Chapter 2: Too much going on
Footsteps belonging to three individuals somewhat echoed through the empty suburban street. The sun was still setting when this happened, with the weather bringing a calm atmosphere for those at the area. Thus, it was in this time that Izuku, Tatsumaki and Fubuki found themselves being in the company of each other.
"Wow! Sister did all that!? That's so cool!" exclaimed Fubuki excitedly.
If anyone close by in the lonely street was there, they likely would've heard the nine year old girl. Tatsumaki knew her little sister to be one that can be easily excited and loud whenever the time comes. But even though they are related by blood, Fubuki had black hair while her sister had green hair. There's also the fact that she wore a school uniform, which comprised of a green and white striped skirt and a white shirt with a blue tie on it.
Anyway, there was one thing bothering Tatsumaki; it was the fact that Izuku was there. She had run into the teenage boy when suddenly for some reason he ended up walking with them. It didn't help that they were going to the same direction.
Fortunately, Izuku wasn't oblivious. He could tell by Tatsumaki's upset face that she didn't like his company one bit. So he was nervous as he walked with them still.
"Haha…yeah…" Izuku said nervously. Then he turned over to Tatsumaki and said. "You're sister is really nice…um…thanks for saving Katsuki and I back then from that villain."
"Whatever." Tatsumaki replied with a snub. "Saving you two was nothing really. You two morons clearly don't know what trouble is even if it hits you in the face."
"Sister!" Fubuki scowled.
"Ow!" Tatsumaki shouted.
The green haired esper had been struck at her side by her sister. As a result, tension was raised as both sisters came to a stop and glared at each other.
"What the hell was that for?!" Tatsumaki yelled.
"Be nice to him! He was just thanking you!" Fubuki yelled back.
Tatsumaki scowled a bit and raised her hand at her sister. There were a number of things she could do to her, but one thought came to mind at that moment. So before Fubuki knew it, she was being pinched at the cheek by her sister.
"Owie! Owie!" Fubuki cried.
"You have a lot of guts to hit your sister! How do you like that?!" Tatsumaki yelled.
Izuku watched them, but said nothing. This was because he was he was a bit entertained by the bicker from the two siblings. Tatsumaki clearly didn't resent her sister, nor did the other feel the same way. In fact, the whole scene seemed so funny that he chuckled and got the attention of the two sisters in the process.
"What's so funny, idiot?!" Tatsumaki yelled.
The green haired esper's attention was taken away from her sister. Now Fubuki was free as she rubbed her cheeks with cartoonish tears running down.
"Oh nothing." Izuku replied with a smile. The teen was surprisingly not scared of her. Hence, he added. "I just noticed you really care for her."
"Um…of course I do." Tatsumaki was taken aback.
From the few times the green haired girl had known Izuku, this was the first time that she had seen him smile. It was weird but at the same time something that caught her off guard. But then, just as that happened, a reminder suddenly popped in her mind that immediately made her rush to her schoolbag and bring out a book.
"I almost forgot. Here, Fubuki." Tatsumaki said.
Fubuki stopped rubbing her cheeks and looked at the book. The thing in her sister's hand was directly at her face, hence she recognized it.
"Oh my gosh! You got it!" Fubuki exclaimed happily. The look on her face seemed to brighten as her eyes surprisingly sparkled. Hence, without a moment hesitation, the girl took the book and hugged it to her chest. "Thank you! Thank you! You're such a good sister when you're not being hotheaded."
Tatsumaki instantly took offense to her. She was hotheaded at times, but she wouldn't admit it. As such, an anime–like vein popped up on her head before she went on the offense. By that, she went back to pinching her little sister's sisters with two hands this time.
Meanwhile, there was Izuku and his thoughts. He wasn't alarmed by the scene, though, as he just smiled.
'Having a younger sibling is nice huh.' Izuku thought happily. 'Someone to talk to…Someone to have fun with…and someone to look out for…You must be so lucky, Tatsumaki.'
With that, Izuku could acknowledge this feeling of envy for Tatsumaki. It wasn't so bad, though, as he was used to being an only child by now. As such, he just continued to watch the two sisters react until a blast of wind hit them, followed by a deep voice.
"FOR I'M HERE!"
"All Might?!" Izuku shouted in shock.
Indeed, the one responsible for the blast of wind and the voice was the #1 Pro hero, All Might. He was still in his civilian clothes as he stood in a pose and got the attention of the esper sisters.
"Oh my gosh! It's All Might!" Fubuki exclaimed happily.
Unlike Izuku, the little girl was excited to see the famous hero. He wasn't in his hero suit though, but it didn't matter to her. In fact, the pain on her cheeks seemed to be nothing now that she was staring dazzlingly at the top hero. However, before anything else could be said, Tatsumaki suddenly raised her index finger and pressed it against Fubuki's forehead, which glowed and knocked the little girl unconscious.
Izuku was surprised to see that. It was one thing to pinch her little sister's cheeks and another thing to knock her out. Fortunately, Tatsumaki was able to catch her little sister in her arms and hold her close to her chest.
"You knocked her out?" Izuku questioned.
"Yeah. What's it to you!?" Tatsumaki verbally fired at him.
Izuku said nothing back. The look Tatsumaki was giving him was the same upset look she always seemed to carry. But as that wasn't clearly enough, she suddenly turned to All Might who was now standing straightly before them.
