Chapter 24
"Well, that was unexpected," a soft voice said, making Izuku twitch. They felt…weird. Like they were…disconnected, in some way, or displaced? They couldn't quite latch onto what word it was, but whatever it was, it felt wrong. There was a sigh. "C'mon kid, gonna wake up anytime soon? We have some words to have with you. Your little girlfriends are already awake."
"W-wha?" Izuku managed to sputter out, their eyes flickering open. They blinked rapidly, trying to clear the black spot in their vision except…nope, wasn't a spot, it was just blackness.
"G-girlfriends? What?" came a shriek from Izuku's left, making them turn their head to see a sputtering Ochako, leaning back slightly as she pressed one hand to her head glaring up at someone. Who Izuku now could see was the smirking visage of Nana Shimura, the vestige.
"...we're in our minds again?" Izuku groaned out, sitting up and wincing at the soreness they felt. They were choosing to ignore the girlfriend's comment and just focus on what was going on, which was hard to ignore all things considered.
"Apparently. And we've got more company now," Himiko remarked from Ochako's other side. Izuku looked both her and Ochako over, checking for any injuries, but nothing seemed visible; then again, they were currently unconscious and inside their minds so they weren't sure if injuries would be showing.
"Oi! Pay attention kid! We have limited time!" a gruff voice shouted from beyond Nana, making Izuku finally glance up and forward, seeing…thrones. A group of stone thrones, sitting in a half circle upon a stone floor with a broken wall behind and nothing but a black void around everyone. Various people sat upon some of the thrones, including a strange figure made of fire Izuku recognized somehow as Toshinori. In the centermost throne, the figure there was slight, with white hair and green eyes and a soft smile as he looked down at the trio with what looked like affection in his eyes.
Izuku's eyes were drawn to the one who had shouted, a tall, spiky haired man with an x-shaped scar across his face, his arms crossed over his chest. He glared down at the trio. "Names Kudo. I was the second wielder, and you," he pointed at Himiko, "managed to get access to my Quirk, Gearshift. Then it did some weird shit and somehow you learned to teleport and that's fucking weird. We don't got time to unpack everything, so we're gonna go over this whole intro thing as quickly as possible before you wake back up."
"We will wake up, right?" Ochako asked quietly, her voice unsure.
Another of the people situated upon the thrones stepped up, his blue hair tied back in a ponytail. "You're unconscious because you overused these new abilities. Not to mention used them in ways they weren't meant to. But that shouldn't keep you from waking up. Still, as Leader said, we don't have time. I'm Bruce, that was Fa Jin you used," he pointed at Ochako," and that was my Quirk."
"You all used mine," a softer voice said, the tallest man in the seats standing up and giving a slight bow. "Danger Sense. Unlike theirs, I feel the name explains everything needed."
"Not really, there is nuance to it," Nana replied with a long-suffering sigh.
"Ah let the hermit hermit, what's the harm?" The broad shouldered bald man shoved his way forward to point dramatically at Izuku. "Daigoro here, and mine is Blackwhip, which you used! Not sure how you turned that into telekinesis though."
"We don't know for sure how any of them did any of that, and we're just going to confuse them if we delve into it. Explain your Quirks quickly, and Izuku?" Izuku sat up straight at the sudden call of their name from the white-haired vestige in the back. "I know you'll have a lot of questions about the Quirks, but we won't have time to go over those. Just let them explain the basics, next time you're here you can ask for details. Oh, and I'm Yoichi, the First. You already know how One For All, my Quirk, works," Yoichi said with a soft smile.
"I'm En, the Sixth wielder, and mine is Smokescreen, which is actually what it sounds like unlike Hikage's over there," the only other sitting vestige said, waving cheerfully as he pointed at the tall man who said he had Danger Sense.
"Float here, and whenever you unlock that just please don't fly off into space, Zero Gravity is dangerous enough in your hands as is," Nana pleaded. Ochako gaped at her before narrowing her eyes and letting out an annoyed huff, her tail flicking rapidly, as Himiko giggled.
"Yeah yeah, let's hurry this up. Himiko, Gearshift used to let anything I touch be moved how I chose without inertia. It was limited to small things before, but after sitting in One For All for so long, it is significantly stronger. You noticed it, right? How fast you moved, how hard you hit? Yeah, that was you using Gearshift on yourself, and then somehow turning it into teleportation on its own." Kudo grumbled, before shaking his head. "Either way, keeping it on for any length of time will cause you harm, so keep its use to a minimum."
"Fa Jin lets you store kinetic energy and release it later in an explosive burst. But when it reacted to your Quirk, it somehow let you infuse your own Quirk with the energy it stores and well, no clue what the fuck you did or how, but you did something and now you can mess with time," Bruce shrugged as he looked at Ochako.
"And Blackwhip is all those funky rope things! Super useful for grabbing people or places! But keep an eye on how you're feeling, kid…it's impacted by your emotions. Anger, especially," Daigoro said, his tone stern.
"...but how does that give me Telekinesis?" Izuku risked asking, even knowing Yoichi told them not to.
Yoichi spoke up. "Honestly, we're unsure, but our best guess is that it goes back to Transform." Himiko perked up at that, tilting her head and staring at Yoichi. "You may be Quirkless, but you have your mother's genes in you as well. They just never became dominant for whatever reason, or something; biology wasn't my specialty when I was alive. But Transform somehow has been changing the three of your genetics and, well, it seems like it's mixing DNA somehow. Still unsure how, to be honest."
Izuku stared blankly at Yoichi for a moment, before falling backwards, arms out wide onto the void floor(?). There was a start and a few cut off shouts around them, but they just sighed and pulled their left arm up and laid it across their eyes. "I'm fine. I just…I have no idea how to react to any of this."
"Um, that's…not all we need to warn you about?" Nana said, her voice hesitant. Izuku didn't bother replying, just waved their hand vaguely in her direction as Himiko and Ochako both turned to stare at her, making her unnerved by the flat expressions on the two girls. She scratched the back of her neck. "We uh, we think that as you consume the same person's blood, eventually their Quirk factor might get into yours?"
"...you mean we can eventually get copies of the Quirks of people who we drink from often?" Izuku replied, their tone without affect.
"We think so, yeah."
Izuku was silent for a moment, Himiko and Ochako both choosing to let them take the lead, before they sighed once more. "Fine. Sure. Why not? You know, you said we have limited time…can we wake up now?"
Yoichi coughed. "Sure, you can."
Himiko gave a lazy thumbs up, still focused on Izuku as they lay there unmoving. Ochako pursed her lips but nodded, replying quietly. "Yeah, okay." Yoichi nodded, waving his hand in their direction, making them feel disconnected once more, and finding their minds fading back into unconsciousness…for the moment.
Waking up in the hospital was not something Himiko was used to, and she was not a fan. All of the aches and pains from the fight at the USJ seemed to still be there, even if she couldn't see any wounds. It was a bone-deep chill resting deep within her, her arms and legs feeling sluggish and cold, painfully cold, as if they had been dunked in ice and were just barely coming out of numbness.
