Angel: Here it is, one of the biggest episodes of the anime! A heads up, this episode is very emotional, at least for me if people haven't seen this one—and it's also the longest main story chapter so far so prepare yourselves! There's a specific moment with Katsuki that always makes me cry, and fans will know what I'm talking about.
How much longer till Eri's appearance? *checks episode list* Uhhh...this is episode 23 of season 3, and she appears in the 3rd episode of season 4, soooo...next week on Saturday will be her debut. Because the second movie is a LONG gap away from the first movie. And yes, AFO mainly does want OFA, but like he said, he also wants to make sure Izuka can't become a hero, because he knows it'll hurt All Might. And that was already established at that point in the story of him wanting OFA, so I didn't feel the need to emphasize it again. It's supposed to be the explanation of why the League is after Izuka, that's the point of mentioning her in the first place. And regardless of Izuka's role of season 4, which I'm still not explaining, I'm respectfully saying that it's my choice of what I wanted to do. If people disagree with how the Overhaul arc ends up, that's fine, but I'm satisfied with the events as of now. If it still bothers someone whenever that fight is uploaded, whether Izuka is in the fight or not, that's an opinion I can't take away, which I'm okay with. It's not going to please everyone, I've long accepted this and I know I can't accomplish that. But it was my final say and if people out there think I'm wrong, all I can really say is that it's something I was pleased with.
Katsuki looked over his shoulder again. "...I've been giving it a lot of thought. You got your Quirk from All Might, didn't you? He gave you his power. And Izuka hid hers for years because of how much she cares about you? So there was no way for her to develop it because she was too worried she might hurt your damn feelings?" Izuku flinched as he couldn't say anything...because there wasn't a wrong answer. Katsuki glared at him knowingly, as he could tell by Izuku's face that he was on the right track. "You're not trying to deny anything. Which means I must be right. So say it," He demanded with a furious glare.
Izuku then slowly looked up at his rival with a serious expression. Even if he wanted to...he couldn't lie to Katsuki. "Okay...what if it's true?"
Katsuki narrowed his eyes further hearing this, and it only made him angrier. "When you, your sister, and I were kids, we both wanted to be like All Might. She wanted it too, even though every time I used to see her stupid face, she would always look like she didn't deserve it. But I...had the potential. Then somehow, little nobodies like you were singled out by the person I admired most, and I didn't even realize it. That's why we're here." He held out a hand, gritting his teeth. "We are settling this. Right here. Right now."
Izuku flinched in a little bit of terror. "Wait, what?!" He yelped after hearing this from Katsuki, holding out his hands. "How is that the best way for us to work things out?! No. This is bad," He looked around in a panic, knowing that if they started fighting, they were bound to get noticed. Surely Katsuki realized that himself...but then again, he was the one who brought Izuku here. "We're not even supposed to be at Ground Beta by ourselves. Why don't we talk about this during one of our free periods? We could reserve a training room or something! There's no reason it has to be right now."
Katsuki gritted his teeth, as he didn't want to hear any of it. He just wanted...answers as to what Izuku could do with his power. And why he was picked. "If we fight for real at school, we'll be stopped. Especially by your sister."
Izuku let out a sharp gasp, knowing right then that this was serious business.
"I wanna know what made All Might give his power to a loser like you. Let me see for myself." Izuku blinked at him in disbelief over his reasoning. "Is it because you looked up to him more than I did? And if that's the case...does it mean everything I've done to be like him is wrong?"
"No, Kacchan," Izuku murmured a bit sympathetically as it sounded to be more personal than just because it was him.
"Hey! Did you see what he just did?" Katsuki as a kid beamed up towards the television. "Man, it doesn't get any cooler than All Might!"
"He's always smiling..." Izuku cried while pointing to the debut video after he learned about not getting a Quirk. "No matter how bad things get..."
"No matter how much trouble he's in, he's always the winner!"
Izuku sobbed while her bother and mother hugged her after she showed them her Quirk. "Even when things seem like the end, All Might always brings hope. He's the greatest hero in the world...because he's the shining hero we need..."
Izuku and Katsuki continued to stand there, taking their words in.
"He's the coolest in the universe! Do you think...I can be a hero too...?"
"Y-You really wanna do this?" Izuku stammered as he watched Katsuki stretch out his arms. He then backed away, holding out his arms. He really didn't want to fight the boy, especially after what they had been through with the provisional license exam.
"If you don't wanna get hurt, punch back," Katsuki pointed out while eyeing him and then remembered Izuku's Shoot Style. "Oh yeah, you switched to using kicks more these days, didn't you?"
"Come on, stop!" Izuku protested, backing up some more to give them some further distance. "This isn't smart." Katsuki ignored this and shot himself forward using his explosions, heading straight for his opponent. "Kacchan!"
Katsuki raised his right arm above his head. A right hook? No. I got him like that before. He'll remember. That's a feint!
Katsuki's hand sparked a little and then he threw his arm. Izuku had jumped out of the way, but he didn't go unscathed as he had a small scrape on his leg now. He let out a small grunt of pain. "You know your problem? You're always over-thinking things," Katsuki retorted as he looked up. "JUST FIGHT ME!"
"You're serious?" Izuku stared at him, his energy from One for All appearing. "You wanna spar?"
Katsuki jumped forward again with his explosion, reaching out his arm. Izuku ducked out of the way, pissing off his opponent. He growled as he sent another explosion, this time hitting some buildings and breaking several windows.
"Two students from Class 1-A identified breaking curfew," A security robot stated, as it was programmed to do so when things like this happened. "Contacting their homeroom teacher now. Hey, Eraser Head! Your students are loitering at Ground Beta!" The alarm reported to him, as he was doing some lesson plans. "You're responsible for rounding them up."
"Are you kidding me?" He looked over his shoulder in disbelief. "Let me guess, is Mido one of them?" He then stepped out of the building, rubbing the back of his head. Who else would be stupid enough to sneak out? He came to a stop as someone was in his way.
"You have to stop this," Izuku pleaded with Katsuki. "Why hurt each other when we could just talk things out?" Katsuki glared at him in silence, his hand sparking again. And the look on his face suggested that he wasn't going to listen to reason...not this time. "You were right to look up to All Might like you did! I know just how much he meant to you when we were growing-" Katsuki jumped using his Quirk once more, heading towards Izuku. He gritted his teeth as he leaped out of the way, an explosion right behind him. "I told you to wait!"
Katsuki growled towards him angrily.
"Wait for me! Please!" Little Izuku tried desperately to catch up to him. He was dragging an unwilling Izuka along with him. "Kacchan!" He let out a small whine as Katsuki didn't wait for them. Instead, he kept running with a bright smile on his face.
"You two were always behind me. Our whole lives!"
Izuku held out a hand to him while he was in the water. "Are you alright?"
"Here...you can use this to dry off," Izuka held out the towel further, not stuttering for the first time around him because she was concerned about his well-being.
Katsuki pushed the twins onto the playground, running off with his friends.
"You were stuck to me. I couldn't get rid of you."