"And you!" Tatsumaki yelled and pointed at the pro hero. "It took you long enough to show up! I practically did your job a few hours ago!" She yelled.
"Tatsumaki, All Might –"
"No, it's fine, kid" All Might interjected. He didn't seem troubled by Tatsumaki's words, not in the slightest. But he did seem to have guilt, especially as he walked towards them and stood there. "What happened there was my fault. But I am here to set the record straight, as well as for other reasons."
'Other reasons?' Izuku thought with a confused look.
All Might didn't go into specifics though, at least not yet. A thought was already on his mind when he suddenly turned to Tatsumaki.
"Tatsumaki, is it? You have a lot of promise to be a pro hero." All Might said honestly. "You came into the need of your schoolmates and did away with the villain before he could cause any other trouble...If you hadn't been there…If the young boy's words there didn't get to you too like it did for me…then I would have gotten dangerously close to not living by my own words to him earlier today. I never want to being all talk and flashing fake muscles…Thank you…both of you."
'Fake muscles?' Izuku thought.
The same wasn't for Tatsumaki though. The green haired girl may have let All Might speak, but it wasn't like she was in the very least interested.
"That's it huh?" Tatsumaki asked with an uninterested tone. "I get your supposed to be this top 'hero', but I got nothing else to say to you. Did you see how those other heroes were like? 'Oh we need to wait for someone with a quirk to save him', it made me sick. Honestly, Izuku is the reason I even stepped in, so I –"
"But how can that be?" Izuku asked. The teen was now facing Tatsumaki with a sad face. "You don't know this but…but what happened there was my fault? All Might caught the villain before, but because I held on to him he accidentally dropped it."
Tatsumaki turned and glared at the teen. "So you're the idiot who caused all that huh?! Why am I not surprised?!"
Izuku said nothing but look at the ground. He had expected such a reaction from Tatsumaki considering who she is. But then what she then said caught his attention and surprised him.
"Now I should scold you for that but…considering you're quirkless and yet you had more guts than those so called 'heroes' to do the right thing…I can't hate you for that." Tatsumaki admitted.
"Tatsumaki…" Izuku muttered.
"She's right!" All Might also admitted. "Of all the people at the scene, only you, only cowardly, quirkless you made the difference! You're the one who made her act!"
A mix of emotions began to boil up in Izuku. He knew to an extent why it was such, considering it was coming from his favorite hero, All Might, and the girl that had saved the day. So to him it was a good feeling and something the teen likely would never forget as he stood there, feeling his tears rising.
Nonetheless, All Might continued. "There's something that's said about top heroes when they were still students…Most of their stories are linked by the following line: My body moved on its own before I could think."
The tears from Izuku were now flowing out. He clutched his chest like a huge weight was being removed as every word said by All Might went through his mind.
'Why am I remembering what mum said that day?' Izuku thought tearfully. The memory he was referring to was the day when he had been told at age four that he didn't have a quirk. So up till now he still remembered the apology his mother had said so tearfully.
However, All Might was unaware of that memory. His words were inspirational, as he then continued.
"And you did the same thing!" He stated.
"…Yeah…" Izuku cried. And with that a flash of that memory with his mum came to mind as he fell on his knees and began to cry. 'No, mum. What I wanted you to tell me that day was you can become a hero.' He thought.
Tatsumaki wasn't all that impressed, though. The talk about heroes from All Might was something that would get on her nerves at an instant. But upon looking at Izuku, clutching his chest and crying out feelings that were clearly bottled up for so long, she couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy.
However, the teenage girl didn't show it. She just simply levitated her unconscious sister to be on her back before levitating herself off the ground, ready to leave.
'Gosh…All this talk about heroes makes me want to puke.'Tatsumaki thought in irritation. She could've said it all out loud, but even she could see the moment shouldn't be ruined for Izuku. Thus, she looked down at him and said. "Well I'll be off. See you in school, Midoriya."
"Y-Yeah…" Izuku said.
Tatsumaki said nothing after that, and flew off. However, before she was entirely out of sight, Izuku looked up and saw the girl's figure flying away. Something about her was entirely different than the mental picture of her that he had known her for before today. Thus, with those emotions he felt, he had a thought for her too.
'Tatsumaki…you're really a good person, aren't you?'
_(LINE BREAK)_
NEXT DAY
7:30AM
Somewhere within the city, there was an apartment building. The area it was located in was known to be mostly deserted, as many of its occupants had long left the place when it was a hostile den for villains of all kinds. Hence, even with that being a thing of the past, no one had bothered to return home.
This was fine with its only occupants, especially as they were lived in said apartment building. The rent there was super cheap and the rooms were easy to live in. So for the life of Tatsumaki and her sister, it was good. In fact, right at the present moment, Tatsumaki walked out of the door in her school uniform and her bag worn on both shoulders and facing the door with a strict look on her face.
"Hurry up, Fubuki! We're going to be late!" Tatsumaki shouted.
"I'm coming! Just a few minutes, sister!" Fubuki shouted back.
Tatsumaki sighed and pinched her nostrils lightly. Her little sister can be academically smart, but she still had her faults as expected for her age. However, before Tatsumaki could say anything, she heard the door next to her apartment open and saw a familiar face which immediately upset her.
"Tatsumaki…You're up for school." said her only neighbor.
"Yes, I am, baldy! What's it to you?!"
The neighbor gritted his teeth and visibly showed a strained face. 'Not this again. This girl is really getting on my nerves.' He thought.
