Monday, nothing out of the ordinary considering the cool October air had settled in again. Izuku tapped his foot anxiously as he stood by the stairwell that led up to Ciana's new home. He initially felt a hot flush come over him from the distinct memory of her kissing his cheek, at first, he thought it was just his delirious state playing tricks on him - as if anyone would think that way about him - but no, it happened. Izuku, now with a calm mindset, realized it was her way of showing her gratitude, he assumed. He wasn't an expert by any means when it came to how she was thinking, but the greenette had a good feeling it was what she wanted to express.
That was the easy part.
Katsuki Bakugo. Not a person you'd consider 'easy' to approach at all. He was loud, brash, and powerful, but also an egotist. For all his faults, Izuku couldn't help but feel some admiration for his better qualities, but that alone wasn't his concern. Ciana Finley. A girl who wasn't from their world, who had a quirk she didn't know how to manifest nor control, despite her rocky start she's shown to be strong, kind, and steadfast in any issue in her way. When you take these two people you get one, fatal result.
"They're going to tear each other apart, aren't they?" Izuku muttered hopelessly. No matter how he spun it, if she was in a different class, they'd still gravitate toward one another as Katsuki would immediately realize something was up when a person - a girl no less - was hanging around Izuku. If they were in the same class, even faster. He rubbed his eyes, trying to find a silver lining. "I guess it'll be good to have a genuine friend for the last stretch of Aldera, but..." Today would be a challenge.
"Good Morning, Izuku!" Thus, the day began as he turned to look up at the stairs.
Ciana smiled down at Izuku when she not only revealed herself but her new school uniform she was now wearing. It was still strange for her to be wearing one of these Japanese school clothing as she wasn't much of a person who wears a lot of black, but it sure is a cool new experience even if she is still nervous about going to a new school…
Especially one that's Japanese and not a place she normally understands, going down the steps to meet her friend, once Ciana got to the second step she jumped down and smiled more widely at Izuku as she now stood by his side. "So what do you think of my new uniform? Think I look enough like your classmates?"
Ciana asked in a playful manner, despite the uniform she still wore her green butterfly hair clip she had in her hair. She never goes anywhere without it as it has an important meaning to her.
Izuku stood a little straighter with a stuttering smile, "Y-you look great! I-I heard that in A-America your schools don't h-have uniforms so I-I can imagine this is a new experience," He also wouldn't admit it but she looked really nice in a uniform, or maybe that was his lack of social interactions playing up again. The two started to walk as they spoke. "Y-your hair clip stands o-out a lot more,"
She smiled at the compliment, glad she at least looks like she's fitting in. Now walking by Izuku side to school she glanced around as they walked and talked, wanting to see what Japan is all about. "Yeah we don't have much of a dress code in schools normally, depending on how they look though." She giggled after saying that, knowing her schools would be strict about wearing something too revealing but that's the same for any school.
Surprised by her hair clip he pointed out compared to her outfit, she plays with her long strand of hair when gesturing to it. "Oh this? Well I know it wouldn't go well with my outfit but at least it does with my eyes." Ciana happily expresses. "It's actually very important to me so I don't usually go anywhere without it, hope that isn't a problem there to wear."
He shook his head, walking on the side with the river down the embankment. "N-not many schools nowadays are strict on accessories, a-and it's a hairclip so t-they shouldn't really notice," Curious, he asked straight after, cocking his head. "Was it a gift then?"
Ciana eyed Izuku after asking about her accessory, surprisingly putting on a sad smile before looking forward again. "Yeah you can say that, it actually belonged to my mom before she passed it on to me. It's something she used to wear when she was about my age because it was kinda a trademark to her name."
Ciana tells him so far, a bit sad to talk about her mom but glad to at least talk a little about her as it felt she was still here.
"O-oh, s-sorry for bringing it up," He clammed up, feeling immediately stupid for asking about it.
"Oh no don't worry about it, it's actually nice to talk about her a little. It kinda makes it feel like she's still here." She eyes him again with another smile.
"Wearing this always makes me feel she's watching over me, judging by the color of my hair clip to your hair and eyes… it's like she guided me to you." Ciana giggled at her remark, wanting to bring the positive mood back.
Like a switch, Izuku found the strength to smile a little, "T-that's a great way to look at it, the hair clip is a part of who s-she was that you get to keep with y-you through whatever comes next," His smile was brighter now, closing his eyes briefly. "I-I think she'd be proud of you for all you've done since you've arrived here!"
Ciana couldn't help but blush at the comment Izuku made towards her, never even thinking how she probably would react to how she adjusted to this world. Ciana looked away but still kept her smile. "Y-you think so? I-I haven't really done much… I-I haven't even made it past the first day of school yet."
Ciana shyly tells him, feeling pretty warm inside hearing how he looked at her possession the same way she did.
Now it was Izuku's turn to be uplifting, shaking his head. "At first, yes, you were afraid of what was happening, and the world probably felt like it was rushing past at glaring speeds, but when you had a chance to breathe you resolved to do something rather than let yourself wallow in your situation," He listed off with his fingers, becoming analytical again. "You compromised with Detective Tsukauchi and that resulted in your temporary accommodations, you're training with me after I made my suggestion to try for UA, after only just learning you could potentially have a quirk. Even during your first real training session you didn't let yourself fold under the pressure. If anything, the last two days are proof of your spirit,"
When Izuku finally remembered to breathe, he was locked in a stare with Ciana, the words that rolled off his tongue just came about on impulse, he honestly thought she got lost in his muttering spree again. "Sorry, I was rambling again..."
The more Izuku expressed how he admired her from her qualities she achieved the more red Cianas cheeks became. It feels so weird just hearing the good things he listed about her as she wasn't very used to it… But Ciana definitely appreciated his kind encouragement and despite how flustered she was feeling she managed to keep her warm smile towards him. "Aw geez… w-when you put it that way I guess I have improved a bit…" Ciana says shyly, fiddling with her hair in a very flustered manner while looking down.
But looking back up to him after finishing his list, this only caused Ciana to giggle at his cute rambling. "No don't be sorry, honestly you analyzing me like that is very flattering. Listening to you like that really shows me how really smart you are, it actually impresses me a lot you're so open minded about everything like peoples superpowers here as well as the ones you get to know." She happily praises him, not having a problem at all about his cute rambles.
Izuku's own face matched hers now, tugging on the straps of his backpack, "W-well, I really can't help it. L-like when I see a quirk in action I-I just have this urge to know more about it, a-and I guess that now applies to my everyday life. I-I've learned to take in a lot more of a person's thoughts through their actions, M-Mr Yagi said this was an invaluable skill," He chuckled slightly. "Guess I-I'm useful after all," That answer held more weight than he realized.
Shaking his head, Izuku pointed to the street coming up. "Alright, from here w-we take a left, then just through the town toward the n-north, that's where Aldera is,"
Without missing a beat, the pair picked up their pace just to be safe than sorry.
Ciana nodded at his instructions as she continued to follow along. She hopes she will be able to remember the direction but it will be easier to memorize when she's walking with her new friend. Ciana definitely found Izuku very smart and believes his skill is very useful, it's a great way to know things when it comes to being a hero.
"Alright… hey by the way Izuku, what's your school like exactly? I mean… you really think it's something I can handle? Since I'm from America and all…" She asks him with a nervous tone in her voice, already she wasn't feeling very confident in herself getting through a Japanese school. Ciana wasn't even sure what the teachers would even be like compared to where she went.
"That's... the part I'm not sure of," He slumped slightly, his legs on autopilot to address Ciana. "Well, I'll explain how formalities work when we're there, the Principal should already do as much when we arrive, as for teachers... well, some are nice, b-but there's just... one real issue," He knew this would come up so he gulped and said it one go. "The other half of the faculty are... judgemental about people without quirks, so... me," He shrugged almost completely devoid of empathy. "It's not that big of a deal, the most you'll see is them praising those talented over others, usual school stuff,"
His small smile was by far his worst yet.