Izuku got back onto his feet, helped up Izuka, and ran off with her in tow, though she wasn't happy about it.
"No matter how much I tried, you kept coming back! And she kept pissing me off, thinking she was too good to be around me!"
"Listen to me!" Izuku pleaded again, jumping away as Katsuki attacked with another explosion. And the whole cat-and-mouse chase was really getting to him at this point.
"Stop running!" Katsuki screamed at the boy in frustration. "Stand up and fight!"
Katsuki, the twins, and two other boys were holding game packs in their hands. Izuka also had some new paintbrushes. They opened up the packs, and both boys got a rare All Might card. They showed them off to each other, Izuka standing between them with a small smile. Izuku held out his to his sister for her to hold, her eyes shining. However, she didn't get the rare card herself, which disappointed her. Izuku stared at her as he didn't want her to be sad.
As they were walking home, Izuku gave her the card for her to keep, to her shock. He just smiled and walked off, causing her to stare after her brother.
Later that night, she painted a card with All Might's face and colors on it to give to Izuku, which he gave her a big hug for. It wasn't the rare one, but it still meant a lot to him.
"We all admired him! So why?" He had a scowl on his face while heading towards Izuku again.
"In small doses, pride can be a useful attribute to have," All Might smiled while attempting to comfort Katsuki after combat class. "I'd say you certainly have the ability to become a pro hero."
He then approached Katsuki during the final practical exam. "I know why you're so angry, Young Bakugo. Because of Young Midoriya's sudden improvement, right? And that Young Mido fighting back against you isn't something that you're used to. That she's changing every day."
"Uh?" Izuka looked up in confusion while Katsuki froze in place, his body hunched over.
"But you have to remember each of your rankings when the year first began. It's much easier to level up when you're a novice. Or if you have an untouched Quirk while still learning how to utilize it."
Katsuki hid his eyes with his bangs while gritting his teeth, unable to comprehend these thoughts. Why?
Once he was close enough, Izuku grabbed his arm to stop him. Katsuki then moved up his leg to kick him in the chin, causing the green-haired boy to release him. "WHY?!" He screamed while reaching out his hands as they sparked. Izuku swung around his leg to put some distance between them, gritting his teeth. "TELL ME!" Katsuki demanded again as he fell backwards, his power slowly going away thanks to the wind from Izuku's leg. He then landed on the ground with a small grunt, Izuku panting once he landed.
"Uh..." He stopped his power upon noticing this and reached out his hand. "Hey," He ran up to the boy, which only angered Katsuki even more. "Are you alright?" He asked just like he did when Katsuki fell in the water.
The blond smacked away his hand. "Don't you dare worry about me!" Izuku's eyes shook as he could slowly feel Katsuki's desperation...his need to fight him. "Attack me!" He slowly got onto his feet. "Why won't you fight back?" He didn't stand up straight, instead he was hunched over so he didn't look directly at Izuku. "Why did I end up having to chase after people who were always so far behind me?! Why did a damn small fry like you get strong and become one of the number-one hero's sidekicks? One of his favorites?" His voice broke and Izuku stared at him in shock. Never once...did he ever see Katsuki like this in his life. So...broken and self-depreciating. "You and short stack got so much better, and I destroyed All Might. I admired him so much."
It was then that he finally looked at Izuku in the eye, clutching at his shirt. And he didn't look like his usual confident self anymore. "But it's because of me that he ended up losing his power!"
Izuku could only stand there and listen, as he now knew what Katsuki had been going through this entire time...he didn't think he'd ever witness Katsuki be so vulnerable—he always thought that Katsuki was brash and confident that it made him cool. And now...because he had experienced the Kamino Incident and having been kidnapped with Izuka...prolonging a talk about it clearly made it worse.
"If I had been stronger...if your sister and I hadn't been kidnapped by villains...then it never would've happened," Katsuki confessed, sounding...really raw and for once, emotional. He then wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist, and he didn't dare look up this time. The last thing he wanted was for Izuku to see him crying. "All Might and Izuka know it was my fault, but haven't said anything. Everyone has to know, though! I can't get it out of my head! It's like it's constantly playing on loop! Izuka falling and I wasn't able to save her..." He shook his head wildly, still trying to get the memories out of his head...but they never stopped. In particular, when he visited her in the hospital and she had that nightmare.
Izuku gasped a little at him bringing up his sister and how it affected him during the Kamino Incident. Something he didn't dare admit to anyone...
"The look in her eyes as she needed someone to help." As Izuka was dragged away by All for One, Katsuki could see the tears flying from her eyes as she didn't want to be dragged away. "And yet I still can't justify it at all that it happened because I was too weak! She must've been terrified for her life the entire damn time and it was because of me! I did that to her and I can't even understand why she even puts up with me after all of that! So what the hell am I supposed to do?!" As he cried out that last part, tears were in his eyes as he felt like it should've been him that was supposed to be dragged back there...not Izuka.
Izuku felt like his heart was wrenching hearing this from someone that he looked up almost just as much as All Might...he had no idea that Katsuki even felt this way at all. And he didn't think that he'd hear Katsuki get so...torn up about Izuka, because he tended to not show anyone this side of him. A side that showed...deep down, he didn't want anything bad to happen to the girl, even because of him when he used to not be able to stand her...
No...he's been carrying this guilt with him the whole time? Even more than me. He's been blaming himself. Obsessing over it—over what my sister went through too. I don't think she can tell, but...I think despite what his actions show, he needs Izuka in his life.
It turned out our fight wasn't what I thought it would be. It didn't really matter who won or lost. That wasn't the point. Katsuki looked back up at him with a glare, as if he didn't just tell Izuku his feelings. Even so. I felt like I had to go through with it.
Izuku powered up again, knowing that anything he said wasn't going to make it better. At least, not coming from him. Because he wasn't the Midoriya that could really bring out Katsuki's caring side. Katsuki slowly stepped up to the boy.
Because, in that moment...I was one out of two people in the world who understood how Kacchan felt. The other...well, most likely did too. I could see why she didn't mention it. Because he would've denied it from her. Because...he didn't want her to see him like that.
Izuku stood his ground as Katsuki growled, lunging forward thanks to an explosion. Izuku swung his leg for a hard kick, getting him in the face. He then planted his feet, glancing back. This is actually good. I can see whether or not my Shoot Style works against him. "If I'm gonna do this, I'm going all out!" He announced, earning a smirk from Katsuki. "I refuse to be your punching bag, Kacchan! Let's go!"
He just stared at the boy in silence.
He just needed to vent his emotions. And fighting was the only way he knew how...at least, with me. I couldn't ignore him or run off. Not after everything we'd been through. Our relationship to one another and Kacchan with my sister were totally screwed up. Kindergarten, elementary, middle school, high school.
The two glared towards each other, neither of them saying a word. There wasn't anything to say anyway...
We'd all known each other for so long, but until that point...the two of us never talked about how we really felt.
