Chapter 13: Combat Assessment
A/N: Hey guys, I know it's been a while, and I'm sure you're all surprised to find this update, but I hope you can understand that for the last few months, I was focusing on completing the first book of my Harry Potter fanfic series and starting the second one. I think I'm going to come back to this fic for a while and give it a bunch more love it's been needing! I hope you enjoy it, and I can't wait to bring more of this to you!
"Regular speech,"
"Flashback speech,"
'Inner dialogue,'
'Phone Text Chat'
Izuku felt very out of place sitting in class after everything that had happened over the weekend. He'd not only spent the night at his girlfriend's apartment, but he'd also lost his virginity and found out she was an infamous vigilante. Now, he was back in class, as if everything was normal.
If he was being honest, the news that she had hurt a lot of people up to this point still scared him greatly. He hadn't once thought of the way she loved taking his blood was in any way terrible; it was, in fact, a byproduct of her quirk influencing her, and he knew he could live with that. But there were some lines you shouldn't cross no matter how desperate you become.
However, Himiko had been living with her cravings for years, at a detriment to her psychological state because of it. Now that he thought about it, maybe Himiko's being around blood for the past year had been a good thing. Sure, maybe it wasn't good for her victims, but if she had been blood-starved to a greater extent when meeting him again, would she have drained him dry on accident before being driven insane by the fact? After all, as she said, Izuku's blood was the only kind that she could retain, and he had a strong feeling that it was because of his thoughtless yet selfless words to her as a child.
He'd inadvertently become a mental crutch for her to lean on for her whole life, and he'd made her an unknowing thrall because of it.
'Great, now I feel like I'm the dangerous one in our relationship,' Izuku sighed, frowning at his clasped hands.
"That's why you'll all be appointing a class president and vice president," Mr. Aizawa said, making Izuku's neck jerk so fast that it nearly popped with the force.
"Sir," Iida yelled, raising his hand, "how are we to appoint someone to these positions?"
"I don't care; determine that amongst yourselves, and wake me up when you're done." Mr. Aizawa yawned, pulled his yellow sleeping bag from behind his desk, and lay down in it.
For a few seconds, it seemed everyone was just as speechless at their teacher's nonchalance as Izuku was, but then the room erupted into various yelling outbursts.
"Yo, pick me to be president," Kaminari yelled.
"No way, guys! Pick me. I'll be the manliest class president," Kirishima shouted, banging his hardened fists together.
"Nah, you guys should pick me. I'll make class duties and stuff super fun," Ashido whooped.
Izuku meekly raised his hand, wanting to give his all to the class despite the storm of emotions about his girlfriend churning in his head.
"That is quite enough," Iida yelled," I understand all of your reasons for such outbursts, but please control yourselves!"
"He says that, but his hand is raised just as high as everyone else's," Sero laughed.
"Well, I propose an election," Iida reasoned, lowering his hand to appeal to everyone.
"An election," Asui asked, tilting her head in confusion, "but we all just met one another. How are we supposed to pick someone we trust enough for the positions?"
"That is precisely why whoever is chosen would be the best fit for the position; if they were able to gain the trust of enough people in the class, then they have the skill to lead us!"
After a few rounds of agreements and grumbles from the students, Izuku was extremely shocked and put out by his situation. He had somehow managed to get four votes in his favor, with Yaoyarozu, who was closest behind him with three.
"Alright, who the hell voted for Deku!" Kacchan yelled, his hackles rising at having only a single vote that Izuku was sure was from Kacchan himself.
"Well, it makes sense! They did have the most well-thought-out plan in the battle trials, and it didn't hurt Midoriya had two showings of his awesome moves and teamwork," Ashido shouted.
"Aghhh! Shut up, Raccoon Eyes!"
Mr. Aizawa sighed, standing from his sleeping bag in annoyance. "That's enough. These are your class representatives at the end of the discussion. So shut it, and get ready to leave for lunch already!"
Izuku sighed, walking along with Iida and Uraraka, "I'm not too sure about me being the class president, you guys."
The pair looked at one another and then at Izuku. Uraraka was the first to talk. "I don't know. I think you'll be fine. You devised that plan in our battle trial, so I think you'll do great! That's why I voted for you anyway!"
"I must agree," Iida enthused, looking at Izuku's shocked face with a polite smile. "I was quite impressed with your stratagem, and I may have voted for Yaoyarozu had she been able to put her skills on display as you had, but I made my decision based on what I have seen."
Izuku was very startled, "y-you both voted for me?"
The pair nodded, continuing past Izuku to get food from Lunch Rush and making their way to the usual table they'd been using.
'This is so crazy! In just over half a year, I met an old friend again, started dating her, and got two more friends. Now, I'm trusted enough in my class to be voted president.'
Lunch continued fairly normally for them as they discussed classes, personal hobbies, and what they'd been up to over the weekend.
"I just helped Mom and Dad with their work, or at least what they would let me help with," Uraraka sighed.
"What do your parents do," Iida asked politely.
"They own a construction business; it's kinda the reason I wanted to be a hero. The business isn't doing too great; they've got outdated lifting equipment, they keep losing employees, and now they've got to worry about money. So I figured becoming a hero would help make money so I can give them an early retirement."
"That's nice of you," Izuku smiled at the girl. "I'm surprised your parents didn't just let you help with their business. Your quirk is perfect for replacing that outdated lifting equipment."
"That's what I said," Uraraka enthused, her face lighting up for a moment before it dimmed, "but they said I should focus on my dreams and I shouldn't worry about their problems. So I decided to be a hero, might as well do something I want to do and make money to support them at the same time!"
"Very commendable of you," Iida shouted, chopping his hand in the motion he often does.
"Uh huh," Izuku nodded, thinking his reasons for wanting to be a hero were silly, "to be honest, at first, I only wanted to be a hero because I always loved watching All Might. I think now, and especially recently, I decided I want to be a hero not just because it's the norm but because I want to help people and reassure them with a smile just like All Might!"
