sleep in your temporary room…"
For a moment after having rendered her judgement, Kasumi still glared down on her with those pink eyes… Then something in them softened, and the aura began to fade, though her expression didn't really change, as if she was forcing herself to remain physically angry.
"I'll be taking a look to increase the insulation on the walls. Later Akane."
Then… She just left.
She left Akane just… Sitting there, feeling absolute shame burn through her very being.
She sank forwards, burying her forehead in her hands.
It was going to be a long, long winter… And not just because she suddenly felt cold to her bones as she sat there, leaning over the table she and her family had shared so, so many meals on.
Mother…
The thought came unbidden to her then as she just tried to take it all in, the reality of it all.
Kodachi, her family, the broken trust they now all had in her… And the woman Kasumi had mentioned.
Her father's fears.
Mom… If she had been there… How would her mom have taken it?
She didn't know.
But kasumi's words stirred something in her.
No… If her mom was alive… She would never have been able to keep this from her. She would have come to her, bawling her eyes out on the first day, and begging for an advice on what to do
Akane didn't really notice as tears began to fall.
"Oh…"
But… Mom wasn't here anymore.
It was her, Daddy, Kasumi, Nabiki… And her betrothed, Inko and Hisashi… And Kodachi.
She was in her own home… And yet… She felt more alone then and there, than she had ever felt in her life.
It finally did sink in.
The TRUE reality of it all.
The girl sank further into the table, and just began to cry.
I
Inko was not a woman who had ever been inclined to want to get drunk.
She had never been that fond of alcohol, and even less of hangovers… But she was not unfamiliar with the concept.
There had been times in her life… 4 times to be exact, when she wanted nothing so much as to drown her worries, sorrows and shattered dreams in the bottle.
3 of those times, she had been able to do so.
The fourth time, circumstances had not allowed her to do it… And this fifth time, her own body rebelled against her attempts to drown it in numbness.
She knew why too.
The waters from Ryugenzawa had left her quite changed.
Her final, supernatural growth spurt had left her with a lot of changes… But this was a new one she had not even considered might be a thing.
She downed another vodka bottle, one glass at a time.
As she finished the final glass in one go, she sighed, and lifted the glass before her.
No shaking fingers.
There was no trace of the familiar buzz.
She also had no trouble smelling the disgusting odor of alcohol from her breath with frightening clarity.
The conclusion was simple, and clear.
She wasn't getting drunk.
Meaning the only thing she had gotten out of this little excursion to her old bar, was a rather desperate need to pee.
After paying her bills, and making a small trip to do just that, Inko finally stepped back out into Musutafu's light of day.
Strange… She felt like it should be night… But she had only been at this bar for a few hours, and it was still in the middle of the day.
Not sure what to do, given her plan had been to get plastered, and then sleep the rest of the day and night off at a small hotel, Inko began to just… Wander through the city.
It was a strange experience.
Nostalgia at seeing so many places she'd thought would be her home forever… The weird feeling all people had when they discovered something they thought they knew, only to discover it was not only different, but had in many cases changed completely.
The city where she had been born and raised… And every single one of her marriages had crashed and burned, in… Along with her life imploding… 3 times, one after the other.
That thought had come to her when she passed a spot she and her first hubby had once had a date at.
Bitterness from olden days mixed with the new anger that was still very much just simmering under the surface.
She had come here because she wanted to calm down… Blow off some steam while her immediate anger cooled a bit.
The thoughts of her first husband, and the way he'd utterly failed as her partner did the opposite, as it just immediately wrenched open every single thought she had on Akane right now.
Anger at… Everything she'd done, the utter way she had stomped the integrity of her and her baby's relationship into the ground… And the realization that there was no pulling out either.
Inko had long ago put her name to the marriage contract that bound Izuku to the Tendo family.
She'd been happy with it.
She had never, not once, considered how BADLY she might one day wish to break it off.
For her, the marriage pact symbolized a much needed point of stability in the sea of uncertainty and chaos that had been her family's lives since they walked away from her own parents and the financial wellbeing they represented.
She recalled just how incredibly worried she had been that it was Tendo who might break it off after Jusenkyo and its consequences.
That had been a large reason why they had so diligently(And fruitlessly) searched up and down China to seek a cure, only to finally give up after a hundred so-called cures failed to do the trick.
