Chapter 6
All Might finding out about what happened with their Quirks was both simultaneously great and terrible. Great, because he immediately went about trying to figure out what to do about it. Terrible, because he brought Nezu in and the President of UA had moved swiftly to find a reason for the trio to get to UA so they could begin to work through what happened.
Which led to this moment. Himiko, in front of her parents, the duo screaming at her for daring to go for the heroics course. She knew, at some point, this would happen. She knew, intellectually, at some point she'd need to tell them what happened…and she knew she'd be thrown out for it. She just…didn't expect it to be this soon. Any other parents would be proud…but not hers.
And she couldn't do anything about it but stand there and take it. If she gave into the anger, the roiling, burning rage in her heart, she could kiss her chance at UA goodbye, and her chance to be around Izuku and Ochako. The past few days had been like a dream for her. Every single night, she'd find time to start a video call with the other two, even if she had to be super quiet so her parents didn't realize what she was doing. She could catch up with the only people who had ever accepted her wholeheartedly when they were young, and it was like no time at all had passed.
Ochako was still fierce and protective, still the one most likely to go off the second she heard about something bad happening, but the softness and kindness in her heart, the sheer care she exuded towards those she liked was like a warm, soft blanket that could wrap Himiko up and she'd never want to leave.
Izuku still muttered and got lost in his head, still was an anxious, jumpy boy, but his mind sped by so far she could never keep up; yet she couldn't help but smile when he went off on one of his tangents, or when he got so excited his mouth couldn't keep up with his mind and it would devolve into a gibberush of words that was so cute.
And somehow, someway, she still felt like she slotted right in. She could still tease them both, and watching their eighteen year old selves become flustered was very different from when they were eight, the things she'd taunt them on new even to her. Yet neither of them ever got madat her, they'd play along, they'd tease back sometimes, it was like they'd never left her side. So different from the catty cliques in high school, from the demure and soft-spoken expectations of her from her parents. It was the first chance to breathe in a decade…and it was all being ripped away as she stood there, shrinking in on herself, listening to the tirade continue to grow and grow and grow.
And then she saw it…her father took a step forward, his hand raised, and it was like everything slowed down. There was a sudden, painful 'ping' in the back of her skull, one that made her eyes go wide and her body alight with red and gold threads, entwining about her arms and legs, a pattern of light that danced across her skin like reflections of sunlight over water. Without thinking about it, she leapt backwards, crossing the entire room in a single bound and nearly running into the wall.
All three froze for a brief moment, neither of her parents knowing what to do with the change that had come over their daughter. The contacts they forced her to wear had fallen out, her amber, slitted pupils narrowed, her breath coming out in short pants, a golden glow suffusing her eyes. Himiko…she wasn't waiting any longer. No more. No more.
She'd had her bags packed since she'd taken the test (not like she had much to herself). It was a little over a month until classes started, but she could find a way to survive until the dorms opened up, or she found something else to handle it if she didn't make it in. She was eighteen, they had no rights over her anymore, and she was going to stay far, far away from them.
She turned around and bolted through the house, crashing through her bedroom door and snapping the locks off of it that her parents had installed. She grabbed up her backpack, with what little possessions she cared about in it, and a single bag holding some spare clothes she actually liked, and turned to her barred window. She didn't want to go back down and face them, and she could hear them running up the stairs behind her…and she didn't care. Himiko took one more look at her room prison and decided it was time.
Running to the bars, she gripped them tightly in her hands, feeling One For All washing over her further as she grit her teeth. With a snarl, she ripped them clean out of the window frame, the glass they were attached to shattering in her hands. Some shards slit her hands open, blood beginning to trickle, but she did not care. She was getting out! She took one of the bars and swung it at the remaining glass, shattering what little remained, and used it to clear the bottom of the window enough she could climb up onto it. A two story drop was nothing, and even as she heard her parents coming into the room behind her…she didn't look back.
She leapt, soaring out into the air and clearing the next house entirely, landing on the room of the third house down. Not stopping, she hefted her bags closer and began to run, run run run run, escaping from her prison for the final time. Himiko Toga was free, and no matter what, she was not going back…but now she had to figure out where to go.
Toshinori wasn't sure what to expect when his phone began to blare repeatedly with calls from his successor, but he had to assume it was something else weird with One For All, considering what had happened recently. He quickly picked it up, but all he could hear was panicked words in a rush from his successor, and had no idea what the boy was trying to say. It took him a good five minutes to calm the boy enough to get him to speak clearly, and what he heard had his blood freezing in its veins.
Young Himiko had apparently fled her home, for reasons she hadn't told Izuku and Ochako (though the duo had some suspicions). However, her phone had cut off midway through the call, before they could even tell where she was or if she was safe, and now Izuku and Ochako were panicking, trying to figure out where the young woman had fled to and her condition. The number kept going to disconnected, and that did not bode well in Toshinori's mind.
He reassured Izuku he would do what he could to find her; after all, she was now also one of his successors. He told the boy to keep calm, and help keep Ochako calm, as he reached out to his detective friend Tsukauchi to see what he could do. After a few more soothing words, he ended the call and headed to the elevators. He'd been pulling a late night at UA, studying teaching techniques, and the rest of the staff had already gone home for the evening.
He made sure to call Tsukauchi as he walked through the halls, giving what little details he knew as he reached the door. He began to cross the campus, heading for the parking garage to start his drive to young Izuku's, when he noticed a shape slumped against the gateway to the campus. Concerned, he started to stride over to it, his footsteps echoing off the concrete as he walked.
The shape seemed not to notice him until he was nearly atop it, suddenly starting and leaping to its feet, spinning about in surprise…and he found himself just as surprised. Staring at him was a face he spent a good hour studying when looking over her records, a blonde, amber-eyed teenager with fangs, her hair wild and unkempt. She started sputtering out an apology, desperation in her voice, but he held up his hands to show he wasn't a threat and stayed where he was.
"Young To-Himiko?" he asked her, cutting off calling her by her last name when he saw her start to flinch. Her eyes were wider now, even more fearful, as he realized she might be afraid he knew of her from something else. Perhaps her parents, if she fled from her home. Well, he had to calm her before doing anything further, and since he planned on revealing himself to her anyways, now was as good a time as any to explain. "Izuku called me. I'm his mentor, Toshinori Yagi," he offered.
She blinked at him, confusion writ across her face but he could practically see the lightbulb over her head. She swallowed. "Y-you're…"
He nodded. "All Might? Yes. Don't jump and I'll show you, alright?" he glanced about, noticing no one else nearby, and quickly puffed up into the form he was well known for, watching that even with his warning, she still jumped away, golden-red threads spiraling into existence for a brief moment before vanishing. He gave her a bright, All Might patented smile, before dropping back into his skinny form with a puff of smoke and steam. Seeing her relaxing ever so slightly, he tilted his head at her. "So…may I ask why you're here?"
Himiko curled into herself, her arms around her abdomen as she looked down at the ground. "I-I didn't really have anywhere else to go, and I didn't remember where Izu's house was, so…I was hoping I could um…find someone who'd let me borrow a phone to call him, or something. I think mine got cut off. And I uh, ran out of money for the train, so I'm kinda stuck here…"
"I was about to head to his place just now. Would you like to come with me?" he offered. He didn't want to push her on why she ran, not when she looked like she was about to run once more, but he figured bringing her to young Izuku would do wonders for the both of them, and hopefully calm young Ochako down as well.
