20: A Beautiful Corpse
(I swear I'm not trying to give you guys depression.)
(Just say 'swiper no swiping' three times and it'll go away.)
.
The Value of a Friend
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly
broken
broken
broken
broken
broken
You have to sever the strings and chisel them down individually until, one after another, they break. And when one remaining string is all that remains, it will surely fail to carry the weight.
Who will break next? And who will be forced to carry the world?
.
.
.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.
.
.
.
Almost two years ago:
Ms. Inko opened the door, glancing confused at the boy standing there patiently. "Oh?.. Who is this?" She looked down, noting the boy's UA uniform.
The teen's eyes flushed a faint pink, eyes darting to the side. "Hi, Miss, I'm- my name is Tenko Shimura.. I- I know you don't know me personally, but I'm a childhood a friend of (Y/n)'s and I've met your son a few times before. I know he and (Y/n) were pretty close, so I just wanted to see how he's doing. Is he alright?"
"O-oh?" The woman turned around. There was no one behind her in the living room. The fact that she didn't ask what happened confirmed to the teen that she knew what was going on. "He should be in his room right now doing his homework. I don't know how much he knows about (Y/n), so please don't tell him about her record."
Tenny nodded. "Yes ma'am."
She let the boy in. Tenko's eyes wandered around their humble apartment.
"Oh, Izuku~ Someone by the name of Shimura is here~"
Muffled: "WHAT?" Tenko chuckled as a ruckus broke out behind the boy's door.
"Would you like something to eat?" Inko asked the guest, already walking toward the kitchen.
"No, ma'am, I'm fine."
"Nonsense! You're a hero student! Aren't they always hungry?"
"Well. I.." He couldn't really argue there, especially with all the training and strict diets. He didn't fight the idea of having a snack as the woman left. Izuku's thumping feet stole his attention next.
The fluffy haired greenette leaned around the corner, his eyes a mix of concern and distrust. "What does (Y/n) want?" Tenko was not expecting such sass from this child. He blinked a couple times at the kid stupidly.
"...What do you know?" Tenny whispered so Inko couldn't overhear.
Izuku copied. "Kachan told me everything.. (Y/n) and her dad are villains." He then stared down defeatedly. He really did trust those two... And to think the man he had a growing admiration for was actually the guy who killed All Might!.. Scary to think he let himself get so close to such a monster.
Tenko crouched down to the boy's level and placed his hand on the kid's shoulder. He stared at him with such care in his eyes, empathetic all the way. "I'm not here for (Y/n). I just wanted to see how you were doing."
The preteen pursed his lips, diverted his eyes to the ground. Tenny watched closely with concern. Something was definitely eating the small one up inside. Eyes still to the floor, "..Are you a villain too?"
Tenko's eyes fluttered open and closed, leaning back a little. "Wh?? No! Sh-she was my friend, but I never even knew (Y/n) was a villain until everyone found out! I'm just as shocked as you." Izuku bit the inside of his lip while considering the elder's words. As much as he wanted to believe him, it was hard to.
Ms. Inko arrived with a plate of snacks for Tenko and her son. Tenny sprung to his feet and thanked her kindly as he took a treat. "Is there anything I can do to help out around here?"
"Hmhm, thank you, that's very kind but you don't have to. You did nothing to--" Inko stopped herself. Tenko sighed as the two boys looked to her.
"..He already knows." Tenko.
The woman sighed. "...I see."
Everyone stood in a circle of mourning silence for a moment.
"If it helps any.. I'm sure (Y/n) never meant to hurt anyone." Tenko clarified to the crowd. Ms. Inko nodded, staring down. Izuku noticed. Inko noticed his noticing, so she opened her mouth to speak.
"She... has clearly gone through a lot. It doesn't excuse anything she did, but, it's obvious she doesn't have a lot of positive influences in her life."
"Yeah.." Tenko nodded to that.
A small sniff pulled both pairs of eyes down to the little boy. Tears streamed down his cheeks. His fists were clenched, he struggled to breathe.
"...Why does (Y/n) have to be a villain...? Why...?"
...
Tenko placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and rubbed it. "Hey.. listen..." He got the little one to look him in the eyes. "Good people can do bad things sometimes. (Y/n) has a strange quirk. Who knows how hard it is for her to control it? But even she believes in fighting the odds to do the right thing... I don't think she'll stay a villain. Knowing (Y/n), she'll be a hero just like she promised.
This is just me thinking out loud.. but I think all she needs is another chance."
The present day:
""As we transition into the local news segment for today, we have six missing persons cases from just this weekend. They include: Anya Forder, Beina Gunra, Izuku Midoriya, Kaleb Hartwith...""
Tenko sat on the couch eating cereal. His interest was grabbed the moment Izuku's face made an appearance on screen.
He frowned. "Looks like (Y/n)'s back to her usual shenanigans." His eyes dropped to his bowl of cereal and mini table below it. He looked tired more than anything, having had so little sleep this past week.
"Hey, Tenko, where are your measurements!?" Hana popped out of her room.
"Haven't taken em yet."
"I told you to do it three days ago." Hana pouted, trotting up behind the couch and plopping her chin on her little brother's head. Her arms wrapped loosely around his neck. Tenko for the most part ignored her. "How am I supposed to hem your suit? You know I have to set aside time to do nice things like this for you, right?"
Tenko rolled his eyes, leaning away from his sis. "You made my hero suit, didn't you?? Surely you know my measurements already." Hana stood up and slapped the top of his head for the rude tone. "Ow!"
"About that. I need to make you a new hero suit too. You've grown a lot since you were sixteen! I'm surprised you haven't torn the old one, honestly."
"Oh I have, but I just sew it back up in my free time."
Gasp. "Seriously?? And you never told me?? Ugh. Boys. You're all so prideful about doing things on your own."
Tenko deflated, sliding so far down he was practically laying on the couch, his chest now a little in the way of the TV screen. "Don't go projecting your breakup feels onto me." He grumbled.
"I am not!!" Hana stomped. She shuffled away, giving Tenko the quiet he needed. He sighed again, half his brain wondering when his pecs got so big while the other half processed what to do about Izuku going missing.