"I see…" Ciana frowned but more sympathetically towards him, knowing very well the students would be judgmental. It wasn't all that surprising hearing students praise others, it basically was the same with the snobby jocks at her own school…
Ciana tried to put on a smile of encouragement to him, she was mostly afraid of not passing but she wanted to help be there for Izuku the same way he did her, placing her hand on his shoulder while she still smiled. "I may not be very qualified due to my situation and I'm prepared for how others might see me, but you, Izuku, are more special than you think."
Ciana expresses honestly. "Maybe it doesn't mean much to you since I don't have a superpower as well, but they just need to see what real power is all about rather than showing off something they think is cool." Ciana smiles more. "They might not see it now but one day they will, and when that time comes they will think twice about ever thinking differently about you."
"...you make it sound so easy," Izuku sighed but he dropped his fake smile for a more honest one, but it was clear the topic was still a sore spot. "Just a few more months, I think I can handle it - b-but thank you, Ciana,"
She nodded, and to bring the topic back, Izuku added. "Oh, here you'll need to refer to others by their surnames, b-but I'm the exception I-I guess," His face was a little pink before adding. "As for your ability to understand the language, I think that's already answered,"
"Hm? How so?" She asked, curious to what he meant.
Pointing to a nearby store front, Izuku answered. "Can you read those sales?" She stared at what he was implying, the various colorful tags for offers and various on-display items for Yen. All of which were written in Japanese, and yet... Ciana could understand them. "I think when you arrived here, whatever method that caused the jump might've imprinted more than just an aspect of our world - your quirk - I think the people that brought you here left an imprint of the language on you," Izuku's brow furrowed, clearly unamused by that answer. "How that's possible is still bugging me, and I might be wrong but I feel it's the best answer we have..."
After glancing at what he pointed to, it was pretty strange that she could understand not only what they say but the writing as well. Her situation is still very strange and confusing in so many ways… Having her hand on her chin, recalling what Izuku told her, maybe the conclusion was that it was her power, understanding others.
"Huh… when you put it all that way… maybe that's the power I got, understanding other people's languages." Ciana shrugged at this, not completely sure but that's far as she could guess.
"I guess in a way it makes sense I wouldn't get anything very super, but that's something I can work fine with as long as I'll be able to understand you and the writing they have here." It wasn't the kind of superpower she expected but Ciana felt okay with that, she wasn't the type to show off anyways and thought it was still useful.
Izuku frowned a bit as they crossed the road, "I'm not so sure... that strange backlash from your point of entry in the alleyway, unless that's a reaction just from our two worlds shifting from a quirk, but..." He didn't have any evidence to support his claim, but there was something about those pictures they've seen that made Izuku feel there was more to both Ciana's quirk and the powerful warp quirk than they realized. "In any case, we're almost there, since we'll be early I'll have time to explain everything,"
Ciana did find his analysis on what's going for her very impressive, even though he's so interested in her situation of wanting to figure it out, in a way he makes her feel kinda important as it made her blush from the idea.
"W-well… y-you never know, I'm at least happy I got to understand and be friends with you." Ciana expressed happily, but then a new thought came to her. "By the way… I couldn't help but wonder, what made you know that I came from another world, Izuku?" She asks him as her eyes stared at him in wonder.
"When you brought that up a while ago it sounded kinda like it was common, have you guys ever come in contact with other worlds before?" She asks, wondering how he knew without guessing she was crazy.
Without missing a beat he gave her a sheepish look, "N-not to sound rude, but you were c-completely clueless to what quirks were, a-and the way you answered my willingness t-to be a hero with 'fictional heroes' that gave it away, and, S-Superman is a very old comic series from b-before I was born, even before q-quirks came to be," He elaborated.
Ciana tilted her head in wonder of the explanation she was given, she didn't think it was enough to guess she was from another world. "Well I can understand why you thought I was strange but I didn't think you believed in people suddenly appearing from a different world."
She says in a bit of a playful tone. "Not many would really speculate about that possibility, normally situations like that people think you're crazy or have amnesia. It just surprises me that you would believe that possibility."
"T-that and uh... t-the idea of a person from another world... w-was a little exciting from... manga... I've... read," Each word got quieter as he admitted his true intentions, tapping his fingers together.
Ciana was surprised to hear he guessed from something he read out of a manga, she at least was aware of the Japanese anime comic books. It was kinda funny he theorized everything from the book, causing her to actually giggle as she gave him a funny but playful look.
"You guessed from a comic book? Well I have to admit they do have all sorts of fun stories about stuff like that… I didn't know you like to read them also." She smiled, it makes sense he read them since they are popular in Japan and he's such a fan of heroes.
His features brightened, "When I have free time, I read a lot about... well, heroes, but there's ones about people who are sent to other worlds, typically fantasy settings, with all sorts of abilities so I kinda compared them to quirks - w-wait, you too?" He seemed very surprised by that, blinking at her a few times. "From how I saw it she didn't really seem to like heroes as much as police... well, she likes the Detective I suppose."
Ciana giggled again from his surprised reaction, now smiling and nodding to confirm it. "I always enjoyed reading superhero comics when I was little, where I'm from we have all sorts of hero stories to read. I started to get hooked on manga when I was probably around 12, fantasies and action stories is something I always enjoyed." Ciana replied, she always did like watching the marvel movies back home.
By now, Izuku and Ciana had fully engrossed themselves in their topic of comics/manga the whole way to Aldera. From Ciana's perspective, it was as she'd seen Japanese schools to appear as, and it did look nice, but again, her focus was more on the conversation with her friend. So much so, the greenette didn't see who rounded the last corner to their left, heading straight for the school grounds across the road.
"Ah/Huh!?" Izuku stumbled back a bit as another student came into view, one that sent chills down Ciana's spine as two, scarlet eyes glowered back at her. A young man of average height, and a fair skin tone. He had short, spiky, sandy blonde hair with choppy bangs that hang over his eyebrows. His eyes sharp, making his blood-red gaze scarier. One look at Izuku made his brow twitch.
"Deku"... watch where you're going!" He growled at Izuku, making him flinch back with a timid face.
"Ah, s-sorry, Kacchan, I w-was distracted," He apologized.
"Tch, 'course you were, what, still thinking about UA?" Katsuki dared, his eyes narrowed at Izuku hatefully. "Not like they'd accept a weakling like you to begin with, but hey, want to fail be my guest, but stay outta my way!" He shoved his shoulder against Izuku's before turning to walk away.
If a pin dropped, then it echoed loudly.
Ciana was stunned by the sudden appearance of a very aggressive jerk that just came by… this was that guy Izuku was friends with before? Ciana could hardly believe someone so sweet would be friends with someone so aggressive, despite how scary he looked it wasn't enough for her to not to glare at the jerk. Normally she would do something but he already walked off and she didn't want to make a scene and cause a commotion as well as make Izuku fear come true about her facing him…
Ciana worriedly gazed at her friend as she placed her own hand on his shoulder in a gentle manner. "Are you alright Izuku? He didn't just hurt you did he?" She asks in concern for her friend, clearly not liking how he was just treated like that.
"I-I-I'm fine," He murmured, giving Katsuki's shrinking form a tired look. "That... w-was probably the l-least volatile g-greeting yet," He then felt her hand on the shoulder Katsuki bumped, squeezing it supportively as he slowly relaxed. "L-let's just get g-going,"
Ciana was taking back when he mentioned his violent greeting… he's done this often to him? The idea of him even bullying Izuku left a bitter feeling in her heart as it just caused her to frown more worryingly. Ciana just hopes she won't witness the guy actually trying to hurt him, Ciana wasn't sure what to say right now.
