Toshinori walked over to where Izuku fought his entire class and his sister. He picked up what was left of Izuku's mask, knowing right away that he was there. He then looked to the All Might statue...with the 'I am not here' sign still over it.
When your disciple was desperate and hurting, and hurting a loved one in the process...you couldn't do anything for them.
"Remain at their side," Mr. Aizawa advised, Toshinori looking up at him in shock. "Your presence is enough to inspire greatness. That's the truth."
The reality is...you've been holding him back. And you helped damage the relationship with the one person who never gave up on him when he found out he was Quirkless... Looking at the sign...he felt it deserved to be there. Great job...All Might.
He then walked off to head for his car...when a sword was swung at him, landing in front of his face. "What's this?" A familiar voice asked, crouched nearby. "Have you come to blaspheme against a great hero?" It was Stain, the Hero Killer. "I think not...heretic!"
Toshinori glared up at him, as they never met until now...but he knew the villain well thanks to stories and the news. "The Hero Killer. Hello, Stain...Unfortunate that our paths never crossed when I was still a hero who could've stopped you. And then, after your capture and imprisonment, I figured we'd never have a reason to meet each other face-to-face."
"What are you talking about?" Stain, of course, didn't recognize Toshinori for who he used to be. So to him, the man was just a stranger.
"Oh, I see you don't know," Toshinori realized that Stain must've been in Tartarus, because no villains there knew of the current news when they were imprisoned. "Quite a bit has happened since you were put away. I am All Might."
"You lie!" Stain gritted his teeth at him. "Don't disgrace his name with your falsehoods!"
"I don't blame you for thinking that I'm lying," Toshinori murmured; he did get the same reaction from Izuku when they met, after all. He formed into his All Might form for the first time in months. And soon after, he turned back into his true form. He then coughed out some blood, wiping his mouth. "You gonna kill me now? If not-" He flinched as the blade was held to his throat.
Stain looked at him in an intense way. "It's a trick! There's no way you're the real All Might! You're an imposter!" He snarled, thinking that this was just a joke. Toshinori let out a small gasp, the sword still near his face. He then looked at the All Might statue. "We're on sacred ground! Why are you pretending to be that man here, of all places? Who are you to claim the title of hero? Speak!" He demanded, as he found it insulting that 'All Might' was just a civilian who didn't look like much now.
"Pretending. Sure," Toshinori murmured, since he had to keep up appearances for years being the Symbol of Peace. "That's not far off," He looked at what was left of Izuku's mask. "I always felt like I had to do something to help others." Once...when he was in middle school, he remembered seeing a city practically destroyed. "I couldn't stand in the wings and watch. Not when I saw people's lives stolen away from them every day. Even though I was powerless...I had to take action." Not unlike how both the twins and Katsuki both reacted in order to do something for the other, in fact. "I wanted to improve society." Stain narrowed his eyes down at him. "And then I hung up my cape. And this is the result...I was supposed to protect my successor, and his beloved sister. But I couldn't even find a way to protect from himself or his relationship with her. The reason is obvious...I am a failure...watching everyone else become true heroes." At times during the Hassaikai or the recent war...it frustrated him not being able to fight alongside his past fellow coworkers. That he had to sit back and allow everything to happen as they did...because he wasn't All Might and no longer could be.
Stain moved his sword to swing it and Toshinori gasped. Stain lunged forward...but just wrapped an arm around the man, still pointing the sword at him. Strange...I'm not feeling murderous intent from him. He glanced up at Stain, wondering what his intentions were. "I'm usually not a hugger, but we just met."
"Perfect timing," Stain glanced to somewhere behind him. "Watch!" He shoved Toshinori's head to peek out from behind the ice pillar. Up ahead...was a lone woman walking underneath the umbrella. She looked up towards the statue. Toshinori gasped sharply at her presence.
"They put the sign up again?" She asked in a bit of annoyance. "Jeez. When are they gonna cut this out?" She used a bubble-like Quirk as a ladder to reach the sign. She knocked it down herself onto the ground. "And I'll need to go back and comment on those people who are saying all those hateful things about that girl..."
"Every day, without fail, she cleans this statue the hero haters love to defile," Stain revealed as the woman was cleaning up the statue. "And she makes strong arguments against those who defile Callista. She's probably staying at a nearby shelter. No doubt they'd rather she not come out here."
Toshinori flinched upon seeing her, knowing that she could get ambushed on her way to the shelter and back from here. "But she's in danger here! Why do this?"
"Because she's the last person All Might saved, with Callista," Stain informed the man, causing him to gasp sharply.
"Don't...lose," The woman in the debris looked up, a pleading expression on her face. "Keep going! All Might, Callista! We need you!"
Toshinori let out a small gasp from the sight...because he didn't stop to think what happened to her. How she felt about being his last rescue...and now, with her standing up for him and for Izuka...it gave him a bit of hope.
He yelped as Stain grabbed him by the hair and collar. "No matter how terrible the situation, All Might smiled as he faced the insurmountable! That didn't have anything to do with his power or about the girl's safety! It was the only way the Symbol of Peace knew to bring security to the citizens! People praised the heart of his conviction. You say you're All Might, but you obviously have no idea who he was! Look at that woman!" He forced Toshinori look at her again. "Make no mistake, this is All Might's legacy! The smoldering embers he left behind won't be easily extinguished." And this was proven...by the hero course students. "They are fueled by the select few who live in his image. Before long, they will form a new, unstoppable blaze! The important thing is making sure that fire doesn't go out! As long as we're alive, we have to keep stoking those flames! Even if we struggle or face indignities!"
"Try your best," The woman implored with a fierce look on her face. No matter what people said about All Might or about Izuka...she would never forget what they did that day. "I will too. You can do it. I believe in you. Don't give up."
Toshinori gasped with tears in his eyes, starting to openly sob. He could never be All Might again...but that didn't mean he had to stop fighting. That he had to give up...
