Chapter 37: Admissions
"Hey there stardust." Shuuhei grinned as he pulled his daughter into a hug, missing her dejected attitude in the process. "Ready to leave?"
"Yes." Ochako muttered into her father's shoulder before she pulled back and gave him a wan smile.
This time Reiko noticed her daughter's attitude but Shuuhei pressed on, oblivious. "Great. The Midoriyas invited us over for dinner so we should get goin." He nodded toward the gate.
"I-" Ochako started to say before nodding. "S-sure."
By now Shuuhei had finally realized something was going on with his daughter. The two parents shared a quick look before Reiko took a step forward and pulled Ochako into a hug.
"What's going on sweetheart?"
"Izuku and I had a…" Ochako paused as she searched for the right word. "Fight isn't right but disagreement?" She shook her head. "I told him what I was goin to tell you over dinner and he left right after."
"What happened?" Shuuhei asked, his voice a low whisper.
"It's… it's a lot a-and I was keepin it secret but I told him today and he wanted time to think about it so he left and…" Ochako rubbed at her eyes for a moment before nodding to herself. "We should talk about it now." She looked at her parents before turning to look around them. "If we talk about it now we can still go to dinner."
"Sweetheart…" Reiko started as she took her daughter's hand and gave it a squeeze. "We can just cancel dinner. We'll let Inko know that something came up and we couldn't make it."
Ochako shook her head. "No, I still want to go, it's just that…" She took a deep breath before letting out a sigh. "We need ta discuss this first." Third time's the charm.
Reiko and Shuuhei looked at each other before the latter of the two's shoulders slumped into a small shrug. "Alright." Shuuhei looked around for a moment before he spotted a pair of benches off the main path. "Why don we go sit over there."
The three Urarakas made their way over, Ochako sitting across from her parents' uncertainty filling her gut with dread. The trio was silent for a moment before Reiko let out a small cough.
"So is this about your new um…" She trailed off as she motioned toward Ochako's face.
"My fangs?" Ochako answered as she opened her mouth to show off her changed dentistry. "Yes and no." She shook her head.
"What's goin on stardust?"
"Where to start…" Ochako muttered under her breath before she looked over at her parents. "Do ya remember how intense my training was? How Mr. Yagi went out of his way to make sure that I was trained before comin to U.A.?"
"Hard to forget." Reiko sighed as she looked at her daughter. "You two come home from a trip to tell me that you saved someone from falling to their death and on top of that you were going to get training. That someone from All Might's agency wanted you to move to Musutafu a year early so that they could train you." She gave Ochako a warm smile. "I was, and still am, so proud of you for that."
Ochako fiddled with the small malachite comet on her wrist as Reiko spoke, a ghost of a smile on her face as she did so.
"After that you went away and we got to hear all about how you were training alongside the boy you saved and how hard of a taskmaster Mr. Yagi was." A mischievous grin tugged at the edges of Reiko's lips. "And then we got to hear about how close you and this boy were getting."
"I-it wasn't that fast!" Ochako protested as her face started to burn. This isn't how this was supposed to go…
"Wha I think ya mother is gettin at is that we know how hard it was." Shuuhei cut in, thus cutting off his wife. "Or at least how hard ya told us it was." His brow scrunched up in thought. "It always felt like ya were keepin something out."
Daddy to the rescue. Ochako thought with a sigh of relief as she nodded her head. "That's because I was." She gave them an apologetic smile. "See Mr. Yagi is actually All Might."
The mixture of stunned and shocked looks that she received at that news forced Ochako to bite on her lower lip in an effort to not laugh.
"But he-"
"Stardust ya gotta be-"
Both Reiko and Shuuhei stopped as Ochako raised a hand to cut them off.
"He received a major injury a few years ago that forces him to have a limited window of time to work on any given day." Despite Ochako's best efforts, a smile still threatened to break free at the looks she was getting. She looked directly at Shuuhei. "Think about it. How did Mr. Yagi get there so fast that day I saved Izuku?"
"He said he had a speed Quirk." Shuuhei instantly replied before he paused to think. "There was somethin about All Might savin ya but he had to leave and…" He trailed off as the light of realization illuminated his face. "Holy shit! Tha was All Might?!"
Ochako dipped her head into a nod. "He had already used up his time for the day but he pushed through to try and save Izuku." She paused as a cold chill ran down her spine at the memory of nearly failing to save Izuku. "When I caught Izuku instead he turned that rescue into a recovery and placed us both on the roof across the way. He didn't have any more time and poof he turned into Mr. Yagi instead of All Might."
"Tha's how he got there so fast." Shuuhei muttered as he stared at his daughter, shock still clearly evident.
"Wait if Mr. Yagi is All Might that means…" Now it was Reiko's turn to trail off as the realization fully settled on her. "You were training under All Might?!?"
"I was and so was Izuku." Ochako looked at her parents for a moment before she nervously bit her lip once more. "And well… All Might actually made me his successor."
The silence that followed was as tense as anything Ochako had ever felt as both of her parents tried to process her most recent revelation. It was over a minute before either of them spoke.
"What do you mean successor?" Reiko asked before hastily adding. "I'm not saying I don't believe you, sweetheart, but that's just…"
"Unbelievable? Something straight out of a story?" Ochako offered as she shook her head. "I thought the same thing, still do sometimes." She gave her mother a smile. "Being his successor means that I was trained by All Might with the goal of me taking his place in the future."
"Takin his…" Shuuhei let out a low whistle. "Stardust that's… well that's somethin else."
"I still have a hard time with it if I'm bein honest." Ochako sighed. "But there's more to it." She made sure that both of her parents were looking at her. "See he gave me his Quirk as well tellin me that it was part of bein his successor."
"You can't give someone a Quirk." Reiko paused, clearly thinking. "Can you?"
