Chapter Twenty Seven: Ties
The next morning for Izuku, his third day with the League of Villains, marked several firsts for the teenager.
The first noticeable difference was the fact that he was not alone in bed when he woke up. Now normally this would not be unusual because Eri liked to cuddle- but Eri was also not almost as tall as him and she certainly did not have the…things pressing against his arm.
Izuku blinked his eyes wide open and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds as he tried to figure out what was on top of him. He quickly identified the object as some living thing due to the steady breathing, but couldn't understand why it was so…warm and smooth.
Slowly, his eyes slid down and he reddened immediately.
It was Himiko- of course it was Himiko, who the hell else?- and she had apparently decided not only to crash in his room, but to cuddle up practically on top of him under the blankets. She was still asleep and had her face smushed up against his shoulder, mouth open and the slightest bit of drool leaving the corner of her lips.
For once, she'd undone the buns on the side of her head and let her hair down. With her blonde hair splayed out in a mess over her face and his shoulder, Izuku gulped. Sh-she's cute. No, no, no, I can't think that! She's a villain! Well, I want to help her, but still…
She twitched slightly and rubbed her face against his bare shoulder, making a soft noise in the back of her throat. Izuku felt his whole body getting warmer. Dammit, she's cute! Can't she at least look like a villain?! Also, why the hell is she in my bed like this?!
"U-Um…" Izuku swallowed hard. "H-Himiko, c-can you wake up?"
The girl's nose scrunched up in a frown and her eyes opened into lazy slits "…huwah…"
"Pl-please, do you mind getting off of me?" He asked politely, praying she wouldn't notice his…teenager hormones getting the better of him. That would just be fun to deal with first thing in the morning.
Himiko whined, but then pulled away from him and lay on her belly, stretching her arms out in front of her and yawning like a cat. She slowly lifted herself to sit up and the covers fell away from her. She blinked at Izuku sleepily and he was ashamed to admit that, with her hair down in a messy sprawl around her face and those big, half-awake amber eyes, she'd officially gone from being cute to straight beautiful. "Morning…"
Izuku's eyes trailed down from her face for a moment. His vision was met by bare skin. A lot of it. Most of it, in fact, seeing as Himiko had apparently decided to crash in just her underwear.
He actually exploded.
"AAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Himiko plugged her ears with her fingers and whined. "You're loud…"
"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NAKED?!" He screamed, pulled away from her and practically buried his face into his pillow to hide himself. The fabric legitimately started smoking from the sheer heat he was producing.
"Why…lemme think for a sec…" She yawned again and looked down at her mostly bare body, unashamed as she took her time to recall the night before. "Oh, right. You passed out from blood loss at some point and I was too lazy to go back to my room, so I decided to sleep here."
"THAT DOESN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION!"
"I always sleep like this," Himiko seemed to be dozing in and out of consciousness. "It's comfy. Also, your body is really warm, so trying to sleep in clothes would've been too hot."
Izuku had a full body blush all the way down to his soul. What in the hell was with this girl?! Was he even a virgin anymore?! Would Katsuki murder him if he found out about this?!
Trying to force down his embarrassment, he took a deep breath. "Can you please put some clothes on?"
"Uh-huh."
He heard the rustle of clothing and did his best not to let his imagination wander. Fuck, what was he even supposed to think now that he'd seen her like that?!
"Okay, I'm dressed."
Izuku groaned and sat up. "If you decide to stay in my room you could at least- AHHH!"
He immediately threw his head back into the pillow, the blush returning tenfold. Himiko's version of being "dressed" apparently amounted to just putting on one of his shirts and leaving it at that. She'd had her back turned to him and now he had another new visual to drive his teenage mind absolutely insane.
"THAT DOESN'T COUNT AS BEING DRESSED!"
"It's the same amount of clothing you have on," she yawned again, walking over to his bed and leaning over to poke the back of his neck. "I don't know what you're freaking out about. You act like you've never seen a girl naked before, Izu."
"Why the hell would I have?!"
"You're a boy, duh. Don't you guys look up stuff like that?"
"I-I don't…"
Himiko raised an eyebrow and then grinned mischievously. Her fingers trailed down the back of his neck in a way that made him shiver. "Ohh, you're that kind of innocent…I found out something fun~"
"Can you pick a personality already?! Are you a serial killer, a high schooler, or an exhibitionist?!"
"All three!"
"Himiko, PLEASE just get dressed!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP!"
Izuku felt utter annoyance go through him as he heard Tomura's voice yelling from somewhere and sat back up in an instant to yell back. "FUCK YOU!"
"Wow, Izu! So direct!"
"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEAN!"
"IF I HAVE TO GET UP, YOU ARE BOTH GONNA DIE!"
"IT'S TOO EARLY FOR THIS!" Magne snapped.
"STOP YELLING!" Spinner roared.
"STAB YOURSELF!" Tomura retorted.