Izuku's thoughts turned to Himiko at his own words; he'd realized it after the fact, but he wanted to help her no matter what. If Himiko ever needed a hero, he would be there for her, and now he was resolved to be there for anyone who needed him to reach out. However, he wished All Might would tell him what was happening with Himiko's situation.
"If your reason for becoming a hero isn't noble, then mine may as well be considered shallow as well," Iida said, looking at Izuku and Uraraka. "You see, I come from a long line of heroes! Each bears the name Ingenium, and my brother Tensei is the most recent one! I intend to follow in his footsteps and carry on the family name!"
"Whoa!" Izuku was enthused, looking at Iida, very excited. "Your brother is Ingenium?! I knew you had a quirk like his, but now that you mention it, your quirks are almost identical!"
"You are quite correct, Midoriya! Even my fighting and running style is specially developed by the Iida family to make our quirks as efficient as possible," Iida smiled, very proud of his family's reputation.
"Well, it looks like we all have our reasons for becoming heroes, so let's decide to all do our best!" Uraraka shouts happily, pumping her fist excitedly.
Izuku and Iida nodded happily, and as they returned to class, the conversation moved on to class, their personal lives, and battle trials.
"So, Midoriya," Uraraka grinned slyly, looking at the green-haired boy.
"Y-Yeah?"
"How're things with your girlfriend? I know Ashido was teasing you about it, but we haven't heard much!"
"W-Well, I hung out with her all w-weekend, but that's not exactly new; H-Himiko's almost always at my house after I get out of school," Izuku said, absently looking around as they walked toward class; a few students slightly running and shouting.
Before Uraraka could comment on that, the few students running and shouting became a small group and then a large mob. The jostling crowd around them shouts in alarm as the speakers blared with a warning of a break-in on school grounds.
Izuku looked around, panicking as the press of bodies carried away Iida and Uraraka. Looking around, he caught sight of a mass of reporters rushing to the school doors before being stopped by Present Mic and Mr. Aizawa.
The realization of what was happening ran through his head as Izuku jerked, trying to shout and gain the crowd's attention. But his efforts were in vain; the crowd was too loud and panicked to hear his meek voice.
'I need to get their attention,' Izuku looked around, spotting a small lip above an exit that the crowd was rushing toward, 'that should do!'
Pushing the buzzing power of One for All into his limbs, Izuku judged the distance and nodded to himself. He sprung over the shocked heads of the students, his chest slamming into the lip of the exit, and his hands frantically scrabbled to keep a hold.
Not having the space to drag himself up, Izuku settled for hanging off the lip with one hand and pressing his feet against the wall for support. He twisted to face the decidedly quieter crowd and worked up his courage to do what he's sure Kacchan could've done without issue, "S-SHUT THE HELL UP!"
Izuku trembled at the immediate silence that fell over the crowd as all eyes turned to him, 'Oh, crap.'
"It was just reporters," Izuku shouted out at a volume decidedly quieter than his first outburst. He pointed with his free hand to the window, where he spotted his teacher outside. See, E-Eraserhead and P-Present Mic are handling them now! We should head to our classes and try to give our teachers as little trouble as we can! We are U.A. students, after all!"
A murmur went over the crowd as students swiveled to look out the window to see if Izuku was indeed telling the truth. In the crowd, a host of relieved faces and sighs of relief made Izuku smile slightly as he looked down for a safe window of time to leap down from his hanging position above the exit.
Students passed by Izuku far more in an orderly manner than they had been, and he could even spot a few of his classmates passing by as he waited for Iida and Uraraka.
Of course, one of the people who just had to pass him was a glaring Kacchan. The simmering hatred behind his gaze was very evident as Iida and Uraraka approached Izuku, their hands slapping his shoulders and back.
"A very admirable, if risky, maneuver, Midoriya! If you weren't sure you would be able to lead our class before, you should be able to see your potential now with how quickly you acted," Iida said.
Uraraka nodded, trying and failing to hold back giggles. "You made a really funny noise when you hit the wall," her giggles continued in subdued shudders. "S-sorry, but then you yelled for everyone to shut up," she laughed, holding her sides.
Izuku's cheeks felt very hot at the girl's laughter, and his embarrassment was evident in the way he waved his hands.
"Any news on what that was all about," All Might asked Shota Aizawa as he and Hizashi Yamada entered the principal's office to give a report.
"They were just reporters, but the front gate was very damaged, so we're investigating all of them to see if it was one of them," Aizawa sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"Well, I thank you both for being so diligent in this matter," Nezu chirped, his ever-cheerful voice and features offset by the jagged scar over his right eye, "now Yagi-san, I believe you had a matter to discuss with me regarding a late student recommendation? Detective Tsukauchi sent me the girl's details, and I must say, while I have discussed a rehabilitation program for youths who have taken a wrong path in life, I confess I only meant for such a program to be in place many years down the line. I even went so far as to have you come directly to me for the proposal, but I assumed you would have dropped the matter at this stage," Nezu took a long sip from the teacup sitting in front of him, his tiny black eyes scrutinizing All Might. "So why did you feel so strongly about this matter that you came directly to me? I fully expected you to drop it when having to pitch the idea directly."
"Yes, I was sure you would be averse to the idea of allowing young Toga here, but I must point out she hasn't been given any true opportunities outside of crime. And besides that, her crimes aren't as unforgivable as other villains; she has assaulted people, but the wounds she has inflected are no worse than those like Snipe or Endeavor would inflict with their quirks. The only ways I cannot condone her actions is in how untrained she is in using her knives and how unprofessionally trained she is; even that is marginal. However, Tsukauchi and his officers noted the girl had shown considerable skill with her knives in targeting joints and muscle groups. Her moral compass may be askew, I will admit, but she has avoided murder specifically because she wishes not to disappoint young Midoriya; from what she's told us, at least," All Might felt personally that he was floundering, but this was for his protege so he couldn't give up. "It may not be for the best reason, but she's followed her ideals in a way that hasn't killed anyone, and with the way her quirk affects her, that's quite a feat and speaks volumes of her mental fortitude."
