Chapter 33: Confessions Part 2
With a disgusted grunt, the newspaper in Tomura hands disintegrated away, "I don't believe this crap. All the news can talk about is that bastard Stain."
"Still no mention of us, then?"
"Bah! They finally did today, but on the back page. 'Rumors speculate that the Hero Killer and League of Villains orchestrated the attack on Hosu City.' That's all… Of course, they're still spouting that bull crap that it took All Might and Endeavor to take Stain out. Doesn't mention the brats at all, except for 'children rescued in the fight'. Hey, Kurogiri, why don't we pop over to this news station and dust a few reporters? That'll teach them a lesson."
An amused voice came from the monitor, "Come now, Tomura. There is no need for that. Remember what you are supposed to be doing right now."
Tomura sighed and scratched at his stitched-up wounds, "Get healed up and focus on finding new members."
"That's right."
"Master, with the loss of Stain, I fear recruiting is back to how it was before," Kurogiri said. "I apologize for this."
A deep chuckle made both Kurogiri and Tomura glance over at the monitor, "Fear not. The attack last night is already having a ripple effect. It appears that Stain did us one last favor before he was taken away. Someone must have been close enough to record him being loaded up and got quite the piece of footage - footage that is already beginning to spread. The government is trying to suppress it, of course, but it's out in the wild now. When the right people see this, they will come to you, Tomura. Very soon, the League of Villains will have true monsters in its ranks."
Tomura tapped the bar as he thought about that, "It sounds like I'll be getting nothing but Stain fans though…"
"Undoubtedly, some will be followers of him, or they may be those who hate this world and see Stain and, now by extension, the League as an agent of change. Others may see you as a way to kill heroes and cause chaos. There are so many different perspectives to this now, but they will all be coming to you. And it will be your job to find the ones that will help further your goals."
With a sigh, Tomura leaned against the bar and reached behind for a bottle, "Sounds like a lot of work."
"Ha ha ha ha! Heavy is the head that wears the crown. But fear not, you are not alone, Tomura. In fact, I may have a new member for you shortly."
"Oh?"
"The good doctor has recently found a promising man who has volunteered to help him with some experiments. This man has his own group of followers, and I believe we will be able to work out a...temporary exchange of manpower."
Walking out of the examination room, Tenya bowed towards the doctor and offered him his thanks for his care. With a hand on his arm, Tenya walked down the hall and continued to do what he had been doing ever since yesterday. Think in silence. He was grateful towards Izuku and Shouto that they had allowed him his solitude. They kept to themselves and spoke in low voices. Even the topics of their talks were over things that were clearly meant to avoid the one topic they knew Tenya was racking his brain over.
Himiko Toga.
He just couldn't pin down his feelings over the subject. Duty vs friendship. Healing vs accountability. Victim vs villain. A friend vs a monster. Every time he thought he had a handle on one side, the other side of the coin flipped over and threw everything back into chaos. He knew there were certain things he had learned about Himiko that he could not overlook. Certain things he couldn't reason away like Izuku had. Izuku by his very nature was kind. Tenya was dutiful. Or at least he normally was.
After Stain had hurt his brother, Tenya's whole moral compass had been flipped on its head. He had abandoned reason and duty for his own selfish reasons and others had paid the price for it. Izuku's broken body flashed before his eyes and then Himiko, face cut open and a sword impaled through her chest. Again, his thoughts were thrown into disarray because he couldn't look at Himiko just as a victim of his choices, but also a victim of her own. After all, you hear about villains turning on each other all the time.
Tenya clucked his tongue. How can he possibly decide on what to do when he couldn't even decide how he viewed her?
"Ah, Mr. Iida. Good to see you up and about."
Tenya was jolted from his thoughts and turned around in a hurry, "Principal Nezu, sir!" Bowing immediately towards the small Principal, "Yes, sir. I just finished with my last checkup."
"Excellent. You are perhaps free, then?"
"I...Yes?"
"Good. Then would you care to join me for a cup of tea?"
Nezu ended up taking Tenya to a private room, explaining that being the Principal got him a few luxuries. Like access to private rooms normally used for meetings. While Tenya took his seat, Nezu quickly began to prepare two cups of tea for them. Handing Tenya a cup, Nezu took his seat. Tenya took a sip before asking, "Principal, sir. May I ask why you are still here?"
"Paperwork, I'm afraid. So many things to fill out. You wouldn't believe how many forms there are for something like insurance. Though perhaps you will when you take over Team Idaten. Running an agency requires a lot of paperwork."
Tenya frowned, "That's…"
Nezu waved a paw, "That's something for much later though. For now, you have many more important things to focus on. And I'm guessing, more than a few questions."
Tenya took his time to respond. Looking down at his reflection in his cup, "Sir. Why did you allow Toga into U.A.?"
Nezu took a sip, "That is a question I've had to ask myself and have been asked many many times. By colleagues, friends, and more than a few people I actively dislike."
"Tartarus?"
Nezu nodded, "Them, the Police Force, The Hero Safety Commission, and the staff at U.A. Though, of course, no one from the school falls into the 'actively dislike' section. Bringing Toga in was questioned, argued over, flat out rejected as insane and almost came to blows more than a few times. However, my fellow teachers all came around to the idea… if some, slower than others."