"...Hey, Iguchi, hurry u--" He shut up right away. His friend was indeed not in the other room. Mumbling, "..I'm not waiting on anyone..." he reminded himself, before standing up and throwing what was left of the cereal into the trash. After throwing on his UA jacket, giving up on buttoning his shirt all the way or putting on a tye, the teen ambled to the door. Forgot his backpack. He ran back to his room to retrieve that. But, the bag was open, so when he swung it over his shoulder papers and notebooks alike came flying out. Tenko cursed under his breath, then cursed at himself for cursing, then crouched down to pick everything up. Took a while, but eventually, he was out the door.
He didn't skip school after Iguchi's death. Not a day. If he did, the reality of it all would come crashing down on top of him. For now, he just needed to continue living like everything was normal; like everything was fine.
----------
He was at the subway station waiting for the next one when another UA student walked up to him. "You look like a mess.. as usual." Hokusei approached. Tenko side-eyed the other, too tired to glare fully.
"Since when did you start taking the subway?"
"Since I disowned my parents and lost all connection to their funds." Hoku stopped with his hands in his pockets. Tenko wasn't interested enough to ask about his family drama. Hoku didn't seem interested in delving any further. "Heard there was press waiting at the gates today. You might want to look more presentable than that." Tenko sighed long and low, but he didn't change anything. Hoku sighed and turned to him again. "Here." He laid his hands on the shorter guy to fix up his jacket and button up his shirt. Tenko stared off to the side, down at the train tracks. Hokusei's hands slowed as he finished buttoning the other's shirt, surprised Tenko was even letting him do something like this. They had such a complicated history by now, Hoku couldn't bring himself to look the other in the eyes. "You can have mine." The brunette untied his tie, and tied it loosely around the other's neck. Noting Tenko's dissociative trance was most painful of all. To think he played a crucial role in stamping out that light.
Against his better judgement, Hoku moved some of the other's hair aside and lightly kissed his forehead. "Sorry... For that.. For everything..." He stepped back to create space between them. Tenko compulsively shuffled a step away and rubbed his forehead with his wrist. "I was more than naive to think becoming a hero would automatically make me a good person. I was an idiot for that.. and every stupid thing I did and said because of it." He was amazed Tenko hadn't reacted more lively to his little show of affection, which even in the moment he regretted. "You don't have to worry about ever seeing me after graduation."
"...What?" Then turned his head.
"What I mean is, I-" Just as Hoku started to explain, the subway came screeching onto the tracks. The two young men parted ways, entering through different doors and standing in different train cars.
. . .
The train ride was uncomfortably longer than usual. Though the subway was packed so much so that he couldn't sit, he could sense the other's presence one car down. Occasionally, he'd accidentally catch a glimpse of him too.
Both were standing, having given up their seats for someone else.
When they came upon the right stop, both exited. Hokusei walked substantially slower than Tenko, allowing distance to grow between them. All the while, the young man's heart ached, knowing the light he once saw in All Might would never be his. He'd choked it out with his own dark clouds.
. . .
Hokusei was right. When Tenko approached the front gates of UA, he realized entering would mean having to push through a crowd. They were loud, demanding more information about the student who died just days before, about what the heroes had planned for villains like Stain, and rumors of corruption that led to Stain's rise.
UA decided to withhold the details of Iguchi's death, which had its consequences.
Tenko hadn't the drive to push his way through the crowd. He entered by tapping people's shoulders and asking to be let in. A path slowly formed, since he was a student, but that came at the cost of all the cameras being pointed his way. Flashes of bright light forced the teen to stare at the ground. He let his hair fall in front of his face, quietly and passively as possible ignoring all the questions and shoving of strangers around him. So many questions about his friend, what happened to him, and why he was dead. Tenko's face slowly paled, his throat drying up. He didn't want to think about all that right now.
Arriving at the gate from the opposite end of the sidewalk came a large figure much more abrasive about getting through. While Tenko meekly swerved between the people, this person was borderline shoving them out of her way. When the two did meet at the entrance, they stopped.
You were standing there, an easy magnet to a crowd eager for pictures and answers. But you weren't in the best shape for it. Far from that. Your hair was greasy at the roots and your uniform sloppily thrown together. Good thing your eyes were covered, because there wasn't a doubt they would show just how tired you were. Despite doing nothing but sleep the entire week.
You met in the middle, paused to stare, then passed through the gate together, leaving all the reporters and such behind.
"Thought you quit UA." Tenko mumbled.
"Mh... Kai made me get up and stop avoiding the world. What about you? You have any time off?"
"No." He growled. "I actually care about being a hero, unlike you."
"Menemene-nemene~"
"And would you stop acting so depressed?? I know you're just faking it for attention. You weren't as close to him, so I don't see why you'd react like that anywa-"
SLAP!
Your hand still held in the air after smacking the other across the face. "...That's for earlier." You turned back toward the school, digging your hands deep into your pockets as you stomped away. You'd hit him so hard, he still had a red mark on his cheek. Tenko touched his burning skin and growled again.
"Hey." He shuffled after you. Your own steps quickened, so he ran to catch up and grab your arm. "Hey!"
"What?!" You yanked your arm free. Your glare fell on those behind him in the distance, taking pictures. No doubt they were theorizing all kinds of things. This wasn't a good look for either of you.
Tenko, glaring, swallowed and cleared his throat. "Training Ground A27. 12AM sharp. Meet me back there behind the school. There, we'll fight using all our quirks... If I win, Izuku comes home with me. If you win..you get to keep him."
You aimed your face down, brows creasing. "Fine." Turning your back on Tenko. "I don't get why, though. We both know this is for his own good." As Tenko started to follow a few feet behind, you mumbled one last thing over your shoulder. "I mean, if Iguchi's upgrade was perfect, he wouldn't have died... I can't have another friend die on me like that... I know we both got pretty close to Izuku, so, I don't think I'm alone in wanting the best for him... If the kid's immortal, don't you agree it would be a lot easier to sleep at night?"
Tenko didn't answer. He didn't want to. He didn't need to. He didn't know what to say...
A silent vow was made not to speak to one another until your scheduled fight. You parted ways.