All she can do is just nod silently, it was probably best not to talk about it for the moment. "Alright…" But then suddenly her smile perks up surprisingly, Now walking in front of him as she took hold of his hand, giving him a gentle tug. "Come on! You're going to help me find my class still, right? Show me what this place is all about!" Ciana says in a cheerful tone as she ends up pulling him along to keep going and even gives his hand a gentle squeeze.
The second she grabbed his hand, Izuku forgot all about Katsuki for the time being, his spirit renewed as he was dragged away. "...she's amazing..." Maybe her being here wouldn't be as destructive as his pessimistic thoughts believed.
They had plenty of time to visit the Principle but first Izuku showed her the lockers first, thankfully, she had her own given her enrolment, but then went through the basic formalities that weren't all that different from America though with a little more strict guidelines. Ciana nodded, furrowly taking in everything Izuku said and instructed her to do.
Meeting with the Principle was where Izuku had to leave her to go to class himself. They waved goodbye for now and Ciana was soon placed in the man's office to speak privately about her 'transfer from America' that no doubt Detective Tsukauchi conjured up. With a polite expression, the older man handed over a page detailing her classroom, teacher, and daily timetable. "Now, I trust you'll be able to find your class just fine with this?"
Ciana was nervous when Izuku suddenly left her… but at least she will see him again soon, turning her attention to her new principal and receiving directions to her new class. She looked down at what she was given then glanced back up to give him a nod and a polite but nervous smile. "Y-yeah, I think I'll be able to find it just fine. Thank you so much sir." Ciana remembers that in Japan they bow to both apologize and thank someone so she quickly does that before stepping out.
Holding her map in hand to find her class, she took the chance to look around her new school, sure it is a lot different than what she's normally used to. Eventually she stopped by a door and looked down at her map to make sure she got the number right, Ciana gulped in a nervous manner as she took hold of the handle now. "Here goes nothing… " Ciana mumbles, having a hard time with the doors at first as she wasn't used to sliding them open like this… making a mental note to remember a lot of doors slide here before now stepping into her new class…
The moment the door to the rowdy classroom opened, the chaos quickly smothered itself to murmurs as Ciana entered, "Now then, class, for the remainder of the school year a transfer student from America will be joining us, be sure to welcome her properly and be polite," The teacher reminded the class as the anxious ravenette stood at the front of the class with a small smile, eyes scanning the students, some with visible mutations due to their quirks.
Two students in particular gave two very distinct faces. One with a mixture of relief and fear. The other bewilderment and a tempered anger. "That's the extra Deku was with... a transfer, huh? And this late into the year?" Katsuki found her emerald eyes landing on him, and he swore, for the briefest of moments, she made sure to shoot back a spiteful glare. Katsuki's fingers dug into the wood of his desk, brow twitching. "What's her deal?"
After her glare she made at the aggressive jerk, Ciana looked away frustratingly with a hmph. At first she was very stunned to see… so many crazy looking people, this is not what she expected the students to look like… they actually made her pretty nervous. Now walking into the class, Ciana stood in the front to introduce herself, nervously smiling as she gave the scary looking people a wave of greeting.
"H-hi everyone! My name is Ciana Finley from Brooklyn, New York. It's nice to meet all of you." Ciana introduced herself as polite and cheerful as she could be, noticing Izuku in the classroom made her feel at ease as she gave him a friendly smile when she glanced her attention over to him.
"Right, so, worse-case-scenario, how do I deal with this?" Izuku was in a frenzied state mentally. "Ah, she already threw a glare at Kacchan, he's going to respond to that in a heartbeat when he gets the chance. What's the best way to avoid that?" Unfortunately, there was no straight answer, all Izuku could do was pray things would go smoothly for as long as possible.
"Hey, Finley, what's your quirk?" "Is school different here than in the west?" "What kinda heroes are in New York?"
"You can ask her these questions later, class has started," Much to the few protests of the students, they listened as the homeroom teacher motioned to the only empty desk.
"Now then, Finley, please take the vacant seat to the left of Bakugo, if you have any issues you may ask the others around you for help," The teacher explained as she did a small bow of her head before taking herself off to the desk right beside the explosive blonde who didn't remove his gaze from her until she was seated. Izuku was anxiously squeezing the power gripper under his desk as he watched Ciana worryingly. She just smiled like always but that only made his stomach twist further.
Ciana was very taken back when one of the students asked her what her power was, she didn't even think about how she would answer that nor what people in Brooklyn were like… what are the people in this version of Brooklyn like…? Ciana was thankful for the teacher's save, giving him a polite nod of thanks as she now walks toward her desk.
Ciana was well aware of the bitter stare Izuku's bully was giving her but honestly… it didn't frighten her as much as it should. Ciana didn't really give any complaints about sitting next to him as she just does as she was told and sits in her new seat. Setting her stuff down, Ciana gave Izuku another quick smile as her focus now goes forward to the teacher. Not paying attention at all to Bakugo or the nasty glares he was probably giving her.
Ciana was not very comfortable sitting in a class with a lot of strange looking people around her, especially how beastly they looked… it's like they accidentally fell into a chemical waste and mutated into these looks… Ciana really wasn't expecting the kind of superpowers everyone would have that would look so disturbing… but she didn't want to judge despite how frightening they may appear. Ciana was grateful to be in a class with her friend or otherwise she wouldn't have the courage to sit around these kinds of people.
Classes were another eye-opener for the pair, one part of Izuku's theory had remained untested, could Ciana write the language? Answer, no. She often glanced over at Izuku's work, and slowly, she pieced how the vertical format was written; top to bottom, right to left, since she understood the characters she eventually grasped the basic concept, though her handwriting was slower due to never needing to write any of these symbols before, thankfully, it was passed off as her inexperience with the language.
In no time at all, several subjects had already flown by, the new wealth of knowledge keeping Ciana with her head down, reading and following everything taught to her. All of this would be imperative to the written exam of UA. She had less than a year to somehow apply both her own knowledge and what she learned in this world to succeed. Then came a familiar buzzing ring from outside the classroom, and quickly, the students erupted with sighs or conversation as lunch had officially begun.
"I did it..." Ciana sighed as she slumped on her desk, somehow surviving without much issue, say for the writing part, her writing was a little messy too.
Ciana was grateful to have made it past the first period of class… Man, that sure was a hard course for her when it came to writing… Ciana could hardly understand what any of the symbols meant, but she wasn't going to give up after the progress she showed so far. Looking over at Izuku as soon as the bell rang, she grabbed her bag as she walked over to him.
Noticing he looked kinda distracted as she poked her head into his view with a cheerful smile. "Whatcha thinkin about?" Ciana teases with a giggle, grabbing a chair as she sits across his desk to join him for lunch. "That wasn't so difficult for my first class here so far, well if you count the writing part… But I think I managed to piece around the writing to understand it better." Ciana goes to pull out her lunch now, it wasn't a bento but just a paper bag with some homemade stuff she cooked up from home.
Izuku nodded in agreement, grabbing his own lunch, "I guess we can rule out the writing part, but you understand what's written, right?" She hummed a nod. "Okay... I guess I can help you work on your writing when we've got time, it isn't hard once you find that rhythm like with any language,"
Just as the two settled into small talk while eating, a small blast startled them both, and a few in the classroom who weren't paying attention as Izuku shrank back a little. "Alright, you're going to tell me what the hell's going on, Deku!" Katsuki seethed, completely ignoring Ciana for the moment.
"W-what do you mean, K-Kacchan?" He asked genuinely as the blonde snorted a sardonic laugh.
"Her, that's what," He finally addressed the ravenette. "I've never seen her around, and then out of the blue, here she is and is hanging around a worthless nerd like you, so you're going to tell me what's going on, now,"
"S-She's a transfer, y-you heard the tea-" One small blast of smoke from Katsuki's left palm silenced Izuku in his seat.
"I may not have all the answers, but you're a shitty liar, Deku," Katsuki warned in a low voice. "Or was I not clear before?"
