"So, want to jump the wall now?" Ochako asked as they neared the school's front gate. Glancing around, Ochako hadn't noticed anyone guarding the wall but as they got closer to the entrance, the voices and lights of reporters became obvious.
Izuku frowned and picked up Eri and handed her to Ochako to float. "I guess we don't have a choice. Wanted to avoid that if possible."
Ochako eyed Eri and gave her a quiet 'shh' motion as she floated her. Eri covered her mouth, but the small giggles she always got when Ochako floated her still escaped. "What, you wanted to sneak into our school through the front door?"
"Kinda. Figured that was our best chance of not getting that wall deployed."
"We'd still be walking through the front door," Ochako countered as she floated herself and Izuku. "They'd know we were here. Kinda defeats the purpose of sneaking."
Going over the wall, Izuku looked behind him and waited a few breaths for alarms or the barrier to be deployed. Neither happened. "I never said we were planning on sneaking into the school. I just wanted to use a method that would cause the least amount of noise. No matter what we do, I bet they'd know we were here. Unless you got stealth training from Miruko?"
Ochako laughed. "That woman does not do stealth."
Feet back on the ground, the three made their way into the school, avoiding the main auditorium where the meeting was being held. Part of Izuku wanted to head there and plead Himiko's case from his point of view, but he doubted the word from just two students would do much. Walking down the empty halls, the three finally made it to Himiko's room
"Now, Eri," Izuku began before he knocked, "Toga has had a really… really bad day. So she might say some bad things."
"Potty mouth," Eri nodded seriously and put her hands over her ears.
"Good girl," Izuku smiled and ruffled her hair a bit. Raising his hand up, he got ready to knock, but the door suddenly opened before he could. Himiko sped out a few steps before screeching to a halt as she came face to face with Izuku.
"Da fuck? Izuku? Ochako? What the fuck are you…" Himiko's eyes then caught sight of Eri, with her hands still over her ears but smiling because she knew Himiko was saying the funny words. "The freak are you three doing here?"
"We were worried about you, Toga. We didn't want to—"
"Toga," Ochako cut in, "what's with the duffel bag?"
Himiko had been so up in Izuku's face he hadn't noticed her carrying anything. He watched as Himiko's eye darted to the side and frowned. So taking a step back, Izuku finally got a good look at her. Himiko was dressed, not in her U.A. school uniform, but in the old school uniform he had seen her in when they had first met a year ago. It was cleaned and mended but it was undoubtedly the same one. She had a large canvas bag over her shoulder, which she gripped tightly. "I'm leaving."
"Yeah, no."
"No chance."
Izuku and Ochako each grabbed onto one of Himiko's arms and pulled her back into her room, with Eri closing up the rear, still keeping her hands over her ears.
"Fu- freakin- FUCKING SHIT! Let me go! Let me go right now! Why the fuck are you two even here, and WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO SO STRONG?! Fucking hell!"
Lead back inside, Ochako grabbed ahold of the duffel bag and pulled it off Himiko's shoulder. Himiko snatched it back and the two had a brief tug of war with it until Ochako yanked it out of her hands before wrapping it under an arm. Keeping Himiko from getting it back.
"God damn you and your freakish muscles," Himiko grumbled while Ochako ignored her. "Why are you guys here?"
After he was sure Himiko wasn't going to bolt, Izuku let go of her arm, "because we're your friends and we were worried about you."
"Well, stop it. I'm fine."
"You were about to run away."
Himiko threw her hands up. 'What the hell am I supposed to do? The dream is dead. After a show like thatm there's no chance in hell I'm staying here."
Izuku shook his head, "Why? Because you're afraid that U.A. will kick you out?" When Himiko averted her gaze away, Izuku hit home, "Or you're worried you being here is going to cause U.A. trouble?"
"...Fuck you, Izuku." Himiko's words had no bite. They just sounded tired. "Fine. Yes, I'm leaving because this is the easiest thing for everyone. U.A. won't have a monster like me to constantly worry about and," Himiko looked at Izuku guiltily, "no one else will get hurt because of people I've wronged."
Ochako huffed. "And I thought it was just Deku that was the one that makes boneheaded decisions."
"Toga," Izuku cut off the snarl Himiko had ready for Ochako, "I don't blame you for what happened. The thing with Saito… wasn't your fault."
"Oh really? You really sure about that?"
"... It's not entirely your fault. Maybe you do have some responsibility because of what you did to him, but the way he reacted, the gas and the gun, that's not on you." Izuku corrected.
Himiko crossed her arms. "Okay, and whose fault is it then?"
"Saito… and the Hero Public Safety Commission… and maybe even U.A.," Izuku answered.
Himiko raised an eyebrow. Ochako then explained, "All Might… filled us in on some of the Saito stuff."
"...You guys are sweet. You really are, but let's face facts. This parent-teacher thing isn't going to win anyone over to my side. U.A. is going to have to kick me out, or else parents are going to pull their kids out. A school needs students. It doesn't need a recovering psychopath."
"You don't know that, Toga," Izuku countered, "I'm sure once they explain everything and they get the full story, they'll understand and everything will be fine."
Himiko looked at Izuku evenly. "Did you talk to your mother before she came here? Try to explain my situation?"
Izuku gulped, "I… I did."
"And how'd she take it? What did she say?"
"She… didn't say much of anything really. After I talked with her and when she left, she didn't say anything about it…"
Himiko narrowed her eye. "But? There's more, isn't there?"
Izuku hesitated at first, but the glare from Himiko forced him to be honest, "She looked angry."
Himiko sighed sadly, sitting down on her bed, "And there you have it. If Inko, probably one of the nicest people on this planet, is pissed at me, I'm doomed. Better to leave now and avoid making trouble for anyone."
Ochako shook her head, "We don't know how this is going to go. We're not giving up on you, so don't give up on the ones fighting for you."
