Chapter 5: Yeah, Do Your Best, Taketsu!
Mifune Akitoshi- Skinny, red headed boy, anxious and quiet, quirk is psychic but very weak
Nakadai Kenshin- Square faced boy with shaved head, aloof and arrogant, quirk is lie detection
Kamoto Akihide- Tall with hair in a pompadour, annoying and a jerk, quirk is ability to remember everything he's read
Izuku had spent a little too long on his run this morning and ended up missing the early train so he was running behind schedule as he comes upon Yuuei. He grits his teeth and struggles to pick up his pace despite the ache in his muscles. He knows he's been overdoing it but this has been a stressful couple of days and his workouts are the only thing that seems to calm him down these days. Izuku hopes that today, at least, will be calmer than the last two.
"What do you think of having All Might as a teacher?" Izuku squeaks as a microphone is shoved into his face. He looks around anxiously to see a sea of reporters surrounding the school. "Is he as good a teacher as he is a hero?" The lady reporter asks again and pushes the microphone a little closer. Izuku backs up a few paces and bumps into a man who puts another microphone in his face.
"Is All Might as handsome in real life as he is on TV?"
"What does he do in his spare time when he's not teaching?"
"Hey kid, haven't I seen you somewhere before?"
"I'm uh," Izuku begins shakily. "I'm a G-general Education student, I h-haven't met A-All Might." The cameras and microphones withdraw so quickly, Izuku might as well have said he had leprosy. Another student, Izuku thinks he recognizes them from one of the hero courses, comes up and grabs the reporters' attention. That gives Izuku enough time to hurriedly slip through the gates and into the relative safety of the school.
He lets out a deep breath, a little thankful no one asked why he was entering via the gate near the hero classrooms but the farthest from his own. It wasn't wrong that he liked to pretend for a few seconds that he was training to be a professional hero, was it? He squeaks as the warning bell rang and he remembers that he was still running late. Despite his desperate sprinting, he's still halfway down the hall when he hears the final bell ring. He stumbles into class a few seconds later.
"I'm sorry I'm late Chiura-sensei! It won't happen again, I promise," Izuku huffs as he makes his way over to his seat. Sensei raises an eyebrow at his entrance.
"You're excused this time Midoriya as those vultures lurking outside the school have made quite a few students late this morning." Sensei says before taking a moment to clear his throat.
"Well that's neither here nor there, now that everyone's here, I have an important announcement. Now that we're properly settled, it's time to pick class representatives. We will be casting votes, the person with the most votes will be the class representative and the second most will be the assistant representative." A flurry of whispers strike up in the class as friends begin to talk who they should vote for. The sound of papers slamming on Sensei's desk has everyone quiet again. Chiura-sensei fixes them with his golden eyed gaze before continuing.
"I understand that two days is not a lot time to get to know your classmates well enough to base an opinion. Therefore, I'm allowing everyone who wishes to compete for the positions to give a short presentation, two minutes or less, on why you should vote for them. You have the rest of homeroom and the rest of your day to put something together. Tomorrow, you will be presenting and voting. Please let me know before the end of homeroom if you're going to run for the position. That is all."
"Oh man, class representative is quite a big deal," Motome says, turning around in her seat. "It's a great to have on your resume plus it gives you a great chance to get leadership experience. Are you guys thinking of running?"
"Nah, that's a little more responsibility than I think I can handle," Patrick says, rubbing his neck. "But I think you'd be a great rep, Motome. What about you, Midoriya? I'm sure you're planning on running. Nice entrance by the way," Patrick says, turning to Izuku who jolts a little bit at the statement. Him? Class representative, the idea would have been laughable just a year ago but now...
"I don't know, I'm sure there's much more capable people in here than me."
"That's no way to talk," Korudo says with a wave of his hand, "I think you'd do a great job. You're observant, compassionate and smart as hell. You have just as much a chance as I do."
"Oh, are you running Korudo?" Taketsu asks.
"You bet," Kourdo grins, "Mostly because my parents expect it of me, but I still think I could do some good."
"Well that makes me three," Taketsu adds with a shy smile. "I was class representative my first year in middle school, it was a lot of work but I enjoyed being involved. I think I could probably do it again here."
"We should all plan our presentations during lunch," Izuku suggests. "I'd even be willing to stay after school to work on it. If we collaborate, we can make our presentations as professional as possible."
"I don't know, aren't we all competing against each other? Should we really be working together? Only one of us can get the position, survival of the fittest and all." Korudo says with a frown only to yelp when Motome throws a balled up piece of paper at his head.
"Don't twist Darwin to suit your own purposes, nothing of meaning is obtained by working in a vacuum. Besides, all we're doing to compiling our thoughts and thinking how to best present ourselves; it's the class who gets to decide if we're get the position or not." While Korudo grumbles and rubs at his head, the rest of them continue to talk.
"As class representative, I will abolish the restrictive uniform, give tired students the opportunity to nap on campus and ensure that all people are allowed to skate within the halls," Patrick announces before holding up two peace signs. "Four more years!" He adds with an exaggerated grin. Taketsu gives him an annoyed look before pointedly turning away from him and back to Izuku.
"What plans do you have, Midoriya? How would you shape 1-C if you had the opportunity?"
"Aw come on Taketsu, you know I was just messing around, don't give me the cold shoulder." Patrick whines from behind them.