----------
After School, Tenko flew over to Endeavor's headquarters faster than any train could take him. Arriving, he latched onto a massive pole with Black Whip and twirled around it til he slowed, then dropped on the ground and headed inside. He stepped into Endeavor's massive, woody office but the man wasn't there. Not a surprise. The teen slid the school bag off his shoulder, left it by the door and headed off to the locker rooms to get changed.
Hana was probably right for getting onto him earlier about his hero costume. It was tight even for a tight-fitting suit and had been cheaply repaired so many times he was LUCKY the fabric was black! It was so patchy and scratchy now, and had been for so long Tenko couldn't even remember what it used to feel like.
Endeavor, and UA in general, had offered many times to pair the teen up with a proper hero-suit making company. But, Tenko was so sentimental about the old fit, he always declined. Now, though, as he opened the locker, he had flashbacks to the evening he put on the outfit before the night of Iguchi's death. And then the hours of haunting silence he spent afterward, cleaning and repairing that same outfit. He had to grab a lot of fabric and supplies from Hana's room, quiet as a mouse to avoid waking her. He hadn't felt too much that night after returning home. Nothing at all, actually. But, he knew that if he stopped; that if he relaxed from completing one task after another, he would break. It was terrible now to think such terrible memories had dirtied his costume. He wouldn't be able to look at it for a while without remembering the bathtub he washed it in.
Wearing the costume was even worse. It felt like that: a costume. Like he was a kid again playing dress-up.
"I'm surprised you're here." Endeavor's path intersected with Tenko's in the office room. The teen hopped back.
"Woah! Yeah, I don't.. really.. want to be home right now. Still have a couple hours before the ceremony, so I thought I'd spend my time here helping out."
"Hmh." Endeavor watched the boy with a thoughtful stare. Then, he ruffled the smaller one's hair, passing by to go to his office. "Don't burn yourself out. Remember, you're still just a student."
"Not for long." Tenko reminded, a bit bratty about it. But he was too quiet for the elder to hear him. So Tenko sighed and left to patrol around the city.
Anything to keep his mind in the haze.
---------------
After returning from school, you received a link from Kai to his location... Huh? He.. was... Why?
Using the map plus a few images for help, you created a portal on the street of some old, low income suburban area. It wasn't like the people here were living in huts, but, the houses were poorly kept, most yards overgrown with ferns. Some front doors didn't even bother being closed. There was nothing to steal inside.
Your attention set onto what had to be the nicest of the houses along this street. The little block of grass in the front was well kept, flowers planted in hanging pots, and door freshly painted a bright red. Nervously, you crept around the house, through a gate to the back of the lot. There, the weeds reigned supreme. Fallen branches from trees all around lay in piles but were never discarded. Wild bushes grew the fences' height and higher. To the far left of the lot along the privacy fence, you found Kai crouching over the grass.
You shrunk while crossing the lawn and stood beside the brunette. He had those big gardening gloves on and some clothes meant to get messy, using a handheld shovel to dig around in the dirt. "Want your quirk back?.. You can dig qui-"
"-No, I've got it." He never stopped shoveling or even glanced at you. "This is how I buried it anyway."
"Buried it-? Huh?"
"That house." Gesturing to the one closest to you. "My childhood home."
"Oh-h..." You turned again, scrutinizing the structure now. Strange. The building was so plain. Clearly old. Cracks from the shifting foundation were steadily crawling up the walls, vinyl plants clinging to the bricks. All issues that were but gone at the front. An uneasy feeling settled in your chest as you started to imagine all the horrid secrets this structure held. "Wait, do you have permission to be back here??"
"Yes." Rude at first, he chilled out after. "I explained to the current owners why I was here and asked for some time alone to dig through their backyard." Suspicious.
"For what?" Just then, Kai's shovel hit something. A breath similar to a gasp left him, and he hurried his digging. You leaned over him, blocking the sun's light from entering the hole. "Oh, sorry." You stepped back and instead waited for the man to be done. At last, Kai pulled out what looked like a thick chunk of tree root. He started whacking off the layers of dirt right away. You crouched too, getting down on one knee even as the identity of this item was revealed. It had retained so little of its color in the years spent underground, but pretty soon the shape was unmistakable. "A lightsaber?"
"Yeah." Once he was done wiping most of the dirt off, the man set it down in the grass and continued to dig. You picked the old plastic toy up. Most of the silver and blue had flaked off by this point. It was but a lump of plastic.
"Why are... Why did you burry these?"
"Did you ever see Star Wars?"
"A long time ago!" In your past life.
"After I watched Rey burry her lightsaber, I decided to do the same... It was.. pointless, and.. idiotic."
"It's cute." You corrected him, smiling now at the faded toy. You sat in the grass with your legs crossed beside the man, trying to get the lightsaber's blade out without breaking it.
It seemed Kai chose to ignore your comment. "My sister, wanting to involve herself in whatever I was doing, buried something of hers down here as well. However, I can't remember what it was-" Just then, his shovel hit something different. Just from the fragile metallic sound, he knew exactly what it was. He enthusiastically tossed the shovel aside and bent over the rather deep hole to clear the dirt away with his hands in the most delicate manner. You got tired and were laying down in the grass by the time he succeeded. "All in one piece too." The man breathed in relief, hauling out from the hole, a small tiara. It was covered in gunk just like the lightsaber had been, but he was much more hesitant about cleaning it off. Kind of nervously, the guy's eyes turned to you.
"Want some help with that?" He nodded. You sat up and he handed it to you. With your not gloved and therefore delicate fingers, you cleared away the dirt around the object until the silver really began to sparkle. "Is this real metal?.. And real diamonds??"
"Looks like it." The man was crouching facing you now, staring intently at your handiwork.
When you'd cleaned enough of it off, you handed the thing back to him. "I think you should find the remains of her body and show the police."
"What??"
You threw up your dirty hands. "T-to clear your name and stuff! I- I just think it could be some kind of closure!"
"I'd be arrested for sure."
"You wouldn't be-! I-mean--!..." Staring down, you fidgeted with your fingers. "...You said your extended family never knew just how horrible your parents were, right?.. And many of them are probably still alive, still thinking your parents did nothing wrong..." Your emotions wandered back to a time when your first mom would always somehow fool everyone into thinking her the innocent one. As a kid.. even now.. you wanted nothing more than to simply break your extended family's perception of her. Reveal her for the true monster she was. You bit your lip. "I dunno, but if it were me, I wouldn't be able to stand letting that slide. Even if it means coming out of a decade of hiding... I'd want them to know the truth."