She had been so relieved… And happy, when the 3 girls and their father had not in fact thrown them out due to the curse, but instead welcomed them into their home with open arms.
That joy had blossomed even further as it seemed Izuku began to actually forge strong, mutual bonds with the girls.
It wasn't perfect… Izuku had made his share of mistakes too, one standing out above the others… But this… Entire mess with Kodachi…
It was astonishing that regardless of the big mess with Ryoga and Izuku's fight and the aftermath of it, this entire thing blew it out of the water.
No, scratch that. It was like comparing a small border argument between two provinces with the Sengoku Jidai.
The anger she felt against Akane right now… It was…
She wasn't usually a confrontational person.
She didn't usually get inflamed by anger and fury.
And yet… That was her right now as she walked, a 2 meter tall, fuming, angry, middle aged woman.
Eventually, a few hours of walking later, she felt the growling of her stomach.
The place she decided to remedy this problem was an old, nice little cafe she was familiar with from the days of her old life, her family having frequented it many times.
After ordering a full blown cake and soda, she placed herself by the window, and began to funnel it down, her mood still black as sin.
That decision also meant that she was fully visible for those walking the streets outside.
"Inko-Chan? Damn, is that you girl?"
Inko froze, spoon still in her mouth as she looked up.
She blinked, as in front of her, a woman with medium length, bright, blonde spiky hair, and red eyes looked at her from the side of the table.
The woman was also carrying a baby in one hand, and a bag slung across her shoulder in the other.
It took Inko a few moments before she finally recognized her.
"Mitsuki-San? It's… It's been a while. The… Years have been kind to you."
And they had.
The woman looked no different than she had the last time Inko had seen her about a decade ago.
Mitsuki chuckled.
"Yeah, most people think that… But man, if anyone has changed for the better it's you! I guess that training trip was good for you after all! Mind if we join you?"
Inko shook her head, thoughts about Akane forgotten for the moment at the appearance of one of her old friends.
Mitsuki had been the mother of one of Izuku's earliest friends, one Katsuki Bakugo, who together with Shinobu and Elle had once been a quartet of the usual energetic friend group you found in little kids.
That had been a long, long time ago though.
Mitsuki's body language was like they were recent and close acquaintances.
She did frown a bit though as she took a whiff.
"You… Smell like booze."
"Tried to get drunk a bit earlier. Turns out… Not as simple as it used to be."
Mitsuki nodded.
"Ah… Trouble at home?"
Inko nodded, a bit of her annoyance flashing across her face.
"Like you would not believe… You want some?"
She offered the cake, or what remained of it at least, to Mitsuki.
"Oh, thanks!"
She pulled out a spoon and began eating, offering a spoon to the infant, who despite seeming very groggy opened a mouth of sharp teeth and took a bite, before slumbering down again.
The baby was cute enough… Though she seemed to be rather sleepy, so probably tuckered out for the day.
She had dark, aquamarine green hair, blue eyes, and two, small horns on her head.
Just judging by Mitsuki's body language and how she held her, Inko immediately pegged the baby as Mitsuki's own. She was a mother herself after all. It wasn't hard to recognize.
So Bakugo had become a brother then.
"Cute kid."
Mitsuki nodded as she pulled the spoon out of the kid's mouth, upon which the baby, once having chewed the food, closed its eyes and drifted back to sleep.
"She is, isn't she!"
Mitsuki said with deep, deep pride.
"Mighty isn't really this sleepy normally, but… Ah, well we're not at home. She's so much more energetic when she's with Katsuki."
A dutiful brother then.
That thought… Seemed a bit off to her, given what she recalled about Katsuki, but then again it had been a decade.
Kids grew up.
The two of them began to share news and the like after that, which drastically did lighten Inko's mood at least for the moment.
Mitsuki was eager to hear about their time abroad, and Inko for her part was curious about what had been going on in her hometown while she'd been gone.
Somehow though… Both women seemed to steer the discussion firmly away from their own respective sons.
Mitsuki was far more outgoing than Inko, and not too surprisingly, it was her who was the main driving force of the two old friends' chat.
It was, also not too surprisingly, her who eventually managed to kick the conversation into the topic eventually.
"So… Why were you actually so glum earlier? The look on your face before we came in could have made coal ignite."
Inko's expression stiffened… But eventually she sighed.
"Oh that… Well… Trouble at home…"
Mistuki looked at her with an old, familiar look, but didn't say anything.