"I don't know really," Izuku says thoughtfully. "Maybe, I'd work on making the General Education students feel empowered and not just like hero rejects. Everyone always focuses on the heroes and I would want people to know that its okay to not have a combat quirk or to even be quirkless. Plus I'd like to help those people achieve their goals even if it is Heroics with a non-traditional quirk."
"Isn't that a little self-serving considering you're also shooting for Heroics?" Korudo asks dryly. "Speaking of which, are the kids who want to transfer able to even compete? It'd be pretty bad if you got elected only to change classes."
Izuku couldn't respond to that very true notion when the bell rings, signaling the end of homeroom and the start of first period. He finds he can't pay attention to what was happening in class because he was too busy thinking about the upcoming election for class representative and if he was going to run.
Korudo did have a point, it would be difficult for Izuku to try and keep up his training schedule if he was elected class representative. He'd never bothered to run for a position before, mostly because he knew that no one would vote for him but things were different now. He bites his lip and turns his eyes down towards his empty notebook.
That's the catch isn't it? Sure it would be difficult to manage and who knows if he'd actually do anything good but he'd never had the opportunity before to see if he could do it. All his life it had been useless this and good for nothing that. No matter how pragmatic he was, he still wanted the opportunity to try at the very least. Besides, wasn't leadership an aspect of hero work?
He could look at it as additional mental training and a way to demonstrate his abilities. Mind made up, Izuku begins scribbling thoughts in his notebook, ignoring whatever the teacher was putting up on the board. He could always get the notes from one of the others later but he only has one day to put together a presentation that would convince his classmates that the quirkless kid could represent their class.
XxX
"Congratulations on getting voted class rep, Iida!" Uraraka says brightly as she walks over her friend's desk.
"Why thank you, Uraraka," Iida beams briefly before clearing his throat and taking on a more professional appearance. "I appreciate your congratulations, I can only hope that I am able to live up to the expectations my classmates have put upon me. This is an important job and good training for my future career, I promise to do my best to guide the class." Iida emphasizes, gesturing wildly with his hands.
"Watch it you four-eyed shit," Bakugou says, veering off to the side to avoid Iida's gesticulations. "Your hand comes near me again; I'll make you fucking eat it."
"Believe me, it was an accident," Iida responds icily even though Bakugou has already walked out of the classroom with an angry set to his shoulders.
"Sometimes I wonder if Bakugou really wants to be a hero," Asui, please, call her Tsuyu, croaks from behind Uraraka. "I think what he really wants is the license to cause public destruction."
"Yeah, he gives me the creeps," Uraraka says with a shiver. "I thought for sure he was going to kill me in the battle trial yesterday. Even All Might didn't know what to do when he brought down that building."
"Well he needs to get his act together fast," Jirou says, leaning away from Yaoyorozu to comment. "I overheard Aizawa-sensei say that our class either needs to lose or gain a student in order to have an even number. Transfers into Heroics are pretty rare so Bakugou's position seems tenuous, though personally I'd choose to boot Mineta over him."
"Oh my," Yaoyorozu sighs, covering her mouth. "Given how he acted in the battle trial, I don't want to know what Bakugou would do if Aizawa-sensei tried to expel him. He looked like he was going to get violent with the reporters when I was coming in today."
"I hate to agree with Bakugou but I also was quite upset to see those miscreants hanging around this morning." Iida frowns, "I'm sure they must be breaking some zoning law by congregating there and obstructing entrances."
"They're probably gone by now," Tsuyu shrugs, as she picks up her bag. "It's not like they'll get their story hanging around the closed gates all day. Come on, let's get to lunch."
"Yes!" Iida shouts, chopping his hand through the air as he stands up. "Let us cease talking about unpleasant things such as Bakugou or reporters. Instead, let us focus on the positive aspects of our learning experience here at Yuuei, such as the chance to get to know all of you."
"Aw Iida," Uraraka blushes and gives her friend a gentle punch on the shoulder. "You must get so tired hanging out with us girls all the time. Why don't you try talking to some of the other boys?"
"I have tried, Kirishima is a good upstanding student but he mostly spends his time with Ashido, Sero and Kaminari. I tried to strike up a conversation on the first day with Todoroki but he made it clear he was not interested." Iida pushes up his glasses thoughtfully, "I'm afraid I haven't had much of a chance to get to know the others as our teachers have kept us quite busy."
"Don't worry Iida, it's still pretty early in the semester," Tsuyu adds as they walk down the hallway. "And who knows? Maybe instead of an expulsion, we'll get a new student added to our class."
"That'd be interesting, I wonder what that would be like!" Uraraka says. Crossing the hallway behind them is Izuku and his group of friends in class 1-C. They're talking animatedly as they make their way to their lockers to grab some supplies to work on during lunch. Neither group notices each other and they continue going their separate ways.
XxX
"Alright, who wants to practice their presentation? This is a friendly environment, no judgements," Motome commands, clearly in her element. Kaneki is at their table today, flipping through some notecards and her deer ears twitching with obvious nervousness. Taketsu looks anxious too, clenching and unclenching her fists as she rehearses lines in her head. Izuku looks longing at Korudo, wanting to see what the other boy had to say before he went.
"I guess it's up to me then," Korudo announces with a dramatic sigh. "My name is Korudo Dan and I'm a General Education student just like you but I have a vision for this class. I see a class that can compete against the hero class, that can show those arrogant kids with their flashy quirks that we are just as talented and capable as they are. I vow-"
"Stop," Motome says holding up her arms in an X shape. "Make it more about improving our class and less about your petty feud with the hero kids." Korudo huffs as a few of them giggle quietly but he dutifully goes back over his notes. "Akane, you're sensible, can you please show Korudo how it's done?"