Nezu stared at All Might for a few long seconds, his black eyes greatly unnerving the number one hero. "What sort of relationship does this girl have with," the principal looked over a few notes on his desk, "Izuku Midoriya?"
All Might cleared his throat nervously, "I believe they are, um, seeing each other."
Nezu's eyebrow rose questioningly, "in what way?"
"In that way, sir," All Might coughed, his cheeks a bit pink at discussing Midoriya's private matters with the principal.
"If I allow this girl to take the recommendation test, it will have to be slightly different from the regular test we gave this batch of the first years. After all, we can't have a one-student race. So I believe a battle test with her facing an appropriate staff member will be prudent," the small principal smiled in a way that felt like it wasn't entirely innocent.
This completely and utterly sucked! Not only was Himiko so frustratingly and heart-poundingly close to Izu, but she couldn't even see him! All Might had come to get her from her apartment and brought her to U.A., but he'd made her sit in a hall as he conversed with the principal about this whole insane idea.
At first, she'd been buzzing with energy, excited and hopeful she'd get to see Izu, but there was no such luck. All Might had made it extremely clear she was not to leave her spot, and if she did, she would be in big trouble. But of course, whether or not she moved, trouble always seemed to find her.
"Hey, you're pretty cute," a blonde-haired boy with black wavy patterns in his hair cooed, looking Himiko up and down. "My name's Denki Kaminari, and I'm with the hero course."
The way the boy talked grated on her nerves. He was acting like a high schooler's idea of a lady's man, and it was failing horribly.
"Not interested," Himiko huffed, flippantly turning her gaze away from the boy.
"Ugh, what a shit personality," the boy muttered, still ogling her.
Himiko sent a menacing glare at the boy, very sure by his expression he'd almost pissed his pants, "you wanna keep talking, or am I gonna have to cut you?"
The paper-white look of fear on his face as he ran away made Himiko smile, and the successful intimidation slightly brightened her day.
"Didn't I say to behave," All Might asked, stepping out of the principal's office and giving her a stern look that was slightly downplayed by the striped mustard-colored suit he wore, "I swear you're so different from young Midoriya. It's scary."
Himiko's innocent smile made the man look at her incredulously, "I didn't do anything All Might, I swear! He came up to me and started trying to hit on me."
"So you made him nearly soil his pants? You believe that to be an appropriate response?"
Himiko took a contemplative stance, her index finger resting on her chin as she stared intensely at the ceiling. Her cheerful look down at All Might made him all the more tired, "Yep! I didn't think cutting him would be acceptable, so I made him run away. That's arguably worse for guys his age; running from a girl is like the peak of emasculation for them."
All Might sighed, rubbing his eyes and shaking his head, "How young Midoriya can put up with you, I'll never know, but we're getting off track! Nezu will allow you to enroll here," he put a forestalling hand up as Himiko started to cheer. "However, it was on the condition you have a late recommendation exam consisting of a battle trial. You will be facing a faculty member of Nezu's choosing, and your goal will be to either show your skills well enough to pass or successfully land three blows on your opponent."
Himiko frowned, tilting her head to the side, "Isn't that kinda unfair? I mean, he's probably gonna choose someone that can fight me at long range because he knows my quirk has no applicable uses in a head-on fight like this, and my usual style of fighting is up close."
All Might shook his head, "I understand your frustration, but look at it this way. Wouldn't you rather have this opportunity and not just be thrown in jail as the alternative?"
"Good point. So, when are we doing this?"
All Might's massive thumb pointed behind his shoulder to indicate they should start walking down the hall. The enormous man trod down the hall with Himiko on his heels.
"So, who am I gonna fight? Can I see Izu? Oh, what's gonna happen if I pass this test? Am I gonna be enrolled immediately, or is it going to take a couple of days?"
The grimace All Might had at the girl's rapid-fire questions made his ever-present smile look like he'd tasted something sour, "I'm not exactly allowed to tell you which faculty member you'll be facing; this is akin to an entrance test, and teachers aren't allowed to show favoritism. You might be able to see young Midoriya; I'd imagine school will be out by the time we're finished. And if you pass this test, I'd say it will take a week for your enrollment to be official, so expect to be in school by next week."
Once All Might had finished answering, Himiko stopped, realizing something, "I just agreed to be a freaking high schooler again!"
Himiko's utter horror at realizing what she was doing hit her, making the pro hero watching her small panic attack laugh boisterously, "Well, at least you'll be expanding your knowledge further! U.A. is a bit more like a high school and college in one, with the sole purpose of producing excellent heroes to reinforce our society!"
"Well, I'm only here so I don't get thrown in jail… and for Izu," Himiko whispered petulantly to herself.
All Might and Himiko walked further from the classrooms and teachers' offices, ending up in a wide-open gym where two people stood waiting.
The first was a large, wide hero with gray and blocky cement-textured features. His appearance wasn't nearly as strange as the others, however.
The woman standing next to the blocky man was decked out from head to toe in what Himiko could only describe as BDSM gear.
'Is that a whip?' Himiko thought, staring at the woman incredulously.
"Hello, Cementoss! Midnight! I see you've both made it here just fine. I'm sorry you had to come on such short notice," All Might boomed, startling Himiko slightly.
"What's this about a late recommendation test," Midnight asked, looking Himiko over curiously.
"It's exactly that! We've got a late recommendation, and Nezu wanted the best counter to young Toga's style so that we wouldn't make the test too easy. That's where you come in," All Might said, pointing to Midnight enthusiastically. "If you would please create a few obstacles here, Cementoss, we'll let Midnight and Toga prepare for the test."