And with that, Stain started to walk away. "If a person has the soul of a hero, they exist only to help other people." The blond stood up, shocked that Stain was just leaving him behind. "But if a god is reduced to a mortal shell...one who can fall in the rain, what then?"
Toshinori gasped sharply, holding out a hand. "Wait, don't tell me this whole time, you've-"
"I don't know who you are," Stain declared as he came to a stop. Even if he did believe that Toshinori was All Might...he certainly wasn't acting like a former number one hero right now. "But if you really have the soul of a hero, prove it." He tossed some paper attached to a knife near Toshinori's foot. "Use this information I took from Tartarus." Toshinori looked up at him with bated breath. "And when you've finished, make sure you track me down and put an end to Stain. The vigilante who killed 40 heroes...all for the sake of forging a better society," And with that, he was gone, leaving Toshinori in tears...
The woman had finished cleaning up, looking up towards the statue. The sun started to shine a little from some of the clouds, causing her to smile. "Look at that...the rain's clearing up."
Back at Heights Alliance, Denki and Eijiro were dragging a wide-eyed Izuku away. Minoru, Hanta, and Rikido were with them. "I want that water scorching hot!" Denki demanded, though Izuku was flabbergasted by how seriously they were taking this...
"Let's heat it up!" Mashirao gritted his teeth, the boys running past him.
"Strip him down!" Hanta and Rikido shouted as they threw off Izuku's clothes. Once they got him in the bath, they sprayed him with water, running around him.
"Hose him off!" Denki and Eijiro cried out as Mashirao and Minoru helped out.
"And now..." Eijiro started off while holding the green-haired boy.
"It's dunkin' time!" They shouted as they tossed him into the bath with no regrets, making a huge splash. Izuku was just flabbergasted while surrounded by a pleased Eijiro, Hanta, Denki, and Mashirao.
"Most things in life can be fixed if you take a nice, long soak..." Denki murmured in bliss from the hot water.
"MORONS!" Katsuki shouted from the other side. "He's dirtying up the bath water! Scrape his skin with steel wool and buckets of bleach first!" He stood up, bubbles covering his uh...lower half.
"I'm pretty sure you're suggesting torture instead of cleaning," Eijiro suggested with a content smile still on his face.
"Despite the sincere apology and gaining Mido as a romantic partner, he's still the same," Fumikage pointed out while bathing with Koji and Rikido.
"Hey, hold on!" Rikido called out as Katsuki jumped in the water, creating a huge splash. Rikido then covered his eyes with his hand. "No jumping..."
"Make no mistake," Katsuki murmured, looking towards the water. "I'm still gunning to be number one, while making sure Izuka is taken care of with everything she needs. Which means you extras are my rivals," He then looked up towards his childhood friend. "And you know I'm mostly talking to you, right De—uh, Izuku," He grunted as he splashed the boy with water.
"Don't force yourself if it's hard for you to say my real name," Izuku murmured loud enough for him to hear. "And besides, you don't need to do everything for my sister just for my approval. I always rooted for you guys."
"Watch your mouth! Nothing's hard for me, damn it! And I promised her I will, so I'm not gonna back out of it and end up looking like I failed her. I'm not doing it for your damn cheap words," Katsuki retorted, looking away while gritting his teeth. "You watch, I'll be the best boyfriend that she won't need another one."
"Well, having ambition and Mido as a girlfriend are good things, aren't they? Mostly?" Hanta was a bit doubtful that Katsuki would ever change, even for Izuka...
"This is our chance. Let's gang up and dunk Bakugo! And then we can get one more photo of Mido before we deem her as taken!" Minoru sounded a bit too lustful at that last part.
"No way, shorty! And if I catch any of you extras aside from De—Izuku trying to take what's mine, I'll kill you!" Katsuki shouted at all of them.
"Where's Uraraka?" Izuku wondered once he was out of the bath.
"Sleeping. Once she stopped worrying, the adrenaline wore off," Kyoka revealed to the boy. "Some of the others are out too."
"That's good," Izuku said in relief as he took a seat on the couch. He flinched and then frowned knowingly. "And Izuka?"
"She was tired too, I told her to sleep in my room tonight so she'd be more comfortable," Katsuki revealed, closing his eyes.
So fast! Izuku looked at him wide-eyed since the two just got together and already they were moving to sleeping in the same room... "Has she...mentioned me?" His hands were shaking, wondering what her current thoughts were about him since...he could tell that she was helping him. But at the same time, that didn't mean she was forgiving him that easily.
"...No," Katsuki revealed a bit reluctantly.
He frowned a bit as he felt like he should've expected that... "Hey, guys?" Izuku looked up with a soft expression. "Thank you...especially for taking care of my big sister. And I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."
"Keeping One for All from us that whole time? Both of you guys?" Mina walked up with a towel over her neck. "Super lame. Ooh!" She looked down at the food Momo and Rikido were making. "The bright side is, after reading your bonkers confession, nothing's gonna surprise me," She took a bite out of some fruit.
"I just wish you would've told Hawks to return my calls. Or even told him to talk to your sister. She needed that reassurance from someone about you, even if it wasn't from yourself," Fumikage sounded a bit annoyed.
"Sorry about that," Izuku frowned a little. "...How'd she found out I was gone?"
"We told her ourselves. She didn't take it well as you can see," Tenya closed his eyes and Izuku hung his head a bit in shame.
"I imagine it was difficult to go from being Quirkless to wielding such a power," Mashirao spoke up from behind the couch. "Just as difficult for her to hide her Quirk just because she cared about you. You two managed it, though. Well, in different ways," He glanced away, knowing that Izuka took to being quite timid and shy to hide it...
"Even with those gnarly broken bones, which would've been a problem for anyone in your shoes. Or for someone who had a Quirk but never controlled it for true potential until coming here," Hanta pointed out to them.