"....Hhhh, but it would mean having to see their f###ing faces again."
"Tsstststss" You laughed. "Amen to that."
"I'll consider it, though." Tiara in hand, Kai stood and crossed the yard toward the gate. You stood and followed. Watching the back of his head, you noticed Kai snatch a brief glance at a bush in the corner. You turned your head to it. The bush was small and withering. All but one branch were darkened. But, the one branch that remained had sprouted a few pink flowers. You held your breath, haunted by the thought of what that bush might be feasting on.
You said nothing more. It was a deep, fresh wound you didn't want to poke and prod too much.
Kai was the one who stopped. "Hand me the scissors over there."
"Hm?" With Sight, you found them on the recently added wooden back porch. "Sure." You meandered over to it and grabbed the scissors, "hands out." then teleported them in front of Kai for him to catch. As he did, he turned towards the bush. He got down on his knees, not caring about the dirt this time as he started pruning the dead branches from the bush. There was a lot to cut off. So little life remained.
"... -I took some time to research my parents the other day..." Hands in your pockets, you brushed your feet over the grass in your slow walk to reach the other. "..Turns out they were members of Humarise. Hmhm.. So the cult that radicalized my parents into torturing their own children... They benefit." His half attempt to cut a tough twig failed, so he gave up and set the scissors down.
"Hmhm..hm." Sounded almost like.. he was starting to laugh? "Ironic. ... They must be smiling up at me from Hell... Maybe even laughing at me for being such a fool..." Through this, his giggling grew until he felt the need to hold one hand over his mouth, the other clutching the dirty tiara close. His shoulders were shaking; he was laughing! But he was also crying. "He-he-he-heh! Hah! Di-did they plan this?! Ho-how!? How did those b######s know their son would-- would-would--!?" Laughing himself into a fit of tears, Kai forgot the mess for a moment and hugged himself.
Why did this have to be the first time you heard him laugh?
You sat on your knees next to Kai and rubbed his back in slow circles. "...I live every single day wondering whether the decisions I make are really mine or if they were programmed into me from an early age... It's not fun. So, I get it. It's like.. do we even have free will?? Or are we just reacting to crap from our childhoods?... In your case, it's just dumb luck."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because if your parents were really the selfish monsters you say they were, they wouldn't have let themselves die like that. They wouldn't have treated you like trash if they thought you'd be useful. And.. they knew nothing about me... I'm your connection to Humarise, remember? How could they have possibly known about me before I was even born?.. You're just going to have to trust me on this.. as someone with a dad who, even in prison, acts like he has everything under control... I know what having a mastermind manipulator as a parent really looks like."
"...Maybe you're right." Kai took in a deep breath, calming himself down. He exhaled long and slow. "...I'm so sick of this." He mumbled. He stood surprisingly fast and began speed walking toward the exit. "(Y/n), cut your ties with Humarise. I think I have a better plan."
You stood and smirked at the man leaving. You mumbled quietly, "Now there's the girlboss Kai we all know and love."
---------------
'This isn't real.' He thought day after day.
They flew by so fast it felt like one.
'It can't be real.' He thought while dressing into a formal suit for the first time in what had to be years.
It was starting to drizzle.
'This isn't really happening.' He thought on the drive there.
The sky was full of clouds.
'This isn't re--' Tenko covered his mouth with his hands as the first shovel of dirt was tossed onto the casket. The moment he knew for sure Iguchi wasn't waking back up. Wasn't long after that tears were leaking down his face, onto his hands, slipping between his fingers, and finally dripping off his wrists.
Mr. Aizawa placed his hand on the teen's shoulder as he watched the burial. Tenko knew who it was by the touch. "...I haven't had students as good as the three of you since. Determined, quick thinking, endlessly generous. ... Shuichi was a great kid." Tenko's legs nearly gave out under the weight of his grief. His lungs begged for air his tightened throat couldn't provide. The downpour of emotions was physically tormenting him. Aizawa's hand on the shoulder grew into more of a side hug. He held the teen close, his own eyes getting a little soggy. "...Y'know, I lost a good friend of mine when I was your age... Was really hoping you wouldn't have to go through the same thing..."
"This is worse.." desperately trying to wipe away as many tears as possible. Mr. Yamada stepped closer to stand at Tenko's other side, his eyes dripping just from watching. "..I killed him."
Mr. Mic gasped. "WAAAH? No you didn't!" He draped his arm over Tenko's shoulders. But given more thought, he sighed. "You were forced into a really tough position most us pros wouldn't be able to handle!.. Don't be so hard on yourself, kid."
"I agree. If more heroes had been there, we would've alleviated the burden and handled the situation properly... You did what you could and no one is going to blame you for it."
"Thanks, but..." Tenko stared down at his open hands. What now were dampened by warm tears were not long ago darkened by warm blood. "..I really, really want to hate somebody right now ... but I don't feel right blaming anyone but myself." Tenko was given concerned looks by his previous teachers, but they said nothing. They continued to comfort him in the silence that followed, Endeavor standing not far behind. And behind him stood the many Vestiges.
There were so many people standing around.
You watched from under the shade of a tree behind them, a decent distance away from the whole scene. Your arms were crossed, bottom lip tight and trembling slightly. The black cloth around your eyes was damp.
A tall figure wandered away from the crowd to join you under the shade. There were many other trees, so he chose to stand under yours for a reason. He stood on the other side of the tree from you, watching the crowd as you did.
"...I disowned my dads." Hokusei nudged at the grass with his foot.
You leaned your hip against the tree. "Good for you?"
"I left that life behind. Everything about it. Didn't even take my phone with me." You said nothing. "..I got a couple jobs... Honest ones, this time."
"Is that why you sent me your resignation form last night?"
"It's- I'm... I'm giving up on being a hero. So, yeah." He rubbed the back of his head. Curiously, you leaned forward to stare-sorta at him past the bark of the tree. "I'm still graduating. Just..." The teen's long sigh turned into a chuckle. "Who knows what the future has for me..? I could be a hero.. or not... What I am going to make sure is that I never become a villain... I really recommend it. It's painful letting go of everything and everyone from that side, yeah, but.. teh, It's like the saying, 'you become who you hang out with.' I know it wasn't voluntary, but, I got a little too used to being around the scummy type. My standards were so low, I didn't even realize it. I'd justify anything I did because it wasn't AS bad at least as what THEY were doing... Next thing I knew I was doing s###ty things too."