Himiko hung her head, "I don't like relying on people. Not used to it."
"You look sad," Eri said as she looked up at Himiko, who was now sitting at the foot of her bed.
Himiko shrugged, groaning in annoyance as Ochako took her duffel bag and began to empty it. Proving she was not going to let Himiko make an easy escape. "It's been not a fun time for me, kid."
"Are you afraid of something?" Eri asked. Izuku and Ochako looked from Eri to Himiko, both eying them carefully. Scared wouldn't be one of the words they would have picked, but it was possible Eri saw something they didn't. Himiko, for her part, laughed roughly. "Well, aren't you observant?" And patted Eri's head.
Eri's eyes lit up. "Oh, I have an idea! Something that'll make you feel better in no time!"
"Oh?"
"Izuku does this whenever I have nightmares of the bad man." Himiko raised an eyebrow and looked at Izuku. The unasked question being 'who is she talking about?' Which made sense. Izuku and Ochako had never gone into the dark details about Eri. The line of thought was cut off though, when Eri went on, "All you have to do is sit in Izuku's lap, and you'll feel better in no time!"
Silence.
Then Ochako almost tripped and fell into the duffel bag she was carrying. Izuku went scarlet stammering and smoking. Himiko blinked, then started laughing like mad. All the while, Eri stood wondering why everyone was acting so strange. "What? Izuku gives me lots of hugs and pats my head after I have a nightmare."
While Himiko laughed and patted Eri's head, Izuku was hit with a thought. Looking at the two, it suddenly dawned on him that Himiko may be a potential source of information on the monster that had hurt Eri. He recalled her mentioning meeting several villains during her time with Stain. Could it be possible she might know something about a beaked villain that the police didn't? He's never gone into detail about any of this with his classmates. There just wasn't a good way to go into the dark parts of Eri's story with his classmates, but maybe he should talk to Himiko about it. Ask her if she maybe knew anything. Show her the pictures and talk about the horrible nightmares Eri sometimes has.
When this is over, Izuku thought. Trying that now just wasn't an option.
Himiko gave Eri a little smile. "You are just adorable, kid. Hugs and head pats don't sound like such a bad idea in times like these. But I'm a big girl, so that's kinda…" Himiko trailed off, not really sure how to explain this to Eri.
Izuku walked over to the bed, and while Himiko was focused on Eri, lifted up his hand and after a breath to steady himself for the intimate act he was about to do, put his hand on top of Himiko's head. Stroking her hair and giving her a soft head pat.
Himiko blinked, startled at the contact, and looked up at Izuku, but making sure she didn't move her head too much so that the hand stayed where it was. She saw Izuku, nervous and red, and smiled up at him, "You're a dork Izuku."
"I–I mean you said that…" Izuku stopped when Himiko lulled her head to the side and rested in Izuku's palm.
"My little dork."
Ochako snickered and with the duffel bag emptied, sat down next to Himiko, wrapping her in a hug. "His dorkiness has its advantages."
"Yeah."
For a few minutes, the four remained in silence, giving comfort to Himiko with just their presence. When Himiko patted the open spot on her bed, Izuku sat and put an arm around her.
"You two aren't going to let me leave. Are you?"
"Nope," was Izuku and Ochako's immediate response.
"You guys are hopelessly naive. You know that?"
"We just…" Ochako trailed off as she gave her words some thought, "we just have faith."
"In what?"
"You. The school. Our parents. We have faith that you're not going to have to leave. That, despite everything, it's going to be okay."
Himiko rolled her eye. "So naive."
Izuku shrugged, "Maybe we are. But you keep us in check as our hopeless pessimist."
Himiko didn't think she was a pessimist. She was simply realistic. She knew that one way or another she wasn't going to be at U.A. anymore. It's just the way things were going to go. If she left by herself, it would save a lot of people a lot of trouble. And once she was back on the streets, she could disappear. Ideally after she had found the League of Villains hideout and dealt with the threat to her friends. Either she lived and vanished into the darkness, or she would fail and die. Either way, she would be out of their lives and that was what counts. But now, wrapped up as she was, she didn't have the power to go through with it. So for now, she let herself share in their silly dream. A dream where everything would work out.
Knock
Knock
Knock
Izuku's head snapped up. The knocking at Himiko's door interrupted the quiet peace the four had. "Who's that?"
Ochako looked over at Himiko's alarm clock and frowned. "I dunno. The meeting should still be going on right now."
Izuku frowned. "Do you hear voices?"
Ochako leaned over, and nodded. "That sounds like a group maybe?"
Lazily Himiko sighed, "Here to take me away, probably. Or it's a mob that broke in," and then went back to patting Eri's head.
Izuku and Ochako got off the bed while Himiko looked at them. Amused at how serious they suddenly were. "What, you going to fight whoever's there?" Her amusement lowered when she saw how serious her two crushes were. "Hey, now hold on a second."
"Deku, stay by Toga. I'll check the door… Maybe find something heavy to throw in case I swing it open really fast."
Izuku's green glow spread over his body as he scanned the room for anything good. Eyeing a study desk that looked nice and solid. "Ready."
"Hey, wait a sec," Himiko tried to reason with the two, which on any other day would have been hilarious to her, "don't go doing something stupid."
Ochako was already heading for the door. Opening it a crack, she peeked outside. There were a few moments of quiet as she spoke to whoever was outside. Izuku couldn't hear what she was saying. Until she turned back to look at Izuku. "Um, Deku?"
"Yeah?"
"Who'd you say you sent that text to, saying we'd be here and that they should think about what they do going forward and all that jazz?"
"Um, just our group? Why?"
Ochako shook her head, "You sure about that?" Ochako then stepped back and opened the door. It wasn't some angry mob like Himiko had said. It also wasn't the members of their inner circle of friends.
It was the whole of their class. Everyone was now standing outside of Himiko's room. "Cause they say you texted everyone."