"Normally no but this one…" Ochako trailed off before taking a deep breath. "See One for All is different…"
++++++++++++++++++++
Her story finished, Ochako turned her gaze downward, not ready to see the looks of betrayal that she knew were going to be on her parents face. In doing so she instead missed Shuuhei's beaming look of pride and Reiko's worrying smile. The pair locked eyes for a moment before Reiko nodded for Shuuhei to take the lead.
Letting out a soft cough, Shuuhei leaned over and placed a loving arm around his daughter. "Stardust, why didn ya tell us sooner?"
"I wanted to protect ya." Ochako whispered as she continued to look at her shoes. "I thought I was helping everyone by keepin it secret like All Might did."
"Sweetheart…" Reiko moved in and hugged Ochako from the other side. "As much as we think Mr. Yagi is a great person, and even more amazing that he's All Might, I can't say that he's a proper role model."
Lifting her head, Ochako gave her mother a questioning look. "What do ya mean?"
"Well… While All Might has done all of these amazing things and has helped so many people, what does he have at the end of the day?"
"What do ya mean?" Ochako repeated as she leaned into her mother's soothing embrace.
Reiko began to draw small circles on Ochako's back as she answered. "You said that All Might, er I guess it would be Mr. Yagi… You said that Mr. Yagi told you that he never told anyone about One for All that didn't need to know, right?"
Ochako slowly nodded her head. "Yeah. He said that only five people knew."
"And does Mr. Yagi have anyone in his life? Close friends? A significant other?"
Ochako's eyebrows scrunched up as she tried to think over Reiko's question. "I don't think so. Recovery Girl might count but… well she's his nurse."
"So the answer is no." Reiko softly concluded as she continued to hold Ochako. "It sounds to me that Mr. Yagi never found where All Might ends and Yagi Toshinori begins." Her hand stopped drawing circles only to start to thread through Ochako's hair. "All that Mr. Yagi has is All Might and by virtue of that all he has is One for All." She paused her ministrations as she leaned forward so that she could look into Ochako's face. "Is that what you want? To be so lonely at the top that you have no family? No friends?"
Ochako let out a shocked whisper. "No. I-I don want that."
"Then maybe telling people wasn't a bad idea." Reiko let out a thoughtful hum. "Maybe with more people knowing you can ask for help and not have to worry about accidentally letting something slip."
"Ok." Ochako mumbled as she leaned away from Rieko. "So you're not mad at me?"
Shuuhei shook his head as he gave her a loving smile. "We could never be mad at ya stardust."
"We just wish we'd known sooner so we could have helped you." Reiko added as she continued to carefully watch Ochako. "But we love you and since this is part of you we could never be mad."
"Izuku was mad." Ochako bitterly whispered to herself though, unfortunately for her, both of the older Urarakas heard her.
"Stardust I don think Izuku is mad at ya." Shuuhei gave his daughter a sympathetic look as she stared at him. "Ya've spent more time with him then us. What do ya think was goin through his head when he found out?"
Ochako let out a weak chuckle. "He was probably upset that he had to rewrite his Quirk notebook."
Shuuhei let out a sigh while Reiko shook her head. "So do you actually think he was mad?"
Ochako hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "No." She let out a humorless laugh. "In fact I wouldn't be shocked if he somehow blamed himself and not me."
"So then what do ya want to do?" Shuuhei prompted as he shifted in his seat.
"I think we should go to dinner." Ochako replied after a moment of thought. "Go to dinner and hope Izuku wants to talk to me."
++++++++++++++++++++
Tsuyu looked over at Emily before turning to look the other way. "Where did Himiko go, kero? "
"She was right…" Emily trailed off as she twisted around to find that Himiko was in fact missing. "...here. How the hell does she do that?"
"Kero." Tsuyu shrugged before starting forward once more. "It's better not to question it I think."
"Fair." Emily shook her head before moving to catch up, her gaze lingered on Tsuyu's form for a moment as she did so. "But if anyone is going to find Midoriya it will be her."
Tsuyu, not knowing what else to add, simply nodded as she glanced at Emily out of the corner of her eye. "Do you think we're going to find him?"
Emily paused for a moment before she let out a sigh and shook her head. "No." She gave Tsuyu a fleeting smile. "Given how he's avoiding our messages and is Nezu's student finding him is going to be next to impossible." She let out a laugh while shaking her head. "Well unless your name is Himiko that is. I swear those two share a brain cell at times."
"Kero, then Izuku must get the lion's share of the time."
An involuntary laugh escaped Emily as she looked down at Tsuyu. "Probably."
The pair shared a set of smiles as they continued down the paths that snaked through the dorms. The sound of other students settling in for the night surrounded them as they made their way past the third year heroics dorms.
Tsuyu softly hummed to herself. This is nice. She stole another glance toward Emily. Fuck it.
"You know I'm always blunt."
Emily raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at Tsuyu. "I've noticed. What are you wanting to be blunt about now? If it's how you feel about One for All and the fact that Himiko and Uraraka were keeping it a secret? Because I'd love to know your opinion."
Tsuyu stared at her for a moment before she placed a finger to her chin. "They were right to keep them from the group as a whole. But, kero, Izuku should have known from the start. He trained with Uraraka after all."
"That's kinda how I feel about it as well." Emily let out a frustrated huff of air. "I just want to know what they were thinking, keeping this from him. He was going to figure it out."
"Sekigai almost figured it out, kero. And she's not as close to this as Izuku is." Tsuyu took a turn to the right, down a different path that led into the forest behind the dorms. "Knowing Midoriya, kero, he's probably blaming himself for every time Uraraka hurt herself using One for All."
"Probably." Emily let out a soft snort of laughter as she stared down the forest path. "But still having to keep a secret like that must have been hard on Uraraka."
"She didn't say it but I think All Might told her to stay quiet about it." Tsuyu let out a frustrated croak before shaking her head and tucking her arm around Emily's.