"'Came to blows?' Do you mean what was happening down in the lobby and then in Toga's room?"
"Close. Though that morning was an extreme case, and I assure you," the air around Nezu darkened even while his voice remained light and chipper, "there will be consequences for Tartarus opening fire and shooting Midoriya."
Tenya gulped.
"But," Nezu continued on, "I haven't answered your question have I? The answer is simple. It's a hero's job to stop villains, even if that means stopping a person from becoming one."
Tenya straightened in his seat as he waited for Nezu to continue. But after a few seconds it was clear that was going to be it, "That's it?"
Nezu nodded, "That is what I told the faculty when I decided to let Toga in. Of course, I had to go improve security for her. Plans to ensure that all the other students would not be in danger, and of course there was what we would do if Midoriya didn't make it in."
Tenya let that sink in, "You make it sound like it was a real danger to take her in."
Nezu rubbed his chin, "I suppose after hearing her story, you must have some vague idea of what she was like. How dangerous she must have been."
"Yes," Tenya didn't feel all that good answering in the affirmative so quickly.
"Well, let me assure you, whatever picture you have in your mind about how Toga was like when we got her, it doesn't even come close."
"Wh-what?"
"It's not an exaggeration when I say Toga was one step from becoming a true villain. The way she viewed the world, other people and herself were twisted in the worst possible ways. She was less a person and more hmm… not an animal since we aren't cruel for cruelty's sake… more like an elemental. But instead of fire, wind or water, she was an elemental of violence and blood. And yet, an act of kindness opened up a path for her. A path that could save her from becoming the monster Taratarus thinks she is, and saving all the innocent lives she'd take before she was stopped. What kind of hero school would U.A. be if the heroes teaching there didn't do what they could to save someone when given the chance? And that's what Midoriya did. He gave her a chance."
"You talk about the lives you are trying to save, but what about the lives she's already taken? The people she's hurt. According to her they weren't innocents, but they were still people. Murder is murder."
Nezu sighed, "You're right. For all the good we have done, and are trying to do for her, those lives can never be brought back. We can rationalize it in so many different ways, but that doesn't change the truth. And it will be a truth that Toga will be forced to live with for the rest of her life. A truth that she is slowly beginning to realize."
"Beginning to?"
Nezu finished his cup and poured himself another one, "According to the courts, doctors, and the several psychiatrists that were able to get close for long enough to come to a conclusion, Toga was deemed not of sound judgment. She suffered a psychotic break because she was starved of blood. After, she was manipulated so that her psychosis was ever present. She was aware of what she was doing, but in her state of mind she experienced no guilt or remorse. Now though, I'm not sure that's the case."
"Why do you think that?"
"Her actions recently, especially once school started, showed an increase in empathy. She began to have reasons behind her actions. Granted, most of the time they are her own reasons that only she can understand, but they were no longer actions driven by her violent and bloodthirsty tendencies."
"But she still acts out. She doesn't seem… she isn't normal."
"Don't confuse normal with fixed. Toga will never be a role model student. The damage done to her, coupled with her experiences in the world, have left their mark. That will always be a part of her. They will never be removed. What can happen, though, is that she can experience new things that can layer and build on her. Covering the old scars of her life. They'll still be there, but she'll be more than them."
"She told us she doesn't like the changes though. She fights them."
Nezu nodded, "Oh, she does. She is still very much the wild elemental, just not as violent and bloody. This process is still young. She's only been with us a few months, remember, and she must be given a wide berth. If she feels constrained, then she will lash out. So we give her space and make sure that she feels in control as often as we can. She is of course under constant watch and," Nezu took a sip of his tea and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes, "and this bit stays between us. She doesn't get away with nearly as much as she thinks she does. So we know when she's being bad for herself. And we know when she's being bad for others."
"Others?"
"We didn't tell her you were going to Hosu City. She found that out on her own. And then decided to follow after you."
Tenya's eyes went wide. The thought had never crossed his mind. He never considered just how Himiko found out where he was going. Never thought how she put the pieces together that he was going to go after Stain.
"Well, Mr. Iida, I think I have some more paperwork to work on. I think Manual will be joining me as well, now that I think about it. He should be here by now." Getting up, Nezu walked for the door but stopped before leaving, "Do think about what we've talked about. I know what you've heard may have colored your thoughts on Toga, but I think you should consider this. The girl she described herself as, is that the girl that came to save you?"
Himiko hummed as she examined her back in her bathroom mirror. With her hospital gown raised up, she got a good look at her other new scar. It was just as high up as the one on her chest, but off to the side a few inches.
"You're lucky, you know," Aizawa said gruffly. Wrapped up in his sleeping back and facing away from his slightly undressed student, "Stain's sword missed your spine by less than an inch. If he had hit that, your best case scenario would be paralysis."
Reaching around Himiko ran a finger over the scar, "What, can't Recovery Girl fix something as simple as a severed spine?"
Midnight placed a school suitcase on Himiko's bed, "She has limits. And so does modern medicine. Some things just aren't fixable right now."