Ciana was incredibly startled by the sudden blast, but she could guess who it belonged to… Turning her attention to the jerk who came into view, Ciana could not believe the way this guy was treating Izuku suddenly. Especially in front of her… Most would probably be very terrified of what this person is capable of, but for her… she couldn't stand this kind of behavior.
Her expression now took on a look of anger and determination as she quickly stood up from her seat, standing in front of Izuku with her arms spread out and a glare towards the jerk as she defended him. "That's enough! What the heck is your problem? You have no right to even speak to him like that!"
Ciana glared with her tone sounding serious, showing no fear of this violent boy. "I don't recall ever being told who I am allowed to hangout with and you don't have the right to tell him or even me who I should be around!" Ciana crosses her arms now.
Katsuki glared daggers back into her icy stare, "Why the hell do I care who that nerd hangs out with? If some extra like you wants to follow him around then you're probably as worthless as he is!" He stepped closer, hands taut as sweat gathered in his palms. "So stay out of my way, you blank slate,"
Ciana didn't even flinch once how threatening he was being towards her, Ciana dealt with enough people like this as it is. Narrowing her eyes in a more fearless manner, shockingly… Ciana slapped his palm away when he raised his fist toward her, not backing down. "I don't care what you think nor how you see me, but the way you're behaving right now I much rather hang out with somebody who has done nothing but be so kind and welcoming towards me!"
She stayed in front of Izuku, not even glancing at him as she stood up to this boy. "Don't expect me to cower just because you think you're acting all big and strong! You're only making yourself look bad in front of everyone here, now if you don't want me to report this behavior to the principal… I suggest you back off and calm your fiery explosives." Her eyes narrow at him more, basically daring him to try and throw a punch toward her.
Fury clouded Katsuki's head as he brought his slapped hand back, a few tiny sparks going off in his hands. It would be so easy to wipe that stupid glare off her face, but... he couldn't blow his chance at UA over one person. He sealed away his anger, keeping his scowl with a huff, "..." He turned around, yelling as he did. "What are you damn extras staring at!?" Immediately, everyone stopped staring and pretended to do anything else as Katsuki tucked his hands into his pants pockets. "This isn't over, Blank, Deku,"
What was going on? Katsuki had backed down? Izuku was certain he must've been seeing things, but no, there goes the blonde, leaving the whole class in surprise as Izuku felt his heart nearly explode from his chest as he turned his gaze to Ciana, her icy glare hadn't faltered. "C-Ciana... are you okay?"
Ciana only crossed her arms and watched with her glare still staying on her face as he walked out, rolling her eyes at his destructive and immature behavior. But once he was out of sight, Ciana glanced at Izuku behind her as her anger turned back into a smile towards him. "Hm? I'm alright, don't worry Izuku. What about you? Are you okay?"
Ciana asked in concern for her friend as her body spun around to meet his gaze fully, after that blast before she was worried if he got hurt rather than scared.
"You just stood up to Kacchan and he didn't leave a scratch on you, I don't know if that's a good thing or a prelude to something worse," Izuku blurted out in one go, then quickly raised his hands slightly. "I-I'm fine though, y-you didn't need to do that but... thank you, Ciana-"
"She stood up to Bakugo and didn't get blasted!" "Finley, I have goose bumps after that~!" "That stare of yours even put exploding boy on ice!"
Before the two friends had a chance to speak, those remaining in the class surrounded Izuku's table, asking her a myriad of questions. Izuku blinked but ultimately felt a little less worried as she laughed nervously, trying to answer every question thrown her way.
Ciana wasn't expecting… anything like this at all to happen when the class began to huddle around her, basically all this attention is what really startled her and the comments they were giving her only had her cheeks redden. Ciana was really not used to having this much attention… as she ended up putting on a shy smile and a nervous laugh, feeling kinda uncomfortable but flattered at the same time.
"I-it really was nothing… honest, I just didn't want my friend to be picked on is all." She answered one of their questions, glancing at Izuku to give him an apologetic smile. Ciana can guess he was probably feeling awkward after this sudden commotion, truth be told, Ciana rather spent her quiet lunch talking to her friend. But she was at least glad she didn't make herself look too much like a fool as she really just expected them to look down on her after lashing out at Bakugo.
"So, hey, what's your quirk?" One of the girls asked, giving Ciana a curious look.
"Bet it's that scary glare of hers, sure gave me chills," One boy shivered as a few laughed. But Ciana looked panicked, she couldn't answer that because she wasn't sure of it either, or if she had a quirk at all. Thankfully, someone rescued her.
"I-it's dormant," Izuku found his voice, staring at his desk. "I-it's unable to manifest b-because her body needs t-training,"
For the first time in a long time, those in Izuku's class listened and took his words to heart with various nods and noises of understanding. With a single, spur-of-the-moment answer, the questions about the unknown quirk ceased. Ciana let her shoulders relax, silently thankful for the deflection.
"Must be pretty strong then..." The girl from before murmured, then smiled. "Well, still, nice work putting Bakugo of all people in his place, guy can be really obnoxious," Several others around her nodded in agreement, but all were clearly unable to say it to the blonde's face.
Thankfully, after that, the pair were given the space they wanted again to sit and eat in peace. "Th-this is the most bizarre d-day of my life," Izuku gulped, still shaken up by the ordeal.
Ciana was sure after even admitting she had no pow- er… quirk, they lost their respect towards her. But it really surprised her that Izuku just came to her rescue to save her image… not like she would have cared if they gave her the cold shoulder after that but she was grateful for being there for her, giving him a thankful smile toward him.
After they finally gave them some peace, Ciana sighed and slouched in her seat. Surprisingly exhausted from all that sudden attention. "You can say that again…" Ciana playfully said, but then perked up. "Honestly Izuku, I'm surprised you were ever even friends with a guy like that. Just how did you guys ever start hanging out in the first place?"
Ciana asked in a very curious manner as her gaze sat right back towards him to give her full attention to his story.
"That's... probably the normal part," He sighed, again with a voice dripping with apathy, or maybe just a drastic sense of tiredness. "My Mom's best friends with Kacchan's Mom, so naturally we were around one another when we were young, sure, Kacchan was brash but that was before he got his quirk," Izuku hung his head a bit, staring out the window not far from his spot. "After his quirk, Explosion, appeared, people praised him for his powerful quirk, saying he'd make a great hero, I did too, he's the type that would strive toward his goal, toward total victory. I admire that drive a lot, a-and then..."
He paused, feeling a heavy storm of bad memories surface as he rubbed his hands together. "...mine never appeared, and from there he changed, he was more angry with me, and as we grew up, his verbal backlash became physical too, it was like I... wasn't anything more than this bug that kept following him but he could never quite catch it, I... I guess I just crumbled in on myself, I... I just couldn't..." He bit the inside of his cheek, staring at anything but her face. "I-I can't really say anything here, I..." He was a coward when it came to his own feelings.
Ciana listened as she stayed quiet while he told his backstory, it sounded like Bakugo was too full of himself the moment he was blessed with something he deemed worthy. Ciana really didn't understand Bakugo's deal but Izuku really deserved better than that… Ciana reached her hand out as she placed it on her friend's hand for comfort, giving him a sad but comforting smile.
"Izuku, I can understand how hard it must have felt to lose someone you thought you were close to. But you have to understand that you shouldn't even allow him to treat you like this, you're only powerless if you don't do anything to defend yourself." Ciana gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
"Not like how he up and decided to treat you this way was your fault due to not being like everyone else, but you're only encouraging him to see you this way if you don't stand up for yourself more. But honestly, how others might treat you right now and how you don't stoop to his level despite how harsh they are just makes you a stronger and better person, you just need to show Bakugo you're more than this and get him to see how strong you really are inside." Ciana openly tells him, through her whole speech she gives him a serious but also compassionate expression. Not wanting at all to see her friend continue feeling like this.