"What's One for All feel like and having it connected to Galaxy?" Mashirao wondered with a curious smile. Shoto was nearby as he finished his own bath. "Can you put it into words for us?"
"Well, I guess it's kinda, like, uh..."
"We all have questions," Shoto interjected while drying his hair with the towel. "But Midoriya's tired. Let the guy get some rest. Isn't that one of the main reasons we brought him back?"
"That's how it is now?" Minoru deadpanned towards him, wondering how Shoto could still look the way he did now. "You walk into rooms posing for pictures? Yo," He looked towards Hanta, trying to look handsome. "Do I look cool?"
"Hard no, bro," Hanta denied quickly, Izuku staring at them sheepishly.
"Are you okay?" Shoto questioned while sitting next to his friend. "How are things with your sister?"
"Yeah, I'm good. As for Izuka...well, I imagine she has a lot to say," He winced a bit, knowing that despite her good intentions, there was still a girl in there who felt betrayed by his actions. It wasn't like he could just ignore it... "Thanks for the concern, but I can't sleep."
"Why not?"
Izuku turned away, looking towards the ground. "I acted pretty terribly towards not just All Might, but Izuka too. And I haven't apologized. I feel like it's something I should do in person...but for Izuka, I'm going to wait until she's awake. I don't wanna leave things between us unsaid when we were all that the other had growing up. For All Might, he's not picking up his phone, so..."
Shoto wasn't actually paying attention to what he said, looking out the window wide-eyed. Izuku was very confused and took a look for himself. Outside was a very creepy-looking Toshinori staring at Izuku through the window. He was relieved that Izuku came back home.
"What's he doing outside?!" The green-haired boy yelped in shock.
They welcomed him in and immediately, the man was just as ashamed as Izuku was minutes ago. "I am here to apologize for not being of any use, and for affecting your relationship with Young Mido!" He bowed his head tearfully. "Young Midoriya!"
"Huh?! No, what are you talking about?! You helped me a ton out there!" Izuku yelped, waving his hands. "Plus, I'm the one who screwed up by telling you and the others to not contact her!"
"Where is Young Mido? She needs to be here to hear this too!" He looked around for her.
"She's sleeping in Kacchan's room..." Izuku murmured, catching the man off guard. "Oh, he confessed his feelings to her, so they're going out now!"
"Seriously?!" Toshinori yelped in surprise to hear it.
"If you're gonna apologize for being shady, you better ask us for forgiveness too!" Mina scolded while waving her arms frantically. She herself was still mad that they kept everything a secret. "And for shutting out Izuka! You can't just take our friend away and ghost us! You telling Mido about where he was isn't enough!"
Toshinori stood there in silence for a few seconds. "...The day of the final battle...will soon be here." The students gasped from the news. "I'm sorry that I caused everyone to worry." The truth is, I lost sight of who I was. I thought I was no longer a hero...
Toshinori removed the knife from the papers.
Alright, Stain. Even if all I can do is crawl, I'll still fight...because I want to witness the fire raging in their hearts with my own eyes He wanted to continue living to witness that on his own... "The details aren't important at the moment, but there's new intel. We should have more information in the coming days. And we'll need everyone's help. Even mine." He looked at his hand, knowing that he had his own limits to overcome being a civilian... "This weakened body may limit my usefulness, but I'll do my best!"
"All Might!" Izuku exclaimed, causing him to look up in alarm. "The food you brought me gave me the strength to keep going! I'm sure that I lost my way because I distanced myself from you and my own sister...so from now on...we fight side by side!"
"Let's protect the world!" Tenya smiled, clenching a fist.
Toshinori smiled happily towards them for their willingness to assist. "Thank you all..." I'll show these kids that I can stand by their side.
He then opened the door to leave. "Anyway, I gotta go."
"Dude, you're bouncing already?" This made Mina more annoyed.
"I need to speak with Endeavor and the others. There's still a lot to do," He informed her, Rikido, and Fumikage.
"Please tell Hawks he could at least send me a text message," Fumikage implored, since he hadn't even heard from Hawks since his recovery. Nor did Hawks ever go see him in the hospital.
"Right, I'll pass that on," Toshinori waved as he left.
"Ooh, someone's an Angryami," Mina teased while they walked back inside.
"I'm concerned, not angry," He corrected as she stared at him curiously.
"Why don't Endeavor and the others just set up shop at UA?" Rikido couldn't help but wonder.
"He would need a good reason to show his face on campus," Shoto answered as he walked up with a blanket. "Anyone who sees him will think of Dabi. He doesn't wanna be triggering. He already did that to Mido during the work-study. We may have sold the evacuees on the Midoriya Twins, but they're not thrilled. Many still don't trust heroes, especially my old man."
Momo looked to the couch, gasping in surprise to see Izuku asleep. "Seems someone finally calmed down enough to get some sleep."
"As Dabi's brother and Endeavor's son..." Shoto placed the blanket over his friend. "I know people are skeptical about me being here too. Can't blame them."
"Just because of your family," Eijiro stated knowingly as he looked at his classmate, feeling annoyed by the amount of distrust just because of multiple people. "That sucks so bad, and it's not like you did anything wrong yourself..."
"But I did," Shoto continued to stare at Izuku. "I got so obsessed with my bloodline, I forgot who I was. And if I had paid attention to Endeavor's intentions during the work-study...maybe it wouldn't have upset Mido so much. I'm acting with a clearer head now, though."
"Tch," Katsuki looked away with a scoff, still a little pissed about the arranged marriage thing.
"And I'll destroy any doubts about me," He looked towards his classmates with a small smile. "I'll do my best to regain everybody's trust."
Eijiro gritted his teeth, tearing up. He then slammed his hands on the table. "Now that's chivalry! You're making me cry manly tears!" He turned away while wiping his face with his arm.