"YOU STAB ME!" That was Twice.
"Can I stab him?" Himiko asked curiously.
"You can't stab him!" Izuku told her, blushing furiously as his eyes found her terribly attractive figure leaning over in his shirt once again. She grinned at his obvious embarrassment and stuck her tongue out teasingly.
Izuku just wanted to die.
He wasn't even sure what the hell was going on in this damn place anymore.
Apparently, Kurogiri was off running errands or something like that, so Izuku came into the bar to find the other villains sitting about the place doing their own unique morning rituals- Spinner was sharpening his blades, Magne was reading a newspaper, Tomura was half-slumped on the bar, and Dabi looked wide awake, but bored out of his mind. Twice seemed to be sleeping in again and he wasn't quite sure where Compress was.
For a moment, Izuku was tempted by the idea of escape seeing as Kurogiri wasn't there to warp him back if he made the bar explode, but even without Kurogiri around…there were still five or six villains present. Dabi he could handle and Izuku thought Himiko might be more inclined to help him…but he didn't know anything about Magne or Spinner's Quirks and there was every possibility that Twice and Compress were nearby, the latter of which had kept his Quirk hidden from Izuku so far.
He needed more data to take advantage of a situation like this effectively. Even so, he made note that Kurogiri appeared to leave in the mornings at times and that Twice's sleeping habits seemed to be consistent.
Himiko wandered into the room behind Izuku, her hair back up and wearing her normal school outfit. She looked towards the bar and mumbled. "Food."
"Kurogiri's out, we gotta wait," Tomura complained.
"I'm not waiting on him," Izuku muttered, too tired and sore and hungry to give a damn about what was taking the League of Villains' self-proclaimed cook. He hopped over to the other side of the bar and opened up the fridge to look for something to make. There was a perfectly good stove available and cooking utensils in one of the cupboards.
"What are you doing?" Tomura asked, his eyes following Izuku with some irritation for waking him up with his earlier yelling.
"I'm hungry," he retorted. "Don't just keep me prisoner if you can't feed me, you ass."
"I'm going to disintegrate you later."
"You'll have to clean me up, then," Izuku grunted absently as he found some eggs, onions, and simple herbs. Screw it, he wanted something simple. An omelette would do. There was also some rice. That would work.
He wasn't actually sure what he'd expected villains to keep for food, but at least bacon seemed to be universal amongst the good and the evil.
Izuku started cooking, scowling whenever he had to dig around the drawers for things like knives or forks. He pulled out a big cutting knife to dice up the onion and Tomura leered at him.
"Put that back. You don't get to have a knife."
He glared back at the villain irritably. "I'm just cooking."
"I don't give a shit."
"Fine," Izuku scowled and glanced across the bar. "Hey, Spinner!"
The reptilian man looked up and Izuku almost threw the onion at him. "Make yourself useful and dice that."
Spinner's brow twitched in annoyance as he caught the vegetable. "Why should I?"
"Because your boss is a jerk who won't let me have sharp objects."
"Not my problem."
"What if I make you something to eat?"
Spinner paused. Whatever Izuku was making did smell pretty good so far…
"…fine."
After bringing the onion back to the bar and slicing it in a matter of seconds into little pieces, Izuku took them from Spinner and mixed them into the omelets that were cooking. By now, he had the attention of most of the bar's inhabitants.
He noticed the hungry villains and felt his brow twitch. "Don't any of you know how to feed yourselves?"
"I could, but you're already there," Magne pointed out.
"Izu, can I have some?" Himiko was practically drooling.
Twice suddenly walked into the room, sniffing through his bodysuit. "What smells so fucking good?! It sucks!"
Izuku rolled his eyes and sighed. If nothing else, it'd kill some time…and maybe he'd find out more about their personalities so he could escape later. "How many people want some?"
"MEMEMEME!" Himiko jumped up and down in excitement.
Magne nodded. "I won't say no."
"I want some!" Twice added.
Izuku glanced at Tomura, whose eyes had narrowed as though he couldn't decide if it was worth bending his pride to be fed by his own prisoner.
"Give me some."
"No. Ask me nicely."
"Fuck you."
"I'm eating your share."
Tomura huffed and looked away. Izuku ignored the irritable man and merely continued to make breakfast for his villainous audience. At this point, he was about 100% sure they'd drugged him with some hallucinogen and he was now tripping out of his mind. There could literally be no other explanation for how he'd wound up in this situation.
Half an hour later and everyone- minus Tomura, of course- had a plate of food in front of them at the bar and was devouring it greedily.
Himiko took a single bite and then turned to Izuku and said very seriously. "Marry me."
He almost choked on a bite of his own omelette, unable to respond.
"It's so good!" Twice cried, having pulled his mask up to stuff the food into his mouth. "I'm eating from the hands of God!"
"Hey God, is there any bacon left?" Dabi asked lazily.