Again, Ciana found a way to voice what Izuku had been arguing with himself for years, only with All Might's help had he thought it would be possible, but again... could he really do that? It was easy to say he had to stand strong but this wasn't something mended overnight. "I'll... try," It was all he could muster. "Sorry, Ciana," He didn't want to let her down, so he hoped that answer would suffice, if only for a while.
Ciana was at least satisfied enough to hear that as she gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go, her smile never faltering. "Besides, the way you came to my rescue again after the others wanted to know if I had a power just makes you more of a hero in my eyes."
Ciana cheerfully expresses with a pleasant giggle, not letting a scary situation with mr explody fists get the better of her. "You're really the real reason I had the courage to stand up to someone like that."
Izuku's optimistic self slowly surfaced again, face a little red from her contact, "I-I was just returning t-the favour, w-what are friends for?" With a small chuckle, he felt his mood improve around her again, though the consequences of Ciana's and Katsuki's meeting would cause problems, for now, Izuku was glad she was here to make one aspect of his life a little brighter.
Ciana giggled happily after hearing what he said but also because of his adorable shy side, Ciana smiled more widely, just happy to be friends with someone she came to admire. "Well I truly appreciate everything you're doing for me Izuku, it really means a lot more to me than you might think." Ciana expresses softly, after saying that she goes to take a glance out the window. Already new thoughts come to her mind about her day today. It really still stuns her to be around people who look so differently and is a normal thing in this society, but witnessing how some of their powers work truly does make them unique in their own way.
Ciana wondered if she really does have a superpower like all of them, now placing her elbow onto the desk as she uses her hand to hold her face up to stare out the window lost in her thoughts. But having one or not she is still grateful for this adventure as it actually made her feel stronger as a person, she smiled again at the thought.
Ciana doesn't even realize that the sun reflecting off the window bringing a shining ray of sunshine to Cianas face just made her look very stunning, (Hence her name Ciana which happens to mean light.) Especially the way a cool breeze blows through her long hair which happened when one of the windows close by happened to be opened. Strangely unknowing to her when the sun reflected onto Ciana her eyes took on a tint of a yellowish glow for a brief second… which is unnatural for her.
By the time Ciana's first day of school in both Japan and a different world altogether ended, she and Izuku had already made plans for points after their training with Mr Yagi, implying they weren't dead, to work on her handwriting. Katsuki hadn't bothered to say a word to them when he returned, only shooting his glare toward the front of the class. Clearly, he had learned to keep his mouth shut around Ciana.
With everyone leaving the school grounds, Izuku and Ciana headed left. While this route meant it would take longer for Izuku to walk home, the extra steps weren't all bad considering he's been trained to near-death every chance he had.
Ciana was still in her happy state even after her experience with Bakugo, Ciana walked in front of Izuku in a cheerful manner as she walked backwards to talk to him on their walk off. "That sure was pretty exciting for my first day here! Say Izuku, you wanna go somewhere together maybe?" Ciana asks as she wanted to hang out with her friend more and explore new sights.
"U-um, sure, I-I don't mind," He gulped. "Did she just ask me out on a date? No, it's a friend thing, that's right, stop getting all mixed up!" Shaking away his flustered state, Izuku pursed his lips for a moment. "There's the shopping district back the way we came, it isn't far from Aldera... I think I passed an arcade too before but it's been a while since I've gone myself. W-will that do?"
Ciana looked to have perked from what he suggested, looking pretty excited about the idea. "Are you kidding? That sounds like a lot of fun!" Ciana expressed cheerfully, already she was looking forward to exploring new places. "Sounds like a perfect way to enjoy ourselves after a big commotion like that in school."
"Okay, let's go!" With some added confidence, the two spun around to make their way into town. Along the way, Izuku opted to help Ciana with her handwriting, pointing out methods he did second nature that helped improve his own handwriting as time went on. Japanese was written with the combination of three systems called Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji. At first, it looked like her head was spinning, but the longer Izuku took to point out how each structure integrated into the other the more the dots seemed to connect slowly.
However, their constant focus on their work left them unaware of the pair of scarlet eyes watching them approach. They hadn't even bothered to look up before they were within three meters of Katsuki. He had spent a long time trying to figure out their angle. Not once had Izuku ever been good at talking with others, no one even noticed him half the time besides the teachers, then all of a sudden, some strange girl no one's ever seen before shows up from overseas and Izuku's attitude warped entirely. And it pissed him off.
"You really are a pain in the ass, Deku," His sharp tone startled the pair from their combined muttering. Ciana's face fell into a bemused glare while Izuku felt himself back up into her shoulder with a nervous frown of his own.
"H-hey, Kacchan..." Izuku clamped up as Katsuki leaned off the wall of a corner store to approach the pair, eyes unblinking.
"You honestly think I give a crap about what you think of me, Blank? What did you think a weak-ass stunt you pulled would really do anything?" He didn't smirk like he always did, no, this time, his anger was rearing its ugly head. "Well, I heard you've got some powerful quirk you can't even use, but it's really just Deku's way to cover your ass for the fact you don't have one, that's it, isn't it?"
Ciana once again didn't cower when she saw the jerk approach them… Like before she rolled her eyes and then stared him down. The last thing she wanted was to cause a fight but not like she was going to show any fear towards him even if they were out of school. Ciana doesn't even get up from her seat yet as she speaks.
"Whether I have a quirk or not it doesn't matter, I really don't care what you or anyone might think. I just didn't want you to bully my friend around. What are you doing here anyways? Don't you have anything better to do rather than keep picking on us?" Ciana asks him in a blunt manner as she keeps her eye contact on Bakugo.
"You really think you're invincible out here?" Katsuki warned in a low tone, letting off a small blast from his right palm. "I don't need my quirk to put someone like you beneath me," He leaned forward, pupils the size of pins as he burrowed them into her orbs. "I'm warning you now, stay out of my way, if anyone from that damn school is getting into UA it's me, not some quirkless nerd and his lap dog,"
Katsuki stood up straight again, flicking the butterfly hair pin on her head before turning away, "Waste your time all you want; training, pretend you have some powerful quirk, lie all you want to those idiots, but I'm not falling for your shit for a second, Blank," Slowly, the explosive blonde walked away.
Once again Ciana didn't flinch when he stared her down threateningly, though when he flicked her hair pin she reacted by taking a step back, not wanting him to touch it but it wasn't enough to scare her. Ciana crosses her arms as she watches Mr explody fists walk off. "Then quit bothering us and you won't have anything to worry about!" Ciana shouts, now placing her hands on her hips.
"Unbelievable that guy… What is he even trying to prove?" She asks herself as she still eyed the guy.
Izuku had been silent through the ordeal again. And he really felt pathetic letting her handle his toxic relationship with Katsuki as he folded in on himself. "I-I'm really not sure. M-maybe threatened? But t-that doesn't add u-up, so... I'm a-as lost as you," Without thinking much of it, Izuku lifted his hand to adjust her hair pin correctly again, looking down with a sad smile. "S-sorry, I should've d-done something, but I-I completely shut down..."
Ciana couldn't help but blush a little when he adjusted her hairpin back, it was a really sweet gesture and it took her by surprise. Now with her eyes back on Izuku, she gave him one of her usual kindly smiles. "Don't worry about it, that was really my fight rather than yours." Ciana tells him, having no hard feelings.
"I'm not really sure what his true motives are, but… I don't think he's truly a heartless guy." Ciana surprisingly says as her gaze went back to the place he walked off.
The greenette was a little taken back by that, he never said it because he thought of all people, she'd be the one to say he was crazy to think it was possible. "Kacchan's... he wants to be a hero, m-maybe only to be Number One, b-but to do that m-means he values the lives of people... in his own strange way," Izuku looked to her while nervously scratching his nape. "I-I thought you would've disagreed with me s-so I never said anything,"
Her eyes turned back to Izuku, she guessed that's why he never really spoke up because he thought the same way she did right now. "I see… I could actually tell by the way he confronted me that he was serious about his goals, he could have taken the chance to hurt me right now but he didn't."