"Understood," Cementoss nodded, setting his hands on the ground. This allowed the concrete beneath them to rumble and shift into a maze of pillars, platforms, and blind alleys that would make maneuvering blindly dangerous.
All Might and Cementoss left the room, the large blond man giving Himiko a wave and an apologetic look.
'What's that about?' Himiko wondered, looking around the area, stretching her arms languidly over her head.
"Should you be taking this so casually," Midnight's voice echoed from inside the obstacle course. "You don't even know what my quirk is, let alone how to counter it."
Himiko smiled, pulling a knife from a hidden pocket in her bra she had sewn into it for just such an occasion, "it doesn't matter. You were just told about this like I was, so you probably don't know my quirk either."
"A fair assumption, but I know I'm a fairly good counter to you. So you probably need to be up close to use your quirk, or it's not strictly suited to combat, and you have no choice but to fight up close," the woman mused, her voice carrying from multiple directions.
'That goes both ways. Since they paired her up with me, that means she must be a long to mid-range specialist, so while she might be able to hold me off at a distance, if I get close, I'm probably stronger.'
Himiko bit at her lip worriedly as she stalked into the towering obstacles. She barely released or took breaths in as she completely erased her presence, allowing her quirk's feral, predatory nature to take over. This aspect of her quirk allowed her to stalk prey as effectively as a hunting cat, but it also came with the drawback of narrowing her focus to one target.
Himiko hated having to rely on this aspect of her quirk. Sure, it allowed her to erase her presence and heightened her senses, but it also made her far more bloodthirsty when stalking her prey. And she wasn't exactly allowed to seriously injure Midnight.
'Guess I'll just be reeeeeal careful,' Himiko snarled more than smiled as she crept along silently.
After a few tense seconds of climbing pillars, checking around blind corners, and following an odd scent, Himiko noticed the area was filling with the smell. Not just that, it was congealing into a thick pinkish mist that made her head spin if she took in too deep of a breath.
'A gas-type quirk? Those are fairly rare and a huge pain in my butt to deal with,' Himiko resisted the urge to huff, knowing she would be expending too much of her already dwindling clean oxygen. 'The gas gets thicker near the center of the room, but it's not concentrated in a way that would put Midnight on the ground. So she must be on one of the raised platforms.'
Himiko snuck through the thickly misted alleys, finding where she believed the mist originated. Himiko quickly and silently scaled one of the larger pillars, peaking her head slightly over to catch a glimpse of the woman's back.
Himiko grinned, applauding herself for accurately pinpointing her enemy's position. She quietly shimmied her way along the edge of the platform she held onto, growing closer to her prey. The ever-present throb in her head made her hair stand on end, and her mouth salivate at the thought of sinking her teeth into the woman's neck.
The teacher's head snapped over to Himiko's extremely close position, 'darn! I let too much bloodlust out.'
Himiko smiled at the woman and braced her legs against the ledge she was on.
In one quick motion, Himiko sprang from her ledge, landing on the platform between her and Midnight. She quickly dashed forward, clearing the space far faster than the pro hero must have thought she could.
Sadly, the teacher decided to retreat too late, and Himiko fell upon her, sending her knife flying through the air. The blade was easily dodged, but when Midnight sidestepped the projectile, Himiko leaped up, aiming a kick at the woman's head.
Surprisingly, she was able to twist with her previous momentum and barely avoid the attack, but Himiko landed gracefully into a crouch that she continued into a leg sweep. The teacher wasn't fast enough to avoid this, and she fell to the ground with the younger girl pouncing on top of her, fangs poised to rip her throat out. Midnight gulped, deactivating her quirk, and slowly lifted her hands in surrender.
Himiko's jaw muscles twitched, wanting desperately to close around the woman's throat, but she slowly and painfully got to her feet, ignoring the impulse.
"Well, I guess that means I win," Himiko chirped happily as if she hadn't almost ferally ripped the woman's windpipe out.
Midnight still seemed a bit pale as she rubbed her neck nervously, "I-I suppose so."
The loud buzz of an intercom filled the awkward air as All Might's voice boomed out, "Good job, young Toga. I believe that was a sufficient showing of your skills for Nezu. Please return to the gym entrance so we can meet up with young Midoriya. Classes should be over, and I'm sure you will want to walk home with him."
" 'Kay!" Himiko yelled, waving her arms happily and smiling brightly at the mention of Izu.
"So, what do you think," All Might asked the small furry principal as they stared at Toga, happily skipping toward the gym's entrance.
"She is quite unhinged," Nezu chirped as if they were discussing the weather. "She showed no hesitation in using a deadly weapon on her opponent, even if it was used just as a distraction. That's not even mentioning the penchant she seems to have for hidden or concealed weapons."
All Might began to worry that Nezu would renege on their agreement, and just as he was about to voice his protest, Nezu shook his head.
"I will allow her to attend, but I will require heavy counseling sessions for her, restricted access to certain areas other students would normally be allowed to enter freely, and we'll have to prevent any students from getting on her bad side. All of that aside, I will have her enrollment papers drawn up, and I expect her to be in class 1-A in a day or so."
All Might sighed, thankful he wouldn't have to tell Midoriya any bad news. He was sure the boy would be devastated if the girl had been rejected because that would have left only one alternative for her, and jail wasn't exactly a good option.
"Wait, only a day?"
"Oh yes! I'm very good at filing paperwork," Nezu smiled.
'Now all I've got to worry about is those two keeping their hands off each other during school,' All Might sighed, 'who am I kidding? If anyone can't restrain themselves, it's young Toga. I have no idea how he can deal with her.'
Izuku leaned against the wall next to class 1-A's door, waiting for All Might and Himiko to make an appearance. All Might had texted him, letting Izuku know the pair had finished Himiko's test and would meet him in the hall. Himiko's texts had been far more disjointed and filled with excited, barely finished sentences that got a vague point across. She had passed her test.
