Chapter Text
“So what happens now?” Izuku questioned after the excitement of water bending passed, as Kaina moved the water jug back towards the sink.
“Going forward, you will have to be protected from members of the Red Lotus.” Nezu explained, typing a bit on his computer before looking back at Izuku. “Kaina would be the perfect person for that job, because of her past.” Kaina sighed behind Izuku, causing him to look around to find her with her eyes closed.
“Her past? What happened?” Izuku questioned, causing Kaina to open her eyes wide and look at him. Izuku could see the regret and pain behind them, before she quickly turned around and walked into the corner of the room, causing Izuku to look back towards Nezu. “I know she’s a pro hero by the name of Lady Nagant.”
“Kaina?” Nezu questioned the woman in the corner.
“They’re gonna find out anyway…” Kaina said quietly, still looking away from everyone.
“Very well.” Nezu turned to fully face Izuku now. “What I am about to tell you, does not leave this room, as it could put both of your lives into grave danger.” Izuku gulped, before looking at Ochako who had a panicked look across her face. “That goes for you as well, Ochako.” The two students nodded slowly. “Kaina Tsutsumi, otherwise known as Lady Nagant, has taken lives before.”
Kaina let out a huff, moving back to stand in front of Izuku and Ochako, crouching down in front of them. “There’s no point in beating around the bush. I was trained as an assassin, used for taking out criminals and corrupt heroes.” Izuku and Ochako gasped as she said that, before Kaina looked down towards her hands. “I- I have more blood on my hands then most villains ever do in their lifetime.”
Izuku sat there, watching Kaina look at her hands. Unbeknownst to anybody else in the room, Kaina could almost see the blood on her hands, remembering all her confirmed kills. He could hear Kaina take a few shaky breaths, still looking down at her hands, before he seemed to realize what she was looking at.
“Lady Nagant…” Izuku reached forward and grabbed her hands with his own, causing her to look up at him with unshed tears.
“It’s Kaina Tsutsumi. Lady Nagant is dead.” Kaina said, she closed her eyes, sitting on her legs as Izuku held their hands in front of her. “She died when Nezu offered me a position here, where he asked me to protect you.”
“I don’t believe that.” Izuku responded, causing Kaina to open her eyes suddenly. “When Lady Nagant first became a pro, everyone loved her. She always took time to talk with her fans, or comfort citizens after a villain attack. She quickly ascended the hero billboard because of how many people she protected or saved.” Kaina's mouth opened slightly, realizing what Izuku was telling her. “No, I don’t believe Lady Nagant is dead, I believe she’s lost, and needs some help finding herself again.”
“Izuku’s correct.” Nezu stated, causing Izuku and Kaina to look up towards him. “The Lady Nagant that I knew would have done anything and everything within her power to save or protect people.” Nezu hummed, taking a sip of his tea, before placing it back down on his desk. “It’s why I offered you a position here, why I offered you a position in the White Lotus. I know who Lady Nagant is, and I want to see her return.”
Kaina nodded, looking back towards Izuku. “Thanks, Kid.” Kaina released one of their hands, wiping her tears away, before a small smile graced her face.
“You’re welcome, Ms. Tsutsumi.”
“Kaina.” Kaina responded instantly. “I’m your protector, which means we’re gonna be working together for the foreseeable future.”
“Please, call me Izuku then.” Izuku responded, smiling back towards her. “Would you like a hug? I know when I’m feeling down like this, my mother always offers me hugs and they help tremendously.”
Kaina nodded, allowing Izuku to pull her up into a standing position, him following suit at the same time, before he wrapped his arms around her and squeezed tightly. Kaina responded by hugging back just as tightly, not being able to remember ever being hugged, feeling more loved by this kid than she had ever felt before. She allowed a few tears to escape again, before releasing the hug, wiping them away again.
“If you are my protector, I don’t want you hiding in the shadows.” Izuku stated simply. “I’m going to explain this to my Mom, and that includes telling her about you.”
“Would it be wise to have me seen with the Avatar?” Kaina questioned, looking back at Nezu.
Nezu hummed, allowing a smile to grace his face as his eyes twinkled. “Considering that you’ve been erased, I believe it’s a wonderful idea.”
“What do you mean by erased?” Izuku questioned, titling his head at Nezu in question.
“Kaina has been removed from the hero database.” Nezu said, another twinkle in his eye. “While technically still licensed as a pro hero, she would be unrecognized except for some heroes she might have worked with in the past, and even those were few and far between.”