"Yeah, there's a little left," Izuku replied once he managed to get the omelette down his throat without choking to death. He retrieved the last of the bacon and gave it to Dabi, who muttered his thanks.
Izuku looked up and down the bar as he ate his own breakfast and felt himself questioning a lot of things, mainly how in the hell he'd ended up as the cook for his own captors. What even was his life now?
Tomura's stomach growled and Izuku managed to hide a smug grin as the older man scowled. The villain glanced at Izuku and seemed to realize that the teenager was struggling to keep his lips from curving up. It was so petty, but he didn't care- the bastard deserved to go hungry.
"Go to hell!"
"I'm already here, you ass!"
Hisashi leaned back against the wall of the dark room, watching All for One as the man studied something on the computer monitors in front of him.
"Hmm…It's going to take some time to process this data," the villain hummed to himself. "If I'd known about Izuku when he was first born…"
He trailed off for a few moments and finally acknowledged Hisashi's presence. "I'll leave training Izuku to you today. I'm due for another treatment soon."
"What of my enhancements?"
"Your body isn't ready to receive the next dose yet. You'll have to acclimate to them again- it's been sixteen years since you last took them regularly. Well, you might use this chance to show Izuku the difference between your Quirks."
Hisashi's eyes narrowed. "He's bound to notice. He's a sharp kid."
"I do wonder where he gets that from?" All for One chuckled. "But even so, that's fine. He needs to grow, just like Tomura. Moreover, I want to know the details of which Quirks manifested in him from the original All Flare. Although the goal of training him this way is to get him used to using excessive violence, it's also for the purpose of identifying the true nature of his Quirk."
"Which ones have you confirmed?"
"At the moment, the only ones he's demonstrated are Immolate, Sun Forge, and Thermoshape. I suspect he'll be capable of Hyperblaze, but Hellbreath doesn't seem to have manifested or he'd likely have discovered it by now. Test him for Heat Blade and Hyperblaze today."
"Shouldn't we find out if he has Pyroclasm?"
All for One was silent for several moments. "Even if Pyroclasm manifested in Izuku, with his current strength, a full-on blast would devastate his body. You do remember what happened from the Sports Festival footage I showed you, do you not? If Sun Forge does that to him, Pyroclasm may have an even more dangerous effect."
"Isn't it all the more important we find out, then? If he discovers it on accident-"
"He doesn't have the reserves you do, Hisashi. He won't be able to just produce Pyroclasm on his own. If it's on a smaller scale, that won't hurt him too badly. The odds of him discovering Pyroclasm at its fullest output are remote. He'd probably die from the heat before he even reached that stage."
"…I still think we should find out sooner than later."
All for One turned slightly in his chair. Hisashi rarely questioned his decisions more than once, but he had become more insistent with matters relating to Izuku. Well…then again, Hisashi had never been a father before. All for One supposed he understood what was going on with him.
He was silent for several minutes as he considered the idea, tapping his finger rhythmically against his desk. There was merit to this…after all, if Izuku was capable of Pyroclasm…his destructive potential would escalate massively. Even on a small scale, it would be an asset.
After all, Hisashi had destroyed a city fighting All Might with Pyroclasm.
At last, he made a decision.
"…bring in three of the fire-class Noumu I've developed and the combat variant we sent to attack the training camp," All for One told him. "I want you to show him how to use Pyroclasm."
Hisashi raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to see if he can do it on his own?"
"Fighting for his life is a good way to see what he's capable of, but with something like Pyroclasm, it's best if we point him in the right direction," the villain reasoned. "Moreover, you should use this chance to get closer to him. You two have been at each other's throats since your first encounter. Constantly fighting with him will only heighten his grudge. Establish a connection with him that isn't based on hatred."
"…I'm not sure I know how."
"Of course you don't, you're a new father! I believe you'll figure it out. Prison has made you harsher, but you still have your old soft side, do you not? Show him you can be compassionate. Take this chance to make Izuku form another bond within the League of Villains. I'd rather not leave it at just Himiko."
Hisashi scowled. "So you were aware of it."
"I was. I'd hoped he'd connect with her. Out of all of Tomura's comrades, she was always going to be the one he could get closest to. An individual his age, as damaged as her and outcast from society, but still with the hope of being "saved"? Izuku is intelligent, yet compassionate- he has a hero's mentality, just like All Might. Once he figured out that Himiko's compulsion could be reasoned with and addressed, he was never going to be able to resist wanting to save her."
"What if he turns her against us?"
"What if he does? Regardless of their wishes, Himiko is still a wanted killer. Even if she betrays the League, she'll have nowhere to go but prison. Her desire for freedom won't allow her to leave on a whim and I doubt Izuku will simply give up on saving her, young and optimistic as he is. As long as she lives amongst the League of Villains, we'll have an influence that can be used against Izuku."
"And the bites she's leaving all over his neck?"
