"Hey, (Y/n)." The placement of his voice came as a shock to you. You turned to the classroom door, spotting Iguchi tiredly leaning through it. Looked like he was pretty badly beaten up. Probably from 'training' in the underground. You had quite a few alements of your own to deal with. Still starving after not eating anything yesterday. Even now, with everything in your head, eating just isn't as appealing as you would have liked.
You could tell he wanted to talk to you. Really bad. So you said a quick adios to your classmates, grabbed the thick schoolbook you were to read, and headed to the door. "Hey, is everything okay..? Did Tenko send you?"
"No, I--" he stopped to cough harshly "k-hh- I want to talk to you about something personal." He stared up at you with such tiredness in his eyes. Though he has scales, somehow he still gave off the appearance of being pale!
You reached out and felt Iguchi's forehead, then gasped faintly. "You're burning up! Why did you come to school with such a bad fever??"
"Get your hands off me!" The other shoved your concerned hands away, then rubbed his forehead until the feel of your touch subsided. "...I'm fine. And I want to talk quirks."
"Oh..." You knew what this was. The poor guy must have gotten so badly beaten again that he wanted another upgrade. Well.. if you keep giving him quirks like this, not much of what actually makes him him will remain.
You followed Iguchi outside the school where no one else could see nor hear you. Not even any cameras. Here, you could finally discuss private matters. Iguchi was looking terribly tense, an anxious kind that was unnatural for him. The teen half glared up at you. "Alright... I want to be your test subject for that body enhancement thing."
You blinked several times in shock. "..Body enhancements? What do you mean by that?"
"Don't lie to me! Tenko told me like a month ago about what you plan to do both for yourself and that Midoriya kid! He said you may need a test subject to make sure it works right. Well!" Slapping his chest. "What I'm saying is that subject should be me!"
You rubbed your brows irritatedly. "...So Tenny spilled the beans again, huh?"
"Yeahh, he's not exactly the best at keeping secrets, especially when he gets emotional."
"Yeah, I think I got that. Ghhh... Okay listen I know you want to be stronger but why though? I mean, even as you are right now, you'd make a great hero! Heck, you inspire me every time I see you fight! And trying to be 'the best' is honestly so overrated."
"I know it may sound selfish, but.." Iguchi clenched his fists. "I want to be on the same level as you and Tenko."
"Tenko and I are literally the strongest people in the country right now!"
"And??? You guys can call me important all you want; doesn't change the fact that you're still constantly leaving me in the dust!.. You can try and include me.. but it just doesn't feel earned. I don't just want to be treated like I'm on the same level. I actually want to BE on the same level as you!" The teen ground his teeth together. On top of that... if he'd seriously just made THE STRONGEST PERSON IN JAPAN his number one enemy, he needed to be on the same power level, or else he wouldn't stand a chance surviving a second round!
But.. in order to kill the devil, he's gotta make a deal with the devil herself.
Iguchi's arms went limp as he slouched forward. Tears dropped from his face and onto the ground. ..Why...? Why did he have to think of his own friend like this? He desperately didn't want to! He couldn't bring himself to tell Tenko either. He was up against giants and feeling so.. so lonely...
That all being said, he had the responsibility as a hero-- no.. as a friend, to protect Tenko.
After all... He already knew Tenko wouldn't be able to kill (Y/n),his best friend. He had to be the one to do that for him. For his friend's sake, both emotionally and physically.
"...What's the point in being weak anyway..? All it does is make people pity you..."
"..You have other strengths you can lean on."
"Oh yeah? Like WHAT? Videogames?! Being bad at making friends!? Having a sour attitude all the time!? Being so pathetically ugly my dad abandoned my mom after just one look at me!!? The only thing I'm good at is fighting and if I still fail at that then I'm nothing!!"
"That's NOT true!!"
"You tell ME then where you'd be right now if you didn't have a quirk! Tell me! WHAT sort of life would you be living if you had no power at all!?"
You froze, staring down at him with intense, restrained sadness. ... You already knew where you'd be. Dead. Either in the ground or a part of some lab experiment.
And what about your past life...? What would you have even become then.? You had no real talents, goals, or true skills? You were always just aimlessly floating through life without a care.. never meaning anything to anyone. Nothing but a waste of space and oxygen...
Iguchi had all the reasons in the world to want this upgrade. Who were you to tell him he couldn't have it?
Heck, the whole reason this was even an option was because you still felt inadequate and in need of an upgrade yourself..
You rubbed the wetness off your eyes. "..Fine then. You can undergo the body enhancements... Just promise me you'll continue to be yourself, okay..?"
...
"You have my word."
----------------
"Remember to be on your best behavior.." Kai side-eyed you sternly.
"Yeah yeah.. no need to tell me twice."
"Did nothing Ms. Yamashi teach sink in?"
Mumbling, "ImeanIcouldbepoloterifIwantedto..."
"Hhh... If you're going to be that way then just don't talk at all. You're not supposed to be anything but a bargaining chip anyway."
"Ight..." Not like you wanted to be here for this, but since you were the 'man with a plan,' you had to at least exist while Kai struck up a deal with these guys.
It took ages for Kai to setup a good meeting time and place with the drug experts that other Yakuza leader had mentioned, but now that the time had come, much of the excitement was kinda gone honestly. You had been really curious about what professional smugglers might loon like -- the kind that are so good they can legalize whatever drug they want to if it'll help them -- but by now you just kinda assume these'll be the type of gentlemen you typically kill for the HPSC. And now that you've gone on more than six missions for them, their type more-or-less all blends into one face now.