Izuku gasped, and dropped his Quirk while Eri smiled cheerfully from Himiko's lap, "Oh look! All your friends are here!"
"Wh-wha-what's going on?" Himiko stuttered as she looked at the huge collection in her front door.
Minoru poked his head through the group and pointed at Izuku, "You were glowing?! You were about to atta—"
"NERD! STOP FUCKING TEXTING ME!" Katsuki powered over Minoru.
Izuku blinked and rapidly pulled out his phone, "But I only messaged um…" Izuku froze when he gave the text he sent a careful look. The group he had selected hadn't only been 'Dekusquad' but 'Class 1-A.' "Oooh, I might have made a tiny mistake and texted the wrong group…"
"Text?" Himiko frowned, "What text?"
Mei, pushing through everyone and walking into Himiko's room laughing, "Don't worry, Midoriya. I'm sure one day you'll learn how to use a phone." Izuku was about to complain about that, but Mei was already past him and looking at Himiko, "Though why are you shocked, Toga? You got it too, right?"
"Ummm."
Tenya adjusted his glasses, "And why are you dressed in a school uniform that's not ours?"
More and more people began to file into Himiko's room while her head started to spin. Tsuyu noticed the empty duffel bag and a few opened drawers with clothes stuffed inside, "You weren't going to leave, were you, kero?"
Mina looked over some shoulders as she tried to get a better look at what people were talking about, "Wait, wasn't the meeting going on now dealing with that? Is it over already?"
More questions started to come from the class until Himiko leapt up onto her bed so she could get above everyone, wrapping an arm around Eri, who was still clinging to her, and held up a hand to get everyone to stop talking, "Excuse me, but what the fu…freaking hell is going on?"
"Did Bun-Head just sa—" Katsuki finally noticed Eri and ground his teeth. "Oh great."
"Midoriya sent out a text not too long ago. Explaining his position on you and what he felt we needed to do," Shouto explained, "hearing that it was originally just meant for us and not the whole class makes a lot more sense in hindsight."
"Okay, what text?"
Ochako handed Himiko her phone, "Thinking about it, I'm shocked you didn't see it either way, Toga."
"I turned my phone off and tossed it in my closet. They can track those things, you know." Himiko grumbled as she looked over the message.
Denki pointed at Himiko, "Wait, so you were running away? Are you allowed to do that?"
Kyouka sighed, "Of course she isn't."
Hitoshi looked at Izuku, who then explained, "She thinks tonight's outcome is already guaranteed in that she's getting kicked out. So she decided to leave and not cause anyone any trouble."
"Oh, well, that's pessimistic."
Izuku nodded, "That's what we said."
Himiko kept reading the message on the phone and started grinding her teeth, "Kid," Eri looked up, "ears." and promptly covered her ears.
"Izuku, you're fucking nuts, you know that? And this is coming from a psychopath!" Himiko began reading the highlights of the massive text Izuku had sent, "'Uraraka and I are going to go see Toga, and I think we as her friends all need to be there for her'? 'Things may be crazy right now, but we need to remember who Toga is. Not who she was'? 'What she's done for us, and who she has saved'? 'Remember that she is a vict…' Grrrr," Himiko growled at that part and moved on.
"'We need to be together on this'? 'Toga is one of us'? 'No one outside of our class should decide what happens to her'? 'I won't let anything bad happen to Toga'? Really? Wait? 'It's time to be heroes and save-' Fucking really, Izuku?! 'Uraraka and I won't-' Fuck, what are you going to do? Fight the whole damned school to keep me here?" She then turned to look at her classmates, "and wait, are you all here because of this? Are you all suddenly okay with everything?" Himiko tossed Ochako her phone back as she finished, exasperated.
"We started calling and texting each other after we got Midoriya's message," Eijirou explained, "I don't think we were all doing it as a big group. At least not at first. Close friends at first, I'd say."
Mezou continued, "But our class has a lot of circles, and they overlap. So when someone from both started talking, more people got brought in."
"And once we were all talking, we all started talking about what Midoriya had said. Pretty soon, it became obvious that none of us were comfortable just staying home while our parents and the school hash this out." Mina said, arms crossed.
"This isn't to say we're… completely comfortable or have come to terms with what we've learned about you Toga," Momo said. Rubbing her hands together nervously, "There are some of us that still… need time to come up with our own answers. We deserve the time to reach them, and you… as our classmate and… our friend deserve the chance to hear them."
"But we won't get the opportunity if you get kicked out," Denki finished, "So we decided to take a page out of Midoriya's book and be a little reckless."
"So we're here, kero. So that we can figure this out together, and find a way to keep moving forward. Because heroes… they don't quit even when things get hard. And I don't…" Tsuyu fidgeted around as she searched for the right words, "I don't want to give up on you. So don't give up on U.A."
Himiko's knee's wobbled as she lowered herself back onto her bed. Looking around herself and then over at Izuku and Ochako, "faith, huh?"
Izuku grinned happily, some tears leaking down his cheeks as he listened to everyone, and Ochako, who was bubbling with excitement, "Told you so."
Himiko looked back at her classmates, friends and then her eyes fell on Katsuki, who looked thoroughly done with the whole ordeal, "Baku Bitch? Did Izuku's words inspire you too?"
Katsuki snarled, and after seeing that Eri still had her ears covered, let loose, "Don't be fucking stupid, Bun Bitch! I don't want to deal with Deku being a moppy bitch if you get kicked out, and more importantly, I still need to get back at you for making me look like a fucking fool at the sports festival. And I don't want to have to go looking for your ass to do that! If you're here, you're an easy target."
Eijirou slapped Katsuki's shoulder, "See, he's worried about you!"
"Shitty hair, I swear to god, I'm going to destroy you! Don't go giving Bun Bitch the wrong… the fuck?" Katsuki trailed off when he turned back to look at Himiko, "are you fucking crying?"
