Chapter Text
Their mentors are at Hosu General, but the interns are escorted to the local police station. They are left in a small meeting room until their homeroom teachers can arrive. Uravity believes they just want to take their statements, but Chargebolt suspects there’s something else to it.
“Ochaco, if it was just a statement; they could’ve taken it at the hospital. The detective dude took our statements right outside of USJ. The fact that they took us to the station and our homeroom teachers’ presences are required is totally suspicious! Maybe we’re going to be charged with a crime!”
“For what? We didn’t break any laws. We just helped with the evacuations, and I did tell the police officer in charge about the Nomu, so it couldn’t be over that.”
“Okay, good point. But it’s still super weird that we’re here to just give statements.”
“It’s because of Midoriya,” Rule finally speaks up after being glued to her phone for the past few minutes. Her face is visibly pale like she’s come across another horrifying Nomu.
“Oh no, she got attacked by a Nomu!”
Rule shakes her head and then passes off her phone to Uravity. She puts a shaky hand to her temple, a gesture of her being overwhelmed. Dread fills them, and it takes Chargebolt a few seconds to press replay on the video.
The footage is an aerial view of a fight taking place between the Hero Killer, Endeavor, and Burnin. It’s full of fire and knives, but the camera would cut from that to another rooftop. Izuku, visibly bleeding from two gunshot wounds in her legs, pulls herself forward. It’s only when she’s at the ledge when Stain roundhouse kicks Burnin, taking the Sidekick out of the picture. Endeavor throws his hands back and then slams forward to blanket Stain in his flames.
“HELL’S CURTAIN!” The video is on mute, but closes captions are on. Yet, they can imagine hearing the booming voice of the Number Two Hero.
The camera goes back to Izuku. She screams and cries like someone who lost everything, and then she makes herself stand, only to fall forward. Or perhaps, she flung herself off the building? As the reporter suggests in the captions. The video ends there.
“Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!”
“Is she dead!?”
“No, she can’t be! Endeavor was there, so he must’ve caught her!” Chargebolt sounds like he’s trying to convince himself more than the girls.
“Then, why wasn’t it in the video!?”
“Because it’s just a clip. This thing was barely three minutes, so they must’ve cut out the ending to get more views!”
“Where’s the full video!?” Uravity hurries to find it and then groans. “Of course, it’s behind a pay wall!”
“So, does this mean Izuku was seeing Stain this entire time?”
“No, he couldn’t be her Hosu guy!”
“What are you two talking about?” Rule asks with evident confusion.
“Right, you weren’t here for lunch, but short story is Izuku told us that she was taking care of a guy in Hosu and that’s why she was staying in the city. God, I really hope they weren’t secretly dating.” Chargebolt makes a disgusted face, while Rule’s become one of anger.
“She wouldn’t betray her soulmate like that! Stain probably threatened Ida and forced her to do his bidding!”
“But she was at the con. There’s no way Stain would let her out of his sight, let alone go to a place with Pros!” Uravity points out.
“So, what does this mean? Is Izuku a…” Chargebolt shakes his head, not wanting to say what he’s thinking. Yet, it hangs in the air along with another question.
Do we really know her?
When she wakes up, the first thing she notices is how tight the bandages are around her right arm. Kaina Tsutsumi wishes that the gauze was any other color but white. It reminds her of the color of Midoriya’s hair and what she’s done to her. Guilt is nothing new for her, but it’s been a long time since she hurt someone innocent. Or at least, relatively innocent.
She has hurt people and even crippled a few during her time in the Underground. She went as far to illegally customize her Support Item to take out one of her classmates in a sports festival. Yet, she was still able to smile while on the run with Stain. I can’t believe there’s someone who is more broken than I am.
A nurse comes by before she can stew further into her thoughts. She acts politely with the nurse and smiles when needed.
“Is there anyone you would like for us to call? Family? Friends? A soulmate?”
“I’m not going to be here for so long, so I really don’t want to make them come out all the way here for such a short visit!” She smiles as wide as she can and rubs the back of her head sheepishly for good measure, which is enough for the nurse to accept her answer. Early in her career, she learned that answering with the truth that she has no one just results in tears or looks of pity.
The nurse leaves briefly and comes back with some food. Kaina is then left alone. She eats mechanically, not really savoring the food before her, but it’s not like this food is from a high-class restaurant. It takes her a while to finish it all, but she does by the time the doctor shows up.
“Lady Nagant, I just want to thank you for all you’ve done for Hosu! If you weren’t there, I’m sure that those monsters would’ve done more damage if you and Endeavor hadn’t shown up at the end.”
“There’s no need to thank me. I was just doing what I could.” She’s just stating the facts, but the doctor misconstrues this for humbleness.
“You’re quite modest, not many Heroes are like that!”
“Speaking of Heroes, how many of Hosu’s survived?” It’s incredibly hard for her to not lace some sarcasm into her question, but she can’t afford to come off as callous. She still has a reputation to maintain as a friendly if aloof Pro.
“All that were admitted. However, four did die during the attack on downtown, but there were no civilian deaths thanks to the quick response of the Police Force and some interns.”
“What about Izuku Midoriya?” The doctor tenses visibly and looks like he would rather not answer the question, but she’s not letting him off the hook. “Is she being treated for the gunshot wounds I gave her or not?”
“Well, she’s not exactly here. No one is sure where she is. From the news footage, she threw herself off the roof after witnessing her soulmate’s incineration, or near incineration since he’s still alive and in our burn center. Neither the police nor the Pros found her body, so it’s presumed she was taken by the League of Villains. Again.” The doctor lowers his voice like he’s afraid that they’re being eavesdropped. “Between you and me, I think she was always part of the League of Villains but then double-crossed them to be with her lover, Stain. I bet she’s on the run, looking for some other powerful Villain to seduce.”
“And how did you come up with that?” Calm. Be calm. Beating up a doctor is not what Heroes do. Even when they spout shit.
“I didn’t. It’s what’s I read online.”
It sounds like something one of Shoowaysha’s tabloids would publish. Or maybe it came directly from them. No, it has to be a subsidiary to avoid a scandal if there was a public uproar. They worked fast; it hasn’t even been four hours since it happened.
“I’m going to wait until the Police Force and the HPSC release their own reports before I can weigh in on that.” She hopes this will be enough to get the doctor to leave before she decides to take out some of her anger onto him.
“Yes, let’s get back to you. Your injuries have been treated, and you can be discharged after you fill out some paperwork. I’m going to advise you not to use your Quirk until your body’s fully healed which should be about two to three days.”
I actually might get that time off. If the President was pissed over my performance in Hosu, he would’ve sent an agent to have me discharged before I woke up. Or maybe he’s too busy dealing with the media shitstorm to care.