Ciana expresses with a small smile. "I think I understand him a little bit now, his motives are much different than yours, while he takes a blunt direction… it's just his way of wanting to succeed, like how you train hard to be the hero you always wanted to be." She leans back in her chair now as her gaze looks up.
"Maybe he decided to treat you like that because he was either jealous of you because he could see you have real potential… or that it's a way to make himself feel strong. But I think… once he sees the value of being a true hero… I can see him changing his ways one day." She says with a wider smile, her gaze still staring up into the sky.
"Hopeful someday..." Izuku then stood up with a slight smile. "Though he could yell a lot less sometimes," He sweatdropped, hearing Ciana giggle as she too hopped to her feet. "I said I'd show you around the shops and such, so let's go while it's still bright out,"
"Lead the way," She gestured, both leaving behind that rough run-in to enjoy the rest of their afternoon.
Ciana was excited when they began walking around town together, she saw a lot of interesting places, vendors and sights. Ciana was pretty cheery the whole time they explored where Izuku took her, he could see she was having the time of her life. Ciana even got to see a few other people with freaking looking appearances, which happened to have startled her a few times and as a reflex Ciana would hide behind Izuku for a few seconds when they walked past her. Ciana felt embarrassed being jumpy like that… she knows she will have to get used to that eventually.
Eventually the sun was setting as they now were walking down a park road, her smile never leaving her face. Ciana stretched her arms out in a peppy manner. "Wow! That was so much fun! I don't think I ever had that much fun since leaving my average world, it's been a long time." Ciana expressed cheerfully as she walked by Izukus side and kept her eyes forward.
Izuku was happy too, not just for her company, but how... normal it felt to have someone to spend time with that wasn't to do with training to hopefully hold One For All. Maybe when they got into UA they'd have more friends? It was certainly enough to keep him smiling. "Mmhm, I'm glad you enjoyed it, but..." His smile softened as he looked at the ravenette. "Ciana... a-are you okay? I know it's only been a f-few days but... about all of this?"
Ciana was surprised by the sudden question as she looked back to him with a confused expression, though she can understand why he might be concerned. Once again Ciana smiled at him before looking forward once again. "I admit, when I first came here I didn't know what to think… I would be lying if I said I wasn't terrified, if I was all alone then I would probably be a wreck…"
Cianas expression now softened a bit more as it looked almost down. "I never expected to have everything like this happening to me, possibly having a superpower, training to be a possible superhero and attending a new school. I was really nervous about the whole idea, but…" She now looked back at him. "It actually became a lot of fun, I wouldn't be doing any of this if it weren't for you. Since meeting you I felt like I was given so much hope."
Her praise was still so foreign to Izuku that he couldn't maintain a proper complexion without his face turning red, but he was slowly getting used to her uplifting replies. "I-I uh, I was pretty freaked out when we met because, w-well I honestly thought y-you'd hate how protective I was, o-or how I can mutter and space out," Looking ahead to the sky, he wasn't afraid of that idea anymore. "Now? I-I feel a little more confident, m-maybe not entirely, but I've been happier now because I got t-to meet you; and 'hope', that's why I want to be a hero, to give you what I want to give others, t-to smile even when it feels so hopeless," That goal no longer felt like wishful thinking, Ciana was proof he could save people his own way.
Ciana felt happy by his own words, she felt warm inside whenever they were together like this and encouraged each other to be strong. Ciana is happy to be there for Izuku as well as grateful he's there for her, she let out a happy giggle as her smile widened more. "That's no reason at all for me to dislike you for that, to me it just shows me how kind and gentle you are. It's actually kinda a way of me knowing I can trust you." Ciana honestly expresses.
"I admit, I was worried myself that I might be a heavy burden on you… I was a little afraid you would be bothered with the task of watching over me and hanging all over you. I would be sad if that were true… but I really like to continue to always be friends while I'm here, I can't imagine myself being anywhere without you." Ciana shyly tells him on that last part, looking away with a blush and a shy smile across her face.
"How... how did I get blessed to be around amazing people like her and All Might?" Izuku held back his emotions, instead, flowing them all into his smile as he spoke tenderly. "I'm not familiar with a lot of things friends normally do, I-I can't lie and say I have that experience anymore. But I'm certain, even if everything around us was crazy, we'll face it together," He held up his fist between them anxiously, rubbing his pink cheek.
Ciana was glad she didn't sound clingy, just hearing Izuku's encouragement had her perked up and felt more confident. She nods with a determined smile on her face, giving him her motivated thumbs up. "Whatever comes our way we will face it together!" Ciana expresses happily and confidently.
Looking up to the sky, Ciana thought of something else she liked to do before turning in, looking back at Izuku. "Do you by any chance have some time to stop at one more place I have in mind this time?" She asks with a curious smile.
Izuku relaxed then and there. "Ah, I thought for a moment she'd say I was being very cheesy with that line, I meant it but... grah, that definitely sounded better in my head!" His inner turmoil unnoticed, he shrugged. "Sure, where to?"
Ciana answered with a wide smile and a pleasant giggle, now walking a little faster in front "You'll see!" Ciana tells him as she ends up being the one to lead the way.
Luckily she managed to memorize the place she wanted to go… turned out to be the beach where she and Izuku not only met but trained together.
The journey back to the beach took them roughly fifteen minutes from their current spot in Musutafu, but the feeling barely registered in their legs. Izuku cocked his head a little, looking to Ciana. "The beach? Why did you want to come here?" It couldn't be to train, right?
Ciana smiled at their destination, now walking down the steps. Once she was down she looked up at Izuku and smiled. "Because this is where it all started." She happily says, now gesturing to follow.
"I thought it would be nice to walk along the shore rather than running a track across the sand." She explains as her eyes took a gaze out to the sea, finding the view beautiful in the distance.
Silently following her down, Izuku didn't pay to mind the still mounds of trash piled off toward the pier, but the rest of the beach to their right was clear and pristine as if it hadn't been touched. Following her across the sand left him oddly relaxed. The soft slosh of the tide, the smell of the ocean, the October breeze and warm sunlight, it was all very therapeutic when you're not constantly feeling like your organs wanted to kill you.
Ciana had her hands behind her back as they started walking across the shore, her gaze looking out to the sea as she silently watched and listened to the sound of the waves. "I never got to go out to the beach very often, it's really nice to be able to visit it during peaceful times like this." Ciana says softly as her gaze still stays out to the sea, really enjoying the view as well as the nice breeze.
Izuku stared at her for a while, longer than he intended before answering, "I've been to the beach a few times, but I think when this one's completely clear I'd like to visit because it'll feel rewarding to know it can be enjoyed again like this," He had a long road ahead, but being here to enjoy even a small fraction of his labour work bearing fruit was enough to fuel his determination ahead.
Ciana now looks back at him with her smile still intact. "I can tell you really poured your heart into cleaning this place up, honestly it stuns me that people don't even realize how so much trash affects the world…" Ciana says in a frustrated tone at the litter bugs here. "Just seeing all you have done is another way to show hope for a better future." Ciana says happily.
He waved his hands quickly, "I-I really just did what I could! M-Mr Yagi showed me this place and I'm sure once it's cleaned others will do the same, hopefully," Izuku was certain Ciana's help would speed along the process in time, and when she figured out what type of quirk she had, he knew it would be amazing.
Ciana giggled again at his flustered reaction, she's sure she will never get over that. "I'm sure they will once they see how beautiful the place has gotten since you cleaned it up."