"Izu!" Himiko's loud shout caught him off guard, along with the tackling hug that sent them both to the ground, "I beat my testing teacher way easier than I thought I would!"
All Might fussed over the two, panicking slightly, "Did either of you hurt your heads when you fell? You should be more careful, young Toga! Do you both need help up?"
Izuku's head spun with the flood of words as Himiko wiggled excitedly on top of him, "I-I think w-we're fine, All Might."
Izuku sat up, bringing Himiko with him. Thankfully, she made her way off of him and helped him to his feet.
"Good. Then you two better get up and get a move on; I'm sure your mother is wondering what's taking so long, Midoriya."
"R-Right, thanks so much, sir! Let's go, Himiko," Izuku panicked, grabbing the girl's hand as he thought about how upset his mom would be if they took too long.
"We should have my favorite to celebrate!" Himiko cheered, quickly outpacing Izuku and dragging him along.
Chapter 14: Rescue Training
"When you said we should have your favorite to celebrate, this wasn't what I had in mind." Izuku sighed as Himiko sat across his lap, her head buried in his neck, her teeth sinking into the flesh.
Eri watched fascinatedly from Izuku's left side, her finger resting on her lips in curiosity. "Why are you letting Momma bite you?"
Izuku winced as Himiko's tongue ran along his wound. "It helps her to calm her mind. Himiko's quirk makes her especially drawn to blood, and if she gets too excited, she could accidentally hurt someone."
Inko stared from the living room doorway, her brows furrowed and eyes worried. "Are you sure it's alright, Izuku? That looks painful."
"It's fine, Mom." Izuku smiled, running his fingers through Himiko's hair. "I'm used to it at this point, and besides, as long as it helps her, I don't mind one bit."
Himiko finally released her teeth from his shoulder, licking the bite again to ensure the blood would coagulate more quickly. "Sorry about that, Izu. That fight with Midnight really excited me, and I needed that. But the lady was either underestimating me or wasn't used to close combat, so that fight ended way too fast for me."
Himiko seemed uncharacteristically docile at the moment, greatly worrying Izuku, "Hey, is everything alright?"
"Y-Yeah, it's just… I'm slowly realizing I have to go through an experience I hated for most of my life all over again. Quite frankly, I never wanted to attend another school in my life. I'm all too familiar with how others see my quirk."
Taking her hands in his, Izuku gazed unflinchingly into her eyes, "But this time, I'll be with you the whole way. I won't be going anywhere."
Himiko's gentle, watery smile squeezed at Izuku's heart. It made him wish he had been with her so she didn't have to put up with everything she had thus far.
"I love you, Izu." The gentle kiss they shared at that moment was made slightly more awkward by Eri's intense gaze and the resounding "aw" from Izuku's mother.
"Come on, Eri, you need a bath before you get ready for bed, and these two need some alone time." Inko smiled, taking Eri by the hand and leading her into the bathroom.
"Aww, okay," Eri sighed as she passed along with Inko.
"I love you too," Izuku smiled, the blush from his mother and Eri's reactions still coloring his cheeks
Himiko looked down slightly, her cat-like eyes unusually bashful and wide, "do you think we can still do… that?"
"That?" Izuku wondered, looking at her, very confused.
"You know, finish that box. I had some time," Himiko asked, her eyes looking down from Izuku's lap back to his eyes exaggeratedly.
It took him a second, but Izuku caught on after a while, and a larger blush spread across his face, "Y-yeah! Of course! I-I mean, i-if you're fine with that! But I don't know when we will have the time. I bet we'll be swamped the next few days after all."
A lecherous smile spread across his girlfriend's face. "Oh, trust me, Izu. I can find a time for it."
Izuku gulped as she pounced on top of him, her fangs nipping lightly at his chin and her tongue leaving a hot line across his neck.
"Aww, come on!" Izuku whined as he fell back onto the sofa, Himiko giggling all the while.
In a little bar somewhere in Kamino Ward, a larger-than-average influx of customers went on unnoticed by the populous at large. But as the customers began to gather, not even a peep could be heard from the business, despite more than forty people having entered the establishment.
The interior of the bar was surprisingly high class, with a polished cherry wood countertop, red velvet-lined stools, a smaller-than-usual but still well-organized liquor shelf behind the bar, and a few tables stacked atop one another to save space. Not a single person was present in the bar area, however, but far down below in a sub-basement that no one but a select few knew about gathered the bar's "customers."
Loud murmuring bounced back and forth in the confined space below the bar. Crowds of very rough-looking adults milled about, looking one another up and down. A few even started to fight amongst themselves.
One of the men was rather large, with four rocky-looking arms coming down in a wide arc. Before they could impact one of the men he had been arguing with, they were stopped dead by a thin, pale, and cracked hand that had grabbed them from behind.
"Hey now, you NPCs really need to learn to get along," chortled a raspy, cracked voice from behind what eerily seemed to be a severed hand on his face, "after all, you're all comrades in arms."
The pun seemed to have gone over the four-armed thug's head as he began screaming in agony. The rocky skin on his arm began to flake off in delicate little wisps, confusing the other people around him. Then, the pale man who had grabbed him ripped the arm from its socket. The limb rapidly disintegrated, falling to the ground in revoltingly sticky splats that began to fester and stink.
"M-My arm," the man cried out, clutching at the necrotic flesh that had semi-cauterized the place the arm had inhabited.
"Kurogiri, clean this mess up," the pale man sighed, wiping his hands against his pants without all of the fingers touching the fabric to clean the rotted flesh from them.
A wide, black, swirling cloud enveloped the remaining chunks of flesh on the ground. When the black mist dissipated, any traces it had left were gone.
"Now, if we're all done having our fun. It's time to get down to business. If you're here, that means you want one thing and one thing only. To see All Might dead!" A cheer rose up over the crowd; it seemed they had quickly forgotten what the man had just done to one of them.