Himiko let her gown drop back down, "Yeah, yeah. No robot spine or robot eyes. Can't be a cyborg just yet. On the bright side, looks like everything else is all healed up nicely." Himiko leaned into the mirror to look at her eye. With the bandage now removed, she was able to get a good look at it, "Recovery Girl did a good job. I'll have to thank her next time I see her. Just need to make sure I don't run into her, what with me not having depth perception now."
Aizawa and Midnight shared a quick look, "How bad is it?"
Himiko blew out a raspberry and walked out of the bathroom. Pulling on a new black eye patch Midnight had brought for her when she got back from the other errand she had been running for Himiko, "I'm already used to it. Nothing to worry about."
"Still, when you are released and return to U.A., I want you to go through a few combat exercises with Ectoplasm. Understand?" Aizawa said, making it pretty plain that the subject was not up for debate. Not that Himiko felt like arguing. She had planned to ask her favorite target practice for a few rounds anyway. Walking over to the bed, her mood took a more serious turn. "Anyway, were you able to get everything? I don't see the sword."
"The sword is evidence. It's Stain's murder weapon, so of course I wasn't going to be able to get it for you. Don't know why you want it after he almost killed you with it. You're lucky I was able to get your costume for you," Midnight said as she opened the case, "Or what's left of it."
Inside the case was the remains of Himiko's hero costume. Most of it was now sliced and tattered. Her knives were cracked or shattered and the syringes were in pieces. Reaching down, Himiko pulled up her hero top and poked a finger through the hole in the chest and back, wiggling it a bit before dropping the top back down. She then pulled out her old mask, a carbon copy of the one that Stain wore. It was still tied in a knot at the back but was cut clean through over the right eye hole. She kept it in her hand as she walked over to the nightstand by her bed. "I guess it was for my own satisfaction. Was planning on breaking it while I burned the rest."
"I guess I can see you wanting to do that...Wait? Burn what?"
Opening a drawer, Himiko pulled out a small lighter, "Oh, I'm burning my old costume."
Aizawa was out of his sleeping bag in a flash and yanked the lighter out of Himiko's hands, "No starting fires inside the hospital."
"Hey!"
"Toga, what are you thinking? And where did you even get that?" Midnight shook her head in disbelief as Aizawa handed her the lighter.
Himiko pouted. Tossing the mask back into the briefcase and crossing her arms, "I wasn't going to do it inside the damned hospital." When Midnight held up the lighter with a raised eyebrow, Himiko rolled her eye, "One of the nurses that comes in here smokes."
"So you stole it."
"Borrowed with no intent to return."
Midnight ground her fingers into her temple, "Okay, putting that aside. Why do you want to burn your costume?"
"You expect me to wear something that makes me look like Mr. Stain after what happened?"
Midnight glanced down at the costume. She supposed some of what Himiko said made sense. The costume was made to mimic the person she idolized. And now said person had not only almost killed her, but also her friends and the boy she was in love with. In hindsight, Midnight should be glad Himiko was apparently moving past her Stain obsession.
"Why fire, though?"
Himiko shrugged, "I dunno. Seemed like the right thing to do. What's that old saying, burning bridges? Well, that costume is the last bridge to my past. No way in hell I'm going back now, so might as well make it official, I guess. Besides, you can't tell me neither of you have ever wanted to burn something."
"No." Was her teachers' quick and decisive answer to that.
"You guys are boring."
"Moving on. While I'm glad you've decided to take a serious step and move past Stain, I can't let you burn your costume."
Himiko groaned, "I wasn't going to burn the hospital down."
"There's that, but also, do you know how expensive the materials used to make your costume are?"
"Ummm?"
"Remember, everything, from the fabric to the metal for your knives, was fabricated and treated so that it wouldn't get destroyed when you use your Quirk over it. A lot of R&D went into making every bit of this. So it's very expensive to make from scratch. The support department will want to recycle the remains into whatever your new costume is."
Himiko sighed and plopped down onto her bed. She couldn't really argue Midnight's points. It was still boring, though. Any chance for her to try to come up with some excuse so she could burn everything was interrupted by a knock on the door. Midnight and Aizawa both turned to look at it while Himiko laid down, not all that interested. After everything, she couldn't imagine anyone would be stupid enough to try and get to her now.
"Don't think the nurses are due back for another bed check just yet," Aizawa said as he got out of his sleeping bag, his hand reaching up to the back of his belt where his combat knife was.
Midnight walked over to the door, "Yes? Who is it?"
"It's Iida, Midnight-sensei."
Himiko sat back up in a hurry, "Tenya?"
"I'd...I'd like a chance to talk with Toga. If she is able."
Midnight turned to look at Himiko and was a little shocked to see the girl looking nervous. She was fidgeting in place, picking at her eye patch and looking a little pale. Midnight supposed there was a reason for that. Out of the group of friends she had told, only Tenya had not accepted her back as a friend. Saying he needed time to think things through.
"Toga, is this something you want-"
"Let him in." Himiko was nervous, but she wasn't about to run away from this. If what was coming was what she expected, she'd rather just get it over with.
Midnight nodded and opened the door, "Hello, Iida."
Tenya bowed in greeting to Midnight, and then to Aizawa, "Senseis." When he looked at Himiko, his eyes were briefly drawn to the black eye patch she was wearing, "Toga."