She just let her eyes, and silence do the talking.
Or rather the unspoken prodding.
A more self confident woman could have let it go, but Inko was… Well… Not that.
She eventually buckled under Mitsuki's confident, powerful gaze.
"Well… You know how Izuku has… 3 brides to be right?"
Mitsuki nodded.
"Yeah… You guys… Or that Soun Tendo to be more specific, were one of the first guys to take advantage of that law change…"
Her face scowled, but she quickly returned to her more sardonic yet cheery expression.
"I remember when you guys did that… Man, it led to such incredible gossip… Of course I'm not exactly in a position to… Well, whatever. I'm guessing the trouble is with one of the brides, yeah?"
Inko nodded, suddenly feeling her shoulders, which had been tense as steel the entire day, slump, as her face just… Fell.
"Yeah…"
She sighed, letting her usual kind of melancholic reaction to facing problems seep through.
"See… There's been some problems with Izuku and Akane… That is to say, his youngest girlfriend… And… Well… It's… Actually it's really embarrassing. And… I'm Not really sure I'll… Well… I kinda lost a lot of trust I had about a lot of this you know?"
She waved hand in a so-so manner.
"You know I… I know I made it seem I was fully onboard with this whole thing to you, and everyone else, but… Well…"
She sighed again.
"Teenagers do stupid, stupid things sometimes… Things you can't really just… Pretend didn't happen. You… And them… Have to live with the consequences of it… And they don't really think about it before it blows straight up in their face, and they have to face the music."
Inko wasn't sure what Mitsuki's reaction would be… But suddenly her face seemed to become understanding itself.
"Oh that kinda problem! Yeah, I know all about that. Young boys' can be such morons… Isn't that right, Mighty?"
Mighty, gave a sound that sounded something like "Babu" but didn't seem too inclined to respond further.
Inko, though, suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.
"Ah… So Katsuki…"
"Yeah… He can be a real pain to have to deal with… Short tempered, angry, fussy, too high of an opinion of himself… Honestly it's insane how much luck he's gotten with girls given his attitude… But what can you do, girls like bad boys… Especially ones with a soft center."
Inko actually chuckled.
"Izuku is kinda the opposite… He's pretty much an adorable little cinnamon… He's been hitting it off well with the Tendo sisters though… Then today It just…"
She groaned and leaned back in her seat.
"It just… Completely flipped the situation going forward on its head… And he's not even 16 yet!"
Mitsuki actually chuckled at that.
"Well, look at the bright side Inko-Chan. It could be worse."
Inko lowered her head and gaze and glared at her old friend who suddenly had a pretty cheerful expression, like she was in on some joke Inko wasn't.
"And how would that be?"
She said in a cold tone.
It annoyed her greatly that Mitsuki was talking like that, when she didn't even know the actual situation, just guesswork and-
"Well, he could have knocked her up when he was just 14 years old! That would have made it even worse… Isn't that right, Mighty?"
Inko for a moment just stared at her, mouth agape.
"Wait… Is… Please tell me Mighty is your…"
"Daughter? Most people think so, but not at all. There's one more generation in between."
Inko stared at her, the reality of that slapping her in the face.
She buried her face in her hands again.
"Oh my god… He's a dad… He's just a few months older than Izuku… And he's already a dad…"
The thought of Katsuki, the little aggressive blonde boy who dreamed of becoming the number one hero now being a dad, just…
For a moment, Inko imagined Izuku, still just as young as he was now, with the three Tendo girls at his side, all heavily pregnant.
She felt her cheeks go absolutely red.
Mitsuki took her reaction in stride, and actually clapped her supportingly on the shoulder.
"It's not the end of the world Inko-Chan. Trust me, you're reacting just like I did… But it's not the worst thing that can happen. Teenagers do this all the time… And it's not the end of the world."
Inko suddenly raised her face from her hands, just… Staring at her friend's supporting and understanding face.
Then she realized what the Hell Mitsuki was saying.
"I-Izuku hasn't knocked any of the girls up! T-That's not what this is about at all!"
"Oh? Oh sorry, I just… I thought that had to be it. You REALLY reminded me of myself back then."
Inko, face still burning, just stared at her in embarrassment… then turned to the little girl.
"You know… I… I did notice she didn't look much like you or your husband… I just… Thought it was due to Quirk genetics…"
"Yeah, Mighty takes after her mom. Like… All after her mom."
