Crimson Empress (FemDekuxToga)

42 - From Despair Comes Hope [Arc 0 Finale]

Toga and the rest of the Aizawa family returned to the dorms late Saturday night. The class had been given permission to return home for the weekend but heeded to return by the school's curfew on Sunday. The family was much too exhausted physically and mentally so they went straight to bed without much care and Yamada even ended up staying the night with his husband who still needed some help moving around. The night was oppressive to the two teenagers. They were plagued by nightmares and the weight of a hero's duty. The lives they needed to protect and cherish, and the ones they had failed in their struggles. By the time dawn arrived and everyone had met downstairs they all shared the same tired expressions and exchanged polite chatter before falling into silence.

By the afternoon most of the class had already arrived yet the mood within the dorm continued to be downcast. Each of them had been there when Izumi, Toga, and Thirteen were carried out by paramedics. Aizawa had already been taken to the hospital but most of his injuries were hidden beneath his clothes. But not the three that had encountered Jin. A mess of blood, flesh, and a missing limb was rushed past the class and since then they had recieved almost no news regarding the conditions of the three. The class had slowly began to congratulate Toga and Aizawa on their recoveries and wished them well but the questions about Izumi and Thirteen. Shinso politely explained in Toga's place that Thirteen had recovered but would need some time before she returned to hero work because of her injuries. There had been no news regarding Izumi since Saturday morning.

The girls and some of the boys, Bakugo included, gave their condolences to the Aizawa family and Toga but she could only reply half heartedly. She continued to stare into space, holding a silver cat plushy that had been decorated with Izumi's quirk canceling choker close to her chest. No one was able to elicit a response the most they would receive was a few nods before she retreated back into herself.

"Shinso, can we talk?"

Toga suddenly stood and dragged Shinso into the kitchen for some privacy, both teens too distracted by their inner turmoils to notice that Kaminari and Ochaco who had followed them.

"They knew about our quirks. Jin also knew about Izumi being a Midoriya."

"That's explains why everyone was separated into the different sections the way they were. I heard Dad talking about a data leak, the student information must have been a part of it too then. But you said he knew about Izumi?"

"I think Izumi's notes got out too. When I encountered Jin he aboutmmy quirk and the partial transformation I've been working on. The only place that would have been recorded was Izumi's notes. The only people who have copies are Izumi, yourself, and Nezu. However something was weird when he saw Izumi. He kept calling her Midoriya and it felt like he knew her and had been waiting for her to show up. He kept pushing Izumi to use more and more of her quirk and he seemed to know how it worked too."

"We need to tell Dad."

"Not yet. Something feels wrong here, like we're missing something. We need to wait for Nezu first, if someone is hiding within us we need to keep it under wraps. Any sudden changes and we may have an even worse situation on our hands."

"Alright once Uncle Nezu returns we'll call a meeting with him and Dad."

-------------

Most of the boys had found themselves in one of the student training facilities not long after returning to the dorms. There was a silent unanimous conclusion they had all come to after the events at the USJ and witnessing the state of Izumi and Toga: they needed to get stronger. Far stronger than they were currently.

The feeling of helplessness as they watched the strongest of their classmates fight against an overwhelming force. The despair as they witnessed the aftermath and cost of losing a fight against a villain. The crushing reality of what it meant to become a hero.

If I was stronger.

If I was faster.

If I hadn't panicked.

If I hadn't frozen up.

If I had trained my quirk more.

If I push myself can I become stronger?

If I become stronger can I prevent anything like that from ever happening again?

Silently they let their minds wander as they trained individually, surrounded by each other yet alone in their thoughts.

No they would not give up. They would grow even stronger than they were and they would keep becoming stronger. They were heroes, and they would never allow anything like that to happen again.

---------

All the girls had gathered in Izumi and Toga's room after being invited by the blonde vampire teen. The mood was still somber but much brighter than it had been previously.

"Still no word about Izumi kero?"

Toga shook her head and sighed.

"Not since yesterday afternoon."

"You know I'm surprised to see most of us back here. I was sure that majority of the class would have been pulled out after the media really dug into U.A."

"I had to beg my parents to let me keep attending."

Most of the class agreed with that statement and shared their experiences with their families.

"I know we're trying to become heroes and we have to face danger at some point but what happened there has really made me think about quitting."

In a rare moment of vulnerability Jiro confessed to her fears.

"If Mr. Aizawa hadn't stopped that villain I wouldn't be here. Even on the boat I was terrified. But you and the rest of the class kept going. How did you do it? Weren't you scared?"

"I'm terrified."

Toga spoke up.

"Every time I put on my hero costume, every time I have to fight, every moment that I realize I am going to be a hero I'm terrified. I don't want to fight and I don't want to get hurt. But I also don't want the people I love and cherish to get hurt either. If I don't fight for them, if I don't protect them no one else will."

The weight of Toga's words brought silence to the room as the girls thought about their own convictions.

--------

Izumi stood in front of the 1-A dorm and fidgeting with the glove over her new right arm nervously. The prostetic had been made by PowerLoader himself and was connected to Izumi's nerves so it felt like her real arm. She would need to get it adjusted as she grew but it was still a bit unnerving for her to look at. So for now she had a specially made glove and sleeve to cover it until she became accustomed to its metallic appearence.

Nezu had regretfully informed Izumi that her hero costume, coat, and the Aramasa had been taken in by PowerLoader for repairs since they were both currently unusable. Her other belongings had already been taken back to the dorms courtesy of Aizawa and Yamada so she was unable to even call to let them know she was okay. Nezu said he would contact them but knowing his personality it was more likely he would just observe the class from a hidden camera somewhere for his own entertainment. So there Izumi stood in a set of spare clothes the hospital had provided her nervously pacing back and forth.

"Izumi?"

"Little Listener?"

Standing in the doorway was Yamada and Midnight with shocked expressions. For a moment no one moved but soon enough Izumi was wrapped in a warm embrace.

"Izu!"

"Izumi."

The girls, led by Toga, and the boys, led by Shinso, arrived to see Izumi pulling herself out of the suffocating hug. The silver haired girl was immediately sucked into another hug from Toga who began to cry uncontrollably. The rest of the class and the adults watched on with fondness as Izumi smiled warmly.

"I'm back."