All for One laughed. "My dear Hisashi, you have a parental side, after all! Don't fret, don't fret. I suspect that the bites are a result of their attempts to keep Himiko's unstable, violent urges under control. It likely looks worse than it really is. Besides…youngsters their age can confuse such closeness with affection so very easily, especially in a situation where tensions are high. Seeing as Izuku is under constant stress from being held hostage and Himiko may think he can truly help her, they may form a connection deeper than the savior and the saved. Well, if they do, it'll make it that much more difficult for Izuku to completely sever his ties to the League."
"Now prepare the Noumu and then retrieve Izuku. Time is short- I suspect his captivity will not last much longer."
Toshinori hesitantly lifted his skeletal hand to knock on the door of the Midoriya apartment. After a few moments, the handle turned and the door opened, revealing Inko. The woman looked exhausted and ready to drop at any moment- it was clear she hadn't been sleeping or eating well. She looked a little too pale and her eyes had dark bags under them.
She let him in without a word and Toshinori waited until she closed the door before saying anything. "Eri?"
"She's in their room," Inko's voice was hoarse and weak. There were still tear stains down her cheeks and Toshinori's heart broke to see her so distressed. "She barely leaves it. I've been with her every moment, but…she misses him. I miss him."
"I know," Toshinori murmured, lifting his arm to bring her into a firm, but gentle embrace. He was silent for a few more seconds. "Inko."
"What?"
"…he'll be back with you by tonight."
Inko's eyes widened and she pulled back to stare up at him. Toshinori's face was grim. "What do you…"
"I can't say much, except that we've tracked them down," he told her quietly. "If all goes well, it will be over quickly, but…Hisashi will undoubtedly be there. A battle will likely be unavoidable. If it means saving Izuku, I-"
"Don't," she whispered, hiding her face in his shirt. "Please don't finish that sentence. Just…just come back with him. Both of you. Come back to me."
Toshinori wanted to tell her that there may be no way around it. He suspected not only Hisashi, but All for One would be waiting for him tonight. The stakes had never been higher between them; this was a fight for the future of the hero society. And between him and Hisashi, a fight for a boy they both saw as their son. He would fight to the bitter end. He wanted to be truthful and honest with her.
But he had never been good at refusing her and the one time he had, it hadn't ended well for either of them. He regretted that one refusal more than anyone could imagine.
"I'll come back with him. I promise."
In the hospital, Momo was beginning to regret having made the tracker for All Might in front of Katsuki. She'd done it to raise his spirits, and had succeeded, but maybe too much so.
"What's it going to take to convince you to make another tracker?"
She looked at the boy warily. She would be free to leave the hospital in a few hours once her last checkup was completed, but Katsuki had come by again to see her before she was released. Momo wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but…she probably shouldn't have been surprised the conversation went this way. Katsuki wasn't known for being easygoing about Izuku's wellbeing, after all.
"Why do you want one?"
"To find out where he is."
"And?"
He went quiet and a slight scowl formed on his face. Momo gazed at him steadily. "I'm not a fool, Katsuki. You mean to go and rescue him yourself, don't you? Even knowing who our opponents are and that All Might is on top of it, you still want to go?"
He didn't answer her and she sighed. Of course he did, that was a stupid question to ask.
"What would you do?"
"Break him out, of course."
"How so? We aren't allowed to engage the villains, we don't have our licenses yet," she pointed out. "The temporary clearance Mr. Aizawa gave us has been revoked. Going to attack the villains is not only a likely suicide mission, it's illegal. If we're caught or things go bad, the likelihood that we'll be expelled from U.A is high."
"We're not going to pick a fight."
Momo blinked in surprise as Katsuki glanced towards the window. "Of course it'd be illegal to fight them, even if I wanna beat them into a bloody stain. And it's not like I think we'd have a shot at winning against someone like Viper…he's just too fucking strong for us right now. If we do this, we'll have to be covert about it and sneak him out without fighting."
"Ideally, I'd like to leave this with All Might, but…Izuku is…he's more than my friend, he's my brother. I couldn't save him at the camp, so I'm going to do whatever I can to get him back. Even if it just amounts to watching the Pros save him, I want to be there. I don't want to be sitting back and twiddling my thumbs. I can't stand being unable to do anything."
She frowned and considered his idea. Saving Izuku without combat…was it even possible? If they snuck him out of wherever the villains were keeping him, there was always the chance that the warp gate villain might catch them or Heat Viper would find out. If that happened…they'd be killed or taken hostage.
"If we see him," she said at last. "And we can't save him…will you be able to remain calm and rational?"
Katsuki turned to look at her and she knew immediately from the way his brow creased that there was no way he'd be able to remain calm.
"That's what I'll have you for."
Momo closed her eyes and sighed. Well…if he'd convinced her, she was going to go anyway to ensure that he wouldn't do anything drastic, which was a high possibility. They'd been talking like he would be bringing help anyways. Dammit.