Izuku nodded, not really understanding what Nezu meant, but knowing the small mammal and the rumors about how smart he was, he knew that almost anything was possible.
“Now that’s taken care of.” Nezu said, pulling out a Pai Sho tile and inspecting it, before looking towards Toshinori and Ochako. “This will be Ochako’s tile.” Toshinori reached forward, grabbing it and inspecting it, before passing it towards his successor.
“My own tile?” Ochako questioned, as she looked towards the tile, before looking at Nezu. “Why?”
“When you accepted being Toshinori’s successor, you also accepted a position in which he holds.” Nezu explained. “While you won’t be granted the rank of Grand Master like Toshinori right now, you will eventually achieve said rank.”
Ochako nodded slowly, looking towards Izuku. “So that means Midoriya and I will be working together?”
“Correct!” Nezu exclaimed happily. “The tile in your hand is considered the White Wheel. Similarly to the White Dragon and White Lotus tiles, just considered a lower rank.” Ochako inspected it once more, seeing how it actually looked like a wheel.
“Would I be carrying a tile as well?” Izuku questioned, looking at Nezu.
“I believe the risk would be too dangerous to give you a tile as it stands.” Nezu explained, before producing a tile, inspecting it before placing it on the desk. “This tile would be considered yours, if you were to carry one.” Kaina moved forward, grabbing the tile and inspecting it. Her eyes went wide, before she looked towards Nezu and back towards Izuku, before handing him the tile. “This tile is considered the White Lotus, the same tile and ranking as mine.” Nezu explained.
“But shouldn’t I also start out as an apprentice?” Izuku questioned, looking back at Ochako and seeing her shrug. “It only makes sense? It sounds like the Grand Lotus is considered the top rank.”
“In most cases, you would be correct.” Nezu explained. “But the Avatar is a specific case. Considering you are a reincarnation of the previous Avatars, you have some knowledge from those lives, but there may be something you need to do to unlock that knowledge.” Izuku nodded slowly, looking at the tile in his hands. “No matter if you carry this tile or not, the White Lotus will acknowledge the Avatar, but by carrying this tile, you would be increasing the chances of the Red Lotus finding you.” Izuku nodded again, before handing the tile back to Kaina, who returned it to Nezu.
“Moving along, your training going forward will focus on air bending.” Nezu said.
“But I know how to use air bending, why wouldn’t I try training with the other elements to get a better understanding of how they work?” Izuku questioned.
“I want you to be able to master air bending first, and once you arrive at UA, we’ll move forward with training the other elements based on some old training scrolls that have been passed down through the generations.” Izuku nodded, allowing Nezu to continue. “If you would like to attempt the other elements in the meantime, I ask that you return to UA with Kaina, and I will grant you access to one of our training grounds.” Izuku nodded again, looking excited. “Outside of UA, you will use nothing but air bending for the time being.”
“What do you mean, ‘once I arrive at UA’?” Izuku questioned.
“Being the Avatar and the successor to All Might, both of you have guaranteed spots at UA.” Nezu smiled, his eyes twinkling. “I already have everything setup for you two to start next school year.”
Izuku looked at Ochako, seeing the surprised look that matched his, before he looked back at Nezu. “But, doesn’t that hurt other student’s chances?”
“Not exactly.” Nezu explained, sitting back in his chair. “I could have it setup so you both are recommendation students, and only put you through some small knowledge tests to see where we would be going forward with teaching you.” Nezu clicked another few buttons, looking at the screen that only he could see. “Or we can put you through the entrance exam like normal, the only difference would be allowing you to see what everyone else had gone through. You’d both be guaranteed a spot.”
“That doesn’t sound fair to the other students though…” Izuku trailed off.
“And neither does dropping the world’s problems on either of your shoulders.” Nezu responded immediately. “I have made sure UA is one of the safest places in the world, comparable to Tartarus in security. Having you both here would mean that we can train you to become heroes before the world needs you.”
Izuku looked towards Ochako to find a contemplative look on her face. “It makes sense.” Ochako said, looking back towards Izuku. “Especially if you have a whole organization that would hunt you down if they knew of your existence.”
Izuku nodded slowly, looking back at Nezu. “Can we still take the entrance exam? I don’t want to just be given a seat without earning it.”