Momo herself was wiping some tears too. "Right," Kyoka twirled one of her earphone jacks. "If we've got a bunch of evacuees who aren't exactly fans of ours, then...we just fix that. No prob," She hooked her earphone jacks around Denki, Momo, and Fumikage, catching them off guard.
"Huh? Jiro? You're getting really close..." Denki murmured in a bit of alarm.
"What's going on?" Shoto stared at the group.
"It might be kinda weird to compare these two things, but stay with me," She spoke up, looking towards the ground. "During the School Festival, there were plenty of people who were on the fence about us. And about Mido too, no thanks to that stupid picture. We wanted to find a way to reassure them, remember? To show them that Mido was one of us. And to make them feel good too," She moved away her earphone jacks. "So we made a plan to win their hearts." She pulled Katsuki by the back of his shirt, earning a growl in return.
"If we could do it back then...I know that we can do it again. We just have to give it our all," Kyoka smiled while being surrounded by the former band team. And by that regard...so did heroes in general. Mina nodded with her in agreement. "Let's show them who we are."
Shoto looked away with a small hopeful smile. "Yeah, you're right."
Minoru once again was trying to imitate him... Hanta smacked his grape balls.
"We won't just go back to normal," Kyoka declared to everyone else. "We'll make it better than it was before! If we can do this together...we'll go beyond!" They all smiled towards her in agreement, Izuku still asleep.
Katsuki stepped into his room, looking towards Izuka snuggled up still asleep in his bed. He could see her body rising up and down underneath the blankets. He hummed a bit, stepping past Baki on the ground also asleep. He lifted up the covers and crawled into bed, already welcoming himself to the warm sheets and pillows that smelled nice. He blinked as he didn't remember washing either of them. Did she...wash these herself while I was in the bath? Katsuki stared at the girl, who was too tired to wake up, and he didn't plan on doing so just to ask the question.
The boy gave a knowing huff as he pulled her in close. "You didn't have to wash my stuff for me just because you're mine now, silly," He leaned in to kiss her gently on the forehead. Izuka only hummed in her sleep as he hugged her head close. She unconsciously moved her arms around his waist. He closed his eyes to enjoy this moment for now...he knew that they wouldn't get much time together like this soon. Katsuki stared down at his adorable girlfriend, resting his chin on her head.
Just wait, Izuka. I promise things will be better than this...
Endeavor was flying out into the sky, as it had stopped raining at this point. "So. We got some info on Shigaraki's upgrades from Garaki's polygraph and cross-referenced it with Central's Nomu research," Hawks spoke up as he and Best Jeanist were in the latter's car, following the number one hero. "It was tricky, since we were comparing a living person to some lackeys created out of corpses. But we did come to a conclusion. We believed his body would be completed after two months. All our intelligence pointed to that timeline. There was also additional testimony from the assassins Deku caught. It sounds like All for One's intention is to get his hands on One for All before his protege's body has reached full potential. Similarly, he wants to kill Callista in front of Deku, that way he won't have to worry about her power. A month has passed since the attack on Tartarus. Which, in theory, left us with another 30 days or so, to plan our next move on All for One and the League. Or so we thought..." Endeavor continued to fly over water, and anything from Tartarus as well as where it once stood was now gone. "We received Tartarus security records from Stain, who gave them to All Might along with an overzealous love letter to our Symbol of Peace. Mr. Fanboy had no intention of giving us information to anyone but All Might himself."
I never thought that the Hero Killer would end up being some sort of ally... Endeavor thought...but then again, they had gotten weirder sources in other places.
About one month ago
The alarms blared in Tartarus as the place burned to nothing. An inmate was laughing manically while running down the hallway. "Hell yeah! I'm coming for you, ladies! I'm gonna find me so many girls and take whatever I-"
Suddenly, he was cut down by Stain himself, falling to the ground. He felt it was for the best that the perverted inmate be taken down...he looked to the other inmates escaping, as he couldn't help but think how did things get to this point. 'What is this mess? If Tartarus has fallen, what of the outside world?' He then stepped in front of a control room, the equipment badly damaged. 'I need information...' He looked at the sparking equipment, slowly stepping inside. 'Nothing left.' He gasped as he saw one of the security guards on the ground. 'The others clung to their weapons as they died...but this man?' He wasn't carrying a weapon...but something else. 'He's cradling that box as though it were his child.' He bent down to take it, thinking that the man was dead...but he wasn't. He gripped onto the box tightly, catching Stain off guard.
"You can't..." The guard pleaded with him, looking up with lots of bruises over his body. "Why would you take this instead of a gun...?"
"I need to know," Stain implored, as now he knew that this was important.
"Away! Leave me," The man glared up at him. "Chizome...Akaguro, you were on...Shigaraki's side." He continued to grip the box.
"This must be important," Stain narrowed his eyes, wondering what it was about the box that the man wanted to die holding it. And the man couldn't hold onto it anymore, losing his grip. Stain opened the box to see data microchips. 'Data storage.'
"Stop..." The man shook on the ground, too injured to get up and stop him. "Murderer...!" He pulled out his gun, shaking. "Give it back! It's not yours. Those files have to go to...someone just!"
"This world is broken," Stain stated while in the doorway, looking over his shoulder. "But you don't have to worry. I'll pass your conviction onto a worthy man."
"Hero Killer Stain..." He murmured, blood from his mouth. "Are you...a man...or a monster?"
The ceiling started to cave in around them. "Someone who wants to bring about a better world...but a monster still," He answered, knowing that he had done too much consider himself a real man.
And as the prisoners were rioting, he still held onto the data. 'I have no idea what that man was trying to protect with his final breaths...or what value it may hold.' Stain wasn't with them as he stared at All for One basking in his freedom from a corner. 'These events have me lost...' He then ran off, jumping into the sea. 'Which is why...I will entrust this to the only man I believe in.' He walked down a bridge in the rain. 'I told the guard I would pass on his resolve. So you must pick up where he left off.' And while he was roaming about, gaining a new costume and weapons...he had heard about what happened to All Might. 'For the sake of the world. Because all of this began with you.'