"…I will agree to this on three, strict conditions," Momo held three fingers up and glared at him, putting all the authority she possessed into her voice and face. "One: I will be in charge of this covert operation. Two: We only go if we can make a team of at least five people of my choosing. Three: You will obey every single order I give and if you disobey me, I will knock you out with the biggest hammer I can make and abort the mission."
Katsuki's lips twitched up into a smile that was almost fond. "Yes, ma'am."
At the League of Villains' hideout, Kurogiri opened up a warp gate and through it came Hisashi. As seemed to be a quickly regular thing, Izuku immediately stopped what he was doing and spared the man an annoyed glare.
Hisashi's temper seemed a bit more relaxed today and he inclined his heard towards the gate. "Come on, Izuku."
The teenager huffed and got up, but didn't go to the gate. "Let me go grab my shoes."
"Don't take too long."
Izuku ignored him and stalked back to his room, almost throwing the door open to vent his frustration. He grabbed his shoes off the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over to put them on.
He caught a glimpse of movement and glanced up as Himiko walked into the room. She wasn't smiling like she had been in the bar; he was still trying to figure out if that smile was for appearances or if she was actually that cheerful all the time.
"You probably shouldn't be back here," he told her. "He might get angry again."
"I trust you to protect me," she responded, surprising him. Himiko looked at him and he could see the clarity in her eyes.
Which side of her was the real Himiko, he wondered? The blood-obsessed killer or this…Who even was she when she was like this? How was he supposed to describe her? A normal girl? No way- she'd seen and done too much to be normal anymore.
"I wanna ask you something," She murmured. "It's been on my mind for a bit now. I'm not stupid, you know. I know you've been trying to get on my good side so you can get away."
She let those words sink in and Izuku wasn't really sure how to respond. He'd had a feeling she might've known- this…thing going on between them had pretty much come out of nowhere. It would've made sense on her part to think that something was suspicious about it.
"So…if you were planning on escaping, has everything you've said about wanting to save me just been an act? If you do get away, there's no way you'd be able to keep helping me like we talked about. Is the only reason you protected me from your dad because you wanted to save your escape route?"
Izuku looked down at the floor, frowning. It was…really difficult. There was no easy solution to what was going on. Himiko wanted her freedom, but she couldn't have it if she didn't remain outside the law and Izuku…he wanted to go back to being a hero, which meant he'd have to become her natural opposite once again. There didn't seem to be an immediate solution that ended with both of them being happy.
"Answer me," her voice shook.
"…I meant it," he said after a few more seconds. "I want to save you. I…I think if we can figure out how this compulsion of yours works, it might not be impossible to help you control it. But if I escape, you're right…it'd be almost impossible for me to help you if I'm with the heroes and you're with the villains."
"…I see."
"Even so, I don't want to give up. Because I think I'm the only one right now who can help you somehow. I want to save you. But Himiko do…do you want to be saved?"
"I don't know. I'm not even sure what it would mean to be saved," she said. "Does it mean being trapped in a hospital or a prison? Staying on the run for the rest of my life and trying to keep myself from completely losing my mind? What else is there for me to do?"
Izuku could see the conflict on her face. She wanted to accept his help, but she didn't know what it would mean for her. She'd just done too much to ever have a normal life and they both knew it.
What was the solution?
He stood up and faced her, not really sure what else to say, but refusing to leave her in such uncertainty. "Maybe we can compromise for now."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll help you as much as I can until we can save you," he told her. "It might be hard, but I'm sure…there's a way that will help you."
"And if you go back to the heroes?"
"…I'll keep helping you."
Himiko's head fell forward. "You can't do that."
"I'll figure something out."
"Ever the selfless hero, aren't you?"
"Call it a personality flaw."
She snorted. "You're impossible."
"I've heard that before a few times," he admitted with a little smile.
Himiko was silent for a few seconds. She turned for the door, but shut it and locked it before turning back to Izuku. "I want something from you, though."
"What is it?"
"I…have this feeling that you'll be gone soon," she said, surprising him. "I'm not sure how to explain it. But I want something to remember you by when you're gone, okay?"
"Okay…"
Himiko's face flushed somewhat in embarrassment as she lifted a hand to touch the left side of her neck. "I…I want you to bite me here."
Izuku blinked. "Huh?"
"Don't go "huh"," she complained, cheeks reddening. "This is embarrassing enough without that dopey face you're making."
"B-but," he struggled to respond as he felt heat spreading over his face. "Why?"
"Well…I guess mostly as a reminder, but," she lifted her other hand and pointed at the left side of Izuku's neck. "That first bite I made will probably scar, so…I want one to match it. As a way for me to remember that you promised to save me."
She was nervously tapping the floor with her foot and averting her eyes from him. Izuku gulped and his gaze settled on her neck, which was still covered by her hand. "Will…will it help you?"
Himiko's teeth worried her bottom lip as she nodded. "Yes."