Nezu hummed, taking a sip of his tea, before placing it back down on the desk. “I supposed that could be arranged.” Nezu looked towards Ochako, finding her watching him. “Thoughts on this, Ochako?”
“I agree with Midoriya, Sir.” Ochako confirmed. “I don’t want to feel like I didn’t earn my seat here.”
Nezu nodded, turning to his computer and typing a few things. “So be it. You both will still take the entrance exam, instead of being given your guaranteed seats.” Nezu looked back at the students, his smile growing as his eyes twinkled. “I expected great things.”
“Mom! I’m home!” Izuku called out in the apartment, leading Kaina into the entranceway. “I brought company!”
“Company?” Inko called back, sticking her head around the corner. “Who did you…?” Inko trailed off as she looked towards Kaina standing there awkwardly, stealing glances towards Inko. Inko walked around the corner, standing in front of Izuku, while still looking at Kaina behind him. “Who is this?”
“Mom, this is Kaina Tsutsumi.” Izuku introduced Kaina, before Izuku turned to the pro hero behind him. “Kaina, this is Inko Midoriya, my mother.”
“It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Midoriya.” Kaina said, bowing a bit and keeping her eyes off the shorter woman.
“It’s just Ms. Midoriya now.” Inko responded, causing the pro hero to lift her gaze up towards Inko. “Can I ask how you know my son?” Inko questioned, before shooting a look towards Izuku to get him to straighten up. “And how you seem to be on familiar terms with him?”
“Mom!” Izuku said. “It’s a long story and one that we need to tell you.” Inko raised her eyebrow at Izuku, before looking back at Kaina.
Inko hummed, looking back towards Izuku. “I expect to be told everything.” Izuku nodded firmly, giving her a look that promised he would. “Very well, I’ll put on some tea.”
“So Ms. Tsutsumi, you were hired as a guardian for my son, who is considered to be this legendary Avatar.” Kaina nodded. “By none other than Nezu, the principal of UA.” Another nod. “And not only that, but you are a part of a secret society whose goal is to help train and guide the Avatar to protect the world.” Kaina nodded once more. “And not only that, but there is another secret society out there whose only goal is to hunt and destroy said Avatar.” Inko let out a sigh, before looking towards Izuku. “What did you sneak into my tea?”
“Mom!” Izuku startled out, waving his hands in front of him.
“I know this sounds unbelievable, Ms. Midoriya, because I didn’t believe it at first either.” Kaina stated, reaching down slowly before taking a sip of her tea, letting the warmth flow through her and relaxing her a bit. “But Izuku has shown his ability of not only bending air but water as well. Two different elements that couldn’t be more opposite of each other.”
“You can manipulate water?” Inko questioned Izuku. “You never told me that.”
“Because I didn’t know!” Izuku exclaimed. “Nezu had instructed me to try and bend water, and after successfully doing so, told me that I was the Avatar.”
“You met with Nezu?” Inko questioned, her eyes full of suspicion. “When?”
“Today.” Izuku looked away awkwardly. “I went to the beach to train a bit after school, and when I got there, there was this girl training there as well, and before I knew it, we were sitting in front of Nezu.”
Inko hummed, before glaring towards Kaina. “And how did you meet Ms. Tsutsumi here?”
“Remember when I said it felt like someone was watching me?” Izuku mentioned, looking back towards his mother. “Kaina was the one following me, protecting me from the shadows.”
“And this other girl who was training? What does she have to do with anything?”
Izuku looked towards Kaina as she looked towards him. Izuku looked back towards his mother. “I-”
“Sorry, that’s Nezu’s specific ringtone.” Kaina explained, pulling out her phone and hitting the speaker phone. “Nagant. I’m with Izuku and Ms. Midoriya.” She quickly greeted and explained her situation.
“Perfect.” Nezu said happily. “Hello Ms. Midoriya. It’s unfortunate we cannot meet in person today, but this will have to do.”
“Nezu?” Inko questioned, looking towards Kaina and Izuku, seeing them both nod.
“That would be me!” Nezu said happily again. “I take it Kaina and Izuku just explained everything to you?”
“They did…” Inko started off. “But it doesn’t sound believable.”
Nezu hummed to himself, sounding almost like he was chuckling. “I can assure you that everything they spoke about today is true.” Nezu explained. “But I welcome you to come meet me at UA and I can explain further.”
“Very well, when are you free next?” Inko questioned through the phone.