"I take it you've come up with an answer then?"
"I have," Tenya said as he glanced around at the two teachers as they each took a seat on the other side of the room.
Aizawa waved him off, "Given the recent issues with local authorities and Tartarus, until Toga is back at U.A. she will be kept under constant watch at all times."
"I see."
Himiko could hear the hesitation in Tenya's voice and groaned, "Just say what you want to say to me. Pretend they aren't even here. Honestly, they'll hear about it anyway since I'd have to talk about this during my therapy sessions with Midnight. Which then gets passed to the Principal, who makes nice little reports for everyone."
Midnight frowned, "I'm not gossiping about you. And I don't tell Nezu everything we talk about. You still have some privacy. I make sure of that."
"Not mad, just stating that I know how the game is played. But anyway, don't let them being here be a problem," Himiko shifted her attention back to Tenya, who nodded in response.
"I spoke with Principal Nezu. He told me the reason U.A. took you in. To prevent you from becoming a villain."
"Yup. He wants me to be a good little girl."
"Like you try to pretend to be." Tenya's remark cut through all the airs Himiko had started to put up, leaving her bare. She frowned but didn't say anything to counter. "That's what you said when you confronted Stain. All of this is a show you put on for our friends and for the teachers. That you weren't the good person you pretended to be."
Himiko leaned forward, "You're avoiding the real word I used to describe myself. Go on. Say it."
"You called yourself a monster."
Himiko laughed, a bitter cold laugh, "You know, it's refreshing to finally have someone say it like it is. You know what I've done now, and I bet Nezu painted a better picture for you, didn't he?"
"He did. He said when you came to U.A., you were more a living element of violence and blood."
"But after a few months of therapy and hero training, I'm now a good girl. Right?"
"No. I've tried to separate the 'you' I've spent these last few weeks with and the 'you' you describe yourself as. However, you aren't two different people, and I have to stop trying to see you as such. Seeing how you lash out at the rules that were put in place to help you, and then hearing what you did to all those people and learning the selfish reason you came to U.A., I don't think you are a good person, Toga."
Himiko rubbed her brow, ignoring the twisted feelings in her gut and chest, "Then I guess there isn't anything else to say."
"Wrong."
"Eh? What else is there? You just said I wasn't a good person. We agree. What else is there to say?"
"I said I don't think you are a good person. I don't know that for sure yet. I do know that you are not the monster you claimed to be when you confronted Stain."
Himiko blinked, while her mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to collect her thoughts.
"You may not be a good person, but you're not a monster. You're something else."
"And what exactly am I?"
"Someone who is trying to become a good person and is starting to figure out what that all entails."
Himiko shook her head, "Okay, you lost me."
"Midoriya was right. When you talked about yourself, you always mentioned how you felt in the past tense. 'I didn't' instead of 'I don't.'"
"And that means what, exactly?"
"You're starting to care about what you did. You're starting to have empathy for others, and you're starting to regret the things you did."
"Bold claim. You suddenly a shrink too, now?"
Tenya just shook his head, "No, but the way you were acting these last few days, a monster wouldn't act like that. You were worried I'd get myself hurt, so you did what you had to do to try and stop me. And when I was in danger, you could have run away, but you threw yourself into a situation where you could have died. Then after that, when the whole truth about you was about to come crashing down, I think you tried to twist the situation so that we would be so mad, so disgusted with you that when Tartarus came to take you, we'd let them. Instead of fighting to protect you. You were thinking of us, instead of yourself. That isn't something a monster would do."
Himiko flinched like she had been slapped across the face.
"You came to U.A. as a monster, and maybe you want to believe you still are one like you told Stain, but I don't think that's true anymore. You aren't absolved of your responsibilities. Your past actions are yours to make right, and I don't know how many good deeds it takes to level the scale of a single bad one. I don't know how long it'll take for you to become the person you say you're pretending to be, a good person, but I do know this. I want to help you continue on this road you unwittingly started on when you followed after Midoriya."
Someone in the room was crying. Himiko was almost certain it wasn't her. The wet stuff on her cheeks was just condensation.
"Toga, I can't ignore what you've done, nor can I feel comfortable that U.A., a place that's supposed to house the best and brightest future generation of heroes, has taken such a risk by letting someone like you in. But at the same time, I can't abandon you after you didn't abandon me. A hero wouldn't do that, but more importantly a friend wouldn't. Toga, I want to help you become the hero that the U.A. wants you to become. I want to help you become the person Uraraka and Midoriya know that you really are."
Himiko kept wiping her cheeks, wishing that whatever was dripping from the ceiling would stop, "What the hell is going on? It feels like I've lost my touch with lying to people. I should not be this easy to read."
Tenya, for the first time he walked into the room, smiled, "To be fair, I'm just following Midoriya and Uraraka's example. They seemed to get a pretty good read on you from yesterday. So taking what they said, what Principal Nezu said, and then everything you've done recently, well," Tenya shrugged, "I'm supposed to be smart, so even if it took some time, I could put the pieces together."