Every head in the room turned to look at Himiko, who looked back at them in confusion, "Huh? Who's crying?" When she saw some of them point at her, she blinked and reached up to feel her cheek. Pulling her hand back, she saw her fingers were definitely wet, "Huh? That's really -hick-" Himiko's voice hiccuped, and she stopped to recollect herself, "Oh god, I'm actually crying."
Tsuyu knelt next to her and, taking a hanky handed to her, dabbed at Himiko's cheeks, "Are you alright?"
Himiko chuckled, "I think… I am…" She looked at everyone, then at Tsuyu, "Am I supposed to be?"
"I think so, kero."
While a few more of her classmates tried to reassure Himiko that things were going to be alright, Izuku stood off to the side, eyeing the alarm clock. Katsuki frowned watching him, "the fuck are you thinking?"
Izuku didn't react to Katsuki's question, not that Katsuki was too surprised. He had known Izuku long enough to see when the gears in his head were turning. And they were definitely whirling away.
"The parent-teacher conference should still be going on right now."
Katsuki huffed, "Probably. The old hag said to expect the thing to take a few hours. Why do you care?" He eyed Izuku carefully, "You're not going to be stupid enough to go crash the meeting are you?"
"No."
"Thank fucking go—"
"We are."
"... You wanna run that by me, you shitty nerd? What do you mean we?"
With eyes now on him, Izuku straightened himself up, and pulling from the courage he had when he gave his opening speech at the sports festival, he addressed his classmates, "I think we should go to the meeting and make sure the school and our parents know that we are not going to let anyone take Toga from us."
Ochako blinked, "Wait, you want us to march into that meeting and lay down the law about what's going to happen to Toga?"
"Yeah."
"...Sure, let's go."
YOU AGREED TOO FAST! Was the class's immediate reaction.
"Hold on, don't you think that's a little far? We could get in trouble, right?" Denki asked.
Hitoshi rubbed his chin, "Technically we all just snuck into school after hours. So we're already potentially going to be getting detention or something."
Denki and Minoru wept.
Tsuyu stood up, "In for a penny, in for a pound, kero."
Izuku nodded, "I meant when I said I didn't think anyone outside of our class should decide what happens to Toga. They need to know where we stand. Toga deserves a chance to be saved, and we aren't going to let them not understand that and ruin her chances." Izuku took a breath, "Heroes save people. If they support us becoming heroes, then they need to support our decision on who we save. And if we all go in there, they won't have any choice but to listen to us. This is the best chance we have to make sure Toga stays. With us." Looking at everyone, Izuku finally asked, "So? Who's coming with me?"
Faces hardened.
Eyes filled with resolve.
As one, everyone in the room came to a decision.
They were going to crash that meeting.
"Izuku," Himiko said in a whisper. Though she really didn't need to. After all, the parents were completely zeroed in on Inko as she tore into Himiko's parents. And they were on the other side of the room's closed doors. "Your mom kicks ass."
There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the class. Katsuki groaned and rubbed his brow, "I think she's been hanging around my old hag too much, god damn."
The group had arrived just as Inko had exploded, and now Izuku was a mix of so many emotions it had him in tears. Pride in what his mother had said in defense of Himiko. Shock at just how vicious she had been and a numbing horror that not only was his father involved in this meeting, but he and his mother had just openly discussed pulling him out of the school.
Ochako could tell that was weighing heavily on Izuku, but before she could say anything, they could hear Nezu say, "Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya. I suppose unless anyone would like to add something beforehand, we will get started."
Pushing his worries aside and fixating on what they came here to do before they had been stopped in place by his mother's explosive rant, Izuku pushed open the doors and the group walked in, "Excuse me, but we would like to say something." Heads turned as parents and teachers looked to see who had interrupted the meeting. To say there were some shocked reactions would be an understatement as Izuku led the way into the room, flanked by Ochako and the rest of the class.
"M-momo?"
"Mashirao? What?"
"Tooru? I see you, what are you doing?"
"Sparkly Snuffelupagus?!"
The class came to a grinding halt at that last name. They all looked around at each other before Denki covered his face and groaned loudly, "Moooooooom! No!"
Mina did her best not to laugh. "Okay, gonna use that later."
Katsuki nodded, "Fucking damn right."
Aizawa rubbed his brow as he stood up. "And just what are you all doing here? This is a parent-teacher meeting."
From the pack came an answer, "I think they're here because they're almost as crazy as me." Himiko, still carrying Eri, walked past her classmates and stood next to Izuku. "If they were sane, they'd have just let you all kick me out."
A few alarmed voices and startled eeps echoed in the room as the parents saw Himiko. Inko stiffened but kept her peace. Seeing Eri in Himiko's arms, she wondered if that was on purpose. It's not like Izuku or Ochako couldn't carry her.
"Everyone's here because…" Izuku steadied himself. "I contacted everyone. Because I told them I was going to be here."
Aizawa looked at Izuku. "To do what? You came in saying you had something to say."
"We…" Izuku looked at everyone and reached for the courage he needed, "We are here to tell you, that 1-A will not accept any outcome from this meeting that removes Toga from our class."
That got some reactions. Parents began questioning their children. Wondering what exactly that meant. All Might stood up and spoke over everyone, but he didn't have to raise his voice. "Young Midoriya, you're going to need to explain that."
"There's nothing to explain. Toga stays. End of discussion."
"You are students—" Aizawa began, but Izuku didn't let him finish.
"We are 1-A. We survived the League of Villains together. We're not just classmates. We're… something more now. There are some of us that would be dead if it wasn't for Toga. Myself, Uraraka, and Tsu. If Toga wasn't there at the USJ, we would be dead."
Tsuyu stepped up. "Toga is my friend, and I owe her my life. I'm not going to abandon her now."
Tenya nodded as he added, "In Hosu City, to save my life, Toga suffered horrendous injuries that almost cost her hers."