Each foot swung a little before landing as you carelessly walked. You wore a simpler version of the kimono you were gifted last year, which you wore to any half-important events. The man walking beside you noticed your generally bored appearance, but didn't have the time to gripe at you. At least not now that you were reaching your destination.
A secluded place. Tucked far away from those bustling city streets and heroes in company. Faint blue moonlight hugged the tops of trees and bushes to your left, bouncing off the recently rained-on old buildings to your right. The air was warm, sticky, and ugh. Other than the trail you strolled on, this place looked like it hadn't been visited by any humans in ages. Some rustling sounded ahead so you and Kai walked a little slower. You listened closely, training your ears for anything that might indicate friend or foe. Around the corner along the trail came three figures. Three men, two middle aged and one shockingly young fellow. Once a flashlight flickered to shine on you both, an excited laugh spouted from one of the older men. "Ohh! I told you we didn't make a wrong turn!"
"Don't shine that in their eyes!" One old man to another swiped the light away. Luckily, Kai was the only one temporarily blinded... Heh. "Hello, I'm Kanpo Hokusei, and you must be Overhaul and Death Angel!" The two elders approached with big grins on their faces, eager to meet the newbies as soon as possible.
Kai rubbed his eyes. "Yes... Hello." By the time he could see again, the two near-strangers were standing within his personal space and showering him with personal questions about his day, his quirk, his position, his relationship to you, and so-on. It was clearly overwhelming to be at the center of these dudes' attention and you were honestly so grateful Kai told you to be quiet earlier. When he'd juggled the two's small talk for a bit, Kia started transitioning to the reason for this gathering, starting by gesturing to you. "Death Angel is my fiancé and second in command. She is the one who originally thought up the whole plan."
The two elders' eyes turned to you with intense intrigue. You regretted not having your blindfold to cover the nervous look right now.
"Ohh, is that so~?"
"Awwh, she's so cute!"
"You're a very lucky man indeed!"
You chuckled awkwardly, stricken by the sudden compliments. You bowed to them both. "Thank you."
"No problem, miss!. So, did you want to discuss this as a group, or-?"
Kai interrupted. "-You can discuss the minor details with me. Death Angel is only here as a representative."
"Oh! She can talk to our protege, then! I hope you don't mind. We decided to bring him along so he'll have more experience on the field~!" A bit late to send him back now.
Wait a diddly-darn moment...
THAT KID IN THE BACK IS HOKU!
"Nanchan~! There's no need to be shy. Please introduce yourself to the kind Yakuza members!" The boy in question, and tallest of his party, was just as shocked to find you here as you were to have stumbled upon him. You were like two deer caught in a headlight, but, like, each other are the headlight.
"Uh-um. Ye-yes, sir!" The teen awkwardly shuffled forward and stood across from you. He stared some more. You stared some more. Then he finally bowed. "Greetings, ma'am! I'm Nanboku Hokusei. It's a pleasure to be wo-working with you tonight. Thank you for considering us as business partners." There was a lot of information needing to be processed. Was this guy related to one of the older dudes? Was that why he was in this business? Why else!? And why was he in UA of all places too!? You always had a sneaking suspicion this kid had some dark secrets, but this!? A literal drug lord!!?
...Not that you were in a better position, being engaged to a dangerous Yakuza 'prince' and all. You forced a smile and bowed as well. "The honor is mine, truly." When the two of you stood and looked at each other again, there was that subtle look of disgust and surprise now on your faces. The elders didn't notice in the dark.
One of the middle aged men wrapped an arm around Kai's back and spun around with him. "Let's talk business while walking down one of these trails! It's beautiful at night!"
"Agreed! Let's enjoy the warm nights while we still have them!"
Kai was...not enjoying this.
As Kai and the two older gentlemen discussed business details you didn't care to listen to, you and Hokusei strolled behind at quite a distance from the rest. The fact that you were both about the same height and sharing the same intention to keep your distance from the elders meant you wound up walking side-by-side, practically in-step. You had too many emotions within you to count, but for some reason they were so...dull. There was no firey passion of hatred. No utter shock or horror. Not even repulsing disgust. Just... understanding. A weird, strange understanding that could only come when two mortal enemies finally realize just how similar they actually are. It was kind of chilling; to realize you had something in common after all.
It was clear the other felt the same way. He refrained from looking at you too much, instead staring at the ground. He scratched his arm nervously, finally deciding to speak. "So... Um... Don't tell Shimura about this.. okay..? In return, I won't tell him about you... Deal?"
You nodded. "Sounds good.." More silence followed. Your hands gripped one another behind your back. Hoku fidgeted with his fingers like a madman. It was clear both of you had an infinite number of questions for the other. You decided to be brave and ask the first one. "So, how did your, um.. apprenticeship begin? Did it start before or after you joined UA?"
"I- I was actually raised into it." Gesturing ahead of him, "..My dads don't usually act like that in front of clients, by the way. I think they're just trying to make me feel safer, since it's my first time shadowing them like this."
"Ohh..." You stared ahead at the two men acting all chummy with Kai, who was really doing his best holding back the urge to swat at them. You chuckled. "Yeah, Kai's usually a lot less polite about people being in his personal space."
"Mind if I ask why you got engaged so young? And why to...?"
"Ughh!" Letting your arms go limp as you trudged along. "It's an arranged thing. Both our dads agreed for business reasons we should be together... It's kind of complicated."