The way her eyes shot open and hope flooded into her made him nearly take a step back, his own mind racing at how easily her mood switched from the idea of seeing his protege. He already was concerned about his successor's mental state, and knowing this young woman had run from her home with little to no plan did not bode well either. Once again he cursed internally as he realized he had no way to fix this right at this moment, but he'd do what he could to get the young teenagers calm and safe and then go manage whatever caused this.
First…he had to get her to allow him to take her to Izuku, where he could see she was still hesitant. He offered her a soft smile and spoke quietly. "I won't pry as to why you left, young Himiko, not if you don't want me to. I'll just give you a quick ride over to Izuku's house. We can talk about whatever you'd like, or simply listen to music, or sit in silence. Whatever will make you feel more comfortable. I won't pester you about One For All either. I just want to be sure you, Izuku, and young Ochako are all okay. Will you let me do so?"
After a moment where it was clear she was struggling to decide, she finally nodded. With a brighter grin, he slowly reached out to grab her bags, but when she pulled them closer she backed off immediately. He gestured for her to follow him. "Follow closely so we don't trigger the barrier, my car is parked just over there." She complied, silently following behind him as she held her bag to her chest, her backpack dangling off her shoulder. It couldn't be very comfortable, but she clearly didn't want to let go of her things so he wouldn't say a word.
She did pause and stare blankly as she saw his old, beaten up truck, turning amber eyes to his as he chuckled sheepishly. "She may not look like much, but she's been a good sturdy girl for me for many years!"
"...you're the number one hero, how is this what you drive?" she asked, breaking her silence from sheer confusion.
Toshinori rocked back and put a fake offended look on his face, placing one hand over his heart dramatically. "I'll have you know she's great transportation!" His heart swelled when he heard the blonde giggle slightly at his overacting, internally cheering before opening the passenger door for her. "Get yourself situated, it's a pretty short drive to young Izuku's, so we'll be there in no time!"
Himiko nodded at him, climbing into the truck as he walked around to the other side, hopping into the drivers seat and turning the key to turn his truck on. The truck rumbled to life beneath them, a loud series of clacks making Himiko glance askance at him once more, but he just winked at her and pulled out of the parking lot.
The ride was silent for a good few minutes, only the faint sound of the radio playing, its volume down low but still noticeable. This late at night, the city wasn't completely asleep, but it was very quiet, almost soft in the darkness. Himiko had taken to staring out of the window, her body language tense, bag in her lap and her arms wrapped around it.
"...All Might?" Himiko's voice was quiet and shaky, her questioning tone shattering the tranquility that had started to come over the truck.
"Yagi, please, while I'm like this. Or Toshinori if you'd be willing, after all, you're also a successor of mine!" he replied, smiling wide. He knew it was a risk to mention that, but he was hoping she'd believe him if he was more direct.
"Okay," she whispered. After a moment, she continued. "I um…I'm sorry for taking up your time like this."
Toshinori internally sighed. "You're not taking any of my time. I wanted to meet you anyways! This is just a bit ahead of schedule!"
"...yeah. That's um…why I had to leave," she muttered. Toshinori cocked his head slightly, indicating he was listening but not wanting to take his eyes off the road. The silence reigned for a minute, before she continued. "My parents, they uh…they thought I was taking the business exams. When I told them I went for the hero course, they…they weren't happy with me."
Toshinori shoved every bit of rage that built up within him at the implication of her words, locking it away in a safe and tossing it into the ocean, anchored down so he could focus on what mattered now. He cleared his throat. "May I ask why they weren't happy? If you're willing to explain."
Himiko paused for a second, and even from the corner of his eyes he could see the gears turning in her head, the emotions swirling around her as she considered what to do. Her shoulders slumped and she slumped back in her seat, tiredly. "N-not really, at least, not right now. I just…I can't go back right now. They didn't hit me or anything, um, if that's what you're worried about."
Oh did it take a lot to keep that safe under the water. Kept trying to sprout legs and climb its way out like some kind of eldritch crab. Okay, the mental imagery was getting a bit out of hand, refocus Toshinori. He nodded. "Alright. That's fine. Forgive me for being insensitive, but I imagine you didn't really get much chance to plan this?"
Himiko shook her head. "They don't um, give me much for my allowance, and I have to bring home receipts so they know where it all is. So I couldn't really set much aside. I just…I got all the scholarships I could, so I knew they couldn't stop me from going. I just…thought I'd have a bit longer before I had to leave, but I…well, I had to explain why I needed to come back here and…"
"Oh, oh my goodness, I'm so sorry young Himiko, I never intended to get you in trouble!" Toshinori gasped, realizing what had been the impetus. Well, shit, there he went hurting another emotionally vulnerable teenager.
"No, it's not your fault. It was gonna happen either way. I just left earlier is all," she replied, her words firm. He had the sneaking suspicion she'd been mentally preparing for this for a long time…which added onto his laundry list of things to check into about the second one of his successors to indicate severe issues in her background, but he had to prioritize. Her comfort and safety first, justice on whoever hurt her second.
"Hmm. Well, I am still sorry for the impact it has had on you. But fret not…I know young Izuku will make certain of your safety. And you don't have to worry about me, I just wanted to sit down with you and young Ochako and see how you were doing. But we'll do that when Ochako can make her way out to this area. For now…we're here," Toshinori calmly parked the truck on the side of the street, turning the keys off as he opened his door, watching carefully as Himiko made her own way out. After locking the doors behind him, he began to escort her down the walkway, towards the apartment complex Izuku and Inko lived in…but they had no time to even knock, as the door burst open and a green blur flew out, diving at Himiko.
Only Toshinori's quick reflexes kept the now entangled duo from falling onto the hard concrete, quickly placing his arm behind Himiko's back and saving her from the fall. For her part, she didn't even seem to notice it, dropping her bag as soon as Izuku had reached her and latching onto him, all the strength seeming to drain from her body as she slumped into his arms. Toshinori appreciated their desire to be reunited…but he didn't want everyone out here in the cool night air for too long. With practiced ease, ignoring the pain in his side when he bent down, he picked up her bag and gently began to usher the two towards the door, Inko standing there with wide, worried eyes.
As they entered the apartment building, went up the stairs, stepped into their shared apartment, and the door shut behind them, he took in a deep, deep breath. Izuku had practically dragged Himiko off with him to his room, saying he was going to call Ochako immediately so she knew Himiko was safe, and Toshinori was fine with this. He wanted to sit and talk with Inko about what happened first…and call Tsukauchi back. He had an inkling that his detective friend would need to look into something for him.
"Himi…please, talk to us. What happened?" Izuku implored, holding Himiko's hands gently. Ochako was giving her agreement audibly on the line, Izuku having set his phone down on speaker so he could take care of Himiko.
The blonde teenager was sitting there, eyes downcast, shoulders hunched as if she was unsure what to do. Her hands were limp and unresisting in Izuku's, the green haired teenager just as lost as Himiko seemed to be. He tried to offer as much comfort as possible, gently squeezing her hands which he noticed were very cold, almost worryingly so. The nights were cool, but not so cold as to cause this, which made him wonder why she was so cold to the touch.
"Himi? Himi, c'mon, tell us what's wrong," Ochako added, her voice soft.
Himiko seemed like she didn't hear them for a minute, but after a few seconds she returned Izuku's squeeze on his hands (carefully keeping her pinkies up as Ochako had taught her), before leaning forward to rest her forehead against his shoulder. Instinctively, Izuku pulled her into a hug, just like when they were kids and her parents would yell at her and…oh. Oh no. It hit him like a bolt of lightning, his eyes going wide as he felt a surge of emotions burn in his chest…fear, worry, sadness, and a lot of rage…because now he knew what happened.