"O-Oh, me?" Taketsu squeaks. "Well I'm still working on it but uh, I was thinking about-" Whatever Taketsu had to say was cut off by the sound of a loud siren piercing the cafeteria. Izuku jolts in his seat and looks around to see what was causing the noise.
'Security Level Three has been breached, students please evacuate promptly.' Echoes through the cafeteria and out into the halls. Immediately, everyone is on their feet and running towards the narrow cafeteria door.
"Security Level Three, I read about that in the student manual. That means unauthorized personnel have gotten into the school," Motome says, jumping up and grabbing Kaneki's hand. "We've got to get out of here."
"We can't all fit through doors not to mention the hallway is too small to hold us all," Izuku shouts in an attempt to be heard above the din even as Patrick manhandles him and begins dragging him along with the others.
"Worry about that later," Patrick responds even as someone bumps into him and he looses his grip on Izuku. Suddenly, he was all alone in a swarm of people. Izuku tries to keep himself upright lest he get lost in the stampede. He wasn't very tall so he has a hard time seeing through the crowd. Even Patrick, who was almost 2 meters tall and could light up like a glowstick, was hard to spot in the chaos.
Izuku grunts as he's shoved up roughly against the side, his cheek pressed uncomfortably into the wall. There was too many people shouting and it's nearly impossible to distinguish one voice from another. The only thing they could do was make it through this mess safely and reconvene outside, provided they weren't under attack by villains or something.
Izuku is distracted from his thoughts by the sudden appearance of a boy floating up into the air. He starts spinning dramatically, in an incredibly dizzying way. Izuku blinks, what kind of quirk did that kid have? Whatever it was, the boy angles himself so he was perched above the doorway where people were still panicking and trying to get through.
"Everyone calm down!" The boy shouts from his ridiculous position, "it's okay!" The crowd of students quiets down as if a flip had been switched and soon everyone was looking at the student above the doorway. "It's just the press! There's nothing to panic about! You're at Yuuei, conduct yourself in a manner befitting the highest academia!" Izuku takes a deep breath as some of the pressure keeping him pushed up against the wall lets up which gives him more room to move.
The noise was just as loud as before but people were moving in a much calmer, more orderly fashion. Izuku cranes his neck up to catch a glimpse of the boy who'd saved the day but the angle was too awkward. Izuku really wants to thank him; he was probably one of the hero kids. No one else could have done something like that. And just like that, he was outside on the back lawn. He sees Chiura-sensei off to one side, counting students.
"Ah there you are Midoriya, get in line," was all his teacher had to say before Izuku was forcibly pulled into a huddle of people.
"Dude! I'm so sorry I lost you! I tried to grab you again but the crowd had eaten you up!" Patrick bemoaned, still glowing slightly, while the rest of his class are speaking in loud, panicked tones. Izuku brushes off the well-meaning hands and pokes his head outside of the group.
There was the flash of police cars outside of the gates and some teachers and officers escorting what looks to be reporters off campus. His eyes narrow, Yuuei's security was legendary. No one got past the gates without a pass, so how did such a large group of reporters manage to sneak in?
"Weird huh?" Korudo says, startling Izuku a bit by coming up from behind with a thoughtful look on his face. "It looks like the Yuuei barrier was broken down, seems a bit much for some hack reporters."
"Yeah," Izuku nods, still deep in thought. "Are you okay? I lost track of you early on," he asks.
"It'll take a lot more than some shoving to keep me down," Korudo says with a thumbs up. "I was more worried about you, Patrick was freaking out when he lost you. Good thing that hero kid calmed everyone down or you'd have been trampled for sure."
"You know, quirkless doesn't mean helpless," Izuku spits out before he could think about it.
"Hey, lay off, we're just concerned for you is all. Don't need to act like a jerk. Come on, I think Sensei is dragging us back in. Hopefully they'll let us have a bit more time for lunch." Izuku opens his mouth to retort his friend's complete disregard for his feelings before shutting it again. Today was already crazy enough, getting into fights he couldn't win wouldn't make things better.
They did end up getting to finish their lunches but since the cafeteria was still a mess, they were allowed to sit in their classrooms. Izuku quietly eats his Katsudon while the others talk around him. He has too much on his mind to be engaging with his friends right now: the class elections not to mention wondering how the press managed to circumnavigate Yuuei's security. He's also still thinking about how quick and amazing that hero boy was and if Izuku would ever be on his level, especially if Korudo and Patrick still treated Izuku like he was someone in need of protection.
Izuku looks around his classroom where people are chatting with excitement. Patrick is leaning back in his chair trying to talk to Taketsu while she's bent over her desk, ignoring her food to write like the she was possessed. Korudo is standing over by Motome, arguing with her about something or another with Kyoshi trying to mediate.
Izuku wonders if he has what it takes to make a good representative, to be a good hero. He thinks again of that boy who spun through the air and had been able to calm people with just a few short sentences. He had a long way to go before he was that good, but he would get there. Izuku would keep chasing that dream until it was his, even if that meant making sacrifices along the way.
XxX
"Alright class," Chiura-sensei begins in his usual droll way the next morning. "I trust with all the excitement yesterday you didn't forget to prepare your presentations for class representative. We'll be starting now. Please keep quiet while your classmates are speaking." He looks down at his list. "We'll be going in class order, Motome Ako, you're up first."