“I’ll get that paperwork filled out then.” Finally, the doctor leaves but not before getting in the last word.
“I’m sure next time you’ll get her.”
It depresses her to know that he won’t be the only one saying that.
The lavender loveseat is the same as Izuku remembers it being. Soft like a marshmallow yet strong enough to hold a man like Eiji. She doesn’t know what happened to that couch during the early days of her mom’s death, but it shouldn’t be here. Just like the rest of the apartment.
The rug Uncle bought to hide the burn marks that Kacchan put in the floor. The landscape photographs that mom got from an ex-girlfriend. The old dining room table and chairs she inherited from her parents. It’s all here, down to even the tiny scuffs marks on the floor from mom’s heels. Is this a dream? Or maybe the afterlife? I was in so much pain, but it wasn’t just me.
She hears the front door opening but doesn’t leave the couch.
If it’s mom, then I’m really dead. Or it could be Eiji. Maybe it’s both.
It’s neither of them. Rather, it’s the last person she expected to be here: All For One. He looks like Nana Shimura but lacks her ample bosom and coloring.
White hair and red eyes just like before. Just like Eiji. Is this his subtle way of torturing me? He’s even wearing a suit like Eiji, but it’s dark red like wine. Eiji always went with white and black suits because those colors complimented him the best.
“You’re not dead, and neither am I.”
“No, we’re very much still alive against the wishes of this society.” His voice is the same as the one he uses for Princess Usagi; it’s Nana’s voice.
“Why do you even bother using her face and voice? I told All Might about you, so you can’t play dead anymore! You may as well just show me your real self!”
“It’s not time yet for that, but you shall see me for who I am.” All For One then smiles, and she hates how it has the same effect of taking her breath away. “But I’m here for you.”
“Why?” You can’t love me. Princess Usagi was a lie. You’re supposed to be an ancient evil that just manipulates people to do your bidding. What use does a Quirkless girl like me have for someone like you? Please, don’t say because you love me. I can’t have you being human.
“Because I want to.” It’s almost a sweet relief when he says that because it sounded like something a Villain would say.
“Take a seat then.” Of course, he takes the only other free space on the couch. “After this heart to heart, will you let me go?”
“That’s up to you since this is your mindscape.”
“This isn’t a work of a Quirk or another virtual reality?”
“I have a Quirk that allows me to enter other’s mindscapes, after meeting its requirements, which is how I’m here.”
“If this is my mind, does that mean I can make anything I imagine a reality here?”
“From my experience, mindscapes are more often composed of a person’s memories, but I suppose you can imagine the moon being a giant bowl of katsudon.”
She blushes and mutters, “Of course, you remember that stupid little dream I had.”
“However, since we are here, I believe you were seeking out a place of security and comfort. It’s only naturally you would, given what happened.”
“What happened…” she trails off as she tries to recall what happened before then. “I was shot in each leg. Chizome used Bloodcurdle on me. He went to fight Endeavor and Burnin. For two minutes, I couldn’t do anything but call his name. I got on my belly and crawled. There was a fire…”
“There was a fire. Would you like to stop here?” Izuku nods frantically. “Okay, then. What would you like to do? This is your mind. You can do anything you want.”
“Can I just lay my head in your lap?” She feels so small and pathetic for asking. It reminds her of all those times when she asked her mom to do this when Eiji wasn’t around to comfort her.
“Is there anything else you want?”
“Stroke my hair and tell me a story.”
“Alright then.” Izuku lays her head and brings her legs up on the couch. There isn’t much room for them since she’s gotten so tall, so she has to curl up in a fetal position to fit herself. It makes her feel even worse about herself, but then he strokes her hair exactly like her mom would.
“One snowy night in March, a lovesick puppy named Nana meets a black cat also named Nana on a train to Tokyo…”
I’m sorry, mom. I’m sorry, Eiji. I’m sorry, Yagi and Sorahiko. Forgive me, but I need him.
Yagi didn’t make it to Hosu until three in the morning. The blood and guts of the fallen Heroes have long been cleaned, but his mind doesn’t let go of the fact that four Heroes died fighting the Nomus while he had been stewing over Tsukauchi’s findings and giving Mirio some nighttime training. The long drive from Musutafu to Hosu gave him more than enough time to ruminate over his failings as a Hero and a teacher.
Visiting hours for Hosu General are over, but as a representative for All Might, he’s allowed into its burn center. He’s not surprised to see Endeavor since he was the one that put Stain here, but he is shocked by how haggard the man looks. Bruises decorate the right side of his face, purple as the bags under his eyes. His attention is focused on the small phone in his hand.
It’s like he hadn’t slept in a week and got hit by a semi. Then again, he had to fight the Hero Killer knowing that he’s one of Izuku’s soulmates and burned him alive in front of Izuku. I wouldn’t have believed it myself if not for Tsukauchi confessing that he withheld such information at Endeavor’s request since it didn’t seem likely she and Stain would meet.
Yagi clears his throat loudly to alert the other man that he isn’t alone. Endeavor jerks and nearly drops the red phone in his hand.
“All Might’s secretary! What are you doing here?” Endeavor glares at him, and Yagi feels some relief at seeing Endeavor acting more like himself.
“All Might wanted to know how you were holding up.”
“He should’ve come himself then.”
“He’s…busy.”
“Of course, he is.” Was that sarcasm? I suppose Young Todoroki must’ve inherited his from someone in his family.
“How are you doing?” Yagi asks gently. The younger man glares at him but less fiercely than before. “I don’t know what it’s like to hurt a soulmate, but it couldn’t have been easy. And before you ask, All Might knew about Izuku’s soul marks and that you are one of her soulmates.”
He braces himself for an aggressive response, but Endeavor grumbles, “Nezu must’ve blabbed to him over some green tea I bet.”
“Uh, more like an accidental quid pro quo occurred, but my question still hasn’t been answered.”
Endeavor looks ahead, through the acrylic glass separating them from the Hero Killer, or what’s left of him. Bandages cover every inch of his body, and he would’ve easily been mistaken for a mummy if not for all the wires and tubes. He’s also missing his entire right arm.
“He turned his body at the last second that’s why his right side is worse off than the left. He must’ve done it just to see Izuku one last time. I wasn’t even paying attention to her until I saw her…” He grimaces and then resumes, “Stain was dead five minutes exactly before my attempts at resuscitation finally worked. The doctors say he’ll most likely have brain damage, but they’ll see how severe it is once he regains consciousness. If he ever does.”
“If you could do that while he was dead, then it means the deaths of the other soulmates won’t affect the rest of you. Izuku can live without the rest of you!” Yagi winces as he realizes how callous it must’ve sounded. “I’m sorry that was—”
“Don’t apologize. It’s somewhat a relief to know that Izuku can outlive me now.”