"...they never got better about your Quirk?" Izuku asked softly, already knowing the answer. The gasp across the phone line told him Ochako had caught onto what he was referring to, and he didn't flinch when he heard something snap across the line, imagining she'd just broken something to avoid lashing out. Himiko just shook her head silently, still pressing her forehead into his shoulder. Izuku narrowed his eyes, tamping down on his feelings for her sake, because she was what mattered right now.
"...I'm gonna find a way to get there tomorrow, mark my words," Ochako said.
Izuku nodded absently. "I'll talk to All…um, Toshinori. I'm sure he can figure something out. Did you tell your parents yet?"
"They know. They wanna talk to 'im too," she murmured. There was a sound from the other side of the line, Ochako muting the phone for a few moments as Izuku kept his arms wrapped about Himiko, the blonde still saying nothing as she just sighed deeply, pressing herself up against Izuku. She was really cold, and he did not like that at all.
"Inko called my folks and we're gonna come out tonight. Said Toshi was gonna send a car for us. Is…is that okay, Himi?" Ochako asked as she came back to the line, her voice growing unsure at the end.
Himiko nodded into Izuku's shoulder, her hands gripping at the back of his shirt tighter. She swallowed, her voice a breathy whisper as she spoke. "I don't want to be alone tonight. Please…please come. I just can't take it anymore, I can't. I can't," her voice broke off as she started to cry quietly, her sobs barely audible, but all Izuku could wish for was for a way he could fix this somehow. Some hero he was, only able to sit here and hold one of his oldest and truest friends, unable to do anything to fix the problem.
"I'm comin', Himi. Jus' wait for me," Ochako swore. "Keep textin' me, Izu, please. We're gonna go now."
Izuku nodded at his phone once more. "I promise Chako, I'll keep you updated. We'll be here." Ochako let out a hum in response, the call disconnecting a second later. As if by magic, there was a knock on his bedroom door, Himiko seeming to ignore it as she just clutched at Izuku's shirt, her tears staining the fabric. Izuku cleared his throat. "Yeah?"
The door cracked open to reveal his mother, her face torn between a soft smile and worry evident in her eyes. She took a few steps into the room, took a seat on the bed next to Izuku, and gently placed a hand on the blonde teenager's back. Himiko didn't react much, merely sighing as she continued to cry, her sobs now no longer audible, but her shoulders shaking slightly.
"Himiko, dear? Ochako and her parents are on their way, but it'll be a few hours. Is there anything I can do for you?" Inko asked softly, rubbing at Himiko's back.
Himiko just shook her head into Izuku's shirt, still not lifting herself up off her childhood friend. It was like the only thing tethering her to the ground right now was her grip on him, all of what happened that day rushing back and filtering into her thoughts, her dreams, the very air around her, and it was all she could do to close her eyes and pray they'd stop.
Inko nodded, sighing deeply as she met her son's red-rimmed eyes. She gave him a watery smile, Izuku unable to muster one in return, but he nodded at his mom, grateful she was there. After a few moments of rubbing Himiko's back, Inko stood up and made her way to the door. "When you feel a little more stable, why don't you go take a nice shower and I'll get something warm for you to eat, okay? Izuku, while she's doing that, could you get out the spare blankets, pillows and the air mattress? The Uraraka's will be taking the couch, and Toshi the mattress."
Izuku blinked up at his mother, tilting his head to the side. "But what about Himi and Chako?"
Inko rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly. "I'm not an idiot. There's no way you or Ochako will let Himiko out of your sight tonight. I assumed you'd sleep in here."
Izuku paused as he realized what she was getting at. He felt the blood rush to his face for a brief second, but he immediately rammed that down. Himiko was hurting, his embarrassment was immaterial to the situation right now, the only thing that mattered was making sure she was okay. He took a deep breath, nodding up at his mom as she smiled back, turning around to gather some extra towels for Himiko and setting them in the bathroom.
Once his mother left, he turned back to the blonde in his arms, feeling her shivering slightly as she pressed up against his side. It was getting repetitive in his mind to keep thinking this, but every time her bare skin brushed against his, he could feel how cold she felt and it was reallybothering him. She really did need a shower and warm clothes. He took a deep breath. "Himi? I think mom's right. You really should get a shower, you're um…really cold. Was it really cold outside?"
"...no. I just get cold sometimes," she managed to mutter, refusing to lift her head. Izuku didn't think that was all there was to it…but okay. He'd wait for her to tell him. After a moment though, she did lift her head up enough that he could see the red eyes and tear tracks dotting her face, gently unentangling herself from him. She tried to stand up, but wavered for a moment, Izuku quickly leaping to his feet to help keep her stable. She offered him a pat on the cheek as a thank you, and silently began to head to the bathroom.
Izuku felt so goddamned helpless…but no. He could do this. Push down the emotions, lock them away, it was old hat to him to shove down the negative things and focus on his mission. Right now, it was to protect Himiko at all costs, and once Ochako was here they'd have a game plan (even if the game plan was snapping Himiko's parents' necks). Himiko mattered the most, and he'd deal with that now, and his feelings later never. He strode out of the room, ready to prepare the house for the guests, and whatever else he had to do for Himiko. This he swore to himself…he'd help her, no matter what.
Chapter 7
Ochako didn't wait a moment once she arrived at Izuku's house. She blew through the door, ignoring the lanky blonde man she idly assumed was All Might, rushing down the hall to Izuku's room where she nearly tripped over the carpet as she shoved the door open. She needed to make sure Himiko was okay, no matter what!
Izuku looked up at her, unsurprised, his eyes red-rimmed but soft and clear. Himiko, her hair down, was bundled in his arms with what looked like one of Izuku's shirts, the slender blonde looking like she was swimming in it since his shoulders were broader than hers. At the sound of the door opening, Himiko turned around, her eyes watery and broken, the sight of Ochako bringing some light back into her eyes. Izuku happily opened his arms, releasing Himiko who began to stumble over towards Ochako, the brunette not hesitating to cross the room and drag Himiko into a tight, almost bruising hug.
"I'm here, Himi," Ochako murmured into Himiko's shoulder, the blonde teenager nodding her head as she buried it in Ochako's neck, making a muffled sound of agreement. Izuku stepped up to the two and gently led them to his bed, encouraging them to sit down on it, taking the seat on Himiko's other side as she curled into Ochako's side. Ochako turned to Izuku, eyes questioning.
"We're gonna stay in my room tonight. I'll take the floor, you guys can take the bed-" Izuku began, but Ochako's arm lifted off Himiko's back and pointed peremptorily in Izuku's face.
"Nope, none of that. We all use the bed or we all use the floor, one or the other," she replied, her tone firm. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she could see Izuku's eyes widen as blood rushed to his face, and felt Himiko shimmy in her arms as if she was taken aback…but Ochako didn't care right now. It was…it was just like one of their sleepovers when they were kids, that's all, and she told Izuku and Himiko as much! Sure, she wasn't sure they entirely agreed with her that it was the same but…Himiko was upset, and it was because of her shitty parents (even if she didn't know the whole story, Izuku's earlier question told her enough), and they were gonna spend the night together and figure it out.
Of course, she didn't exactly think it through, what it meant. Himiko…didn't want to let them go. And it wasn't like she minded hugging Himiko, or Izuku, or anything of the sort. But in order for both of them to hold Himiko, they all…had to be in the same small space, especially as the blonde really wanted to curl up. Which made sense because she was freezing what the hell. Then again, if Ochako was being honest, she felt a bit of a chill too. She found herself subconsciously moving closer towards Izuku, who felt like a furnace compared to the temperature around them, which she noticed Himiko doing as well.