"Me?" She asks, surprised, "but Midoriya is ahead of me." She says, turning around where Izuku just shrugged.
"I dropped out, sorry I didn't mention it yesterday. I need to prioritize my time based on my goals and so I can't give the position the time and effort it deserves."
"A sentiment I can respect, now, Motome?" Sensei nods.
Motome ends up a longwinded speech about all the policy changes she would make as class representative and how she would work to decrease crime with a complicated reward-punishment system. Chiura-sensei cuts her off before she could finish.
Nakadai delivers his short speech with a piercing gaze as spoke of how he would uphold the principals of Yuuei with honor and use his lie-detecting quirk to find the best solution to any problems that arose. Kamoto makes a fool of himself by explaining that he would use his position to make life as easy as possible for the class, a couple of his friends laugh at that but Sensei's fierce glare quiets them instantly.
Kaneki looks like she was going to be sick with nerves and bows out before she could even get out of her seat. Korudo's presentation was a slightly modified version of his cafeteria spiel, focusing instead on working to build up the General Education's reputation and morale to compete against the heroes. Taketsu was last, she plays with her fingers anxiously as she makes her way to the front of the class.
"We are a school divided," she begins uneasily. "General, Business, Support and Heroics. Yesterday's incident showed us that when the slightest bit of uncertainty is added, we fall apart. I propose, if elected as class representative, that I will work to repair the divisions between us. We are all Yuuei students, each of us smart and accomplished in our own ways. I say we stop comparing ourselves to other classes and start working with them. Drawing strength from Heroics, innovation from Support and management from Business. In my vision, we work together as one school to achieve our highest potential and through our unity, truly go beyond." She gives a quick little bow before shuffling back to her seat, head high and shoulders back but her face is beet red.
"Good work everyone," Chiura-sensei says with a dark glare at Kamoto. "Everyone, take out a piece of paper and write the person you believe is most qualified. Again, the most votes will be class representative and the second will be assistant representative. Be sure to vote based on merit; you'll be stuck with these representatives all year so choose well." Izuku couldn't help but smile, for him, the answer couldn't be more obvious.
Kamoto received zero, Korudo got one, Motome had four, Nakadai got seven and Taketsu took in six. She looks wide-eyed at the board as the results are written out, Patrick jostles her shoulder with excitement before she stands up and walks to the front of the class.
"Alright, Nakadai Kenshin is your class representative and Taketsu Akane is your assistant representative. You both did excellent jobs, I expect good work from the two of you." Sensei nods, indicating for them to return to their seats. "Now we still have a few minutes left in homeroom, I want to go over some safety features of the school. Taketsu was right that our response yesterday was shameful and next time, it might not be a couple of reporters."
XxX
"Congratulations girl!" Patrick grins, pulling Taketsu in for a big hug as they crowded in the hallway after morning classes. "I thought you were amazing! You'll be a great assistant rep! That's why I voted for you!"
"What!" Korudo says, placing his hands on his hips. "You voted for her and not me? Is it because she's a girl?"
"No, it was because Akane gave a stirring speech about fostering an environment of collaboration where you were still trying to turn this into some kind of competition with the hero courses." Motome says, giving Korudo a dry look. "I hate to lose but if I had to lose, I'm glad it was to someone as pretty as you. Good job, let me know if I can help with anything." She continues with a friendly wave as she walked off.
"I guess it was a pretty good speech," Korudo grumbles. "Nice work Taketsu, I think you'll be a good fit. But better watch out next year, I'll get you for sure."
"Learn how to appeal to your audience instead of your ego, temperature boy," Patrick says with a grin, walking away with Izuku and Taketsu while Korudo steams in the background. "And I say we celebrate! How about we all go out for ice cream after school today? My treat for our new assistant rep!"
"Ah I can't," Izuku says rubbing his neck, "I have training with my master this afternoon. Maybe tomorrow though? Or over the weekend sometime?"
"You work too hard, Midoriya, I admire your dedication to being awesome but you gotta take it easy sometimes. Seriously though, we have got to get together soon and just hang out. I don't know about you guys but this week has stressed me out it's only Thursday." Patrick continues, jabbering on about nothing and everything.
It was nice, Izuku smiles, this new normal of his.
"Hey, did you guys hear?" A quiet says off to the side, it was Mifune, the redheaded anxiety prone psychic in their class. He doesn't look at them, instead continuing to play with his phone. His eyes dart up briefly before returning to the screen. "All Might was spotted in the hallways by hero gym. Despite the fact that he's supposed to be teaching here; no one has really seen him but apparently he's out right now."
"Ihavetogotothebathroom!" Izuku shouts in a rush, stepping away from his friends. "I uh mean I have to use the restroom. Right now. Immediately. You guys go on ahead, I'll catch up to you in the cafeteria." Izuku clarifies, not stopping to listen to what they would say to his admittedly lame excuse. It would be worth it for his friends to think he was some kind of weirdo if he managed to meet All Might in person. He's been searching for days now and not even come close to finding the Number One.
His heart pounding in his chest has nothing to do with the sprinting he was doing. He has so many questions to ask All Might about his quirk and his philosophy on heroism. But most importantly, Izuku wants to know if it's possible for a quirkless nobody like him to be a hero.