Emily looked down at their joined arms, her face gaining a faint dusting of red. "Tsu?"
"This way, kero." Tsuyu replied as she lightly pulled at Emily's arm, leading her down a barely used dirt path. Six meters later a bend in the path appeared and Tsuyu forced Emily to a stop.
"Why'd we stop?" Emily asked as she started to lean away from Tsuyu to try and look around the bend, only to be stopped as Tsuyu pulled her arm tight.
"I want to show you something." Tsuyu looked up into Emily's eyes, searching for something. "This is a special place to Himiko and I and, kero, I wanted to share it with you too." She began walking once more, taking the pair of them around the bend and into a small clearing.
"Wow…" Tsuyu let Emily's arm go as the taller woman moved forward as if she was in a trance. The small clearing they had entered overlooked a perfectly pristine lake who's surface blazed like fire as the last rays of the setting sun danced along it. The evening song of insects punctuated by the occasional amphibious croak played accompaniment to the rustling of leaves and the babbling of the lake. It all worked together to perform the perfect late spring evening symphony.
"What is this place?" Emily's voice was barely above a whisper, the awe in her tone clear as the skies above them.
"Someplace special to Himiko and I." Tsuyu repeated as she moved to stand next to Emily, turning to face her as she did so.
Emily felt a wave of unease wash over her as she turned toward Tsuyu. "Then why am I here?"
"Because I wanted you to be here." Tsuyu answered as she looked up into Emily's eyes, her cheeks turning a faint shade of red. "I mentioned this earlier, kero, I'm always blunt."
"It's one of the things I lo-" Emily bit at her lower lip as she caught her mistake. "like about you."
"Then you need to know that Himiko and I have been making plans that involve you." Tsuyu's wide eyes searched Emily's as they both maintained their gaze. "Plans that require something from you."
"A-and that is?"
"Honesty." Tsuyu's lip curled up into a faint smirk. "Do you like me?"
"I…" Emily continued to stare into Tsuyu's eyes, searching for any sort of trap, any deception, only to find cautious adoration staring back at her. "Yes."
Tsuyu's head dipped into the smallest of nods, never breaking eye contact. "And do you like Himiko?"
The same look met Emily as she searched once more before she let out a resigned sigh, her eyes lowering. "Yes."
"Kero." Tsuyu's face broke out into a smile as she leaned onto the tips of her toes, her lips nearly brushing against Emily's as she whispered. "You can have us both if you want."
Emily's eyes blew wide as she stared at Tsuyu. Despite the millimeters separating their lips she felt herself hesitate.
"Why?"
"Because we both like you. Kero, we both want to have you in our relationship." Tsuyu barely moved as she spoke, causing their lips to almost brush against each other once more. "The decision is yours to make, not ours."
"Wh-what about Himiko?"
"She can have her turn later, kero." Tsuyu's voice was a husky whisper.
Emily stared at her for a second longer before she leaned down and closed the nearly microscopic distance that separated the two of them. Her lips pressing into Tsuyu's, causing the shorter woman to let out a soft croak before she leaned into the kiss.
++++++++++++++++++++
She should have told me.
She was trying to protect you.
I'm already in danger.
So is she.
But she hurt herself at the entrance exam and the USJ. I could have helped. I could have stopped it. If I'd known, maybe I could have helped her realize she could channel One for All in smaller doses sooner.
How? She said she didn't even know she had super strength during the entrance exam and she got punched by the Nomu. Channeling One for All doesn't stop a monster's fist.
But it might have given her another option.
What option?
Izuku's head sunk into his hands as the voices inside his head battled on.
You shouldn't have left her like that.
I need time to process all of this… I told her I love her, that covers it right?
Covers leaving her on her own after she admits that she was scared? That she thought you would resent her?
I said we weren't breaking up.
And then left her.
"Shit." Izuku muttered under his breath as he shifted once more, his elbows leaving his knees to hold himself upright on the lip of the building and his head tipping skyward.
Why did she hide it?
To protect you.
Then why am I frustrated?
Because it made you feel helpless. Made you think that history is going to repeat once more.
She would never do that!
Of course she wouldn't and yet you're sitting on another roof.
Sitting not standing.
Izuku peered over the edge for a moment causing his racing thoughts to come to a standstill.
Do you think she's worried I'll…
No.
Twisting around, Izuku dangled his feet off the edge as he firmly grasped the lip he was sitting on with both hands. He stared out across the campus, the dying light of day illuminating the landscape in a riot of color.
A faint shuffle of shoes on concrete caused his ears to perk up and the tired sigh that had been threatening to escape to still. "I should have known you would find me." Izuku called out as he maintained his vigil over the world below him.
"Well I am the one who likes to brood on roofs." A very familiar voice responded as the intruder on his private moment grew closer.
"You do, do that don't you." Izuku let out a huff of a laugh.
"Of course." The voice replied, right behind Izuku, a moment before Himiko took a seat a body's length away from him. "You're in my spot."
Izuku couldn't help but smirk. "I wasn't aware your name was on it."
"It doesn't need to be. I'm the only one who's ever up here." Himiko joined him in dangling her feet over the edge, though she let hers kick freely beneath her.
The quiet whistling of the wind was the only sound as the pair sat there, each waiting for the other to speak first. The sun continued to dip lower until when it was barely above the horizon Izuku spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"It wasn't my secret to share." As Himiko spoke she continued to stare out toward the setting sun, deliberately avoiding Izuku. "I told Ochako that you needed to know but she wanted time to figure out how to do it."
"So she was going to tell me?"
The nearly desperate note in Izuku's voice caused Himiko to hesitate before she answered. "Yes."
Silence took over once more before Izuku let out a tired sigh. "Tell me how I'm supposed to feel."
"You know I can't do that."
Izuku's shoulders slumped as he turned to look at Himiko, causing her to do the same. The dying light of day provided almost no light but it was still enough for her to clearly see that his face was etched by a mixture of confusion and hurt.