He’s not exactly wrong. Many Heroes die in the line of duty rather than old age. Chiyo and Gran are the oldest ones I know that are still active of their generation. The rest are retired or died young like Nana.
“You’ll have many more decades with her,” he says, hoping it will encourage the other man.
“No, I won’t.”
“Yes, you will. I know things look grim now, but it will get better!”
“You weren’t there. You didn’t hear her screams. You didn’t see her face. The look in her eyes…” Endeavor’s turquoise eyes darken, and for a moment, Yagi thinks he’ll cry. “I only know how to hurt the ones I love. I’ve been hurting her ever since she was born, and it’s only got worse since we became a part of each other’s lives. Soulmates are supposed to help each other, love each other. But look at me. I didn’t do what I promised her and Tenya, and she ended up in the arms of Stain! I blamed Stain for what happened and wanted to believe that he took advantage of the bond to control her, just like Tenya believed, but then Technocrat unlocked her phone. There were so many pictures of her and him being happy together! She was happy with him!”
To his surprise, Endeavor does not cry, rather he looks down at the phone with its cracked screen. He looks like he’ll burn it, but he chooses to let out a shaky breath accompanied by a wisp of smoke.
“This is evidence, and I promised to return it to Detective Tsukauchi,” he mutters to himself. “I shouldn’t have asked him to leave out the fact that Stain is one of Izuku’s soulmates in the report. I thought I was protecting her, but I just made everything worse.”
Yagi puts a hand on Endeavor’s shoulder, trying to offer some comfort, but the man pulls away like he’s been burned. He then gets up from the bench and heads for the nearest exit. Yagi thinks about going after him, but he doesn’t know what he could say to help him.
Words aren’t going to help him. He needs time, and a lot of it. Though, I’m not sure if all his wounds can be healed by it.
Yagi watches over Stain in Endeavor’s place and tries to rest, so he can have the time to be the Hero that everyone needs him to be.
I’ll be wiser with my time as All Might. If I had been in the first place, I would’ve been able to save those Heroes, and maybe Izuku and Stain too. I won’t allow another Hosu to happen again, even if it kills me.
After his wounds have been treated at the hospital, Tenya is left alone for the most part. He tries sleeping, but it’s in short fits accompanied by nightmares. There’s no TV in his room, but he has his phone. Someone leaks that Izuku has six soulmates and that he’s one of them along with the terrible truth that Stain is also one of them. Along with that revelation and NHA’s coverage on Stain and Izuku, he experiences just how truly ugly people can be online. His friends and classmates text him about this, but he leaves them on read. His parents call, especially his mother, so he shuts off his phone and decides to spend hours staring at the ceiling instead.
He’s more exhausted in the morning than he was last night. He’s certainly not up to receiving visitors, but he has no choice.
The Chief of the Police Force, Kenji Tsuragamae, enters the room along with Manual and Aizawa. Manual shoots him a concerned look, and he knows that this meeting won’t be a pleasant one. He gets out of bed and manages a salute, prepared to face whatever punishment he’ll receive for his attempted murder.
“At ease, Young Ida, woof.”
“Yes, sir.” He can’t relax as ordered and he hopes that none of the adults can hear how tired he is, but he knows that he looks far from his usual self.
“Last night, you took it upon yourself to go after the Hero Killer, disobeying your mentor’s orders.” The dog-faced heteromorph cuts to the chase. He feels his empty stomach twist, but he knows in his soul that he deserves to pay for breaking the law.
“Yes, sir.”
“You chose not to call for back-up when you managed to capture the Villain.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You also chose to be judge, jury, and executioner.”
He knows this where he’s supposed to apologize profusely, but the words don’t come out. He just stands there and awaits his sentencing. It feels like an eternity before Tsuragamae speaks again.
“You would be in quite a bit of trouble, and so would your mentor since he is responsible for you, if this ever went public.”
“Sir!?” I can’t believe this! I’m not getting punished? I broke several laws, and I get a slap on the wrist since the public is ignorant of my crimes? This is…wrong.
“However, that doesn’t mean you get off scot-free,” Aizawa finally speaks, and Tenya notes how his voice sounds more ragged like he too had a sleepless night. “Your internship ends here, and you’ll need to start over with another Hero next semester. You will also be required to see a mental health professional; I’ll be discussing this with your parents.”
“I understand, sir.” He feels a modicum of relief at being punished, even if it’s a light sentencing.
“I’m sorry for not being able to see that you needed help. I got complacent and believed that someone straightlaced like you wouldn’t do what you did last night. I won’t make that same mistake with you or the rest of the problem children.” There is a softness in his dark eyes that Tenya never expected from the Erasure Hero.
“I should apologize too. I knew right away you chose my agency specifically because of Stain, but I also arrogantly assumed that I could prevent you from doing anything rash. I’m sorry, Tenya.” Manual gives a short bow, and such a gesture worsens his guilt.
“Thank you, Mr. Aizawa and Manual, but what’s going to happen to Izuku? Everyone knows about her…soulmates, or at least me and him.”
“Right now, she’s considered a missing person, most likely in the hands of the League of Villains given their history. We will be working with Endeavor to locate and free her,” the police chief states. “Then, we hope she’ll give her honest account of what happened between her and Stain.”
“Stain used the bond to brainwash her!” He can’t read the police chief’s face, but Manual’s face is full of doubt and sympathy. “You have to believe me! I know soulmates can’t control each other, but that only applies to those between two people, not seven!”
“If what you claim is proven true, then wouldn’t that mean you can do the very same thing with her?” Aizawa proposes cruelly and robs him of breath for a moment, but then red hot anger flows through him.
“I would never force her to do anything against her will! I’m not like that monster!”
“I know, Ida, but you need to consider that Izuku isn’t as powerless as you want to believe.”
“She’s innocent! She would never have stabbed me if it weren’t for Stain!”
“None of us are saying she’s guilty, Tenya!” Manual jumps to Aizawa’s defense and adds calmly, “It’s just things might not be as clear cut as you think it is. The world isn’t black and white, and I hope your next mentor can help you understand that.”
“It’s okay if you hate me from now on.”
“I believe in my soulmate.” The dissonance between his words and feelings leave him nauseous. He focuses more on not dry heaving rather than listening. Eventually, the police chief and the Pros leave, and he’s given a short reprieve to try and eat breakfast. He only drinks the orange juice. It’s not long after that his mother shows up. He hasn’t seen her since well before the internship and has only communicated with her through short texts. He expects her to be furious for keeping her in the dark about his internship, but she doesn’t say anything to him at first.
She looks so tired and small. Has she always been this small? I always looked up to her because she never let anything discourage her. But then Tensei nearly died and couldn’t be Ingenium anymore. I’ve been so consumed by my vengeance that I didn’t really think about the rest of my family and how they were feeling, especially mother.