Katsuki grunted as he sent himself into the air straight forward. Above! Izuku noticed him reaching out his flaming hand. Izuku jumped backwards just as Katsuki hit the ground. That was close! He then flinched as he saw Katsuki looking up at him intensely.
Can't let him think! He surrounded his body in flames while heading for Izuku.
He'll be on me before I land. This is bad! Katsuki gritted his teeth, reaching out his hand again to Izuku up in the sky. Watch out for his hand. He moved his foot as another huge explosion occurred. The blond let out a yell while sending himself up into the air. He then landed right behind the distracted Izuku. He gasped while looking over his shoulder, and his opponent swung his arm. He hit the green-haired boy right in the stomach, sending him flying hard. He coughed up some bile in his throat, hitting a fence. He looked up and seconds later, he swung himself up into the air to avoid Katsuki's attack. He let out another big explosion, and grabbed Izuku by the arm. No time to catch my breath!
Katsuki let out a growl as he swung to throw the boy, but lost his balance and hit a fence. He snarled while looking up and seeing Izuku roll to a hard stop. He then got up weakly.
It's no good! He's not giving me any time to try and predict his moves. Izuku took a moment to recollect himself as Katsuki gripped the bar from the fence. He then slowly brought himself onto his feet. His reaction times have gotten faster. Much better than the last time we fought.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised...that we've both been getting stronger," He gave a small smirk that despite what Katsuki had said, he was still improving. And that in some way, he was helping Katsuki that others couldn't understand outside of Izuka.
"What're you smiling about, huh?!" Katsuki demanded while flying himself forward. He gave out another explosion, knocking back Izuku. He slid onto the ground, looking up with a small wince. "I thought you weren't gonna be my punching bag!"
"I'm not!" Izuku snarled back as he raced forward.
"I bet you've got some kinda plan up your sleeve," The blond growled, bringing his hands together to let out a bright light. Izuku grunted while shielding his eyes. He looked up, only to get punched in the face. "That's one of the things I hate most about you!" He sent another explosion and it caused Izuku to fly into the air. "I can never tell what you're thinking."
Izuku let out a small cough as he couldn't move at the moment.
"No matter how much I beat you up, you keep coming back! No matter how many times I see your sister's face, I can't decide whether or not I wanna punch it!" Katsuki yelled up at him. "It's obvious you've both always looked down on me. Even when we were kids!"
Izuku gasped sharply as he opened his eyes, realizing that his attempts to help Katsuki...he took it in a different way. And that...he was confused on how to treat Izuka ever since he learned she didn't use her power. He could tell that frustrated Katsuki to no end sometimes...to the point where he would take it out on her. And it didn't help that she fought back nowadays, which only made him angrier because she wasn't the mouse he thought her as.
"You both think you're better than me." Izuku slowly slid to a stop. "But if you seriously believe you're gonna surpass me as a hero, even with your new power, you better think again, Deku!"
"...Wait," Izuku murmured as he could only stare, flabbergasted. "Is that what you actually believed? All this time?" He then straightened up, looking towards the ground. It upset him that Katsuki went to wild assumptions over his actions that weren't meant to be taken as a bad thing... "Think about it, Kacchan. If we looked down on you, we wouldn't want anything to do with you anymore. Izuka wouldn't think that lowly of you—not even before UA, did she ever tell me she hated you," He then clenched a fist while Katsuki flinched, looking at him wide-eyed. "But I'm still here. I noticed things you couldn't all these years because I had nothing at first. Izuka had her Quirk, but she wouldn't use it in front of me. I was all she had as a friend and vice versa." He then looked up bravely. "There were things I myself hated about you, sure. But I could clearly see how amazing you were. And she did eventually too!" Katsuki didn't look flattered at all to hear it. "You had so much going for you that we didn't have." He powered up again, alarming the blond. Izuku then ran up to him. "All Might was my hero, but you and her were the ones actually in my life!"
Katsuki's eyes slowly widened eyeing his opponent. He's faster than before.
Izuku leaped up into the air, swinging his leg for another kick.
Because I was so emotional, I lost a bit of control. I'd been focusing on keeping my Full Cowling at five percent power the entire time. But I didn't realize how much stronger my body had gotten thanks to all the training and testing.
I can't dodge. Gotta block! Katsuki held up his arms.
My continuous whole-body limit had been raised to 8 percent!
He then thought of himself running after Katsuki again as a child. "I thought you were incredible, Kacchan. I wanted to see...what'd you become!" He swung his leg down, Katsuki catching it with a grunt. "That's the reason...I kept chasing after you!"
I wasn't prepared for this new level of speed.
Izuku then knocked away Katsuki with his leg, earning a grunt.
Going from a continuous five percent to eight percent isn't a dramatic change in the long run. He watched Katsuki slide to a stop. But with that slight difference, just for an instant...
"That's the reason...I kept chasing after you!" Izuku's words echoed in Katsuki's head, a scar now on his left arm. He panted as he couldn't believe what he heard. At this point, Izuku wasn't even chasing him anymore...
You passed me.
He looked up and used an explosion to send his entire body forward. Izuku headed straight for him using One for All. Both of them ducked as they slid past each other. The two let out a yell as they turned around to attack. Izuku managed to get a hit, causing Katsuki to stumble backwards. The green-haired boy then ran up, spinning around with his power surrounding him. Once he was in front of his opponent, he stopped and swung a leg towards Katsuki. Which the blond barely dodged as he stepped out of the way, Izuku's shoe right in front of his face. Katsuki reached out his hand to send an explosion right to Izuku's face. He yelped in pain as the next explosion caused both of them to fly back several feet. Katsuki looked up in a panic.
My timing was off on that hit! He kicked into a higher gear. He saw Izuku sliding back and then advancing towards him again. His eyes widened towards Izuku.
"Is that all you've got?!" He challenged and Katsuki stood up with a growl. He yelled furiously while looking up at the boy. I'd never admit something like this to your face. But the truth is...
"Can't you see?" Izuku clenched a fist. "That's why I wanna beat you! Because you're amazing!"
The two boys screamed as they got closer and closer to each other.
When I get riled up and my desire to win surpasses my desire to save someone...without meaning to, I start talking like you. You're so mean sometimes. And I hate it. But my idea of victory is so tied to the image of you in my head... Izuku then jumped up once more. That in those moments, I can't help but imitate you! And I'm sometimes even grateful for how you help change my sister, even without her realizing it! Because she's sometimes like you, and it makes me wanna see her more as a hero! Katsuki also sent himself up into the air, holding up his arm.
I've got the upper hand in the air.
I didn't jump without a plan. Both of them stared each other down while heading for the other. Katsuki snarled up at him, and Izuku did the same. Kacchan thinks he's got a strong handle on my new Shoot Style. But I'm not nice enough to let him pummel me...just to relieve a little stress! Once the two boys were close enough, they kept their hardened looks. The only reason I'm using my kicks is so my arms don't get too abused. But I never said I couldn't use them at five percent. His arm sparked, shocking Katsuki since up until now, Izuku had mainly used his legs. You're the best. That's why I want to defeat you! He then punched Katsuki so hard in the face, he drew blood.