Ciana looks back at the sea again while smiling. "It's kinda funny, Mr. Yagi reminds me of that big buff smiley guy I met when I first arrived here, they may look different but they seem to have the same heart and desire to do good." Ciana surprisingly says, not knowing how right she is…
"A-ah, yeah, Mr Y-Yagi works at All Might's a-agency so that's no surprise," He really needed to work on holding true to their lie. Izuku didn't want to but if others knew it could put them in danger, and Ciana had enough problems as is. Maybe... someday he could tell her, when she was strong enough to hold her own too. For now, he didn't want to put her in the same boat as him. "It was All Might t-that told me I could be a hero, since then, I've been trained towards my d-dream, even if everyday I feel completely exhausted, it gets e-easier each day."
She hums in response to his words, Ciana could tell he was truly blessed to be given great opportunities like this. "He really does sound like an amazing hero, especially to bring hope to your dreams, after all that's what being a real hero is all about."
Ciana says happily, eyes now forward in her direction. "I kinda wish we had superheroes where I'm from, everyone doesn't really rely on anyone other than the police… it's pretty cowardly where I'm from." Ciana tells him disappointingly about where she's from, not liking how cowardly her people can be.
"You... don't entirely trust the police, do you?" Izuku worded carefully as they stared at the horizon. "I-I won't assume but just from how you've reacted I guess I felt like there was something bitter between you and authorities, n-not that you were in trouble with them, but just... a bad experience? Again, I'm not entirely certain what the correlation is," With a wave of his hand he added. "B-but if you want to wait to tell me I-I understand if it's a sensitive issue,"
Cianas eyes narrow in a serious manner… not even looking at Izuku when he mentioned the authorities, but then she sighs as her face softens in a sad manner. "I… I lost my mother during a robbery at a bank she happened to be in… they just showed up pointing their guns at everyone, during the incident when one of them was pointing their weapon at the person behind the counter, she… stepped in front to defend the person… basically trying to tell them to back off, even when they told her to move she wouldn't. No one else would even step in to try and calm the situation or stop them." Ciana's expression now looked sad as she kept going.
"Without warning… she ended up getting shot… the authorities didn't even come fast enough when they made off with the money they stole, everyone just expected they handled everything but how can they if they are not even there or show up fast enough…" Ciana expresses frustratingly as she now looks away.
Hearing this puts a lot into perspective. Her resentment for 'heroes' and the police, for people to a degree who sit idly by and do nothing to prevent tragedies. If Izuku was in that exact situation, he wasn't sure how his feelings towards others would be swayed. But it made sense, why she stepped up to Katsuki, why she put herself in the line of fire constantly. She was the exact same as her mother, protecting people without a second thought. Izuku opened his mouth to say something, but 'I'm sorry' wasn't going to help. No, he had to do more than that.
Stifling his embarrassment, and ignoring his beating heart, Izuku reached to the side to grab her hand gingerly, managing to loosen her fist to wrap his fingers around her palm. "You said there aren't any heroes where you're from, but that's not true," Two pairs of green eyes met, "She was a hero without a doubt,"
Ciana expected him to probably sympathize with her and say I'm sorry that happened… but suddenly feeling his hand in hers not only took her by surprise but caused her to blush, looking down at her hand and up to Izuku's face. Ciana swore her heart was racing a mile not only from the comfort of his hand but the way he complimented her mothers actions made her feel so warm inside.
Ciana stared into his soft and gentle eyes that only made her heart race faster, but then after a few more moments her smile slowly rose back into a warm and thankful smile as her grip on his hand tightened. She never thought about it that way… but hearing what Izuku told her has given her a bit more hope despite her death…
"Yeah… she really was, thank you Izuku…" Ciana softly thanked him as her eyes remained on his.
Realizing he had now stuck himself in quite the embarrassing predicament, Izuku's face broke out in a red hue as he chuckled to himself, looking at anything but her face. "A-a-anytime!" But again, he found his eyes in hers, it made his skin burn but also made it harder to look away. Noting the sun was already halfway gone, the sky starting to turn to shades of purple and dark blue, he coughed into his free hand. "I-it'll probably be dark soon, w-we should get g-going, or do you w-want to stay a little l-longer," A slither of him tried to say 'yes' but his other rampant thoughts trampled the voice.
Holding hands was just something friends do, right? It didn't really mean anything. Yeah, that seemed to make sense to him.
Ciana could tell the action he did was very embarrassing for him but she still appreciated it with all her heart, she let his hand go to give him time to breathe. Though the cute way he gets so flustered just brings another happy giggle out of her. "If you want to head back now I'll understand, I wouldn't want to make your parents worry about staying out this late with me." She says with an understanding smile.
Truth be told Ciana wishes she could stay out a little longer with him, but she wouldn't want to keep him past curfew and get him in trouble.
"O-oh, that's not an issue, really, my Mom wouldn't mind," He shrugged before looking off to the side, and briefly, a callous emotion glazed his eyes. "...and my Dad's not really around at all so that's not a problem either,"
Ciana was a little surprised to hear his dads not around, did he die also or were they separated? Ciana wasn't sure if he wanted to talk about it also. "Oh? What are your parents like if you don't mind me asking?"
Ciana asked, thinking asking that way would be better than asking what the situation is with his family.
"My Mom's a nurse so she tends to have late shifts but is probably the nicest person you'd ever meet, she can... be a little overprotective at times," Izuku laughed slightly, again, hiding some of his true feelings on the subject. "She has a quirk that allows her to pull light objects toward her, like a lesser form of telekinesis," Then, that same, bitter emotion crossed his emerald eyes. "My... Dad, works overseas to pay for everything, as far as I know he has a quirk that lets him breathe fire but that's about all I know..."
To quickly bury those feelings he waved his hands. "But I understand why he works that hard, I-I mean, its to support my Mom and myself, so I get it,"
Ciana looked pretty amazed to hear what his parents were like, not just for their powers but their jobs they had. Though noticing his expression when he mentioned his dad… it kinda looked like he had bad feelings about him, maybe strained?
"I see, wow your mom sounds really cool. By the way she sounds, you're lucky to have a mom that cares for your well-being a lot, sounds like my dad… he can be pretty protective himself." Ciana shares as she giggles, knowing how her dad can be.
"Your dad even sounds like a hard worker, even if he's not around as often as you make it sound… at least he cared enough to provide for you and your mom as much as he can, I'm sure he even wants you to have a great life." She says as her eyes are now back toward the sea.
"I guess so..." It was true, Izuku knew that's why he wasn't around. But then why did he feel almost nothing toward the father who was never around? Or rather, not often enough for him to really recall any memories of. He got letters, sure, but that was just that, a piece of paper to him. Instead of this, he focused on what Ciana said. "Is he the kind to be super protective if you were around boys I'm guessing? Or just cautious all around?"
"Hm?" Ciana's eyes went back on Izuku, chuckling at his question. "I say he's the type that always calls to make sure I'm okay even when I'm out for a short time." Ciana explains so far with another giggle.
"Though if he ever saw me hanging out with a boy like you, he would probably go nuts about that. He still treats me like a child so I can imagine him stepping in if he saw me holding hands or kissing someone." Cianas dad was always such a daddy's girl to her, though his methods can be embarrassing sometimes she at least knows he means well.
"I think my Mom would flood the neighbours downstairs with her tears of joy if I had a girlfriend..." Izuku wondered with a nervous smile at that over dramatic scene. Seeing that the sun was really starting to fall further now, he nudged Ciana's side. "Let's go, we've still got a week ahead, not to mention Mr Yagi's training to worry about."
That sounded really cute to Ciana, now suddenly wondering what exactly is his type of girl? She was a little distracted by the thought until Izuku nudged her side. "Hm?" She locks eyes back on him now.
Ciana was bummed to go but it's probably for the best to rest up. "Yeah I can't imagine what he will have next for us… who knew being a hero in training was this much hard work." Ciana says with a stretch of her arm.