But all of that paled as soon as she recognized her alert state, her eyes snapping open. She hissed in pain at the sudden surge of light, but letting out a low growl, she began to scramble out of her sheets. She needed to find Izuku and Ochako, she needed to check on them, seeing them in the vestige world could have been a dream or something! Her chest ached, pain, fear, guilt, desperation, all swirling in her breast as if a massive cocktail of emotions were being poured down upon her. She needed her people.
"Woah now young Himiko, you need to calm down, it's okay, you're okay," a voice soothed, one she recognized just barely as she felt bony hands pressing down into her shoulders. She still struggled, whimpers escaping her lips as she blinked rapidly to clear the bright lights, because she needed to see them!
She could finally see well enough to see the sunken blue eyes and worried smile of Toshinori, the taller blonde looking down upon her with clear worry in his eyes. She swallowed, feeling like her throat was made of glass as she managed to croak out "'Chako? Izu?"
Toshinori chuckled, leaning back slightly and gesturing to her left. "They are quite alright, young Himiko. Why don't you see for yourself?"
She followed his hand, dazed eyes lighting up as she saw the form of Ochako in the bed next to her, eyes closed and breathing deeply, a white hospital gown over her while a single monitor was connected to her fingertip. Beyond Ochako, Himiko could see the green fluffy hair of Izuku laying on their own bed, also still apparently asleep, although their face was scrunched up and twitching like they did before they woke in the morning. Toshinori patted her on the hand gently.
"You're all okay. No permanent injuries, you're all just suffering from some Quirk exhaustion. All three of you will be just fine, so don't you worry. You'll be out of here in no time, you just need some rest. I'm going to go let the doctors know you're awake if that's okay with you?"
Himiko stared up at him for a moment. She didn't think she could ever say it aloud but…part of her wondered if this was what having a real father was like. Maybe it was her connection to Izuku, but she could feel tears welling up in her eyes just at the sheer emotion running through her chest, but she didn't want him to see so she quickly nodded and looked away in the hopes he'd move on.
Toshinori let out a sad chuckle, and she felt his hand gently mess with her hair, a faint brush against her ear that made her eyes flutter closed. "Alright. I'll be back in just a moment." With that, he stood up and crossed the room, exiting through the doorway, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
Not alone for long though, as she felt the sudden surge of emotion from Izuku as they finally awoke fully. They quickly sat upright in the bed, but immediately let out a yelp of pain as they curled in on themselves, making Himiko struggle to her own seated position as she looked over at them. "Izu?" she said, her voice cracking slightly.
They blinked rapidly, turning to look at her, their eyes gazing over her quickly before scanning over Ochako as well. She could feel the sudden sense of relief coming over them, drowning the other feelings out as they took a deep breath. "You okay, Himi?"
"I'm okay. Toshi was just in here, he left to get the doctor. He said we're all okay, just…Quirk exhaustion."
Izuku huffed. "...sure. Quirk exhaustion. I guess that's what happens when you use a bunch of different ones and now are stealing more like a fucking thief," they spat, glaring down at their hands.
"Izu-" Himiko began softly, beseechingly, but the swell of anger and self-loathing within them that filtered over made her ears lay flat as she found her breath stolen from her chest by the sheer strength of the feeling.
"Don't," Izuku ordered, their voice flat, before fading to a whisper. "Just…don't."
"Stop being stupid, Izu," Ochako's groggy voice cut into the room, making Izuku and Himiko both turn to look at her as she slowly sat up, one hand pressed against her chest. Izuku opened their mouth to reply but she cut them off with a raised hand. "We've been over this. This ain't your fault. An' I'm not gonna just sit 'ere and let you keep badmouthing yerself over this. It's all weird but what matters is we lived, and nobody died, and we stopped the bad guys. That's all that matters."
"That was well said, young Ochako," Toshinori's voice said from the doorway as he opened it slowly, revealing himself and a short, dark-haired woman in a lab coat. "But let's put a pin in that, the doctor here is going to check you over and be sure there's no lingering issues."
Izuku stared blankly at the two in the door, before letting out a sigh, their shoulders slumping. "...fine," they muttered. Himiko shared a glance with Ochako, the brunette's eyes narrowed with both annoyance and frustration visible. Izuku was not taking any of this well, but they'd confront them about it later. For now, Himiko really wanted to get out of the hospital.
Okay, she wasn't getting out of the hospital yet, because Inko, Miu, and Katashi had arrived and were busy worrying over their children (and her for some reason). Which…she wished she could enjoy it. Desperately wished she could, because it made her feel so warm and soft and fuzzy inside, seeing how they easily extended their worry and fear to her. And how Toshinori kept sitting by her side, keeping her company even when Izuku and Ochako were being smothered by their parents.
But Izuku's emotions were completely wrong. They hadn't gotten any better and it was hard to ignore them, considering how strong they seemed to be. There were some happy feelings; Izuku was always happy to see their mom. And they seemed incredibly relieved Himiko and Ochako were okay. There was a genuine awe and pride in the two girls that Izuku was feeling, as if they were so amazed by their new powers.
But when it came to Izuku themself? It was as if all the work they'd put in, all the encouragement and help they'd tried to give them, to make them understand how valued they were and how they weren't at fault for all these wrong things, it was like all of that was suddenly gone. The sheer volume of negativity directed at themselves, under that placid, smiling exterior they were showing their mother had the fur on Himiko's ears standing stiff, her tail flicking rapidly even as she tried to wrap it about her waist to keep it under control.
Izuku's practiced fakery began to falter when Aizawa, President Nezu, and a detective introduced to them as Tsukauchi came into the room. The detective was there to get their statements about the attack, and Aizawa and Nezu wanted to know about the change in their abilities. Which, when Ochako took the initiative and explained, Izuku's prior smiling face began to flicker and fade. Himiko hated watching the joy seep out of them like a sieve, but on the other hand it was fake joy so was it worth seeing it anyways? This hurt her head more than it already was.
"So you can get permanent copies of Quirks by drinking enough blood? I'll have to have Chiyo draw more of mine then," Aizawa mused, making Himiko snap her gaze away from Izuku to blink rapidly at her teacher.
"...why?" Ochako dared to ask, her eyes flickering between Aizawa and a suddenly preternaturally still Izuku.
"More people with Erasure in the world is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned."
"It's not a bad idea, really. Perhaps we should speak to Chiyo about donating her blood as well? If she safely can, of course. But having her Quirk in three more individuals could be very useful," Nezu added.
"Copying quirks permanently? Hmm. Maybe I should donate my blood as well," the detective mused.
Himiko did not like where this was going. Rather, she was fine with the talk and the ideas, but the emotions flickering across the bond from Izuku were very very very bad right now and the adults needed to shut up.
Ochako, having picked up on the same thing Himiko had, quickly waved her hands to draw everyone's attention. With a nervous smile on her face, her eyes flitting over to Izuku for a brief moment once more, she spoke. "I-I don't think we need to go over that right now anyways. We um, we should be getting out soon, right? Can we ask the doctor when we get out?"
"It'll be shortly. But you are right, Uraraka, we should hold this discussion till we are back at UA. Perhaps even your classmates will-"
"I don't want it," Izuku said quietly, a low, rumbling growl in the back of their throat echoing throughout the room as they cut Nezu off. Himiko winced internally, and she could see as well as feel the same concern from Ochako. Izuku had apparently had enough…and she wasn't entirely sure how to slow them down.