Himiko started to laugh, "Oh god, if Izuku's starting to figure me out, I'm in trouble." She took a few breaths to calm herself, though there was still a tone of giddiness to her voice, "So, what does this make us then?"
"If you still want, I'd like to be your friend Toga."
Himiko smirked, "A friend that's going to be watching me like a hawk to make sure I stay on the straight and narrow, right?"
Tenya pushed his glasses up, before using the hand to chop at the air in Himiko's direction, "I am still the class representative of 1-A. As such it is my duty to ensure that all my classmates continue to act in accordance with the rules and regulations that U.A. expects of us. And if there are those in my class that require extra attention, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't give them my full attention."
Himiko let her head roll back as she let out the loudest annoyed groan she could, "Greaaaaaaaaat. First, I picked up a BDSM mommy, and now it's like I picked up an older brother." Righting herself, Himiko leapt off the bed, "Oh to hell with it," and walked over to Tenya and extended a hand out, "I'm not going to make things easy for you."
Tenya took her hand, "I expect not. But I look forward to the trouble all the same."
With the two now coming to an understanding, the tension between them was all but gone. They both expected they would be butting heads in the future, but they were okay with that. And apparently Tenya was ready to deliver the first head butt, "Now I think we should get going."
"Eh?"
Tenya's arms chopped at the air as he emphasized the importance of what they needed to do, "Principal Nezu let me know that Manual is in the hospital. As we both misused his internship offer for our own selfish reasons, we must immediately make amends and apologize to him."
Himiko blinked and backed away. Putting on her best apologetic face "Oooh, but I can't go moving around the hospital. I have to stay in this room. So-"
"Actually as long as you have a teacher accompanying you, you're free to walk around," Aizawa said as he rolled back up into his sleeping bag.
"And I don't mind going with you for this. I think Iida makes a valid point. You two do owe that man an apology," Midnight added with a smile.
Himiko hissed but Tenya ignored it, "Excellent. Then I will wait outside as you get yourself ready. Afterwards, when Midoriya is done with his check up with Recovery Girl and Todoroki is done with his check up, perhaps we can all meet up and have a chance to talk before myself and Todoroki leave."
"Yeah, that should be fun," Himiko said, doing her best not to grind her teeth flat because she did genuinely like the idea of hanging out with her friends before they had to leave. Because she was still shocked she had friends...
"Then I will wait for you outside."
When Tenya left, Himiko immediately pointed at Midnight, "Not a word from you."
"But that was just so adorable!" Midnight cried, dabbing a tissue to dry her eyes.
"Ahhh! I think I would have liked it better if he hated me," Himiko said as she went searching for a pair of slippers she could wear.
"Oh, we both know that's a lie."
"Shut it."
"You know, I'm proud of you, Toga," Midnight said with a smile. "You've changed so much since you first came, and even more so since school started."
Himiko waved her off, "Oh please. I'm still the same monster I was when I got here. Now where are those damned slippers? Want to get this over with."
"We both know you would have never washed off Midoriya's blood before," Himiko winced as Midnight continued, "And I doubt you would have ever referred to yourself as a monster. It used to be that after what happened in junior high, you became the real you. Now it's 'you became a monster.'"
Himiko, finally finding her slippers, put them on and headed for the door, "Maybe the real me is a monster."
A hand on her shoulder stopped her. Turning, she saw Midnight looking down at her, a soft, almost motherly shine in her eyes, "Look me in the eye and tell me you believe that. Tell me you're the same person you were back then."
Himiko stayed silent for a while, eyes darting back and forth before she turned, shrugged off Midnight's hand and left. Midnight followed after her, flashing Aizawa a quick thumbs up that the near undead teacher rolled his eyes at before zipping up his sleeping bag and going to sleep.
Iida: Once Midoriya and Todoroki are done with their medical visits it should be late enough in the day for us to have lunch together before myself and Todoroki leave. I will inquire with our teachers if there is a spot we will be able to eat with some privacy for Toga's continued protection.
Ochako blinked at the message, in particular the ending.
If Iida is talking about Toga like that, then they must have squared away their issues. That's good to know.
Ochako quickly typed out a response, agreeing that lunch sounded good before lying back down on her bed. At this point all she could do was wait and relax until she heard back from everyone. Boring, but after the adventures she had just had the past couple of days, she could deal with a little boredom.
Knock knock knock
"Hello?" Ochako looked over at the door, "It's ope-"
WAM!
The run slammed open and a surprisingly short hero burst into the room, "RUNT! Finally!"
Ochako bolted up, "Miruko?"
"Well, look at you. I was worried you might still be in rough shape, but here you are, lounging it up while I'm still stuck doing more paperwork than I've ever had to do in my whole life. Thank you oh so much for getting me involved in a freaking cover up. That's exactly what I want to spend my time dealing with. Had to finally just run away for a bit or else I'd go insane."
Ochako winced, "Sorry about that," before she got a cheeky grin, "But I'm sure that someone from your agency should be able to help you with all your paperwork."
Ochako fell onto her bed laughing as Miruko glared at her, "Laugh it up kid. Pretty soon I'm going to get me a sidekick and it'll be their job to do all this crap busy work."