"That's alright.." looking down again, "you don't have to explain."
You stood straighter. "Good, because I wasn't going to." A long pause. You realized the other really was just being kind in letting you have your privacy. Problem was, you were in the mood to banter with someone right now. You pushed out your bottom lip and rolled your eyes. "In short, when Tenko and I grew up together, he inspired me to become a hero. My dad's a villain though. Like, the villain pretty much. But at least my dad let me be a little rebellious in going to UA... He's in jail now, btw."
"Hmh... Sorry to hear that.."
"...You shouldn't be."
"No? Well, I kind of get it. Both my dads are villains, and they do some pretty terrible things to others, but.." Both of you glanced at each other, made eye contact, got embarrassed, and looked back down again. "...I don't remember my birth parents or anything, and quite frankly, I'm glad I don't. They were horrible to me.. In contrast, my old mans ahead raised me so kindly... I always wanted to find a way to pay them back... Following in their footsteps was the best thing I could come up with when I was little."
"Teh.. What changed that?"
"In short, All Might. Or.. Heroism as a whole, I guess." A small, precious smile formed on his lips. "I remember waking up extra early in the morning so I had time to look up more news on the computer about him before school. Afterward, I'd always delete my search history, like I thought I was breaking the law or something!. I'd draw countless pictures of myself as a hero and then hide them under my bed! And before I knew it, I was collecting hero merchandise, all of which I'd hide of course!" A wholesome laugh like none other jumped out of him. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed, clearly treasuring those memories. "I was overreacting a bit. I have a hard time imagining actually getting punished for being interested in heroes. But, I dunno, I just always assumed those two worlds couldn't mix.. Like water and oil I guess!" You joined in by laughing. Then came the slow and tragic death of his smile. "...When All Might died.. my dreams of becoming a hero died with him... I lost all hope in heroism, and even came to hate the idea of being one."
"Akhh.." You bit your lip, choosing not to say who was responsible for that. "How the heck did you end up at UA, then?"
"My dads must have found traces of the merchandise I had burned and thrown away. I assume they probably started scheming behind my back after that, because the next year they had pulled so many strings that I was getting into UA almost with no problem at all pretty much! As a recommended student, believe it or not! .. I hated them for it and refused to talk to anyone for a while, but..." The way his eyes so suddenly lit up, like he was a child again. "...Ihhh.. I can't really point to a specific moment in time, but..." The teen started to blush a little bit. "Your friend is special, you know that..? It's like.. it's like light itself enters the room whenever he's around. A- and the way he's so nice but also honest with everyone! And so determined to become a hero no matter what!.. Simply to Kane the world a better place... Honestly, I think it was the first Sports Festival that changed my mind... I dunno. The way that he was willing to give up everything to win, even if it meant enduring so much pain! But, at the same time, he still clearly cared about his friends. ... Trust me. I tried to ignore any feelings I had for him for a long time. ...I just think he's really neat... He showed me what it meant to be a hero again; what it meant to have dreams again.. just like All Might before him..." He caught you staring at him and his blush deepened. Covering his nose and cheeks, "I'm sorry! I know this wasn't supposed to be about Shimura!"
"I agree though, and I see what you mean!" You switched to a smile as you nudged the other with your elbow. "Tenny really is a nice guy... I don't blame you for admiring him. I do too! He's always putting others first! Hm.. a trait I wish I had a little more of..."
"Hmhmhm... Same."
"If it makes you feel any better," grabbing his full attention again, "Tenny already knows a lot about me and my story... So, I don't think he'll hate you for your villainous past.. Also, sounds to me like your parents may actually prefer you become a hero over just taking their place!"
"Ehehh... No.. they don't... Me being a hero is meant as a coverup for their business.."
"My point is.. you at least aren't as deep in all this crap as me, so don't be scared to choose a side.. alright?" You pated the man's back. He just sighed.
"Wish it were as easy as it sounds... Thanks, though."
"Pff! For what??"
"You're.... Actually not as bad as I thought as you were... In comparison to what you could be, at least!"
"HAhahah! Same!" Seeing this side of the old classmate was a strange but welcome one for sure.
Reminded you that there's often a lot more going on under the surface.
...Still doesn't excuse him from stealing a kiss from Tenko and being so rude about it, tho...
But at least you guys were getting somewhere.
Overall, the meeting was a success.
---------------
"Ma'am.." You entered Ms. Zeyale's office room coldly. It was rare for her to call you here. You wondered briefly of it had to do with the up-and-comong end to your second year. After nine missions working with her speaking directly into your ear like some kind of demonic presence, you'd started to associate Ms. Zeyale's voice with the unsavory acts she committed through you... Not that you were feeling all that rebellious about it. After all, for the most part these were some despicable people you dealt with. Terrible people who were great at manipulating the law to keep themselves safe. So, in a way, you agreed that your job here was an unethical but necessary one.
"Hey, (Y/n)." The woman mumbled. She sat at her desk tapping her chin with a pen. As you entered, she hurried to read through and sign her name on a paper, which she slid back into the drawer of her desk. "I have a few things to talk with you about, actually."
"Hm."
She waved you closer. When you had stopped as far as you could go in front of her desk, the woman encouraged you to even circle around it. She pulled out a blank sheet of paper as you came to stand beside her chair. "I want you to write something in English for me."
"Huh?"
"Just do it. Okay?"
"Ummm.. okay?" Taking the pen from her, you bent over the desk to write something. "Do you need this for anything? Do you want good handwriting?"