"Don't want what, Izuku?" Inko asked quietly, tilting her head at her child.
"The Quirks. I don't want anyone else's Quirk," Izuku replied. Their voice was still soft, but the way their ears lay flat on their head, the narrowly slitted pupils, and the fur puffed out on their tail were not signs anyone was really able to ignore.
"I'm afraid I don't understand the issue, Midoriya. Wouldn't more powers simply give you more versatility? You already have multiple as it is, wouldn't-" Nezu was once again cut off by Izuku, this time the green-eyed teenager snapping their head up to glare in the chimera's direction.
"That's the problem!" they hissed, clenching their fists. "I already stole Himi and 'Chako's, and somehow I got Mom's too even though I'm Quirkless, I don't need to steal anyone else's! That's not fair to other people! That's not right!Quirks are a part of who you are and I can't keep stealing them!" Izuku's voice was lifted to a near shout, their voice echoing throughout the room and startling most of those left in the room.
Aizawa sighed, rubbing the bridge of their nose. "Midoriya. You are not stealing anything. It's a copy. One of the members of Class B has that exact power, the ability to copy Quirks from people. Do you think he's wrong for existing?"
Himiko was treated to a very strange set of revelations at once. First, Izuku's emotions now running into a wall…between their instinctive excitement at the idea of what such a Quirk could do, their reflexive self-loathing at Aizawa's attempt to argue, and their own rising rage, she wasn't entirely sure which of the three was going to take center stage first. But…she'd always been good at reading facial cues. She had to be, because she had to be able to predict her parents' reactions, as well as those gossipy bitches back in high school so she could fit in better, and the reaction Nezu, Tsukauchi, and Toshinori had at Aizawa's commentary was weird.
She couldn't read Nezu well (unsure if that was because of his inhuman nature or he just was that good), but Toshinori had winced at the words Izuku had used when they spoke about stealing Quirks. And she wanted to know why. Maybe she could interrupt Izuku's emotional explosion if she asked?
"...why did you flinch when Izu said they stole the Quirk?" she dared to ask, cutting through everyone else's conversations, and it was abrupt enough that even Izuku's anger faded to confusion…of course, it started to grow again once they actually noticed what Himiko was doing (wasn't like she could hide her feelings from them), but they kept their mouth shut as Toshinori sighed.
"Well. I was going to tell you later, but I suppose since we're all here it's worth explaining. It goes back to the very origins of One For All, a tale of two brothers…"
"And you are absolutely certain he's dead?" Inko asked quietly when Toshinori finished his explanation, worry evident in her expression.
"Yes. I am absolutely sure," he reassured her.
"How can ya be sure, hmm?" Katashi asked, narrowing his eyes.
Nezu hopped forward, drawing attention to himself. "Because I and Recovery Girl verified it ourselves, and I had the body disposed of. After Toshinori collapsed, his sidekick and mentor took it upon themselves to swiftly call myself and Recovery Girl in. Mostly to save Toshinori, but also to handle the scene. All For One died on that battlefield, there is no question of that. I am very…thorough, when it comes to dealing with such unpleasantness's." The gleam in Nezu's eye made everyone (sans Izuku) lean back slightly, perturbed.
"You could have told us before Izuku took the Quirk, you know," Inko said, her voice still soft with a noticeable edge to it.
"I genuinely did not think it would matter, since he's dead. I never wanted the specter of All For One to haunt my successor's future. I hoped they would be free of it," Toshinori replied, holding their hands out wide.
"...so One For All comes from a power that steals Quirks, and now I'm stealing them too. All because I messed everything up. Just fucking great," Izuku scoffed.
"Copying is not stealing," Aizawa replied with narrowed eyes. "Or are you accusing your classmate of being a thief as well?"
"Is his copy permanent?" Izuku shot back, glaring back at their teacher.
"No. He can only copy a limited number at a time and they only last for a certain time frame. But that does not change the underlying concept. Not only that, but we are volunteering for you to use ours. Should I not get a say in what I do with my Quirk?" Aizawa argued, gesturing at himself.
Izuku worked their jaw for a moment as they tried to reach for an argument against that, but Inko's hand squeezing their shoulder made them glance over at their mother. "Izuku, honey, why does this bother you so much? Isn't it a good thing, having more options to be a hero with?"
Izuku swallowed, their shoulders slumping as they stared down at their hands, clenching and unclenching their fists. "I just…it's not right. I didn't…I didn't earn any of this. I-I got picked for OFA by accident and I knew it was a mistake but I didn't say anything and now I've stolen Himi and Chako's powers and more and just…it's not right," their voice faded to a whisper, refusing to lift their gaze from the sheets beneath them.
"Izuku, I did not choose you by accident, nor was it a mistake. Don't you have faith in me to make my own decisions?" Toshinori asked.
"I do, but…" Izuku cut themselves off after a moment, looking unsure of themselves.
Toshinori sighed, sharing a look with Inko. She shook her head slowly, silently communicating something to him that Himiko wasn't able to figure out. Toshinori stood up. "Perhaps this is a conversation better had away from this hospital. Are you three ready to leave?"
Himiko glanced back at Ochako, seeing her nod slowly, before turning to look at Izuku and waiting for the indicator. Though they never lifted their head, she felt the acceptance and the exhaustion over the bond, and she gently replied by pushing feelings of warmth and affection back towards Izuku (and Ochako, because Ochako was hurting by seeing Izuku hurt and she wanted them both happier). It didn't fixIzuku's mood…but she could tell they appreciated it. She turned back to Toshinori and nodded. "Yeah, let's get out of here."
Chapter 25
"Izuku, this isn't like you," Inko said softly. The two of them were sitting in Izuku's room at the dorms, the green-haired teenager immediately heading to their room with a request for privacy before anyone else pestered them, but Inko had decided to exercise mom rights and asked if she could talk to them alone, which…unfortunately for Izuku, even with all the frustration and anger they felt, they could never turn their back on their mom.
Which led to now, Izuku flopped over on their bed, one arm thrown over their eyes so they didn't have to see the look Inko was giving them. She'd gingerly sat on the edge of the bed, looking over her prone child with worry evident in her voice. Izuku sighed. "It's just not right, Mom. I don't know how else to explain it."
Inko hummed contemplatively. "Not to call you a liar, but I'm pretty sure that's not what is really bothering you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just what I said. If you were really bothered by it, Aizawa couldn't have argued you down so easily. You've never run out of logical arguments when you were in one of your moods, at least not without a good hour's worth of debate." Izuku pulled their arm down and stared at their mother in consternation, Inko merely arching one eyebrow at them with an almost amused look on her face. She continued on with a smirk. "I raised you, you know. Did you forget how many times you tried to 'debate' me over letting you stay up late to do more Quirk analysis or why you should get that other piece of All Might merch?"
Izuku huffed, feeling a small bit of warmth in their chest at the teasing. It wasn't until they'd moved into the dorms they'd realized how much they missed spending time with their mom. It was nice to see her and spend time with her, even if it was because of…well, yesterday. Their slowly improving mood faded away at the thought, making them sigh heavily and look up at the ceiling blankly. Maybe…maybe their mom had a point. Sure, it bothered them the idea of 'stealing' the Quirks, but like Aizawa had said, it was being freely given. Wasn't that his right to do, to choose whether they could use his Quirk? So why did this bother them so much? Except…they actually knew the answer, they just hadn't wanted to say it in front of everyone. But Mom…
Izuku sighed. "Mom…did they tell you about the attack?"