“Tenya, I’m here to take you home.” She shuts the door behind her and then turns back to look at him. Her eyes stare at the bandages wrapped around his left shoulder. “Are you in pain?”
It’s a surprisingly loaded question that he cannot answer and just shakes his head.
“Good. I’ll wait outside, while you get dressed.” She hands him a white and blue tote bag. He looks inside and finds clothes from home along with one of his glasses cases.
“I already have glasses.”
“I thought you would feel more comfortable with a pair that weren’t from her.” The fact that his mother isn’t even referring to Izuku by her surname is alarming.
“Mother, Izuku wasn’t herself! Stain was controlling her!”
“Manual and the police told me what happened. Your homeroom teacher also told me of your punishment. I’ll look into finding a therapist for you and myself since I can’t figure out where I went wrong.” Part of him is slightly relieved to hear the heat in her mother’s voice, but most of him feels horrible for putting her through this.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what? Lying to me and your father for weeks? Taking the law into your own hands with the intention to commit homicide? Or getting caught by your soulmate who then committed felony assault to protect the serial killer?”
“I keep telling you and everyone else that Stain used their bond to brainwash her!”
“That’s not how soul bonds work!”
“Our bond isn’t normal!”
“Is that why you never told me the fact that she had six other soulmates? Did you believe that I would be ashamed of you?”
“She asked me not to tell anyone!”
“And look how well that worked out! Everyone in Japan knows now! Along with the fact that she hurt you for Stain.” To his horror, his mother begins to cry. “I don’t know why I’m crying when you should be. My poor baby got his heart ripped out of him!”
“Mother, I’m fine. I’m sure when the police find Izuku she’ll confirm my story.” He puts his arms around her and feels her crying into the thin hospital tunic. “It’ll be alright.”
“I’m sorry, Tenya, I failed you!”
Now, it was his turn to cry.
The sea is made of pink cherry blossom petals, while the sand comes from crushed malachite. The moon is cornflower blue and hangs over the fantastic land. There’s not a single cloud in the star-studded sky yet it’s raining, drumming a rhythm set to her heartbeat. Izuku closes her eyes and enjoys the unnatural beauty of her mindscape.
“What shall you call this place?” All For One, or Sensei as she’s come to call him, inquires while under a black umbrella.
“The Shore of Reunions!” She smiles widely, mirroring Sensei’s own smile.
“What a perfect name.”
“I wonder how long it’ll be before we’re back here.” Time is virtually meaningless in the mindscape, or at least for her. Sensei admitted that he has a Quirk that allows him to track the passage of time and offered to tell her, but she refused.
It could be weeks or months for all I know. Enough time for me to be able to talk about Chizome’s death and resurrection without breaking down. Every time I did, Sensei would comfort me and encourage me to work through my pain, so I used my mindscape as a canvas. I can create all the art I want without having to worry about eating, sleeping, or showering. I could do this forever.
“Longer than you think, but sooner than I hope.” He chuckles darkly, while his smile lessens into a neutral line. “It’s quite tempting to stay here and correct the mistakes of your past, but that’s nothing more than imaginative play. You can’t change reality while you’re here.”
Sensei truly lived up to his title/name. He taught her everything he knew about the mindscape that he learned through his forays into others and his own. She never created living creatures or food because for her those things would make the mindscape too real.
“How will I wake up?”
“Once I’m gone, you should wake up.”
“Should? So, there’s a chance I won’t wake up!?”
“Only if you don’t want to. You’ve heeded my teachings, and ergo you will wake.”
“Do people die from staying in the mindscape?”
“It happens if their body isn’t being taken care of. You would think their body shutting down would be enough to spur their awakening, but, no, many chose the fantasy they created in their mindscape over their own lives.”
How many people did he watch die? Dozens? Hundreds? Did he even try to help them, or were they just experiments? Am I another experiment to him?
The warmth of those hands cupping her face keep her earthbound. The rain soaks Sensei, making his hair cling to his stolen face. His red eyes glow like lightning.
“Izuku, you are…” It’s the first time she’s seen him at a loss for words. His face twists briefly into grief and then reverts to his kindly mask. “We will meet again, my knight.”
Those hands fade away, and then he’s gone.
What was he going to say? This isn’t fair, but nothing about my life is. I wish I didn’t feel happy about seeing him again…
Slowly but surely, she drifts back into reality. She opens her eyes and rubs the sleep from them before sitting up and taking in her surroundings. Arctic white walls, equally white furniture with painted cherry blossom petals, a small plasma TV, and a bookcase filled with books and DVDs.
Of course, I’m back with the League of Villains! How am I going to escape this time? I doubt Tomura will take me out on another date like last time, and Chizome isn’t here to save me.
She feels the familiar welling of tears and then blinks them away.
No time to cry. You need to gather as much information as possible. Like what’s the date and if you’re on Japan’s Most Wanted.
She finds the remote under the left pillow exactly where she left it all those months ago. She turns on the TV and learns right away that it’s August 8th, so only thirteen hours have passed since last night. Then, she spends the next three hours watching various news shows covering what happened in Hosu, and more specifically, on her and Chizome. Stain is painted both a Villain that needed to be brought down and an unsung Hero of Hosu for fighting against the League of Villains, while she’s written off as his lovesick soulmate and sex toy. It’s upsetting to say the least, and most of the talking heads called her the following names:
Villain Whore
Stain’s Bride
Quirkless Freak
Monster
Liar
Traitor
She’s spent her entire childhood being derided and bullied over things she could not control. Such name-calling is nothing new, but it’s worse hearing it from what are supposed to be respected newscasters and media personalities from all over Japan. It gets so much worse when her old classmates and teachers from the two Alderas confirm that she has six soulmates and that’s left her unstable.
“She broke all the windows in a hallway during one of her freakouts!”
“I can’t understand why UA even accepted her. She should’ve been institutionalized.”
“I bet she was working with the League of Villains since crazy attracts crazy!”
There’s so much more said about her, so many more horrible things said about her, but she can’t bring herself to remember it all. Yet, she feels it all along with her soulmates’ emotions. She’s about to reenact one of her legendary freakouts when there’s a knock on the door. She knows that she can ignore it and just breakdown like she wants, but she can’t be rude to Kurogiri. She goes and opens the door. Kurogiri has a tray with a steaming bowl of katsudon and green tea.
“You must be famished by now, Young Mistress.” Kurogiri knows that she would never turn down katsudon, so she accepts the tray and takes it to the desk. There are a couple of notebooks and a cup of pens and pencils cluttering the desk, but she makes space for the tray. She then sits down, picks up the chopsticks, and devours the katsudon. Finally, she drinks the tea.
“Three minutes and twenty seconds. A new record, Deku.”