"No. Write quickly, please."
"Um... Alright." This was...weird. You hurried to scribble a sentence into form. " 'The cat ate my bike and I cried.' " You'd run out of ideas, so this would have to do. Before you set the pen down, Ms. Zeyale gave another order.
"Now write '(Y/n) (L/n).'" You froze, stuck for a moment as the ink of your pen sank into the paper. You stretched your wrist before writing your previous full name out. Your arm was shaking, so the handwriting wasn't amazing. It was still clear, however, that you had written this name many times before. The woman sitting beside you watched without showing any noticable interest. Once you had finished, she opened the drawer in front of her and pulled out an aging sheet of well preserved but clearly ancient paper. Upon closer inspection, you recognized it as one of the few letters you had written to Chloe as young teens! You didn't remember anything the two of you had written back and forth, so rereading it was free entertainment. Terrifying though, as you realized what this meant. "...-Do you remember writing this?" The woman interrupted your reading experience. You stiffened, wondering what would be better. Lying about this, or telling the truth. But you didn't have the time to shove out any words before she spoke again. "Though not identical, the handwriting is uncannily similar. And, judging by your reactions, I'd say that is a yes. You at least recognize who this is for, right?"
You gulped and nodded. "How did you find this?"
"Turns out there were quite a few things from your past life that were preserved. This letter is actually a perfect replica of an exhibit in an American museum. Since your old friend turned mother was so famous, naturally, anything related to her would be preserved."
"O-ohhh..." You leaned over the page squinting.
"I even heard a time capsule left by your family was buried under your gravestone, so if you want to retrieve some old things or simply have a look, I wouldn't mind flying you over there myself." You blinked at her in surprise. To think you'd actually be going back to your old hometown! And-and see your own grave stone!?.. It was hard to wrap your head around. "Something wrong?"
You rubbed your face. "Mmh, nothing. I'm just having a hard time processing all this... Why would you do all this for me? How are you so sure I'm even the same person? Aren't you afraid I've just been lying to you guys this whole time?"
"I've known something was off about you ever since I first heard your name." The woman grabbed both the old and new paper very delicately to slide back into the drawer. "Knowing your parents, it confused me how you acted so differently from the rest of your siblings. Yes, you had an impressive quirk, but even other children possessing similar ones didn't go around stealing quirks at age four. The abnormalities go as deep as your DNA, even." Your eyes widened. Ms. Zeyale straightened up her desk as she explained. "While you clearly have both DNA from your mother and father, there is a mysterious third source of DNA as well. It's so small that we only found it while researching how many quirks you actually have. It's as if you had a surrogate mother, but, hospital documentation made it clear that wasn't the case... Strangest thing's that this ghost DNA traces all the way back to (Y/n) (L/n), who died over a century ago! Which means.. when you spoke of a past life, we had no reason to deny it."
"That's...wow." You were speechless.
The woman chuckled kindly. "We presume you had developed some kind of reincarnation quirk. It's only a theory, but some of your dying blood must have stayed with your friend and reformed as an egg inside of her, which paved the way for your eventual rebirth. We believe what you described as an 'anime revealing the future' was a function of your quirk preparing you for the life ahead. It is likely your memories were tamped with between death and rebirth. Stuff like that have happened before: fake memories."
You shrugged. "I don't understand how it happened, so your guess's's good as mine." You weren't going to argue here about these people's whole existence being fake to some degree. May as well just let them reason things out however-way keeps them sane. You were content either way.
"Other than that matter, Eraserhead has permitted your visit with him. He told me through Present Mic just the other day that your first year teacher thinks you safe enough to come near him." Your dry eyes stung and you realized the joy in hearing this was quite intense.
"Wait, really?!"
"Yes. Just ensure that whoever you need to bring with you is safe as well, since for many obvious reasons the two of you can't meet in public."
"Right right!" You stood straight just so you could bow. "Thank you for telling me! I- I will get onto it right away!! We should be ready to heal him!"
"Hm." The lady nodded. "Good to hear." She then stood herself up and grabbed a file to take with her. Your eyes now lingered on the picture you kept glancing at throughout the conversation. "..You coming?"
"Uh! Yeah!.. If you don't mind though, I didn't know you had children..." At last, you pointed at the image of two children: a smaller girl with silver hair and brown eyes and a bigger boy with a mix of silver and red hair and purple eyes. For some reason the image was familiar to you, but you didn't remember seeing the contents of this woman's desk before.
Ms. Zeyale was strangely quiet as she turned to you. Readjusting the file in her arms and straightening her glasses, the short haired lady began walking back toward you and the picture on her desk. "I don't have any children, actually." She leaned over the desk enough to glance at the image again. "That's a picture of my brother and I... Hmhm, he was actually a year younger than me, but he grew so fast that he was almost twice my size by the time we were teens!" What was a little strange was that the picture appeared to be folded or even cut in half, only showing the two children. It was clear their parents stood behind them. A large hand even rested on the little girl's shoulder.
"Oh? So you really are wearing colored contacts right now, then?" The eye color she had right now was a striking crimson.
The woman touched her eyelid. "...Yeah. I just think it matches the hair a little better.."
"Ah... Well it is a really pretty color."
"Hm..." She was hesitant to accept the compliment. Instead, Ms. Zeyale turned around to walk toward the exit again. "Follow me, please. We still have a few smaller issues to discuss regarding how you are to conduct yourself on your missions."