"What details they could. A lot of it was confusing, as your teacher only could witness bits and pieces with the fighting he was doing, but we got the gist," Inko replied.
"So…you know about how we all got weird new powers, yeah?"
Inko nodded. "Yes. You got telekinesis, Himiko can teleport, and Ochako can…slow down time? It was…rather confusing, to be honest."
Izuku swallowed thickly, turning their gaze to look at their mom. "What I'm about to say, you can't tell the others, okay? I-I'm not ready to talk to her about it."
Inko tilted her head to the side in confusion, before scooting closer up on the bed and placing her hand over Izuku's, squeezing gently. "Was it Ochako or Himiko?"
"...'Chako. How'd you know I meant one of them?"
Inko let out a derisive snort. "Sweetie, only one of those two could make you act like this."
Izuku shrugged, not wanting to unpack that as they sighed once more. "When…when we were winning, like, we had a plan and everything, that weird voice, the villain in charge I guess? He commanded someone named 'Kurogiri' to move the Nomu to attack me, 'Chako, and Himi. I think Kurogiri is the one doing the portals, because the second he said that, the portals moved the Nomu practically atop us. Thing was…there were five Nomu, and three of us, so they split two, two, and one. But the one? That one was by far the strongest, it was smashing everything up and regenerating and like…it was super powerful. And it was put right next to Ochako."
"But she stopped it, didn't she? The time dilation, it slowed everything down so you guys could figure out what to do, right?"
Izuku's hand clenched around their mother's, squeezing tightly as they closed their eyes and spoke softly. "It was going to hit her, Mom. At full power. I saw what happened when it hit the ground. It would have killed her. And she knew it. Mom, she knew it. I saw it in her eyes and felt it inside me. She was afraid, but then just…resigned. She accepted it. She accepted she was going to die and was okay with it because she thought the rest of us would be safe."
Inko didn't speak, but from the way she squeezed Izuku's hand they knew she was starting to understand. "I-I could see it, Mom. I still see it. The look in her eyes, the way she was almost happy because we were gonna be fine, because she was the one who was going to get hit. I-I can't get it out of my head. I keep seeing her like that and I can't…I can't. She can't just…do that! She can't just be willing to leave, I just found her again! Mom, I-I-" Izuku cut themselves off, tears spilling from their closed eyes as they choked on their words.
Warm, soft arms came around their shoulders, pulling them into an embrace they'd felt a million times over their life. "Izuku, can I say something honest to you?" Inko asked softly. Izuku nodded, reaching up to grab onto their mom's arms and keep her pressed close as the tears fell silently. "...now you know how everyone around you feels when you think it's okay to get hurt to keep someone else safe."
Izuku nearly choked, eyes going wide open as they stared at their mother's face, Inko's a mix of fond exasperation, concern, and a hint of sternness in her gaze. "B-but it's-"
"Different?" Inko cut them off, arching an eyebrow. She shook her head slowly. "It's not, Izuku. It's not okay for her to do it, and it's not okay for you to do it. I know that being a hero means sometimes, you might risk yourself for someone else. I don't like it, but I know it's who you are and I couldn't be prouder of you for being so determined to help people. But there is a difference between it being a necessary action, and it being your first choice. Or did you forget your entrance exam?"
"Y-you saw that?"
"Toshinori showed me. And Ochako's. And Himiko's. If I didn't know your teacher hadn't already read you the riot act for it, I would have had a lot to say about that. You have no idea how often Miu, Katashi, and myself sit and worry about the three of you," she brushed her hands through Izuku's hair, gently smoothing the fur on their ears over, a smile on her face to take the sting out of her words. "It's about balance, Izuku. You have to find the right balance between risking yourself and saving others. Which, that's what you're here to learn, isn't it?"
"...you're not mad we got attacked?" Izuku ventured, one of their many worries coming to the forefront.
Inko let out an exasperated sigh. "Mad isn't the word I would use. I'm…scared. But I know you. This probably just makes you more determined to be a hero, and I don't see how trying to convince you to move to another school would help, especially not with your support system here already. And I admit…I'm unsure how anyone could have anticipated that. I've never heard of a teleporting Quirk that strong, and no one else has either according to the Headmaster."
Izuku sighed, leaning into their mother further. "...what do I do about 'Chako though? I get it. I'm a hypocrite, and…I'll try to be better about that. But that doesn't make what she did okay either."
"Well, I would give it some time before you talk to her about it, but that's the important part, isn't it? Talking to her. And Himiko. If you felt Ochako's feelings then, well, Himiko did too, right? I bet she's just as worried. Don't go in guns blazing with accusations though. Just let her know how worried it made you feel. And I would start by admitting you know it's hypocritical, but that you're going to try to change that. You are, right? Not just saying things to make your old mom feel better are you?"
"You're not old!" Izuku protested, sitting upright to glare at their mother. Inko chuckled, ruffling Izuku's hair. Izuku playfully batted at her hands, feeling the slightest trace of calm within from spending time with their mother, before sighing deeply. "I'll try. I promise, Mom. I um…I talked to Sensei about…talking to someone, a-and I think maybe…maybe I should. Like…a professional," Izuku muttered the last few words, refusing to meet their mother's gaze as they did.
"That's a good thing, Izuku. A really good thing," Inko replied softly but insistently.
"I-I'm not promising I will yet though! Just…I'm thinking about it."
"That's okay. I can take that," she reassured. After a moment of silence, she spoke once more. "Is your kitchen stocked up? I can make dinner for you all…maybe, some katsudon, if you have the ingredients?"
Izuku smiled, letting out a choked half-giggle. "Um…if you're okay with that."
"Of course I am. I miss cooking for you, and I'm sure everyone who is still here could use a good meal." She went to get up from the bed, but Izuku's hand reached out and gripped her arm for a moment, stopping her.
"Can…can we stay like this, for a bit longer? Before we go downstairs."
Inko smiled down at Izuku, and nodded, sitting back down and pulling them into a hug. "Of course, Izuku. Anytime."
Katashi glanced down at his phone, narrowing his eyes at the text message he just received from Inko. He casually passed the phone to his wife as he reached out to wrap one arm around his daughter's shoulders, pulling her into his side as she leaned listlessly, exhausted from the day's ordeals. He could see his wife stiffen out of the corner of his eye, but he agreed with Inko that now was not the time to confront their daughter. Right now, she just needed her parents.
"You doin' okay, Ochako?" he asked softly, shaking her shoulder slightly.
"...no," Ochako sniffled, her head half buried in her father's shoulder. "Izu, Himi, they…they almost got killed. An' so did my classmates. My new friends. Stupid fuckin' monsters showin' up and ruinin' everythin'."
"But you stopped them, just like the good hero yer gonna be," Miu said, taking a seat on her other side and gently brushing at her daughter's hair.
"Almost didn'," she murmured in response.
"Almost only counts in horseshoes and fire Quirks," Katashi replied, making his daughter snort at the age-old joke. He sighed, lifting one hand up to rub at his jaw. "'Chako, it ain't right what ya saw today, but ya survived. Hell, ya did more than that, ya stopped the bad guys and all y'all made it out safely! And ya stopped time! That's my badass little rescue hero, always gettin' better and better."