"Well…What do you want?!" Tatsumaki yelled. "Are you off to your fake job or are you going to lounge in your room again, you pathetic baldy."
"What's with you and me being bald!? I'm twenty-five years old!" The neighbor shouted with annoyance. "Also, it's Saitama! We've been neighbors for two years, Tatsumaki!"
"Yeah, and so what?! You're still a baldy no matter what!"
Saitama growled with a low tone. He so wanted to yell at her, but years of experience as Tatsumaki's neighbor has shown that it would be impossible. As such, the man turned from her and pinched the bridge of his nostril and sighed to feel at ease.
"This is getting nowhere…" He said. "You know if you keep this up then you're never going to have any friends."
"Hmph!" Tatsumaki snubbed and looked away.
"By the way…" Saitama said and turned to her. "I saw the news yesterday…You saved two of your classmates, right? That was pretty cool."
"Whatever." Tatsumaki said uninterestedly. "Just don't mention it to Fubuki unless you want to eat the inside of the earth."
Saitama sighed and scratched the back of his head. Tatsumaki was always like this, always making threats that surprisingly she never carried out on him. It didn't mean he wanted her to do so; he just wished she would be someone better to approach.
"Huh…I wonder if that supermarket at that street has that bargain sale today." Saitama said.
Tatsumaki rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. The one thing she wanted to do right there was to leave before Saitama could say another word. Fortunately, Fubuki ran out with a smile on her face and closed the door behind them.
"I'm here, sister." Fubuki said. Then she turned to Saitama. "Good morning, Saitama. Lovely weather isn't it? How's Mr. Pikey doing?"
"Mr. Pikey?" Tatsumaki questioned.
"Yes. Mr. Pikey is Saitama's cactus plant that I named. Isn't that right, Saitama?"
"Right." Saitama said.
"Whatever." Tatsumaki rolled her eyes.
Ever since the green haired could remember, her little sister has always gotten along with Saitama. At first, she had tried to stop the little girl, having seen Saitama as a bad influence. However, with each attempt then, Fubuki had somehow figured a way to talk with Saitama without her knowing, and thus she stopped trying.
_(LINE BREAK)_
The walk to school was fine, with nothing major happening. Tatsumaki was holding her little sister's hand while the little girl was humming happily to a catchy song that she had heard a while ago. So when they eventually got to the gate of Fubuki's school, they stopped there before Tatsumaki faced her sister.
"Alright, Fubuki, take care of yourself." Tatsumaki said. "I won't be able to pick you up this time because of today's part-time job, so head straight home, you got it?"
"I will." Fubuki nodded. "But before you leave, I want to ask. Why do you hate Saitama so much?"
"Why do I hate him?" Tatsumaki repeated and looked away thoughtfully. "Huh…Why do I hate him? Well I guess it's because of that stupid face of his…and because he's bald…and he's so laidback that it annoys me just by looking at him."
"But Saitama does have a job." Fubuki insisted. "Saitama is actually a pro he–"
"Enough about him. He isn't here." Tatsumaki said strictly. And with that a thought came to mind and led her to bring out a flip phone and handing it to her sister. "Oh yeah, this is for you. I couldn't buy the latest android or whatever, but this should be enough to reach me if you're a trouble. I have my number of speed dial on it, okay?"
"Okay, sister. Thank you." Fubuki replied happily.
"Hey, Fubuki!" shouted someone.
Fubuki recognized that voice; however the same couldn't be said about her older sister. So when they reacted by turning to the voice, Fubuki smiled and waved at a group of children in the school compound waving back at her.
"The Fubuki group has assembled." Fubuki stated.
"Fubuki group?" Tatsumaki questioned. "Are those the group of kids you keep talking about?"
"Yup! Bye, sister!"
With that, Fubuki waved at her sister and ran over to the group of children. Tatsumaki waved back a bit, but her attention was still at the group of kids especially as they were rejoined by Fubuki group.
'The Fubuki group huh…I'll allow it for now. They better not be any trouble for her, especially that big kid…He looks like some mountain ape compared to the others.'
_(LINE BREAK)_
Now Tatsumaki was on her own; this time by flying above the city. The view gave her a chance to look about everywhere she wanted to as the wind blew against her ponytail green hair while her clothes flapping slightly against the breeze. But when she drew close to her school, she noticed a small crowd of people by the front gate and immediately got curious enough to fly down and find out.
"Huh…I wonder what's going on." She said.
Unknown to the teenage girl however, the reason they were there would soon surprise her. She thought they were just a crowd of ordinary people, when really they were the people from the press waiting for a certain person to show up. Thus, without knowing their intention, Tatsumaki tapped the back of a guy and asked. "Hey! What's going on?! Is the school okay?"
The guy turned and immediately became excited.
"You're here! The sources were right!"
"Huh?" Tatsumaki was confused.
Next thing the green haired girl knew she was surrounded by the press with a number of them repeatedly calling her by her name and others flashing their cameras at her.
"Tatsumaki! How old are you?"
"Are you really about to pass middle school?"
"What's your favorite color? Obviously it's green, right?"
"Will you be going to U.A High? Sources says you wrote the mock test."
"Tatsumaki! Tatsumaki! Our readers want to know if you want to become a pro hero!"
"Tatsumaki, how were you able to accomplish such a feat yesterday by your lone self?"