Toshinori pointed towards the camera. "Now...it's your turn..."
I have to, in order to meet the expectations that All Might has for me!
Katsuki let out a growl, remembering what Izuku said.
"I'll work until I have full control of this borrowed Quirk. And I'll finally beat you with my own power!"
A fierce glow came from his eyes as he glanced up. "I...won't lose to youuuuuu!" He grabbed Izuku by the shirt and then kicked him off. He held up his hand, and it sparked. A large explosion sent them both into the ground. The two were panting as Katsuki had him pinned down, out of breath. Izuku let out a cough and Katsuki pressed his foot harder against the wrist. He kept his grip on the boy to ensure that he wouldn't move. "That's it. We're done here. I won this fight," He panted out, as he didn't wanna hear another word or let Izuku get the upper hand on him. "You have All Might's power, but even using his strength, even after making it your own, somehow you still managed to lose to me." He took another breather while staring down Izuku, holding him by the face as well. "...Why? How could you lose?" He tightened his grip, disappointed by Izuku not putting up more of a fight.
"NO!" A female scream was heard as Izuka lunged forward towards them, having used a shooting star to give herself a boost. The two stared at her in shock but didn't even have time to register it as she raised her arms. "Jupiter...Wind!" She then moved her arms down to send a strong gust of wind and water, wind on the left and water on the right. It was just enough to Katsuki flying backwards onto the ground while Izuku slid backwards. She landed safely, panting heavily. Both of them slowly caught their breath, wondering how she knew where to find them, but didn't have time to dwell on it.
"Izuka!" Her brother blinked at her, but she didn't react to this. She was still kneeled over, sweat dropping from her face. They couldn't see her expression at all.
"The hell are you doing here?!" Katsuki growled as he sat up a little. "This has nothing to do with you!"
"It does!" She screamed and they both gasped once the girl looked up, revealing tears in her eyes.
"Stop this right now. Both of you," Toshinori warned as he stepped up behind her. "I'm sorry. But I heard what you've said."
Katsuki stood up in surprise to see him. "All Might..."
"When'd you get here?" Izuku asked weakly from his spot.
He didn't say anything at first, and neither did the crying Izuka. Just based on how out of breath she was, she had just gotten there. "I didn't notice before. I should have," Toshinori murmured as he walked up further.
"It's too late now," Katsuki dismissed while turning away. "...Why did you pick Deku and Izuka?" Both of them flinched at the question. "It started when the sludge villain came, didn't it? So why them?"
"He was powerless," Toshinori explained as Izuka let out a small sniff. "And she hadn't used her Quirk to spare him. But still more heroic than anyone else. That display of power she had was enough to show me that somewhere in there was someone wanting to reach out and be a hero. I knew you were strong. That much was obvious. You were someone who could already fight. So I decided that they should have the chance to stand in the ring."
Katsuki gritted his teeth angrily, Izuka's eyes saddening a little as she didn't know what to say to him...he was already the strongest in middle school, and his grades were very high. So even though he didn't need to be noticed...he wanted to be.
"But now you know I'm weak too. I always wanted to be like you, which meant being as strong as possible." The twins both stared at him once again showing his vulnerability. "But look what I did to you both. Because I'm not good enough."
Her eyes slowly widened at him as she glanced to her shoulder scar. Like Izuku, she had no idea he felt this way...not like he wanted to tell her anyway. It made much more sense...why he dismissed it when she asked. Because it wouldn't have helped coming from her when he had to be reminded of how she got hurt. Although to her...that was exactly why she offered it. Because both of them had been through a lot together being kidnapped.
Toshinori came to a stop in front of him. "This is not your fault, Young Bakugo. I was always going to lose my power. You couldn't do anything to change that." Katsuki's eyes shook as they were shut...as if he didn't want to believe it. "You are strong. But I focused too much on your physical strength, and overlooked what was important." He then gently grabbed the side of Katsuki's head. "This isn't your burden..." He brought Katsuki into a light hug, looking down at him. "I apologize. Sometimes I forget that you're children."
Katsuki shoved him away as he didn't accept this...not when the feeling of guilt was still too great for him. Izuka noticed this and slowly stepped up towards the two. Toshinori watched the girl as she bent down to hug the both of them, to their shock.
"Please listen to me, both of you. What happened to me isn't anyone's fault. I was the one who made the decision to help Mr. All Might and wouldn't listen to him. So...you two shouldn't be fighting because of me...!" She cried out while gripping onto their shirts. The poor girl was shaking once they took a good look at her. Considering that she was a topic bound to come up, it was no wonder why she felt like she couldn't face them right now. And on a technical level, she was a reason why the both of them were fighting.
"Big sister..." Izuku murmured and looked away briefly.
Katsuki's expression turned into a small frown as they saw how much stress learning about their intentions caused her on the way over. "Izuka..." He whispered to himself.
"Just please stop...both of you are so important to me. I don't wanna see either of you get hurt...and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I caused all of this between you two," She confessed through her crying. "But it was the only thing I could do...and I know it's selfish to ask, but...please don't hate me for what I did. I know I shouldn't have done it, but I didn't think until after the exam that I made the wrong decision...and I don't even know if I should take it back anymore..."
Izuku's eyes saddened at his sister, hooking an arm around her waist. Like with Tsuyu...he felt terrible bringing this kind of emotional pain for Izuka. "I could never hate you, Izuka. You were just trying to survive and help All Might even when I was worried sick about you. And I'm sorry...that I couldn't save you at all during everything..."
"Don't blame yourself for something that you didn't cause. You should be hating me anyway..." She blinked while looking up at Katsuki, but he wasn't facing her direction. "Because of me, you got hurt...and I can't stop thinking about what would've happened if I had saved you in time. I failed you."
"Katsuki..." She whispered sadly for him that he blamed himself for something that she did.
"I know what you're gonna say, but that doesn't mean it's true," He whispered bitterly while looking away. "I let this happen...caused you to feel like this when you didn't even do anything wrong!" He then gripped her shoulders tightly and she flinched, finally seeing his tears and his softer side. "So don't you dare cry over something I did! Because I hate seeing it...all I care about is that you're okay!"
Her eyes slowly widened upon witnessing it for herself... Katsuki...he looks...more like a person right now. Even though he's going through a lot...it's a rare time that I get to see him this way. A side that I knew was in there ever since the Sports Festival.
"Kacchan..." Izuku murmured in both shock and sadness.
"...Silly Katsuki," She smiled, the two boys looking at her in shock for her reaction. She reached out to wipe his tears with his thumbs and he stiffened. "You need to be okay too before it's even about me or anyone else."
He grunted a little, gently pushing her arms away. "Knock it off."