Ochako sighed, shrugging slightly. Her tail was still, ears laying half flat, which considering Katashi has grown up with cats he knew that while she wasn't as upset as before, she still wasn't in a great mood. He also knew his daughter was the type to dwell and nothing he said was going to break her out of it that easily. Best he could do was…be there for her. And that was exactly what he planned to do.
His phone pinged once again, Katashi glancing up to look at his wife as she scrolled through the messages. After a moment, she nodded, typing something quickly and then handing it back to her husband, sitting down next to Ochako's other side and pulling her into a hug. "That was Inko, she's gonna go downstairs an' start on dinner for the students still 'ere. I'm gonna go help her. Ya gonna be okay up 'ere?"
Ochako nodded, although both of her parents noticed her tail flick agitatedly when she mentioned dinner. Katashi worked his jaw, sharing another silent talk with his wife. Something both of them had wondered about more than once was rearing its ugly head, but they'd never been able to prove anything and confronting her without proof would have just made Ochako clam up further. They'd learned thatlesson many, many years before unfortunately. Their daughter took after the two of them in many ways, and one of her worst qualities she took on was their stubbornness. You had to be stubborn to keep fighting to save your company for as long as they had, but well…some things they never wanted to pass down to Ochako.
Katashi shook his head. Now wasn't the time to deal with this. For now, he just needed to make sure his daughter was okay. And maybe check in on Himiko as soon as he could, if Inko didn't get there first. Not like her useless parents were going to be here to check in on her. He grit his teeth and shoved that thought down once more, now wasn't the time to get angry, not when he had to comfort his daughter. Just setting his goals and doing what he could. As Miu got up and kissed Ochako on the top of her head, gently brushing her ears, and then kissing her husband on the cheek, he offered a smile in return to her. They'd do what the two of them could for Ochako, whatever she needed. That's what a father did.
Himiko lay face down in her bed, tears spilling from her eyes as she kept her face buried to muffle any sounds she was making. Not that she could hide how she felt from Izuku or Ochako, but she was desperately trying to pull back as much as possible. They didn't need to feel guilty over this, because it wasn't their fault she had no one. No, no, that was unfair to Inko, Miu, and Katashi. She knew they'd probably come check in on her…they were good like that.
But it didn't change that she wasn't their child. She was just linked to them, and while she knew they cared about her, it didn't change she still didn't have her parents. Worst of all, the most painful part was, part of her wanted them there.
They were awful people. Obsessed with their picture perfect image and what they considered 'respectable'. They'd treated her like garbage, she saw that now. They'd abused her. They'd hurt her. They'd forced her into being something awful, something she hated. And yet, still, deep down, something inside her still missed the parents she'd had before her Quirk came in. They weren't that affectionate, but they still cared. They still loved her. At least, she thought they did. And something deep inside her couldn't let go of those memories, those feelings.
There was a time when they smiled together and meant it. When her father would pick her up and make jokes about her flying in the air as he ran across the living room, her giggles echoing across the house walls. There was a time when she'd sit in her mother's lap while she read to her, softly explaining the words Himiko didn't know as she stared at the pictures in awe, getting lost in the fantastical tales.
And it wasn't like the loss happened quickly. They'd been disgusted by her Quirk, but they hadn't just…completely given up on her. They'd still take care of her. They'd still play with her. At least, for a while. But then it slowed down, it changed, they changed. It became all about how her Quirk was a curse, how she needed to behave, how she needed to be perfect. Now that she thought about it, they shit talked Quirks in general, but especially 'villainous' ones. She'd also catch her father muttering about how much he hated the impact Quirks had on business. Not that he ever told her what his business even did, other than manufacturing.
Not to mention the annoyance when her 'uncle' came over. He showed up rarely and always complained about the condition of the house, even though her mother kept it immaculate. And he'd argue with her father all the time. Never loud enough for her to hear (not that she wanted to), but still was annoying. Especially as she knew he was no real uncle, just one of her father's business partner's, but her parents wanted her to call him uncle even though he was only about a decade older than her. And he'd been incredibly disgusted by her Quirk too, she'd see the sneer on his face every time he looked at her.
She sighed, pressing her face further into the blanket as she forced the memories back into the box she liked to hide them in. No point in lamenting what she didn't have. She didn't have parents. Not like Ochako and Izuku. God, she hated this! She didn't want to be jealous of them! She knew it wasn't their fault, she knew they would never hold it against her or try to make her jealous, and she'd already had Inko, Miu, and Katashi all tell her they'd take her in any time, but she couldn't help how she felt and that just made her feel worse.
"Today fucking sucked," she groused into her pillow, only to be startled out of her thoughts by a chuckle from her door. She nearly leapt out of bed, eyes wide and red with tears still trickling down her cheeks, seeing the abashed face of Toshinori in the door.
He shrugged. "I knocked a few times but you didn't answer, I wanted to check in on you."
She sniffled, turning back to her bed and laying down once more, wrapping her arms around her pillow and face-planting into it once more. "Okay. I'm fine. You can go now."
"I trust you on many things, young Himiko, but…I don't believe you're okay," Toshinori said softly, still standing in the doorway. She didn't give him a response, but her tail flicked back and forth in agitation. He smiled down at her prone form. "May I come in?"
"...fine," she muttered. Her ears perked up, listening as he closed the door and made his way over to her bed. She could feel his consternation as he looked at the truly colossal number of plushies scattered around, and very gingerly found a spot where he could take a seat, squeezing between a large shark plush and a half dozen plushies he barely recognized as various childrens cartoon characters. She waited for him to say something, but after a good minute of silence passed, she tilted her head slightly and cracked one eye to look up at him, seeing the blonde simply looking around her room in curiosity. "...not gonna try to make me feel better?" she asked, her voice only partly muffled.
Toshinori looked down at her and shrugged. "Can I make you feel better with words?" After a moment, she shook her head back and forth, knowing nothing he said was going to make her happier right now. He nodded. "Exactly. No, I figure I'll just be here for you, just in case. Unless there's something you would like me to do?"
She…didn't know how to respond to this. What was his angle? His plan? Izuku was his successor…no. No, that was anxiety brain talking. That was her fucked up mindset from the day and the way she was spiraling and gods did she hate this. She knew Toshi just wanted to help. He meant it. He couldn't lie about that to save his life. All Might was a mask. Toshinori was the man. After a moment, she swallowed, closing her eyes and shoving her face back into her pillow.
"...can you pet my ears?" she whispered, blood flushing into her face at the sheer embarrassment of the request. For a moment, she didn't think he heard her, muffled and quiet as it was, but a massive, gentle hand rested itself upon her hair, long fingers very gently brushing at the fur and making the bone-deep cold in her limbs finally start to fade further. Maybe she didn't have real parents…but Toshi seemed to care. And that meant something to her. She wasn't sure what yet, but it meant something.
Still the tears silently fell, the feelings from the attack earlier ripping at her chest. Her fear for her friends, for her Izu and 'Chako, the pain, the adrenaline turned to terror, every second was just a clusterfuck in her head she could barely track anymore. Not to mention the emotions across the bond…pain, fear, loneliness, love, affection, guilt, self-loathing, etc, etc, so many things mixed together that made her shoulders tighten and her teeth clench.