"Then tell me how you would feel?"
They stared at each other for a long moment before a sigh escaped Himiko and she looked away. "Angry. Ignored. Betrayed." As she spoke her feet stopped swinging and her hands were folded in her lap. "I'd feel like I had messed up and did something to cause them to distrust me."
"Then why don't I feel any of that?" Izuku whispered as he too turned away. "It would be so much easier if I was angry or felt like Ochako betrayed me. I just…" He shook his head. "It feels like I've been living a lie. I feel frustrated but not at her but with myself."
"Because you didn't know everything?"
"Because it feels like I'm not good enough for her." Izuku's voice was nearly inaudible when he said it and he missed the fact that Himiko both heard it and froze at his confession. "I love her and I know she loves me but I just…" He slowly shook his head. "She's All Might's successor, holder of an ancient and all powerful Quirk and destined to fight the worst villain who's ever existed." His shoulders slumped as he began to curl into himself. "And I'm just me."
Himiko's face fell as she watched Izuku collapse into himself, his self-doubt clearly consuming him from the inside. Shifting, she slid over until she was next to him, their sides touching before she wrapped him into a hug.
"Just being you means that you're amazing."
Izuku stiffened at her words, his arms still resting in his lap instead of hugging her back. "I-I'm not a-amazing."
"Yes you are." Himiko muttered as she hugged him tighter. "You've brought four different classes together to form a group of friends, you fought your way to the third round of the festival and would have made it to the finals if Blasty wasn't a little bitch." Izuku let out an involuntary chuckle before Himiko pressed on, her voice softer and lower. "You convinced a woman who thought the world must hate her that there are people who care."
"Himiko…" Izuku finally lifted his arms and reciprocated her hug.
The pair held each other for a long moment before Himiko slowly slipped out of their embrace and settled into Izuku's side, her head leaning on his shoulder. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Go home, have dinner and then call Ochako." Izuku replied as he leaned his head against hers. "Pray to whatever god that wants to listen that she still wants to date me."
"She will." Himiko answered with conviction. "She looked so relieved when she said that you two hadn't broken up."
"Then I might just make her buy me a new notebook." Izuku let out a huff. "Since the old one is basically useless now."
A giggle escaped Himiko. "And she has even more Quirks on the way."
Izuku let out an exasperated sigh. "Gods don't even get me started on that. Five unknown Quirks and two that we know what they did but not what they can do now."
Himiko raised an eyebrow. "Five? I thought it was six."
"All Might's mentor, Nana, had a Quirk called Float." Izuku explained as he closed his eyes.
"Ah."
A content silence filled the space around them before a wicked grin split Himiko's features.
"Soooo Izuku."
"Soooo Himiko."
Despite Izuku's inability to see it, Himiko's grin only grew. "Whatcha think about Ochako's new fangs?"
Izuku paused for a moment before giving a small shrug and a light chuckle. "I think they're cute."
"So you think fangs are cute?" Himiko's tone made it clear that she was setting Izuku up.
"Ochako's are." A smirk formed on Izuku's face as he added. "Yours are just meh."
"Just meh!" Himiko let out an indignant scoff as she lifted her head off Izuku's shoulder so he could see her glare at him. "You take that back! My fangs are the cutest! Tsu says so."
Izuku's smirk only grew at her faux outrage. "Of course Tsu would say that. She's the one being bitten by them."
Himiko raised an eyebrow. "Oh so you're saying Ochako gets to take a nibble then?"
The almost instant blush that covered Izuku's face caused Himiko to let out a laugh which only redoubled as Izuku muttered softly. "If she wants to."
"Trust me. She'll want to." Himiko chuckled one last time before resettling into Izuku's shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"I forgive you." Izuku quietly replied as he leaned his head against hers.
++++++++++++++++++++
Danjuro dipped into a low bow as he stepped into Nezu's office. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this summons?"
"I wanted to know how your meeting with Ms. Tsutsumi went." Nezu answered as he poured a second cup of tea and slid it in front of the empty chair across from himself.
"Ah our fair Lady Nagant." Danjuro let out a hum as he took his seat, followed by a sip of the tea. "Golden Tips Imperial?"
Nezu gave his companion a grin. "Only the best for the Vigilante King."
"Titles amongst friends?" Danjuro held a hand to his heart. "You wound me."
A laugh escaped Nezu as he shook his head. "If you were truly wounded I would already have your darling Lady Brava attempting to short circuit my school's systems."
Danjuro smiled as he raised his cup at Nezu. "Very true. Now." He set his cup down. "As for my meeting with our Lady Nagant I can say that the warning was passed along and she was made aware of the timeline as well."
"Is she going to need anything from me?" Nezu carefully asked. "I would like to know before she tells me herself."
"Sanctuary for her daughter I would imagine." Danjuro sighed as he folded his hands on the desk in front of him. "She's currently being trained to become a hero at Deika University and I can imagine that she will want to continue to pursue that even after her rescue."
"I see." Nezu let out a thoughtful hum as he tapped his right paw on his desk. "If Ms. Tsutsumi asks I shall do what I can to make sure that her request is taken care of. Now while I do care for the salvation of a young mind I have a more pressing matter we need to address." He reached into a drawer at his side and pulled out a folder before holding it out to Danjuro.
"What's this?" Danjuro asked as he took the folder and opened it.
"All of the information I have about the Meta Liberation Army." Nezu answered as he folded his paws. "Some news has come to light and I fear that we may be in need of it very soon."
"News?" Danjuro raised an eyebrow as he began to flip through the pages. "What sort of news?"
"The deadly kind." Nezu sighed as he pulled out a second folder. "I assume you've heard about the Hero Killer's attack on Iida Tensei?"
"Of course."
"Well it appears that we have a reason for his change in tactics." Nezu pushed the second folder, now open, across toward Danjuro.