“I hadn’t eaten in twenty-seven hours.”
“Shall I make you a second bowl?”
She has to bite her tongue from saying yes and, instead, says, “Maybe later. But first, what does Tomura plan to do with me now?”
“Young Master has no plans for you at the moment.”
“So, he isn’t going to make me join his party or fight in the Underground again?”
“He would rather you join of your own volition, and there’s no point in the latter since the Heroes would know to check out the Underground first. In fact, Sir Nighteye successfully raided the Yokohama branch this morning.”
“I can’t believe any of the news shows aren’t covering that! Instead, they’re spewing lies about Chizome and me. One even claimed that there’s a sex tape of us!” Anger fills her and pushes down the disgust and self-loathing.
“Sensationalism sells more than the truth, but, then again, it’s not like the reporters can ask you or Stain for your stories.”
“He’s alive but is being treated at an undisclosed hospital for his injuries. That’s all they say, but I can’t feel him, ‘Giri. I wouldn’t have believed he was alive if it weren’t for his soul mark on my back. I think he’s in a coma, and that’s why our bond feels empty.”
“If you’re hoping that I can provide you more information about Stain’s state, I don’t have such information.”
“What about Sensei?” His yellow eyes widened for a moment, clearly caught off-guard by her calling All For One that name.
“I do not know, nor can I inquire since he’s rather busy. He has told me that you are free to return home whenever you wish.”
Home? Where’s home anymore? The apartment I shared with Chizome has been raided by the police. There’s no way that Enji will welcome me back in his house again after everything. All I have left is the house that Eiji left me; the same house where I’m alone.
“I can’t go yet. I’ve got a score to settle with the media!”
“May I suggest involving Tomura in this? He’s taken a few classes on filmmaking.”
“He wanted to be a filmmaker?”
“More like he wanted to make a good adaption of Silent Hill, but he found the filmmaking process to be not as rewarding as he hoped. He at least knows how to use a camera and basic video editing.”
“Would he actually help me? Chizome and I stole his thunder. The media barely mentions the Nomus and League of Villains anymore.”
“While you were with Master, the media gave full coverage on us until they ran out of information, so we had an hour in the limelight.”
“I’ll see if Tomura is as accommodating as you claim he is, but, first, I need more katsudon.”
“As you wish, Deku.”
She’ll wake up soon, Tomura, but you must be prepared to let her go. She’s not ready to be by your side, but someday…
It’s been four hours since Sensei last talked to him and then fell back into his work, while Tomura decided to take the day off after getting a B for the Hosu round rather than the S+ he hoped for. Now, he’s in the middle of binging Arcane when the door to his room slams open. It’s Deku in a sky-blue nightgown straight from Piltover, but the red boots are all hers along with the teardrop earrings.
“Deku? What the hell—”
“Tomura, I need your help!” She then looks at the computer screen. “Oh, hey, I remember starting this, but I never made it past the first three episodes because I was crying buckets!
“If you were crying that much in the first act, you’ll be a husk by the finale.”
“I’ll need to remember to hydrate then, but putting that aside, I need you to be my cameraman and upload my confessional.”
“Confessional? Like Heather with the unseen confessor?”
“I thought the confessor was her evil bio mom. She was apologizing for killing her child.”
“That’s Dahlia, and I also thought that too, but she was an abusive piece of shit that sacrificed her own daughter for her monster god. No way she’d ask for forgiveness.” Just like my dad. He never said he was sorry for beating me and said I deserved it for being bad. It didn’t help that I looked like…
“Tomura? You there?” He sees her waving her hand in his face and nearly slaps it away until he remembers that he’s not wearing gloves. He just blows hot air on it, and she gets the message and pulls it away. “Anyways, you going to help me or not?”
“You want my help after Hosu? Do you even remember last night, or is your brain blocking out the trauma?”
“I remember it all. Four Heroes died, many more were injured, and Stain was burned alive,” she says solemnly. “The only reason I’m not a catatonic mess is because your Sensei decided to help me. But I still need a little more help. I need to set the record straight about what happened last night and about Stain.”
“Right now, the Heroes believe that you’re a victim of your soul bond with the nose-less creep and so do the media outlets that are in their pockets along with most of the sheeple. If you tell them the truth that you were a willing participate, then you can kiss your Hero career and your freedom goodbye.”
“You know for someone who wanted me to join their party not too long ago you don’t seem pleased at the idea of me not becoming a Hero.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I still want you in my party but as a willing participant, not because I’m a consolation prize.” Especially as a soulmate.
“You really are competitive, almost like Kacchan, but I don’t have to worry about getting burned,” she mutters and then speaks up, “I’m not asking your help for free. Name your price, and I’m willing to negotiate.”
“Usually, it’s I’m willing to pay it, but I guess Sensei taught you not to be a sucker for once.” Tomura leans back in his gaming chair and ponders deeply about his heart’s desire before settling on something less gruesome. “You’re going to watch all of Arcane with me.”
“That’s it? You’re not even going to ask me for intel on UA or to spy on the Heroes?”
“Hell no! You couldn’t make it past first level of Metal Gear Solid!”
“Hey, just because I suck at stealth games, doesn’t mean I’d be a terrible spy! I’m a pretty good liar since I hid my relationship with Stain from everyone, including my soulmates, without getting caught until last night and that wasn’t my fault! If you and your Nomus hadn’t shown up, Chizome and I would be in Musutafu right now, paying respects to my mom!” Her dark green eyes burn with anger, while her hands are balled up at her side like she’s restraining herself.
What I wouldn’t give to see her lose it like she did with the Angry Pomeranian! But not because of me.
“Blame it on your shitty soulmate, he stabbed Kurogiri and me just because he didn’t like that I didn’t have a more complicated life philosophy! Seriously, I don’t get why all these NPCs like the bastard so much when he’s killing people just like me! Actually, he’s worse than me because his kill count is higher than mine. I’ll have to fix that at some point.” He scratches his neck and notices Izuku’s right hand twitching like she’ll do the same, but she controls herself.
“Because he truly believed that he could reform Hero society by getting rid of the fakes and thus inspiring Heroes to become better. It’s a cause that people can get behind, and if you listened to some of the recordings he posted online when he was a teenage preacher, you can hear his conviction in his voice even if his prose wasn’t quite there yet.” The fire in her eyes dies out until there’s only an ember of that anger from before, and she burns herself with it. “If only I had met him sooner, I could’ve done so much more for him. Maybe Tensei could’ve been spared, and Tenya wouldn’t have been overwhelmed with hatred, and I wouldn’t have had to hurt him like that. Why am I still such a Deku!?”
“…You hate that name, don’t you?”
“I always have, but it’s a perfect name for a useless doll like me.”
“Then, why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because I was your captive, remember? I was trying to stay on your good side.”