Oh well. It was awkward but did it matter, beyond making Himiko feel comfortable? Her hangups about this, the weirdness of a sleepover with her now grown childhood friends, was not nearly as important as Himiko's well-being…so she didn't bother. And luckily, Izuku was in accord with her without too much issue. His bed wasn't massive, but it was large enough the trio could fit if they squeezed, which Himiko was very much in favor of. So set, Ochako slid into the side closest to the wall (Izuku had insisted, just in case someone fell off the bed he'd let it be him and she was too tired to fight him over it), Himiko clambered into the middle, and Izuku on the edge facing the room.
Without giving much room for hesitation, Himiko latched onto Ochako's neck and buried herself into the brunette's side, still nonverbal and still triggering every single protective instinct in her heart. She caught a glimpse of Izuku as he turned off the lights, plunging the room into darkness; his eyes glowing softly in the dark, the same tortured emotions playing in his eyes, a green mirror of her own feelings. Maybe she should be more concerned by the glow, or the fact he looked like he was about to break something, but since she felt the same she didn't think she could disagree in the slightest. He carefully slid into the bed, awkwardly pressing closer to the blonde between the two, reaching down to pull the blanket up and over them.
Himiko let an annoyed grumble, one hand unlatching from around Ochako's neck and vaguely waving behind her, until she managed to grab hold of Izuku's arm. With a tug that made Izuku go wide-eyed and let out a quiet yelp, she yanked his arm over her, pulling it around her abdomen, his arm crossing with the one Ochako had laid over Himiko's hip. He gave Ochako a rather helpless look, but Ochako simply shrugged…this was what Himiko wanted, she wasn't going to complain. Izuku let out a deep sigh, before nodding slightly, finally getting comfortable against the blonde. His fingers tapped against the back of Ochako's hand, the brunette unable to hide the small smile that appeared on her face at the feeling.
She wasn't happy she had to come out here because of this…not that she was unhappy to be here, oh no, she was already missing her Izu and Himi. No, she just wished it was for a much, much happier reason. Even the whole Quirk thing would have been acceptable, but nope, Himiko's asshole parents were ruining everything. When she was little, she never quite understood how bad it was; then again, Himiko didn't really talk about it much. She just knew Himiko's parents were very strict and didn't like her quirk (which to eight year old Ochako made no sense, Himiko's Quirk was the coolest!).
It wasn't until she got older she started to wonder, started to be concerned about where Himiko was in life, and if her parents ever accepted her Quirk…and tonight she had the very painful realization they never did. Which made Ochako have to wonder, what all did Himiko have to deal with?
People often thought of Ochako as an airhead, she knew that. She cultivated that persona a bit; when she realized they'd think it anyways, she figured she may as well lean into the bubbly, cheerful spaz of a girl. It meant people made fun of her less (still made fun of her but at least they liked pretending to be nice sometimes). It also meant they dismissed her…which was in some ways an advantage. Made it easier for her to get away with her training, since no one really bothered her (also easier to hide the skipped meals). But she learned really early on how to read between the lines of what people said, and how people actually felt.
Her parents lied to her a lot, mostly about money and food and bills. She never begrudged them it, she knew what and why they lied, they wanted to make her safe and happy. It wasn't like she was much better anyways, so she'd be a hypocrite to be upset with them for trying to protect her. People in the town lied a lot…not directly, no, they didn't like to be rude to someone's face, but the moment your back was turned? Oh, the gossip would be everywhere. And she hated it. Why can't people just be upfront?
But people aren't. And she decided to stop caring, and focused on learning how to tell what someone reallythought…which led her back to Himiko. She wasn't dumb. When explaining her Quirk to Izuku and her, Himiko kept almost calling her Quirk a curse. And she was truly, genuinely upset when she realized they had to drink blood like she did (even if Ochako didn't mind, it was kind of tasty now). But Himiko had avoided saying it, just kept trying to hide it. Ochako didn't think Izuku noticed…then again, she was pretty sure he was too busy feeling guilty for 'taking' their Quirks, or something equally as dumb.
Why were her two best friends such dummies, she had to wonder. And yes, they were still her best friends…she never could get close to the people back home. They just judged her and her parents, even though her parents did their best it wasn't good enough. Either way, Himiko was upset right now, and she was going to do her damndest to help her. And then Izuku too, because no way he went from a slightly skittish kid to this anxiety-ridden wreck over these past ten years without a reason (also why did he always flinch when she tried to hug him was it something she did wrong)?
Didn't matter right now. Right now, she had to make Himiko feel better…and the best she could do was hold onto her, with Izuku right there, letting her know that they weren't leaving her…not again. Never again.
Izuku slept fitfully, uncomfortable being so close to the girls. What if they noticed? He'd made sure to be as covered up as possible…sweatpants, a long sleeved shirt, the gloves Ochako had given him to protect him from activating her Quirk, but still…they were all very close.
But that wasn't what was really keeping him up, was it? He knew better. He knew the truth. He was being a selfish prick, a bastard who couldn't help but let his own feelings take hold…Himiko was the one who needed help, who needed to be saved right now, and yet he couldn't shake this stupid feeling! His skin felt like it was crawling, tingles running up his spine, his mind swimming with ideas, red red red, his life was just red. It's all he could think about right now, think about how much he'd fucked up, to the point he caused this.
Because he did. He knew he did. If it weren't for him, Himiko wouldn't have gotten caught. No, Himiko didn't tell him that, but he wasn't an idiot. This was the night they were supposed to talk to their parents about going to UA to talk to Nezu and All Might, and this is the night her parents were bad enough she ran? Yeah. He caused this. He hurt Himi. Of course he did, that's all he ever did, he knew that.
He had practice in slipping out of his bed, and even with the grip Ochako and Himiko had on his arm, he was able to make it out of the bed without waking either of them. He couldn't be here right now, couldn't sit here and shake, couldn't enjoy their warmth and the niceness of being able to actually touch his old friends, no. He didn't deserve that, not when he was at fault for this. And he'd totally messed up Ochako's plans too, since she had to come here and fix his fuckup, by giving Himiko real comfort, unlike him.
He crept out of his room, feeling like he couldn't breathe as he walked. One hand against the wall, slowly creeping along in the dark, the deadly silence of the night. His throat felt like it was closed, like he couldn't even swallow. His scars ached something fierce, even the healed ones felt sensitive in the chill of the night. Idly, he noticed he could see way better than before…Himiko's eye mutation, he surmised, making it easy to navigate his way through the dark. He saw his mom, sleeping on the couch…All Might, curled up on the other one. The Uraraka's had to be in his mom's room he assumed; knowing his mom, she probably insisted (even though that hadn't been what she'd initially told him), and they weren't able to fight her off.
But it also meant he knew how to leave, silent and stealthy, reaching the door and slipping outside. He didn't bother grabbing his shoes…he didn't need them, not to just be away, to be far far away, under the night sky (the stars reminding him of Ochako), just thinking about the red tinge to his life, to his world, the wish he could find his blades and bring them with him because he just needed to stop thinking; god, if only he could just shut his stupid brain up for five minutes!