"Oh-okay. Yes ma'am." It was clear she didn't want to talk about herself anymore. And you weren't going to push her to start.
But this was a little curious... Why did you have such a strong feeling you recognized those kids?
---------------
"Alright, now let me do all the talking."
"I wasn't planning to speak to these people anyway." -_-
"Okay well you don't have to be so rude about it."
You led Kai to the front door of this half suburban house. All the houses were small and close together, but the still cute little gated yards in front of each made up for that. Just down the road was the main street of a cute little town, and a cute little river running through it, covered by bridges.
You knocked on the door and were answered by an older woman with graying hair. She politely asked for you two to wait outside on the front porch. To even take a seat if you liked. Aizawa would come out to greet you. There was just enough room at the left of the door to place a couple chairs next to each other. You awkwardly sat down in one of them. Kai stood in the corner like a content little houseplant.
Your forehead became sticky with sweat. Your hands fidgeted, elbows bracing on your lap as you leaned forward. You had to remind yourself to keep breathing.
Kai pat your head a couple times, breaking you from your spiraling thoughts. "Calm down."
"Mh." His interference helped. You took a couple deep breaths. But you were still shaking.
The door clicked open. You turned your head away as Aizawa appeared, using the wall to guide him toward you. "Is the chair taken?"
"No, sir."
"Thanks." He felt his way around and sat down across/beside you.
Your chairs were like this: \• •/
The man reclined in his seat. "Hang on for a moment. My girlfriend wanted to be here for this."
"Girlfriend?"
He pointed to the house across the street, where Mic was seen exiting the house with a dark haired woman. Guess they were both coming over. "Her family's lived across the street as long as mine has been bere.. We didn't talk much as kids, but when I moved back here, my parents asked her to help me learn to navigate like this, since she was born blind... We got along a lot better than I expected, and I decided I'm willing to take a risk with you if it means being able to take care of her a little better. That and I never intended to retire from heroism... Just needed some time off to think things through."
Your chin dipped low to stare down at your lap. Your hands held each other tightly. "...I'm really sorry..."
"You're good at acting, aren't you?"
"Huh??"
"The way you acted in that fight... It felt like I was witnessing a demon or something possess my student. I assumed this was you finally showing your true colors." You bit the inner part of your lip, sulking. "But that wasn't the case, was it?"
"I... I sure hope so..." Good thing Yamada and the young woman were taking the longer way around to get here by stopping at the crosswalk instead of jaywalking.
"It's said that a person's true nature is revealed when they're close to failure or death."
"Yeah.."
"I don't think that was the case with you, though... Because I've seen you both succeeding and failing in training exercises. I, more than anyone, should have known you would only do something rash and cynical if you felt your life or something greater was on the line.. I probably should have noticed you were feeling desperate and cornered and changed up my fighting style to accommodate. Instead, I immediately assumed you were a monster all along and pushed you to your limits."
"Really, it's okay.."
"At least let me apologize for that before I get to the part you should be sorry for."
"..."
"Hhhhgh.." Aizawa rubbed the back of his neck. Yamada then came a-stomping up the stairs. "You're late."
"Don't tell me you guys are talking about important things already!"
"There should be a chair behind me." There indeed was, which Mic grabbed and set beside Aizawa so the lady could be seated beside him. She really was a beautiful woman. Very gentle and polite looking too.
When things had settled, the erasure hero turned again to you. "So how did you get Oboro's body?"
...There really was no point in lying about this. Everyone already knew that whole thing about a projection or trick of the mind was a lie. "...He was an experiment. A monster made up of multiple quirks and corpses to create an even more powerful quirk... He was assigned to me as my bodyguard. I didn't choose him. And.. when I found out he was your old friend, I was so disgusted but also didn't know what to do with him... He didn't remember anything from his past life; acted more like a robot than a human. By the time you saw him, I had already stolen his quirk, which left nothing but Oboro's husk.... I was too scared to tell you about him and I'm sorry. I just didn't want to break your heart..." Watching everyone's reactions was enough to make you go quiet after. You were already mumbling by the end. You knew you had a lot to explain for. A lot of unwanted pain caused by you. "...I'm sorry..." It was the only thing you could think to say.
Thinking back now, you should have taken your mission more seriously. Instead of living it up and enjoying the fragile but warm atmosphere of home life, you should have been working extra hard to save everyone you could. But you were complacent with the people you had already saved. You got lazy and didn't even try to save the ones who "didn't matter" at the time... What a selfish fool you were. You deserved to be hated by these guys and more. Much more.
Mr. Mic had his hand on Aizawa's shoulder with a sorry look in company. "...How about we move on to healing his eyes now?"
"Right." You nodded, gesturing to the brunette standing behind your shoulder. "This is Overhaul. He has a quirk that should be able to help, and he's been specially training for this case." Kai nodded and stepped out in front of Aizawa.
"Are you ready?" Kai.
"Proceed." Aizawa.
Kai placed his hand on the elder's forehead. His hand glowed slightly and Eraserhead flinched. The brunette drew his hand away after only a few seconds. "About a year, right? That should do it." Kai walked back to his corner. Aizawa's eyes fluttered open, now back to their usual non faint color. He blinked a few more times, then rubbed his eyes. He stared down at his hands and flexed his fingers a bit.
Yamada gasped. "Did it work?!" Aizawa turned his head quickly, looking for the first time at the face of his girlfriend. As he kissed her, his friend celebrated loudly. "YAAAAAAA!" So loudly that an elderly neighbor shouted at you lot from his yard. "Oops! Sorry, old man!!" You snickered, smiling warmly to see you had fixed at least some of the damage you'd caused.