"I am Tomura Shigaraki, and I am the leader of this little League of Villains." Overhead, a large screen descended, the image cutting on to show a large arena split into multiple areas, "this is the target for our attack on U.A. and our ticket to getting a shot in on All Might."
"Yeah, that's great and everything, but what's the point if we can't kill him," a man with a shark mutation called out, "I mean, what's different about this attack? Cause if we don't have some special plan, then how are we supposed to kill All Might?"
"Hey yeah, that's a good point," one man murmured, getting more answering whispers of agreement.
"Because," Shigaraki smiled, stepping to the side with a flourish someone would expect to see at a kids talent show, "we have, him."
Shigaraki was introducing a massive mountain of coiled muscle. Its stature was only out shadowed by its grotesque beaked mouth, lined with jagged pointed teeth, bulging eyes that rolled in the sockets, and, worst of all, an entirely exposed brain. The creature seemed incapable of standing up straight, so while it seemed to be maybe eight feet tall, it would most likely be nine feet if it stood properly.
To everyone in the room aside from Shigaraki, it seemed that calling this thing a "he" was a very loose description. It was more like a monster.
"W-What the hell is that thing," a small mouse-looking man squeaked, very frightened.
"This," Shigaraki smiled, affectionately patting the creature on the arm, "is Nomu. He is bioengineered to be the perfect counter to All Might. He has two quirks that are the perfect counter to All Might's overwhelming strength, and on top of that, he's already extremely physically strong."
"Now, now, Tomura Shigaraki. It does not benefit us to gloat to our own allies," the smoky form of a roiling shadow with yellow glowing eyes chastised the other man as if he were a child.
"Mmm, I suppose you have a point, Kurogiri," Shigaraki turned back to the crowd. "Now, if you're here, that means you want All Might go just as much as the rest of us, so seeing that we have a plan, who's with us?"
A short pause passed as the entire room looked up and down at the hulking monster before they all cheerfully turned back.
Tomura Shigaraki smiled evilly under his father's hand. 'Just wait, All Might. We'll show you and the rest of this rotten society what real chaos is! '
"Hurry up, Himiko!" Izuku yelled, pulling his tie on a bit too tight, making himself choke.
"Hey, just because you can throw on your uniform and be done doesn't mean it's as easy as that for the rest of us," she yelled back, her voice echoing from the bathroom.
Izuku sighed, walking over to see what was taking her so long. The door was wide open, so she wasn't naked, and even if she was, Izuku figured he could handle that since he'd seen her naked before. So he walked in.
"Oh, you're doing makeup?" Izuku was a little interested; he hadn't seen his mom ever use makeup, so it was a little mesmerizing watching her. She didn't seem to be putting much on aside from a thick black eyeliner and a bit of what he thought was called mascara. "I don't get how you can do that. Getting something that close to my eyes would freak me out."
"It's pretty much just about having a steady hand and getting used to applying it," she said, her eyes barely moving as she focused with simmering intensity. And then she drew a single thick line along the underside of her left eye.
"You were focusing that intensely for one line?" Izuku blanched, not getting girls at all.
"Hey! Say what you want," she put away her makeup, twirling happily to face him, "but a few lines make me look really cute!"
Izuku had to admit she was very cute. Her deep black eyeliner ringed her eyes, making the yellow of her irises pop in a way that made her look more feral. Most people would find her appearance off-putting and ferocious, but she really affected Izuku in a far different way.
"You're beautiful," his hand cupped her cheek as he smiled at her fondly, "like always."
Himiko leaned lightly into Izuku's hand. Her eyes were half-lidded, and a wide blush spread into her toothy grin." I'm still really nervous."
"I know, but you're only getting more fidgety the longer we stall," Izuku laughed, letting his hand drop so he could take hers and lead her out of the bathroom, "plus, we need to hurry. Otherwise, we'll be late."
"Alright," Himiko sighed, grabbing her backpack, "I'm all set!"
While Izuku was pulling his shoes on, Eri shot into him like a rocket, burying her head in his side, "You're both going!?"
Izuku winced, patting her head, "Yeah, sorry about this, Eri-chan, but we'll be back before you know it!"
Eri's small sniffles nearly broke Izuku's heart, but he couldn't do much about having school besides picking her up and giving her a large hug. Her small arms shook and circled Izuku's neck, her fingers holding on for dear life.
'She hasn't been on her own without me or Himiko for a while.'
"You'll be alright, Eri. After all, Mom is here with you so that you won't be alone," Izuku leaned down, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Alright?"
"A-Alright," Eri whispered. Her tiny horn seemed a bit longer than it had been a few days ago. That wasn't exactly abnormal; it could be a part of her quirk.
Izuku bumped his head into hers, their foreheads touching. "Good. If you are a good girl for me, you, Himi-chan, and I can go out and have some fun this weekend."
"R-Really! You promise!?"
"I promise," Izuku smiled, passing Eri over to his mom and turning to the door. Are you ready, Himiko?"
"Yep! All set to have my brain turn to jelly," the blonde girl chirped, very cheerfully taking Izuku's hand.
"You two have a good day!" Izuku's mom called after the pair as they stepped out of the apartment and down the hall.
The apartment complex they lived in wasn't exactly high class, but Izuku's mother did alright keeping them out of the slums, and of course, the money Izuku's ever-absent father sent helped. But lately, it seemed there were more and more rough-looking people hanging around the building.
Just exiting the building and walking a few blocks, Izuku and Himiko ran into a man who had clearly seen better days. His black hair was streaked with gray, and his scruffy facial hair was just as gray. And, of course, just as they would pass him, he stepped out, putting a hand on Izuku's chest.
"Uh, hello? Can I help you, sir?" Izuku looked at the man skeptically. He didn't know if the man needed help or if he was trying to mug them.
"Yeah, you can get lost, pipsqueak, and the girl and I can have a quick chat." The man grinned down at Himiko lecherously, but the look quickly vanished when he caught sight of Izuku's intense glare.