Tatsumaki's eyes winced while she shield her face with her arms. The constant questions and multiple flashes of cameras at her face were getting too much. At the same time, the girl didn't know how to evade any of this, especially as she gritted her teeth and felt her temper rising.
Fortunately, something good intervened. It didn't come from Tatsumaki, but by a familiar male voice which shouted. "Look! All Might is here!"
And immediately, the press turned away with many clearly excited. A few already began to speculate that the famous top hero was there to meet Tatsumaki by himself. However, unknown to them, Izuku grabbed Tatsumaki by the hand and pulled her away.
"Come on, Tatsumaki, let's go!" Izuku stated urgently.
"Huh? What are you –"
Tatsumaki was interrupted before she could finish. The press was still active as before, so there was no time to waste. Thus, Izuku ran with Tatsumaki's hand in his own until they ducked at a tree where he then sighed in relief.
"Good. It looks like we lost them." Izuku said.
However, not all was well. He may have saved Tatsumaki, but when he turned to her he saw her glaring at him with her green body aura increasing and her hair levitating.
"Uh…Tatsumaki…" Izuku said fearfully.
"You have some balls to hold a girl's hand." Tatsumaki said threateningly.
Izuku looked at their hands and immediately removed his hand from hers with a shriek. For a second, he felt embarrassed and a blush at both of his cheeks before apologizing to the esper, who then calmed down.
"Hmph! Whatever, idiot!" Tatsumaki said.
With that, the green haired girl walked away from Izuku without saying a word. Izuku didn't mean it though, because at that moment he sighed again and wiped a bunch of sweat off his forehead.
"Tatsumaki can be scary sometimes." He muttered. Then a reality came down on that made him blush nervously and look at the hand he held Tatsumaki's hand in. "I…I held a girl's hand. I did it…without think…and it was soft."
Izuku quickly shook his head to free himself. He didn't know why, but thinking about it made him feel weird.
So while Izuku was on his own, Tatsumaki was on her own as she walked through the hallway of the school building with an upset look on her face. Unknown to her, however, each student she passed gave her a look that was different than the usual ones they normally give her, with some murmuring with one another as they saw her walk by,
But still Tatsumaki was oblivious to it all as she muttered.
"Stupid, Izuku. Holding my hand like that. He's lucky I didn't throw him to a wall or something!" Tatsumaki complained.
And so, the girl continued muttering about the kid until she pushed the door of her classroom aside with some annoyance. But whether she noticed or not, her immediate presence caused the entire class to be quiet as all eyes went to staring at her even as she headed to to her seat.
"That's Tatsumaki." One boy whispered.
"Wow…And she's been in this class. How didn't I notice her?" asked another boy.
"I saw that video of her last night. She's really strong." said a girl.
"Whoa. Really? That video got over half a million views." replied another girl.
"Yeah, and it doesn't look like she was putting much of an effort." said another boy.
"Do you think she's surpassed Bakugou?" asked another boy.
"Sheesh! Bakugou will hear you." shushed a boy close by.
Katsuki Bakugou gritted his teeth and snapped his pen. He didn't like the girl's presence in class, especially as all attention was on her than him.
'Tatsumaki must have been laughing her ass off from yesterday! That video got over half a million views online, and worse of all, since I came to class everyone has been talking about her! It pisses me off! Just look at her, acting like nothing happened!'
Tatsumaki sighed and sat on her chair. Again, she was unaware of the stares and whispers going about, especially as she was once again in thought.
'Huh…Maybe I should talk with Midoriya about yesterday. Leaving him alone with that guy yesterday probably wasn't the best idea.'
Just then, as if by coincidence, Izuku arrived in class. He was just at the door, when Tatsumaki stood up and looked at him with a firm look.
"Midoriya!" She called. "About yesterday, how did it go with All Mi–"
Izuku suddenly rushed at Tatsumaki with a panic look. He had a reason for doing that as he then grabbed her hand again and ran out of the class without a single word.
"Wow! Midoriya is bold!" exclaimed one teen.
"Oh my gosh! Do you think they're –" said a girl.
"I heard from a guy that she defended Midoriya from Bakugou yesterday."
"Wow! I never would've thought."
"Yeah. They must be an awesome couple."
_(LINE BREAK)_
"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Izuku was sent flying into a wall, with a pose that could be mistaken for a modern piece of art. The reason for his sudden position was because of Tatsumaki, who was glaring at him with her body covered in the usual green aura.
"Again, with the holding of hands! And worse of all it was in class! Do you want people to get the wrong idea?!" Tatsumaki yelled angrily.
"I'm sorry." Izuku winced.
"You said that just a while ago!" Tatsumaki yelled.
The position Izuku was in was becoming unbearable. Fortunately, Tatsumaki was able to calm down and pull him out of the wall with her quirk. Now he was back on his feet and shaking a bit.
"So why did you bring me here?" Tatsumaki asked demandingly.
Presently, the both of them were at the mid-section of a stairway. There was no one around to see them or anyone to hear from them as they spoke. Hence, it was with the idea of being alone with her that Izuku looked over to her nervously.
"Well…it's just that you were about to mention All Might. Can you not do that?" Izuku asked. "Something big happened and it has to be a secret."
"A secret?" Tatsumaki asked, now curious. "What secret is that? He isn't blackmailing you, is he?"
"What? No, no, no, no!" Izuku shook his head. The least he wanted was to give the girl the wrong idea.
"Then what is it?"