Her face frowned for a second, before she returned to her regular expression.
"Ah, but it is what it is."
"How… How did that even happen?"
Mitsuki snorted.
"How do you think? Despite everything, he managed to score himself a great girlfriend… Well, it's… A bit more complicated than that… But how it happened isn't. He was a teenage boy, Lum was a beautiful girl two years older than him… The idiot didn't use a condom, and here we are."
She clapped her grandchild on the back, in a gentle, but very proud way.
"Oh my god… Wait..."
Her absolutely shocked mind suddenly realized something.
"Please don't tell me he named her after…"
"All Might? Yep. Her full name is actually even sillier, given they slammed together their family names, for "Mighty Invader-Bakugo." Really rolls off the tongue doesn't it?"
"Oh my god… He really is a boy isn't he?"
"Being old enough to be a dad, doesn't make him a man, no."
She gave a sound halfway between a groan, and a sigh.
"Trust me… I would know."
Her expression bounced back quickly though.
"But if Izuku isn't gonna follow my idiot boy… What did he do?"
"He… He didn't do anything. It… Well it was Akane… She…"
"It was the girl who did it? What did she do? Cheat on him? That would explain your reaction…"
Inko actually snorted, though it sounded sad more than anything else.
"That would have been horrible… But it would actually have been way, way easier…"
"Oh wow… This I gotta hear. It must have been a real doozy."
I
It was, maybe fittingly enough, the sound martial exercise that finally got Akane out of her stupor… Or at least up and moving.
For the rest of the morning after her confrontation with Kasumi and her Father, Akane had been… Well… Down was the only way to describe it.
She'd been crying… A lot.
But more than anything else… She suddenly felt alone.
Utterly, completely, totally alone.
It was a feeling she had never felt in her own home… Not even after her mother had died.
It was a miserable feeling… But right then and there, she felt as separated from her own family, as if she was from an entirely different species from them.
It was… wrong. That was the only way to describe it.
She shouldn't be feeling like this in her own home.
And yet she did.
She felt small…
Unimportant.
The least significant person in the house.
Her one other meeting with another person that day after the big confrontation, only served to amplify those feelings.
She'd spent most of the day in her room… Except for one point, when she'd gone to get something to eat.
She'd run into Izuku on the way back.
The taller boy hadn't said anything, so completely unlike his regular self.
It had been… Awkward… And painful.
It had hurt.
When he'd finally walked away, rather than saying anything, it had hurt in another, new way she didn't know was possible.
She'd gone back to her storage room, and other than eating in silence, she'd spent most of the day just sitting up against the wall, or in her bed.
She was still lying in bed, when she'd suddenly began hearing the familiar crack of supersonic martial arts.
For a while she just… Sat there… But eventually, she did rise up, and slowly, without energy, she walked out.
On the field of trimmed grass that covered most of their property, Hisashi Midoriya was going through a variety of martial arts moves.
At an astonishing speed.
Like Izuku when he was dueling someone, he was currently shirtless… Which just made him look even worse than usual, given how much it made him look like Muten Roshi.
A withered, immanciated man, nearing the end of his life.
His moves though, were anything but.
She stared at him as he moved, and though she recognized a lot of them as in the same style as his son… They were at a speed that dwarfed his son, with every single move sounding like a whip crack.
The form though… The sheer power, the control, lack of wasted movements that she, a trained martial artist, saw in those moves…
The speed and power from the blows that hit the air…
Tear the heavens and shake the earth.
It reminded her of dad… Like he'd been in the old days.
She sat down, and just… Looked as he continued, kicks, punches, stance switches, punches, kicks, stance shifts, punches, low kick, high kick, blows from boxing, blows from anything goes, karate, Taekwondo and so many others.
She recognized so many of them, and yet so many were unfamiliar to her.
The dance was absolutely mesmerizing though.
Katas in a rhythm that build, one step upon each other with perfect form and incredible speed.
Then, suddenly without warning, the dance stopped as he somersaulted over to underneath the roof outcropping where Akane was sitting.
The answer to why, came as the rains began calmly, but firmly to pour down over the grass.
As Akane looked at him, he sat himself down beside her, though his sitting position was on his knees, in a more proper way, than her more slouching one, with legs over the side, uncaring about the rain.