“Any time works best for me, Ms. Midoriya. Just stop by at any time and I’ll make sure to make some time to speak with you. For the time being, please allow Kaina to watch over Izuku for the foreseeable future.” Nezu stated.
“Very well.” Inko accepted, releasing a sigh. “Is there anything else you need me to do, Nezu?”
“Nothing as of right now. I’ll explain more when we meet face to face.” Nezu said happily. “Please enjoy your evening.” With that, a click was heard from the phone, indicating the call had been disconnected.
“I hope you like katsudon, Ms. Tsutsumi.” Inko said as she stood up, grabbing the tea cups and carrying them towards the kitchen.
“I don’t mind katsudon?” Kaina questioned, looking towards Izuku to see that he was smiling. “Why?”
“Because that’s what we’re having for dinner tonight.” Inko explained.
“You… want me to stay for dinner?” Kaina questioned, looking back towards Inko, a surprised look across her face.
“If you are going to be watching over my son, the least I can do is invite you for dinner, even if I don’t understand everything that is going on.” Inko looked back towards Kaina and smiled, before looking away again. Seeing the kindness behind the smile, after being so suspicious not even minutes before, caused Kaina’s heart to skip a beat and her cheeks to warm, before she coughed and looked back down towards the table.
“Thank you, Ms. Midoriya.” Kaina said quietly, just loud enough for Inko to hear.
“Please, call me Inko.” Inko said from the kitchen, beginning to start on dinner.
Kaina looked back up at Inko with wide eyes, before she coughed into her fist again, recomposing herself. “In that case, please call me Kaina.” Kaina looked back over towards Izuku who was smiling at the interaction between his mother and his guardian. ‘How the hell did I end up here?’ Kaina thought to herself, still looking at Izuku’s smiling face. ‘First, this kid doesn’t care about what I’ve done, instead offering me a hug for the first time in forever. Now, his mother is treating me like I am part of the family.’ Kaina looked back over towards Inko, seeing how the shorter woman moved with such grace as she cooked. ‘How’d that saying go? Every cloud has a silver lining?’ Kaina thought to herself, but she couldn’t find anything in her to complain about this current situation.
After Inko had gone to UA to talk with Nezu, she had allowed Kaina to walk with Izuku when going to and from school. They often talked about training, or the other two members that were on the beach. Kaina liked to tease Izuku about how often he would get distracted and look over towards Ochako, causing him to groan and blush up a storm, before quickly trying to change the subject.
Even though Izuku was bullied most of his life for not having a quirk, most people opted to leave him alone when Kaina had started walking with him to school, and picking him up after the school day was done. Izuku could hear the whispers throughout the school, but just decided to ignore them and continue with his learning. Even Katsuki had left him alone more often than not, only bumping his shoulder in the hallway or when entering the classroom. Even the comments had died down to grumbles under his breath, and Izuku was thankful for that.
It only lasted a few days before Izuku was forcibly dragged aside once he exited the school, being thrown into the shadows of the building, hidden from prying eyes. Izuku looked up towards his attacker, his former best friend and bully, seeing him fuming with anger as pops could be heard from his palms. Behind him stood a few of his goonies.
“Hello, Kacchan.” Izuku plainly greeted.
“Fuck you, Deku.” Katsuki responded, his popping getting a bit louder. “Who the fuck is that woman walking with you every day?”
Izuku could tell that Katsuki was angry today, not being able to let his frustrations out on Izuku for quite a while. The popping was getting more consistent and louder as more pops were heard. “She’s a friend, and my mentor.” Izuku responded, not looking threatened by Katsuki’s quirk whatsoever, knowing that he could easily counter it.
“You don’t have friends, you quirkless loser.” Katsuki taunted, expecting a reaction from Izuku. “And you have no need for a mentor. You’ll never get into UA.” Katsuki let a sinister smile grace his face, taking a step towards Izuku. “Only I will be getting into UA from this shithole school, and I’ll be the next Number One Hero!”
“Are you still going around saying that?” Izuku responded in a bored tone. “I’m pretty sure everyone is tired of hearing it.”
“What the fuck did you just say?!” Katsuki reached forward with his hand, ready to send an explosion towards Izuku, while Izuku braced himself to counter the attack before it could happen.