"Pfft," Ochako tried to get her laughing under control, "Who are you going to get that'll be crazy enough to work for you?" Turning over, she looked up at Miruko who was looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. "Eh?" Ochako pointed towards herself and Miruko nodded, "EH?! Wait what?!"
"Runt, you went toe to toe with one of the most dangerous bastards there is and you walked away. I'd be crazy to let someone like you slip away."
"But sidekick, wait, is this a job offer? But I'm still in school and-"
"Whoa! Let's not jump the gun. This is me telling you that I want first dibs on you for all your future internships and work studies. Of course," The boastful aura around Miruko mellowed some as she took a seat next to Ochako, "If that's what you want. I know I wasn't… exactly the best teacher to you these past couple of days. I still have a lot of paperwork to get through, but I'd be done in time to pick you up tomorrow so we can get two more days of work done. If you want to keep training this week."
"Yes," Ochako answered instantly, "To all of it. Yes."
"Heh, after the time I gave you, I expected a little more hesitation," Miruko said with a surprised but happy smile.
"I need to get stronger." Ochako looked down at her hands as she spoke, "Seeing my friends get so hurt made me feel so useless. All I could do was flail around and hope for a miracle instead of being able to save them. What's worse… last night was the second time Deku put himself in harm's way to save my life. Both times a Nomu almost killed him. He's my best friend and I couldn't," Ochako stopped herself from screaming. She took several calming breaths before continuing, "I want to be able to save people. I want to be able to protect my friends and… I never want to see Deku get hurt because I wasn't strong enough to protect myself or him. I need to get stronger, Miruko. I have to. If I'm not strong then I won't be able to do anything."
"Alright then," Miruko said. Clapping her hands together excitedly and a new smirk forming on her face, "If you want to get stronger, then that's what you'll get." She then deflated a little adding, "After I finish with all the paperwork, which will take me the rest of the day. But tomorrow you're coming with me. We'll still have two days to drill some techniques into you."
Ochako blinked and started to get excited, "Techniques? Like some of your techniques? Like some of your super moves maybe? Not more 'let's get you angry' lessons?"
Miruko laughed and slapped Ochako on the back, almost knocking her off the bed, "Ha! The fact you went a round with Stain tells me you got the whole mindset stuff down. Now we can work on making you a better fighter. You've put my biggest worry to bed, kid. Congrats." She paused and looked away thoughtfully, scratching her ear as she said, "Course you still have those distractions."
Miruko could feel Ochako's eyes on her and winced, "Okay, that might have been a bad choice of words there."
Ochako head titles to the side as she looked at Miruko quizzically, "What do you mean by 'distractions'?"
Miruko frowned before taking a breath, "Okay, Runt. Here's the deal. You want to protect your friends, right?"
"Yeah?"
"And in particular, that boy that got real messed up."
"Deku? Yeah, I want to protect him. He's my best friend. We… we started our journey to become heroes together."
"Is that a fact?" Miruko kept herself subdued as Ochako spoke and she listened.
"Yeah. We spent a year working together to pass U.A.'s entrance exam. We're both helping each other become the best heroes we can. We've even talked about teaming up in the future. We even came up with our own team name," Ochako was fidgeting with her fingers as she finished. A smile on her lips.
Miruko saw that and groaned to herself, "Okay. Runt, I'm going to offer you some advice. You're not going to take it, that much is painfully obvious, but I feel like I have a responsibility to tell you it regardless."
"Okay?"
"If it were me. If I were in your shoes right now. I'd cut them off. Especially that green kid and all these little ideas of getting stronger together and teaming up."
Ochako couldn't wrap her head around that. What Miruko had said was just too absurd to even understand. So she was left with only one response, "Huh?"
"I'm saying that if you want to get strong, if you want to protect your friends, provide for your family, all that stuff? You have to cut them out of your life. Being around people you care about will distract you and teams… either you're the stronger hero and you get held back by the weaker ones, or you're the weaker hero and then you're the one putting the stronger hero at risk."
Ochako shook her head, "No. No, that's all wrong. You're telling me to cut off everything that I'm fighting to get stronger for. My reasons. I'm getting stronger for them. Without them I… I wouldn't even be myself anymore. I can't do that. I won't."
"I know, Runt. I know. All I can tell you is what I'd be doing right now. I get that they're your source of strength. I just think you need to consider your options going forward and think about what's in your best interest. And thiers."
This was definitely advice Ochako couldn't see herself taking, but the more she thought about it, the more she thought about Miruko. And the reasons why she might be saying these things, "Do you have issues trusting other people? I don't understand why you would want to cut people off like this. Is this why you don't like teams?"
Miruko leaned forward and clasped her hands together. Her ears lowered and she spoke in a mellow, almost withdrawn and tired tone that was shocking to Ochako, "Depending on others is risky. I've learned to trust myself, and it's gotten me through a lot of shit. But besides that, even if the best case happens and you get on a team that isn't bound for failure that leads to another issue. You'll start forming bonds. Bonds with teammates, bonds with family, friends and lovers. As far as I'm concerned, this is potentially the worst thing a hero can have."
"Why? Why would that be so bad?"
"Because bonds break, Runt."
Ochako was off the bed in an instant so she could stand in front of Miruko, "No. I won't even consider that. My friends, my family would never do something like that. They'd never betray me."