"You are in turmoil, third daughter-in-law."
Akane looked at him, wondering if he was serious, but judging by his expression(Which was the height of seriousness, along with his usual powerful voice), he seemed so as he looked out over the now wettened grass.
"...That's… One way to put it I guess…"
She hesitated.
"You're… You don't seem to be angry."
"Oh, make no mistake third daughter-in-law, I am. However, the situation at hand will not be made better by me taking out my anger at you. For you see, you're not a foe on the field, but my future family."
It was the usual, rather odd way of putting things that Hosashi sometimes did.
She would take it though.
"Inko… Didn't seem to agree."
"No, she does not. My wife has far too much personal baggage to be able to overlook something such as this. Also, unlike me, she has years and years to hold on to such a grudge. When you in the best scenario will only live long enough to hold your first grandchild in your arms, your perspective on things changes. It is, logically speaking, third daughter-in-law, not smart for me to be focusing on retribution right now, when what we all need, is to come to terms with the unfortunate situation, and how to move forward."
"...You… Kinda sound like Kasumi there…"
"Yes, my first daughter-in-law also understands the value of brutal honesty. It is one of the reasons Izuku gets along well with her. He understands the value of saying truth, rather than prettying up a bad situation with niceties. He is merely not good at doing so himself. He is far too nice a boy to do such a thing."
Akane looked down.
Her legs were a bit wet, but not as much as one might think… As she found out when she pulled them up over the end and pulled her knees up towards her chest.
"He is nice… But… He's angry with me too…"
She tried to not let the despair in her come out in her voice.
She failed miserably.
"Indeed. He is just as hurt by it… Though for very different reasons than Inko is."
She felt another stab to her gut, like a sword had been punched through it.
"...So… He really does hate me then…"
Hisashi disagreed though.
"No, probably not. He's simply incredibly sad about having to call the Kuno boy his brother."
She froze.
"...Not about… Having to marry Kodachi?"
There was another part of her that… Slowly rose to the surface at that question.
A fear, a worry, and not a small bit of jealousy… A fear that maybe, he really was okay with marrying her… Because he wanted her more than Akane…
Under normal circumstances she would have been able to brush that off… Or make a strong declaration to oppose it as she had before… But not now.
A lot of her fears had not come true… But there was still the potential…
Hisashi shrugged.
"I wouldn't know. Maybe he is angry about that. Maybe he is stoked about living the teenage boy dream of turning this into a full fledged harem."
He snorted.
"Not bloody likely given who we are talking about, but I suppose it's possible. But no… Whatever his feelings on her, my fourth daughter-in-law, it is the brother that has truly upset him."
Fourth daughter-in-law.
It shouldn't have upset her to hear it said like that… But it did.
"You… Don't seem to mind her."
"To be frank with you, I was not comfortable with Izuku marrying more than one woman when this all began."
That, despite everything, took her completely aback.
"You… You weren't?"
"No, not at all. I fully believed, and still do, that the best result you get out of a relationship is between two people. However, the terms were set, and for the sake of Izuku's future, he, I and Inko agreed to them, regardless of our personal feelings on such. We made our deal of our own free will, and honor now demands we fulfill those terms to the letter. With that in mind however, I personally do not regard a fourth marriage as any worse than a third."
"I… See…"
That was… One way of looking at it she supposed.
"So… You don't actually want me to marry Izuku then."
"What I want is irrelevant. What matters here for your relationship, is you and Izuku. Not me, Soun and Inko. It is you two who need to actually work to make up. Or rather you need to make up with Izuku, as he once did with you… Though your mistakes far outweigh his."
"Yeah… You and Kasumi really are alike sometimes…"
She considered his words though.
Make up with Izuku.
She wanted to… But… It was easier said than done.
She tried to consider how to do it.
A thought, or rather a question also came to her mind then. A big one that she had to know.
"Why… Why does being Kuno's brother bother Izuku so much?"
"Oh that."
The candid way he said it…
"You… Know the answer, right?"
"Yes. But you see third daughter-in-law, that is a question whose answer would not mean much for your situation as it stands, unless Izuku himself tells it to you."
For the first time that day, she glared at him.
"You're… You're just saying that to get me to go make up with him aren't you?"
"Yes. But it is indeed an important question. You need to learn the answer… But you also need to hear it from your betrothed, not from this dying man."
That… Was also a thing.