Leaning forward, Danjuro scanned the information he had been provided. "I take it you found a pattern? I see that all of the civilian deaths are tied to political organizations but these heroes…" He waved a hand in the air. "I can't see anything that connects them other than they died to the Hero Killer."
"That's just it. They have no political leanings whatsoever." Nezu pulled out a sheet of paper and placed it on top. "Every hero has some kind of political motivation or stance that they make known. All of these?" He waved toward the page. "None of them have made a single political opinion known."
Danjuro took a sip of his tea as he processed the information. "They could simply be apolitical by nature." He motioned toward Nezu with his cup. "You have more than a few people on your staff that fit that mold."
"Yes but how many have families that are deeply tied to the political space?" Nezu removed yet another sheet before motioning for Danjuro to read it. "If we follow the families and we follow the money…"
Silence filled the office as Danjuro stared at the notes littered across the table, clearly in shock. "How did we miss this?"
"We weren't looking for it." Nezu paused as he folded his paws in front of himself. "But if the MLA is active I feel confident that they are the ones that freed our Lady Nagant. If they have infiltrated the HPSC like the Hero Killer claims then they would have access and motive."
"Motive?" Danjuro asked before it came to him. "An assassin that everyone knows is in prison can hardly be blamed for killing their targets."
Nezu nodded. "And if she was caught with her memories being taken she has no connections back to the group."
"Then it's even more imperative that our dear lady regains her memories." Danjuro stood from his chair and swept toward the door. "I shall inform Lady Brava that we need to accelerate our plans with our contacts." He gave Nezu a short but formal bow. "Until next time dear Benefactor."
Nezu dipped his head in return. "Until next time."
++++++++++++++++++++
"You know I'm sure that our friends are still out looking for you." Himiko playfully nudged Izuku with her shoulder as the pair made their way out of the central building and toward the dorms.
"I doubt it." Izuku smirked as he continued forward. "I sent the 1-H group chat a text saying that I was on my way to the dorms."
Himiko raised an eyebrow. "When did you do that? We've been together this whole time."
"Oh you were distracted telling me about how you and Tsu were discussing something." Izuku's smirk grew impish. "But you never mentioned what you were discussing."
"Because it's none of your business." Himiko snapped in reply while her cheeks took on a red tint.
"Of course it isn't." Izuku playfully shook his head before he let it drop. "I do need to get to the dorms though. I'm going to be late for dinner as it is."
"Still wanting to go home for the weekend?"
Izuku nodded. "Yeah. Dad and I haven't really been able to watch a festival together that often so I don't want to pass this up."
"And if you're home nobody can see you go back and watch today's events." Himiko let out a laugh at the sheepish shrug that Izuku gave her. "Oh you're too easy to read sometimes."
"Like how it's so easy to see what you and Tsu are planning for Emily." Izuku replied, his impish grin returning.
"WHO TOLD YOU!" Himiko rounded on Izuku before realizing her mistake. "Shit."
"You just did." Izuku laughed as he draped an arm around Himiko's shoulders and steered her toward the dorms once more. "Don't worry I don't think the other's have noticed it."
Himiko shook her head. "So how did you?"
"Because you're too easy to read sometimes." Izuku laughed as the pair rounded a corner and saw a familiar pair walking away from them. "Shoji! Kendo!" Izuku called out, lifting his arm of Himiko to wave at the pair who had stopped at the sound of his voice.
Both of their faces lit up in recognition before they quickly jogged over.
"Midoriya! We, um, talked to Uraraka." Itsuka started as she stared at Izuku's face, doing her best to gauge his mood. "How are you handling it?"
"It's… well it's a lot." Izuku sighed as he shook his head slowly. "I needed some time alone to process it but." He nodded toward Himiko. "Our resident creature of the night decided that company might be best."
"And was it?" Mezo asked as he split a tentacle into an eye so he could watch all three of his friends at the same time.
"It was." Izuku nudged Himiko, who was grinning like a loon. "But don't tell her that it will go to her head."
Mezo let out a laugh as Himiko stuck her tongue out at Izuku. "I wouldn't dream of it."
"How did you find him?" Itsuka asked as she turned toward Himiko. "Kashiko was saying that even Chart couldn't find him."
"Trade secret." Himiko replied with a wink while Izuku stared at Itsuka for a moment.
"Chart couldn't find me?" He raised a hand to cover his mouth before he began to mumble. "Was it because I didn't want to be found? No, Chart doesn't care about the target. Distance then? Yes has to be distance but is it a hard limit? Could she train it? How would you even train it?" He trailed off as his muttering moved from verbal to mental, ignorant of the smiles he was getting from his friends.
His three friends watched him for a moment, their amusement clear, before a new voice made itself known.
"Oh good you found him."
Turning, they saw Rui and Yuuko approaching, relief clearly sweeping over them as they did so.
"Well we didn't." Itsuka motioned toward herself and Mezo. "Himiko did."
"Of course she did." Yuuko laughed as she watched Izuku come out of his Quirk analysis induced trance. "How're you feeling Izuku?"
Izuku gave her a small smile in response. "Tired. It's been a trying day."
"Between the festival and everything with Uraraka I can imagine." Rui took a step forward and placed an arm around Izuku's shoulders. "If you ever need to talk you know we're all willing to listen."
Tears started to form in the corner of Izuku's eyes as he stared at his classmate. "Thanks Rui, I appreciate that."
"Come on, everyone was scattered around campus." Rui left their arm in place as they gently began to steer Izuku toward the dorms. "I'm sure some of the others are already at the dorm by now."
Izuku, for his part, let himself be led along as the rest of the group joined the two support students. "I'll make sure everyone sees me but I do need to get going."
"Still going home then?" Mezo asked as he turned away from Himiko.