After a pause for some peace, you adjusted your standing position and wove your fingers behind your head. "Yeahhh, I get what you mean, but my situation's different."
"No it f###ing isn't." Offended, Hoku leaned around the tree.
"Yeah it the f### is."
"Oh ReAlLy?" 100% disbelief. The two of you were getting more and more agitated with each other every word spoken.
"Yes, really. For starters, I've actually made a difference over there. I'm actually improving people's lives."
"By whose standards? Because you can turn a serial killer into a common thief, sure, but that doesn't change the fact that he's still a criminal and those tendencies can still rub off onto you. In fact that's even worse because you've lowered your OWN standards to let them fit!"
Your hands fell and slapped your sides, SO over everything about this guy. You crossed your arms again. "You seriously think I'm going to take any advice from you?... I know what I'm doing."
Hokusei's shoulders dropped defeatedly. He sighed, a sad smile parting his lips. "..You're right. My reputation is bad enough without the crime family attached... But, that's why I'm doing this in the first place."
"Hm?"
"You know? Moving out? Getting normal jobs? Putting being a hero off for now." His eyes turned to the crowd again.. and the casket being buried. "Iguchi was right... If I want to be a good hero, I need to be a good person first... I don't know how yet, but, I'm sure I'll figure it out."
You chuckled. "Starting to sound like me now..." Hoku joined in your empty chuckling.
The brunette breathed. "You know.. we may have never gotten along in the past. But... You're not too bad."
"..." You had to really stop to take that in. To hear something like that from HIM of all people. "..You're alright too, I guess."
"Tsh. I'll take it.... It's better than any compliment I got for being bad."
"I'm...happy to boost your ego."
"Much appreciated. Much appreciated."
"Pff. Shut up."
So Hokusei was really leaving, huh? There was something oddly bittersweet about that.
Then it hit you.
This Hokusei guy was probably supposed to be one of the 44 corrupt Heroes Stain would have killed in canon...
Would make sense then why he never made an appearance in the anime despite being so powerful.
The revelation was so sudden, you smiled, looking down, and chuckled. "What?" The other leaned closer to ask.
"Ohh, nothing." You wiped the smirk off your face. Tucking your hands into your pockets, you began to walk away.
"Where are you going now? Weren't you just grieving a moment ago? I can leave if you want to continue."
Your feet dragged to a stop in the grass. You halfheartedly spoke over your shoulder at him. "I wasn't grieving for myself, or the future." Walking away again, "Iguchi isn't dead until I say he is."
"Wait. What do you mean by that? (Y/n)!" You ignored him.
" IF YOU'RE SO POWERFUL THEN WHY CAN'T YOU FIX HIM?! "
Tenko was right. Why give up when you already had all the means necessary to revive a corpse?
----------
Grave robbing when you have a warp quirk is so simple, it should be illegal!
Iguchi's body fell onto the only empty table in the doctor's laboratory. Garaki spun to the noise and let out an exasperated sigh. "Another one!?"
Appearing through another portal, you were smiling. "You're telling me you're not even finished with Toya yet~?"
"NO?! How do you expect me to transfer your quirk over to that boy of yours, AND, create an army of specialized high-end Nomu!?" The old scientist was so angry it was amusing. You personally liked overworking him beyond his limits, but perhaps he was right about this being too much for one person.
You held your hands together behind your back, eyes wandering around all the tubes, floating body parts, and electronic devices. "Hmm. Maybe give me a list of fellow scientists? I can catch them for you, then erase their memories before releasing them so they won't ever remember being forced to help you."
"No.. That would come with too many complications."
"Hm, you're right." You pinched at your chin. "Mmm, maybe I can grab Jim's quirk while he's asleep and use it to make several clones of you?"
"Ooh? You know of a quirk that can do that??"
"Yeah, but, if the doubles take too much damage, they break. I think it has other limits too, but I can't remember."
The doctor rubbed his hands together and smiled. "Ohhohohoh, I like that idea!.. --B- before that!" He caught you about to exit. "This new...guy. What are your requests?"
"Similar to how you are reviving Toya. I know it takes longer, but I want him to look as close to his original self as possible! No brains peeking out! Same regarding memory. I'd like for the only change, beside maybe a few new quirks, to be his inability to turn against me or defy my orders." This way...you wouldn't have to worry about him trying to kill you ever again.
The mad scientist rubbed his bushy mustache and huffed. "That is.. going to be a challenge."
"But not impossible, especially with a few doubles to help out~" You shot him a finger gun, wishing it was a real one and that he was actually dead.
The doctor laughed. "Oh it is a JOY watching you Shigarakis scheme! You both have that same fire in your eyes!" Giddy now like some proud-old uncle, the doctor hopped to his feet and started scurrying around the place. Your fake smile dropped, replaced with a frown. Was he seriously comparing you to your dad so openly?
----------
. . .
Speaking of him...
" 'AFO, are you watching me write this?' "
- "A F O ? T h e a u d a c i t y"
" 'I need to know. What is Ms. Zeya's quirk?' "
- "q u i r k?"
" 'I know she has one! She's just too good at stalking people, and she always seems to know what is going to happen next. And when I first met her, she was carrying a vile of Trigger in her jacket. That couldn't have been for anyone but her. So, spill. I was hoping you knew more.' "
. . .
" 'Dad?' " Quickly, you scratched that out until it was but a void of ink.
- "V i s i t m e. I w i l l t e l l y o u."
" 'Huh? Those are recorded! Zeya will know! Everyone will know!' "
- "I w i l l n o t t e l l y o u o t h e r w i s e."
Groaning, you fell back in your chair and scratched your head. What did he have planned NOW? After some time for thought, you wrote again. " 'Okay, fine. But no funny business.' "
- "Y o u k n o w m y s e n s e o f h u m o r i s s # # #. : )"
Hhhhh... " 'Not funny, Da-^√~|'~× f###.' "
Guess you'd have to book another visit with your dad.