The night All Might left Deku and the others
"We're done with our regular patrol," Officer Sansa revealed to Naomasa, who had grown a stubble over his face. Plus his eyes were very sullen, as if he got very little rest.
"That's good to hear," He replied while looking over his shoulder, looking towards Toshinori, who had told him everything. "Well, I'm glad you patched things up with Midoriya, at least."
"Same," Toshinori was relieved that they did. "I can't say the same for Young Mido, though. I know she has a lot to say regarding the issue. She got pretty upset with Endeavor," He rubbed the back of his neck, as he...heard of Izuka's threat from Endeavor not too long ago.
"I'll take any good news I can get, seeing as we're being saved by a murderer," Naomasa looked at the intel Stain had given to Toshinori.
"Without him...we'd have nothing," Toshinori gave him a small smile. "Tartarus has a security system that's completely cut off from the outside world. It's a defensive measure. We shouldn't have been able to get our hands on this data at all, especially since it contains the reason for the system failure. Shigaraki used Radio Waves liberally in that last battle. And it caused havoc both inside and outside the prison."
Officer Sansa closed the locker, raising a brow. "You mean All for One and his consciousness inside Shigaraki were in sync? Is that what allowed him to coordinate his attack?"
"It's more complicated than that, Sansa," Toshinori murmured with a small frown. "Yes, he shared his thoughts through the consciousness that resides inside of his Quirk." It reminded him a lot of how One for All worked. "I've experienced a similar phenomenon as a wielder of One for All. But the thing is, that sort of Quirk communication doesn't go both ways."
Officer Sansa blinked, tilting his head curiously. "Which means what?"
"My vestige inside One for All knows everything that the me living in this world sees or thinks. But in all my years dealing with this synchronization, I've never experienced it working the other way around. Except...in one recent moment. In the hospital, when I touched Midoriya...or close enough, anyway. My vestige's thoughts just seemed to flow into me." That was how he knew that Izuku was talking to them in the first place. "With Mido, it's the opposite. When it first started, she had no way of knowing who the other vestiges were, but could still faintly see them. Because Galaxy wasn't connected at the time, it proved to be too much for her Quirk. But as that connection grew, the more that she was experiencing what her brother was experiencing. Enough to the point where she could openly talk and see them—well, until recently." He glanced away, knowing that Izuka hadn't taken to them for a while. "But even if All for One has a higher rate of synchronization than the users of One for All communicate with...could a body at 500 meters below sea level really have the power to reach out to Shigaraki on the ground? Using nothing but thoughts and the sheer force of will?"
Granted, he didn't know if All for One worked exactly the same as One for All, there was definitely only one user for it compared to nine. But if the Quirk was starting to become like its counterpart, then it was a bit terrifying to think about...
"Isn't there something like that with twins like the Midoriyas?" Officer Sansa narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Some kinda connection between brains?"
"Well, it's not the exact same with them, I never bothered to ask..." Toshinori rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He wouldn't be surprised if there was a little truth to it with them...
"Yeah well, I can't speak to that," Naomasa rubbed his chin in thought. "In this case, though, I know they talked using Radio Waves. The data suggests that if someone has that Quirk, they can send messages and receive them. Our analysis shows that the radio waveforms recorded at Tartarus were in fact, a conversation."
"I didn't realize we had those results back," Officer Sansa replied in shock, looking at Toshinori. "Any idea what they were saying?"
"...That Shigaraki would be complete in 38 days," Toshinori revealed in a bit of a grave tone.
The cat officer let out a sharp gasp from the short amount of time. "But...reports from Central Hospital said it'd be 2 months!" His eyes wavered...as they'd be now fighting for time. "I don't get it."
"He knew we'd investigate," Toshinori revealed to them, looking a bit anxious himself. "So he arranged for the research to lead us to a specific conclusion. We believe these private communications between his body and consciousness reveal the actual schedule. Which means Shigaraki...All for One's vessel...will be complete in about 3 days..."
"Wait..." Officer Sansa looked at him wide-eyed. "No way. That soon?"
"Yes," Naomasa turned to him with furrowed eyebrows. "Which means that we're quickly running out of options. We need time and allies to figure out how we can go up against the League. Soon..."
Toshinori narrowed his eyes, knowing that they needed a plan, and fast. He also did not tell the students, since he wanted them to continue helping the twins for right now. Plus...he didn't want a repeat of what Izuku did.
"A plea from All Might himself?" An ambassador wondered from UN headquarters.
"He's asking for them to be deployed tomorrow, but that's impossible!" It wasn't that they wanted to say no, but Toshinori did give them a rather short timespan. "A mountain of paperwork is required to dispatch heroes overseas!"
"And a country's power is determined by the strength of its heroes," Another ambassador spoke up from his cubicle. "Deploying them abroad upsets the equilibrium and invites all manner of attack on a nation."
"Whenever a wealth of heroes are dispatched, crime syndicates jump into overdrive. We're overwhelmed as it is," Another one argued, since they were dealing with their own troubles from their countries. "Every country's facing domestic threats. The villains are conspiring across borders."
"According to Interpol, All for One has allies and supporters scattered across the globe," Another one pointed out to the group.
"That may be. But Hawks, Endeavor, and of course All Might sent in this request. There's no way we can ignore it. Our Salaam wants to move out immediately." In fact, the Egyptian hero was furious to hear what was going on and wanted to help. "He's convinced he'll be the one to take down All for One."
"Big Red Dot in my country is also chomping at the bit. He keeps asking why bureaucracy should keep him from saving a friend," An ambassador from Singapore explained to them.
"Yeah, so our hero...left already," The ambassador from America revealed, to the shock of everyone else. And the man looked very embarrassed. "Apparently, she couldn't stand to wait around. She dropped everything and flew off."