"You all came here to talk about her, to learn what is going on, and to decide what you were going to do going forward." Izuku straightened up. "But that decision is made. She stays. That is our decision. Not yours."
More murmurs from the parents. Endeavor, now standing, is looking at the group with a calculating, if harsh, eye. Inko, a raging torrent before, now looked like she was ready to faint and fall out of her chair, only being held up by the combined effort of the Bakugous and Urarakas. Hisashi is looking at his son, front and center of the class as they stare down parents and pro heroes alike, and he isn't sure what to make of it. The only conclusion he was able to come to and express was that his son was now leading the class in this revolt, revolution? None of those words had the right ring to them, but they seemed close. It was obvious that this was not some plot by the teachers, as they were also taken aback.
At least most of them were.
Nezu stood watching the scene unfold, and while everyone else was in shock, he was as calm as ever. "Midoriya, I would like you to clarify something for me. Are you speaking for just yourself? Or are you indeed speaking for your whole class?"
Tenya and Momo each stepped forward, "With respect, Principal Nezu, we would like to answer that."
Momo put on her best air of elegance and responsibility, "As the class Vice Representative and Representative of 1-A, we can confirm that Midoriya speaks for all of us. We wouldn't be here if not for his initiative. And we wouldn't be here if we didn't fully support and believe in the message he brought."
"Tenya?"
Tenya looked up to see his mother standing amongst the parents. "I can understand your desire to want to protect your own, but the things this child has done. They are things that can not be overlooked."
"Mother, none of us are overlooking anything. There are those of us that still are struggling to come to terms with the news. However, after Principal Nezu talked to us, and explained everything, we feel that in this at least, we are united and are in the right."
"In the right?" Hisashi's voice carried over everyone, and Izuku did his best not to tense up. "Izuku, if you are speaking for your class, explain that."
"Heroes save people," was Izuku's immediate response. "U.A. took Toga in because it was the best chance they had to save her."
"Save her? From what? By all accounts, she was dangerous…" Hisashi paused, "… formidable and self-reliant. What was a threat to her?"
"Herself. And if U.A. Is going to try and save her, then we are too. We won't abandon her."
Endeavor frowned. "I would tread carefully, boy. All of you. Your heads are filled with such lofty ideals you're floating, but you need to come back down with the rest of us. You are setting yourselves up for a harsh lesson. Because despite what happens here, if the Hero Public Safety Commission decides to put a stop to whatever U.A. has planned, that is the end of it. You do not want to put yourselves in a situation where you stand against them. You'll lose."
Some parents were disturbed to see more than a few faces of the children harden at that.
Shouto looked at his father and echoed back, "'Whatever U.A. has planned?'" and then began to notice some confused looks from the parents. He turned to Nezu. "Sir, have you had a chance to tell them about Toga yet?"
Nezu shook his head, "Not yet. Some in attendance felt the need to… air some grievances first."
"Then perhaps we should allow this meeting to get underway," Shouto said while putting his hand on Izuku's shoulder, "we came to say what we wanted to. No need to prolong it and risk our message getting muddled with arguments."
Izuku nodded, and the class began to back away. But for a moment, Izuku paused and looked back at the screen of his father, "Father."
"Yes?"
"I am responsible for my own actions. And the consequences. Not anyone else."
Hisashi raised an eyebrow, a strange look on his face as he regarded his son. "Some of the consequences are going to stay with you. You're fine with that?"
Izuku unconsciously scratched his head, wondering if his father was talking about the cerebral scarring he now had, "I wouldn't say fine, but it's my responsibility nonetheless."
Hisashi nodded and took the cigarette he had been flipping through his fingers and put it in his mouth. There was a pause as he listened and thought about things. Then with a puff, he lit it and took a small drag, "That's very grown up of you, son. You, me… and your mother are going to need to have… some talks soon. But not now. Go with your friends and let us hear what U.A. has to say."
"—live with our panel's reaction to the official statement released by U.A. just moments ago."
The news broadcaster turned to her colleagues, "Now, for a while, the one thing we all agreed on was the oddity that U.A. hadn't released a statement. In fact, it was radio silence from the school the whole day, except when they requested the parents of the class that Toga Himiko was enrolled in. Even after the meeting was concluded, well into the late night, none of the parents seemed willing to give a statement and deferred to U.A."
"The students of the class were also there as well," another panelist added. "Though from what we gathered, they did not participate in the meeting. They, at the time, did not give any statements either. But now that U.A. has released their comment, we can see why."
"They made their stance very clear with those recordings U.A. released as part of their stance." The other panelist shook his head, "Each and every one standing by U.A.'s stance."
"And apparently the parents as well."
"So what do you all make of it? This whole situation?"
"It's an… interesting one. If the allegations against the Togas is true on top of the girl's Quirk, then the judgment of 'not criminally responsible' makes more sense."
"It's still a stretch."
"Oh, of course. But it's still reasonable."
"Which plays into their actions."
"The 'saving her' angle."
"Yes, that's… using a hero school for villain save her life and stop her from becoming a villain by making her a hero. That's a new one. Are they going to start bringing in more? Perhaps an exchange program with Tartarus?"
"I think that's beyond their goal. This child, and let's not forget she is a minor, was at the tipping point. To prevent her from fully falling, U.A. acted."
"Let's not gloss over the Stain connection."
"Yes, yes, that's a big part of this. She had details and information to bargain with."
"Shortly after U.A.'s statement, the hero Ingenium released a statement as well from his family home. It appears he and the whole Iida family have put their support behind U.A.'s actions. Considering he was the last hero to fall victim to Stain… I'd say that carries some weight in the court of public opinion."
"The Hero Public Safety Commission also pledged their support to U.A. as well."
"All in all, the tide seems to be moving in U.A.'s favor now. Recent polls show a much more even split in regards to this. A drastic shift from yesterday."
"So, it seems that for now at least, Toga Himiko will remain at U.A."