He skips around the corner, slowing to a calm, deliberate pace. Alright, he made it to the hero gym so where was All Might? Izuku walks up and down the hallway, trying to appear nonchalant despite his agitation. No, he was so close to meeting the Number One, he can't have missed him. Another couple of loops, even a few forays down adjacent hallways and all he's found is disappointment. At least the halls are empty due to everyone being in lunch so no one has to see his utter humiliation.
Izuku checks his watch and finds he's already missed the first 15 minutes of lunch. Even if he hustles back, he'll only have a small amount of time to eat before afternoon classes begin. He weighs the option of skipping lunch, both to keep looking for All Might and also to avoid the questions he knows his friends are going to ask but decides against it. There's no way he can endure Rikimaru-shishou's training on an empty stomach. Besides all that, this was supposed to be Taketsu's moment to shine and he totally blew her off to chase someone who might as well be a fantasy.
In the end, what happened was his own fault.
Izuku's head is so full of too many different things; he isn't really thinking as he rushes down the hall. He's too focused on how to explain his odd behavior to his friends and how to make it up to Taketsu without seeming weird. He wants to explain why she earned his vote without upsetting Korudo not to mention wondering why All Might is so hard to find.
It's all these things that are flowing through his head that lets him casually walk into the cafeteria like nothing can hurt him. He forgets why he usually likes to come into the cafeteria when it's full and busy and easy to hide in the crowd. He forgets, just for a moment, that the hero students eat lunch at the same time as everyone else.
"Deku!"
Chapter 6: Rage, You Useless Nerd
Kiyoshi Kokoro: Small, petite girl with pale blue hair, shy and airheaded, quirk is empathy
Kaneki Shika: Beautiful, curvy girl, determined but friendly, quirk is deer features
"Deku!"
Izuku freezes on instinct at the familiar insult. He should be moving, putting as much distance between him and his old friend as possible but everything about him has stopped. Just like that, he's in middle school again and there's nothing he can do but wait out the inevitable. A rough hand grabs at his uniform and Izuku's whole world narrows down to the tingling sensation of Kacchan's hands sparking threateningly. "You piece of shit, what the hell do you think you're doing here?" Kacchan demands.
"Y-y-you know I got in-into Y-yueei, K-kacchan, y-you've known for, for months now." Izuku stammers out, his tongue is weighty in his mouth as he tries to force the words out around the fear clogging his throat.
"Do you think I met you yesterday you useless Deku? You think I haven't seen your shitty face hanging around my classroom or scribbling in your dumb fucking notebook?" Kacchan wrenches him forward until he's right in Izuku's face. Kacchan looks the same as he always does, rough sneer and glowering red eyes but Izuku thinks there's something off about the situation.
Kacchan is handling him about as gently as he's capable of, normally by now Izuku would be sporting a bruise or two but Kacchan doesn't even look like he's trying to hurt him. "I know you're hoping to transfer to the hero program and I'm telling you right now to give up. You think you're hot shit because of that sludge incident? You're a fucking quirkless nothing and you'll never be a-"
Izuku will never know, though he could probably guess from a decade of similar comments, what Kacchan had to say as his head suddenly whips to the side like he'd been struck.
Izuku blinks and uses the opportunity to break out of Kacchan's hold. He stares at Kacchan's face, more specifically, at the long streak of blood which ran from his neck to just under his eye. Kacchan's brushes his fingers against the blood on his face with angry confusion.
"What the fuck," he questions only for Korudo and Patrick to charge forward and push Kaachan back a couple of paces as they insert themselves between the two of them. Properly aware of what was going on now, Izuku can see that much of the cafeteria has quieted down and was watching them intently. Kacchan gets over his surprise quickly and growls as he looks ready to fight.
"Who the fuck are you? Get lost; this is between me and Deku." Like before, a bright red streak glides through the air before stopping and solidifying into a long, thin point which is hovers threateningly in front of Kacchan's face. Kacchan glowers as the threat and his eyes turn to Taketsu who has come from behind Izuku, one hand held in taut concentration with the other palm openly bleeding.
"I don't care who you think you are but you can't just attack someone in the middle of the cafeteria," Korudo hisses. Patrick is doing his best to use his greater height to appear menacing but uncertainty is written all over his face. Taketsu's face is still as stone, the only movement is the gentle drip of blood from her hand falling to the floor.
"I don't have to listen to anything you extras say, you're fucking Gen Ed kids, you don't mean shit." Kacchan takes a few steps forward and while Korudo holds his ground, Patrick steps back nervously. Taketsu, however, steps forward and gets real close as she pulls more blood from her open cut which she solidifies and creates two more sharpened points aimed right at Kacchan's throat.
"I think you had better step back right now," Taketsu says softly, meeting Kacchan's red eyes with her own. His sneer deepens and it honestly looks like they're going to come to blows when Kacchan is pulled back violently by two other boys.
"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" A blond boy with a black lightning shaped stripe in his hair demands, glancing between Kacchan and their group. "You're already on thin ice after that stunt you pulled in the battle trial and now you're picking fights? You sure you didn't mean to sign up for the villain course instead?" Kacchan breaks his glare with Taketsu to sneer at the blond.
"Nobody fucking asked you, now get off of me, I'm not fucking done yet."
"Yeah man," the other boy who had startlingly bright red hair says with a disapproving frown. The hand holding Kacchan's other shoulder shifts until it's rock solid. "I think you are." Kacchan is struggling within the hold but, between the two boys, he's pretty well contained.