"I…I can't tell you." Izuku admitted. "All Might has a way that'll make me into a hero someday, so…so I'm going to be following him."
Tatsumaki growled with a low tone and bent forward with a glare at the teen. "You're still going for that hero shit?! And here I thought you learned your lesson from that incident with the monster! I should've not left you alone with –"
"Deku! Tatsumaki!" shouted a familiar voice.
Just then, both teenagers found themselves ambushed. An explosion by a certain hotheaded blonde teen suddenly crashed down between them and knocked them apart from each other. So the next thing that happened was Katsuki landing on the same ground as them with a serious scowl on his face.
"I knew it! Both of you were messing with me!" Katsuki yelled angrily. Then his focus went to Tatsumaki. "And you! How long have you been laughing your ass off by playing off as a weak person with a quirk, Tatsumaki! You feel pretty big talking shit behind my back, don't you?!"
Tatsumaki growled with her hair pushing up and her body aura suddenly activating. Katsuki didn't know it yet, but Izuku did; his childhood friend had just made a huge mistake.
And indeed, the mistake was big. The next thing heard from Katsuki was a scream as he was sent flying out of the window and crashing into a tub of water outside. However, if that wasn't enough against the guy's ego, many kids could be seen looking out their windows in shock as they saw Katsuki emerging out of the water all wet and angry.
And then there were Izuku and Tatsumaki.
"Y-You threw Kacchan out the window?"
"Serves him right!" Tatsumaki yelled. "That hothead had to cool off if you ask me!"
Izuku was a bit worried and scared at the same time. For the time he had known Tatsumaki, he had seen that she had different sides to her. The good sides of her were nice to see, but the present side of her was not. However, before he could say anything, the speakers suddenly came on with a woman's voice coming out.
"Tatsumaki, you've been requested to the principal's office immediately. Please do make the effort."
And with that, the speakers went off.
"Oh…shit." Tatsumaki frowned.
_(LINE BREAK)_
Each step Tatsumaki took felt troubling to her. She couldn't think of anything else except for what awaited her beyond the door of the principal. But there was no stopping what had happened. Thus, she knocked on the principal's door and waited for a response, which then came in the voice of the principal. Then, with a bit of hesitance, she opened the door and closed it behind her when she walked in.
"Okay, principal, I know using my quirk against someone in school is against the rules, but I have a good reason for –" Tatsumaki said and stopped. Her reason was because of a humanoid furry animal in a suit and two men next to it. "Uh...why is there a rodent in a tuxedo over there?"
The principal said nothing, other than do a facepalm. Unknown to Tatsumaki she had just insulted a very important individual. Even the two male government civil servants were a bit taken about by her question at the so-called rodent. Then there the two men next to the 'rodent' who just glared at the girl until the muscular one of the two, dressed in a blue tank-top and grey pants, said something in response.
"You should respect authority, girl! Clearly, you don't know who you're speaking too!" The super muscular guy said. Then he pointed at the animal. "This is Mr. Principal of U.A High, the most prestigious academy for heroes in the world."
"Ah, Tank Top Master…No need to be so formal." said the animal calmly and sincerely.
Tatsumaki was surprised. It wasn't because of what Tank Top Master had said, but because of the fact that the animal spoke right there.
"Wait, you can talk?!" Tatsumaki said with wide eyed.
"Yes, I can. I can understand how surprising this can be." Mr. Principal said. Then he gestured to the other man next to him. "You now know Tank Top Master and me, but I believe you may not know him. He is the hero Easerhead. We came here in response to a…problem you're facing."
"A problem? I'm not facing any problem." Tatsumaki said straightly. Her nervousness earlier seemed to now be entirely gone as she continued. "And what does a bunch of so called heroes want with me?! I don't plan on going to your crappy academy! Not now or ever!"
"Then I guess you truly are not aware." Eraserhead said composedly.
"Aware? Aware of what?" Tatsumaki asked.
Eraserhead didn't respond. He didn't have to, mainly because the two men by the other side of the office then stood up. One of them had brown hair and seemed to be younger while the other one had glasses, black hair and had facial hair.
"Tatsumaki, we are from the ministry of Housing and Development." said the guy with black hair. "Let me just say your rescue and swift action yesterday was admirable. However, the government monitors fights caused by people with quirks in order to preserve safety and order."
"Hence, why we are here." added the guy with brown hair. "Tatsumaki, what you did yesterday caused major property damage. Normally, payment for these financial losses will be in the hands of the government if the action was caused by a graduated hero with a hero license of any internationally registered hero academy. But considering you are not from any registered hero academy or a graduate of such or the fact that you lack a hero license has…You can see the problem here."
"The government has decided to bill you for the collateral damage."
"WHAT!?" Tatsumaki shouted in shock. "Y-You can't be serious?! I was just saving my classmates from a monster that the other heroes were too chicken to handle! I can't be billed for this!"
"You can…and you have been." said the other guy.
The guy with brown hair then brought out a paper and handed it over to Tatsumaki. It was just a simple paper, though in reality it was more than that. Thus, when Tatsumaki took it and looked at it, her eyes widened as her hands began to shake just by staring at the huge numbers before her.
"N-No way…This is too much…I can't afford any of this…None of my part time jobs can keep up with this amount…Yo-You have to be kidding…" Tatsumaki said with a shaky voice.