Izuku had to force his legs to move so he could take that last step to stand practically face-to-face with her. Himiko refused to look at him as she took her hand off her neck and instead gripped his shirt. He took a deep breath and lowered his head until his breath caressed the pale skin of her throat. She shivered. Her skin smelled like something sweet.
With trepidation, he opened his mouth and bit into her skin at the point where her neck met her shoulder. A little gasp escaped her and she was quick to slap her free hand over her mouth as he bit harder to break the skin. It was hard to hold this awkward position, bent over her as he was, so he weaved his arms around her back and pulled her closer. Her hand gripping his shirt rose to grab his hair almost painfully.
He tasted iron after a few seconds and forced himself to keep biting her until Himiko was sure the wound would scar over. She made to push him back and he let go, face very red and a drop of her blood at the corner of his mouth. He'd left a crescent-shaped bite mark in her skin, leaving the flesh around it bruised and dark.
Izuku wiped his mouth of her blood shakily. He'd never done anything like that before- it had been…nerve-wracking and almost exciting all at once. He wasn't really sure what to say now. This was such foreign territory to him. Himiko seemed to be at a loss, too. Her cheeks were flushed and her breath was a little fast.
She reached up to touch the bite and then looked at the crimson on her fingertips, which she brought up to her face to inhale the scent of blood to calm herself down. After a few moments of calm, slow breathing, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "Thank you…"
He looked at the bite he'd left on her skin and swallowed hard. The promise he'd made to save her seemed more personal now, somehow…it shouldn't have, but he was too confused to wonder on it. And somehow, they both seemed to realize that this promise of theirs wasn't going to be resolved happily. The blood on Himiko's throat said as much.
But they'd made this promise and no matter how it ended, Izuku would do all he could to save her.
As they walked down the dark hall towards the training room from the day before, Hisashi glanced back at Izuku, who'd been quiet since they left the bar. His eyes fell on the healing bites on the boy's neck and narrowed somewhat.
"You shouldn't let yourself get attached," he said quietly. Izuku looked up at him and his eyes became irritated. "The lives of heroes and villains are often short. It's a fact of life."
"…That doesn't mean I shouldn't try to save someone if they need my help."
"Is that what you think you're doing?" Hisashi shook his head and moved to open the door, which they'd reached. "What do you think you can save in a girl like that? On what basis can you say she has any kind of future?"
"I don't know," he answered, but his voice became steely. "But even so, there has to be something I can do for her."
"You're rather optimistic."
"I just don't think I should give up without trying. That's how I got into the Hero course at U.A in the first place."
Hisashi raised an eyebrow, but didn't push the matter further. He inclined his head to the inside of the room and Izuku walked in reluctantly. Inside were four Noumu- three of which were smaller and more simply designed than the fourth, which was larger, blue, and had a mouthpiece to keep its jaw from closing. That last of the four Noumu was the same one which had been sent to attack the training camp.
Izuku looked over his shoulder as Hisashi shut the door behind them. The elder of the two walked ahead of him, then turned to face the teenager.
"There's been a change of plans today," Hisashi began. "You'll still be fighting Noumu, but before that, we're going to figure out if you can use certain Quirks that were put into the original All Flare."
He frowned. All for One had told him that All Flare was comprised of several different Quirks, but he'd never actually told him exactly how many or what they all did individually.
"As of right now, you've demonstrated the basic abilities of All Flare- Immolate and Thermoshape- and Sun Forge, which is one of the more powerful Quirks. That being said, it doesn't seem like you can actually use Sun Forge without destroying your body."
Hisashi held up his hand, pointing his index finger up. In the air just above his finger, a small green sphere of intense, bright heat formed, almost blinding Izuku with its intensity so that he had to squint. "Sun Forge is normally used like this. Well, I'm not sure how it's mutated in you, but put simply, it forms a concentrated heat sphere not unlike a miniature star. It seems for you, it only activates when you "borrow" another fire Quirk, so the intensity of it may differ depending on the reserves of the person you borrow from. That Shoto boy has a pretty high capacity for his age and has more fire than most Pros, so that could be why it's been so dangerous for you to use thus far."
"Immolate is just what happens when you ignite your body and adjust the temperature," Hisashi went on. "And Thermoshape lets you manipulate fire into whatever form you so choose. Your Thermoshape seems to be more advanced than my own thanks to your mother's Quirk, since you can pull fire to you and control it better at a distance."
Izuku let the information soak in. He didn't like Hisashi, but he'd have to be stupid to ignore the information he was being given. "How many Quirks went into All Flare?"
Hisashi cocked his head to the side to think about it. "If you count the original Green Flare and All for One, there are roughly nine Quirks that make it up. Amongst them are the two I mentioned before, Immolate, Thermoshape, Sun Forge, Hyperblaze, Heat Blade, Hellbreath, and Pyroclasm. You probably won't be able to use Hellbreath if you haven't demonstrated it by now, but you may be able to use Hyperblaze and Heat Blade. The one we're looking for today, however, is Pyroclasm."