"I think you should go somewhere else, sir."
Izuku grabbed the man's hand, allowing a small amount of One for All to shoot crackling energy up his entire body. He squeezed the offending appendage tight enough to make the bones grind under the skin but not so tight that they would shatter.
The man howled and struggled against Izuku's tight grip. He was trying desperately to pull away, and after letting him struggle for a few moments, Izuku loosened his grip.
"You're crazy, kid!" The man yelled, running down the street, his arm clutched against his chest.
Himiko sidled up next to Izuku and pulled him along, "should you have done that, Izu?"
He let out a shaky breath and looked at her with a shaky smile, "p-probably not, but I couldn't let him say something like that to my girlfriend. Could I?"
Himiko's eyes sparkled, and her blush spread across the bridge of her nose, "I guess not!"
Himiko's beaming smile as she walked hand in hand with Izuku made his heart swell with joy. Now that they would be attending U.A. together, it was going to be great getting to see Himiko every day.
When the pair finally arrived at school, they made their way to 1-A, where many students stared at them. Izuku wasn't sure if it was because she was clinging so closely to him or if it was because they knew about the circumstances of her enrollment. Either way, they were both blindsided by Mr. Aizawa, who was waiting for them at the classroom door.
"I don't like this, and I certainly don't like you." Mr. Aizawa glared down at Himiko, his eyes not straying even a bit from her, "I know what sort of background you have, and if you're as untrustworthy as I suspect, you'll be out of U.A. before the day is over."
"M-Mr. Aizawa, Himiko is the most trustworthy person I know! E-Even if her past is complicated, I believe in her!"
His teacher's eyes bored a hole into his very soul," says the guy she was lying to the entire time they were together. How long was she operating as a 'vigilante ' before she told you? Or did she even tell you? Did you have to figure it out for yourself? I bet you did because if you hadn't figured it out, I can guarantee she would still be lying to you now."
"T-That's not true! Himiko wo—"
Himiko's small hand resting on his chest stopped Izuku from continuing, "he's right, Izu. I probably would have kept lying if you'd never found out."
Himiko looked down at her feet, the pristine toe of her new shoes scrapping nervously against the linoleum, "I'm a liar; I always have been. I don't know if it's because of my quirk or if I'm just too messed up to trust in people." Himiko looked up sharply between Izuku, watching her with wide eyes, and Mr. Aizawa, glaring down at her, "But, either way, I want to change who I am! I want to be someone who Izu can trust, and I want to be someone who can trust Izu with all my heart!"
It seemed like Mr. Aizawa would just glare at Himiko for an eternity, but eventually, he sighed and turned to enter the room. "No matter my feelings on the matter, Principal Nezu has allowed you into U.A. Just make sure you live up to those words, or you'll have me to deal with."
"R-Right!"
Izuku smiled at Himiko as they all walked in.
The class was eerily silent as everyone stared at the three of them, and then Izuku remembered this was Himiko's first day. He froze beside her and went as still as a statue.
"Right, everyone, this is Himiko Toga. She is part of a rehabilitation project Nezu has wanted to implement for years, and she will be replacing Mineta to round out 1-A's numbers. If you have any questions, ask them on your own time."
'That's all?!'
Izuku stared dumbfounded at his teacher's oversimplification of Himiko's current situation, but the rest of the students seemed to take everything in stride.
"Oh, and Toga. Your seat will be Mineta's old one, right behind Midoriya."
Himiko's gleeful squeal as she threw herself at Izuku's back made the entire class break out into a cacophony of noise.
"I say, that level of P.D.A is unacceptable for students of U.A.! Let alone the class president!" Iida yelled, his hand chopping furiously.
"Yo, Midoriya! I didn't know you had crazy-chick magnetism!" Kaminari shouted.
"Will you all shut up! Who gives a shit! She's just another extra!" And, of course, Kacchan also had to put in his two cents on the matter.
It seemed Mr. Aizawa was also fed up with the noise. He stood from his chair and glared hard at the class, "All of you shut up."
Everyone sat down with a resounding, "Yes, sir!"
His eyes traveled lazily around the room before he rested them on Izuku and Himiko. "Today, we're doing a different sort of hero training. Instead of the mock battles you've been having, we'll be conducting rescue training. That being said, everyone grab your hero outfits, suit up in the changing rooms, and be out front and ready to get on the shuttle in twenty minutes. Understood?"
Another round of affirmations filled the room, and as Izuku was showing Himiko the wall, they collected their suits from Mr. Aizawa approached the pair.
"Toga, since you were a last-minute addition, you'll be using the U.A. gym uniform for this exercise for now."
He turned to Izuku, "And Midoriya, sorry to say, your costume was too damaged to keep using, so Power Loader gave it to one of the support course students to fix. But she hasn't quite finished it yet, so you'll be in the same boat as Toga."
Izuku was a bit annoyed. He thought his costume was great, exactly how his mom and Himiko had designed it. But there wasn't anything he could do about it now. So, he and Himiko made their way to the locker rooms with their gym uniforms.
"Aww, I wanted to see you in your costume, Izu!" Himiko complained, swinging her arms in annoyance and drawing attention to the pair.
Kirishima was the first to come over, "hey, Midoriya! I think we're all wondering how you know the transfer student."
"O-Oh she i—"
Himiko grinned, pushing past him, "I'm Izu's girlfriend!"
The entire class froze for a second before exploding into raucous noise.
"I thought she looked familiar!" Ashido yelled, running forward and grinning as she gave both of them the once-over. "You're super cute! Midoriya told us about you and Eri, but only a little bit, so it's sick getting to meet you. I love your eyes; we almost match!"
Kaminari was next, grabbing Izuku by the shoulder and glaring, "Seriously! How can a plain dude like you get such a hot and crazy chick!?"
"I understand that the two of you are romantically involved, but please refrain from such blatant displays of public indecency!" Iida yelled, his hand chopping as it always did.