She didn't know how long she lay there, Toshinori silently and gently scratching at her ears, ever so slowly helping her relax her shoulders. A gentle knock at the door drew her attention and made him pause in his ministrations. She cleared her throat and managed to get out a garbled 'come in', which opened the door to reveal Kendo, the redheaded teenager looking rather worse for the wear herself but putting on a nervous smile.
"Miss Midoriya and Mrs. Uraraka are making dinner downstairs. Yaoyorozu and I are going around to see if everyone can make it down. Will um…will you be coming down, Himiko?"
Himiko sighed into the bed, slowly peeling herself up from the bedspread and nodding as she kept her head down. Toshinori stood up, out of her way, as she swung her legs around to place them on the floor. She went to get to her feet, but swayed from a sudden surge of weakness (probably from crying for the past hour), but Toshinori's hand stopped her from falling. She gave him a thankful nod, before turning to the door and taking a deep breath, following Kendo out of the room, Toshinori behind her. She wasn't really ready to face the world yet…but she still wanted to see the others, and for them, she'd face anything.
Toshinori wasn't sure he was ready for this conversation, especially not after the day that had occurred, but with everyone involved here it seemed like the best time to have it. Nezu had spent the past few hours speaking to various parents and in Todoroki's case, older sister, of the members of Class A, while the students enjoyed a dinner made by Inko and Miu, with help from Yaoyorozu's father. It was an interesting sight, this tall, distinguished gentleman in a perfectly tailored suit cooking alongside the other two, but according to him he found cooking a relaxing activity after a long day in the office, and going off the food made, he sure knew what he was doing.
Toshinori was at least happy that Ochako was apparently so exhausted from the ordeals of the day she didn't really struggle with the eating, too emotionally spent to beemotional about it. Which made Izuku and Himiko much happier. The students as a whole were practically one giant mass once dinner was served, all eating in the living room and half of them crowded into the same places, either with their parents or one another. Bonding over trauma, he supposed.
But now, it led to here. Toshinori, Nezu, Shouta, Miu, Katashi, Inko, and Toshinori's best friend Naomasa all crowded in Nezu's office, as the detective had decided to tell them the current state of the Aldera and Toga investigations. He'd considered not doing so, but since everyone was gathered, he figured he'd just get it out of the way.
"Well, I don't want to beat around the bush after the events of yesterday. I'm sure everyone is eager to check in on the students even further, but I can at least tell you I have good news. The Toga's falsifying Himiko's Quirk registry made it easy for me to get a warrant, and they have officially been charged. They have no chance of beating the falsifying records charge as well as putting people, including Himiko, in danger by not addressing her dietary requirements," Naomasa began, referring to his notepad.
He took a deep, bracing breath before continuing. "As for the abuse charges, Himiko had said they did not physically harm her, which rang true. However, they also said they didn't and it rang false. With some digging, I believe I understand the incongruencies, but I don't like it."
"And your conclusion is?" Nezu offered, tilting his head to the side.
"My best guess is Himiko genuinely believes that what they did didn't count as physical abuse, but it was and the Toga's are very much aware it was."
"...great, another kid with warped perceptions on what happened to them," Shouta sighed, rubbing his temples.
Katashi crossed his arms over his chest, working his jaw angrily. "...they ain't gettin' away with it, right?"
"I never make promises about cases before they go to court, but the evidence is pretty damning," Naomasa replied.
Inko clenched her fist, but shook her head to clear it. "Is that it then?"
"For the Toga case, it's all I have right now, but as for Aldera…well, thanks to Bakugo's testimony I got a warrant pretty easily, and we were able to get started. They tried to delete the security camera footage and any digital records they had were altered, but luckily Nezu offered us the services of UA's newest cybersecurity expert and she was able to recover the original files, which…are fairly damning." Naomasa took a moment to look at Inko, wanting to be certain she wanted to continue. She slowly nodded.
"Well, it's probably worse than you feared. Izuku's treatment was both verbal and physical. Bakugo was honest about not attacking Izuku physically, save one altercation he admitted to. There were minor incidents…shoulder checking him as they walked past and a lot of threats and intimidation, but that was the extent of Bakugo's bullying. Some other students were more…vicious. As well as one of the teachers' preferred methods of silencing Midoriya was smacking him on the back of the head." Naomasa chose to ignore the cracking of Toshinori's knuckles, and internally was afraid to see Inko's expression so he kept his eyes locked on his notepad.
"Much of the staff directly encouraged this behavior. Not just directed at Izuku, either. Anyone with a weaker Quirk was also given similar treatment, although Izuku got the worst. Partially due to his Quirkless status, and also apparently because he had a tendency to get between the bully and their victim."
"Oh Izuku," Inko murmured, shoulders dropping as she couldn't help but feel pride filtering beneath her sheer guilt and rage pooling in her gut.
"A hero even then. I knew I chose well," Toshinori added, a smile threatening to cross his face…until he remembered why Izuku had to stand up and get in between.
"To be honest, there's…a lot of specific incidents, and I don't think it's necessary to go over every one of them. It'll all come up in the court cases. We plan on arresting everyone involved once the warrants clear, which will be in a few days at most. The students who performed the bullying…well, the prosecution intends on going on a case by case basis. They want to take into account the clear manipulation from the staff, but some of the students still went too far. Likely won't be jail time, but marks on their records and possibly fines. The teachers and administrative staff on the other hand, they are likely facing jail time."
"And what of my suspicions?" Nezu asked, his paws steepled together in front of his face. Miu, Katashi, and Inko looked at him confused, but the sudden attention Toshinori and Shouta gave to the Headmaster had them curious about this matter as well.
"Can't say for sure yet, but your expert is still working through their phone and email records. Since I know she'll share them with you as soon as she does with me, you'll know everything I know by then. I'll be doing interviews over the next few weeks as we process them, we'll see if you're correct."
"Correct about what? Somethin' else the matter?" Miu asked, glancing between the tall detective and the chimeric hero.
Nezu sighed. "There is some…similarity in the attitudes espoused by the staff at Aldera as there is to an old…movement, we shall say. Since we're not sure if it's true, I'd rather not go too into it yet. But rest assured, you will be kept in the loop."
"...alright. I doubt I have enough energy to handle anything more anyways," Inko sighed.
"Well, there is one more thing, but it's not really a badthing?" Naomasa said, getting the attention of the rest of the room once more. "As part of my investigation into the Toga's, I checked in at her school, and spoke to some of the girls who said they were friends of hers. While most were more interested in the scandal than Himiko herself, a few of the girls expressed genuine concern for Himiko and wanted to know if she was okay. I have their numbers and small letters they wrote to her to ask if she wanted to talk, so…If you think she'll want it, here." Naomasa reached out and held out three small pieces of paper carefully folded up.
Shouta sighed, taking them and tucking them into his own notebook he'd been taking notes on throughout the meeting. "I'll pass this on to her, but it's her call if she chooses to reach out."
"Of course. I said as much to them," Naomasa replied.
"Well, with all that settled, today has been quite the ordeal, and I believe now is an excellent time for everyone to head home and rest," Nezu said, clapping his paws together. "Let's all take some time to recuperate from this, and make certain the students are doing alright, and we'll move forward from there."