"What is it?"
"It'd be easier to show you. But ignite your body and brace yourself- it's not a gentle Quirk," Hisashi responded, turning and walking towards the center of the large room. He directed the four Noumu to the opposite end of the room, to which they obeyed quickly.
Izuku gulped and ignited his body as he was told. What kind of Quirk was this…Pyroclasm? It had to be fire, but…even Hisashi seemed careful to use it.
"Are you ready?" Hisashi called. Izuku nodded sharply and the man's body flared up in green flames that were slightly darker than his own. The fiery horns atop his head were much longer than Izuku's and the general control of the flames seemed to be greater- they didn't ripple as wildly and seemed more focused somehow.
He watched carefully as Hisashi's arms and hands especially blazed with incredible intensity until they glowed white. A heat haze formed around the man and after just a couple of seconds, he clapped his hands together.
Izuku yelped as a shock wave of pure heat and flame roared forth and blasted into him with enough force to knock him off his feet. Thankfully, he was close enough to the wall that it broke his fall and he didn't really get hurt and managed to regain his footing. The flames had pushed against his own, but didn't penetrate the barrier- just as they had when he fought Hisashi at the training camp.
Hisashi knelt down to the ground, his hands and arms still ablaze. "That's the lightest and easiest version. Depending on how much power you put into it and how you use it…"
He slapped one of his hands onto the floor and another shock wave roared along the ground this time, spreading in all directions and cracking the tile. Since the blast was more widely spread, it didn't blow Izuku away, but it was still an impressive force. "It's destructive effect varies. When I use it at its maximum output, the shock waves can blow apart buildings for almost a mile. It's similar to the destructive force a volcano has when it erupts and creates a pyroclastic flow."
"Pyroclasm is probably the most destructive out of all of All Flare's abilities, but using it at its highest output is taxing, even for me," Hisashi explained as he stood up and let the heat die down a bit. "Frankly, even this light version of it will probably give you trouble until you build up your heat resistance. Without a high temperature flame, all it really amounts to is a hot shock wave."
"That's an insane Quirk," Izuku said as he looked at his hands. The destructive force of an erupting volcano?
"Pyroclasm is the Quirk that lets me fight almost on par with All Might," Hisashi added, though somewhat bitterly. "I do wonder if he'd be able to withstand it now, though."
Feeling irritation go through him at the remark, Izuku glared at his hands and started to heat them up as much as he could. They blazed until the heat made him wince, and that was when he clapped his hands together in Hisashi's direction.
It wasn't even close to what Hisashi had generated, but as soon as he clapped his hands together, he felt something in his arms vibrate and he yelped as the shockwave he produced almost made him lose his balance. As it was, the burst barely reached Hisashi and all it really did was ruffle his hair.
Hisashi snorted. "Like I said, hot air."
Izuku wasn't ready to leave it at that. He decided to change things up and flipped on Overdrive. Plasma rippled along his arms, legs, and horns, and he charged it up again in his arms. Hisashi raised an eyebrow.
This time, there was a noticeable difference. Clapping his hands with Overdrive active, the Pyroclasm he generated was still barely able to match the weak one Hisashi had made, but it was definitely stronger. Izuku was thrown into the wall this time and the shock wave had Hisashi lifting an arm to ward it off as bolts of plasma shot through the air.
The man's lips curved up in a slight grin as the shock wave dissipated. "Still weak, but not bad."
Izuku regained his balance and let out a breath. His arms were already trembling from just two uses of the move. It seemed his body wasn't used to shock waves like that. It was a different kind of impact than the ones he experienced punching and kicking. It felt as though his bones were rattling and his muscles were jolted.
He was gonna have to work on this a lot to make it useful.
"That'll be enough of Pyroclasm for now," Hisashi told him. "Using it too often when your body isn't readily prepared for it leaves you brittle and easier to injure. Now you're sparring with me."
Izuku swallowed as Hisashi called the three Noumu with fire Quirks and had each of them use their abilities, which more or less amounted to them all lighting various parts of their bodies, primarily their arms and legs, on fire. Hisashi cracked his knuckles and grinned. "You can take as much fire as you want, but we won't stop until I say so. Show me what you've got, kid."
The teenager held his hands out towards the Noumu and called their fire to him, transmuting it into green flame quickly before he charged Hisashi with Overdrive still active. He dove around the man and spun back around, trying to hit him behind the head, but Hisashi spun with him so that when Izuku jumped, he was met by a kick in the gut.
It knocked the wind out of him, but he felt a surge of heat and then an blast of raw force sent him flying away from Hisashi. He hit the ground and rolled along the floor almost to the wall before he came to a stop and sat back up, trying to regain his breath.
Hisashi's leg, still alight with All Flare, grew darker as the temperature lowered and Izuku realized that he'd just hit him with a weak Pyroclasm. He can use it like that?