“Not one part of me is good. With a Quirk and a past like mine, I was destined for villainy. It didn’t matter how much I wanted to be a Hero.”
“You wanted to be a Hero?” She regards him with genuine surprise rather than the skepticism he expected.
“Yeah, I was a part of this stupid Hero-saturated society, so of course I had the same dream that every stupid brat had. It died with my family, and don’t ask me how because I don’t remember. What I do remember is wandering for days, being hungry and scared, but no one would help me. I remember one lady said that a Hero would come along to help me, but not one did. Only Sensei cared.”
“No one came to save you. That must’ve hurt, right, Tenko Shimura? Everyone just passed by pretending to not see, thinking that some Hero would save the day. Who decided to make the world this way?”
“Hey, Tomura, can we start with watching the show together? We can do the video after that.” Her voice sounds soft like she wants to make sure he’s okay.
Even after everything, she still cares about me. Is that just the bond or is it all her?
“We’re watching all of season one, and we’ll save season two when you get out of Hero jail, Izuku.”
“There’s two seasons!?”
The sound that comes out of his mouth can’t be described as pleasant, but he’s laughing for the first time in a long time.
The video starts in an abandoned warehouse. There’s a large hole on the side of it with bits of twisted and rust-colored metal littering the floor along with broken glass. The camera zooms in on a piece of metal being kicked by a beat-up red boot. It then pans up the fishnet legs attached to those boots, above the green shorts and the Empire Strikes Back graphic tee, to the freckled face of Izuku Midoriya. Her dark green eyes are lined red, while her lips are black.
“I was held hostage here by Master Beast and Madam Claws for maiming them in the Underground. They were going to make a snuff film all about torturing me; they even had a buyer in the Quirkless-hating branch of the Creature Rejection Clan.” She lets out a bitter laugh before continuing, “I couldn’t see anything, but I heard a truck come through and then all the people involved in my latest kidnapping being taken care of. My savior was none other than Chizome Akaguro aka Stain the Hero Killer.”
There’s a fade to black and then opens on a new location. A dock missing a few of its planks with Izuku dangling her long legs over its precarious edge.
“He was sitting just like this at the end of the dock. His hair was a wild nest, and he looked like he hadn’t a decent meal in a while. He was covered in the blood of the people he slew. A white cat told me that he was my soulmate and that he wanted to see me one last time. He was hoping that I would abandon him because of his sins.”
She tosses a rock into the water and watches it sink.
“I have six soulmates, and most of them made my childhood a living hell. Hating them would be the easiest thing in the world, but how can I when their lives were filled with such misery? I thought if I could only meet them I would find a way to make their lives better. I thought my love would be enough. I chose to stay with Chizome until his arm healed and then I would turn him over to the authorities.”
Another fade, and once more the scene changes. This time it’s the inside of a Spartan apartment. Izuku sits on a black couch, looking back at the empty table and the knocked over chairs.
“This place was filled with trash because Chizome didn’t really care about himself. He only left the apartment to get food from the convenience store or to stretch his legs. His bedroom was the only relatively clean space. He was so embarrassed and even offered to sleep in the trash, so I could have the bedroom to myself. I didn’t let him do that. We also got the place cleaned in like a day, and I furnished the place in two days.”
She gets up and walks to the kitchen. The camera doesn’t follow her in there, but the short distance somehow makes her voice sound far away.
“There’s so much food left. It’s just going to go to waste. Well, I can at least finish the beer.”
She comes back with a can of Sapporo, opening it while sitting back down on the couch. She takes her first sip and gives a small, satisfied smile.
“I really became fond of this when I was in Hokkaido, and I got Chizome into it too. I remember him saying he’s never been to Hokkaido, and I promised that I would give him a tour someday. Someday implies a future, something he never allowed himself to think too hard on. He was all about his mission to rid the world of fakes and then to die at the hands of a true Hero, preferably All Might. I wanted to give him hope, and he thanked me for it in the end…”
She drinks more of the beer, and the camera follows her eyes to an empty bookshelf.
“I borrowed movies that we would watch when there was nothing good on TV; I really hope Sorahiko gets those back from the cops. I bought him books that I thought he might be interested in. One of them by Stendhal himself. I also got him a journal to write in and as an outlet for his darker thoughts. He never hid how shitty his childhood was; his parents kicked him out when he dropped out of school and he had to navigate his teenage years on the streets. He wouldn’t tell me what happened to him exactly, but I imagine it’s written down in the journal and that he would’ve shown it to me when he felt ready. He started out killing Villains before turning to the Heroes he deemed as fakes, believing that would reform the system. It would’ve been easier to just burn it all to the ground and start fresh, but he understood such a route would kill a lot of innocent people in the process, and so he went about staining his hands and soul with the blood of false idols.”
She downs the rest of the can and leaves the couch for another beer.
“I didn’t agree with his methods. I believe people can change for the better if you give them a chance. Once you’re dead, you can’t do anything. You’re just nothing. My plan was to inform a Hero training me about Bloody Tear’s true identity and then we’d fight Stain in hopes we can bring him in before he could hurt anyone else. I even confessed to Chizome about my plan, and he accepted it and chose to savor the little time we had left together.”
Another fade, though this one is much longer than the last. It then opens up with a long shot of a clawfoot bathtub. Wisps of steam rise from the pinken waters, while the red petals rain from above and float with the bubbles. The camera then goes to the source of the petals. Izuku plucks the last petals from a thorny rose before tossing its remains out of the camera’s purview. She is clad in a black silk robe with cherry blossoms.
“I bought this robe for him. He loves soft things. Originally, I was going to get one with dragons, but he said it reminded him too much of the Yakuza. He wanted the one with my favorite flowers on them. It fits me too. Don’t worry, I’m keeping the robe on for this scene. There’s nothing appealing about my body, and Chizome said the same of his. Maybe that’s why we never shared a bath together. It’s too late now.”
She moves away from the tub and heads over to the sink with the fogged-up mirror. She swiftly grabs the hairbrush and smashes it against the mirror, causing glass to litter the sink and the surrounding floor.
“You would think the neighbors below would call the police, but maybe they think it’s a ghost, Stain’s ghost making so much noise in the middle of the night. Even though he’s not dead, many want him to be, and I bet plenty want me dead too. A Quirkless girl with six soulmates, not even her soulmates could withstand such monstrosity.”
Her shoulders shake for a little bit, but then her body stills.
“None of them could feel me unless they touched me, but I can feel them all the time. Right now, I feel nothing from Chizome. I know he’s alive; his mark is still on my back, but I can’t feel him. I remember how he felt when he died. It was such a rush of emotions, mostly fear and pain, and then nothing.”
She turns back around and reveals tears streaming down her face.