Sadly, no matter how much she tried to see it, she was really in serious trouble. The paper in her hand held every financial account of the things she destroyed that day, as well as the total of it. In short, the girl was now in a massive debt to the government and there was nothing she could do about it.
Not too surprising, this had an effect on her emotional. Her hands just seemed to continue shaking as her voice just seemed to shake like she was trying to say something. However, when she did act, it wasn't in the best of everyone. Her powers suddenly activated, which immediately began to levitate everything except the people and the couch Mr. Principal was on.
"You're joking! I can't pay for this! Is this what I get for saving people's lives, you ungrateful people huhhhhh!?"
The government workers were a bit taken aback. Tatsumaki's power was now not only affecting the office but the entire school building as a whole. Classes had started since Tatsumaki had left, but with the tables and other objects rising, even Izuku was surprised and knew who it was doing it.
Fortunately, the group from U.A Academy knew what to do. This was obvious when Mr. Principal turned to Eraserhead and called to him, to which the man responded appropriately. Tatsumaki's powers suddenly powered down, much to her shock.
"Huh? What the –" Tatsumaki said.
Mr. Principal sighed with a smile. "That sure was something huh? I'm sorry for having your quirk cut off like that, but we wouldn't want you to be in extra debt, now do we?"
"Uh…true." Tatsumaki replied. "But how were you able to do that? My quirk isn't working."
"Mr. Eraserhead is your answer." Mr. Principal answered.
Tatsumaki turned to who he referred to and noticed something different about the guy. His face expression was still the same, but his pupils were surprisingly red.
'He can shut down a person's quirk? How's that even possible?' Tatsumaki asked.
"So now you understand…" Mr. Principal said. "Tatsumaki, you're a very talented girl and clearly have so much to look forward in life. Luckily, when the ministry made their financial conclusion, we were consulted on a solution to your problem. Of course, the decision you make is up to you. We won't force you…But I would advise you make the right choice."
"What are you talking about?" Tatsumaki asked.
Just then, the man with black hair went forward. "We're offering you a better chance to repay your debt." He said. "If you're able to successfully enroll into U.A High, you'll have a chance to graduate and obtain a hero license. Then once you've accomplish that, all your debt will be immediately cleared. This is a loophole that you can exploit."
"WHAT!?" Tatsumaki shouted and glared angrily at the man. "Be a hero!? You're crazy if you think I'll join a bunch of attention seekers!? I have better things to do!"
"And what's that? Paying off that huge debt?" Eraserhead asked subtly. "Honestly, I don't care what choice you make, but I've seen the numbers…even you can't pay that off before you die of old age. You must know that, right?"
Tatsumaki gritted her teeth in frustration. She didn't want to admit it, but he was right about her situation. However, with her quirk locked and the tension of the situation, there were only two things the girl could do. She clutched the paper in her hand and screamed out loud.
_(LINE BREAK)_
With a ring of a bell, school finally came to an end. Students could now be seen walking out of the school's gate as each student wanted to get home after yet another long day in school. The same was for Izuku, who currently could be seen walking out the front gate when he saw a certain girl standing at the fence with her forehead depressingly on the fence itself.
"Tatsumaki?" Izuku called. However, he got no response. 'I wonder what happened in the principal's office. She looks so depressed.' He thought.
Now at this point his curiosity and concern for the girl got the best of him. So when he approached Tatsumaki, he was cautious to observe her while reaching his hand to her. He did hear her continue muttering the word 'debt' over and over again, but couldn't figure what it was. Hence, he made his move and tapped her shoulder lightly.
"Tatsumaki…are you okay?" Izuku asked.
Tatsumaki suddenly became quiet. It was odd and yet somewhat scary that she did that so sudden. However, before Izuku could ponder on it, Tatsumaki slowly turned her head to him to reveal a creepy look and gritted teeth. Unknown to Izuku, the girl was angry at him.
"Oh look who decided to show up; the cause of my debt." Tatsumaki said suddenly. At the same time, her face expression seemed to get scarier as she continued. "Hey, Midoriya, how about you follow me for a bit of a…chat?"
"Uh…I don't know…" Izuku answered nervously. Something about Tatsumaki was off, even more than usual, and he didn't like it. "I have to go home…My mum would be –"
"Oh no. I insist." Tatsumaki interjected. "Besides…you can't go to your mum if you're in the air, right?"
"Huh?"
Just then, Izuku was taken aback. Tatsumaki seemed to follow up on what she said, whether Izuku liked it or not. As a result, the teenage boy now found his body encased in a green aura, much to his shock, before being flown upwards with Tatsumaki following him.
Fortunately, the situation wasn't as bad as it seemed. Tatsumaki was angry, but she wasn't one to put a young person's life in danger unless it was necessary. As such, the two of them now found themselves sitting at the edge of a building with Tatsumaki explaining all that had happened andIzuku then feeling guilty.
"It really is my fault…" Izuku said depressingly. "You had to save us back then…but now you're in debt…If I hadn't been a burden to All Might then none of this would've happened…I really am pathetic."
"You are! That's for sure!" Tatsumaki yelled.
Izuku tightened his fists on his lap and tried to hold back his tears from leaking out. He didn't want to cry, especially not in the presence of Tatsumaki. But he couldn't help one thought from coming.