"I have to ask you all, what about the boy Saito? What are your thoughts on how he's being handled?"
"Oof, that's a tricky one. Full disclosure, we had a few reporters on the scene yesterday, and they were the two that got hit by that gas Quirk of his. They are recovering, thankfully."
"Yes, thankfully. But Saito. Let's not beat around the bush here, assault with a Quirk and a firearm. These are serious charges."
"Not to mention he has been listed as the prime suspect in the release of the documents pertaining to Toga Himiko when they were accidentally released. And has been charged with contempt of court for apparently breaking a court gag order."
"All of this, and he's been released to his parents and put under house arrest. Some would call that a light punishment."
"Technically, he hasn't been punished. He's being held by his parents until he is fully charged and tried. Though, it seems U.A. Is pushing for leniency. Given how they are handling Toga, I suppose that makes sense."
"So, going forward, what do you think will happen next? I hear there is a top-level meeting between U.A. and the Commission taking place in a few days. I wonder what they will—"
"Tea?"
Nezu politely shook his head, "Another time perhaps. I feel neither of us has time for pleasantries, Madam President."
The President of the Hero Public Safety Commission nodded in agreement from behind her desk, "You are right about that. A trying time these past few days have been."
"Very, but it seems things have begun to change."
The President hummed, "If only just barely. Public opinion is a tricky thing; It can turn on you in an instant or take forever for something to change."
"Perhaps. At the very least, the opinion from the student body, their parents, and the numerous companies and sponsors seem to be falling behind us. A few still have reservations, but I feel it will only be a few days before things go back to normal."
"Relatively speaking. Our organizations will be forced to face some unfortunate scrutiny for some time I fear. We will need to make sure we put our best foot forward for the time being."
"Of course," Nezu agreed.
"Things will also be tough for Toga as well. With the school and effectively everyone else knowing about her, I worry her exemplary progress will grind to a halt. She has friends looking out for her, but that can only go so far. I can't imagine the added stress being in that environment is going to lead to."
Nezu smiled politely, "I have the utmost faith in Toga to continue with her rehabilitation. I admit if things hadn't turned out like they had during my meeting with the families, then perhaps I would be a tad more worried."
"The parents' support was that important, huh?"
There was a mischievous twinkle in Nezu's eyes, "something like that."
"Still, while we have agreed to stay the course with her, I feel it is important to bring up our offer again. Having her brought to our facilities to continue her treatments and training may help ensure a more stable environment."
"I fear Toga may chafe under your more… stable hand. I don't think you'll find her as moldable and compliant a charge as say Hawks was in his youth."
There were a few moments of silence between the two. The unsaid message was clear, Himiko was not going to be a Hawks Jr. for the commission. So don't ask again.
"On a semi-unrelated matter, I admit I'm a little curious about something."
"And what would that be, Principal?"
"The unusual questions my staff were asked during that horrific morning."
The President smiled. "Oh, you mean that conspiracy nut and her idea that our organizations were training spies and killers?"
"That's correct. Highly unusual line of questioning, even when you consider Toga's involvement."
"Unfortunately, there are people that distrust any government organization and look for any crack or story to prove their wild theories."
"Very true. But to bring up Nagant. I wonder why?"
The Principal tapped lightly on her desk, "For a while, she was a star for us. But her crimes required the swiftest punishment. It was a dark time for us, to have our trust shattered like that."
"Hmm, very true. It's not often we have to deal with a hero who snaps like that. And to murder one of our own, truly unthinkable. And yet, I still find my curiosity peaked. I may invite that reporter back, and see how she might respond to some questions of mine."
"Impossible, I'm afraid."
"Oh?"
"You aren't the only one that wanted to question her. I was also curious about her."
"So she's in your custody?"
"She's dead." Nezu blinked while the President clarified, "After the incident, she and her camera crew were involved in an accident. Their car crashed off an overpass. The thing burned to a crisp before rescue attempts could even be attempted. Not much was left beside twisted metal and very charred remains."
Nezu rubbed his paws together, "What a shame. I hope no one else was hurt."
"Fortunately not. No one else was involved."
"Then we should be thankful for that."
"Yes."
"… if you don't mind me asking, where was Hawks during this?"
The President eyed Nezu, but kept her polite smile. "Dealing with an armed robbery on the other side of the county. I believe there was a story about it, but it was probably drowned by everything else."
"I see. I suppose the only thing left is to discuss what to do with Saito and his family."
"Our team should be coming to their home shortly to discuss their options."
"And what exactly are those options, madam?"
"Limited," she replied curtly. "We have records of Saito contacting news agencies and his IP recorded on the courts servers."
"I was under the impression there were no records kept during the… glitch."
"There aren't, but he was on the server multiple times before the upgrade. It seems he guessed a password and was able to gain access."
"It wasn't—"
"It was 'password1234.'"
Nezu groaned.
"With this evidence, it's clear Saito is directly involved if not the mastermind behind the events. If we get a confession, I will work to ensure he is given as much mercy as I can. If he doesn't… then he is at the mercy of the courts."
Ring
Ring
Ring
"Excuse me one moment. I think that is my team now."
The President picked up her phone. "Yes? Hawks? Yes, I can… what? What do you mean? Rotting smell? Wait? How?!"
Nezu watched as the woman's features turned pale, "Madam President?"
The President put her hand over the phone's receiver, her face hardening like a woman getting ready for a day of dealing with a new set of horrific stresses. "My team just arrived… the family is..."
"As we get this meeting underway, I want to make something clear, Mr. Midoriya."
Hisashi jumped in his seat as Rikiya addressed his computer screen, "S-Sir?"