"That's the plan." Izuku let out a sigh as he shook his head. "I already told my mom that I would be home and knowing her that means my favorite meal is waiting for me."
"And we all know you can't pass up katsudon." Himiko smirked at Izuku's glare. "Tell me I'm wrong."
"You're wrong." Izuku intoned as a smile tugged at his lips. "I can turn down bad katsudon."
"I get the feeling that your mother's is anything but." Itsuka laughed.
"Of course not. Her's is the best."
"Thus he is leaving us to go home." Yuuko grinned as she joined in on the teasing.
"Why do I put up with you guys?" Izuku muttered as they continued forward.
"Because we're your friends." Rui laughed as the group entered the main plaza for the first year support dorms.
"And you give as good as you get most of the time." Mezo added, earning a look of betrayal from Izuku in the process.
"Don't worry you'll get the chance to tease Himiko soon." Itsuka sniggered as she nodded toward a quickly approaching pair of very familiar looking women. Arm in arm, more than a few eyebrows raised as the pair got closer. The taller of the two appeared to be in her own little world if the smile on her face was any indication while at the same time the shorter of the pair had a look that screamed 'mission accomplished'.
"What happened there?" Rui asked as he turned away from the now distinct forms of Tsuyu and Emily to give Himiko a questioning look.
"I'm not sure…" Himiko replied as she stared at her girlfriend and crush walking together. A flare of jealousy made itself known but she chose to ignore it to find out what exactly was going on. "Tsu! Emily! We found him."
Pulled from their own world, the two women took a second to realize that they were no longer alone before both of their faces flushed red. There was a momentary pause before Tsuyu leaned up and whispered something into Emily's ear, causing the taller woman's face to turn an even brighter shade of red.
Squaring her shoulders, Emily slipped her arm out from Tsuyu's before she strode forward through the small group that had formed. Everyone moved out of her way as she marched right up to a stunned Himiko.
Both women froze in place, their eyes locked onto each other, before Emily let out a quiet sigh and whispered softly. "Fuck it."
Quick as lightning, Emily wrapped an arm around Himiko's waist and pulled her close before she tipped her head to the side and smashed a passionate kiss into Himiko's lips.
Startled, Himiko tensed up for a second before letting out a moan, closing her eyes and leaning into the kiss.
Itsuka, Yuuko and Rui alternated their confused looks between Tsuyu and the still kissing couple while Rui and Izuku shook their heads.
"It's about damn time." Izuku muttered under his breath before he quietly slinked away, heading toward the dorms.
His second disappearance of the night was missed by both Emily and Himiko as the pair eventually separated. Panting and with their foreheads still touching, they looked into the other's eyes, ignorant of the world around them.
"Gods, I've been wanting to do that for some time." Emily whispered around her smile.
"I take it you and Tsu had a talk then." Himiko laughed as her eyes darted to catch a glimpse of Tsuyu.
"You can say that."
++++++++++++++++++++
Ochako stood between her parents as the group approached the Midoriya residence. "Maybe this isn't a good idea."
"I'd say we can leave but it's a bit late for that now." Shuuhei replied while Reiko gave her daughter a loving squeeze.
"Everything is going to be fine." She gave Ochako a smile. "How often did you have dinner with the Midoriyas?"
"Almost every night since I moved here." Ochako muttered as they came to a stop. She took a deep breath before raising a fist at the door and knocking.
Muffled by the door the Urarakas could hear someone approaching while shouting. "Coming!" A moment passed before Hisashi threw the door open and smiled at his guests. "Ah perfect timing. Inko is just finishing up the last of the pork now." He took a step to the side and motioned for them to enter. "Please come in."
"Thank ya for havin us." Shuuhei dipped his head into a nod as he filed past Hisashi, taking his shoes off as soon as he cleared the other man.
"Oh it's our pleasure." Hisashi's smile faltered a bit. "Isn't Izuku with you?"
"I think he's still on campus." Ochako answered as she made her way into the living area, deliberately avoiding Hisashi's questioning look as she did so.
"Well dinner's almost ready so we can start without him." Hisashi gave the door one last look before he followed his guests into the main area of his home. "Please have a seat." He motioned toward the already set dining room table.
"As Shuuhei said, thank you for having us." Reiko commented as she took a seat.
"Nonsense. After a day like today everyone deserves a home cooked meal." Inko replied as she walked into the room and set a bowl down on the table. Looking around she quickly noticed that she was the only person with green hair in the room. She raised an eyebrow at Hisashi only to receive a shake of the head in return.
Inko flashed her guests a smile as she took her seat. "Well no point in letting good food get cold."
There was a quick mutter of 'itadakimasu' before the room went quiet save for the quiet sound of everyone simply enjoying a well prepared meal. While the silence was far from oppressive there was an unspoken topic that needed to be discussed.
Finally Inko paused her meal to look over at Ochako. "We haven't had the chance to congratulate you on your win yet." She gave the younger woman a warm smile. "So congratulations on your win."
A dusting of red instantly coated Ochako's cheeks as she nodded her head. "Thank you. That means a lot." Her eyes darted toward the door. "I just wish Izuku had a chance to go further."
"Katsuki has always been trouble but I never thought he would do something like that." Inko growled as she aggressively grabbed a piece of pork with her chopsticks. "And to think those boys used to be friends."
Hisashi reached over and rubbed his wife's arm soothingly. "Inko, darling, they haven't been friends for a long time."
"I know but still…" Inko trailed off as she shook her head. "Anyway." She looked up, refocusing on Ochako in the process. "Did Izuku say when he was going to leave campus? Was he wanting to talk to Himiko before he left?"
Ochako's shoulders started to lift toward her ears as all eyes turned to look at her. "Um… Well I'm not sure if he's going to leave campus. We, um, had a bit of an argument and he walked away."
"Oh." Inko shared a look with Hisashi before she gave Ochako a motherly smile. "Well knowing Izuku he wouldn't pass up the chance to come home for the weekend."