----------
Surprisingly, that visit was granted you this very afternoon.
You weren't quite as suspicious of them as they were of you. You'd have to be extra careful with your words today. After all, apparently, AFO attempted to escape Tartarus twice the night of Iguchi's death. First was around the time you lost your quirk. Second was more than an hour later when everything had settled down. He nearly escaped that second time, since so few were expecting him to try again.
Guess that explained why, though you were allowed entry on such a short notice, the defenses had doubled since your last visit.
You sat down in the metal chair and made yourself comfortable. Before you was, again, the thick sheet of glass, behind it, your biological father sitting in a large iron chair with his legs crossed casually.
"Nice of you to finally visit me. How long has it been~? Twenty months and eleven days?"
"Tch. Didn't you disown me or something?"
"I am quick to forgive the ones I love."
"Give me a break."
"Don't act so coldly.. I know it's just an act." His smile faltering. "Your speech and mannerisms are eerily similar to your thirteen year old self. But, your circumstances are far different than they were then. ..Face it, you are glad to see I am doing well. And you are ashamed of that gladness. Why else would you be so emotionally distant that you allow yourself to fall back on old habitual ways of reacting and conversing with me?" He grinned again, certain he had you all figured out by now... He was.. horrifyingly close.
But there was something else. "Ah..." Looking down at his own arm. "You must also be masking your concern. Don't worry. At least my right arm is still functioning." The one that wasn't was terribly scarred from the inside-out. Darkened and shriveling, the man's whole left arm was breaking down on a molecular level. His right arm bore several gnarly scars too, but his left was by far the worst. It looked reminiscent to a raisin, or like Chloe's corpse.
You cleared your throat and forced Sight to unfocus. "What kind of experiments did that?"
"I'm afraid I can't tell you." The man sighed. "It's alright, though. I can no longer feel anything in that arm, so pain isn't an issue."
You nodded dully. "Nice... I.. I came here to ask you about Ms. Zeyale. Her quirk... She has one, right?"
"Yes."
The confirmation sent your heart into a flutter. "And you know what it is??"
"Yes...and no." The man chuckled. "There is a reason I never stole it for myself, after all. Too many unknown variables; I didn't want to risk stealing it without knowing the details first. A coward's course, really... If you want to take the risk, however, I detailed everything I know about the quirk into the blueprints I left you~"
Your face fell into your hands. "I deleted those already... Didn't even look at them. They're gone now, so can you please just tell me in person?"
The man grabbed his left hand with his right and wove his fingers together to set on his lap. "You will be happy to hear, then, that I prepared a backup. It will be quite the challenge to get your hands on, however, and will cost you some time."
You pitifully whined into your hands. "Why do you always have to complicate things?.. I don't want to go on a stupid treasure hunt!"
"Then you should really start questioning what you deem most important in your life. What is it that drives you to keep on living, and who are your allies really? If you cannot answer these, then I am afraid there is no point in you knowing the truth about Zeya's quirk. The information would be pointless."
"Eh?? How??" He just smiled at you, uselessly. "Alright, alright, I get it." Elbows on your knees, you tore the fabric down from your eyes and wore it more like a sash, all so you could glare intently at the villain. "I'll go on your little side quest... But is the information I need really going to be at the end?"
Your father's lips slowly curled upward. Using his right hand, the man puppeteered his left into pointing at the nearest camera. "She is your biggest obstacle at the moment, isn't she?" You frowned and turned back around to look at the camera. ..Hold on, was AFO only using you to urk some kind of reaction out of her??
Trapped in the middle of this 4-dimensional chess game, you had no choice but to play along to get what you wanted. "Yeah." You nodded. "At least somewhat. I still think villains like yourself are a bigger issue."
"Sure you do~" Doubt. "Your locational target is a simple one." All For One stood and lurked closer to the glass. He was grinning so much, you had a sinking feeling this was some kind of trap. But you for the life of you couldn't figure out what that trap might be! "You must go to the place of one's beginning and another's end. You already know where it is." It was a fairly simple riddle, but you were too busy trying to solve why your dad would be acting this way to bother solving the riddle itself at the moment. "But before you leave, I have another thing."
"Ya--?"
CRASH!
The glass shattered. It was all over the floor. You'd fallen out of the chair but couldn't remember when you hit your head. Alarms started blaring, lights flashing, a pinkish gas flooding the room. The villain grabbed your head with his one good arm and shoved it back onto the ground. Holding you down, he was quick to give you what felt like a clump of mangled quirks that together formed one.
"What are you doing!?" You gasped, tasting the air. Your mind was getting...hazy. But then it wasn't. As the new quirks given to you were forcibly activated, the gasses' effects were reversed.
"I'm saving you!" Your dad huffed. A moment later, he pulled on you to sit up and sat on his knees beside you, his one good arm hugging you tightly. He breathed in the fumes, made sluggish when you remained unaffected. "Developed when... I heard about.. that.. drug."
"Oh..." Ah... So... He already had a solution for it, then.
On the verge of passing out, your father placed the bridge of his nose on your shoulder, leaning into you more. Now, you had to rely on your own strength. "...Other than Yoichi.. before I met your mother.. I knew nothing but hostility... I'm... tired.. of it... I want to go back. ... A while ago, you asked why you should allow me to live... I don't have an answer. I lack the willpower to change who and what I am... And if I escape from here, I will continue to sew violence, since it is the only thing I know... So, go ahead and kill me, if you must... I just ask...one thing.... Let me.. hold her again..." His body fell completely limp, almost knocking you over. You held on for a while longer. Here, you realized, you were hugging him too. And you were crying. Barely able to breathe.
As the cloudy air grew so thick you couldn't see a thing, you laid the man down next to you and pretended to faint as well, knowing it was most likely what he would have wanted.
But it was so hard to sleep. When the ground buzzed with fear, the air filled with hissing chemicals, and the rooms beyond filling with soldiers. How could one even try to sleep in these conditions? You laid your head on the fallen man's arm -- the withered one -- and used it like a pillow. You stared at the withered hand with tears in your eye, then forced them closed as the door to the room was opened, allowing in a crew of heavily armored, air-masked soldiers.
Was this your fate too?