In the sky right now were a bunch of planes. "Don't blame us if you get in trouble, Star!" One of the pilots called out as a grand American hero stood proudly. Her cape flew behind her long blonde hair.
"It wasn't a question of whether or not I would help," She gave a big grin, not too different from All Might's actually. "So why not start sooner rather than later? And besides, we're talking about a direct request from All Might himself." She was the number one hero of America, her colors in the likeliness of the American flag. "If my master's got himself in trouble, why would I even think twice before rushing to his side?" Her name was Star and Stripe. The plane carrying her flew further up into the sky, followed by the others.
"Which means now..." All for One grinned while in the void of One for All. "It's your turn..." Shigaraki flew out of him.
Izuku yelped as he woke up from a nightmare, immediately attacking with Blackwhip. Ochaco looked at him in bewilderment. The brunette smiled to see that he got some proper rest.
"Oh, good morning! Hey!" She greeted and he yelped to see her.
"U-Uraraka. Am I-"
"Dang, Midoriya," Denki popped up, most of the others already awake. "Did you know you talk in your sleep?"
"You're nestled safe and sound back at UA," Minoru gestured, pointing to the window as the sun was rising. "Put those things away. They look gross."
"Right! I'm sorry!" Izuku looked at his hand wide-eyed as Blackwhip went away.
"There's no need to worry yourself anymore," Tenya reassured with a small smile, Momo walking with him.
"Right," Momo gestured to herself reassuringly. "From now on, we'll be standing at your side."
"Yeah! We're gonna fight as a class," Eijiro grinned, pumped up about the coming fight.
Izuku smiled happily with a hum, flinching as he looked around for his sister. "Where's-"
Izuka walked up from the elevator, having just arrived. He flinched as he watched her silently walk over with Katsuki in tow. It was now a very tense silence as they watched her walk over with no expression on her face. They knew that the twins had a lot to say to each other now...she took a seat across from Izuku.
"Hey," Izuku murmured softly while sitting up.
"Hi," She replied quietly and the tension was still quite high. He gulped as he stood up.
"You want some tea?"
"No...I'm good, thank you," The girl answered and he sat back down.
"...Big sister, I'm sorry," He finally said and she faltered.
"Izuku, please stop it. Not here, and especially not now in front of almost the entire class," She closed her eyes while shaking her head. Her mouth suddenly felt a bit dry. Izuku stared at her and she flinched before giving in. She could tell that he needed to get this off of his chest. "...Alright…I guess we are doing this then, uh...but are you sure you want everyone listening?"
"They were the ones who helped you get through what happened. It's only fair that they hear this, and it's part of the thank you I gave last night...for taking care of you while I was gone," Izuku glanced up towards his classmates gratefully, Momo and Tenya nodding slowly.
Izuka sighed, running a hand through her hair as she waited. He wanted to speak, but...he didn't know what to say. So she decided to start off because...she did have things she wanted to tell him. "Are you...sorry for making that decision without even talking to us? Or are you sorry for wa..." She paused as she tried to keep in everything she had bottled up regarding everything. The words walking away...she couldn't even say them. "For not even talking to me...about any of it?" She had an edge to her voice, closing her eyes.
"...Both," He swallowed nervously and she glanced away, smacking her lips a bit as she nodded slowly. "I thought...that if I said anything to you...that if I even left you a letter-"
"You left," She interrupted and he bit his lip as...he couldn't deny that. Nor could he keep pushing her away. "That's what you basically did, Izuku. And I...I had to find out from the entire class...not you. Not my own...brother. Who I thought would've at least confided in me, even if that ended up accomplishing nothing in the end because I'm just that terrible of a sister."
"No, that's not true, Izuka," Izuku frowned deeply at her. The others looked sad for her as she kept wanting to believe that when that was far from the truth. "I didn't do this because I hated you, I wanted to protect you."
"Izuku..." She started off, ignoring what he said. "You know...damn well...that I care about a lot of things in life," Her lip quivered a bit as she was shaking. "Especially you. And Katsuki...has been the only one who I've been able to cry to about it," He stared at her in shock that Katsuki of all people...was the one person who truly comforted her while her brother was unconscious.
"Izuka-"
"And you...you just...left me behind. Not even answering your phone, and having Mom keep it from me. And All Might, neither of them would tell me a thing...because you asked them to not talk. I reached out to Hawks, Endeavor, Best Jeanist, same thing. Even the vestiges of One for All had started to fade away. Since when...was I so bad supporting you when we've been through everything...that you still didn't even consider coming to me? You just...acted like I didn't exist," She seethed while shedding a tear. "You...didn't even sit down to properly explain anything. I don't even get a bullshit letter…Why?"
Katsuki turned away, unsure if he could handle seeing her cry again. A few of the girls themselves shed a few tears at watching this, the whole class staying silent for their sake. Because if Izuka needed anything at all right now...it was to confront her brother about why he did this to her.
"...I was terrified of what would happen to you," Izuku stared at her and she didn't respond, looking for more of an explanation. "That if I heard your voice...or if you had been seriously hurt...I wouldn't have been able to go through with it. It wasn't...because I felt like you didn't need to know. Because...you've been through enough from me. At least...that's what I kept telling myself to believe. I'm so sorry, Izuka...I didn't mean to hurt you like I did. And I swear...I'll do everything I can to make you smile again like you used to."
She sighed while wiping the tear, rubbing a temple. "That's not something I can do so soon and you know that..."
"...Yeah, I get it, what I did was awful," His eyes softened towards the girl. "And...I know that you were looking for me. You even helped me and others out there too the night I saved you, and I'm so grateful for that," He gave her a weak smile. "I love you, big-"
"No!" She exclaimed while standing up, shocking everyone in the room. "Don't. You can't just say that and act like everything between us is suddenly fine. That's not how it works, it doesn't take away what you did, okay?" She told him and he frowned sadly, the girl turning away. The two never fought, and this was the closest thing that they had been to one. So it was something she still wasn't used to...being disappointed in him. "...I need you to do one thing if we're gonna do this together."