Izuku understood that himself, his first month was, for lack of a better word, horrible. "It's hard a first, but the right routine and mastering the breathing technique really helps your body adjust to almost any workout," He smiled, "Mr Yagi said it came from two long-standing families from centuries ago, the Kamado and Rengoku families have taught the technique to a handful of people that heard about its legacy,"
"Sure sounds pretty complicated but very interesting." She says with her hand on her chin processing this new info she was given. "What exactly made you want to be a hero in the first place, Izuku?" Ciana asks him with curious eyes now as her hands moved behind her back.
"I've mentioned before I wanted to give people hope with a smile, but... w-well it's a little e-embarrassing," Knowing he had her full attention as they moved up the steps again, he relaxed a sigh. "...t-there's this video I watched. I don't know how many times, of All Might saving dozens of people single handedly, all carried in his arms and over his shoulders. And he would say, 'I Am Here', and that phrase was stuck with me for years, e-even when I was diagnosed as quirkless, I kept hearing his voice over and over," Izuku felt his heartbeat increase with a prideful smile, a smile not rarely seen on his face. "I knew I wanted to be like him, to save people with a smile no matter what,"
Ciana listened as they started to walk back, keeping her focus on her friend. Listening to his reason why he wanted to become a hero was… very admirable, Ciana stared at him as her eyes widened a little from what he told her. His reasons were just so honest and kind… even the way he smiled Ciana could tell how serious he was to make that happen.
Ciana's smile rose and maybe even blushed a little seeing how really cool he is in her eyes right now, almost speechless. "Your amazing Izuku… I already have so much faith in you that you'll become that hero, I believed that the moment we started to meet and train together." Ciana says with her own smile, her words honest and true that she can already see she has much hope for him.
It was possible Izuku might pop a blood vessel from how many times his blood had run to his face as he stammered a laugh, "I-I'm glad you think so, a-again, thank you... f-for everything, Ciana." He really couldn't be more thankful, sure, pretty words weren't going to breed results, but they sure made it feel tangible for just a moment more.
"What are friends for?" She returned his words, equally as happy.
[Transition]
Locked in a slate-grey prison cell, two low-file men sat around doing nothing but playing cards on a small table in their cell. No guards were around to bother them, nor any other inmates waiting to be transferred elsewhere.
That was, until a distinct sensation of the air growing hotter struck their sides, and a clean slice of a blade stretched outward from the locked steel door. Immediately, the two cast the cards aside to sit up straight at someone who left a dark, almost overwhelming impression on the small room stepped into view. Then, that person let out a long-winded exhale. "Let me get this straight. This plan that we've conducted for months, gathered the connections and the resources to pull off - a heist like no other in human history... and it all fell apart... because you two got bested by a fourteen-year-old school girl and a boy her age - AND we're apprehended by the Symbol of Peace," The man worded with as much frustration and sarcasm as possible that the men winced, looking down in utter shame.
"Our actions cannot be excused, sir," One spoke. "We failed, we can only humbly beg for your forgiveness."
"No-no, I should've this coming - want something done, do it yourself, yes-yes, we've all heard it before," The man bathed in darkness shook a large silver appendage in dismissal. "In the end, this merely gives us a... profitable angle, maybe not the one I hoped for, but I can make this work in our favour, all it needs is the right... push," He smiled slightly. "Something I can do... that I certainly don't need either of you to do,"
"Sir-" The one who did all the talking was suddenly grabbed across the face, covering his eyes with a pale hand with sharp, silver nails, a deep vermillion tone rising from beneath his palm as the man grunted and tried to claw the hand away as he begged. "W-wait, sir, please I-"
"-Ah-p-p-p, I'm not mad, but I can't have you being interrogated for information, even a small slither of knowledge is worth its weight in gold if used correctly," With a sigh, that dark red light grew to envelop the room. "Since you did accomplish part of your task, consider this a painless severance of your contracts,"
Despite the harsh light and the painful screams that followed. Not even a notion of terror echoed down the halls, the pressure surrounding the chamber smothering noise and light.
[End of transition]
After the long trek back to her new place, the two finally arrived back at the building. Walking up the stairs and then up to her door, Ciana turned back to look at Izuku with a thankful smile. "Thanks for everything today Izuku, I really had a lot of fun despite some setbacks. I hope we can do this again soon."
Ciana tells him happily and honestly, though she hoped all that walking didn't make him feel too tired after taking a walk to the beach and then back to her place. Ciana was already concerned if he was exhausted but at least knew how strong he is compared to her.
"It's no problem, honest, a-and well, s-school is tomorrow, t-though hopefully Kacchan will be..." He slumped slightly with a tired smile. "...Kacchan." Despite those hiccups, he had fun too. Having the time to 'hang out' even if the rest of their afternoons would be spent training at the beach, it was a breath of fresh air.
Ciana wasn't too worried about Bakugo, what she worried about the most is him picking on Izuku again… though Ciana hoped Izuku would stick up for himself more, she hates seeing him get pushed around. Ciana placed her hand on his shoulder as she tried to give him some hope. "Don't worry too much about him, after seeing what Kacchan is like… I actually believe there's hope for him to improve. Maybe his attitude won't but… he might come a long way until he shows any progress, but I believe one day you'll have a huge impact on him Izuku." Ciana smiled more after saying that.
She took her hand off his shoulder now as she once again placed her arms behind her back. "We sure had a long walk after that trek to the beach and back here, do you by any chance want to come in and rest up a little bit before heading back home?" Ciana kindly offered, thinking maybe his own legs were pretty exhausted even if they didn't run a track.
"I'm being invited into a girl's home..." Izuku wasn't sure if he should be happy about that offer or not, his pink face told volumes of that. But once he looked behind him, It told him the sun had almost vanished, the sky mostly dark with a few stray stretches of violet on the horizon. "Thanks for the concern, but I've barely felt any fatigue since we left school, strange, not even some slight tension," He blinked, tapping one foot off the ground. "Maybe all my training made me used to long-distance walks by now?"
Once again judging by the muscles he now has… Ciana could completely understand that… Already her red cheeks were starting to show as she quickly shook her head to get rid of the thought at the moment. "T-that's understandable, hehe…" Ciana shyly says, looking away with an awkward smile while scratching her cheek with her finger.
"W-well alright… then I'll see you tomorrow." Before Ciana could let him go completely… she suddenly goes to give him a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did…
His heart pounded in his ears at her action, a gentle warmth enveloping his body as it ate away any and all fatigue left in his body, even his head felt crystal clear as Izuku held his hands a mere inch from her back, "Friends do this too, right?" Carefully, he hugged her lower back, even if it were only for a brief moment as his face was pure scarlet he enjoyed this feeling a lot. "Well, it's not a bad thing, I suppose..."
"Thank you again for everything Izuku, I'm really glad I met you…" Ciana expressed happily and softly while smiling, she lingered in the hug for a few more moments before giving him a tight gentle squeeze then letting him go.
Ciana felt pretty warm herself after that hug as it strangely made her feel safe… it was a feeling she wasn't so familiar with before and it felt so new… the idea made her blush still but kept on her warm smile towards him.
"M-me too," Izuku offered, slowly turning around to leave, though to mainly hide how red his face had gotten. "U-um, well I... should g-go, I-I'll see you tomorrow!" He waved.
Ciana was a bit sad to see him go but not like she can keep him back forever, Ciana's smile widened a bit more as she waved back at him to say goodbye. Looking forward to seeing him tomorrow. "Have a good night Izuku." She tells him, hoping he will make it home safely.
After waving goodbye to Izuku, Ciana entered her new home and cooked up some dinner for herself. It felt lonely for her dad not being with her… it was scary to still be on her own, Ciana thinks to herself that maybe she can do some shopping after school to pick out some new clothes. Would be fun if Izuku wanted to tag along… she would text and ask but she wasn't sure if her phone would work in this world… Ciana didn't even have his number, after eating she just goes right to bed, knowing she's going to need it for tomorrow…