"You're… You speak pretty candidly about it…"
"I am dying. It's just a matter of time third daughter-in-law. I am not such a fool that I refuse to recognize the truth staring me in the face."
It was… Weird, how he was able to just say it like that. No fear, but acceptance either. It just was… Just like how there was not a question that her and Izuku's relationship was… Not doing so good.
"How… How do you think I should apologize."
Hisashi considered, then nodded to himself.
"How did Izuku do it when he needed to apologize to you Third Daughter-In-Law? Seems like that would be a good start to how he would want you to approach it."
I
Izuku felt… Warmth from his lips… Going through his body, starting from there, uo to his head, and down his spine.
It was… Nice. That was the only way to describe it.
Well, that and like his cheeks were burning as if they were on fire.
The kiss didn't last that long.
Maybe 10-20 seconds.
The boy took several deep breaths as their lips separated.
"That was… Way better than I… Thought it would be."
Opposite him though, two eyes, almost like pure green islands surrounded by white lakes, except for two small black dots in the center of the green, that looked both a bit confused and disappointed.
He immediately felt a spike of alarm.
"Oh I'm… Did I do it wrong? You… Didn't like it?"
He felt his cheeks blush even more.
The red haired girl cocked her head.
"No… It was… Nice actually… But I don't think you did it right… My parents didn't kiss like that."
He suddenly felt a bit confused.
"They… Didn't?"
The girl shook her long, red hair, which made her long, ponytails shake softly along with her motions.
"No… They didn't. They… Kinda did it like this."
She leaned forward, her cheeks suddenly red as she gripped his cheeks with a set of gentle, yet firm and monstrously powerful hands as she leaned forward.
The kiss was… Different.
Very, very different, as she opened her mouth and… Her tongue met his.
It was… intense. Way intense.
It… Didn't last quite as long as the first kiss.
But when it was over, both of them were breathing much, much harder than after the first one, accompanied by both of them having faces of pure scarlet.
"I… I think that's a bit too…"
"Adult…?"
"Y-yeah… That was…"
Izuku nodded.
It was… Different. Very, very different. Good too… but different.
His hand went over to her's, which had dropped as she had pulled back, and he squeezed it, which made the girl, half a head taller than him, smile.
It was… A beautiful, wonderful smile.
He felt as if his stomach was full of butterflies.
It made him feel… Happy in turn, just seeing her smile like that.
It was… Something nobody else had ever made him feel.
I
Izuku was doing something he didn't generally do.
He was sitting by the small desk in his room and, for lack of a better word… Brooding.
It was rather uncharacteristic of Izuku.
Not that it was the aggressive kind of brooding, where just cursed Akane or the world for putting him in this position, he did NOT want to be in.
It was the melancholic kind of brooding.
The kind that made you sadder than you were when you began as you started to pick apart everything that bothered you from beginning to end as you tried to make sense of your situation.
And there WAS a lot of things Izuku was sad, or confused, or guilty about.
So many things.
There was of course the thing he'd known from the start.
Kuno.
Becoming his brother.
That… That bothered him on SO many levels.
He knew why too… He didn't need to consider the why of that. He knew exactly the reasons, the origins, and the rather messy but straightforward reasons he hated the very thought of it.
The same though… Couldn't be said about the rest.
There was so much…
There was Akane… The very complicated way he felt about his fiance right now.
The contradictory feelings of NOT wanting to see her right now… And the searing guilt at seeing her so miserable, and not knowing what the hell to do to cheer her up.
All the rest that he couldn't just ignore.
He just… Didn't have the words.
Then there was Kodachi…
There was the way, that unless he was absolutely blind… She was deeply, deeply in love with him.
When he'd first met her that night, he'd thought this was something like the classic scenario of a Hero rescuing someone and they developing a crush on them as a result… And there was some truth to that… but that wasn't the whole reason.
For some reason… He had really managed to hit it off with Kodachi… For reasons he didn't even really understand.
But he had recognized that look in her eyes now that they were finally… Betrothed. Together. Boyfriend and Girlfriend.
He'd seen it before.
And back then… It had made him so happy… Because he had felt the exact same way about the girl looking at him with those eyes.
Now it just… Made him confused and guilty.
He didn't understand Kodachi.
Why he'd managed to win her over so hard.
He hadn't understood the full context of when Tatewaki had been mocking their engagement either.