"Uh," Izuku looked up at her in shock. "Anything!"
"You're gonna go out there...fight your damn hardest...and come back here still breathing. If...if you can do that...only then will I have anything left in me to forgive you. And don't try to protect me by keeping me in the dark again," She glanced over her shoulder, their friends looking hopeful as she had a look of not anger or hesitation, but actually...relief that he was just still here.
Izuku gave a happy expression and then closed his eyes. "I promise, Izuka. I'll win your trust in me back." He then stood up, looking at the others.
The final battle draws near.
And the villains wouldn't go down easy.
But oddly enough...I'm not afraid.
I'm still mad at Izuku, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to fight.
Denki, Kyoka, and Tsuyu smiled at the two, hoping that they could patch things up.
We know that we're not alone. Our friends are with me.
Mina and Toru smiled towards the twins too.
And so is my new boyfriend...Katsuki Bakugo. Something I thought I'd never say.
Together, we'll set things right.
Koji and Hanta stood next to each other hopefully.
We'll make things normal again...for everyone.
Mashirao, Fumikage, Rikido, Mezo, and Yuga all stood together, ready for what was coming.
People will smile again. They'll be happy.
They'll be able to go back home, be with their families...put their trust in heroes again.
Izuku glanced back as Shoto walked up with a small smile. Katsuki approached Izuka, hugging her from behind. She looked up with a small blush, humming.
The world will get better.
We'll save everyone in need.
Izuku gave a small nod to Katsuki and Shoto, silently vowing to make things right with his sister.
We'll put an end to despair, and go beyond.
And they held onto that promise as the sun outside shined...
Izuka heard a knock from her door, going over to open it. Katsuki stood outside with his hands in his pockets, a towel over his shoulders. "Hey, Katsu," She greeted with a small smile. "Just got back from the baths, huh?"
"Yeah," He murmured, reaching out to the top of his head. "Can we talk?"
"Uh...sure," She blinked at him and led him inside. He closed the door behind her, noticing Baki asleep.
"That damn cat better stay where he is," He grunted out, knowing that Baki could get pretty feral sometimes.
"No, no, he likes his sleep, don't worry. He gets up by morning. This is...about us, huh?" She murmured with a bit of dread.
"Yeah, uh, we didn't get much time to talk because of everyone else outside...why didn't you just tell me what you were planning on doing? Why were you just gonna leave like it wasn't going to affect me?" He gave her a small glare.
She closed her eyes with a small sigh. "Because I've known you since we were kids. To me, it always seemed like there wasn't room for anything else you were chasing towards," She crossed her arms, sitting on the bed. "You've always been so confident in that goal, that...I thought it would be a distraction. That you would've changed your wanting to be number one. And I didn't want to be the one responsible for that because of...feelings I put away for most of our first year. So I...was gonna tell you after everything was over."
Katsuki stared at her for what seemed like the longest time. Her answer was more than enough for him, but he also had to reaffirm that she was important to him. He then slid in closer and she slid back in alarm. "What are you doing?" She asked in bewilderment.
"Just hold still and don't dodge, will ya?!" He grabbed her arm to hold her in place and leaned in rapidly, crashing his lips onto hers. She let out a surprised sound as she flinched in shock, staring at him wide-eyed. Izuka slowly closed her eyes, returning the contact, and it felt...more gentle, like when he kissed her during joint training. She then pulled away a few seconds later while clearing her throat.
"Wow, um...that was, uh," She looked away shyly, brushing one of her bangs away.
"...Was that...okay?"
She stared at him wide-eyed, seeing his face slightly red. She then giggled at how adorable he looked. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting it, honestly."
"It was nothing," He muttered and she leaned in closer. He recoiled back his head at her. "What the hell?"
"Hold still," She told him softly and then pressed her lips onto his for another kiss. Katsuki closed his eyes, both of them a bit flushed as he held her cheek gently. She hummed and welcomed it, glad that she could kiss him anytime she wanted to now.
He was the one to pull away as he did want to ask something. "So what can I call you?"
"Uh?" She blinked in utter confusion.
"Well if we're going out now, I gotta call you a nickname, don't I?" Katsuki gave her an amused smile.
"Oh! I mean…if you want, then yeah. It's only fair since I call you Katsu," Izuka let out a sheepish laugh.
"I could call you the only star in my Galaxy, just to keep the guys away," He had a big smug smirk on his face.
"Mm!" She blushed in embarrassment, pushing him away. He let out a laugh as she huffed. "You would say that, wouldn't you? Pick another one, that one wasn't funny…"
"Hm…kitten." She blushed in response with wide eyes. "Because…you're cute like one," He turned away while blushing, trying to hide his face.
"…Okay then. Kitten it is," Izuka gave him a small giggle.
"We're not done, though," He spoke up seriously, and she stared at him in confusion. "Before we go on any further...I need you to tell me the truth. About how you really felt about me before UA."
"What?" She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "But I told you, I-"
"I know what you said," He gripped her shoulders as lightly as possible. "But that's not enough. This isn't just for me, you know! You need to let it all out, Izuka, even if you're mine now. Because I'm not letting you suffer in silence anymore..." He narrowed his eyes down at her. Truthfully...he didn't want her to take off like Izuku anytime soon if he left things unsaid between the two of them. And he hated that she kept hiding her feelings from him, even if negative. She might think she was doing him a favor, but to him, all she was really doing was bottling everything up inside of her. And if she did get worse...it didn't matter what she said or did to him, because any part of Izuka to him...was proof of how strong she had become. "Stop screwing around and just say it! Whatever it is you're thinking...if you were upset, pissed, tell me. I want your true feelings. I already accepted you no matter what," He pulled her in for a hug, her eyes shaking as she felt his warm embrace. She then bowed her head a little, closing her eyes. He waited patiently for her to get her thoughts together, considering what she had endured...