Aizawa then looked at you and was shook to see your eyes were foggy and unfocused. He squinted scrutinizingly. "You're blind now?"
"Ehehh... This... This happened a while ago. I kinda did it to myself.. I-it's fine though! I have a quirk that helps me get around!" Your smile faltered as your first year teacher glared. He turned his attention to Kai.
"Why can't you fix her eyes?"
"She won't let me."
Aizawa's hair flew up as his quirk activated, deactivating specifically your powers. "Try now."
You threw your hand up to stop Kai from even trying. "He- hey, guys, I'm serious! Don't! I- I'm seriously fine! I deserve to be a little broken anyway!"
"No, you don't." Aizawa growled as though personally offended by what you said.
"Yeah, I didn't know that was why you still couldn't see!!" Your second year teacher squeaked. "That's not cool, man: making yourself suffer for no reason!!"
"What he said." Aizawa.
"I agree." Kai.
Even Aizawa's girlfriend nodded.
"But- but- but..." You grabbed your head, nails digging through your hair. You had no real arguments here. Just that you wanted to suffer for what you had done. Being blind was a constant reminder of your mistakes and failures in life. They reminded you to be extra careful in the future and stop putting your problems before everyone else's! Your hands held one another on your lap as you stared down at them. "...I don't deserve to feel whole... Even if you fix my eyes now, I'll just blind myself again!"
Slap!
It came from the person you least expected.
Aizawa's girlfriend, standing, grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and pulled you close so she could yell at you extra well. "Listen, I may not know you personally or anything, but I'd be saying the same thing to anyone regardless!" She leaned in even closer. "Stop thinking like that!! Nobody deserves to cripple themselves in such a way! Nobody deserves to hate themself like that! Call me naive all you want but I will not let you say you are deserving of it!!" You rubbed your cheek as the burning pain faded, noticing everyone else's shocked reactions as well. "..Listen, if you're able to see right, I say see. If you're able to do amazing things, I say do those things with everything you've got and don't limit yourself!"
"Ye-yes, ma'am!" You yipped before more spit could fling into your face. The woman let you go and you fell back into your chair. Aizawa reached out to help guide his lass back to her chair while Kai handed you a cleaning wipe for your face. As the situation really settled in, you took on a slightly more stoic attitude. "..Fine then. After I get home and sort a few things out.. I'll let my own eyes return to normal as well."
"Thank you." Aizawa.
"Psh! For what?!"
"For proving again and again that you're not who everyone fears you are."
"Tch." You smirked. "I don't even know what to say to that. You're welcome?"
He seriously meant it, though. Everyone there was so glad you weren't like your father; that you weren't some selfish monster. Heck, even you were grateful that wasn't the case.
You were nowhere near close to being seen as a hero, though. No sir-ee, not at all.
Not at all.
---------------
(Idk if I wrote that scene correctly. Oh well.)
---------------
"Now that your eyes are back to normal, that means you're biologically 16 again. Meaning we can postpone our marriage for another year~"
"Uhhh. Not quite sure that's how it works-"
"-Are you seriously going to argue against us marrying later??"
"...Fair point."
Together, you were able to postpone your marriage for another year. Yusss!
---------------
The second year of UA came to a swift and abrupt close. Everyone went their separate ways for the summer vacation.
Tenko dedicated more of his time to work, training Izuku, and even writing a letter back to his old man.
Iguchi was said to be visiting his mother. In reality, that was just a clone you had Jin make for him. The real him was deep underground, undergoing experimentation.
And you...
You came alone, as permitted by the HPSC of course. You returned to the land you'd grown so detached from in these late years. Returning here was like putting on a nasty old shoe. Though you had a hard time recognizing the place, it all felt so similar somehow.
Your humble little town was now mostly abandoned. The old buildings you would have remembered were all but gone by now. What remained were filled with nothing but cheap junk, roaches, and cobwebs. The fields were as vast and yellow as always, however. That wheaty smell in the air familiar, like the scent of home. The only places still standing were a gas station, a weed store half buried in mud, and an old rundown pawnshop of a museum supposedly selling merchandise from times of old. "Homeland of The Famous 'Loving Mother'" the shabby old place said. Inside were nothing but memorabilia vaguely recognizable from your original life.
No one was even inside when you had a look around. There was the bittersweet scent of weed burning in the other room. You only glanced around briefly. Didn't care to buy anything.
You did, however, grab one of those free tour pamphlets by the door. The handy thing showed an overlay of the map from your old life and now. You recognized the old map a lot more. Used to drive around all the time, after all. So following this one came a whole lot easier.
Eventually, you came upon an old church buried to the roof in dirt and grass. You walked over to the field that was supposedly a graveyard.
You stood and listened as the grass all around was stroked by the wind, mimicking the calm, wavelike motions and sounds of an ocean current. Jutting up from the tall grass were the sporadically placed, large trees. You had no idea what they were called, but each and every one of them was thick with cotton-like seed. Or, at least these little white flurries. The seeds were shaken from their places by the gentle wind and sent on a journey that led them steadily toward the ground. You appreciated the sight for a moment, a sense of gratitude for those who convinced you to let your eyes return to normal in your heart. It was just like that quiet moment in a heavy snow. When the sky is full of thick snowflakes and you can do nothing but stare and marvel. A truly beautiful thing to behold.