As if on cue the distinct sound of a key being inserted into a lock cut through the awkward tension in the room, causing four sets of eyes to turn expectantly toward the front door.
"Sorry I'm late. I had some… Well some things to do on campus." They all heard the sound of the door closing before Izuku continued. "Is that katsudon I smell? Mom I know it's my favorite but you didn't have… to…" His voice trailed off as he exited the entryway and entered the main part of the house.
Instantly spotting Ochako and her parents sitting at the table.
"Oh um…" Izuku's cheeks turned a vibrant shade of red as he stared at the unexpected guests. "Hi."
Reiko looked at the shocked faces that both her daughter and her boyfriend had and quickly decided to step in. "How are you doing Izuku?"
On reflex, Izuku's eyes moved away from Ochako and toward her mother. "I-I'm good." He shook his head before turning to look back at Ochako once more. "Um… Can we, uh, can we talk for a second?"
Shocked, Ochako stared back at him for a moment before nodding her head. "S-sure."
++++++++++++++++++++
Ochako followed silently behind Izuku as he led them away from their families and toward where she knew his bedroom was. They could hear the whispered sounds of conversation being continued behind them as both sets of parents were no doubt talking about them.
Remaining impassive, Izuku opened his door before entering and stood off to the side, allowing Ochako to enter as well. His back turned to her, he let out a slow breath as he closed the door once more and turned to face her.
"Izuku I-"
"Ochako I-"
They both cut themselves off to allow the other to speak first only to have an awkward silence take over instead.
"You should-"
"I think th-"
A laugh escaped them both as they stared at each other before Ochako held up a hand indicating that he should go first.
Izuku hesitated a moment before giving her a nod. "I'm sorry I ran off. I shouldn't have said all of that and then just vanished like that. Finding out about One for All and everything else… yeah it hurts that you kept it a secret from me but honestly." He looked away from her, his eyes locking onto a piece of All Might merch behind her. "Really it… it made me feel like I'm not good enough for you."
"Izu…" Ochako took a step forward, a hand going up to cradle his cheek. "How could you think that?"
"How could I not?" Izuku whispered in reply as he continued to look away from her. "You're going to be a hero, you've trained under All Might and he named you his successor and you even have his Quirk now." Tears started to roll down Izuku's face as he closed his eyes and leaned into Ochako's hand. "And I'm just me. I know I've-"
Izuku found himself cut off as Ochako leaned up and gently kissed him before whispering. "Just you is amazing." Her thumb gently brushed back and forth on his cheek as she kept their foreheads touching. She leaned back and forced him to meet her gaze. "I don't need you to be anything other than what you are."
Izuku leaned further into her touch. "I don't deserve you."
"I could say the same thing." Ochako let out a watery chuckle at the shocked look on Izuku's face. "Izu I started this relationship lying to you, I trained alongside you every day lying to you." She gave him a fleeting smile. "I took a Quirk that could have been yours if I had only said no and yet you're still here. You still want to date me."
Ochako felt herself smile as she placed a finger on Izuku's lips to cut off the retort she knew was coming. "I know what you said you wouldn't want it but look at all of this from my perspective? Having a Quirk to me is what makes me who I am. I couldn't imagine a world without a Quirk and yet that is your everyday experience." A shiver ran down her spine. "So after taking on a second, even more powerful Quirk, how was I meant to feel? You told me you would say no but it was a theoretical, a thought experiment that could never happen."
"And then I would find out that it could." Izuku finished for her with a sigh. "And here I thought we were good at communication."
The unexpected comment forced a laugh out of Ochako as she pulled Izuku into a crushing hug. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Pulling back, a new light danced in Ochako's eye. "So where did you go to hide on campus?"
Izuku let out a low chuckle. "A rooftop."
A playful smile tugged at the edge of Ochako's lips. "Were you brooding up there?"
Izuku's face was impassive as he stared down at Ochako. "I blame Himiko."
A snort slipped past his facade, breaking Ochako in the process and in moments the two were channeling their emotions into a fit of laughter.
Unseen by the young couple, the two sets of parents in the other room let out a collective sigh of relief at the sudden burst of laughter that echoed down the hall.
++++++++++++++++++++
I'm glad they figured something out. Hisashi smiled to himself as he stared down at the cuddled mass that consisted of his son and his girlfriend. Wrapped around each other on the couch, they had barely lasted five minutes before they had passed out, the events of the day finally calling in their due.
It hadn't taken long for Reiko and Shuuhei to agree to let Ochako spend the night. It was clear to both sets of parents that neither of their children were going to return to the land of the living any time soon.
They've had a long day. Hisashi gave the pair one last look before he slowly stalked his way across the living room and out onto the balcony. Pulling out his phone, he glanced at the time before he set it down on the wide railing before leaning against it himself.
Closing his eyes he allowed his mind to wonder what was in store for him while he waited for the inevitable phone call. He didn't have to wait long before the phone let out a single ring, indicating that he had a call. His eyes still closed, Hisashi reached over and answered.
"Did you kill him?"
"You know that I did."
Hisashi let out a tired sigh as he slowly shook his head. "Why?"
There was a matching sigh from the other side of the line. "Because we were right and he was the only one giving the orders."
Of course he was. A frustrated puff of smoke escaped Hisashi's nose as he let out a huff. "And the others?"
"That wasn't me. I was simply the best scapegoat to pin it on." There was a clear pause before the voice spoke again. "I did my time for that but they were content to keep me away forever."
"Well that's what happens when you kill the head of the HPSC."
"And yet they never admitted that I was the one who did that. It makes you wonder, doesn't it."
"It does." Hisashi pulled his phone back as he let out a small breath of flame in frustration. "As much as I would enjoy catching up, I don't think this was meant to be a social call."
There was a laugh from the other end of the line. "No it's not. I need your help with a job."