When he'd obviously been referencing something specific to the Kuno family he didn't know, and crossed some sort of line that Izuku had not seen.
He had seen plenty of that sort of thing before… It was just the fact that this was different… Because like it or not… Kodachi was his family now.
That… Made him feel guilty.
Guilty because he understood that none of the Tendo girls, his fiances, wanted her to join this family… Least of all Akane.
But it was more than that.
There was the kiss.
He… Had not thought about his first love, and what it actually was like to kiss a girl in a long, long time.
He hadn't even considered it before yesterday.
How even during all his intimate interactions with Kasumi, he had never taken the courage and showed her that he indeed did, like her.
But it wasn't just that.
When Kodachi had closed her eyes and wanted him to kiss her, he had felt a moment of the usual panic he often had when confronted by a girl being so forward with him(The kind of reaction Nabiki seemed to love getting out of him), but it had quickly given away to a feeling both guilt and shame.
Shame that he wasn't able to give Kodachi what she wanted… And guilt as the image of two girls danced through his mind.
The thought of them… Hurt.
It felt like a betrayal.
Which was… Silly.
One of the girls in question had screamed at him that she never wanted to see him, ever again.
And yet… It had been her he had been thinking of.
Her and Kasumi.
Which… Just made him feel even more guilty.
Guilty that he hadn't truly moved on and… That he hadn't been able to truly devote himself to Kasumi… Or Nabiki and Akane.
It was so… Messy. All of it.
He had thought he was over her.
He really had.
Right up until the prospect of having to kiss another girl was before him, and the old wounds from that final meeting was wrenched open anew.
Which had all come together to combine with his very real feelings for Kasumi… And his relationship with Nabiki… Not to mention Akane.
Akane…
He… Would be lying if he claimed he didn't feel any resentment at her right now… But it wasn't hate or anything… Just… He had no idea how to deal with her right now.
He didn't know how to go forward either.
Not with any of the four girls in his life.
At least with the first girl he'd loved, it was simple.
He just… Needed to let go.
As if that was something you could just snap your fingers to do.
Kodachi, Nabiki, Kasumi, and Akane… What the Hell was he supposed to do now?
He'd… Had an equilibrium between him and the Tendo girls.
It HAD been moving forward.
Maybe not at a lightning speed, but they had been moving forward on the right track… The path he WANTED their relationship to go.
How the Hell was he supposed to go forward with that now, knowing he needed to juggle his existing relationships with a brand new one… One he had neither asked for, nor wanted… One he was bound to, not out of any choice or failure at his own part… But to save Akane's honor.
His thoughts, and brooding was interrupted, as suddenly, there was a knocking at his window, his main source of light into his room.
He raised his head, and looked, as Akane was softly tapping the glass with the backside of her finger, a melancholic expression on her face.
After he slowly, slowly opened it, there came an awkward pause.
"Hi…"
"Hi… You okay? Your nose…"
"Yeah… I… Don't know it just… Healed really well…"
"Your Ki control… It's… Better now. Still not good… But way better."
Akane nodded.
"Sorry…"
"It's…"
He was about to say fine… But it died in his throat.
He didn't have the energy to lie right now.
Silence returned, before Akane eventually took the word.
"I… Had a chat with your dad… Talk a bit about… Everything…"
She swallowed, but then visibly steeled herself.
"I… He… Kinda want to give you some space, but… Could we… Go out… Not now, but… later?"
That…
"Out? You mean… A date?"
"No, not like that. I mean… The two of us, going out and just… hang out and talk. About… Everything I mean."
That… Was not quite what he'd expected… And frankly there was a part of him that wanted to decline, and close the door in her face, if maybe not as violently as she had back when this situation was reversed.
But…
He looked her over, her sad, but determined expression.
She wanted to make up.
That's why she had come and talked to him.
Just like he had wanted to.
He considered what to say.
"Okay… How about… The day after tomorrow? Tuesday after school? I just… I need to think a bit first."
Akane suddenly seemed relieved… Though the melancholy didn't quite go away.
"Okay. Where… Do you wanna go?"
He had assumed she had something in mind, but apparently not.
He then considered that maybe she had deliberately left it open for him to pick, rather than her planning something out for the two of them.
Consideration and all that.
He was the… Wronged party here he supposed.
"I… Don't suppose you… Like skating?"
End of Part 1