Toshinori gave the three a small smile for the girl managing to get some of her own closure. "After being a hero for so many years, you learn a few things. Striving to be the best, like you, Young Bakugo. And caring deeply about people—about rescuing those in trouble, like you, Young Midoriya. To see an ounce of good in others and lift them up, even those who don't treat you the way you intended...and yet to mix all of those things together like you, Young Mido. All of those feelings are necessary in a hero. Otherwise, they'll never truly be able to represent justice. That's why you admire his strength so much, Young Midoriya. And why you look up to him, Young Mido, and started to believe in his ideals. And I know that's why you've always feared his heart and spirit, and her compassion, Young Bakugo. Now that you've laid your feelings out on the table...maybe you three can understand each other. If you have mutual respect and focus on making one another stronger...I've no doubt you'll become the ultimate heroes, winning, saving, and respecting people all at the same time."
The three looked up and then glanced at one another while listening to him. "...Dammit," Katsuki muttered, looking towards the ground. "That's not what I wanted to hear," He then sat back down, his eyes shaking.
"Hm..." Izuka hugged them both again. "Thank you...you were why I managed to keep fighting. Because all I thought about was you and what you guys would do."
"I'm just glad that nothing else happened..." Izuku wrapped an arm around her.
"Yeah, yeah," Katsuki turned away, eyes closed. Though he didn't return the hug at all, which she expected. "And stop hugging me so much...You." He pushed her away, hiding his face from all of them. Izuku looked at him in alarm. "You had the strongest guy in the world laid the groundwork for you. Don't you dare lose again."
"...I'll work harder...so that I can beat you," Izuku looked up while letting go of his sister.
Katsuki just let out a large sigh in response, looking up. "Okay, so talk. Who, other than Izuka, knows about you two?"
"Recovery Girl and Principal Nezu do. As far as students go...only you," Toshinori revealed as Izuka wiped her face to recollect herself.
Katsuki put a hand over his hair. "And you don't want this to get out. Cause that would be bad. Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." Izuka let out a shocked sound while staring at him...he was gonna keep their secret just like that? Not even a condition or anything... "I won't tell anyone what's going on. Unlike Deku and Izuka, I can keep my mouth shut. This will stay between us."
I was the one who DIDN'T want Izuku to tell you Izuka gave him a blank look.
"Thanks, Kacchan..." Izuku murmured gratefully at him.
"I don't deserve this," Toshinori revealed softly, as he was lucky that Katsuki was even doing this. "I should be down on my hands and knees begging for you to keep this secret for me. Yet here you are, being considerate and helping me out. Thank you."
Katsuki got onto his feet. "I'm not doing this for you. It would just be a real pain if this got out and messed stuff up."
"Now that it's come to this, I can explain what happened between me and the Young Midoriyas. That's only fair. And...it's also fair...that I tell you what's been the League's true intention with you," He looked down at Izuka, who flinched in alarm. She glanced towards Izuku in confusion by what he meant. After his talk with All for One, he couldn't keep it a secret anymore.
And so, All Might told Kacchan the whole backstory. About the power passed down through generations in order to be used against great evil. About how he used that power to become the Symbol of Peace. About how he wanted Izuka to be the Symbol of Light. How he was gravely injured, which limited his strength. And...how he chose his successor.
He also told the three of us about everything going on from the rumors investigation. About how I was suspected to have my Quirk in the hands of the villains from a phone in the trash. A phone that none of them knew how it got there. About how I was being targeted because the same great evil wants to snuff me out before I become my own symbol. About how he couldn't tell me All for One's intentions because I had enough going on in my life. And...the three of us had to process it.
The four of them slowly started to walk back towards the dorms. Izuka stood behind Toshinori, and she didn't have any expression. Or at least, no one could see it. He glanced over his shoulder at her and then looked back up ahead. "I hope you understand...I didn't keep this from you to hurt you. It was because I needed to get the truth myself."
"...No," She murmured after a few seconds, sighing heavily. "I get why you did it. But no more big secrets like that. At least I know what to expect..." And...well, she had Katsuki when the rumors were spreading. So she felt like...she'd be okay since she knew the truth. And after hearing Toshinori out, she knew why he couldn't tell her. Between the Sports Festival, finals, Hosu Incident, Kamino Incident, and the recent provisional licensing exam...the fact that All for One was trying to prevent her from becoming a hero would've put a lot of fear and doubt in her mind when she was moving away from that in her social life.
"Deal," He chuckled a little to lighten the mood.
"If any of this got out, people'd be confused, and they'd start wondering where the power is and whether or not they could even trust Izuka," Katsuki spoke up, glancing at Izuku in a scolding way. "You idiots. What were you thinking when you first told me about it?"
"Mm..." Izuku gave a small frown, holding his side.
"I didn't know about the All for One thing until now, and I never wanted Izuku to tell you about his Quirk," Izuka muttered loud enough for him to hear. "Stop acting like I did."
Katsuki let out a small grunt. He felt like he had to blame her because...
"I don't need you to try and protect me!"
Well, the obvious.
"It was my own choice to use up the last of my abilities. I said this earlier, but...that was in no way your fault. Neither was it your fault that Young Mido decided to help me, or that All for One got her involved," Toshinori spoke up to Katsuki.
Yeah. Sure.
"It doesn't change what I have to do," Katsuki stated, getting their attention.
"I'm gonna end up being the number-one hero no matter what!" He glared over his shoulder at All Might.
Toshinori gave him a small smile. "True. You're right about that."
"Things aren't gonna be the same, though, Deku," Katsuki glanced at the boy. "You got that?" Izuku looked up at him in surprise. Izuka glanced over her shoulder. "You've been watching me and everyone around you, absorbing what you see to get stronger. Well, I can do the exact same thing and keep getting better myself. I'll go higher than even you, Chosen One."
Izuku gasped at this and then looked away in thought. "Right...then I guess I'll just have to be better than that."
"You what?" Katsuki demanded, though was still confused.
"I have to go higher than you!" He clenched his fists in determination.
Katsuki let out an annoyed grunt. "Dammit, nerd! I just said I was gonna be the one to surpass you!"
"I know! And now I'm saying that I'm gonna go beyond that level!"
"What?!" Katsuki yelled, and seeing them like this caused Izuka to giggle at them. Toshinori looked back up ahead knowingly.
They've become proper rivals now. In a way that they weren't before.
"Izuka!" Izuku looked up ahead towards her. "Won't I get ahead?"
"Don't answer that, you should be cheering for me!" Katsuki yelled and she looked up in exasperation. At this point, she was fairly tired of the whole 'two boys wanting her to choose their opinion' thing.
"Oh my god, I am NOT getting involved in another dick-measuring contest! So the both of you should figure that out on your own, PLEASE!" She yelled in a bit of annoyance, but they started to push her to make a decision. However, she was ignoring them as they walked. Shoto and Inasa were already like this when she worked with them, and she did not need the same experience so soon.
"Wait, who the hell got you in a what?!" Katsuki shouted angrily, causing Izuku to wince.
"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding, Kacchan…"
"The hell it's not, tell me who's next on my murder list!"
Toshinori smiled towards the three.
The secret between me, Izuka, and All Might...became a secret the four of us shared.
A secret I felt like I could feel comfortable talking to him about eventually since I couldn't say anything to anyone like Ochaco or Momo for obvious reasons.