'Maybe I'm not worthy for One for All...' Izuku thought depressingly. 'Maybe I should give up…I can't be a hero if I cause someone such a burden.' But then he shook his head and become determined. 'No, I shouldn't think that! I want to be a hero, so I shouldn't back down! A hero takes responsibility…That means I should…No, I will…'
"Tatsumaki!" Izuku called suddenly. The depressed and guilt filled look he had on his face was gone as he was now staring determinedly at the girl. "I'll take responsibility!" He stated.
"Wh-What?!" Tatsumaki was shocked. The way Izuku had spoken up, plus the sudden change of his mood, was enough to catch the girl a bit off guard. "Responsibility?! What are you talking about?!:"
"About U.A!" Izuku said back. "You're going to attend the academy and graduate so you can clear your debt, right?! Well I'm going there too! I'll help you in any way I can, so don't worry!"
Tatsumaki was still surprised by Izuku's strong words. It was one thing to claim responsibility and another to speak so forwardly that it could surprise a person. But then, as Tatsumaki heard it all, she looked away while trying to calm herself.
"Idiot…don't talk like it'll be so easy." Tatsumaki said. "You don't have a quirk, so you won't make it there."
"You don't have to worry about that too!" Izuku stated. "I…All Might is going to train me…He knows I can be a great hero…So, Tatsumaki…you don't have to worry because…because…because we'll make it in U.A High! We'll make it there and become pro heroes! I know it!"
Tatsumaki turned to him with a glare. Hence, before Izuku knew it, the girl used her hand to push on his face, causing him to fall on his back.
"Have you been listening to me?! I don't want to be a hero!" Tatsumaki stated angrily. "Heroes don't exist in this world. The ones you see are just a bunch of attention seekers! The same is for anyone else who's going to that dumb academy."
Izuku rubbed his face and sat back up. He had been taken aback by Tatsumaki's shove on his face, but didn't mind it. Now he was facing her again, though with a curious look.
"They're not attention seekers." Izuku said. "I've been following on heroes…I wrote some of their tips on my book you saved from Kacchan. The heroes I see are good people."
"Yeah, in the public eye." Tatsumaki replied. "Tell me, Midoriya, have you ever seen a hero save others without a camera or people there to watch?"
"Yes. I saw All Might." Izuku answered.
"Then where was he when the little girls needed him?" Tatsumaki asked.
Izuku was taken aback. The question Tatsumaki had asked about seemed to have come out all of a sudden. It was unconnected to their conversation, while at the same time getting a questioning look on his face especially as Tatsumaki suddenly frowned and looked down at the streets below them.
"Your so called heroes are people of the day." Tatsumaki said sadly. "They're always there to beat the villain when he pops up in the open…but what about the dark? What about the cold dark where there is no light? What about the place where tears for a savior were never answered? I'll tell you what…it's because real heroes don't exist."
"Tatsumaki…" Izuku muttered, somewhat troubled.
The words Tatsumaki said got the teen into a realization. The girl's distain for heroes wasn't plain; they were to a personal level than anything he would've thought. It was obvious on her sad face and clear by her hands tightening into fists like she was holding back her own emotion. But before anything could be said, Tatsumaki had something else to say.
"I sometimes envy you, Midoriya…" Tatsumaki said with a low tone. "This world can be unfair, but yet you have the choice to be who you are. You could work hard to be a doctor, a police officer, as firefighter…anything at all. But you choose to be a hero…someone that really doesn't work well in this world. I never had any choice in my earlier life…It was over before I knew it."
Now Izuku was silent. What he heard from Tatsumaki was not only personal, but really deep. It began to make him question the type of person the girl was and just what her past was. But before he could say anything, Tatsumaki laughed halfheartedly and swung her legs back and forth.
"Why am I even telling you this? We're not family or friends…We're not even acquaintances. We're just classmates…" Tatsumaki said.
'We're just classmates?' Izuku thought with mild surprise. 'I know we're not close but…I thought we might grow from more than that.'
"Well that's about it." Tatsumaki said and then stood up. "I just feel like I wasted my time here. Now if you excuse me, I have a part time job to get to."
With that said, Tatsumaki turned away and began to walk. She had a particular place in mind since it was one of her place of work. However, before she could activate her quirk, Izuku called out to her and stood on his feet again, facing her determinedly.
"You have a choice, Tatsumaki!" Izuku stated. He still felt awkward though, as he fidget a bit and tightened his fist. "You've always had a choice…just like now! I don't know your past and I don't think I ever will…but…but I don't think you should think otherwise of yourself! You can choose now to not go to U.A High! But if you ask me…I think you should attend the academy anyway…It's not so you can pay your debt but because…well, I think you can be a great hero. You can be the hero you want to be…at least that's what I think."
'Be the hero I want to be?' Tatsumaki thought deeply. She still had her back at Izuku as she continued. 'I never thought of that…But it doesn't matter. It's too stupid to do.'She thought.
"Besides…" Izuku continued. "You can help…You get to feel that fulfillment of a job well done…"
"Hmph! You talk like you're already one of them."
"That's because I going to be a hero." Izuku smiled. His fidgeting stop and he continued. "Not just any hero, but the greatest and strongest hero ever. I know it sounds farfetched, but it's not impossible. And you shouldn't give up, not until you try and see things for yourself. You have a choice, Tatsumaki. Use it…As the great hero, King, once said...'What does it mean to be the greatest hero, until you discover the answer there's no time to be wasting feeling bored.'"
Tatsumaki smiled amusedly. Izuku's words were surprisingly inspirational. In fact, it was so inspirational that she remarked about it when she turned to him. "That's oddly inspirational, Midoriya...And that's saying something considering how much of wimp you are."