Izuku flushes suddenly and steps back until he's behind Patrick and Taketsu. He feels stupid and ashamed, twice this week his friends have had to come to his rescue and all he could do was cower. He says he wants to be a hero but maybe Kacchan is right, maybe he just doesn't have the right stuff.
"Sorry about Bakugou," the red headed boy says to them, cheerful despite Kacchan's enraged struggling. He glances at Taketsu and her hovering blood spears. "Wicked quirk by the way. You can put them down now, he won't bother you any more." Taketsu hums but holds her makeshift weapons steady.
"Yeah, we're still training this one; he's a bit of a handful if you haven't noticed." The blond boy says with a wry smile. "Don't let him give you a bad impression of us hero kids, we're not all psychopaths."
"What did you fucking call me?" Kacchan shouts right in the blond's face but he doesn't even look fazed. Without further ado, the two of them drag Kacchan away from the scene.
"Sorry again! Enjoy the rest of your lunch; we'll take care of him!" The redhead says with a bright smile revealing sharp teeth, sharper by far than Taketsu's. Kacchan turns his glare back towards their group, his eyes finding Izuku's easily.
"You think you can be a hero like that Deku? Hiding behind the riff raff? I better not see your stupid fucking face around anymore, you hear me? You stay the hell away from-" Kacchan jolts suddenly, as if he'd been electrocuted.
"Jeez, give it a break already or I'll up the voltage," the other blond mutters looking quite unhappy himself. "Aizawa-sensei is going to love this." Izuku vaguely hears him say to the other boy as Kacchan reluctantly lets his classmates pull him away. Once Kacchan and the other boys are engulfed in the crowd, Izuku hates himself for the relief that bubbles in his chest. Some hero he was.
"Oh my god who the hell was that crazy kid? I thought he was going to kill us." Taketsu, who had been so cool during the confrontation, lets out a heavy sigh as her blood spears liquefy and hit the floor with a dull splat. All traces of her earlier composure seems to melt away as normality reasserts itself.
"Midoriya are you ok? What is it about you that attracts these kinds of people?" She asks, rolling her head to look at him with a pale, tired looking face. He looks down at her hand which was still languidly dripping blood on the floor into what's now a rather large puddle.
"Forget that, are you okay? Criminy, that's an awful lot of blood." Korudo says, looking rather pale and sickly himself as he grips Taketsu's shoulders and gives her a light shake. "Can you stop the bleeding? Can you walk? The three of us could probably carry you to Recovery Girl if you need it. How much blood can you lose? Will you need a transfusion?" He says in an increasingly high pitched, panicking voice.
"Korudo, I'm fine. It's about as much as you'd lose for a blood donation, here let me just." Taketsu pushes him back a few paces and brings her uninjured hand up, gently pulsing it until the open wound on her other palm was fully clotted. Despite the fact that the bleeding has stopped, she still looks pretty worn out. "Look at this mess. Just let me sit down for a second and then I'll clean it up." Taking that as a signal, Patrick wraps one of his arms around Taketsu's waist and slowly walks her back over to their table. Izuku shuffles behind, still redfaced with embarrassment.
"Who was the guy Midoriya? He looked like he was in the hero class but he seemed like he knew you. You haven't been picking fights without us, have you?" Korudo demands, pointedly keeping his eyes up at the ceiling and away from the puddle of blood.
"Kacchan and I went to middle school together but we've known each other pretty much our whole lives. We actually used to be friends, right up until his quirk developed and mine didn't. He's, ah, he's always been like that." Izuku says as they all sit down at the table. He turns away from his friends, unable to face them right now.
"It was my fault for not being more careful. I knew Kacchan would be in here and I just sort of forgot for a moment. I'm," he risks a look up at Taketsu who is leaning against the table slightly and still a bit pale. "I'm sorry you guys got dragged into that and I'm especially sorry I didn't do more to control the situation."
"Don't you dare apologize for that creep, do you hear me?" Patrick says, leaning over the table and pointing his finger at Izuku. "Don't you ever, ever apologize for someone hurting you. That's no one's fault but his and, hell, everyone who let it get to that point. Are you telling me that punk has been treating you like that for that long? And no one did anything about it?"
Izuku shrinks a little, feeling a bit unnerved not just by Patrick's intense glare but by his words. Kids, teachers, people on the streets… he can't think of one other person other than his mom who ever told him that Kacchan's behavior was wrong. It's not something he's ever really given thought to because that's how things have always been but, thinking on it now, Patrick has a point.
"I mean, it's not that big of a deal," Izuku shrugs self-consciously. "It's like with the note, things have always been that way. Because Kacchan's got such a great quirk for hero work, he could basically do whatever he wanted."
"That's not right," Patrick says emphatically, his skin glowing slightly with agitation. "I don't care how fancy his quirk is, that's not how heroes are supposed to be. You should report this incident and cite whatever else he's done, I'm sure the hero department doesn't want a maniac in their program."
"What? No I couldn't- Look, it's fine, I don't want to get Kaachan in trouble..." Izuku stammers.
"Maybe we should table this for another time, Patrick," Taketsu says as she takes a long drink from her water. "It's been a pretty exciting week for us all." She catches his gaze and smiles softly. "But you did endure, you didn't let challenges or bullies keep you down. Sometimes being brave isn't about leaping into action, sometimes it's just doing your best when everything goes wrong."
"She's right you know," Korudo says with a wizened nod. "Well they both are but Taketsu's always right, we'll tackle that issue another day. All I can say is if that bully shows his face again I'll show him just what us General Education kids can do." He says, pounding his fist into his open palm.