And then...
As soon as Izuku, Katsuki, and Izuka came back to an office, they were met with a tight scarf around their bodies. And they already had bandages on their injuries—mostly Izuku and Katsuki. Izuka was almost healed from the provisional licensing exam.
"You fought the night you finished the preliminary hero licensing exam?" Mr. Aizawa demanded from his students. And he looked pissed off. "I'm glad to see that you two have so much energy."
"Aizawa, wait!" Toshinori protested towards him. "Hold up with those restraints. It's my fault that they sparred in the first place—well, mostly the boys."
"Huh?" Mr. Aizawa's eye twitched while glancing at him.
"Midoriya and Bakugo," He gave a small sigh. "Why am I not surprised to hear that? Although my money was on Mido, to be honest. I understand they're at the practice field," He walked down the steps to meet Toshinori.
"Yes. I wanted to catch you before you went. I've known those two since before they came to UA. And I've given the pair quite a bit of thought, Mido too. Will you leave them to me for now? I'll bring them back."
"...Fine," The homeroom teacher relented and walked away. "I'll be waiting in the office. But I won't be lenient."
Toshinori stared at him and then let out a huge sigh of relief. Once Mr. Aizawa was out of hearing distance, he pulled out his phone to call someone. And it was of course Izuka, who was still awake. She heard her phone buzz and glanced towards it to see Toshinori calling.
"Huh? Mr. All Might...?" She picked it up in confusion and then answered the call. "Hello?" As he listened to what he said, she let out a sharp gasp. A few seconds later, her phone fell to the ground. She then jumped off the balcony, summoning a flying star and taking off. She narrowed her eyes in determination as she flew as fast as she could.
'Katsuki feels like he couldn't do anything to prevent me from fighting All for One...I knew something was wrong, what an idiot I was being! Hang on for me, guys!'
Mr. Aizawa turned back to the trio. "Your fault? And how is that?"
The three students all yelped as he tightened his hold on the scarf. And plus, they were a bit concerned that Toshinori was taking responsibility for them. He then went up to Mr. Aizawa's ear so that the three didn't hear. "It seems that Young Bakugo has been feeling like he was responsible for my retirement and Young Mido's fight with All for One. He had to face the licensing exam with those pent-up emotions and then his inferiority complex exploded and this happened. And he had to face his confused feelings towards Young Mido as well. It's all because I didn't realize I was being negligent. This whole fight was brought about because of the failure of his teacher."
Mr. Aizawa gave a small hum after hearing this. He had a similar feeling when Katsuki and Izuka were kidnapped. In a way, he failed them too. He then released his hold on the three, the scarf still around them. "I understand that they felt they had to break the rules. But this isn't something I can just ignore," He had a scary look on his face as he still wasn't pleased that this happened. "There must be a suitable punishment. Who threw the first punch?"
"I did," Katsuki answered while looking away.
"I also went pretty hard," Izuku admitted to their teacher. "It wasn't just him..."
"Mido," She winced from her name being said as the man turned to her. "Were you involved with this fight at all? Even if you played a part in the reason why, that does mean you're a factor for not speaking on this sooner."
"A-ah..." She scratched her cheek nervously. "Well-"
"She showed up after we were done," Katsuki interrupted, the girl doing a double take. "She didn't throw any punches at all."
"Huh?" She murmured in disbelief that he was so quick to lie and say she didn't. Toshinori blinked at him in shock, as did Izuku. The blond didn't look towards any of them.
"And why should I believe you?" Mr. Aizawa narrowed his eyes a bit. "You always seem to defend her. And her brother isn't reliable either. You act like you two are dating or something. Is that a correct theory?"
"What-no, it is not like that all, Mr. Aizawa..." Izuka turned away in embarrassment, Katsuki gritting his teeth a little. He would yell out in agreement with her, but they were already in enough trouble as it is. Plus, it would be just as embarrassing...
"Come on, the girl's been through enough," Toshinori spoke up to defend her. "She had to stop her brother and her friend from making things worse."
"And I'm telling you that she didn't do-"
"I only attacked once I got there," Izuka interrupted the blond, who looked at her wide-eyed. "I used my Jupiter Wind, but that was it." She looked straight up ahead at the teacher, as she didn't feel right lying to him. Why Katsuki had no problem doing it was beyond her. She was already having to retake the provisional licensing exam, she'd rather be honest and possibly take another punishment than to lie and not regain her teacher's trust.
"What are you doing?!" Katsuki growled silently at the girl, turning to Mr. Aizawa. "Don't listen to her, she doesn't know what the hell she's talking about!"
"Why are you lying to him?" Izuka whipped around to the boy and didn't wait for an answer, turning to Mr. Aizawa and gesturing to herself. "Don't punish them, I'm part of the reason why they're fighting too! I take full responsibility for their actions. I...I even had a small suspicion that something like this could happen, but I wanted to believe that they wouldn't do something like this. I saw Katsuki talking to him earlier."
"No she doesn't!" Katsuki screamed in anger at this. "Shut up!"
"ENOUGH!" Mr. Aizawa interrupted, both of them closing their eyes shut as his eyes were red. Izuku looked very nervous at the two of them.
I can't believe Kacchan was willing to do that for her...
Mr. Aizawa then pointed down at Izuka. "Since both of you are contradicting yourselves, it's painfully clear that you won't give me a straight answer on her involvement. So you're all on house arrest! Four days for Bakugo, and three for Midoriya. I'll give Mido only two days for sneaking out past curfew and for not telling any of the teachers what was going on between the two of you beforehand. During that time, you'll clean all the common areas in the dorm, morning and night. Plus, I want a written apology!" All of them winced from the man yelling at them. "If your injuries need to be checked out, head to the infirmary. But don't rely on the old lady's Quirk this time! Figure out a way to heal yourselves!" He then let out a huge sigh. "That's all! Go."
"Yes, sir. And...I'm really sorry..." Izuka bowed her head to the man, who didn't respond. She stood up and left with her brother and Katsuki in silence. Mr. Aizawa glanced towards the three the whole time and Toshinori sighed a little. It could've been worse...
As the three were walking off, Katsuki glanced down at Izuka. "What the hell was that about? You didn't need to get yourself in trouble. He's already an ass on you enough. Why'd you do that?"
"I don't know what you mean," She shrugged it off a little. She already knew how'd he take it, so she didn't want to drill it into his head.
"I've been an ass to you for years, and yet you still stepped in like an idiot," He narrowed his eyes a little, hands in his pockets. For the life of him, he never understood her in times like this. She didn't need to get into trouble all because he fought with her brother.
"And?" She looked up at him. "What about you?" The girl sighed a little, looking away. "You tried to lie and get me out of this when we both know I got involved. Why? Was it because I stepped in?"
"...No," He mumbled and looked away as well. "And you didn't answer why either."
"Because we both know each other, and it's not fun tap-dancing on whether or not we're even friends." She hoped that this was the last time they majorly fought, because she was just so tired of not being on the same page as him. For once, she wanted to have a good memory, and not one where they were at it the whole time. Not just because of her crush, but because she wanted a better relationship. Getting mad at each other the whole time wasn't healthy.