The Explosion quirk user stopped in his tracks as he heard a rifle being cocked behind him. He slowly turned to look down the barrel of the gun that was attached to the woman’s arm that Izuku walked with everyday. “Do we have a problem here?” Kaina questioned quietly, looking down the rifle before looking towards Katsuki’s other goonies.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Katsuki said before pushing the gun out of his face. Kaina reacted instantly, kicking the back of his leg out and forcing him down to the ground, before aiming the gun at his face once more. “What the fuck!”
“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay down.” Kaina said coldly, before looking towards the other students behind him. “If you don’t want to get caught up in this mess, I suggest you scram.” Katsuki’s goonies nodded quickly, before turning heel and running.
“Fucking useless extras.” Katsuki breathed out, before glaring down the rifle at Kaina.
“I’m only going to say this once, Kid.” Kaina said firmly, the rifle barrel only inches away from Katsuki’s face. “You will not go near Izuku again, or else the next meeting we have won’t be so civil. Got it?” Katsuki growled out, causing Kaina to force the gun into his forehead, seeing the look of panic cross his face, before anger overpowered it. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“I think he got the point, Kaina.” Izuku said, stepping away from the wall and moving beside Kaina.
“I wanted to make sure.” Kaina said, retracting the rifle back into her arm, giving Katsuki one more glare. She turned around and threw her arm around Izuku’s shoulder, guiding him away.
“GET THE FUCK BACK HERE, YOU USELESS DEKU!” Katsuki yelled out, forcing himself to his feet once more.
Kaina didn’t have time to think, swinging around while summoning her rifle arm, taking a shot into the ground in front of Katsuki, stopping his advance towards them. Katsuki stumbled back, falling onto his backside as he looked at where Kaina had shot her rifle bullet into the ground, leaving a decent side hole in the ground. Katsuki looked up in fear at Kaina, still holding her rifle aimed towards him, the end of it smoking slightly from the shot.
“Kaina!” Izuku whisper-shouted, pulling Kaina away from the scene. “You can’t just go shooting at people like that!”
Kaina folded her gun away, allowing Izuku to guide her away as she glanced back towards Katsuki who was still shaking on the ground, looking towards the bullet lodged into the ground. By the time they both turned a corner, Katsuki disappearing from their vision, Kaina allowed her shoulders to drop. “I didn’t shoot at him.”
Izuku looked towards Kaina in concern, causing Kaina to look towards him apologetically. “What?” Izuku questioned.
“I didn’t shoot at him.” Kaina repeated, before looking away with a sad look. “I don’t miss, Izuku.”
“Oh…” Izuku said quietly, looking back in front of him as they walked.
Silence fell over the two of them, the people around them moving out of their way. Kaina looked towards Izuku to see he still had a blank look on his face, his eyes focused on nothing as they walked. “I’m sorry, Izuku.” Kaina started, causing Izuku to look towards her.
“What are you sorry for, Kaina?” Izuku questioned, tilting his head towards her in question.
“I’m sorry for how I reacted.” Kaina started out slowly, but once she started speaking, it just flowed out. “I shouldn’t have threatened them! I shouldn’t have put my rifle barrel into that kid’s face! I shouldn’t have taken that shot! I could have killed him! Oh, my god…” Kaina trailed off as she realized what she just did.
“Kaina!” Izuku called out, stopping them both and pulling Kaina into a hug. “It’s okay! Nobody got hurt. You were only protecting me.” Kaina reacted by throwing her arms around Izuku, allowing them to hug right in the middle of the sidewalk. “Thank you, Kaina.” Izuku whispered out, pulling the hug tighter.
“For what?” She responded quietly.
“For being there. For protecting me. For stopping that bully before he could use his quirk against me.” Izuku pulled back to look at Kaina. “Thank you, Kaina.”
Kaina pulled him back into a hug, the two of them standing there for a moment longer, before separating. “Come on, Izuku. Can’t have your girlfriend worrying about where you are.”
Izuku groaned out. “She’s not my girlfriend! She’s just a friend!” Kaina giggled at Izuku’s reaction, wiping some unshed tears away, before throwing her arm around Izuku’s shoulders. He looked up towards her, seeing that she was in a better mood. “Plus, it’s your girlfriend that you should be worried about.”
Kaina stopped walking, stopping Izuku from continuing, before she looked down towards Izuku. “Girlfriend?” Kaina questioned curiously, not understanding who Izuku could be talking about.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice you hanging out with my mother more.” Izuku said smugly, still looking up towards Kaina. He quickly pulled out of the hug, leaving a gobsmacked Kaina standing there. “She’s gonna ask what happened today, and you know I'll tell her everything.”