"Come now, surely they can be allowed to twinkle as they please!" Aoyama chimed in, his ever-unreadable smile sparkling.
Izuku was overwhelmed by the flood of voices around them, but what worried him was Himiko's shaking hand as everyone crowded in.
"H-Hey guys, maybe it'd be best if you stepped back a bit! I-I think H-Himiko is—"
Izuku trailed off, stopping when Himiko started laughing, her sharp fangs on full display as she smiled.
She turned happily to Izuku, "This is so much fun, Izu!"
He smiled along with her and nodded furiously, "Yeah!"
The ride to the U.S.J was just as hectic as the room when everyone had learned Izuku and Himiko were dating. But thankfully, Mr. Aizawa kept everyone's rowdiness to a minimum so that Izuku and Himiko could talk with one another in peace.
"Are you excited?" Izuku smiled at Himiko, who hadn't stopped smiling since they had left the classroom.
She excitedly rocked back and forth in her seat, "You bet I am! If this is rescue training, then this'll be way different than most of the stuff I've done up until now!"
"W-Well, not exactly. We've both had experience rescuing someone before, right?"
Himiko thought briefly before smiling, "I guess you're right; Eri-chan was more your own effort, though!"
"N-No, if you hadn't warned me beforehand, that villain would've skewered me!"
She looked at him very dryly and pressed her pointer finger into his shoulder that had been pierced back then, "Please, you still got skewered, Izu. But I have to say, you were really hot; fighting even while you were bleeding is so cool."
"H-Himiko! M-Maybe this isn't the b-best place to be saying stuff like that," Izuku cast his gaze around to see if anyone had heard, but it appeared everyone was busy conversing.
"What? Are you embarrassed, Izu?" Himiko leaned in too close for his sanity, and she had left her gym jacket unzipped just enough to show him the tops of her breasts as she leaned forward.
A wild blush spread across his face as he turned away from the sight, 'Don't look! Don't look! Don't look!'
"Alright!" Mr. Aizawa stood at the front of the bus, glaring back at everyone. "Everyone off the bus, and make your way into the U.S.J."
Thankful for the distraction, Izuku stood to his feet and took Himiko's hand in his as they left the bus.
The U.S.J was a huge domed facility, so large that Izuku couldn't believe it wasn't an amusement park, with signs and all. But the inside was even more shocking. It was sectioned off into so many sections that he could only parse out the obvious ones, like the flood zone and the burning zone.
"Whoa! This place looks big and fun!" Himiko flapped her arms excitedly and looked around happily, but Izuku noticed she didn't stray too far from him despite her excitement.
"If you think this is all gonna be sunshine and rainbows, then you better get lost," Mr. Aizawa glared at Himiko again and didn't bat an eye when she stuck her tongue out at him.
"He's right." A person in a large spacesuit stepped forward. "Hello, everyone. I am The Space Hero: Thirteen, and I specialize in rescue operations. I'm here today to help with your rescue training!"
Mr. Aizawa gave the hero a once-over, "Thirteen? You're here? Wasn't this meant to be one of All Might's classes?"
Thirteen held up three fingers, "he's running a bit behind, but he'll be here later once he's ready."
"I'm fine with this; I love Thirteen!" Uraraka gushed as she rushed forward to ask for an autograph, "I love watching you doing rescue work! You're my favorite hero!"
Thirteen seemed abashed at the sudden attention, but they quickly pulled themselves together, "W-well, it's always nice to run into fans, but there's always something you need to remember when using your abilities for rescue work. Can anyone tell me what that is?"
Everyone looked around at one another, but the answer came from the least likely source, "quirks are deadly."
Everyone turned to see it had been Himiko who answered Thirteen. Her constant grinning blush was gone, and her sharp cat-like eyes focused intently on the space hero.
Thirteen nodded, "exactly. My Quirk, Blackhole, while exceptional for rescue work, can just as easily be used to kill. I'm sure many of you have just as dangerous abilities. It's exactly why we're conducting this training, so you can accurately gauge the output necessary to rescue others when needed. With that being said, is everyone ready!?"
"Yeah!" The class shouted excitedly and stepped up to follow Thirteen down to the plaza below. But before they could start their descent down the stairs, something appeared down in the main square.
It was thin, covered in what seemed to be severed hands, and had glowering, hateful eyes; it was staring intently at the students above. It had appeared out of a shifting mass of black smoke, and more figures were slowly appearing behind it.
"Is that a dude?" Kirishima stepped forward, trying to get a better view of the figure below. "Is he part of the exorcism?"
"Stay back!" Mr. Aizawa pulled on his capture scarf and stepped forward to block Kirishima, "this has nothing to do with the rescue training! Those are villains down there!"
The villain, covered in severed hands, turned his head around in what seemed to be confusion; he seemed to say something to the villain made of the same vapor that the villains had stepped out of.
"All of you make your way to the exit now! Thirteen, and I will handle them."
Mr. Aizawa stepped forward to confront the villains, but Izuku stopped him, "B-but Mr. Aizawa! You're a stealth hero! You don't fight out in the open like All Might!"
Their teacher's eyes passed over him for a second before he turned back to the villains, moving his goggles over his eyes. "That may be true, but I'm a pro. So don't count me out just yet. I'll hold them off for now. Thirteen, you make sure the students escape, then come join me."
"Understood! Everyone, make your way to the exit!"
"Not so fast!" The hoarse voice of the hand villain bellow startled Izuku, "Kurogiri, send the brats away!"
"As you wish, Tomura Shigaraki!" In an instant, a mass of black smoke enveloped everyone, and Izuku barely had enough time to remember where Himiko was. But, when he reached for her, his hands came back empty, "I must apologize; I hold no ill will toward you children, but I cannot allow any of you to interfere with our plans."
"Himiko!"
"I-Izu?!"
Suddenly, Izuku's feet were no longer on solid ground, and wind whipped at him as he fell toward… the flood zone?