----------
"How's your head?" Ms. Zeya entered the first aid room with a glass of water in each hand. You sat up, groaned, and rubbed your head.
"Ugh.. Fine, I guess." You'd waited about an hour before pretending to wake from the anesthetics. You weren't expecting Zeya to be physically here in the building, but here she was, tending to your non-existent needs.
The woman set one glass of water on the metal, rolling table beside you and sat in a tall chair with her own glass. The two of you sipped in silence.
"I'm joining you." The elder spoke suddenly.
"Huh??"
"What you called a 'side quest' earlier. It involves me, right?"
You, slowly, spat some of the water back into your cup. "You're not just going to tell me to not do it?"
"I know you would no matter what I told you. That and.. I'm curious about what All For One really knows. He may just be bluffing, since for as long as it's been active, I haven't told a soul about my quirk and it's functions."
"..So you're now admitting you have a quirk?"
"Well there's no point in lying about that now is there? The paperwork will remain the same. The public will never know."
"But that's.." Giving her a look. "..blatant manipulation."
"You say that like you haven't been doing my dirty work for over a year now." Tipping her head back, the woman swallowed all that was left in her cup. "It's settled, then. We meet at your childhood home in two weeks after your graduation."
"Wait what!?! M- my old place??"
Zeya looked at you like you were stupid. "I figured out that man's stupid riddle already. Where one's beginning and another's end took place, specifying you would know the location."
"Wh- why not a hospital, then??"
"Not specific enough." Ms. Zeya hopped off the tall chair and set her empty cup on the desk area where all the medical stuff resided. You were a little gloomy, not wanting to return there.
"Hmmmm... Fine then. After graduation works..." You dreaded going already, especially going with her!
----------
After such a long day, night finally came.
You met Tenko behind the school late at midnight. The teen wasn't fairing well by the looks of it, clearly tired. So were you, however, so maybe this match would be a fair one after all.
When you stopped in front of him, Tenko broadly gestured for you to follow, then turned to the city. He activated several quirks at once and sprung into the air, leaving behind a small crater in the ground. You rolled your eyes. What a show-off. Your six wings sprung out your back and with them you flew to meet your old friend there. In the middle of that fo-city, you stood facing one another, ready to fight.
The closest to formalities exchanged were Tenko crouching a little lower and you pulling your hands out of your pockets.
You didn't need words. Your actions spoke for you.
Tenko was a blur of light, hard to keep track of. Luckily, you had Sight, which wasn't distracted by flashy lights and colors. The other sprung around the walls from building to building, increasing in speed as he went. Occasionally, he'd zip by just to scare you. You successfully predicted his next move, though, and smacked Tenko off course. That time, he was really aiming to hit you.
BOOM
The whole building shook. But the blur was up and bouncing around again. This was getting annoying, so you covered the whole city block in flames, which forced the other to travel upwards to avoid it. You walked around in the fire, only moving it out of the way so your clothes wouldn't get burnt. You were fine with playing defensive for now. After all, Tenko had no idea of the true extent of your power. Nobody did. You were always hiding something from one person or another. So, the ability to unleash everything like this was actually starting to excite you a bit. You wanted to see what all you could do. What would be the most fun way to show off~?
Hands in your pockets, you smirked and mumbled something.
"Eternal Hellfire Wings, plus three boosters."
This is where the crazy music kicks in, as Tenko watched in horror as the buildings all around him fell to their knees. Crumbling to the flame that turned them to ash. The ash got so hot it turned into this molten, burning, blue lava that filled the streets. Tenko watched in horror as these flaming rockets flew through the night sky, destroying whatever they may touch. You bore a devilish grin. What else was there?? What else could you do!?
||Eternal Hellfire Wings: a combination of Hellfire, Fierce Wings, Decay, and Rewind. It acts exactly like Hellfire Wings save for one key difference. Any flesh-like entity trapped within the fire will regenerate as fast as they are destroyed, creating a living hellscape in which all living entities that make contact are endlessly tortured but are incapable of death.
Tenko realized your destruction would expand past the fake city grounds at this rate. He rocketed down, in a hurry to stop you with 100% of his power.
BOOM--CRACK!
The impact was so massive, it obliterated a dozen buildings and wrecked many more. But...
Tenko opened his eyes, horror filled to see you staring up at him with glee, completely unharmed. A ripple of blue danced around your skin from the impact point, but it was completely untouched. That's when he noticed the horrid swirl of madness and energy building to counter the attack.
Tenko's first had struck some kind of invisible barrier. One that preferred its personal space.
BOOM--CRACK
More buildings were obliterated. An explosion of equal magnitude bounced right back in Tenko's face, knocking him miles into the air. He thought he'd died there for a moment, but alas his eyes opened again. He activated Float just in time to catch his fall.
(Y/n) had a quirk that can do WHAT?!
The brawl didn't feel much like one. Tenko was trying, sweating, breaking himself just to land a single punch on you! ... You were having fun.
It was hilarious, really, to think you were this strong.... Why did you care so much about the problems of he world when you could do stuff like THIS?!
Tenko tried and failed to punch you again, resulting in his body being shot through several buildings. By now, nearly the whole city had been flattened! But he couldn't give up yet! Not when Izuku's future was on the line! There was just something wrong about letting that boy go through all Iguchi did. All those experiments. And for what?? Power he may not even need?? Power that would make him nothing but a target and FORCE the kid to fight other giants one day?! Would Izuku end up accidentally hurting his friends too?? Would he lose all that he is to a system that loves to take advantage of and exploit their most powerful youth too?? Would Izuku just turn into another him?!
He wouldn't let that happen.
But he wasn't the behemoth he thought he was. Not compared to you.
As Tenko braced for his punch to backfire on him again, you switched things up and turned off all your quirks but one.
As Tenko fell, you reached out and used reverse, shrinking him.
All the fire cut out, again revealing just how flattened everything was. The ground was still hot, but around you it was but a comfortable warm.
. . .
When Tenko opened his eyes, he was astonished by how many stars there were in the sky. He gasped. But that joy faltered as he smelled and saw the smoke. The little boy looked all around, fearful now as he set his sights on a city that had been completely flattened.
...Who would do something line this?