Hisashi tipped his head back and opened his eyes as he stared toward the ceiling. "I'm retired. Moved on to desk work."
"People like us don't retire Hisashi."
"They do when they find out that their son was depressed and attempted to kill himself." Hisashi bluntly replied, sorrow lacing his tone as he did so.
"Shit."
Hisashi let out a chuckle at the unexpected expletive. "Yeah that's about how I felt when I found out."
The voice paused and Hisashi got the impression that the person on the other end was shaking their head. "I saw him today. He seems to be taking after you. It's a shame that a cheap blow took him out when it did, you trained him well."
"Oh none of that was my doing. He's been training for the last year with someone from All Might's agency as well as an instructor at U.A." Hisashi's voice was filled with no small amount of pride as he bragged about his son. "He's turned around a lot since he… well since last winter."
"That's good…"
Hisashi couldn't help but smirk at the clear hesitation on the other end as his friend quickly tried to throw together an argument to sway him to her side. Taking pity he spoke first. "I already told you that I don't leave friends behind." His smirk vanished as he leaned against the railing. "What do you need from me Kaina?"
"I need backup for a mission." Kaina's relief was clear as she continued to speak. "You deserve some answers about everything and I'll tell you but I need to do this first and you're the only one I trust."
"You're normally not this hesitant." Hisashi tapped at the railing with his free hand. "What's the target?"
"Well first off it's a rescue op and well…"
Hisashi raised an eyebrow. She sounds nervous. She never sounds nervous. "Come on, spit it out already."
Kaina let out a long breath of air. "I received intel that my daughter is being targeted by CRC remnants and they plan on moving in soon."
"Shit." Hisashi pinched at the bridge of his nose. "I thought she was safe with Haruki?"
"My contact says that after I was put away Haruki went off the deep-end. She blamed the government for framing me and decided that she needed to right that wrong. From what I've gathered she all but abandoned Akina to be raised at a series of boarding schools."
"Shit." Hisashi repeated as he suddenly felt the desperate urge to have a smoke, something he hadn't done in over a decade. "Do you know where she's at now? When do we need to move?"
"Deika University and I need a few days to get everything in place before we can move. Everything should be in place by the Monday after next."
"That long? I thought you said this was time sensitive."
Kaina let out a tired sigh. "It is but my release isn't exactly… well it's a long story that I will gladly share with you but let's just say that I can't be seen or else we're fucked."
"Alright…" Hisashi shook his head as a frustrated burst of smoke spilled out of his mouth. "I will want answers but I guess that can wait until after we get little Akina out."
"I'll send you the details via our old methods." Kaina paused for a moment, her voice lowering to a whisper as she continued. "Thank you Hisashi."
A smile ghosted across Hisashi's face. "No need to thank me yet. It could be like old times."
"Well we always made it out alive in the old times."
"Then let's hope it's exactly like old times."
++++++++++++++++++++
Mirroring his actions from less than ten minutes ago, Hisashi ghosted across his home until he reached the slightly open door to his bedroom.
CRC… I thought we killed those fuckers years ago. He gently pushed the door open before slinking through the opening and just as carefully shutting it behind him. Evac from a college campus shouldn't be too hard. Though if Kaina is still wanted… He let out a huff as he made his way toward his bed. At least Inko's asleep.
Hisashi immediately regretted tempting fate with such a thought as he made it less than a step when a light clicked on.
"What did they want?"
Hisashi froze in place as he turned to look at the stern and very much awake Inko.
"Uh…" Hisashi continued to stare at his wife, unsure what he should say.
"You told me you retired." Inko's eyes narrowed into a glare as she got out of bed and marched over to stand in front of him. "You told me you were moving back to be here with our son."
Recovering, Hisashi smiled down at his wife as he held his hands up in surrender. "I did retire. I'm a full time desk jockey now, no more missions for me."
"Then why did you have that look earlier?" Inko asked as she raised an accusatory eyebrow. "You stiffened up like you were ready to receive orders and then told whomever you were talking to that you would hear from them at zero hundred hours. Not midnight, not tomorrow." She pushed a finger into his chest with each word. "Zero hundred hours."
Hisashi stared down at Inko for a moment longer before his shoulders sagged and he let out a tired sigh. "It wasn't the SFHG."
"Then who called?" Inko placed her hands on her hips as she continued to glare at Hisashi. "I know you, Hishahi, and you'd only act that way if it was a mission."
"It was Kaina." Hisashi whispered as he closed his eyes and shook his head, still having trouble believing it himself.
"Shit." Inko's reaction was much more pronounced as she took a stumbling step backward, sitting down at the end of their bed in the process. "I thought she was in Tartarus?"
"She…" He shook his head once more, giving Inko a sad smile as he opened his eyes. "I don't have all the details but… She said that Akina is in trouble. It seems the CRC is after her."
Tears threatened to spill as Inko stared at her husband. "I thought we got them all?"
"Kaina and I always suspected that a few got away." Hisashi moved toward their closet, bending over as he searched for a footlocker that he had been hoping to never use again. "We could never confirm it but…" He trailed off as he dragged the locked trunk out from its hiding place.
"What about Haruki? She should be able to take care of it if the CRC comes for Akina." Inko protested as she stood and moved next to Hisashi.
"Apparently her love only went so far as paying for schooling." Hisashi grunted as he knelt down and began to unlock the locker. "As soon as Kaina went away she shipped Akina off and washed her hands of their child."
"That bitch." Inko snarled before growing silent as she watched him work, her hands clasped in front of her as she fought the urge to scowl. "I thought we were done with this."
"So did I love." Hisashi flipped open the trunk with a resigned sigh. He ignored the neatly folded uniforms, bulletproof vests, the two pairs of pistols and a bandoleer of knives that greeted him, instead he could only focus on one thing.
The dull matte finish of a well loved and used sniper rifle.
"So did I."