Kaina nodded slowly, everything Izuku just said clicking into place, before she looked at Izuku in fear. “You better not tell Inko!” She reached forward to grab Izuku, but he slipped under her grab and started running. “Izuku!”
“Training killed me today.” Ochako said, slumping down beside Izuku on the steps leading to the beach. “I don’t think I can feel my arms after moving that car.”
“I still can't believe Toshinori made you move that car by yourself.” Izuku commented, playing with some small objects in his hands, making them spin around each other with his air bending, practicing fine control and multitasking. “I offered to help, but he said it would be good for you to build those muscles up.”
Ochako groaned out, slumping even further into the stairs, before taking a sip of water. “Don’t remind me. I don’t think I’ve ever felt my muscles this sore before.”
Silence fell over the two of them. Izuku and Ochako were both taking a break from training, while Toshinori and Kaina talked among themselves. It was only about a month after they had first met, but they often talked with each other during their breaks when they lined up, or after training before going their separate ways. Izuku had to compliment Ochako on the work she had done on the beach, already clearing up a few piles around the marked areas. Ochako often questioned Izuku on the new things he was learning, and Izuku was more than happy to show her.
“Uraraka?” Izuku questioned, closing his hand and stopping the small objects. Ochako hummed in response, indicating that she was listening. “Do you mind if I try something with you?”
Ochako opened her eyes to look towards Izuku, to find he was looking away. Over the first couple of weeks they had started training, Izuku had been really nervous to talk with her, and would often look away and run his hands over one another as one of his ticks. She smiled, knowing that whatever he wanted to ask made him super nervous, but was also super cute. ‘Where the hell did that thought come from?’ Ochako thought to herself, before shaking her head. “Depends on what it is, Midoriya.”
“Well…” Izuku trailed off, before steeling himself and turning towards Ochako. “You already know that I can control other elements.” Ochako nodded, encouraging him to continue. “And I read this old technique where you could help relax the muscles with water.” Ochako nodded again, looking curious now. “And Nezu says that previous Avatars were known to use water bending for healing.”
“So you want to attempt water bending on me to see if you can help my muscles relax?” Ochako questioned with a small smile on her face.
“Only if you want to!” Izuku quickly exclaimed, moving his hands in front of him. “I’ve never tried it before and I don’t even know what I am doing and I’m not sure if it’ll even work and I completely understand…”
“Okay.” Ochako cut Izuku off as he started his mumble storm, smiling even wider as he looked gobsmacked at her answer.
“Are you sure?” Izuku questioned. “I don’t even know what might happen.”
“Midoriya. I trust you. If you think you could relax my muscles, I would like you to give it a try. It might even help me sleep better tonight.” Ochako watched as Izuku’s eyes lit up as a smile graced his face, causing butterflies in her stomach.
“Thank you so much, Uraraka!” Izuku jumped up and moved behind Ochako, carrying a water bottle with him. “Can you remove your shirt?” Ochako blushed as he asked, quickly whipping her head back to look at him in embarrassment. Izuku looked at her curiously, before she whipped back around and put her face into her hands, before it finally clicked to Izuku what he just said. “I didn’t mean it like that, Uraraka! I’m so sorry! Forget I even said anything! I’m sorry for asking!” Izuku apologized before he made to move away from Ochako, but before he could stand up, he felt a hand wrap around his wrist.
“It’s-” Ochako choked slightly, before smiling, her blush marks an even deeper red than what Izuku could remember ever seeing. “It’s okay, Midoriya.” Ochako reassured Izuku. “It just caught me off guard. I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”
After Izuku’s heart had restarted, he nodded slowly, before sitting back down behind Ochako. He had felt his heart skip a beat when she smiled, her blush marks a deep red, before she turned back around. Ochako removed the light jacket she worn during training, one that protected her skin from any exposed metal and unexpected sharp edges, revealing her fitness tank top underneath.
“This might be a bit cold.” Izuku reassured, before opening the water bottle and placing it between them. He concentrated, sticking his tongue between his lips, before focusing on the water. Bending the water, he rose it up to cover his hands. “Okay, here we go.” Izuku said quietly, before placing his hands on Ochako’s shoulders.