"But they could die."
Ochako froze at Miruko's words.
"Or you could die," Miruko finished. She waited to let that sink in and the loss of color in Ochako's face let her know it had. "Runt, I'll let you in on a secret. Everything I do, from the way I travel the country, to not having an agency, to avoiding teams, living my life at a hundred miles per hour every single day. It's because I know that eventually, no matter how strong you are, how good you are, death comes for everyone."
Ochako fought back the images of Izuku's broken body. The feeling of terror when she pulled him out of the water and she couldn't feel a heartbeat.
"Even heroes aren't immune. In fact, I'd say we court death every single day."
Ochako could see Thirteen getting ripped apart by her own Quirk. Could see All Might's mutilated left side. The horrible scar that had robbed him of so much, "But… but heroes…"
"How many heroes can you name right now that lived long enough to retire?"
Ochako knew some. She knew there were old heroes. Izuku had shown her some. But at that moment, they all escaped her.
"Live every day like it could be your last and make sure when you're gone, you're not hurting anyone besides yourself. Life is cruel, Runt, there's no reason why your death should add to the suffering of others."
Miruko's advice was cruel. It was harsh, and it left Ochako feeling cold and empty. It was advice from a hero that was rising up through the ranks. A hero that had cut herself off from so much so she could keep moving forward without being slowed down. Ochako couldn't help but draw some similarities between Miruko and All Might. Their way of being a hero might work, but it just seemed so lonely and twisted.
As Ochako stood in front of Miruko and she thought about everything she had said, Ochako couldn't help but ask, "What about me? Doesn't you coming here and offering to keep training me fly in the face of everything you just said?"
Miruko laughed, her regular spirit returning as reached up and poked Ochako in the forehead, "I decided to train you on a whim, remember? And then you had to go and impress me. Maybe you're worth the risk, or maybe I'm just horrible at practicing what I preach. What's that saying? 'Do as I say and not as I do'." Ruffling Ochako's hair, Miruko stood back up, "Well anyway, you might be too tied up with your friends to be able to cut and run now. Hell, trying it at this point might do more damage than good."
"My friends are too important to me. I… I get what you were trying to tell me, but it's just not something I can do."
Miruko rubbed her chin as she looked at Ochako, a smug smile forming, "I suppose I should give you some kind of useful advice before I get out of here and finish the mountain of paperwork I left behind to come visit you. Hmmm." Ochako suddenly felt nervous as Miruko's eyes drilled into her. There was a dangerous twinkle in the hero's eyes, "Remember what I said about hesitating?"
"Yeah?"
"That doesn't have to just apply to your enemies."
"Eh?"
"Oh, and give my regards to that green kid you were glued to last night. I hear he's doing better. See you tomorrow, Runt."
"Oh, um, yeah," Ochako tried to think just what Miruko was talking about as the hero walked for the door. She felt that smug grin meant Miruko was trying to be clever, and it really worried her when Miruko got like that.
Just what else could she mean I shouldn't hesitate with besides enemies? What's the opposite of enemies? Friends? No, that doesn't work. Opposite of enemies...lov-! It then clicked that Miruko had brought up Izuku almost as an afterthought right after giving her that piece of advice, "MIRUKO! HOLD IT!"
Miruko was already gone when Ochako whirled around, laughing to herself as she heard Ochako scream after her, "Ha ha ha ha ha! Runt, you're too easy!"
Walking down the hallways, Miruko sighed as she thought back to what she had said to Ochako. After everything that had happened in that alleyway the night before, she had to admit to herself that Ochako had grown on her. Which she was sure was going to lead to all kinds of problems. God damnit, Rumi. Don't be going soft just because you like the kid.
Still, even after spending so much time on her own, doing her own thing... she didn't hate the idea that she had grown attached to someone. Though that didn't mean she wasn't going to make Ochako pay for it when she got her hands on her. If anything, her training was going to be even tougher now that she had an emotional investment.
"All Might."
All Might had been so focused on his upcoming visit with Recovery Girl and Izuku that he had not noticed that he had been followed down the hospital hallway. It was only when he was called out to that he finally turned to see who had been able to sneak up on him. A shameful moment quickly followed when he saw that it was Endeavor walking up to him.
How'd I miss him?
Smiling, All Might waved at the other hero, "Ah Endeavor. I supposed you're here to pick up Young Todoroki. I hear he was given a clean bill of health and cleared to be released this morning."
Actually, why is he wanting to talk to me at all? After the Hero Commission and Police forces decision to credit us with Stain's capture, I figured he wouldn't want to talk to anyone.
All Might noted that the permanent scowl the fire wielder always had was indeed darker and angerier. So the man was obviously in a worse mood than normal, which was saying something.
"Yes. Shouto will be leaving with me today. Though he has insisted he be allowed to talk with his friends before he goes. However, before that, we need to talk."
"About what?"
"The boy you've decided to take under your wing."
All Might's smile wavered, "Young Midoriya?"
"I'm surprised. I never took you for someone willing to take a realistic approach to your legacy like I did. But clearly your results have bore fruit as well."
My huh?