“It’s a good thing this eyeliner is waterproof.” She lets out a small, broken laugh. “I thought the same thing when he told me he loved me for the first time. There were fireworks like in a shojo!”
She sucks in a shaky breath and then releases it.
“We made plans to do a little trip to Kamakura and visit the Enno-ji Temple and then we would go to Musutafu. I wanted him to meet my mom, and he wanted to pay his respects to her. All of this was supposed to happen today, but then last night happened.”
She scratches the side of her neck until it becomes red like her chipped nail polish.
“There was a falling out between the League of Villains and Stain, and Hosu was made to pay for it. Chizome wasn’t supposed to be Stain until Wednesday. But if he was forced to be him, why waste his broken promise? He decided to pursue Native and finish what he started. Tenya. Oh, Tenya! He stopped Stain from killing Native and then he. You’ve got to understand that he hasn’t been himself ever since Stain hurt his brother. I didn’t want him to lose himself, so I threw a knife at him. He pulled it out and couldn’t believe I did that. He dropped it just like I knew he would. He looked at me, wasn’t at all paying attention to Stain’s tongue, and Bloodcurdle took effect. I left him with Native and took Stain to fight the League of Villains.”
She goes back to the tub and tests the water with her hand.
“The bath’s ready.”
Another fade, and this time it opens back on the couch. Izuku lies on it wearing an oversized red shirt. Her eyeliner stubbornly remains, but her lipstick is gone. Her cheeks are flushed pink. Five beer cans are lined up on the nearby coffee table.
“This is my favorite sleeping shirt. It was a gift from one of my soulmates. I bet he regrets that now, but his regret sure feels like self-loathing. Where was I? Right, Chizome and I were supposed to kick the League of Villain’s asses but then Endeavor and Burnin showed up. I truly believed he’d abandon me to kill Endeavor because he’s hated him for a long time. But he didn’t. He didn’t!”
She grins and laughs until she cries. It takes her a few moments to regain some control over her drunken self.
“I forgot about Lady Nagant. I shouldn’t have since she saved me from the winged Nomu, but I forgot her. I just wanted to get home and enjoy whatever time we had left together. But then I got shot in the legs, we weren’t even halfway there, but I begged him to go on without me. He wouldn’t. Of course, he wouldn’t. Damn it!”
She squeezes her eyes shut, but it hardly does anything to stem the flow of tears.
“All I could do was crawl and then watch him burn! I betrayed Tenya, Enji, Sorahiko, and all my friends for nothing! I haven’t fucking changed from that weak little girl who could do nothing but cry for her soulmates! Kacchan’s right! Once a Deku, always a Deku!”
She opens her eyes and lets the tears flow freely until she can finally speak again.
“The point of this video is that Stain did not brainwash me or use our bond to control me. I chose to stay with him for an entire week. I chose to eat and drink with him. I chose to sleep with him, and not in the sexual sense because he didn’t want me like that! I chose to stab Tenya and lie to everyone! I chose to run away with Chizome from the Heroes! I did this, all of this, willingly! I’m Quirkless and seventeen, so I will be charged as an adult and be made to pay for my crimes. And that’s okay. I’m okay with that. I broke the law, several laws, and I would do it all again. Just for him.”
The video finally ends.
The scent of bleach and lemons further aggravates her hangover. Izuku deeply regrets drinking all that whiskey with Tomura while he finished editing their video. Everything became such a blur though she remembers not puking on the officers that came into the apartment to arrest her. She tries opening her eyes, but the brightness of the room makes her shut them immediately. She buries her face in the pillow to hide from the light.
“You shouldn’t have rejected Chiyo’s help, but, no, you didn’t want to waste her Quirk on you.” Sorahiko’s brusque voice is hardly conducive for her hangover. Yet, she forces herself to open her eyes and sit up straight. Rather than the inside of a jail cell, she finds herself in a small hospital room. Sorahiko, in a flannel shirt and jeans, gets up from his chair to pour her some water and then give her a painkiller. She takes them and hopes that the painkiller will kick in soon.
“W-Why am I here?”
“When the officers tested your blood, you had a high level of alcohol in your system.”
“Oh. I’m surprised they didn’t try to pump my stomach.”
“You did puke all over yourself after refusing Chiyo’s help, so it wasn’t necessary.”
“I’m glad I don’t remember that.” The throbbing inside her head lessens now, and she suspects that the painkillers were made by Recovery Girl. He wrinkles his nose.
“Hold on, I’ve got some mints.” He hands her a small oblong tin. She takes two and shivers from the coolness the mints exude.
“Better?”
“Much better.”
“So, what are you doing here? I kind of figured you wouldn’t want anything to do with me after betraying you like that.”
“Betraying me? Did the booze make you melodramatic too? I’m not happy with you leaving me in the dark about you living with a serial killer and said serial killer was under my roof at one point, but I don’t view it as a betrayal. It was more the actions of a desperate lovestruck fool than a monster.”
“Have you heard anything about Stain?”
He grimaces and replies, “He’s alive, but he’s badly burned and in a coma. The doctors aren’t certain if he’ll wake up, but if he does, then there’s a good chance he won’t be the same as he once was.”
“Can I see him?” Sorahiko doesn’t answer. “I have the legal right to since I’m his soulmate and he has no one else.”
“He’s a convicted criminal and will be locked up in Tartarus once he’s considered healthy enough to make it there.”
“His trial already happened? How long was I out!?”
“Keep your britches on, you’ve only been out for roughly seven hours. The trial happened behind closed doors, and it took less than an hour for him to be declared guilty and sentenced. That was going to happen anyways at a later date, but the public outrage over your confession video forced HPSC’s hand. They’re still having trouble with taking the video down just like that Stain video.”
“Is the HPSC not allowing me to see him?” They’re supposed to uphold the law, and they would know that they can’t keep me away from Stain since we’re soulmates. It’s illegal!
“Officially, it’s because you’re in protective custody over your drunkenness and mental confusion. But I know the HPSC doesn’t like to be made a fool of. If it weren’t for Endeavor and his army of lawyers, they would’ve had you formally charged and sobering up in a cell.”
“He did all that? After everything I’ve done?”
“He’s your soulmate too, isn’t he?”
“I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“You didn’t. I figured it out when he chewed out the HPSC President over the phone and then hung around outside your room until he had to leave and be the Number Two Hero. He said that he’ll come back.”
I should be happy to hear that, but I can only think about him burning Chizome. I don’t know how to feel about him anymore. But I have to meet him and talk to him. I have to make amends for what I’ve done to him, and to Tenya.
“Okay.”
“I’m going to get the doctor, so just stay there.”
“Wait! There’s one more thing. It’s about All For One.” Her heart twists as fear passes through Sorahiko’s weathered face. She steels herself and continues, “He’s got a Quirk that lets him enter mindscapes, and I know because he was in mine.”