Ochako reacted instantly, squealing a bit when Izuku touched her with the water, causing Kaina and Toshinori to look towards them. “It’s cold!” Ochako squealed out, before getting used to the water and Izuku’s hands on her shoulders.
“Okay, I’m going to try and use the water to relax and heal your muscles.” Izuku confirmed, smiling to himself at how Ochako squirmed under his touch, making his heart beat faster. He concentrated once more, allowing his hands to glow a bit, and listening to the sounds Ochako was making.
“Holy crap!” Ochako exclaimed, moving into Izuku’s touch a bit more. “That feels…” Ochako trailed off as she closed her eyes, before leaning back some more. “…amazing.” Izuku heard her sigh in content, relaxing more into the embrace that he had on her, before he slowly started moving his hands from her shoulders and down her arms. “Ahhh…” Ochako exclaimed quietly.
“I thought we said you wouldn’t use any other elements outside of UA?” Kaina questioned as she approached, Toshinori standing beside her.
“I know.” Izuku said, still smiling before looking up at Kaina. “It’s just Uraraka worked hard today, and mentioned her shoulders were killing her.” He gutted his chin towards the girl in front of him. “I just wanted to help her relax a bit after moving that car.”
“You still shouldn’t be using any other elements outside of UA, Young Midoriya. Who knows who might see you?” Toshinori rebuked lightly. “But if this helps Young Uraraka relax, I’ll allow it this one time. After today, if you both want to do something like this again, I suggest taking it back home.”
“Understood, Sir.” Izuku responded, moving his hands once more. Ochako hummed in agreement, lost in the feeling of Izuku using his healing bending on her shoulder and arms.
Toshinori hummed to himself, looking at Ochako, before looking towards Izuku. “You know, if this helps your muscles relax, I can push you harder tomorrow.” Toshinori spoke down towards Ochako.
Ochako opened her eyes lazily, smiling up towards her mentor. “If the results are this every night, I’ll gladly work harder.” Ochako responded, not even thinking about what she said out loud.
Izuku, listening to what Ochako was saying, lost concentration and let the water fall from his hands, splashing all over Ochako and causing her to yelp in surprise. She bolted up from where she was sinking into the stairs in front of Izuku, before turning around and glaring at Izuku. “What the heck was that for?”
“I- I- I-” Izuku started out, but just looked at Ochako as his cheeks started to get warmer.
“I think you broke him.” Kaina deadpanned, before moving her hand in front of Izuku’s face. He continued to look at Ochako as his cheeks got even more red. “Yep, definitely broke him. Good going, Girl.”
Ochako wheeled around to look at Kaina, who had a smug smile on her face as she looked between Izuku and Ochako. “How the heck did I break him? All he was doing was using his healing magic to relax my muscles.”
“Think about what you just said.” Kaina responded, still smugly smiling.
Ochako thought back to what happened right before she was soaked in water. She thought about what Toshinori said, before she thought about her response. Realizing what she just said, she looked back towards Izuku to see he was still looking into the distance while his head looked as red as a tomato, before her cheeks started getting more red in response. “I’m going home!” She suddenly announced, putting her light jacket back on and jogging up the stairs. “See you tomorrow!” She called out as she disappeared down the parking lot.
Toshinori and Kaina looked at Izuku, seeing that he was still blue screening over what just happened, before looking towards each other and shrugging. “I give it a month before they are together.” Kaina commented, looking back towards Izuku.
“That’s too soon!” Toshinori responded, looking back at Izuku. “My bet is on three months.”
“Wager?” Kaina questioned, looking back at Toshinori with a smile.
Toshinori hummed to himself, thinking about what they could bet on their two students. “One hundred thousand yen?” He looked towards the rifle user, giving her a wide smile.
“Only one hundred thousand?” Kaina questioned, smugly smiling towards Toshinori. “Why not up the wager a little bit? How about five hundred thousand yen?”
“Are we allowed to encourage them?” Toshinori questioned, still smiling.
“Nothing past the usual teasing.” Kaina confirmed.
“Done.” Toshinori said, holding out his hand for Kaina to shake. Kaina reached forwards and gave his hand a firm shake.
Once they were done, they both looked down to find Izuku watching them. “Did you just bet on my love life?” Izuku questioned, his cheeks still rosy red from Ochako’s comment earlier. Kaina and Toshinori both whistled while looking away. “I don’t believe this…” Izuku put his head in his hands, shaking it slowly, but he couldn’t help the smile from appearing on his face.