"Though the boy's mother didn't strike me as being powerful herself," Endeavor rubbed his chin in thought, "Knowing you, perhaps it was a whim of fancy and you didn't know what you were making."
Inko? Whim of fancy? Making? I am totally lost here.
"Still to find a woman with two unique Quirks like that to mix with. Lucky. But dangerous."
"Err, Mrs. Midoriya only possesses one Quirk. The one Young Midoriya has been using all this time."
Endeavor blinked, "But that fire?"
"To the best of my knowledge, the fire breath comes from his father."
Endeavor stared at All Might for a long time, "His...father."
"Yes?"
For the first time in his life, All Might watched as Endeavor, a man who always seemed angry, look completely flummoxed. It only lasted for a second, but it was a moment that All Might felt he should cherish. He doubted he'd ever see it again.
"Okay...Moving on. I wanted to talk to you about the boy's fire, anyway. The boy clearly lacks control. I imagine that's why he didn't use it in the Sports Festival. However, as his teacher and as someone that clearly has set his eye on him for training, you need to get it under control. I can tell that no work has been put into it. That kind of… irresponsibility is not acceptable."
"Endeavor," All Might cut in, "no work has been put into helping Young Midoriya master and protect himself from his Quirk because until that night he didn't have it."
"What?"
"This is the first time that Young Midoriya's fire breath has manifested. Up until now, he only had his Psychokinesis."
"How is that possible?"
"I'm on my way to speak with Recovery Girl on this very topic."
"I see… If this was his first time using his Quirk, then his lack of resistance to his own fire could make sense. And if he's already developed his Quirk factor to the state it's in now...it could also explain why his fire was so powerful its first time…"
All Might watched Endeavor closely as he chose his next words, "Endeavor. Why are you so interested in this?"
Something flashed in Endeavor's eyes before the man buried it just as quickly. Replacing it with a dangerous smirk that split his face, "I make it a point to find sidekicks with fire- and heat-based Quirks. Do you really think I'm going to pass on somebody with a power combo like that? However, since neither you or anyone else in the U.A. staff has a fire-based Quirk, I'll give you some advice. That boy's fire is powerful, but it's going to be a double edged sword. Unlike my Shouto who can use his ice to offset the downsides of his fire, that boy doesn't have that safety net. So that fire, if overused, will cause his own body to overheat. His body does seem to have some resilience to it or else his burns would have been closer to what that the Nomu suffered."
Endeavor paused and rubbed his chin in thought, "Thinking back, this might explain how he was able to take the hits from that explosion boy and Shouto and still win the Sports Festival. However, his resilience is still not strong enough to handle his own fire fully if he's going to use it like he did last night. Heat stroke and burns are still a major risk since he has no way to offset his power like my son does. I would advise that he gets a handle on it as quickly as possible. Learn to use smaller flames instead of going all in on one attack. Before… Before he causes himself too much damage. Any kind of lack of control can be fatal. If Shouto hadn't been there, odds are the boy would be dead."
"Thank you for your words of advice. I will be sure to bring them up when I consult with the staff and Recovery Girl over how to handle Young Midoriya's new power."
Endeavor's face remained neutral as he turned around to leave, "Just make sure you don't let that boy become damaged before I get ahold of him."
Recovery Girl glanced around the room. She had been able to secure a private room so that she, All Might, Gran Torino and Izuku could talk. "So, what do you want to start with?" Recovery Girl asked as she tapped a manila folder full of papers.
Izuku, Gran Torino and All Might all glanced at each other. When it looked like the two heroes were going to let him pick where this started, Izuku gulped and decided to get the more obvious question out of the way, "Why can I breathe fire now?"
"I have two theories, but unfortunately no solid answer."
"Wait, seriously?" Izuku didn't look convinced.
"Spontaneously developing a new Quirk isn't something that just happens, you know," Recovery Girl said as she took a seat.
"So this isn't a One for All thing?"
All Might and Gran Torino glanced at each other, "Kid, why would you think that? Just because you got One for All doesn't mean you're suddenly going to pop out a new Quirk. That's not how it works."
"And besides, don't you think I would have warned you if something like this was going to happen?"
Izuku shrugged, "I dunno. Maybe this was how previous One for All bearers got hazed by their predecessors."
All Might balked at the idea, "I would never do that."
"Nana would," Gran Torino said with a nod.
"I mean... probably, but I'm nice."
"Ahem!" Recover Girl cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention, "Considering One for All is a Quirk that stockpiles power from one person to the next and boosts the current holders own natural abilities, I think it's safe to assume that it's not the root cause of Midoriya's fire breath Quirk."
"So you think it's something else?" Izuku asked.
"Like I said, I have two theories as to what happened. The first relies on your Quirk being misdiagnosed as a child."
Izuku tilted his head to the side, "Huh?"
"How soon after you demonstrated your Quirk did you go see a doctor?"
Izuku scratched his head as he thought about that, "um, pretty much the very next day."
"And you only demonstrated being able to move things with your mind at that point correct? So the tests they ran were only based around that?"
"That's right."
"And growing up, your Psychokinesis was pretty weak, right?"
Izuku shifted in his chair, "I mean… Yeah."
"Because you were suppressing it."
"…I… how do you know that?"