Izuku collapsed onto the concrete beneath him, leaning against the balcony wall. He glanced over it and down, idly categorizing the fact they were on the second floor (not high enough to guarantee anything although he could jump really high with One For All now…)
No! Okay, no, no, ignore those thoughts, ignore them. Mom would be hurt (would she)? Yes she would! Gah! Izuku slammed his hands over his head, pressing his face between his knees as he sat up against the balcony. Izuku hated when his brain started saying stupid things like this. He didn't doubt his mom! He never would doubt her! He knew she loved him, she'd do anything for him!...and that was part of the problem, wasn't it? She would give up anything for him. She had given up a lot for him, over the years. Over and over again, she'd sacrificed, and he could do nothing to make it up to her. Sometimes…sometimes he thought she'd be better off without him. Yeah, it'd upset her, but she'd be better eventu-
"You okay, Izuku?" a soft voice asked, making him jolt in place. He lifted his head off his knees, blinking in the dark, seeing…Ochako? Wait, no, that was her mom. They really did look a lot alike, now that he thought about it, it was pretty clear where she got her looks from.
He cleared his throat. "S-sorry, Mrs. Uraraka, I'm just getting some air."
"Miu, please. You've known me since you were little, you can call me Miu," she replied, Izuku able to see the soft smile on her. She tilted her head to the side, a gesture that reminded Izuku a lot of Ochako when she wanted to know something. "You look upset. Are you sure you're okay?"
Izuku swallowed, demanding his racing heart and swirling thoughts to simmer down. He didn't want her to dig too deeply into why he was sitting out here, so he needed to be as calm and reasonable as possible. "I-I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep, um, so I came out here for a bit. It's um, you know, kinda crowded inside."
Miu nodded, stepping over to the balcony and leaning against it, looking up at the stars. "I understand. It's been quite the evenin', hasn't it? I know 'Chako's been real upset. She was practically beggin' us to floor it the whole way here…which didn't do much, since we were in a car with a cop," she chuckled softly as she said that, Izuku unable to resist the half-smile that snuck onto his face at the mental image of Ochako yelling at the officer to speed up. Miu let out a soft sigh, glancing down at the seated Izuku. "Mind if I take a seat?"
"Oh, um, sure, go ahead," Izuku replied, shifting over slightly as Miu sat down beside him, a half a meter or so distance between the two.
Silence reigned for a moment or two, before Miu spoke again. "It's a beautiful night though. Harder to see the stars out 'ere in the city, though."
"Y-yeah, all that light pollution and stuff," Izuku muttered, unsure where she was going with this.
Miu nodded. "Still…it's nice to sometimes just sit and look up, you know? I used to take 'Chako out to stargaze back when she was little. Something comfortin' about lookin' up and realizin' there's just so much more out there. An entire universe we ain't seen yet, out there waitin' for someone to come lookin'." After a moment, she turned to look at Izuku. "What about you? 'Chako says you're still aimin' to be a hero, yeah?"
"Um, yeah. I…did 'Chako tell you about m-my Quirk?" Izuku asked, his voice cracking at the end.
Miu nodded. "Yep. Kinda crazy, but if anyone was gonna impress All Might, it was gonna be you. Spoke to him earlier, when you kids went to bed. Nothin' like I thought he'd be, but I guess that's on me for assumin'. Still, pretty heroic of you, runnin' in to save your friend," Miu paused when she saw Izuku flinch, but other than a slight narrowing of her eyes didn't react, "without any sort of power. Kinda crazy, but then again, you always were a bit reckless as a kid too. Remember when you convinced the girls to go on that hike with you?"
Izuku flushed, his swirling emotions blanketed under a sudden surge of embarrassment. "M-Miu!"
She began to giggle, her laugh so much like Ochako's he felt his breath seize in his chest for a brief moment at the sound. "Yer still so easy to tease, Izuku. You know though…for all this craziness, I'm glad you and Himiko found 'Chako again. She's been missin' you two somethin' fierce."
"...she has?"
Miu nodded gravely. "Oh yeah. More than she'd ever admit to me or her dad, but she was. People back in our town didn't really like her much, 'cause Katashi and me didn't make a lot of money. Not that much of that town was great with money, but we were the outsiders. And 'Chako's always been a bit fierce, so she didn't take it well when people said rude things. She got pretty good at keeping her temper, but people still noticed. She didn't really have many friends…not like you two."
Izuku blinked at the knowledge, finding it hard to reconcile Ochako, the kindest, sweetest person he knew, not having friends. Sure, he knew about her temper too (the one time Himiko and Izuku had ticked her off, they swore never to do it again), but otherwise she was so…so nice! How could anyone not like her, were they all blind and stupid? It's like the people who didn't like Himiko, how could they remotely think anything but the best of her? Like her parents? What the hell was that?!
Miu arched an eyebrow at Izuku, cluing him into the fact that he was both muttering and apparently his face had twisted in a combination of disbelief and anger. She let out a soft chuckle, her face softening a bit. "I'm glad you three found each other again. I know Katashi thinks the same, and so does yer mom. You two make her happier than she's been in years. So don't you worry none about how well yer helping them, cause you already did help. And we'll figure out this Himiko thing just fine, I promise. She's important to 'Chako, so she's important to me and Katashi too…and so are you," Miu added, her voice going even softer at the end.
Izuku swallowed, feeling tears prickle at the corner of his eyes. This wasn't fair. For so long he only had his mom, and he wanted so much to make things better for her, like she did for him, but he never could. Then All Might, giving him a chance, showing him faith and trust and it wasn't fairbecause how could he spurn that at any step?! Finding Himiko and Ochako once more, and now Himiko neededhim…and then Miu out here trusting him with her daughter? How could Izuku not do this? He…he had to help. He had to be there. He had no choice.
Maybe this was for the best, anyways. He knew it was wrong, the way he sometimes wondered about swimming out into the ocean and never returning, or when he casually looked up and wondered how high he could leap with One For All and not land safely. The times he would look up certain things on the internet, ignoring all the phone numbers popping up. It was always idle consideration, not really actively thinking about it…but sometimes it'd just be there, lurking beneath the surface, waiting for him to have one bad day and slip up.
Sometimes it was all he could think about, when he would hide in his bedroom, blades to skin and the world becoming red once more. Sometimes he wasn't even thinking about it, just letting the edge take away the edge from his mind, slicing away at his thoughts and fears and feelings, leaving nothing but the cold comfort of steel. Sometimes it'd just…be there, beneath the surface, lurking like a predator waiting for its prey to make one misstep, one step too far into the depths.
But the intellectual part of his brain knew this was wrong. Knew he shouldn't think that way. Knew that whatever thoughts that appeared unwillingly in his mind weren't him, they were the results of an imbalance of chemicals (were they really was he sure they were), and his mom really did love him, it wasn't faked, and she wouldn't be okay if she knew (she'd be fine she'd be happier in the end). Every day, every minute, he had to fight and claw and struggle against the drowning morass of thoughts that simply appeared, with little to no warning.
Izuku took a deep, shuddering breath. He had to take what Miu said and use it. Bring it to bear, use it as his sword and shield, use it to beat back those thoughts as much as he could. He needed to save people. He had to. So he could use that, that drive, that passion, that pain, and use it to fight back. This was what he had to do, his duty, his purpose. He had people he needed to help to support, and people to protect. Okay. He could do this. He had to.
Izuku offered a smile to Miu, wide and guileless, a practiced grin to reassure others that he modeled after his hero. "Thank you, Miu. You're right. I know we'll make sure Himi's okay. I-I think I can go back to bed now."
Miu's eyes stared searchingly into Izuku's. He felt a bit strange, knowing that there was no way she could see as clearly as he could now that he had Himiko's eyesight (gosh that was so weird to think about but also a bit exciting), yet she still seemed to see something he couldn't. But after a moment, she offered him another smile and began to get to her feet. Izuku leapt up before her and offered his hand (his mother raised a gentleman after all, of course he'd help someone else to their feet), which she took with a chuckle.