You activated Sight, which, when focusing its absolute hardest on the ground nearest you, revealed gravestones buried beneath the field. What a pain...
Luckily you came prepared for this.
You knelt down and touched the earth. The soil cracked open and spread throughout the field. Chunks of soil and decaying matter floated into the air, steadily clearing away the dirt layer by layer. Tough as last year's training camp had been, it'd taught you something crucial. ... With enough concentration, you can choose the type of matter you destroy.
As the dirt and grass broke away, it revealed the gravesite underneath. Now, all of that soil floating overhead, you waved it away with the strength of your six wings, then touched all of your fingertips together to finally release the clumps of earth. They fell a distance away, crushing the beautiful golden grass.
You roamed the gravesite in search for your name. You recognized the occasional name. That of a teacher or a classmate. Some lived very long lives, while others only a few years longer than yourself. Some shared a family name with a spouse and were even buried near their children, while others were buried alone. ... A face came with every other name. Rich kids who belittled others. Strong kids who bullied the weak. Strange kids who stirred up unnecessary drama. Nice kids who tried to help out however they could. Teachers with less than clean histories. Mayors with suspicious reputations. Bus drivers whom everyone loved. They all ended up in the same place and in the same state: worm food. Even their gravestones were long buried, their existence completely forgotten.
Finally, you found your own name among the gravestones, old and weather-worn as it was. All it took was a glance and you knew instantly that there was something dreadfully magical about coming into contact with your past. And to think...you died so far away from anything special. That one day even your gravestone would be buried and forgotten... Figures, I guess. Nothing came of your first life but the friendship you had with Chloe. There was nothing all too special about that either. Anyone could have been her friend and they probably would have had the same legacy, or a better one!
Heh... Y'know, maybe if you never let her pester you so much as kids, she would have gone on to befriend somebody else. Someone who would have followed and supported her throughout life, becoming just as popular and helpful as her!
At the very least, Chloe would still be alive right now if it weren't for you.
In both lives...you killed her... Now, how ironic is that?
You took notice of the graves to your right and left. Your parents' lay at your left while your sisters' lay at your right.
You'd already done your research, though finding any information on them at all was a chore on its own. Only a year after you died, one of your older sisters, Felicia, was kidnapped. Your dad drove himself to the point of exhaustion looking for her and died of a heatstroke. Only one day after that, your sister's lifeless body was found in another town. The eldest sister, Jenavieve, had much better luck. She got married, had two kids, and lived into the "ripe old age" of fifty-three. She had complicated health conditions in the worst possible era: when strife born from quirks was at its worst. Something as simple as a quality hospital visit could have fixed it. But, the world was far too chaotic. America was undergoing another civil war, and every hospital in that area was busy prioritizing soldiers over citizens. And... As for your mother... Somehow, she lived the longest. Somehow, she survived to eighty-nine. Though, knowing her, she probably hated it. She was probably glad to finally croak her last and die.
...If only you had been there for them. If only you hadn't made that stupid wish to be reborn in some fantasy world... You could've wished for literally anything, meaning you could have just as easily wished for you and Chloe to be revived. Then.. who knows? You could have saved Felicia from getting kidnapped! You could have been there for your dad, stopping him from pushing himself so hard, and you could have been there for Jenavieve, making sure she got the best treatment in the world... But no. Instead, you wished to be reborn as some random anime villain's daughter for the fun of it. You abandoned them without giving it a second thought.
...What a joke...
You disintegrated your gravestone, glad to see that whole thing about a time capsule was actually correct. It was a small little wooden box. Somehow, very well preserved, though clearly old and delicate. You opened the box up, finding a few small trinkets from your past life left inside. There was the necklace you'd found in the dumpster and gave to Jenavieve for Christmas. There was the bracelet you won gambling behind the school you'd given to Felicia. There was even the switchblade your dad made specially for you as a young teenager. And there was...a letter. The paper was old and withering. Even the gentle wind threatened to tear it to shreds. You got down on your knees where the wind was nearly nothing and unfolded the letter carefully. Immediately, you knew who this was from.
There was something even you had to admire about your mother: her handwriting was the most beautiful you'd ever seen. She wrote so elegantly and with such perfectly picked words that it was a wonder why she never became a writer.
Your heart raced. You realized you were shaking as your eyes absorbed the first words. " 'I'm sorry, (Y/n).' " In an instant, the note was gone. A flash of blue and now it was all but dust. It was a tad unfair, really. But, you hated nothing more than the thought of reading the rest of it. There was just something terrible about reading an apology you would never accept. You brought the box and other trinkets along with you, but nothing but hatred came from reading those words. You didn't care if she was sorry or not.
You would never even consider forgiving her for everything she's done.
---------------
It wasn't sitting right with you, even a whole month into your summer break! The new school year was just around the corner, but something wasn't quite right. That picture.
You scrolled through even the oldest photos on your phone, wondering when or where you would have seen Ms. Zeyale and her brother as children before. As expected, nothing was showing up. Alright, time to do some research on her then.
Google search: Zeyale Taylor, HPSC President.
. . .
Since she was registered quirkless, the young Zeya couldn't even attempt to run into a hero course and had to settle for a business course instead.
Graduated from UA 24 years ago, this mysterious woman immediately took a job as a low level staff member at the HPSC. She attended a prestigious government oriented college while in her early years of working there, making herself overqualified for a low level job. Every time she rose in rank, she took extra courses or tutored under higher-ups until she was acting above her pay grade again. She repeated this process until finally worming her way to the top.. as the HPSC's president.