"Huh?" Katsuki came to a stop, staring at her walking away. "So you're just gonna take the punishment? You got two days of house arrest, you're already taking the special classes for your provisional hero license. And he's gonna be harder on you while doing it, all because you didn't want us to get into trouble?"
"Well put," She stated without hesitation and he flinched in disbelief.
"Y-you shouldn't be doing stuff like that! You can't just risk not becoming a hero when I've been an asshole! That's not what anyone should do, because they're just being stupid!"
"Kacchan," Izuku looked at him with a small frown.
"Well then, appreciate it while it lasts. Maybe then you won't find it stupid," Izuka gave a casual shrug, not even looking back.
"Ah!" He stared after her wide-eyed. "Y-you're not doing me any favors! You think I'm gonna do what you tell me? Hell no!"
"Ah," She glanced over her shoulder with a small smile. "So then don't and stop worrying what I do."
He growled at her response and he couldn't even come up with something back that time. Izuku blinked at the two of them, realizing why Katsuki did it. It was so Izuka wouldn't have gotten punished since she was already on thin ice for her fight with All for One. "You...tried to protect her. Just like always," He deduced, remembering when Katsuki saved Izuka the first time as kids.
"Shut up, damn nerd!" Katsuki screamed at him.
Izuku flinched in a bit of fear. "Ah! W-Well, you did defend her with Mr. Aizawa, so-"
"That's none of your damn business!"
Izuka stared at the two of them arguing and then giggled to herself. He's not really good at lying, huh? Still...I appreciate it very much...Katsuki.
"Hey." Izuka glanced over her shoulder at him as he walked past her to the elevator. "Hurry up so I can deal with your injuries."
"Ah," She blinked at him in bewilderment, Izuku's eyes shaking happily at the two. "O-okay..." She nervously agreed, although she hesitated to allow it. It wasn't like they had been talking in a pleasant way lately, he wasn't at least opposed to her presence. At the same time, she dreaded what could happen because of the elephant in the room never being addressed ever since she apologized and got no distinguishable reaction from it. The three stepped into the elevator and Izuku pressed the button for his floor, all of them silent.
If this was about earlier, he wouldn't want to talk now. I would've thought he wouldn't want to with me on his own since he did so with me and Izuku already tonight.
Once Izuku reached his floor, he looked over to Izuka. "Goodnight, sis. You'll take good care of her, Kacchan?"
"Get out of here already, ya damn nerd! She'll be fine!" Katsuki retorted back and he looked at him wide-eyed. Izuka looked at her brother pleadingly and he gave her an apologetic look as he walked off. He knew she wanted him there, but he felt like they needed to be alone, as much as he wanted to see them talk about their own issues.
You guys can do it! As long as you don't fight each other, everything should be fine...hopefully. I know they'll work it out, just like they did during finals.
Izuka stared at Katsuki as he prepared the first-aid kit in her bedroom. Neither of them had said a word, and it was nerve-wracking as hell. This is so weird that he's in my room. Not even when we were growing up did he want to come over to help me with anything. And, well...I can't tell what's going on with him now. Is this because I apologized again? But if he wasn't forgiving me, he would've said something about it by now. And I know that he wouldn't want to do something like this for me after the whole fight. Maybe...he wants to show me that he's past it now?
She bit her lip, deciding to just go for it and ask. "...Katsuki. Are you...still mad at me? After telling you I didn't need you?"
"Hah?" He looked at her like he didn't know what she was talking about.
Or maybe not that he's forgiving me.
"It's you who looks up at me like I'm some kinda god, isn't it?" He asked her with a straight face and she flinched, blushing. He couldn't possibly be talking about her crush on him, it wasn't even on her mind the last couple of days. "Like Deku?"
"I-I..." She stammered a little, trying to understand why he hadn't said anything about how it affected him. He's not technically wrong...I do think he's a good source of inspiration for me. But this isn't even what I'm getting at, I'm trying to understand if he's even still holding a grudge anymore.
They stared at each other and Katsuki finally reacted by opening the first-aid kit. He took out some alcohol and examined her from head to toe. "...Did you mean it?" He finally asked her before he even did anything else. She blinked up at him rapidly as he grabbed her wrist. Her heart thumped a little as he looked into her eyes and they glistened a little from how gentle he was being. "Even though you're not a mouse anymore...did you say you didn't need me just to mess with me?"
"What?!" She removed her wrist back, clenching her fists while frowning deeply. "No I didn't mean it! I wouldn't tell anyone that just for the sake of it! Is that really what you were thinking?"
He then grabbed her wrist again...and pulled her in close to his chest. Before she could question it, he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her head. She blinked from feeling his warmth as he nestled his chin onto her shoulder. His chest and hands were both hot, though that was to be expected. "Eh...?" She blushed from how tightly he was hugging her. What's going on? He's...hugging me? "Kat-"
"You said if I needed anything, to come to you. So shut up...just shut up," He muttered shakily, his grip tightening. He placed his chin on top of her head. Her eyes widened as she realized that this was what he needed to do. "Sometimes just looking at you...really pissed me off. Where did all that you didn't want me around shit come from? All I thought was you could go die after you said that. I was pissed after I heard it," He admitted while looking away, never looking towards her head.
Why is he telling me this? I feel like I'm gonna die just with how close he is to me... She thought while blushing, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew she hurt him, but still...
"But what pissed me off the most...was that one, you were so scared of the boss villain because you knew about him." She blinked incredibly at his assumption. "I saw your face when he was brought up. Didn't take long to figure out. You had to deal with that on your own, and it made me mad. But the other thing…was that I fucked up so bad you could've actually died. It still feels like that now because I had to watch like a weakling of you fighting that boss villain. And I'm not that," He muttered quietly as his voice broke a little. Her eyes widened a little, her heart still racing from his words.
Was he thinking about that this whole time, combined with what I said?
"It's irritating as hell sometimes, but I should've known that you wouldn't have backed out of that fight and end up...the way you did," He gave a small hum. Her ear ended up pressed against his chest and she could hear his own pounding heart as well. "Being kidnapped with you by those villains...it was getting to me that I could've gotten us the hell out of there. And that you would've been fine. Those kinda crappy thoughts," He had a small blush on his face, still keeping his hold on her. "I thought about using my Quirk to get us out of there before All Might showed up. But if I knew what would've happened after, I would've done that sooner. You make me a fucking mess sometimes, you know that?"
Izuka gasped a little, glancing up at his head silently. She had no idea what that even meant, did he mean...like she did sometimes thinking about him? Or did he mean it in a completely different way? "K-Katsuki..." She finally spoke up, her face red. "I..." She faltered, biting her lip nervously as she didn't know what to say regarding it. Apologizing at this point meant nothing. And she didn't quite understand his own feelings, and might not get it now. But something told her he wasn't going to elaborate, which...was fine with her. They still had a lot to adjust to with each other...and she couldn't mess that up again.