"Dude, no offense but I'd rather send in the girl who can make blood weapons than the guy who can occasionally serve as a space heater." Patrick says, looking a little calmer. Izuku can't stop the snort of laughter at that comment. He covers his mouth and looks over at Korudo, expecting a blow-up. Korudo looks annoyed, his fists leaning on the table but eventually he forces an awkward smile.
"Yeah, good one, you sure got me, pal." Korudo says through gritted teeth even while his eyes promise Patrick that there will be retribution. Patrick just leans his elbow on the table, resting his cheek in his palm as he makes kissy faces at Korudo. Taketsu hides her smile between them with another drink of water.
Izuku is still uncomfortable about what happened, about still being Kacchan's victim despite how much progress he's made. But he also thinks there maybe might be some merit in Patrick's words. Maybe he didn't deserve Kacchan's cruelty. Maybe there still was some hope in his dream.
Izuku pulls an energy bar out of his bag and chews it thoughtfully. The road seems longer than ever but he's already come so far on his own, with no quirk and no one by his side. Izuku looks as Patrick and Korudo begin to playfully push each other with Taketsu in the middle trying to get them to stop. Izuku wonders how far he can get with a little help.
XxX
"So I take it things aren't going as planned at your new school, huh?" Rikimaru-shishou says casually as he dodges Izuku's punches like they're nothing. Izuku grits his teeth and changes tactics, pulling from some of his experience working in Aikido to mix up his style. All he gets for his efforts is a raised eyebrow from Shishou who continues to counter or dodge.
"I didn't meet you yesterday, kid. You only get this angry about not being able to hit me if something is bothering you and, since you don't have much of a life outside of school or training, it wasn't hard to guess." Shishou continues as he suddenly roots himself to the ground with his quirk. He beckons Izuku forward with his hand and a lazy grin.
Well he's right about one thing, Izuku is frustrated and he can't stop replaying the events of the last week, good and bad, in his head. He feels like he's going to explode with all the emotion and contradicting thoughts in his head. But this, this was simple. Giving his own toothy grin, Izuku dives forward and gives his master everything he can.
He kicks and punches and ducks and jumps away only to run back in head first until his troublesome thoughts become nothing more than a buzz, hidden behind his pounding heart and sore muscles.
Eventually Shishou gets him, his master has clearly been baiting him for the last few minutes now but Izuku simply doesn't know how to give up. But a quick strike to the jaw and a sweep at his feet and Izuku is flat on his back. He starts to sit up only to realize he's way too tired to even get up on his own. His head thumps back to the floor with a gentle groan as Shishou drops gracefully beside him.
"What would you like to talk about first? The fact that you've clearly been overworking yourself again or whatever happened at school that has you so upset?" Shishou's voice becomes tight. "You're not having any more trouble with that bully of yours? You mentioned that he got into Yuuei's Heroics department." Shishou has never liked Kacchan, even from Izuku's heavily edited descriptions. If his master ever found out the full extent of what Izuku's childhood friend had said and done, no one could protect Kacchan from the fallout.
"I did have a run in with Kacchan this afternoon in the cafeteria," Izuku says slowly as he tries to regain his breath. Seeing the dark look on his Rikimaru-shishou's face, he continues. "It wasn't that bad, really. Kacchan was being himself but he didn't hurt me at all. There were some kids in his class who dragged him off and, um, my friends stood up for me too."
"Someone needs to put a leash on that kid. But said you said you've made some friends? I like them already, tell me about them." Shishou instructs in a stern tone as if he wasn't asking a question like a single mother. The image puts a small smile on Izuku's face.
"Well there's a couple of people I talk to sometimes but I've mostly been hanging out with these other guys. There's Korudo, he can change his body temperature, it takes some time but he's real proud of his quirk. He's brash and he doesn't understand me but he's got a good heart. Taketsu is pretty, she's taller than me and is friendly but also sarcastic and funny. You should have seen her standing up to Kaachan today, you'd like her. Then there's Takamitsu, but he asks us to call him Patrick. He's Japanese-American; I don't think he could be any more energetic or friendly if he tried. He keeps the mood light when things got stressful."
Izuku sighs affectionately, "They're real great. Meeting them was the highlight of the week. We're all aiming for the hero course; well Taketsu keeps changing her mind and I'm not sure how serious Patrick and Korudo really are. I told them I'd help train them but we haven't really found the time yet."
"I'm glad; a boy like you deserves a good group of friends," Shishou says with a nod before standing up as gracefully as he'd sat down. "Alright, your break is over. Work through some of your stretches before your muscles get stiff. Trust me; you'll thank me later." Izuku gets up far less stylishly than his master but he does it eventually. They work through their cool down routine, stretching slowly and silently for a few minutes.
"So what's really bothering you, Midoriya?" Rikimaru-shishou asks, "It's more than the bully, I can tell, so spill it. I've put a great deal of work into you; I can't have you go ruining all my hard work by you taking out your frustrations on your body."
"It's-"
"Don't tell me it's nothing; I can tell you've been overdoing your exercises again, unless you think that you can get into the hero course exhausted and overworked."
"Well maybe I can't get into the hero course no matter what I do," Izuku snaps back before slapping a hand over his mouth. Not only was it incredibly rude but Izuku has been burying that particular insecurity ever since school started, meeting Kacchan today had only brought it to the surface. "M-maybe it's just impossible to be a hero without a quirk. No matter what kind of training I have, no matter how much I want it, maybe I just don't have the right stuff."