On the side, apparently she also founded her own little hero agency specially geared toward suicide prevention. It didn't take off like she hoped, but through it she and her team have been able to save over five thousand.
Even after scrolling around for a couple hours, you couldn't find any pictures that matched the one on her desk. So then.. how? Why were you so sure you'd seen it before?
You looked through old yearbooks. You looked for old family or friends of the woman, but found none. Either she had no friends or family outside of work, or she was just really good at hiding them. By this point you were really nosing around in her personal info, even considering contacting one of your old hacker buddies.
...That big hand on her shoulder in the photo was awfully familiar...
Your heart was racing when you pushed back in the chair, stood, and lunged across the room. You made a mess digging through your bookshelf, displacing entire stacks and bins of papers, files and books. Finally, you found it tucked in the back behind everything. The family picture book!
Ms. Zeyale's wording was freakishly strange, looking back. " "Knowing your parents, it confused me how you acted so differently from the rest of your siblings." " Why didn't you consider it before!? " "You can (die), and I know it." " Talking as if she knew everything about you. Acting as if she had ties to your very source!
You didn't even take the time to sit on your bed or anything. The floor would do. In a frenzy, you flipped through your father's old picture book of family portraits. The one you'd stolen for safe keeping when almost everything of his was getting searched.
You passed it, but wait, go back, there it was!!! When your finger landed on the picture, you couldn't even process your emotions properly. The implications of this finding... It was too immense...
That... That photo.. i-it was right here too! The extended version revealing her parents to be none other than your own.
Ms. Zeyale was your sister!!?!?
---------------
About a week ago:
Click clop click clop click clop
The woman was stiffer than usual while walking through the pristine halls of Tartarus. Her four escorts gave her very little comfort. After all, she knew this prisoner better than anyone else here. She knew how conniving he was. Even now as he rotted away in prison, he likely had two, three, perhaps even a hundred different plans to free himself already set in motion.
This woman had not only one but two beings of mass destruction to keep on a leash. At the very least, she had to be sure these two weren't secretly plotting anything. (Y/n), though a bit of an airhead sometimes, could be shockingly cunning if needed. For now, the woman would use this small window of time while the girl was out of the country to investigate further into her secret home life.
The woman had already visited Jin, (Y/n)'s clone, and Himiko. She already stopped by the Shie Hassaikai and did some digging of her own through the girl's bedroom. Why, she even met with old friends of the young lady, such as Tenko and even Izuku, to ensure her investigation was thorough. All that was left to do was the very thing she dreaded most.
She had no more excuses now that the meeting room was set. Now that the villain was properly bound to a chair and with no ways of escaping. Now that there was no chance of this man activating his quirks and hurting her... she still couldn't shake the feeling that these were going to be her last breaths.
The large metal door hissed open, through it stepping Ms. Zeyale dressed formally in a suit.
"Is this a hologram you have setup for me~?" The villain strapped to a chair behind a sheet of glass grinned as the woman made her appearance. Ms. Zeyale's heart clenched at the sound of his droning voice. To think he was so close. No, she did not feel safe. Even with all the precautions made. They may as well be meeting under that abandoned old concrete bridge only meters from the gushing river again.
"This is no trick." The woman forced herself to remain stoic and brave, even though deep down she could hardly get out a thought.
Just like how she usually went about retrieving information, this was her starting point for yet another show.
"It's been a while since we've met face-to-face. How long has it been~?"
"28 years."
"Right.. Watching you grow in an attempt to stop me has been amusing for sure.. I presume you've taken my youngest under your wing as well~?"
The woman nodded. Though she knew her father would predict such a thing, still, the fact that he said it though HE had planned it made the woman want to pull a 1-80 and kill (Y/n) whenever she got the chance. Even if that girl played the smallest role in this man's plans.. Ms. Zeyale wasn't in the mood to gamble with any more lives. For now, she had to remain clam. She sat down across from the villain, hands tight and bracing her knees for support. Her eyes wandered everywhere but the man across from her.
"Didn't you come all this way for something? Why is my little stardust acting so quiet around me? Lost for words~?"
The woman grit her teeth, glaring ahead now. "You will not call me such things, understood??"
"For someone who's made such a point about distancing herself from me, it's puzzling why you've wound up looking like a near-spitting image of me. Was that intentional~?"
Standing suddenly, "That's enough." The woman turned to exit the same door she entered through. "I'm leaving."
"Awwh, how many conversations was that on your end~? I hope I didn't say anything embarrassing."
"It was just enough to get what I needed out of you."
"Oh come onnn~ I'm suffering from understimulation over here... You can at least afford to tell me what the weather is like outside, right?-"
"-It's raining." Ms. Zeya stopped to stare over her shoulder for a moment. There was no sign of empathy, but there wasn't necessarily hatred either. Just..very solemn. Like she had a lot of things to say, but were unable to word them. Her gaze trailed to the ground. "...It's a gentle rain... The kind that feels good on dry skin; chilly on the hair of someone who has a home to return to. In order to hear the calm tapping of the sky's bitter tears, you have to really listen. . . " She turned back toward the door. "Tell Mom I miss her whenever the two of you should meet... And if she somehow made it to Heaven despite marrying you, tear down the sky to greet her..."
". . ."
"Goodbye. I hope that we never meet again." At least with that, the woman was able to get a little bit off her chest.
With enough political power, she hoped to be able to keep what remained of this demonic family in check.