He opened the door quietly, letting her go before him, the older woman giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder before heading back to the room she'd been staying in, leaving Izuku alone in the dark. After a moment, he sighed quietly, making sure to lock the door behind him as he walked back to his bedroom. He'd deal with this all in the morning…for now, he needed to sleep.
Chapter 8
The conversation that ensued in the morning was…difficult, to say the least. Himiko was not exactly in the mood to divulge the major details…not even to Izuku and Ochako. But it was enough for Toshinori to start the process he'd been prepared for, a second case for Tsukauchi to look into. He'd already passed on the information about Aldera, but it was not going far fast, because without Izuku's direct testimony…they didn't have a lot to go on. But Toshinori had a plan. Sort of.
Knowing Bakugo came from the same school, and that the two boys knew each other somehow (at least, they did according to Inko), he wondered if he could speak to Bakugo privately on the matter. Perhaps if the boy knew something, that'd be enough for Tsukauchi to move forward and get the necessary evidence to start investigating in earnest.
Of course…he wasn't discounting the possibility that said boy was one of the problems. In which case, a private conversation could still be of use…both to make sure the boy knew that such behavior would not be tolerated at UA, but also, maybe he could appeal to whatever part of the boy wanted to be a hero and get him to come forward. Not that he was comfortable with it either way…it could be nothing, the boy could have done nothing, but still, something told Toshinori he needed to be cautious.
That said, he'd spoken to Aizawa about the situation already, and the other teacher had assured Toshinori that any step out of line by Bakugo would be met by a swift response. What the response was would depend on the severity of the infraction, obviously, but both Aizawa and Nezu had said they had some possible avenues in mind for any such situation…and that was good enough for Toshinori.
But that led them to now. Himiko had spent the morning quietly explaining why she'd ran, and though she had not given many details at all, even the little she had was both infuriating to the adults there, as well as had kept the blonde teenager far too quiet and solemn for the other two to really take it well. But that was the morning. After Himiko had explained what she was up to speaking about, Inko, the Uraraka's, and Toshinori had sat down without the teens to discuss what was the best path forward.
As for the teenagers, Izuku had pulled Ochako and Himiko off with him to the beach, wanting them to run with him and maybe do some small Quirk practice, in the hopes of distracting Himiko. Toshinori couldn't help but be proud of his successor…well, successors he supposed, but right now, mostly Izuku as he was taking charge to fix what he saw as an injustice. Granted, the boy was lost without young Ochako as well, but that was more than fine for Toshinori. They could support each other through this trying time!...but for now, the pressing matter at hand.
"Well, I've spoken to my detective friend. As Himiko is eighteen, we have no worries about any form of legal troubles. So the matter becomes where she goes from here," Toshinori explained calmly.
"Well, assuming she got into UA, she'll have the dorms then, although that's only part of the issue…and that's a big assumption," Inko mused.
Toshinori chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well…don't tell the kids yet, but, I can confirm, she did make it in. All three did, and are going into the same class. So that is not a worry."
"Really?! Oh, 'Chako's gonna be so happy!" Miu exclaimed, a wide smile on her face.
Toshinori nodded gravely. "Oh yes. In fact, they took the top three spots! Truly impressive, really."
"Wait…they got all three of the top spots?" Katashi asked, blinking.
"That they did! I'd go into the details and actual scores, but I know Nezu wanted to tell them personally later today when we return to UA to start working on their fused Quirks," Toshinori replied.
"Then we should figure out what to do for Himiko. We clearly can't send her back, and I wouldn't want to even if it was an option," Inko said. "The new year for UA doesn't start for almost a month, if I remember what Izu told me."
"About three weeks from now, yes. But that won't be as big of an issue as you may think. I…well, I was going to suggest having Izuku move into the dorms early anyways, so I may train him at UA further…now I'm changing that to Himiko and Ochako as well," Toshinori said, spreading his hands wide on the table.
"Hmm…so you can train all three of them at UA, yes?" Miu asked, tilting her head to the side.
Toshinori nodded gravely. "Yes, indeed. This…is unprecedented, to be frank. One For All, on its own, is powerful, as you've all seen from myself. It can be dangerous for the wielder, even. Granted, for me, I had more trouble with regulation of my power, but even back then, I often struggled, and at times I did cause myself harm. I would like to avoid that for these young ones. Not only that, but learning how it impacted the girls' Quirks is paramount. Which…I'm afraid to ask, but what even isHimiko's Quirk? Her file says it's a minor cat mutation but I can't believe that is it."
The three adults blinked in confusion, sharing a glance at one another that had Toshinori suspecting he was not going to like the answer. Inko spoke up after a moment, hesitant. "You're sure that's all her file lists?"
In response, Toshinori pulled out his phone, quickly flipped through the digital copies of the files he had, and pulled up the relevant one, sliding it over to Inko to look over. The green-haired woman stared at the file in consternation, her eyes narrowing into a glare as she looked, for lack of a better word, angry at the file contents. A moment later she shared it with Miu and Katashi, the duo looking similar to Inko at the revelation…Katashi's fist clenched, Miu looking like she'd just swallowed a lemon. Inko sighed.
"It's called 'Transform', and it allows her to shapeshift into the form of anyone whose blood she's drank. I cannot believe her parents…no, no, I retract that, I can believe those, those…"
"Shit-eating bastards?" Miu helpfully supplied, making Toshinori blink in surprise at the sweet looking lady's words.
"Yes, that, precisely, thank you Miu," Inko replied. She shook her head once more before looking back up at Toshinori. "I knew they took issue with her blood drinking requirement, but I would have thought they'd gotten over it or gone to some counselor." Inko let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping. "I-I shouldn't have let that go. I didn't think they'd go so far as to falsify records."
"Me neither. I always thought they were just being a bit squeamish, but never thought they'd just lie about their daughter," Katashi mused.
"That's a crime, innit?" Miu asked, turning to Toshinori.
He nodded at her. "Falsifying Quirk Registries? Oh, absolutely. Especially if the Quirk is dangerous or has requirements of some kind. Which…does it? I know she needs to drink blood to use it, but…"
"She needs to drink blood periodically or else she thinks she's starvin', yeah," Miu replied. "The kids used to share theirs with her…granted, we weren't none too happy about that at first, but 'Chako was pretty stubborn about it."
"I was…not as supportive as I should have been either. Mostly I was worried about her getting sick, you know, bloodborne illnesses and the like. I assumed her parents would take her to a counselor and get a prescription or something, but apparently not," Inko sighed.
"Now now Inko, it weren't just you. We dropped the ball on that too," Katashi replied, reaching over the table to pat the green-haired woman on the shoulder.
"None of you did anything of the sort. It was not your responsibility to take care of young Himiko, it was her own parents, and they failed. In an abhorrent fashion, it seems. I will be forwarding this information to my friend who is opening an investigation into them as we speak. Would you three be fine with him asking you for further information?" Toshinori asked, tapping away at his returned phone as he spoke.
"I mean, sure, but it was almost a decade ago. I don't know how much help I could be," Inko said.
"Any information is enough, really. Trust me, Tsukauchi is one of my closest and most trusted friends. He's one of the few I told about One For All, and he's never failed to come through for me," Toshinori reassured. "He's also the one I got looking into Aldera, although that is more difficult until we get some statements from Izuku, or someone else with knowledge."
"Wait, what're you looking into Izuku's school for?" Miu asked, confused.