"I'm not going to aim to hurt you too badly, but I'm not going to let you have things easy, either," Hisashi snickered. "Well, my flames don't seem to hurt you much unless I pump the heat up, but that won't make much of a difference with the way you fight."
Izuku scowled and forced himself back to his feet to run at Hisashi again. The man suddenly sucked in a deep breath and yelled towards Izuku- unleashing a short jet of flame from his mouth. The teenager dove under the blast, which lasted little more than an instant, but the force that came with it almost tripped him up.
That must've been the Hellbreath Quirk he was talking about! Izuku thought as he swung a fist at Hisashi, who caught the blow with his hand and simply threw Izuku aside with a wild grin. Izuku managed to right himself in midair and skidded to a stop, his head flying back up to glare at Hisashi.
He noticed that Hisashi hadn't actually done a lot of moving from the place he started in. Izuku stood back up and started to prowl in a circle around the older man, trying to pick out any weaknesses.
He's not moving as actively as he was at the training camp,he realized. Is he just messing with me, or is there a reason he's not rushing around as much?
Hisashi seemed content to just turn with Izuku, smirking and observing the teenager in turn. Izuku's eyes narrowed. Come to think of it…he knocked Pixie-Bob out last time with a punch, but his kick just now only knocked the wind out of me for a moment. It feels like he's a little slower, too.
Izuku started running again, speeding up as much as he could and closing the gap to Hisashi, who spat several fireballs at him in an attempt to slow him down. He feinted like he was going to aim for the man's face, then dove between his legs and came out behind him. Izuku immediately spun around and set his index finger against his thumb, charging up to 100%.
Hisashi's head spun towards Izuku and his eyes widened when he saw the bolts of plasma arcing from the teenager's finger. But instead of dodging like Izuku thought he would, he lifted his arms to block and braced himself.
Only Izuku let the power die and didn't take the shot- instead, he kicked off the floor and leapt away from Hisashi. He put some distance between them and clenched his fist. I was right! He's slower!
Hisashi's eyes narrowed in annoyance. Dammit, he baited me to see how I'd react to a 100% shot! He must've thought something was off because of the Pyroclasm I made when I kicked him. You're too smart for your own good, Izuku.
Izuku started pacing again as he studied the man warily. I'm not sure why, but he's slower than he was at the training camp and his physical strength is weaker than before. Though even if he's slower…he's still as fast as Stain was back in Hosu City. But his Quirk is way stronger than Stain's was. Gotta figure out if it's affected his durability. It won't matter how much slower he is if he can still take a 100% punch and shrug it off like he did before.
His analysis skills are sharp for his age and he's good at forcing others on the defensive with the risk of that 100% shot he has, Hisashi thought, gathering a large amount of fire around his right arm. He's got a pretty good eye for observation, too. Unless he uses 100% and injures himself, his firepower isn't actually all that high right now, but he's quick on his feet and agile. U.A haven't been coddling him, I see. Moreover…
The steady glare Izuku was giving Hisashi made the older man somewhat annoyed. All Might…He's got the same damn look in his eyes that you do. You've really rubbed off on my son more than I would ever have liked, you son of a bitch.
Hisashi transformed the mass of fire in his right hand into a long, whip-like structure and snapped it in Izuku's direction, but the teen was quick to dive under it and rush Hisashi again. Hisashi clenched his fist and met Izuku's punch with his own, although even with Overdrive, they were almost evenly matched.
The older man was still definitely the stronger of the two, but he had to force himself not to snarl- the difference in physical strength was a lot closer than he was happy with. My enhancements might be running low, but even so, I can't believe how much my body's condition has deteriorated while I was in prison. It's humiliating!
Izuku swung another punch as fast as he could and this time, Hisashi lifted an arm to block it. The impact wasn't much- even if his strength was a lot lower than it had been in his prime, his body was still pretty durable on its own. Before Izuku could do anything else, Hisashi opened his mouth and roared, unleashing a blast of flame that launched the teenager away from him.
He hit the ground again and rolled, but Izuku recovered once more and rose back up. His Quirk is still stronger than mine, but I'm not sure by how much. If it matches the way his body is reacting now…no. That's not right. He was definitely holding back earlier with that Pyroclasm he used when he kicked me. He's just using his Quirk to toss me around since the fire itself won't hurt me too much. But if that's the case, then as long as he stays this way, maybe I can figure out how to defeat him!
Hisashi took a breath and let it out to relieve some of his annoyance. The expression on his face turned into a slight smirk once more. My body might not be in great shape right now, Izuku, but…seeing the gears turning in your head almost makes me feel a little better. You don't know how lucky you are that your All Flare more or less negates mine. You might even think after that last exchange that there could be a way for you to beat me.
His lips parted to expose his teeth in a smug grin. You have no idea what you're facing right now, do you? I might have to show you just to amuse myself a bit.