"...When we were kids...I honestly liked the side of you that would get excited for heroes," She started off slowly, remembering the smile he had seeing All Might on TV with the twins. "The side that admired the greatest of all time...looking back, it was a smile I was envious of, because you were so confident and determined. And when I got my Quirk and hid it, which resulted in the way you treated me and Izuku...it only made me miss that smile, but it also made me so mad. I wanted nothing to do with you, and I only stuck around for my brother," Tears appeared in her eyes as his eyes softened, never once releasing her. "When really, what I preferred and didn't see as much...was when you wouldn't act like a jerk, like the time you saved me from those fourth graders. It upset me that...you had a disregard of how it made us feel for years...especially me. You calling me mousy, pushing me around, and treating me like garbage...it wasn't something I had an absolute rage for, but it did really get to me at times. And it made me wish I could've shown my Quirk, and...at the same time, I didn't want Izuku to see me doing something he couldn't at the time. So I just kept telling myself that I had to protect his feelings."
Her tears fell onto his shoulder and he gently placed a hand on the back of her head. He closed his eyes, rubbing her back gently. She wrapped her arms underneath his armpits, still hiding her face from him. If he knew that his relationship would change so much between him and the twins...he would've apologized a lot sooner.
"I...I was living in something I thought I'd never escape from. If it wasn't for my brother, I would've gone on to be an artist, never once learning what I could've done if I hadn't been convinced by him to go to UA. And...when I did, I realized...that as time went on, I wasn't angry, and I couldn't feel like I hated you. Even though you made it really hard to interact with you at times. No...what I felt was disappointment at first. Because you were still acting no different to me or him, you felt like we were looking down on you when really, it was because of things I wouldn't think to tell you. At least...not until you fought Izuku after the Provisional License Exam. And...and even though I never expressed it, deep down...it did feel like crap that you just wouldn't hear us out at all. All you wanted was to prove that you were the best," She admitted, feeling just a little angry just remembering it.
He gritted his teeth, pissed at himself at the word disappointment. And he couldn't even blame her for it...
"...But then...before I could even comprehend it...you did start to change. You helped me during the Sports Festival with the rumors, and even though you kicked my ass...I didn't regret trying as hard as I did. And...my thoughts just started to fill with you in my mind, in ways I didn't think were possible. Throughout the whole year...I realized that I did start to fall for you, although I had no idea for a long while why I was thinking or doing anything towards those feelings," She sniffed, wiping her tears with her hand. "And I spent that year spending time with you...in ways that I enjoyed. To the point where I wanted to be around you, the complete opposite of how I felt as kids. And even though you were still the same, I could tell little by little...you were changing too. Into someone that...I felt like I could've been with if I had just become stronger as a hero. Even if that was never the first reason...I don't wanna lose for your love either...Katsuki Bakugo," She looked up with a small smile, still crying. "My feelings...they weren't something I understood, but...I want to with you. If you'll let me."
"...Silly," Katsuki sighed, holding her cheeks so she could look into his eyes. "I meant what I said to you. But...you did good, kitten," He gave her a quick kiss, leaving her flushed.
"I know, I just had to make sure it would satisfy you..." She mumbled, and his eyes softened.
"Hm," He then held her waist gently. "Thank you for being honest with me. I hope you're ready for this, Izuka. Because I'm gonna spend the rest of our lives showing you all of my feelings for you. How much I've been wanting to be by your side. And this...this is only the beginning. Please...give me the chance to start over with you and Izuku. I promise I won't disappoint, and be a good boyfriend. I'll be everything you deserve..." He blushed a little while staring at her.
Her face got flushed from his confession and then she looked away, coughing a bit. "Really, you don't need to do that. My needs don't need priority—"
"You recognized I'm being serious, so stop protesting and just accept it. Cause my promise isn't changing," He interrupted as he rested his face into her shoulder. "I can do at least that much for everything I did to you."
Oh, Katsuki… She gave a small happy smile at his stubbornness.
Izuka cleared her throat and looked away, remembering something. If he was going to do this for her, she had to do something to show him how she felt. "I...I wanna show you something. Something I haven't shown anyone," She dug underneath her bed, pulling out a box. She opened it up to reveal a sketchbook. But it wasn't like her old ones, the one she was holding was tied gently with an orange and purple bow, and it had their names on it. She then sat next to him and handed it to him. Katsuki stared at her and she nodded, signaling she was okay with him looking. He removed the bow gently and opened it up, blinking in shock to see a sketch of him saving her when they were kids. He slowly flipped through the pages...there were sketches of him saving her life at the USJ, him comforting her about the first wave of rumors, walking her home, him hugging her after his fight with Izuku, her crying into his clothes after the Hassaikai raid, their first kiss, working together during joint training...and many more. Some of them even looked similar to the ones that she had done in the past, just neater. He blinked as one of more recent sketches…was of Izuka holding a heart behind her back, staring at Katsuki from a distance.
"I've...been drawing you since the Sports Festival. I know it's not as big of a gesture as yours, but...well, let's just say, I wasn't lying when I said you never really escaped my mind," She gave a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck. "I made this a while back...so I never forget how much you changed my life for the better."
"Really now? Hah!" He grinned, touching his forehead with hers. "So I'm the only one you've ever drawn like this?"
"Mm! Don't sound so proud of yourself," She grunted while looking away with a blush. "Back then, I didn't even know why."
Katsuki let out another chuckle, holding her cheek to make her face him. "This...this was all I needed...to know that you still cared about me."
She blushed and then gave a genuine smile. "I'll keep drawing you, then...so you never forget how I feel." Both of them let out a soft chuckle while staring into each other's eyes, enjoying their time together since they had a lot to do in the future...