"Alright. Thank you," Inko murmured, visibly exhausted. She accepted Toshinori's guiding hand on one side, Miu on the other, Katashi scrubbing his brow as he followed behind. A second later, Shouta and Naomasa exited the room, leaving Nezu to let out a deep sigh, reaching beneath his desk to pull out the copy of the Meta Liberation War. He set it down before himself and stared at it for a moment, black eyes focused. With another sigh, he placed it back beneath his desk and hopped out of his chair, slowly walking to his office door. He strode out of it, one paw clicking the low light switch and turning it all off, leaving the room dark and silent as the door shut softly behind him.
Chapter 26
Once again, the trio found themselves in Ochako's room, laying in a bed together, entangled limbs wrapped about one another as they found what comfort in the others warmth they could. But unlike every other time…none had fallen asleep yet. Himiko was still fighting the dregs of jealousy within her, and feeling guilty that the others knew. Ochako was still exhausted, so exhausted she wasn't sleepy, contradictory though it may be. And Izuku…well, their worry and fear was bleeding over to Ochako so much she just couldn't take it anymore.
"Izu?" she ventured into the quiet, dark room, feeling Izuku's hand tighten around her waist in response.
"...yeah?"
"Wanna tell me why you're so upset?"
Izuku sighed, their breath ruffling over Ochako's ears. "Because I'm a massive hypocrite," they murmured, making Ochako blink in confusion.
Himiko apparently felt the same, shuffling on Izuku's other side where she had been latched onto Izuku's back making it clear she was awake as well. Her head popped up over Izuku's shoulder, looking down at them. "What do you mean by that?" Himiko asked softly.
Izuku sighed once more, their eyes firmly closed as their ears lay flat on their head. "...Ochako, you were going to let yourself die. And you were going to do it and be happyabout it, because we were going to be okay."
Ochako took in a deep breath instinctively, because the second Izuku spoke she felt the surge of emotions from both Izuku and Himiko come across the bond so rapidly it almost hurt. Considering how Himiko immediately slumped over Izuku's shoulders, turning her head away to not look at Ochako…she could figure out Himiko had also been worrying about this.
Ochako swallowed thickly. "H-how does that lead to you being a hypocrite?"
"Because as Mom pointed out, my go-to solution to things is getting hurt for others too. And I realized now that means that what I felt about this is how you two would feel if I did the same…especially because I want to be mad at you and can't because I know I would have done the same in your place," Izuku sighed. They ducked their head, pressing their forehead into Ochako's back as the arms around her waist tightened further, almost painfully squeezing her.
Ochako couldn't take it anymore. She spun about in Izuku's grip, pulling them into her chest and curling around them, one hand entangling itself in their hair and stroking their eyes. "I-I'm sorry," she choked out. As she felt Himiko's distress mixing with Izuku's, she reached out with her free hand and pulled Himiko over Izuku and atop the other two, the slightly smaller teen fitting without issue. Himiko reacted by burying her face into Izuku's shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around both of them. "I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean…I didn't mean to scare you like that," Ochako whispered.
"...that's what sucks," Himiko scoffed, her voice thick with her own tears prickling at her eyes. "Cause we both know we'd have done the same, and it sucks."
"What she said," Izuku muttered.
"...I don't know how to fix this," Ochako admitted with a whisper.
"You can't. No one can. You were doing what you could to protect us. I just…I can't lose you. Either of you. Not now, not after I just got you back," Izuku whispered back.
"I'm sorry," Ochako replied weakly. She wished she could say more, reassure Izuku, but they'd know she was lying because…if put in the same place, she would do it again. And so would the other two. None of them could lie to one another and this was one of the times she cursed the bond because she couldn't even lie to make them feel better.
"...if we're saying sorry, I'm sorry too," Himiko said, misery coating her voice.
"For what?" Ochako asked softly.
"...because I'm jealous."
"Himi-" Izuku began, lifting their head up to look at the blonde teenager.
"No!" she cut them off, shaking her head. "I know what you're going to say, but it doesn't change I'm jealous and you guys…you know."
"It's okay to be jealous, Himi. You deserved better. You still deserve better. It doesn't bother me that you're jealous, because you've got every right to be," Ochako said. She could feel Himiko didn't agree with her about it being okay, but Izuku's mental agreement was enough that Himiko wouldn't argue the point any further. Instead, she just buried herself further between the other two, all three now just one big tangled mess.
Silence fell over them all for an interminable amount of time. None of them could bring themselves to speak, yet couldn't relax either. Finally, it was broken by Izuku's loud sigh, them lifting their head enough to meet the gaze of Ochako and Himiko. The sudden feeling of determination within Izuku's chest had them both snapping to attention to know what Izuku was thinking.
Izuku took in a deep, bracing breath. "I-I think…I'm going to go see Hound Dog."
"...you are?" Himiko asked softly.
Izuku nodded slowly. "I've been thinking about it a lot. Sensei, Toshi, Mom, they all pointed it out and…and then 'Chako went and got help and I just…I know the way I think isn't right. I don't know if I'd believe it so easily if it weren't for you two, because I can tell how you feel and I know you can't lie to me. But it's clear that I don't think clearly. So…I want to do something about it."
Himiko pulled herself up enough to nuzzle Izuku's cheek, her ears pressing against the side of their head. "I think that's a good idea."
Ochako grinned, feeling the first inklings of hope within. "Me too."
Himiko let out a sigh, still pressing her head up against Izuku's as she whispered "Maybe I should talk to him too."
"...do you want to go together?" Izuku asked softly.
Himiko nodded. "At least to…get stuff set up, I guess."
"He's really nice," Ochako murmured. She'd only seen him once so far, and it had been more of an introductory thing, but still, she wanted to reassure them.
"...yeah," Izuku breathed, the courage they'd felt bringing it up fading slightly.
"I'll go with you guys?" Ochako offered.
"Please," Himiko whispered. The room fell silent once more, all words that felt like they needed to be said now revealed, and as the time ticked away, the trio slowly fell into slumber, one tiny knot of pain in their chest unraveling.
"Alright class, listen up! We've gone over it once, but it bears repeating…if you need any assistance or need someone to talk to, you can visit Hound Dog. He's got a new assistant as well, so between the two of them they have plenty of time to help. What happened at the USJ was wrong, you deserved better than to be attacked, and it is okay if it bothers you. There is no shame in getting help. Understood?" Aizawa said, making sure to meet each student's eye as he scanned over the room. Everyone nodded silently, although he did notice that Izuku and Himiko looked slightly nervous at his words. He chose to set that aside for now, to move onto the next piece of business.
"Alright. Onto the next topic…the Sports Festival. I know, I know," he said, holding up his hands to forestall the sudden surge of comments, "I know it seems counterintuitive to hold it after the USJ attack, but the Board is insistent, and we're under pressure from the HPSC to hold it. Show the schools strength and all that bullshit. While none of the staff are happy with the decision, the school will have significantly enhanced security, and to be frank, with the number of heroes that will be here, any villain attack would be suicide for the villains. Even those Nomu creatures would not survive. Yes, Ashido?"