"You are here as a privilege. I see potential in you and think giving you a closer look at how things run would be to your benefit. Sitting in on these kinds of meetings is only one part of that process. And now, especially since you and I will be working with your son when you return from overseas, we need to make sure you are aware of how we will act going forward. I will even commend your performance during the parent-teacher meeting the other night. While things did not quite go as we would have liked, you listened to the advice of the speech coaches on hand very well, and I believe you came off as a concerned and justifiably angry parent. Your interactions with your wife and son were respectable, and I believe you have begun to repair the damaged relationships."
Hisashi bowed, "Thank you, sir."
"However, your actions the morning of the incident were inexcusable. I will not tolerate such disrespect towards a commander again. And make no mistake, Kizuki is still your commander, and you will show her the proper respect from here on out."
Hisashi was very aware of the nasty look Chitose was shooting at him from her seat in the meeting room. When her plan had gone to hell and Rikiya had called her, Hisashi had also been on the line as the two had been discussing final travel arrangements. The reprimand Hisashi had gotten for raising his voice at Chitose, he was sure had taken years off his life, "I understand completely, sir. I again offer my fullest and most sincere apologies for my actions."
"Good. Now, let us move to the task at hand. Kizuki," Rikiya and the commanders turned to face Chitose, "what happened?"
It had taken a few days for everyone to gather. During that time, Chitose had been placed under house arrest. Forced to stay in Deika's central tower and wait. During that time she had spent a lot of time thinking. Figuring out what had gone wrong.
"I underestimated just how far gone Saito was and just how much Izuku knew. Saito was supposed to play the role of the victim. Righteously angry but ultimately powerless to do anything. The media loves a good victim, and that was supposed to be his role. By using him, Toga, and the leaked documents to expose U.A. and the Hero Public Safety Commission for harboring such a violent criminal for their own ends and threatening the victims of the villain, the public's trust would be shaken and open to the truth about Lady Nagant." Chitose glanced at Hisashi and was almost disappointed he was keeping silent like Rikiya wanted. "While only a fringe few have even heard the rumor that Lady Nagant was the heroes' personal assassin, if more began to question, if it became public knowledge, then the foundations of this country would begin to crack. That the very rumors are true would only lead to a more disastrous outcome for the heroes."
"So," Geten asked, leaning forward, glaring at Chitose from behind his winter coat hood, "your goal wasn't to tear down U.A.?"
"No. I am very aware of our leaders' plans for the school and the young man enrolled. Izuku and the school were only a means to a greater end."
"But why use the boy to begin with?" Kuokuu asked, looking at her over his purple glasses.
"The extent was only to use his connection to Toga. Fake his number to get her out in the open. That the two ran into each other was an… unfortunate turn of events. But at the time, I had hope that it would in fact turn out for the best. He would get a first-hand look at the horrors his school was hiding."
"But why the boy? You could have used any of her friends' numbers?"
"She's in love with him. It guaranteed that she would rush outside, no questions asked."
"In love? How would you know that?"
Chitose, despite her situation, looked over at Hisashi and the way his brow was scrunched together and smirked. "Watch the sports festival when she's near him. The way she looks at him. How she touches him. It's as clear as day."
Rikiya sighed as he leaned forward. "But nothing went to plan."
"It was going just fine, but there were signs that things were not… right. The way Izuku was reacting to the news wasn't how I expected at all. He wasn't horrified in the slightest. He took everything in stride… no, not only that, he had a counter for all of Saito's claims. A reason for them." Chitose looked at Re-Destro, then at Hisashi, "Izuku knew about Toga. He knew everything. And Izuku, knowing everything and still choosing to defend his friend, meant that Saito didn't find the ally he was looking for or expecting. Once that happened, his spiral began. His hate kept getting pushed back and he fed on it, so it kept growing and growing until the heroes came and restrained him. At that point, he snapped and… disaster."
Tomoyasu shook his head which was almost enough to move his long black bangs out from his eyes. "Unfortunately, it seems like the whole enterprise ended up not having the effect you were hoping for. Once Saito attacked, no one cared about a random reporter asking fridge conspiracy questions. They were focused squarely on U.A., Toga, and the heroes. Perhaps things could be salvaged, at least I hoped that the first day, until U.A. finally released their statement. Once that came out, and the fact they were trying to save this girl was the given reason for their actions, the tide turned, and your movement died."
Geten stopped fiddling with his gloves to look up, "Surely some minds must have been turned?"
"It doesn't seem like it. True, some of the less vocal conspiracy movements got more vocal. But when nutjobs get loud, people stop listening."
"Hmm," Rikiya tapped the table, some black blotches dancing over his skin, "looking at everything, it's clear this was a well-intentioned but ultimately flawed endeavor. Going forward, any plans that involve the school, or in particular young Midoriya Izuku, are to be vetted through me. However, until I give the word, the only plans dealing with him will be my own. Understood?"
Calls of affirmation echoed in the room.
"Good. Now onto the more pressing issue; Making sure this isn't traced back to us. What are the risks?"
Chitose nodded, "I ensured that my reporter and her crew met an… untimely accident. All that's left are charred bones too damaged to do anything with."
Tomoyasu's fingers subconsciously trembled as if he was typing on his notebook, "I've made sure all records of our communication with the family have been erased. I've also made sure that Saito's IP is traced to all the anonymous calls to the reporters. The blame is squarely on him."
"Ah," Rikiya added, "but they've met dear Kizuki. How do we fix that?"
"Easily. We have records and witnesses that put Kizuki on a cruise off the coast for the past week. It would be impossible for the family to have met an executive director of Shoowaysha Publishing."
Chitose chimed in, "I've also had Slidin' Go keeping an eye on the family when the boy was returned. They're still in crisis mode over everything to try and connect anything to me. And with the Hero Public Safety Commission coming down of them, following the crumbs we left for Saito, I don't think we have anything to—"
Knock
Knock
Knock
knock
Rapid knocks hammered at the meeting room door. Rikiya tapped on his desk harder, and more black spread over his skin, "Is it impossible to have a private meeting anymore?" Pressing a button, the door opened, and a desperate female reporter wearing a navy blazer stumbled into the room.