"Uh…Thank you."
Tatsumaki then suddenly laughed. Her action caught Izuku by surprise, before she stopped with a snickering smile. "Greatest hero? A choice? That's pretty funny just to think about…Good one, Midoriya."
Izuku frowned. 'She still doesn't believe me…' He thought.
"Anyway…" Tatsumaki continued. "I'll be going now. I got a part time job to get to. As for that crappy academy, I really have no choice to refuse it…That's something you were wrong about. So bye."
With that, Tatsumaki covered her body in the green aura and flew off.
"Tatsumaki, wait!" Izuku shouted.
However, he was too late. Tatsumaki flew too fast for her to hear him, thus leaving him with a scary thought.
"How am I supposed to get down?"
_(LINE BREAK)_
Day turned into night and not long Tatsumaki made it home. Her home's block was always quiet, but she found nothing wrong when she landed at front of her apartment's door.
"That's odd…" She said as she turned to Saitama's door which had the lights off. "The baldy's light is off…Well whatever, I don't care."
And with that, she opened the door and walked in. Her apartment was a small place, with a small kitchen, and a bathroom by the side of the main entrance. As for bedrooms, the place had none of that as it was part of the reason the apartment was so cheap. Fortunately, Tatsumaki didn't mind. Both Fubuki and she usually slept in sleeping bags in the living room, which had a small flat screen TV and other things.
"I'm home." Tatsumaki announced.
"Sister!"
Fubuki immediately ran out of the kitchen and stood before her sister excitedly. "Great, you're finally here! I want to show you something!" She said.
Tatsumaki was curious. It wasn't odd for her sister to be excited for mild reason. But there was no turning back now. Fubuki suddenly pulled a paper from her shirt's side pocket and displayed what was the paper. It was a stick figure that resembled somewhat to Tatsumaki with a strange dress.
"What's that? A stick woman in a claw dress?" Tatsumaki asked.
"No! It's your hero suit!" Fubuki yelled. "Sister can be so mean!"
"Hero suit?"
"Yeah…but since you don't like this one, there's Lily's drawing that's way better." Fubuki replied. "In school, I was thinking about how you saved Midoriya and that other person yesterday, so I figured you should have a hero suit."
Tatsumaki didn't like the sound of that. It was one thing for her to be troubled in school because of that rescue and another thing for her sister to get ideas. However, before she could say anything, Fubuki brought out another paper which she then gave to Tatsumaki, who took it.
Surprisingly, this drawing was far more artistic than the other one. It had a well detail sketch of Tatsumaki, from her green curly hair being loose down to her very feet which wore low-leveled black shoes. However, what really surprised Tatsumaki was her dress in the drawing. In it she wore a formfitting black dress with long sleeves and hour high-cut leg slits that showed her legs and possibly her underwear.
"What kind of dress is this?! It shows too much!" Tatsumaki yelled angrily.
"Well…I thought it would be cool." Fubuki said with a small smile. "The group and I figured, since sister is terrible with boys, then maybe showing the sexy part of you would be – OW!"
"Stupid!" Tatsumaki yelled. The girl's fist was down on Fubuki's head, which was the cause of the little girl being interrupted. "Don't get into my love life! Also, that should be none of your business!"
"I-I'm sorry." Fubuki muttered.
Tatsumaki sighed and calmed down. Her reaction to the drawing was still the same, but she was able to remove her fist from her sister before turning to the picture.
"This is stupid." Tatsumaki commented. Then her mood changed into a scary serious one. "I've told you multiple times, Fubuki. Heroes aren't real. I'm not going to become those attention seekers, and that's final."
"Sister, but…"
"I said it's final!" Tatsumaki yelled offensively.
Fubuki was then left in shock. She watched as the drawing her friend, Lily, had taken hours to draw become nothing but little shredded pieces that fell to the ground.
"Sister, no!" Fubuki yelled.
However, it was too late. The drawing was completely shredded with Tatsumaki then coldly walking to the kitchen like nothing happened. As for Fubuki, she fell to her knees and began to cry at the shredded pieces.
"Dinner will be ready soon." Tatsumaki said. Her back was at her sister as she continued. "You should clean that up and set the table. I don't ever want to hear of that fantasy of yours ever again."
"Sister…" Fubuki wept.
Sadly, none of that seemed to matter to Tatsumaki. She simply went to the kitchen despite the soft sobs from her sister and began to prepare dinner.
'She doesn't understand yet. She doesn't remember that terrible life in that laboratory.' Tatsumaki thought firmly. 'But then again…can I blame her for having those stupid thoughts? I had her memory wiped so she can have the normal life I lost. Anyway…Midoriya, you were wrong about me. I'm a bad person and I'll become worse if it means my sister has a better life…even if she hates me for the rest of her life.'
_(LINE BREAK)_
Somewhere on top of a building, a lone figure stood. He was clearly no ordinary person, as obvious by his robotic arms and yellow robotic eyes. But if there was something that made him human, it was his human-like skin and blonde hair and blue shirt with no sleeves and blue pants. However, he was no robot despite most of his body being composed of robotics. He was a cyborg and a very good one at that.
"Subject: Tatsumaki aka Esper X found." said the robot. He wasn't with anyone, which made it odd as the moon then reflected on him, revealing his stiff glaring face. "Soon…I will eliminate you."