“Did he do anything else to you?”
“He…” She stops talking and hates herself even more for being too weak to talk about what happened in her own mindscape.
“Izuku, I need you to recall everything that happened to you in the mindscape, no matter how small.”
“It would be better if I drew it out. A lot happened in the mindscape that I just can’t describe with words. I can do it through pictures. If you can get my art supplies from the police and a decent table, I’ll be able draw you a graphic novel.”
“Doesn’t that take a whole lot of time?”
“Just give me a day. Twenty-four hours, and I’ll have everything that I learned about All For One ready. I can’t have any distractions until then, so, please, keep the police and Heroes away!” She begs.
“Okay then. I’ll make it happen.”
I’ll put everything I have into this. It’s really all I can do for All Might anymore. This is the right thing to do, even if it means betraying Sensei.
The last time Mitsuki saw Izuku was when she was armless and crying. This time Izuku has both her arms and is staring off into space; she supposes that’s an improvement.
“Izuku, you there?” She waves the garment bag in her face, and finally, Izuku looks at her. There are dark bags under her eyes like she hasn’t slept in days.
“Auntie? How long have you been here?” Izuku rubs her eyes, and Mitsuki sees red and black ink staining the tips of her fingers.
“About a minute. Things have been pretty shitty for you, so I can’t blame you for being a space cadet.”
“My brain is still a bit fried from my meeting with Principal Nezu and some HPSC agent. I think his name was Mera? Anyways, I managed not to get expelled from school, but I am banned from next year’s sports fest, have to go to therapy but I’ll see this cool soul specialist who is also a licensed psychologist, and I have to take some special classes when I get back from I-Island.”
“You’re still going to I-Island? I thought you be on the no-fly list!” Izuku has told her about her upcoming paid internship with David Shield, and she’s teased her mercilessly about her crush on the very single, older Nobel Quirk Prize scientist.
“That probably would’ve happened if I hadn’t given the HPSC and the police some valuable intel on the League of Villains.”
“Did they interrogate you? Is that why you look half-dead?”
“I spent nearly twenty-four hours straight drawing a graphic novel minus bathroom breaks and meals.” She yawns and then continues, “It didn’t turn out as bad as I thought it would, but if I had more time then I would’ve made the panels cleaner. I didn’t even tell them it was Western style, so I really hope they don’t get confused with reading it. It doesn’t really matter. I’ve got to get ready for the apology video in another hour that I agreed to do as part of my penance.”
“So, that’s why you wanted the suit. It’s too bad you’re a giant compared to Inko because you could’ve used one of her suits, but the one I picked should be close enough. But I was able to get these.” She goes into her purse and pulls out two lapel pins. One is gold that has been shaped to resemble the head of a bunny, while the other is made of jade and shaped like the silhouette of a boar. Izuku gets out of her chair so fast that it falls to the ground, but she doesn’t care and marvels over the pins.
“I thought these got burned with mom.”
“Like hell I was going to let that happen! I took them and was planning on giving them to you at your coming-of-age ceremony, but you’re already an adult and you need them right now.” She presses the pins into Izuku’s hands. Her dark green eyes well up with tears. She sniffles like a bunny and brushes her tears away with her moon-colored hands.
“Auntie, I’m Quirkless; it’s not like I would’ve been allowed to participate in the ceremony with everyone else since I became an adult at thirteen.”
“Which is bullshit, so we’re going to have our own ceremony with blackjack and strippers that look like All Might’s ex-Sidekicks!”
“A-Auntie! Don’t put that thought in my head! I can’t think about David Shield stripping his clothes when I get to I-Island!” Izuku is completely red in the face, matching her earrings. She then mutters, “But what would he look like without all the clothes? Probably not as muscular as Sir Nighteye since he’s in a support role, but he looks like he keeps himself in shape, especially going by that suit he wore to get his Nobel Quirk prize.”
“Careful, Izuku, you’re going to get a nosebleed! Just think unsexy thoughts like Katsuki shirtless or something.” It’s not long before Izuku’s face becomes its normal color.
“Thanks, Auntie, and not just for this, but for everything. Especially since I keep messing things up for your family.”
“You talking about name-dropping Katsuki in your cry-for-help video? Don’t worry about that. Katsuki’s more pissed about all those assholes from your old schools talking shit about you. I had to stop him from beating up his former ex-friends, but I did let him chase them around for a bit.”
“I really need to talk to Kacchan at some point.”
“You can do it when you get back from I-Island, so when are you leaving?”
“Right after the apology video is recorded.”
“That soon!? Can’t they at least let you rest for a few days? You’ve just lost your soulmate.”
“Chizome isn’t dead, Auntie.”
For now. No way can someone live that long after being burned like that. Fuck, Izuku probably felt every second of it.
“How are you? And don’t leave anything out.” Izuku doesn’t say anything at first. Her green eyes darken with pain and sorrow.
“I hurt all the time, but it’s my fault, Auntie.”
“I hurt all the time, but that’s how life is for them, Auntie.”
Mitsuki feels just as powerless now as she did whenever Izuku suffered from her bonds. Back then, she would’ve hugged her and told her things would get better while fuming about Izuku’s selfish soulmates. Now, she hugs her and just allows herself to be sad with her. She feels Izuku’s hands trembling as she grips the back of her shirt. Yet, she doesn’t feel any tears soaking her shoulders.
“I’m not even allowed to see him.” Izuku’s voice cracks under the strain of her raw grief. “We’re soulmates, but he’s still a criminal.”
“I’m sorry, Izuku.”
“I promised him that I would always be with him. I keep breaking my promises, especially to my soulmates.” Mitsuki strokes the back of her head and lets the younger woman talk. “Tenya and Enji must hate me now. Maybe it’s for the best that I’m going away, even though I feel like I’m always running away from them. I can’t hurt them when I’m far away from them. But when I get back, I need to see them and talk with them. They’re my soulmates, and I just want to help them. Oh, Auntie, Enji is—”
“I know, Izuku. Endeavor told me about your bond like almost a month ago.” Which makes him burning Stain alive far more fucked up, but it’s not like he knew Stain was one of her soulmates at the time. If she had told him so, then none of this would have happened. Or maybe it would’ve just in a different way. It doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done.
“I don’t think I even have the right to be annoyed at you not telling me.” Izuku pulls back first and wears such a tired expression.
“You got every right to be angry, Izuku, and not just at me. I really hope that soul specialist you’ll be seeing will get that through your head.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.” Izuku’s smile is so small and fragile that Mitsuki nearly cries.
It’s the same smile she had after those long months mourning Inko and Eiji. She can still smile even after everything that’s happened. Inko, if you were here, you would be proud of your little girl’s strength.