Geten tilted his head to the side, "Isn't she supposed to be dead?"
"She's about to be."
"Madam Kizuki! Sirs!"
Chitose was out of her seat and stormed towards the reporter, "Do you have any idea what you are doing?! This is a meeting between the—"
"The family is dead!"
"Huh, well that's that loose end tied up," Kuokuu said with a snark.
Rikiya cleared his throat. "Take a breath, and then explain."
The reporter froze on the spot. The look in Rikiya's eyes made it pretty clear that she had better make this good, or she was actually going to die this time. "Y-yes sir! I just received a call from Slidin' Go. The Commission and their lackey Hawks just arrived at the house. According to Slidin' Go, when they knocked, Hawks reported an unusual smell. Determining something was amiss, he entered the building. He found the parents dead. Supposedly, it looked like they had been rotting for some time."
Head turned and collectively the leaders of the Meta Liberation Army began to think. Rikiya leaned forward, "Rotting, you say? But the boy was only just returned to his parents a day or so ago, correct?"
Tomoyasu nodded, "That's correct, sir. That's not enough time for a corpse to start to rot."
"Slidin' Go said that Hawk's exact words were, 'the bodies are decaying.'"
Despite being ordered to stay silent, Hisashi couldn't stop the name from escaping his lips, "Shigaraki."
The name floated in the air while the leaders sat and let that soak in.
The reporter nodded, "Yes, the heroes came to the same conclusion."
Chitose rubbed her chin, despite the trouble she was in, her own natural curiosity was peaked, "Why would Shigaraki kill them, though? What could the League of Villains want?"
"He wants my son."
The heads turned to look at Hisashi, who gulped and immediately clamped up until Rikiya motioned for him to continue. "Speak, Midoriya. I'm interested to hear what youthink is the reason behind this."
"M-my son had a direct confrontation with the leader of the League. If the police reports from the incident are accurate, my son threw himself at Shigaraki when he was attacking All Might. The reports describe Shigaraki as a man-child. Children hold grudges. Then last week, a Nomu tried to kidnap my son. I don't imagine that's a coincidence. My son was hurt, and there was chaos because of Stain and the Nomu attack so it was probably an attempt of convenience, but it was still tried. So when Saito attacked my son on live TV, perhaps Shigaraki didn't like the idea of someone getting to my son before him. And killed them in retaliation."
Rikiya rubbed his chin, "My thoughts exactly, Midoriya. There are people in this world that don't just want someone to die, they want to be the one to kill that person. And if someone tries to take their prey, they have to die first. This Shigaraki is immature and lashing out like a toddler throwing a tantrum. The attack on Hosu City proves it. It makes perfect sense that is why this poor family was killed."
The reporter shifted from one foot to another nervously, "Um, sir, I think I need to make one thing more clear."
"Oh?"
"The parents were left rotting and decayed. But the boy, Saito. Well…"
After a few hours, Saito finally stopped throwing himself against his locked door. His knuckles, cut and bleeding from bashing them against the wood and the walls. His screams and rage, ignored by his parents that were upset that he had cost them their twelve pieces of silver. He hated them. Hated how they had turned on him. Like how the heroes had turned on him. The world was sick, and he was suffering because of it.
Himiko was protected.
Himiko was being saved.
Himiko was adored.
Himiko was going to be a hero.
And what about him?
Hated.
Ridiculed.
Blamed.
Arrested.
Threatened.
Lied to.
Abandoned.
Chitose hadn't contacted him like she had promised. When he had tried to call her, the line was blocked. She had used him and thrown him away.
With a scream, Saito slammed his fist into another part of his wall, opening a new hole in the drywall and a new cut on his hand. Pulling out his laptop that his idiot parents had let run out of power, forcing him to wait for his battery to charge up so he could use it, he almost laughed. He had been warned to stay off the Internet and message boards. His internet was cut off.
With a few keystrokes he connected his laptop to his phone and with a VPN was back online.
Stupid heroes. They can't silence me.
But as Saito scanned his message boards, his anger grew more and more. Friend after friend, chatroom after chatroom, he found himself blocked. Blocked from everything. The more he scrolled the more the rage built up. He was close to snapping his laptop in half when he saw a little notification pop up. One friend was still there. One person hadn't abandoned him
LizardKing.
The person he had met in the Stain underground forums. The two had started chatting and had immediately hit it off. LizardKing understood him. Understood that the heroes of this world were failures.
Fakes.
Opening the message, Saito blinked at the message.
LizardKing: Are you still there?
Saito checked the date. It was a day old. But LizardKing's profile had him online. So he immediately sent a reply.
Mustard: I'm here.
LizardKing: I saw you on the news.
LizardKing: You were brave to face them.
LizardKing: But foolish to try alone.
Mustard: I thought I had friends. They abandoned me.
LizardKing: Too many fakes in this world. Heroes aren't the only ones.
LizardKing: But you don't have to be alone.
LizardKing: You have allies.
LizardKing: We stand against this world.
LizardKing: Do you want to meet?
Saito blinked. That LizardKing still had his back was a welcome relief. And the idea of others, of allies, was like a lifeline being thrown. But there was a catch, he was locked away in his home, and he was pretty sure there were heroes coming to see him today.
Mustard: Heroes are coming to see me today.
Mustard: It's not safe. I'm locked up at home.
Mustard: Locked in my own room by my parents.
LizardKing: Do you want to meet? We can save you.
Save me?
Saito's hands shook as he typed out his reply.
Mustard: Yes.
Almost instantly after Saito pressed send, the air behind him twisted and turned black, and from the darkness, a man walked through. Covered in severed hands. Saito looked up at him as he looked down at him. "So you're the kid that tried to take on U.A. The name's Shigaraki. Leader of the League of Villains, and a huge fan. So what do you say, want to join me and kill some heroes?"