"I-It's not that I don't want you to," She started off, trying to calm down her flushed face. "But also...I still broke up a fight between you and my brother. Hugging me isn't the best option right now."
His eyes widened as he quickly let go and she looked away, blushing bashfully. "Crap, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," She smiled while waving a hand to assure him and he stared at her. Izuka opened her eyes, wondering what he was thinking about as she tilted her head a little.
"...You really don't want people to help you, huh?"
"Uh!" She flinched from his bluntness, groaning at this. "Why say it like that...?" He then realized something and gave a small grin. Izuka noticed his changing expression and tilted her head a little. I've never seen him like that before, it's honestly kind of cute...but I'm also a little scared now because I don't have a good feeling about it.
"Hey, Izuka. You're the one who came up to try and earn forgiveness, right?" He asked a little too gleefully.
"Yeah...?" She faltered a little, still a bit hesitant to answer.
"Come on," He urged her and the girl was hopelessly confused.
"What?"
"Out with it. Say that you need me or else you'd be a dead idiot," He gave a small evil chuckle.
"Wha..." She pouted a little at him even asking her. Deep down, he just didn't want her to rely on someone like Shoto because they were too close in his opinion. The girl blushed in embarrassment and took a deep breath. "Y-yes, I need you in my life because without you, I'd be a dead idiot. There! Satisfied?"
He smirked and gave her a small laugh. "That's what I thought!"
"You're so mean, you know that? What else are you gonna make me do, isn't me getting punished enough...?" She covered her face with her hands.
"Not really," He removed her hands as he gave a devilish smile. "I never said it was for me. From now on, you've gotta take responsibility for what you caused. So...you're gonna take an extra day of house arrest with me if you want me to accept your damn apology."
"I guess that's fair..." Izuka mumbled in defeat at him, wincing as he started to patch her up. Although it was a little weird for him to act like that instead of his usual self. It was arguably the most calm she had ever seen him...though she knew it wouldn't last. Not that she was upset about that.
The next morning, the rest of Class 1-A found out what happened last night when they were about to head to classes. "WHAT?!"
"You guys threw down?!" Mina yelped towards the three.
"And now you're under house arrest?" Toru asked them next as Izuka had explained everything. The two boys were vacuuming the floor in the common room. The girl had helped them both with their injuries on their limbs and faces. Anything underneath the clothing she was not dealing with for vastly different reasons between the two. The girl was dusting off the windows.
"Hilarious!" Denki cried out at the situation.
"Tres tragique," Yuga commented towards the three.
"You're both morons. If anything, you should've gotten extra days for involving Mido," Hanta remarked and Katsuki froze, seething.
"The pinnacle of stupidity," Fumikage stated and Katsuki growled, vacuuming a little faster. Ochaco, Momo, and Tenya approached the twins.
"So, did you guys make up after or...?" Ochaco asked in a bit of anticipation, since she was invested in Katsuki's rivalry with Izuku, and his romance with Izuka.
"Well, it wasn't that we made up, exactly," Izuku turned away in thought as Izuka rubbed the back of her neck. "Hm...it's kinda hard to put into words..."
"It's...complicated, I guess," Izuka gave an awkward laugh.
"You're lucky you three got away with house arrest," Tenya then waved a hand rapidly. "Though this does mean you'll miss the opening ceremony we're going to right now."
"You shouldn't have broken curfew," Momo frowned a bit towards Izuka. "And so soon after having to retake the provisional licensing exam?"
"It just felt like something I had to do..." Izuka confessed to her best friends.
"We'll tell you the details when you're not on punishment anymore," Ochaco smiled a little.
"Bakugo," Shoto looked towards the blond. "What about our extra classes with Mido?"
"Shut up, Icy Hot!" Katsuki screamed towards his rival. "This has nothing to do with you!"
"Mr. Aizawa is taking care of that," Izuka informed her friend with a small sigh. "But thanks for your concern, Todoroki..."
"Kay, well, thanks for cleaning up!" Denki teased a little, earning another angry growl from Katsuki.
"Mido," Mr. Aizawa approached the girl, and she saw him with a rag and sponge.
"Huh?" She tilted her head curiously, wondering what she had to do with those specifically.
"Clean the boys bathroom." She froze on the spot, looking mortified as an eye twitched. "I said-"
"No no, don't say it again, please," Izuka held up a hand.
"Ah...Mido in the boys bathroom?" Minoru drooled a little at the thought of her dressed up like a maid, the water getting the white shirt wet...
"No," Mr. Aizawa deadpanned while grabbing onto the boy with his scarf.
Izuka then looked up at the teacher, gesturing to her brother and Katsuki. "C-Can't you get my brother or Katsuki to-" She flinched in fear as Mr. Aizawa gave her a death glare and she clamped her mouth shut. Izuka then closed her eyes with a whine, taking the materials from him. Everyone watched as she trudged towards the hallway.
"You might wanna be careful in there," Denki rubbed the back of his neck and she flinched.
"Ohhhh..." The shortest girl groaned as she then disappeared around the corner.
"Poor Izuka..." Izuku gave her a sympathetic look.
Later on, the two boys were still vacuuming. Izuka stepped out of the boys' bathroom, looking exhausted and sluggish. Her hair was also a bit of a mess. The two glanced up in alarm as she walked past them and then she heaved herself over the back of the couch.
"Never again for as long as I live..." She muttered out loud in dismay.
They continued cleaning in silence while letting Izuka take a breather. The two had their backs to each other, while Izuku had a curious question. Now was the perfect time to ask since he didn't have the opportunity beforehand.
"So...about my Shoot Style...what did you think of it?" He dared himself to ask Katsuki. Izuka blinked and sat up slowly, looking towards them. Katsuki stayed silent and Izuka stood up to grab her duster. She recollected herself and went over to the window, going back to cleaning. Izuku felt a bit awkward from the silence, as he should've expected it.
"...Your movements are too obvious. Izuka, while I have you here, I might as well tell you that your Jupiter Wind was slow." Both of them froze, turning around to him in bewilderment. "Even when he got faster, I was able to dodge them. Just because she managed to catch us off guard doesn't mean it was effective. Neither of you are gonna win any fight that way."
"...Oh. Right," Izuku turned away, taking the words to heart.
"I didn't even focus on my speed, I was just trying to stop you..." Izuka murmured, sighing a little. But he wasn't wrong either...
"And when you added in punches, it really pissed me off. When she fired, she created an opening for herself that anyone can use to their advantage. It's really annoying."
"Jupiter...Wind!" She then moved her arms down to send a strong gust of wind and water, wind on the left and water on the right.
Izuka's eyes slowly widened as it was something she didn't even think about for any of her attacks. Nevertheless, Izuku himself gave a small smile from the advice. "...Got it."
"I guess I still have a lot to learn then," Izuka giggled a little. "Thank you."
"Whatever," He huffed and she went back to cleaning. As she did, he glanced back at her while neither of the twins were looking. He sent Izuka a small smirk, knowing that she could do better.