Inko looked down at the table, shame coloring her face. "...we don't know for certain, we just know they've been treating him poorly. But Izuku won't talk to me about it. I…I know I failed him when he was little, I wasn't as supportive of his dream when the doctor diagnosed him, but-"
"But nothing, you had a bad couple days, but I remember, soon as that jerkoff Hisashi left you stepped up! Don't go beating yourself up about that, Inko! He's always thought the world of you, I remember he always bragged about how awesome a mom he had. I doubt that changed since we last saw him," Miu protested.
"He was always effusive in his praise of you, Inko. I don't think that's why he doesn't tell you what's wrong. I suspect he just doesn't want people to worry about him…taking the wrong lessons from my past apparently," Toshinori grumbled, his shoulders slumping.
"What do you mean by that?" Katashi asked.
Toshinori shrugged helplessly. "When you're the Number One Hero, you have a responsibility…no, more like an obligation. I wanted to be a symbol, and I worked tirelessly to become one. To make others feel safe, and secure, and at peace…but it cost me a lot. A lot I never truly admitted to until recently. My sidekick, he still won't talk to me anymore, not since that fateful fight against All For One. I…well, I simply didn't want the public to be afraid, so I went back to work as soon as I could leave the hospital. And I've just not stopped doing so. And look at me now, a shell of my former self, able to be a hero for less than three hours a day. All because I didn't want people to worry."
After a moment, he leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "I've said before that in many ways, Izuku reminds me of myself. The problem is, I mean that in boththe good and the bad ways. He has a heroic spirit unlike few I've seen before. He's kind, and caring, and genuinely just wants to help…but on the flip side, he also still seems to think that sacrificing himself is the best solution to any issue set before him. And that…that is what I need UA's help to train out of him. He needs to be better than I was. And I truly believe he will be. He just needs that time to grow."
"...that's asking a lot of the school…but I hope you are right, Toshinori. I'm always going to worry about him, I'm always going to regret not being able to give him his own Quirk, not being able to protect him from those small-minded people who couldn't accept him for him…but I'm truly thankful you gave him a chance to bring his dream to life," Inko replied, her voice growing soft, eyes watering slightly as she smiled up at the pro hero.
Toshinori shakes his head softly. "No, Inko, I need to thank you, for raising a genuinely perfect successor, someone I can trust with the legacy of One For All. And now I get to thank the two of you as well," Toshinori said, gesturing to the Uraraka's, "For giving me a second one! From everything Izuku has said to me, young Ochako is someone he trusts with every fiber of his being…and if he trusts her, and young Himiko, I can only mirror that trust and faith. They sure impressed the staff during the exams, that's for certain!"
"Aww, well, I mean…'Chako's just…always been a good kid. That's really more on her than on us," Katashi said, his cheeks flushed as he looked away from the others.
"Katashi, don't be like that. You and Miu did a great job raising her, she's such a lovely young woman, and I'm so happy she, Himiko, and Izuku got to reunite!" Inko interjected.
Katashi just grumbled something under his breath, still looking a bit embarrassed as Miu giggled quietly, patting her husband on the shoulder. Toshinori couldn't help but smile, seeing such supportive parents almost made up for the rage he felt towards Himiko's 'parents'. Still…he was worried about her. Hopefully, Izuku and Ochako could help her start to recover.
Izuku wasn't sure if this was his best solution to make Himiko feel better, but it was all he had. The beach was hisplace now…the place where he'd fought, long and hard, for the right to take on One For All. No matter how many other people came to the beach now that it was clean, a part of him actually felt pride for his accomplishment, and somewhere deep inside he felt like he had a small stake in this beach, a tiny part of it belonging to him…and he hoped that by sharing of himself with Himiko, with Ochako at his side, they could make her feel better. He hoped.
It…maybe was working? The two of them stared at the photos on his phone of the before, then looked back up at the pristine beach…back down at his phone, back up at the beach, back down…and then Ochako just clasped him on the shoulders and spoke, staring straight into his eyes. "Izu?"
"...yeah?"
"...you know yer fucking insane, right?"
Izuku couldn't help it. It was such an Ochako thing to just fall into her accent and curse at him (she'd had a bit of a potty mouth even when they were kids), that he couldn't help the warm, fuzzy sensation that filled his chest. He started to giggle, one hand over his mouth in a vain attempt to suppress it.
Luckily, she didn't seem to take offense, smiling back at him and giggling in return…and then they heard it. Himiko letting out a small, almost chirped giggle, the duo turning to look at their blonde companion, joy filling their hearts at seeing her smile, even if it was small and wobbly. But…Izuku did kind of have to break it. He hated the thought of it, but…he really needed to understand what happened so he could help.
With a deep breath, he carefully reached out and placed his hand on Himiko's arm, drawing her attention to him. He belatedly remembered the pinky thing, only to heave a sigh of relief when he noticed the gloves Ochako had gifted him were on. This was going to take some getting used to…but for now, Himiko. "Himi? Do…do you wanna tell us what all's going on? Just us? We won't tell Toshi or Mom or 'Chako's parents if you don't want, but…I think we," Izuku gestured to himself and Ochako, "really want to know what happened, so we can help."
"What Izu said. Himi, I promise, we're here for you, we just…gotta know what you need from us," Ochako added, coming up on Himiko's other side.
Himiko's shoulders slumped, her entire body looking like it lost all its energy…but after a brief moment, she nodded. She glanced about for a moment, before spying the retaining wall behind her. She slowly walked over to it, turning her back to it and sliding down to sit on the sand, knees pulled up to her chest. At her gesture, Izuku and Ochako followed, taking seats on either side of her. With one hand, she reached out to hold Izuku's, and leaned her head over onto Ochako's shoulder, keeping contact with both of them as she spoke softly.
"You guys were right. They never accepted me. They lied about what my Quirk was, and told me not to even thinkabout it. They made me dress how they wanted, act how they wanted, demanded I be a perfect pretty princess for them so I wouldn't embarrass them. I…I didn't even get to choose my 'friends', and they really weren't friends either. It was more like…a group of jerks who just got off on making fun of other people, and backstabbing each other when the moment came."
"So…you were one of the mean girls, the ones who are all popular and snotty?" Ochako asked, tilting her head to the side.
Himiko flushed, but nodded. "I, I didn't wanna be, but my parents-"
"You don't have to make excuses, Himi. We know you'd never want to be in that sort of crowd if you could," Izuku reassured her, hiding his own internal winces at the thought of her being one of them back at Aldera. Himiko wasn't like that and he knew it, she was just trying to survive…and if anyone knew what that was like, he did.
"...I tried not to be too much like them. I didn't really join them in bullying or anything, I just…didn't stop them when they were being mean behind peoples backs. But that's still no excuse. But if I didn't cooperate with them, didn't make friends with them, Mom and Dad would…they'd…they'd lock me in my room, and they put bars over the windows, a-and take away my phone and only let me eat like, once a day a-and-"
"Himi? Himi, it's okay, just breathe hun, just breathe," Ochako soothed, realizing Himiko was starting to get too worked up, starting to hyperventilate as she spoke. Izuku squeezed her hand, pressing his shoulder into hers to try and ground her as best he could.
She took a deep, bracing breath, then another, and a third. She needed to focus…Izu was right. 'Chako was right. They…they would never abandon her. It's why she ran to them to begin with. She trusted them, and she needed to show it. "...they never let me drink blood," she whispered, confirming what the other two had already suspected. "I-I just…I always felt so, so trapped, and so thirsty. It got real bad, I um…I had to sneak out at night sometimes and um…um…"
"We won't judge, Himi. We promise," Ochako said softly, absolute conviction in her voice.