"Where'd this come from?" Shishou asks sharply, glaring down at Izuku who shrinks under the scrutiny. "You've poured your heart and soul into this dream, why are you questioning it now?" He narrows his eyes, "Was it the bully?"
"No, I mean yeah, a little but," Izuku says stressfully, running his hands through his hair. "A kid used his quirk on me the other day after he lost to me in a spar. He apologized but it was so easy for him to take control me and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. And when Kacchan grabbed me in the cafeteria today, all I could do was cower while my friends came to my rescue, again. I became the same pathetic weakling I was in middle school, the kind of person I thought I'd stopped being."
There are tears in his eyes and that just makes it worse, doesn't it? All he can reliably do is break down in tears when things get tough. But heroes didn't cry, they didn't freeze when someone yelled at them. They weren't quirkless losers who needed to be saved again and again. "I just can't stop thinking about no matter how hard I try, that for all my effort, all I'll ever be is the quirkless Deku." There's an awkward minute or two where the only sound is Izuku sniffling and hiccupping as he tries to force his tears, and his insecurities, back inside.
"You probably saved his life you know," Rikimaru-shishou says quietly after a minute once Izuku has a better handle on himself. "The damn news outlets wouldn't cover it because they're too far stuck up in their own asses to recognize true heroism when they see it." Izuku blinks up at him, "I'm talking about the sludge incident, kid." Oh, that. "You came to see me for the first time about a week or two after but the news was still running it. I recognized you right away."
"I didn't do anything really, all I could do was throw my backpack at the monster and try to pull Kaachan out. If All Might hadn't shown up we both would have died," Izuku says, averting his gaze.
"I'm not saying it wasn't stupid as hell but do you know what it also was? Brave. Not another damn person there was willing to help; even the so-called heroes were just standing by watching. I have nothing but respect for the Number One but he showed up late too. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't been there to serve as a distraction, to give that kid a lungful of air."
Shishou leans down until he's nearly eye to eye with him and grips Izuku's shoulders tightly. "That kid, who's given you hell for most of your life, and you didn't even need tothink about running forward to help him. I don't know about you but that's possibly one of the most heroic things I've ever heard of."
"But-"
"So a punk with a fancy quirk got the better of you, use that big brain of yours and learn how counter it so it doesn't happen again. And don't you listen to another word that bully of yours says. Because anyone that hurts another to prove himself strong is no hero and a man who refuses to acknowledge when another saves his life can hardly be called a man. So you keep pushing Midoriya, you keep training and studying to be a hero because it would be a damn shame for that good heart of yours to go to waste."
Izuku is quiet; he doesn't even have the words to describe what he's feeling right now. The main one he can identify is relief, like he'd been carrying around a weight the last few days that has suddenly dissipated. He opens his mouth to thank his master but instead receives a sharp whack to the head.
"How many times do we have to go through this, kid? Don't make me have to tell you this again. Now get on home to your mother before I make you run through another set."
"I thought I was overworking myself," Izuku says flippantly and quickly regrets it. He blames it on the bone deep exhaustion and the two energy drinks he'd chugged on the way over to keep himself awake. He's rewarded with another light slap to the back of his head.
"You're right; don't do anything more strenuous than light stretching for two days or I'll really show you what it means to be overworked to make sure you don't ever do that again. I have your mother's phone number, don't test me."
"Yes Shishou," Izuku mutters only to receive a third slap to the head. He was going to get brain damage at this rate.
"I didn't quite hear that; what are you not going to do again?"
"Yes Shishou, I won't overwork myself and try to train more than I'm supposed to," Izuku says, straightening his spine.
"And you're also not going to listen to anyone who tries to tell you what you are and are not capable of." Shishou looks down on him for a moment longer. "Now get out of here and so help me if I find out you didn't laze away for two days, you'll be in for it."
"I don't think that will be a problem, sir, I don't think I'll be moving again once I sit down." Izuku says, bending down to grab at his bag, wincing with each muscle movement. The only response he gets is a bark of laughter but Izuku knows his master well enough to know that it doesn't mean anything by it. The ride home is long and he opts to stand on the train because he honestly doesn't think he'll be able to get up again if he sits. Izuku trudges up the steps to his apartment and nudges open the door.
"I'm home Mom," Izuku says as he walks in and all but falls on the couch. "I never want to move again."
"Hi honey, I see your session went well," Mom says warmly, patting his head while she bustles by. "Care to explain why I got a call explaining that you're not to exercise until at least Sunday or face consequences?"
"Not really," Izuku mutters into the throw pillow his face was squished into.
"Hmm," she hums perching lightly on the arm of the couch. "Are you okay sweetie? You've been kind of down the last few days, I've been worried. I thought you were happy at this school."
"I am," Izuku says into the pillow before groaning and rolling over so he was looking up at his mother. "I just had to get through some stuff, I'm better now, really. Rikimaru-shishou helped me set things straight in my head." She smiles and leans down to kiss his forehead.
"I'm glad Izuku, I'd be happier if you showered before passing out on the couch but I'll take what I can get. You rest up; I'll be starting dinner soon." Izuku's eyes follow her retreat as a thought comes to him. He is happy at Yuuei. He's happy in General Education, he's happy with his friends and he's happy with the progress he's made. It might not look like much right now, but he knows he's building up to something great.