Before he could even start to cry out and call for his mother, you appeared. Small as well, around the age of six, like Tenko. You stretched out your hand, looking down at him with loving concern. Your clothes were too big for you. HIS clothes were too big for him. "Are you okay??" You called out softly to the other kid. Tenko wiped his eyes on the collar his torn up black shirt.
"...Yeah... Wh- what happened? Where are we??"
"We were having a sleepover, remember?? We ran away to go to the arcade, but then there was a villain attack. Do you remember anything?"
Slowly, the boy shook his head. "Is everyone okay."
You smiled softly, your eyes sparkling, full of unable to fall tears. "Yeah... All Might saved them all."
"Oh, okay, good." Tenko grabbed his pants so they wouldn't fall and stood, his other hand grabbing your hand. "Can I go home now?... My mom and dad are probably worried.. Yours too!"
"Mhm.. yeah." You lightly pulled the boy along. He noticed right away your grip and actions were more reminiscent of a ghost than you. You were always a lot more forceful about guiding him around, especially when you had a destination in mind. This was so soft he could hardly feel your touch. So gentle it was as if you feared he might break.
Slowly, as the two of you walked through the smoky terrain, you started to grow. Tenko was too tired to notice it as first, but questions definitely arrows when you were at twice his height. "(Y/n)?"
"You're dreaming." You giggled, turning back around to smile. Again, there was something so sad behind it.
"Oh, okay.." Tenko believed you instantly. After all, (Y/n) can't use her quirks, silly! You continued to lead the boy in silence. When you grew into a young adult, you reached back and picked the little Tenko up to carry him the rest of the way. Tenko's eyes remained open and glued to the destruction. Even though he knew it was all a dream. You rubbed the little boy's back and hummed a loving tune. The boy still couldn't understand why you were so sad.. but also so happy to hold him at the same time. You hugged the little one close and kissed the top of his head. Then, you continued to hum. It was so calming, but there was something so haunting about it.
You walked, and walked, and walked and walked and walked. Until suddenly Tenko was sitting up in his bed, a teenager again, gasping in half a panic. He checked the clock. It was past three am. So.. did he sleep through the scheduled meet and greet? Did he lose?? Did he win??
...Was that actually a dream?
Or was (Y/n) far more powerful than he ever could have imagined?
The Vestiges proved the ladder.
Maybe it was best not to make an enemy out of his childhood friend, then.
----------
Graduation itself was a mix of whimsical and miserable. Full of so many colors and sounds, and yet so gray and gloomy. You honestly never thought you'd make it this far. In every sense, you were more impressed you survived this long than anything.
Tenko was in a haze throughout most of it, even worse-off than you. All that pushing himself to his limits and never giving himself a break was really taking a toll on him. He's gotten so little sleep, was malnourished, and even had some stubble sprouting from his chin. But, on the bright side, he got a pretty good score in those final exams! Did even better than you! Which.. unfortunately, wasn't too high of a bar to pass. 😅 You really hated school. To think you had to endure it twice! Glad it was over.
Everyone took their turns going on stage, where Principle Nezu handed them a diploma after announcing where each of the graduates had planned to go. An impressively small percentage of the school body, non hero course students included, had no future plans. Everyone had their own ambitious goals and their sights set on the means of getting there.
You guys weren't allowed to toss your hats after the final speech. 😔 What a bummer. You wanted to fling yours the highest.
Oh wait nevermind everyone unofficially got together and decided to toss their hats into the air instead, which was honestly so much fun! You even caught Tenko smiling! ☺️
There were a LOT of people, and I mean a LOT. Like, almost as many as were there for the Sports Festival... Dang. Now that you think about it, you won't be having anymore of those now will you. ...Weird.
As everyone was dispersing to meetup with their families, you passed by Tenko to ruffle his hair. "That's the last time, I promise." He reached back and flicked your side, a surprisingly playful act. You chuckled. "I'll always be cheering you on from the sidelines, no matter how grumpy you get." Because you're just clingy like that.
Tenko glanced up at you through his hair. "Thanks..." He smiled oh so faintly. "I'll be hoping you get better.."
...You took that as a good thing and smiled. "Aww, thank you!"
"Heh..." Tenko continued to swerve through the crowd until he reached his mom and sister. His dad was there too, for some reason. Tenny ignored the guy. You watched from afar, smiling softly at the whole thing. The little interactions between Tenko, his mom, and his older sister. Even the funny glance or two at his dad... You wished you could hear all that they were saying. You wished you had a family like that to come and celebrate with you too.
No one from the Yakuza cared to show, Hawks was too busy, Jin's crew had a technical emergency, and your dad was in prison.
Hokusei nudged you while passing. When you turned your head, he crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, then laughed at himself. You laughed too. He waved briefly over his shoulder. "Seeya, loser."
"Bye, brat."
And Hoku was gone pretty soon too. That marked the end of the list of people you knew.
...
It was kinda depressing standing out in this crowd, actually, surrounded by all the other graduates and their families. You offered one final bow and goodbye to Nezu on your way out, then strolled at your own pace to your childhood home. There, you met Ms. Zeya in the middle of the street. She was just staring at the wrecked-old place. "Sure that clue he left is still in there?" You asked.
Ms. Zeya spun around auto glare at you. "You're an hour late."
You shrugged, hands remaining in your pockets. "I didn't know you meant RIGHT after graduation until this morning. Needed to grab a few snacks first." You pulled out a pack of gummies and tossed them at Zeya. The gummies bounced off her disappointed face. "Ewh.." You bent down and picked the packet back up, brushing it off. "Kinda wasteful, don't ya think?" You opened the packet and ate them at once.
Ms. Zeya sighed. "It isn't hard to see why you get along with Hawks so well..." Rubbing her face. "Nevermind that. I found the thing already. It's in a safe under the floorboards in the living room. Problem is there is a five letter password required to open it and all the combinations I tried failed."
"Did you try to input 'Chloe'?"
"Hhh, yes."
"And now about 'anime'?"
"No? Why?"
You shoved your hands into your dark gray hoodie pockets and meandered onto the long abandoned lot. "..I've got a feeling the man was feeling nostalgic while setting all this up."
Indeed, you were right.
But the two of you soon found out that was far from the end of your hunt. There were a lot more things in store. It wasn't the end yet.
Not yet.