"...I'd hunt rats or mice. Sometimes a bird. I-I hated it. I felt so disgusting! Like I'm the horror they thought I was! Some sort of sick, twisted monster killing animals to deal with my thirst and-"
"You're not a monster, Himi! Please, please don't ever say that about yourself!" Izuku protested. "You did what you had to do to survive! The only monsters there were your parents!"
"Izu's right, and if I ever see them, I'ma punt them into the fucking sun, Himi, I swear," Ochako added, a growl in her voice.
Himiko swallowed thickly, still refusing to look up from her hands. "But…sometimes, sometimes I had really bad thoughts."
"Like what? I-if you want to tell us, you don't have to if you're not comfortable with it," Izuku quickly reassured.
"...I wanted to bite people. To rip and tear into their throats, to suck out the blood from them like bone marrow. I wanted to just stab and slash and just go off, bathe in the blood of people, because I just hated everything!" Himiko's voice rose to a scream on the last words, her fists clenching tight around Ochako and Izuku's hands, the two not flinching at the pressure. "I hated what they made me, I hated how I had to act, I hated them!...and I hated me. I-I only could keep going because of my promise, but I was so afraid, so worried you'd hate me too. I don't think I can go on if you two hate me too…"
"We don't, and we never could, Himi," Ochako said, squeezing Himiko's hand tightly. "Right, Izu?"
Izuku nodded solemnly, mirroring Ochako's squeeze. "We couldn't if we tried. You're…you're very important to me, Himi. The promise got me through a lot too. And I don't think you're a monster for dark thoughts. I um,I think we all have darker thoughts sometimes, you know?" Izuku looked away for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before turning back to look at Himiko. "What matters is what we do about our thoughts…and you kept fighting to be a hero. Like I always knew you would be."
Himiko stared at him for a moment, her eyes shining, before she lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly, nearly choking him. A moment later, Ochako's arms wrapped about the two of them, leaning into the awkward hug as the trio shared a moment together, the only sounds the soft crashing of waves against the beach and the faint cries of birds high above.
"T-thank you. Both of you. I-I was so scared, but you…you guys…you're still you," Himiko said, her voice thick with emotion.
Ochako rubbed Himiko's back. "It'll be okay, Himi. We're all together now. And…kinda linked now, heh."
"Yeah…," Izuku murmured. "Looks um, like we're stuck together, again."
"I'm still sorry, for causing you guys so much trouble, and making you come all the way out here, Chako," Himiko muttered, breaking the hug and leaning back against the retaining wall once more.
Ochako shrugged. "Honestly, I'm kinda glad you did. It…it kinda sucked being away from you guys, I really didn't feel good about it."
Izuku looked at her curiously. "I…I didn't either. Felt like, a tightness in my chest, when you two were at home. It didn't start until a couple hours after you left though."
Himiko wiped at her eyes, sniffling slightly. "Same here. Do…do you think it has something to do with the Quirk sharing thing?"
Izuku pursed his lips. "It's…possible. Then again, at this point, I'd say anything's possible," he muttered, sounding a bit annoyed.
"Guess it's another thing to tell Toshinori," Ochako sighed.
"Yeah…but we can worry about that later," Izuku said. He gestured out towards the beach in front of him. "I uh…I thought we could spend some time out here, just, forgetting about all that. Since it's so nice and all." Left unsaid was him unsure what else to do, so he figured it was a good idea to just try and distract them a bit.
"It is pretty. Really cool of you to clean it up, Izu," Himiko said with a soft smile as she looked up at the beach once more. The sight of her smile made something light up in his chest, the heavy feeling that had been a pall over him all night seeping away slightly.
"I kinda wish I had a swimsuit or something, but…it'd be fine to just go wade in the water, right? Like, nothing dangerous or against the law to do so?" Ochako asked, looking over at Izuku. Her own grin made him feel even lighter, adding onto the sudden surge of joy he felt from Himiko finally smiling.
Izuku grinned, finally feeling like they had a chance to enjoy the beach he worked so hard on. "Nope! We can do whatever!" He started to untie his own shoes as his way of proving it to them. It was difficult for him to hide the excitement bubbling up inside, actually finding the idea of getting to mess around in the water something he'd yet to do. He felt too awkward doing it alone, but a part of him really wanted to, now that it was so clean and serene and just…something he did. Something he contributed to the world, for once he wasn't Deku the useless he was just Izuku Midoriya.
As he jumped to his feet, socks and shoes off, pants rolled up, he held his hands down to Himiko and Ochako, the other two having just finished taking their own footwear off. Ochako grinned, taking his hand, as Himiko almost pulled him over from how eagerly she yanked on his arm to pull herself up with. His own excitement was bleeding over into the other two, the emotional drain of the prior evening and morning leaving them on edge enough that the slightest change was able to push them into an almost nervous excitement.
The trio managed to make their way to the edge of the water, the waves slowly coming in and washing over their feet. Himiko let out a small shiver, as the water was cool, but it didn't seem to dampen her own slowly growing excitement. With the knowledge Izuku and Ochako didn'thate her, something was welling up in her chest that made her actually feel something foreign, a feeling she didn't really remember…but she could recognize. Hope.
Ochako jogged into the surf, giggling to herself as she idly kicked at the waves. "C'mon slowpokes, water's fine!" she teased, spinning about in place.
"Oh I'll show you slow," Himiko promised, running into the water and grabbed Ochako around the waist, almost knocking the two of them over as she started spinning Ochako around to make her dizzier, the brunette still giggling as she playfully slapped at Himiko's hands.
Izuku…felt mischievous, for the first time in as long as he could remember. He didn't know where or why this feeling came from, but he just felt like he wanted to mess with his two best friends. And the best way to do so? Well…
"Izu!" two voices shrieked, as they felt themselves get splashed with a big burst of water. Both girls turned to glare at Izuku, the boy having swept his leg through the water with enough force to douse both girls with enough seawater to leave them dripping. He cackled, feeling both so unlike himself and yet still fully in control, running away from them as they began to chase after him, their feet slipping in the sand, waves being disrupted by their movement.
He let out a startled yelp as Ochako dive tackled his legs out from under him, sending him face planting into the surf as she flopped half atop his legs herself. He rolled over to get his face out of the water, blinking rapidly to clear the water, treated to the sight of Ochako laughing like a hyena as she futilely brushed at her hair. He couldn't help it, his own laughter bubbling up in his chest as well, looking at Himiko staring down at the both of them like they were lunatics.
He shared a quick glance with Ochako, almost able to feelher agreement that that could not stand…and with a quick jolt forward to grab onto Himiko's wrists, they dragged her down into the surf with them, the blonde's eyes wide in shock and then playful annoyance as she found herself falling over just in time to get hit by a slightly larger wave that managed to completely cover her for a brief moment. She popped up out of the surf, spitting out water and glaring at the other two for a brief moment…before falling over into the same bubbling laughter the rest were.
As the trio continued to splash one another with the water, laughing and giggling and finally feeling a weight fall off their shoulders, Izuku couldn't help but smile as he looked up at the bright blue sky, at the glittering blue ocean…for once, his world wasn't red, but blue, not a burning red of pain and agony, but a calming, beautiful blue that made him simply appreciate the day. Things weren't fixed, and he knew there were difficult conversations ahead, but…as he saw Ochako flick water at Himiko, her cheeks flushed with exertion and her giggles musical to his ears, as he saw Himiko smile wide, her fangs visible, playfully trying to drag Ochako into one of the waves, as he himself scooped up water to throw at them both…he could enjoy the fact his world was not red right now, but a soft, soothing blue.