Ashido dropped her hand after getting called upon, and squirming slightly as she glanced back at the cat trio, before speaking. "Um…are we all competing? Because uh…I don't think any of us can beat those three, especially not after the new stuff they got at the USJ."
"It…does feel a bit unfair," Kaminari mused, rubbing the back of his neck. He quickly turned around with an apologetic look. "But don't get me wrong, it's okay if you do and win! You guys are awesome and it's not like you chose this whole thing!"
Izuku shrugged, surprisingly unbothered by the comments. "Honestly…you kinda have a point. It does feel like it'd be lopsided, with us having multiple Quirks and stuff. Also, wouldn't that look really weird for all three of us to show up as we are?"
Aizawa sighed. "Well, you asked me before I could bring it up. We spent a good while going over what we should do. The fairness aspect isn't one we overly care about, to be frank…different Quirks are better for different scenarios, and that's just a fact of life. The festival is by its very nature unfair. That said, the multiple Quirks and shared Quirks aspect would cause a lot of uncomfortable questions, and bring attention I doubt you three want right now. So we came up with a better idea."
Aizawa took a moment to sip from his coffee before continuing. "The most important part of the festival is getting internships. The name recognition could help your brand in the future, but you're here for four years and will have three more chances to get the attention you need. For first years, the event is barely watched compared to the later years anyways. So we lined up an internship for the three of you. You'll be going on it as soon as the festival starts."
Ochako blinked in confusion, Izuku mirroring her expression. Himiko tilted her head to the side. "All three of us to the same person?" From where she sat, she saw Ida sit up straight in his desk, his lips quirking into a barely visible grin that he was clearly trying to hide.
Aizawa nodded. "Yes. He's quite familiar with having multiple sidekicks and interns at once, and he was happy to do it once we explained the situation."
"Who-?" Izuku began to ask, but was cut off by Ida's arm being raised.
"May I tell them?!" Ida asked excitedly, causing the entire room to stare at their rather unusually excited classmate. Aizawa let out a snort of laughter, gesturing for him to continue. Ida leapt to his feet and turned around to the trio, chopping his hand dramatically as he spoke. "I was informed last night by my brother that he would be taking on three special interns! I told him all about you!"
"Wait, we're gonna intern with Ingenium?!" Izuku said, jaw dropped.
Ida nodded. "Yes! I do not know how much you know of him, but he is an excellent hero and I believe would be wonderful to intern under! I was hoping to do so myself, but he pointed out last evening I would likely learn more from a different hero. So I am quite happy to concede the spot to you three, as I know you would do excellent!"
Ochako slammed her forehead into her desk, a smile unwillingly crossing her face as Himiko started shimmying in place. Yaoyorozu tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Are…are you alright?"
"Bleedover," Himiko sighed, a smile flickering across her face as she was nearly vibrating in her seat. Yaoyoruzu still looked confused, so Himiko pointed behind her to the nearly blurred, excited form of Izuku, the green-haired teenager writing so furiously in their notebook it was a miracle it hadn't caught ablaze.
"Oh! So positive emotions also can cause unwilling reactions," Yaoyorozu mused.
Ochako's voice was muffled, her voice full of mirth as she spoke. "Yeah, but it's okay. We like when they are happy. It's just a bit much sometimes."
"Sorry, but…it's Ingenium! He's got 65 sidekicks out of the Idaten agency and is consistently one of the fastest heroes out there! He's so cool! I thought it was already cool we went to class with his brother but getting to intern with him will be even cooler!" Izuku nearly shouted.
"Your enthusiasm is admirable, Midoriya! I will be certain to tell him you are very excited to learn under him!" Ida replied, finally taking his seat as he had brought up the news he'd wanted to.
Aizawa sighed. "Well…yeah. That's about it. Those three will have a slightly longer internship to make up for the rest of you performing in the Sports Festival. That said, I think you should still train with everyone for it. In fact, since you're not competing, you could assist your classmates and not be concerned about revealing any tricks or special moves."
"That'd be fine with us," Ochako replied, finally able to lift her face from her desk. She still was smiling, but honestly, feeling Izuku's happiness fill her chest was…well, it felt good. She had no problem with this being emotional bleedover, because this was actually nice to feel. Something to look forward to maybe.
Two weeks of training had gone by in a flash. The trio's new powers were still a bit unstable, and the backlash was severe. For Himiko, she could get so cold and numb that she couldn't feel her limbs if she used the teleportation too often and too rapidly. Izuku would get painful migraines and once had started bleeding out their nose (after that, Recovery Girl had been very strict about how long they were allowed to use their Telekinesis). And Ochako's time stop could at best be on for five seconds in real world time before she started to put her heart in danger.
Still, if they kept the limitations in mind and combined it with all of their other powers, it was incredible how strong they were. Strangely though, these powers didn't seem to share, at least, not yet. They'd also somehow gone up to 30% each with One For All, which was at the point that they would intentionally lower it to avoid causing damage.
During the two weeks, Himiko and Izuku had both set up an appointment with Hound Dog. They'd only gotten time for one, and it was as Ochako said, more of a meet and introduction. They'd have another one once they returned from internships, but for now, while they hadn't truly addressed the issues…at least they were feeling slightly hopeful (even if the nights still were sometimes too much for them).
And now, they were here. The Sports Festival started tomorrow, and today, they would meet the hero himself. Izuku was practically vibrating out of their uniform, Ochako and Himiko barely able to keep themselves from feeling similarly with how much was crossing over the bond, but the smiles wouldn't leave their faces.
The feeling only grew as a sudden burst of noise in the distance hit their sensitive hearing, eyes immediately tracking a blur of silver, blue, and dust…only for an armored figure they'd only seen in pictures or on television skid to a stop in front of them, sunlight glimmering off his sleek, silvery armor. With a flourish, he removed his helmet, revealing a figure that looked a lot like their classmate, albeit clearly older.
"Well, you three must be the Problem Trio!" He said, a smile wide on his face.
"Did Ida tell you that?" Ochako asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Haha, nope. Good old Shouta did. He wanted to be sure I knew what I was getting into by agreeing to take you on. My brother had nothing but good things to say about you, so don't worry about that. Ah, but I'm mixing this up, I should introduce myself. Tensei Ida, Ingenium is my hero name, but I'm pretty sure you knew that already."
"We know a lot more than I think we should," Himiko muttered, sending a side-eye to Izuku's vibrating figure.
"Right, I was told you're a bit of a hero fan, eh? You must be Midoriya. Which makes you Uraraka, and you…Himiko, right?" Tensei said, pointing at each one of them in turn.
"Yes sir!" Izuku replied.
"No sir, please. That's my dad. Off duty I'm just Ida, but on duty it's Ingenium. For now, I wanted to show off in my costume a bit, but we're gonna do this more incognito. I'll change to my civvies and we'll head on out to the train to my agency. Shouldn't be more than an hour or so, we'll get you settled in, go over some procedures, and get the internship started officially tomorrow! I imagine you'll want to see the Festival, but the schedule won't line up too well for that, sorry to say."
"It's okay, we figured as much," Ochako said.
Tensei nodded. "Great! Well, let me get changed real quick and we'll be on our way! You have your costumes, right?"
"Yep!" Himiko confirmed, Izuku and Ochako a second behind.
"Alright. Let's see what you three have got then."